Boy oh boy, do I enjoy writing out conflict between Sora and Riku. Something about their dynamic is just so fun to explore! Two best friends who are also rivals turned enemies turned best friends again after a year or longer of separation and turmoil. It's all just juicy stuff!

Also I'm excited for Akira's next chapter, planned to be posted Feb 21st! It'll be chapter 13, which is like the magic number in Kingdom Hearts, so I've gotta make it good, right? Until then, happy reading!

Edit: I realized while updating with chapter 13, chapter 12 wasn't loading on internet browsers, and it didn't even show up for me. I've taken it down and re-uploaded it in hopes that whatever data corruption might've happened has resolved. Also just as a reminder, I do have an AO3 account I crosspost on in case FF ever craps the bed like this, username KeybladeMom

Chapter 12: Bad Blood

If we're only ever looking back

We will drive ourselves insane

As the friendship goes, resentment grows

We will walk our different ways

—Bad Blood, Bastille

Sora grimaced, holding his shirt over his nose as another wave of the whale's rancid scent hit him. His memory of their time in Monstro was patchy at best—fragments of confusion, confrontation, and hurt—but the smell? That was unfortunately crystal clear.

He, Donald, and Goofy made their way forward into the dark cavern cautiously—Donald lighting the way with a flame on the top of his staff. The dim light hardly reached a few feet into the ever pervasive darkness, making the trio feel ill at ease.

"I forgot how awful this was," Sora muttered.

"Now how'd we go an' end up in a place like this?" Goofy scratched the top of his head, his floppy ears drooping.

Donald waved his staff impatiently, the tiny flame casting shadows on the pulsating walls. "Does it matter? Let's just find the door and get out of here."

Another wave of silence fell over them—not entirely comfortable. Sora kept his eyes fixed ahead, on the lookout for the faintest glimmer of white signaling their way out. He was well aware of the glances Donald and Goofy kept stealing at him when they thought he wasn't looking. They were concerned, and Sora had to admit it wasn't without reason.

Ever since he'd remembered Naminé's name, he'd been feeling like there was an hourglass hovering over his head, ticking down the seconds to complete disaster. She and Akira were being held captive, and it was up to him to save them—but how could he ever hope to do that? Larxene had beaten them solidly, and though he'd held his own, there was no way at their current state they'd be able to take her, Axel, and any others on at the same time.

But that was a problem for future Sora. He did his best to channel his mounting frustrations into climbing Castle Oblivion as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Sora," Goofy said gently behind him, "you alright, pal? You're bein' awfully quiet up there."

"Yeah," Sora said, a little too fast. "Of course."

Goofy's eyebrows knit together in concern. "You sure? I know this place is kinda spooky and all, but it seems like there's somethin' else on your mind."

Donald made a noise in agreement, his expression half-annoyed, half-worried. "You haven't forgotten our talk about acting screwy, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Sora huffed.

He hesitated, his hand seeking out the star-shaped charm kept secure in his pocket. He knew they meant well, but the weight of their concern felt like another pressure added to the growing pile already on his shoulders.

"I told you, I'm fine. We just need to hurry," he said firmly, though he couldn't meet their eyes. He pressed forward, quickening his pace to try and avoid any further questions.

"Sora…" Goofy's voice trailed off, concern lingering in his tone.

Donald, however, wasn't about to let it drop. "Is this about Naminé?"

Sora froze mid-step, his shoulders stiffening.

"Told you," Donald whispered triumphantly to Goofy. Webbed feet slapping against the soft ground, he rounded on Sora, pointing his staff at him. "You said you didn't forget our talk, but clearly you didn't take it to heart! Don't think you can fool us with the nothing's wrong act!"

"I—" Sora started, his voice catching. What was he supposed to say? They wouldn't understand—they couldn't. The feeling that his memories weren't fitting like they should, the pressure in his head, the fact the harder he tried to focus on Akira's face the more it seemed to blur and distort. "It's all just so… complicated."

"It's okay if you're feelin' a little confused," Goofy chimed in with a reassuring smile and a brief chuckle. "I know I am. We're all tryin' to figure out this castle, and how to get to Akira and Naminé quick as we can. We're all on the same ship!"

"It's 'in the same boat,' Goofy," Donald corrected with a sigh.

"Isn't that what I said?" Goofy asked with a tilt of his head.

Sora couldn't help but laugh at that familiar exchange. It didn't matter that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes—he was grateful for the levity at least. "... You're right. I'm sorry I made you worry."

Donald propped his free hand on his hip, narrowing his eyes up at Sora critically. "Sorry doesn't cut it! We've been through too much for you to start shutting us out now."

Sora winced at the scolding, glancing off into the pitch black, beyond the light of their makeshift torch. He could tell Donald wasn't going to let this go without further elaboration on his part. "I just feel… wrong. Ever since we stepped foot into this place, and especially after Larxene—" he broke off, gesturing to himself with a noise of frustration in lieu of struggling for words. "And now I'm starting to feel like—like I can't see Akira as clearly anymore. It's like the harder I try, the blurrier she gets. What if…" he paused, guilt bubbling up in the back of his throat like it was trying to swallow his fearful admission, "what if I'm starting to forget her?"

