Kingdom Hearts 1. Sora

**Reverse Eclipse  
**_The BirdFox Hybrid Productions_

**Disclaimer:** We don't own anything in relation to Kingdom Hearts or Disney/Squeenix

* * *

The midday sun beat down on Sora's bare back as the teen stretched from his crouched position, letting out a sigh. He ran his forearm across his brow, wiping away beads of sweat that had gathered. Before him sat a near-completed raft made of driftwood, rope, and spare cloth. He merely needed for Riku to bring the last batch of wood and for Roxas to return with extra rope and the raft would be done.

It had taken many a grueling month to gather the supplies needed to make the creation- driftwood wasn't all that common due to the lack of surrounding trees near enough to shore. The sad truth was that it had taken just as long to put the raft together, since Sora had no clue when it came to making any type of traveling vessel. Monsoon season was coming up faster than Sora had originally anticipated, and though it was a good month and a half away, it was also a good month and a half closer than he would have liked.

He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the brown locks gently before his fingers rested on the back of his neck. His free hand placed itself on his hip, eyes surveying his work to check for any possible damage or flaw. Biting down gently on his bottom lip, his brows furrowed- Roxas had been recently talking about how their journey would most likely never happen- and had even gone as far as threatening to tell their mother about Sora and Riku's scheme of leaving the island, saying how it was more a suicide mission than anything. Sora loved his twin, truly, he did. It was just that Roxas just needed to get out there, and find out there really was more to the world than just their dinky little island. Roxas would see one day, Sora was sure of it.

-

Shifting the heavy loop of rope on his shoulder, Roxas bit back a sigh as he neared Sora on his return to the raft. Somehow his elder brother (by one minute and forty seven seconds) had managed to drag him into this ridiculous and unrealistic idea of building a raft to get off of Destiny Islands.

The blond had spent countless nights arguing with him- what was wrong with the islands? Why did he want to leave so badly? And if there were other places out there, there would already be ferry services running to and fro- no raft would survive out that far. Roxas was always the one to stand back and think things through where Sora was rushing ahead head-first into everything. Sora said that Roxas needed to relax and enjoy life a bit more- Roxas said that Sora needed to use his head before his brain retired along with Sora in his early grave.

"Here's the rope," dropping the item onto the raft next to Sora's feet, his brother stood back, observing the monstrosity, "How far along is it, then?"

Sora turned, his face lighting up with a grin upon catching sight of his sibling- the very person he'd been thinking about. The brunet reached down to pick up his tank top off the edge of the raft, slipping it over his head whilst replying. "It's almost done. I'm going to use that rope to hold the sail in place better and make it so we can take it down when the wind's too crazy." A puff of brown hair popped through the collar before Sora's head did, and he straightened his shirt glancing at Roxas. He looked like he was dressed for the fall- the blond always refused to wear sandals (sand got everywhere) or shorts.

"You're not gonna wear that when we set sail? It'll be too hot. Who wears pants anymore?" He flicked Roxas on the nose, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Flinching backwards from Sora's finger, Roxas covered his nose with a hand, scowling at his brother, "Someone who doesn't want to be burnt to a crisp by the sun," he reached out, smacking Sora's shoulder gently, "You didn't use any sunscreen like mom told you to, Sora. I thought you would have learned by sixteen... The back of your shoulders are bright red. You'll have to sleep on your stomach." Roxas jabbed a finger at Sora twice to accentuate his declaration.

Sora's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "They are?" With a faint tone of despair, Sora twisted his head to the left, tugging the sleeve of his shirt down and spinning in a circle in an attempt to catch sight of his back.

Upon realizing that it was futile, Sora released his shirt with a half-hearted shrug. "It's probably not **that** bad." He declared, his twin a self-assured grin.

He paused, "And where's Riku? Did he break a hip trying to get the wood?" The brunet peered down both ends of the shore in search of his best friend. Not too far off, a tall boy with pale silver hair pulled back into a low tie with muscular arms exposed by the sleeveless shirt he wore was kicking up sand with his bare feet, headed towards the twins. Sora's face lit up and he rose a hand to wave at the approaching male.

"Sora! Are you being a lazy ass again?" The boy called out, balancing a large pile of driftwood in his arms- though he was somehow able to prevent being awkward with his movements anyway.

Sora scowled at Riku. "I take offense to that lazy comment; I'll have you know I've been working my 'lazy ass'," Sora's hands lifted, fingers making small quotations around the word before he glanced away from the older boy in a huff. Riku flashed him a grin and nodded at Roxas in greeting, dropping the driftwood next to the pile of rope, "Hey Roxas, you helping out today? Cheer up, you look miserable."

"I have the right to be," Roxas scowled, "You guys are crazy. Monsoon season is coming up quick, and yet you're still making this... _death trap_." His hand motioned to the raft as he spoke, earning half-hearted grins from both Riku and Sora.

Sora's expression softened, dropping his arms from their crossed position and regarding his brother with a knowing look. "Worry not, Roxas, monsoon season is still a good month and a half away, we'll be alright." He placed his hand onto his sibling's shoulder, the palm of his fingerless glove giving Roxas a quick squeeze. Sora was probably just as worried as his twin about the raging series of storms that would be fast approaching, but it was now or never, and the brunet knew better than to encourage Roxas's negativity.

Roxas's scowl increased, "So you guys are abandoning me and mom within the next few weeks. Great. Thanks for that."

Grinning, Riku clapped a hand on the blond's shoulder in a similar fashion to Sora, "Oh, but I thought you were coming with us, Roxas?"

"Since when?!"

"Well, Sora said--"

"What I said was-" Sora cut in, using his hand to shove Riku gently in the shoulder to get him to back off for a moment. "I said to myself, and to Riku- 'What kind of a brother would I be to go off on an adventure and leave poor Roxas all alone with our mean ol' mummy?' Then I figured, that you needed to see the world with us-- I just... err... hadn't asked yet..." Sora trailed off sheepishly, rubbing a hand against the back of his head before he held them out in a shrug, "So- how about it, Roxas?" He gave his brother what he liked to dub his 'thousand watt smile'.

"No way," Roxas shook his head to strengthen his rejection, "I'm not stepping foot on that thing. Sora, you're insane. Riku, I don't know how my brother has made you suicidal, and I don't plan to find out. I'm out of here," shaking Riku and Sora's hands off of his shoulders, he turned and headed out of the area quickly before either could protest.

Riku sighed once the blond was out of sight, "You two are twins but nothing alike- it gets me every time," he turned back to Sora, sensing he needed to reassure him about the raft- after all, it was Riku's idea originally (although Roxas seemed to think otherwise), "Look, it's going to be fine. If he doesn't come, it'll just be us two." As he spoke, they were overcast in a soothing shadow as the sun dipped behind a series of clouds to provide a small bit of temporary shade for the two boys.

Sora turned to give Riku a small grin. "Yeah, just us two..." His smile fell, brows furrowed. Though he was elated at the thought of having an ungodly amount of alone time with Riku, Sora knew that Roxas spent too much time as a recluse, and hardly sought out others company on his own without Sora or their mother's insistence. He let out a sigh, tempted to rest his head on Riku's shoulder in his exasperation.

"I get worried about him sometimes. He used to hang out with Hayner and the others, but when they fell out of contact over the summer, Roxas just, I dunno, stopped caring." Sora glanced up to Riku. "It makes me glad that I've got a friend like you, Riku."

"Mmm," sitting down on the sand, Riku patted the ground next to him, beckoning for Sora to follow suit, "You're a good brother, Sora. You really care about him, and he'll recognize that. I'm sure Roxas will cheer up once school's back in session and he's seeing his friends regularly again." As much as Sora worried over his brother, Riku worried that Sora was stressing himself too much when it came to Roxas's welfare. The silver-haired teen knew all too well that Roxas was level-headed and could take care of himself if the situation arose. He glanced up when a group of seagulls let out a series of argumentative and obnoxious caws- though his gaze was redirected to Sora when the brunet plopped down beside him with a huff to lean a shoulder against Riku's own.

"Maybe... you think he needs a girlfriend?" As Sora spoke, he stared down at where his fingertips barely touched Riku's, the gears in his mind turning. What kind of girl would Roxas like? Did Roxas even like girls? Sora had read somewhere that homosexuality tended to be a hereditary trait, and since Sora liked boys...