Donald's expression softened, and he lowered his staff. "You're not gonna forget her, Sora. There's no way something like that could ever happen. We all know how important she is to you—you can't forget someone like that, even if you tried!"

Goofy nodded, placing a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder. "Yup! And even if this place starts'ta mess with your head, we'll all help each other remember if we start to forget the important things. Just like you turnin' into a Heartless!"

Sora felt his throat tighten, but their words brought a warmth to his chest that dulled the edges of his fear.

"Exactly! What kinds of things are you worried about forgetting?" Donald hummed, waving his staff through the air as he didn't wait for an answer. The fire left a trail of embers behind as he focused on making it form into a vague shape. "We took those art lessons in the jungle, and I was pretty good at it. I'll remind you what she looks like!"

Sora snorted despite himself, looking down at Donald with a teasing lift to his brow. "Maybe some things are spotty, but I didn't forget your attempt at a self-portrait. You might make things worse."

Donald's stance deflated as he flashed him a scowl, but it was dampened by Goofy's laughter. "Well if Donald here'll help ya remember what she looks like, guess I'll help ya remember what she acts like!" He snapped his fingers, his eyes widening in a sudden recognition. "In fact, I just remembered how we wound up here in the first place! Y'all wanted some flying lessons, and we flew right into this here whale's mouth!"

Sora's snort grew into full blown laughter as the memory suddenly roused itself from his subconscious, like something floating to the surface of a murky pond. He'd convinced her to abandon her studies and come bother Donald for lessons. They fought over who would be captain. When they crashed, he made a pun that made her groan in frustration.

Finally—the persistent fog that had started to creep into his mind cleared ever so slightly. The blurred outline of sandy blonde hair and light green eyes began to solidify with little details. How for the last couple of months, she was finding it harder to keep her growing hair out of her face. The spattering of freckles across her nose that darkened and spread with any exposure to the sun. The scar over her left eye she'd tried to self-consciously cover until he told her how cool he found it. Her teasing grin whenever she challenged him to a spar, like she already knew all the tricks he was going to try and pull.

"There you are," Sora murmured to himself. The relief he felt seeing her face clearly was almost overwhelming. He blinked back to reality, looking up with renewed focus to see Donald and Goofy staring at him, waiting intently. "Thanks, you guys. I needed that."

Donald and Goofy exchanged a grin of success.

"That's what friends are for!" Goofy said cheerfully.

"Just don't forget that again, got it?" Donald scolded good-naturedly. "We're here to help you—whether you like it or not!"

Sora laughed again, his shoulders relaxing for the first time in what felt like days. "Okay, okay—I got it. I promise, I'll do better about keeping you in the loop."

Their light-hearted conversation was interrupted by an unknown voice, chiming in from just outside the sphere of their light, "You shouldn't be so happy. Don't you know you've been eaten?"

They all stiffened and whirled towards the source of the voice, the flame on top of Donald's staff flickering as he jumped. Sora squinted his eyes, seeing the barest outline of a small figure hiding behind a bend in the wall.

"Who's there?" Donald quacked into the dark, brandishing his wand a little higher.

"Hold it!" a muffled voice chimed in from Sora's hood. With a grunt of effort Jiminy jumped onto Donald's hat, blocking his vision. Despite the mage's grumbles, he leaned forward to squint towards the overshadowed figure. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere. Pinocch, is that you?"

With a gasp, the mystery boy came running into the light of the torch, a disbelieving smile stretched wide on his face. Or at least… Sora thought he was a regular boy, at first. As he stared, he realized something startling—his body was made entirely out of wood, like he was some sort of marionette come to life.

"Is that really you, Jiminy? Gosh, I thought I'd never see you again!"

"As I live and breathe, Pinocchio!" Jiminy hopped up onto the boy's shoulders, giving him the biggest hug a cricket could muster. Pinocchio returned the gesture of affection with a fond nuzzle and a giggle. "Y'know, you shouldn't be so surprised! You think it's that easy to get rid of your conscience?"

"Conscience?" Sora repeated, looking over to Donald and Goofy. They both put their hands up in a shrug.

"Oh no, I didn't mean that!" Pinocchio shook his head, still beaming proudly. "But I've been real good, even without you around. I haven't told a single lie!"

There was a small flash of light, and suddenly Pinocchio's nose doubled in size and sprouted leaves. He crossed his eyes to look at it, seeming just as surprised as everyone else. "Oops…"

"For Pete's sake," Jiminy sighed and shook his head, disappointment heavy in his tone.

Sora cleared his throat, getting the cricket's attention. Donald had a hand propped on his hip, his webbed foot slapping the floor impatiently. "Care to introduce us?"

Pinocchio blinked, rubbing his nose sheepishly. Jiminy looked like he was going to launch into a lecture before Donald's statement—sticking with just giving the boy a hard look before he hopped off his shoulder to address the awaiting trio.

"Gentlemen, this is Pinocchio. Before I became the royal chronicler for the King, I was assigned to be his conscience, so he could learn how to behave just like a real boy would!"

"A real livin' puppet!" Goofy marveled, "Ain't that somethin'!"

"Conscience as in… the voice in your head that tells you not to do bad things?" Sora asked with a tilt of his head. He wouldn't have guessed that was a position that could be hired out.