A quite silence overcame them, broken only by the hypnotic shushing of the tide coming in.

"Maybe," following Sora's gaze, Riku looked down at their fingertips in the sand. He smiled, before shifting his arm, hand drifting across the small of Sora's back before it landed on his hip, casually holding him in a half hug as he turned his attention out to the sea, "That Naminé girl in our English class likes him. And there's Kairi, too."

Sora blinked gently, gazing up and out to the ocean, though he had to avert his eyes whenever the glare of the sun returned once it had come out from behind another cluster of clouds. "Yeah, Kairi's a little pushy though; I don't think she's Roxas's type, but maybe Naminé..." Sora trailed off, reaching his hand out to return the partial embrace; his fingers resting on Riku's waist. His head bobbed gently, sleep tugging at his senses as his fatigue was brought to his attention. He let out a large yawn, lulled into a sense of relaxation by the sounds of the ocean and the wind that caught in the leaves of nearby palms, causing a few coconuts to clack together.

"Ma- maybe I can ask Roxas when I get home." The brunet said, blinking his eyes. Shade fell upon them again as two seagull overhead floated down to the water. He tilted his head to look at Riku. "We'll be ready to set sail any day now. I can't wait." Sora gave Riku the smallest of secretive smiles.

"Me neither," Riku turned his head and returned the smile, only inches separating them now, "There will be so much out there... it'll be amazing. You'll love it, I know you will."

Sora's yawn seemed to be contagious as one suddenly escaped Riku's mouth that second, ruining the moment as he had to pull back to cover his mouth, "Do you want to head back? We can take a nap at yours."

Sora gave a lazy nod. "Sounds good, I got up too early this morning, I think." He peered up at the sky, watching as darker clouds slowly began to creep across the blue expanse, thinking nothing of it except the shade it provided and the possibility of a light drizzle sometime later in the day. "It looks like it's gonna rain anyway, so it's probably a good idea to take a break." Sora pushed himself to his feet, brushing sand off and offering a hand out to his silver-haired companion.

Grabbing Sora's hand, Riku pulled himself up, hand lingering for a moment before pulling his fingertips away, "Sounds like a plan. C'mon."

-

A violent crack of thunder was what jolted Sora into the waking world, eyes darting out to the dark evening sky as rain pounded against his window. His legs were tangled in Riku's, their bodies pressed close. He extricated himself enough to sit up, pulling open his window and then shutting it when he was bombarded with a faceful of rain and another flash of lightning. The situation ran itself twice in Sora's head before realization hit him.

"The raft!"

Incoherent mumbles were his reply as a pale hand groped blindly up Sora's side, grabbing the boy and pulling him back down to bed. Arm slinking around his waist, Riku pulled the brunet back tightly up against him. Whether he was fully conscious and aware of his actions wasn't clear, but he definitely hadn't heard or understood Sora's previous exclamation. However, as much as Sora would have liked to cuddle into Riku and forget about the storm outside, he had spent hours working on the very raft he'd forgotten to tie to the dock, and knew it would be swept away into the raging waters by the waves rushing onto the shore, where the vessel had been resting.

"Riku- the raft." He said, pressing his hand against Riku's chest to attempt to awaken the silver-haired teen. "The raft isn't tied to the dock, we've got to tie it before it gets pulled out to sea," Sora tugged at Riku's hands on his waist, attempting to loosen the vice grip. Lightning flashed again, lighting up the room for a moment before plunging it back into semi-darkness.

Groaning, Riku squinted open an eye, his face portraying the look of utmost annoyance. He loosened his grip around the boy's waist, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair, fetching his hair-tie from somewhere amongst the sheets and tying his hair back once again. He wasn't pleased about the idea of going out in the rain, but he figured that rain led to a wet Sora which led to a bath when they got back, so he decided he'd cope. Barely. Sure.

He had to hide the enthusiasm in his voice, "We'd better get going."

Sora hurried out of the bed, snatching up his sneakers and hopping to tug them onto his feet. Grabbing an old black jacket on the way out of his room, he called out for Riku to hurry as he jumped the stairs two at a time, not bothering to silence the loud thuds his footsteps made.

"Come on Riku!"