"Precisely!" Jiminy nodded. "Y'see, Pinocchio here wants to become a real boy—so he doesn't have a conscience like you or I might. That's why it's my job to let him know the difference between what's right and wrong." He then turned his attention back to Pinocchio, and Sora recognized the posture of someone about to give a harsh scolding. "And speaking of—Pinocch, you should know by now lyin' is a slippery slope!"

"I know, I know," Pinocchio hung his head. "I'm sorry, Jiminy. I really have been good without you though! I've been helping Father out tons!" With another flash, his nose shrank back to its normal size; the small leaves shedding from the motion as they floated to the ground.

"Geppetto?" Jiminy gasped, the same time Sora repeated, "Father?"

Pinocchio nodded eagerly to both questions. "Uh-huh, he's here too!" Without any warning he launched forward in his excitement, grabbing Sora's hand as he started to tug him along. "C'mon, I'll take you to him! You can tell him how you got here, and maybe we can all get out!"

"Oh, uh—" Sora grimaced, looking over his shoulder at his companions. It felt bad to lie to the boy after Jiminy just gave him a lesson on not doing it. "We kind of used a super special way to get here, and it… Uh…"

"It's so special, we don't know how we did it!" Goofy chimed in.

Pinocchio looked disappointed, but he still tugged Sora behind him. "Well, maybe you can talk with Father about it. He's so smart, and the best toy maker in any world ever. If anyone can find a way out of Monstro, it's him!"

"We're coming Pinocch, let the boy walk for himself!" Jiminy sighed, jumping back onto Pinocchio's shoulder. The two pulled ahead and chatted amicably, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy to linger slightly behind.

"Should we remind him this is all just a memory?" Donald said, gesturing towards the cricket.

"Nah, let him have this," Sora shook his head, taking to scanning the branching pathways of the whale's insides. General biology didn't seem to apply to Monstro—but that shouldn't change the fact they were going to be looking for a doorway out.

Goofy plodded along silently, his face scrunched as if he were deep in thought. Eventually he broke the silence to ask hesitantly, "Didn't we meet someone else while we were here?"

Sora and Donald exchanged a glance, both coming up clueless. "Other than Pinocchio?" Sora asked.

Goofy nodded, still tapping at his chin as he hummed. "Uh-huh… but it wasn't him. And I don't think it was Geppetto neither. Gawrsh, it's on the tip of my tongue…"

Sora furrowed his brows, his footsteps slowing. Someone else, huh? The more he thought about it, the more he realized Goofy was right. They had seen someone here—but who? A dull ache pulsed in the back of his mind as he struggled to fish the blurred memory forth.

And then, it hit him.

Riku.

His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment everything else seemed to fade away. They had seen Riku here. But it hadn't been the happy reunion he and Akira were searching for.

No, Riku was different. Darker. Crueler.

Sora's fingers clenched into fists at his sides as fragmented memories forced their way to the surface, joining back together in a crystal clear recollection. He remembered the way Riku had stood over them, eyes cold and distant. He remembered how he sneered at him, tried to turn him against Akira—each word just twisting the dagger in his heart further.

He remembered how it hurt.

It must have been showing on his face, because Donald tilted his head, concerned. "Sora? You okay?"

"...Yeah," he finally said, giving his head a shake. "I just… remembered who it was. We saw Riku here."

Goofy's ears perked up and he snapped his fingers. "That's right! It was Riku! But, uh…" His excitement faded as he processed Sora's expression, his own turning sheepish. "I don't think it went too well, did it?"

Sora snorted—that was an understatement. "Not really."

Silence hung between them for a beat. But then Sora straightened his shoulders, determined to look confident. "Look, it'll be fine. If we see Riku in here… we just have to remember it's not the real Riku. Just a memory."

Donald and Goofy perked up at this, giving enthusiastic nods as they both shouted, "Right!"

By this point in time, following behind Pinocchio had led them out of the whale's guts proper. Based on the look of the cavern that stretched before them, they'd migrated to Monstro's mouth. Propped up against the side of its mouth was an old wooden ship, practically little more than driftwood—but its deck was at least somewhat intact. Sora could see an elderly man standing at the bow of the ship, fumbling for a pair of glasses as he squinted at their approaching group.

"Father!" Pinocchio called out in greeting, waving his arm. "Look who I found!"

Geppetto startled at the sound of Pinocchio's voice, nearly dropping his glasses in his haste to place them on his nose. His wide eyes blinked in surprise before softening with a visible relief.

"Pinocchio!" he called back, shuffling forward carefully on the unsteady deck. He opened his arms just as Pinocchio scampered up the ramp leading to the ship, jumping into his embrace with a giggle. "Oh, my dear boy, how many times have I told you not to run off on your own like that?"

"I know, Father, I'm sorry," Pinocchio drew back, looking sheepish. However he quickly perked up, pointing to Jiminy on his shoulder, then to Sora's approaching group with the other hand. "But look! I brought some friends!"

"Bless my soul," Geppetto murmured, "Jiminy Cricket, is that really you?"

Jiminy adjusted his jacket, looking very pleased at having been remembered. "The one and only!"

Geppetto looked between all four of his unexpected guests, his amazement fading into concern. "I hadn't realized the whale swallowed others. How long have you all been trapped here?"