Quickly pulling on his shoes, Riku hurriedly grabbed up a set of sneakers he often left at Sora's house while making sure to pick up one of the brunet's extra zip-up hoodies and pulling his hair back with the ponytail he'd previously tucked into the pocket of his jeans. With a faster pace, he trailed after Sora down the stairs catching up with the smaller boy just outside the house, where Sora had been waiting for him

The wind caught the door the second it was released from Riku's grasp, slamming so hard it sounded like the entire house shook. That was when Riku finally caught sight of the storm. He felt the urge to grab Sora's hand as he gazed up to the twisted and warping clouds above- unsettling him. But he knew that he'd only slow them down like that. He gave Sora a look before they broke into a full-out sprint, heading for the raft as fast as humanly possible.

-

A sudden bang shook Roxas out of his thoughts- he had been dozing at his desk over a book. He looked up and out his window, a flash of lightning illuminating the cover as it fell closed underneath his hand, the orange title of _Marigold_ lighting up for a moment. But his attention was drawn to two lone figures darting from his house. He quickly recognized them Sora and Riku. But what the heck were they doing out in this storm?

He got up, pulling on the faded blue jacket that hung over the back of his chair and tugging it on. For some reason he felt compelled to follow them. Something about the way they ran, something about the way the sky flashed and trembled. Skipping a few steps as he headed down the stairs, he grabbed an umbrella and stepped outside, flicking it open and following after the boys. However, the strong winds blew his umbrella inside out and then completely ripped it from his hands before he had even gotten to the end of his block. Scowling, he let the storm claim the broken chunk of metal and continued pursuing his brother and friend. Somehow, he knew where to go.

-

Their island was alive with shadows as the stormy sky was darkened their cheery beach into a sinister, cold arena. Sora's eyes squinted as the rain partially obscured his vision, wet hair hanging in his face, causing water to slide down his cheeks and across his mouth and brow in rivulets. As he ran, he raised a soaked hand to pull hair out of his vision, scowling in irritation when the brown locks stuck wetly to his skin. It was then that he caught sight of what lay before him.

"Riku, what-" Sora broke off, out of breath as he came to a complete stop, and he stared at the dark creatures crawling over the shore and dock. Lifeless eyes shining a dull gold that peered up at him caused Sora to inhale sharply when one pulled itself from the ground near his shoe. Its tri-clawed fingers grasped out at Sora's ankle, empty, yet hunger filled gaze causing Sora's heart to clench in fear. The brunet lashed his foot out, kicking it back and jumping in surprise when it disappeared in a plume of smoke. "Riku, What's going on? Wh- what are these things?"

"I don't know, but... these things...! They must be from another world, Sora!" Snapping his head around so fast that water went flying off of his bangs as they hit his face wetly, Riku looked past the raft to the dark waters- which were eerily calm despite the howling winds and swirling sky. He was drawn to it for some reason. Black seemed to be stirring in its depths, beckoning to the silver-haired teen with a promise to grant his wishes.

Dropping Sora's hand (he didn't realize until then that they had started to hold hands), he ran forward to the water, feet splashing into the shallow swash. The teen suddenly felt exhilarated, a rush of power had gone through him- it increased and he felt warm as he stepped further into the water, wading until he was knee deep. In awe, he whipped around to Sora, holding out his hand, "Sora! Come with me! This is our way out, to our new life, to get off this island!" He just knew it, there was no doubting the feeling rushing through his veins, this was their way out. Sora just had to believe him.

"Riku, what are you talking about?" Sora called out over the howling wind. Riku's behavior was worrying him, and he was half tempted to disobey his friend's request. The look in Riku's eyes was one Sora had never seen before. He bit his lip, but made his way through the shallows, his steps wide and less erratic as he reached for his companion. He halted in mid step, the feeling of black tendrils creeping about his ankles shocking the teen into looking down and gasping. Shadows, twisting and writhing, surrounded his legs, creeping forth from the water and slowly crawling up his shins, trapping him.

His head shot up. "Riku! I can't move!" He struggled, reaching down to free his ankles from their dark hold. He stood straight again, reaching forward, fingertips grazing Riku's own. "Riku!"

-

Slipping in the sand, Roxas skidded around the corner only to see Sora and Riku in the water-- during a thunderstorm?! Gasping for air, he clawed at the sand as he nearly tripped, darting for the two.

"Sora!! SORA!!" he yelled as he neared him, "Get out of the water!!" When he realized that his brother wasn't listening or couldn't hear him, Roxas tried yelling for the more logical of the two, "RIKU!" They were both insane.

Riku stretched his hand out further to Sora, "Just take my hand, it'll be fine, they won't bother you anymore!" Sora had to believe him, Riku had never felt a hunch this strong before in his life. His fingers reached out for the brunet.

Panic gripped him as Roxas's screams reached the brunet's ears. "Roxas--" Sora whirled around, eyes wide as he caught sight of his brother on the shore, "Roxas!"

He turned back to see Riku, still standing with his hand outstretched. Could he grab Riku and drag him back to shore with Roxas? Sora's body bent forward, his hand finally grasping tightly to Riku's. In that split second Roxas's yelling voice suddenly becoming an echo in his head as the world began to spin around him. His body felt weightless as darkness crept into his vision. He was only aware of Riku's hold on him before his world went blank.

Freezing in horror, Roxas mouthed his brother's name but no sound came out- he and Riku had just disappeared before his very eyes. "**Sora**!" he found his voice, and he screamed, and he threw himself forward into the water, hands grasping down at the sand below- he must have fallen down, he must just be there, he can't just _disappear_, that's not _possible_- he choked on water, soaked to the bone as he groped blindly through the water, finding nothing- nobody- and then silence and black.

**

* * *

Psycho Rooster:** I was the one who initially proposed the idea to Yuka after we discussed possibly writing together. She took to the idea instantly, giving forth wonderful input that will make this story even more amazing than it would have been without her. Sadly, after we'd gotten a little ways past what will eventually be chapter six, Yuka was unable to continue writing, and so has given me permission to post this fic under my joint account with Random Kyuubi, who will now help me write this. Please continue to review and tell us what you think. 


	2. Roxas

**Reverse Eclipse****  
**_The BirdFox Hybrid Productions

* * *

_

Traverse Town was once a place constantly bustling with activity. The nights filled with music, flashing lights and exuberant men and women looking for a good time. The first few months that Axel had arrived, it had been like that. Most of such late-night activities were kept to the Fourth District, (where no one under the age of eighteen was allowed to enter) but when the heartless came, it had been boarded up- much like the Fifth District and over half of Third District. Most of the people who had come had either left or learned to work their lives around the heartless. Apartments that were once older shops started to open up in the Third and Second district, each one housing at least one man or woman who could hold their own against the shadow monsters. This helped to generate a bit more spirit in the townsfolk as life became a strict regimen of waking before eight, going about one's activities and closing shop before nine that night, whenever the heartless would become overwhelming.

The First District was constantly void of Heartless, most likely pertaining to the plethora of lights humming and magic shields thriving in every lamp pole. Before a wizard by the name of Merlin had appeared one night and had immediately set about designing magical wards inside each lamp, things had been much more hectic than they currently were. The Second and Third District, however, contained a handful less of the magic needed to ward off the heartless, considering there weren't nearly enough lamps to keep the entire square lit up and shielded with Merlin's spells.

Axel still vividly remembered the night that he, Yuffie, Cid and Aerith had arrived. He still remembered the blood coating them- how Cid had lay on the floor of the ship, nearly dying as Axel vainly tried to stem the blood flow that seeped from deep claw marks in the older man's chest. Their world was being ravaged by a series of monster-sized heartless, and barely any had been able to escape. Axel had planned on staying back home with his brother to help stop the heartless- loyal until the very end.

That all had changed whenever his elder brother had snatched him into a crushing hug before throwing him at Cloud, a former SOLDIER that had befriended the siblings years before, with a plea to keep the younger redhead safe. The blond man had disregarded Axel's sluggish struggles (a large gash in Axel's side accompanied the slash along his jaw and his torn and bloodied clothes) and dragged him onto the ship with the rest of them- purposefully ignorant to Axel's agonized scream of Reno's name when the ship took off. Sure, Vincent had stayed behind to keep him safe, but Vincent was only one man- a retired member of the Turks who had once been the source of ShinRa's experiments.