"Hard to say," Sora answered, following up with his own question to avoid explaining any further, "What about you? How'd you and Pinocchio end up here?"

Geppetto sighed heavily, clearly feeling the weight of his years in that moment. "Well, it's quite the story. But I suppose the long and short of it is that I set out to sea in search of Pinocchio after he ran away. Unfortunately, I didn't get too far before Monstro swallowed up my little boat." He glanced at the scattered remains of the sloop despondently for a few seconds, then brightened back up with a chuckle. "But someone must have been looking out for me—I found my son unharmed, already inside this whale!"

Sora folded his arms with a hum. "But now the both of you are stuck here. You haven't been able to find a way out?"

Geppetto shook his head, but he didn't look nearly as upset as Sora would've expected for a man in his situation. "Not yet. But don't waste your pity on me, my boy. So long as I'm with Pinocchio, I know things will end up just the way they should be."

Now that was a feeling Sora was well acquainted with.

"Still—of all the places to get lost…" Jiminy tsked. "That boy is too curious for his own good! And he's still tellin' fibs."

Geppetto laughed again, seemingly in agreement. "Ah, but he's a good boy at heart, Jiminy. You worry too much."

"Speakin' of Pinocchio," Goofy interrupted hesitantly, "where'd he go?"

Donald quacked in alarm, looking at the spot Pinocchio was only a few moments ago. "He was just right here!"

Geppetto's amusement faded slightly, and he let out a resigned sigh with a shake of his head. "Oh, off exploring again I suspect. He's taken to mapping out this entire monster, even though I've told him not to leave this ship without me. Can't for the life of me figure out what's got him so insistent…"

"That boy is a handful in the best of situations," Jiminy said. He jumped onto Sora's shoulder, giving the side of his face a tap with his umbrella. "Don't you worry yourself, Geppetto. My friends and I will find Pinocch and give him a talking to!"

Sora nodded in ready agreement. They needed to head back in regardless, the least he could do was keep an eye out for Pinocchio during their search. "Yeah, we'll find him no problem. We do this kinda thing all the time, actually."

"Oh, bless you," Geppetto gave a little bow of his head, looking concerningly misty-eyed. "It should do my son some good being around someone closer to his age, too. I can only hope some of your generosity will rub off on Pinocchio, young man."

Sora flushed, rubbing at his nose. "Oh, uh, don't mention it."

And so, the four of them turned once again to retrace their steps through the depths of Monstro, each taking a moment to call out for Pinocchio. Their voices echoed through the dark passageways and dripping caverns—but no response came back. Eventually Sora sighed, stopping before another branching pathway. He had a feeling somewhere along the way, they'd gotten themselves turned around.

"Anybody seen any signs of him?" Sora asked, glancing towards Donald and Goofy. They both shook their heads. His heart beat with a bolt of annoyance that he struggled not to show on his face. They were wasting time wandering around this labyrinth—time he could've spent ascending to the next floor of Castle Oblivion. Every second wasted here was one more grain of sand ticking down for Akira and Naminé.

"Pinocchio, c'mon! This is no time for games!" Sora shouted, his tone tense.

"But, Sora, I thought you liked games."

They all jumped at the sound of another voice echoing from the dark just in front of them—but no one's response was more visceral than Sora's. The flame on Donald's staff flickered and threatened to extinguish, then roared to life as he pointed it towards the intruder.

The light caught on silver hair and gleaming teal eyes as Riku stood before them. He stared at Sora cooly, entirely ignoring the others in the room. There were a few beats of silence, in which Sora struggled to remember his own advice. This was just a memory—a bad memory, yes, but still just a memory.

Donald and Goofy were watching from behind, tense, but waiting.

"I don't have time for you, either," Sora murmured, once he got past the lump in his throat.

Riku scoffed, his expression darkening. "Not happy to see me?"

Sora's lips thinned, containing the instant rebuttal of that. On the contrary, the mere sight of Riku standing in front of him caused his heart to soar with a joy so painful he could hardly draw breath. He would've ran to crush Riku in a hug if he hadn't known better. "It's not like that."

"Right. I'm getting in the way of something more important, aren't I?" Riku glanced away, his hands clenched into fists. "Bet you'd all but forgotten about me. About the reason you even came here in the first place."

"Are you crazy? We came here in the first place looking for you!" The words tore their way out of Sora's throat before he could stop them. His lingering guilt wouldn't let him stay silent in the face of his goading, even when he knew better. But he still tempered himself, holding onto the rest of the rant that wanted to emerge.

"But you're not anymore, are you? And don't say you're looking for Akira either," Riku's lip curled in a disgust that was an all too familiar expression, one that made Sora's stomach twist. "All you care about now… is Naminé."

… Wait. What?

Sora's heart turned icy with the realization.

This wasn't just a memory. It couldn't be. He'd only just remembered Naminé when they entered Castle Oblivion. It couldn't be—

"Riku…?" Sora choked out.

"Hmph," Riku scoffed. Without addressing anything further, he turned and ran into the dark. Sora ignored the shocked calls of his name as he immediately took off after Riku, summoning the Keyblade for his own aura of light to guide the way.