Turks had been what had saved Reno and Axel from life in the slums, but it had also been what destroyed their world when Reno's employer, a man referred to simply as President ShinRa, began trying to manipulate the heartless into their own creations. It had started with fusing the energy of a heartless into that of an ancient- a creature by the name of Red XIII. It had torn the lab apart, able to devour hearts by the dozen and create chaos with a single swing of its blackened paw. Reno had been there when it began- he'd witnessed how the monster lunged first at Rufus ShinRa, son of the president, and had wrenched the young man's throat from his neck without skipping a beat. Reno's partner, a tall, strongly built man by the name of Rude, had no time to procure its gun when the heartless creation had leapt upon him, claws ripping open the stunned Turk's chest and tearing out his heart in a flurry of blood and glowing light.

Stricken, Reno had lunged at the monster- though his fellow Turk, a Wutaian man by the name of Tseng, had snapped him back by grabbing onto the younger man's hair and wrenching Reno away from the monster, ordering for him to retrieve reinforcements. Wracked with grief, Reno had launched himself out of the lab, attempting to drown out gunshots, crashing, and a terrorized scream from Elena, a girl who had recently joined their ranks not two months before.

None of them had survived, Reno had said. The lab had been all but decimated- the President and his son dead along with three of the four highest ranking Turks in ShinRa. Reno had been bedridden for nearly a week afterwards in sheer despair while the heartless began to multiply twice as fast as before and slowly destroy the city and its inhabitants. At the time, Axel had been aware that Reno's heart was set on Cloud- Axel was sure it had always been. Cloud had been the only one to pull Reno from his mourning. The blond man had forced himself into the apartment against Axel's protests and had wrenched the covers from Reno's bed, exposing Axel's brother to the world for the first time in a week.

Axel had watched in awe as Reno shrieked at Cloud- only to have the blond ex-SOLDIER wrap strong arms around the thin man's waist and lift him up onto a shoulder. Cloud had approached Axel, stating the words "we have no time to mourn when lives are being lost every day. Find whatever materia you have and stock it while I knock some sense into your brother." with a cold and stern voice that left no room for protests. Axel had answered with a numb nod and watched Cloud leave with a wildly kicking Reno slung over a shoulder.

Cloud. Axel's heart leapt into his throat. Their ship had been attacked by heartless during the escape. Cloud had leapt into the small fighter ship that had been tucked underneath the belly of the Gummi ship, hoping to minimize the level of heartless. In the end, a meteor shower had struck during the battle and Axel had watched in horror as Cloud was hit repeatedly without time to recover before his ship was batted away. He'd disappeared, leaving Axel and the others nearly defenseless and with another grief-filled hole in their weary hearts.

Their landing in Traverse Town had been more of a crash straight through the gates. Yuffie had slumped unconscious against the controls less than a half hour into their flight, leaving Aerith to try and maneuver the ship while Axel tried to keep Cid alive, talking quietly to the man in undertones that bordered on desperation. The crash had been enough to cause extreme alarm in the townsfolk. When Aerith opened the hatch, a tall man with brown hair and a jagged scar driving from his brow and across the bridge of his nose stormed onto the ship, weapon drawn and a scowl on his handsome features. One look at the half-dead crew and he quickly leapt into action, running first to Cid and lifting the man up, telling Axel to grab Yuffie and follow him out of the ship.

Upon exiting, Axel was overwhelmed with the bright lights of the First District and the small crowd that had huddled around the ship. There were gasps from a few who had most likely caught sight of Cid's bloodied body and the copious amount of vicious wounds coating the rest of the passengers. There were hands helping Axel when he stumbled- a large set taking Yuffie out of his arms as two more helped him to walk when his already weakened body dropped to a knee.

Axel's eyes had sought out Aerith's thin frame being assisted by a young woman and Yuffie being carried by a large man, both of them following the brunet man towards a small shop that resided up a set of stairs. The two sets of hands grasping Axel began leading the lethargic redhead in the same direction before everything faded to black.

That was how life in Traverse Town had really begun.

Axel shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans as the heels of his boots tapped along the stone walkway. He nodded to the guard standing next to the large, thick wooden doors that lead to the First District before the man turned to push them open. Murmuring a 'thanks', Axel wandered from the Second District and into the First.