"Did you really lose Akira again?" Riku's voice echoed around the passageways, making Sora grit his teeth in frustration. "Guess I'll have to step in and find her. Just like I found Kairi first. Or did you already forget that part?"

"Riku, wait!" he shouted, taking just a moment to listen to the fading thump of footsteps signaling the correct way forward before running full force once again. "I didn't know—we were looking for you!"

There was no echoing response back. Sora's breath came in quick bursts as he chased after him, his mind reeling. Was this really, actually Riku? The real Riku? If it was, Sora didn't understand why they started off with all that tension. When they closed the Door, didn't they put all that bad blood behind them?

Donald and Goofy were calling out to him from behind, their voices distant, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. They would just have to catch up.

Sora turned another corner sharply. Riku's figure caught the light emanating from the Keyblade—just beyond Sora's reach. If Sora was in a more rational state of mind, he might've realized Riku's pace was just slow and steady enough to be deliberate.

He wanted Sora to follow him.

"And you even remember Naminé, huh?" Riku's voice taunted from the shadows, distorted by the twisting tunnels. "Funny. You ever give more than a second of thought as to why you might be remembering her now, of all times?"

"W-What?" Sora shouted, frustratingly aware he was running out of breath. Lucky for him, the chase came to a sudden and unexpected stop. Sora barely had time to react as Riku skidded to a halt in the middle of a wide, cavernous space. The moment Sora stepped inside, the fleshy walls contracted, sealing the entryway shut.

Sora glanced back at the walls clamped shut, warily checking his surroundings before approaching Riku, who stood in the center of the room with his back to Sora.

"Riku…" Sora hesitated, still catching his breath. The silence stretched between them, Riku content to not let it break. "What's with you, man? What happened in the Realm of Darkness? Where's the King?"

Riku let out a soft, humorless chuckle. Then, finally, he turned to face Sora. "You still haven't learned a thing. Naive as always."

Sora didn't get a chance to respond to that non-answer. Dark energy exploded from Riku's hand, forming into the bat-winged sword Maleficent had given him. The sight of it instantly made a pit form in Sora's stomach. Castle Oblivion hadn't stolen their memories of reconciliation—had it?

He didn't have time to ponder this possibility further. Riku rushed forward.

Sora dodged away as Riku's sword carved through the air inches from his face. Instinct had him countering with a swift horizontal slash, but he held back at the last second. It allowed Riku to duck, sweeping a leg at Sora's feet in the same motion.

Sora jumped, flipping backwards to gain some distance between them. "Why are we fighting?! Riku, it's me! Don't you remember what you told me at the Door?"

"Do you?" Riku snapped back. "Tell me, Sora—do you really remember the people you claim to love? Seems to me Naminé is starting to take up more space in your heart than us."

Sora flinched, confusion mingling with a pounding behind his eyes—a pressure that builds every time Naminé's name is spoken out loud. "What are you talking about? Isn't Naminé our friend too?"

"You still don't get it," Riku said, his voice low. "And I'm starting to get real sick of looking at you."

Darkness surged around him, and before Sora could react, Riku vanished.

His instincts screamed at him to move—so he did, and just barely in time. As he dove low to the ground, Riku reappeared above him, the point of his sword driving into the fleshy floor where Sora was just standing. Sora rolled to his feet, watching Riku pull the sword from the ground and flick a bioluminescent fluid aside. If he hadn't dodged…

"Okay," Sora muttered, gripping the Keyblade tighter, "You're serious. So I will be too."

"About time," Riku responded with a roll of his eyes. Then, without another word, he lunged.

Sora parried the attack away, the impact sending a jarring vibration up his arms. Riku was undeterred and pressed forward, his attacks more aggressive than before. Sora racked his brain, fighting through the static to pull Riku's typical tactics forth, fitting together a hastily constructed strategy.

As Riku reeled back to deliver a crushing blow, Sora rolled away, casting a fire spell mid-motion. The bolt shot forward in a spiral of flame, forcing Riku to leap back and give up his favorable footing. Sora closed the distance and struck fast—one, two, three blows in rapid succession. Riku dodged the first, blocked the second, but the third clipped his shoulder, knocking him off balance.

Sora took advantage of the opening, driving his Keyblade forward in a piercing thrust—

But Riku caught it.

His hands wrapped around the blade, Darkness crackling at his fingertips, and with a fierce snarl, he shoved Sora back with an explosion of force.

Sora hit the ground hard, the air briefly knocked from his lungs. The Keyblade flickered in Riku's grip before vanishing, and Sora felt immense relief when he felt it return to his hand. He really didn't want to relive being abandoned by the Kingdom Key—no matter how brief the absence had been.

Riku glanced at his empty palm, then back to Sora, his expression unreadable. "You've gotten stronger," he admitted, stepping forward at a slow, deliberate pace. "Back on the islands, you would've been done for by now."

Sora pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his ribs. Ordinarily, praise from Riku would've made him feel like he was on cloud nine—but all that happened was his chest tightening. They've had so many arguments before, so many fights—both pretend, and not. But every time at the end of the day, they'd make up. Maybe it was that little flare of familiarity in Riku's mocking praise that made him try to return the banter.

"Are you sure I've gotten stronger? I feel the weakest I've ever been, actually." He met Riku's gaze, forcing a teasing smirk. "Maybe you're just slipping."

Riku's fingers twitched around the grip of his sword. For just a second—just the barest second—his expression wavered.

Then, his eyes hardened, and he rushed forward again.

This time, Sora was ready.

He sidestepped at the last second, letting Riku's momentum carry him forward before slamming the Kingdom Key into his ribs. Riku choked out a gasp, staggering from the impact. Sora pressed the advantage. With quick, precise movements, he drove Riku back—most of the blows were blocked, but Sora could feel his momentum slowing.

A final blow sent Riku's blade flying from his grasp. It clattered against the ground, disappearing in a flash of dark mist.

Riku dropped to one knee, panting. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he didn't get up. Sora stood over him, just as out of breath as he lowered his Keyblade. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't gloating.

This didn't feel like a victory.

Riku glared up at him, his aqua eyes burning. After a few moments of tense silence, Sora exhaled and stepped back to give him space.

"I don't know what happened—but I don't want to have to fight you like that ever again." He dismissed the Keyblade, then sat on the ground, his arms on his knees. "I know you've probably figured it out—you're smarter than me. But this castle messes with your head. If you can't remember anything but us fighting…"

Sora trailed off, his lips pressing together. He didn't want to think Riku could even be capable of forgetting about him—but no other reason for him being so antagonistic from the get-go like that made sense.

"I guess I get why you picked a fight. But you're my best friend, and we came to this place looking for you, and the King too. Yeah, I remembered Naminé along the way, and now Akira's in trouble too so we gotta help them—but that doesn't mean I ever stopped looking for you. And now that you're here, we can all get through this place together. Maybe I can help you remember all the good times we had, instead of just the bad ones?"

Riku stared at Sora silently the entire time he was speaking. Then he scoffed, standing up with an exaggerated stretch, like the fight hadn't just drained him. "Tch. Don't get all sentimental on me, Sora."

Before the situation had a chance to escalate again, there was an explosion that rocked the entire room. Sora was forced to clap his hands over his ears as a loud rumble echoed through the stomach, before the walls that were clamped shut opened once again.

Donald and Goofy stormed into the room, weapons brandished and brows furrowed. They immediately hurried to Sora's side, Goofy picking him off the ground and looking him over.

"Sora? Are you okay?"

"Who are you, Pinocchio? Don't run off without us!" Donald quacked, before his battered state seemed to process. The mage turned a fierce eye onto Riku, pointing his wand at him threateningly. "What's the big idea, you palooka! Did you forget we're supposed to be friends?!"

Riku looked down at Donald, unimpressed. "I think I'll skip out on this reunion." He took a step back, the shadows around him beginning to stir again.

Sora's eyes widened. "Wait—!"

But it was too late. The shadows swallowed Riku whole, leaving nothing behind but silence. Sora clenched his fists, his heart hammering against his ribs. He was prepared to face difficult memories—but he wasn't as ready to have to actually rehash it all out with Riku all over again.

"Riku sure was actin' strange," Goofy mumbled, his expression concerned. "Did somethin' happen to his heart again?"

"But we got rid of Ansem, and he was back to normal!" Sora protested. "It's this place—it's messing with his head just like ours!"

"Wak!" Donald shouted in alarm, whirling around in a sudden panic. "The King! He was supposed to be with Riku!"

Goofy's eyes widened as the implication of that processed. "You don't think… that somethin' happened to Mickey too…?"

"Why else would Riku be alone?" Donald shook his head, his feathers visibly ruffled. "They must've gotten here before us, and climbed higher up! That's why Riku forgot!"

"Gawrsh, I sure hope the King hasn't forgotten about us…" Goofy trailed off, his ears drooping.

"Fellas, fellas!" Jiminy jumped out from Sora's hood, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. "Let's not forget the advice you gave not too long ago!"

The three turned their eyes wide with worry onto the chronicler, who cleared his throat and reached for his hat that was dislodged sometime in that fight. "We're all in this together. And no matter what happens, you can't just erase a memory that's important to your heart! Maybe it can get all blurry, but when that happens, all you need is someone who can blow off all that dust to help you see clearly again." He blew on his hat, patting the rest of the dirt off before replacing it on the top of his head with a smile. "See? Good as new."

Goofy was the first to be comforted by the analogy, his expression breaking into a grin. "Shucks, you're right, Jiminy. Besides, now we know we were right about Riku and the King being here! We can help 'em both remember whatever they forgot, save Akira an' Naminé, then we can all go home together!"

Donald and Sora slowly brightened as well—hard not to when Goofy began to chuckle and painted such a hopeful picture of the future.

"True, finding them was half the trouble," Sora agreed.

"Well Goofy, when you're right, you're right," Donald said with a resigned sigh. "This ship runs on happy faces. Worrying about it won't change a thing."

Jiminy gave a satisfied nod, arms crossed as he looked upon his successful attempt at rousing the trio's spirits. "Now then, let's get back to finding Pinocchio and getting us out of this whale!"

They all collectively sighed as they turned their gazes back to the dimly lit passageway of the whale's insides. Well… there were only so many places a puppet could hide, surely.

KH

The Replica's boots scuffed against the marbled floor as he walked through the blindingly white hall, his breath coming in ragged gasps he did his best to calm. His battle with Sora had left him shaken, much to his embarrassment. But that was fine. He was still new, afterall. He had all the time in the world to get stronger.

In the meantime, he had a report he needed to send back. His performance should have been good enough to buy him a least a few moments alone, enough to send that data to Vexen's lab—

The air crackled with the whisper of warning before a streak of lightning exploded in front of him, striking the ground with a deafening crack! The force sent him skidding backwards as he shielded his face, barely managing to stay on his feet.

A cold, mocking laugh rang out through the hallway.

"Honestly now, first you get your ass handed to you, then you try to sneak away? What, do you think we're stupid?"

The Replica's eyes darted up to the source of the voice. Larxene lounged against a pillar ahead, arms crossed, her ever-present smirk widening as she tilted her head at him. Her fingers twitched, sending stray sparks flickering between them.

"Tch." the Replica glowered at her, his fist curling in preparation to summon Soul Eater if needed. "All you told me to do is test him. I did that. Now, get out of my way so I can—"

She vanished in a blur of lightning, and then—bam!

Pain exploded in the Replica's stomach as Larxene reappeared right in front of him, driving her knee into his gut. The force knocked the wind from his lungs, sending him stumbling back.

"I'm sorry, did you just try and tell me what to do?" Larxene smiled as the Replica coughed and wheezed, struggling to regain a breath. "Wherever did you get the idea you could do something silly like that?"

The Replica snarled at her, Soul Eater entering his empty palm. "What's your problem?! You think Vexen's going to be happy when he finds out—"

Another blur of movement. Larxene grabbed him by the collar and hurled him into the nearest wall with supernatural strength. He crashed against it, Soul Eater clattering to the floor.

"Will you just shut up?" she growled, her falsely amused persona fading away in favor of a cruel sneer. "Can barely hear myself think. Now, where was I… oh, right!"

The Replica tried to push himself up, but another swift kick to his stomach sent his trembling arms back out from under him.

"'Seems to me Naminé is starting to take up more space in your heart than us,'" Larxene held up a finger as she slowly quoted his own words back to him. "You said some real interesting stuff back there, Fake. Care to explain why exactly that is? And don't give me that whole 'betrayed best friend' routine. You know you're not the real Riku. That shit doesn't matter to you."

When he didn't answer, she knelt down beside him, her voice a low hiss. "What is your primary directive?"

The Replica took in a deep, shaking breath. And then grabbed Soul Eater and tried to drive it upwards into Larxene's chest.

Before the sword tip even got close to piercing flesh, he was sent flying back with another surge of lightning. Electricity coursed through him, locking his muscles, drowning out all thought with sheer, agonizing pain.

Larxene laughed, the sound high-pitched and mocking. "Stupid little toy! Did I fry your circuit board or what? I think you're actively getting dumber."

Darkness started to creep into the edges of his vision. He was going to go offline. He needed to warn Vexen, if he could just get out a single word—

"Don't worry too much, though. Marluxia had such a wonderful idea to make you actually useful to us." She strolled over, using the toe of her boot to roll him onto his back. "And when Naminé is rewriting your clockwork heart, I'll make sure she erases the memory of me knocking you flat. See? I can be nice."

The Replica's eyes widened in a panic he couldn't mask. The last thing he heard before everything went black was the sound of her cruel laughter.

KH

In the basement's laboratory, a screen flickered to life. Vexen stirred from his studies, watching as a line of code flashed briefly before it all went red, a giant 'ERROR' symbol disrupting the rest of the transmission.

He got up slowly, approaching the screen to study it further. And then drove his fist into the keyboard, the only sound now filling the lab the crackling of broken circuitry.

After a few rounds of deep breathing exercises, he turned his back on the screen entirely and closed his eyes. He needed to think.

Curses!

He was going to draw suspicions, of course he was—Marluxia's unexpected presence already set off all those alarm bells. He just didn't think it would be so soon. It was bold to knock his gifted Replica offline, but it wasn't as though he could confront them with a flimsy bit of evidence like that. He already knew the rebuttal—his Replica was flawed and couldn't even handle the likes of the Keyblade Wielder.

Hmph.

First Akira, now this. Has Marluxia gone absolutely mad? Once the Superior found out about the goings on here under his directive—

Wait.

Akira.

Vexen glanced at the singular remaining Replica body, its grey, featureless face waiting for its imprinted memories.

For all intents and purposes, to those topside, Akira's fate was as good as sealed. And if a gifted Replica drew too much suspicion, perhaps he needed to adopt their penchant for subterfuge. After all, if they didn't know it was a Replica, surely they wouldn't be so bold as to attack the Pure Heart openly.

His furrowed brows smoothed as a crooked smile stretched across his face.

"... Very well," he spoke out loud into the silence, "we will place our next bid on plan B."

KH

Larxene's eyes flicked from Marluxia in the center of the room, gaze fixated squarely on the seeing glass, to Axel lounging lazily on the couch, to Naminé, sitting with trembling hands in front of the unconscious Replica.

Hardly a word was spoken when she returned with the body—only what was needed to direct Naminé in her task of rewiring the Replica's heart. She knew better than to interrupt the silence when Marluxia was obviously focusing, but it still made her body itch with the urge to antagonize, bitch and moan, something.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait much longer

"The King's men are proving troublesome."

Axel stirred from his (likely fake) nap, the both of them turning to look over at Marluxia. He kept his eyes on the seeing glass, not looking up towards his compatriots. After another beat of silence, Axel and Larxene exchanged a glance. He shrugged as an answer to her unvoiced question, so she decided to voice it.

"The toons?" Larxene asked.

Marluxia hummed in agreement. "The strength of the Keybearer comes from the ties his heart makes to others. Naminé can only do so much when their very presence repairs the chains she breaks."

"You really think they're offsetting the progress that much?" Axel raised a brow.

Marluxia's lips curled into a thin smile, his eyes never leaving the seeing glass. "They have far more influence on Sora's heart than you seem to realize, Axel. Every time he falters, they're there to lift him back up. If we truly wish to break him, we must sever those ties completely."

Larxene leaned against the wall, summoning a kunai to twirl between her fingers lazily. "So… what? You want us to take them out?" She mimicked drawing her kunai across her neck to emphasize her meaning.

"Not quite yet," Marluxia replied smoothly, finally turning to face them both. "I want them removed from the equation, yes, but we need more bargaining chips. Things to ensure Sora will continue to climb regardless of the risk. Bring them back here—we can reassess their usefulness at a later date. Naminé will handle the rest."

"Great, babysitting duty," Larxene growled. "That's gonna get old fast."

Axel crossed his arms. "I dunno if that's a good idea, boss," he emphasized the word sarcastically, then thumbed over his shoulder to where Naminé sat, pretending like she wasn't listening to the conversation. "Didn't she say we have to take our time with this? We want him to break in a way where we can still put him back together—don't you think you might be rushing things a little?"

Marluxia's expression darkened, and his voice lowered. "You'd do well to remember your place, Axel. As far as I'm concerned, you're still in your probationary period. I can cut you loose the moment I think you're a liability to our goal."

"Alright, alright, relax!" Axel held up his hands in mock surrender. "Sheesh. We'll handle it."

Larxene rolled her eyes, straightening up and dismissing her kunai. "It'll be quick, they're a couple of clowns.

Marluxia nodded, satisfied. "Good. See to it, then." He turned back to the seeing glass, his voice taking on a softer, more contemplative tone. "We need Sora completely isolated. Ruminating in his abandonment. It'll make it all the easier for Naminé's roots to take hold."

"Aye aye," Axel gave him a two-fingered salute before summoning a corridor with a sigh. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

"Aw, Axel!" Larxene cooed in a sickly-sweet falsetto, making Axel roll his eyes. "Don't be like that. It's our first assignment together as the new Organization. Aren't you excited?"

"Absolutely ecstatic. Can't you tell?" Axel deadpanned, vanishing into the corridor without waiting for a response. Larxene's lower lip jut out in a mock pout, but she followed after him, leaving Marluxia alone with the flickering light of the seeing glass.

"Alright, Keybearer," Marluxia murmured into the quiet. "Let's see how strong your heart truly is… without them."

Naminé sucked in a small breath, shrinking further into her chair, if such a thing were even possible. Something churned in the pit of her stomach—a sensation she was unable to find a name for. She tried her best to take her mind off of it by continuing to work on her next picture: an image of a girl in a white dress, holding hands with a spiky-haired brunette and a silver-haired teen.

This chapter is a little shorter than the ones previous, but I didn't want it to overstay its welcome. Sometimes I get bored rehashing the old plots from the KH1 world, so once I've got the important bits out of the way, I feel fine in hand waving the rest. I'm also a firm believer in writing to completion, not to word count! Hence why a lot of my chapters do tend to run over my initial goal of no more than 10,000 words lol

Anyways, questionnaire! As always, these are for fun and help me to muse on the themes of the chapter after its done. Feel free to answer any or none of them!

1. Have you ever had a fight with a friend so bad you didn't think you could repair the friendship? If you did make up, do you feel like it affected the friendship going forward?

2. Do you feel like you'd have a way of telling if your close friends were replaced with a Replica?

Xxser3ndipityxX: I gotta be so honest, I pour my whole soul into describing how much they miss each other because I miss writing them together xD Akira and Sora being separated is torture on multiple levels, including at the author level LOL. And I know I already went into a little bit of detail about this bUT to rehash publicly - Castitas was in the works long before the Master of Masters was a thing. I've been crafting this story since before KHUX even came out, so I've happily married my own lore and a bit of canon into a new thing all together!

I'm so so glad you're enjoying the canon-divergent content though. It's been so much fun to world build and flesh out more of my OCs and personal lore about the time before the Keyblade War. Reviews like yours make me confident I'm on the right track story wise!

Also your comment about how I write Riku made me gasp out loud for real LOL, I was so happy. I wanted to make sure I was still doing him justice since his CoM arc is so important to his character development. Also Riku is honestly top 5 in my list of favorite KH characters so I take representing him as accurately as possible serious haha.

And yes, that is an apt summary about what would happen to Akira without outside intervention! We're also def going to have more memory hopping moments. I suppose I should've included Birth by Sleep in my initial listing of the games we'd be exploring this story, but OH WELL. Also I'm kicking my feet at you calling my original writing my best work STOP IT YOU (but don't really)