A scrabbling of animal claws caught his attention as Pluto bounded past, tongue lolling out and ears straight up. Axel lifted two fingers to his lips, whistling to the canine and catching its attention. Pluto whirled around, and with large strides of his paws, jumped onto Axel and knocked the redhead to the ground with a loud bark.

"As touching a reunion as this is, Pluto, get off of me." Axel groaned, enclosing his hand over the dog's muzzle to prevent slobber from being rubbed all over his face. He pushed the dog off of him, only to be nearly bowled over when Pluto jumped on him again. "Dammit, Pluto!" Axel pushed the animal more forcefully, and the mutt yelped as he tumbled backwards.

Recovering quickly, the beast ran around Axel in a wide circle, yips and barks accompanying the movement. Axel stared at him incredulously, a hand on his hip, the other attempting to smooth out his roughed up hair. "The hell are you- Hey!" Pluto shot off through the marketplace, and Axel gave chase. "Pluto!" The dog disappeared into an alleyway and Axel near tripped over himself in an attempt to turn fast enough.

When the redhead entered the back alley, he froze, eyes wide at the sight before him. A blond-haired kid lay slumped on the ground, eyes closed and body unmoving. A puddle of water surrounded his soaked frame, damp hair covering part of his face and causing droplets to patter gently to the ground in a small pool.

Axel's heart stopped for a split second and he rushed to the teen's side, kneeling down to place a hand on his shoulder. "Hey- kid." He gave the blond's shoulder a gentle shake. "Kid- wake up."

-

As Roxas's brain slowly phased back into consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a warm hand on his shoulder- that stood out the most, because the rest of his body was freezing and _wet_. Momentarily disoriented, Roxas's eyes squinted open as his shoulder was shaken and he immediately regretted it- his head swam and he doubled over, hands holding forehead, wet hair dripping rivulets down his face. Why was he wet? There was a storm- and something else. Sora and Riku... The water- they disappeared- and then- no. That's ridiculous.

A groan escaped his lips as he murmured, "It was a dream," he removed his hands from his forehead, opening his eyes to observe unfamiliar cobblestones. Wait- why was he sitting on a road? There weren't any roads like this on Destiny Island either. He brought his face up, gaze shifting to the guy crouched down next to him. He had a wild mane of bright red hair and two tear-drop tattoos underneath his eyes- he could never forget someone who looked like that- and he'd never seen them back home, either.

"Where am I?" he glanced back down at his soaked body- no, there had to be a more logical explanation for this, "...was it raining earlier?"

The redhead quirked an eyebrow, raising a hand to push away locks of blond hair from the teen's forehead, feeling the skin there for fever with the back of his hand. "Raining? Sorry kid, but if you hadn't noticed, you're in an alleyway in the first district, even if it did rain, the roof of the building you're lying against would keep you from getting wet." He tilted his head to the side, examining Roxas further.

Normally Roxas would have flinched away from a stranger's touch, but the sudden shock of information he was being hit with temporarily stunned him into silence. For once, his logical explanation wasn't going to work; there **was** no reason for what had happened- what was _happening. _Suddenly, Roxas couldn't focus on anything but the memory of Riku and Sora grasping hands a split second before they vanished into the darkness of the storm.

Roxas's lips down turned into a frown, his head swimming with memories and the question of what 'The First District' was. He'd never heard of it before.

"Talk about blank with a capital 'B'," the guy muttered, shifting his weight as he retracted the hand from Roxas's head, waving it to and fro habitually whilst giving his head a slow shake. The redhead's gaze returned to Roxas. "Can you stand?"

"I... think so..." Moving a hand to the crate sitting next to him, Roxas used it to pull himself up. His head gave a dull throb and the blond teen pressed his palm against his brow, teeth gritting. However, the pain only lasted a moment, and he turned to the boy next to him, "I... you haven't seen my twin brother anywhere, have you? He has brown hair."

There was a pause from the redhead as Roxas's question was thought over, before he shook his head slowly. "Sorry kid, haven't seen anyone who looks remotely like you since I lived back in Midgar, and he had a good four years on you." The taller male's hands hovered over Roxas's shoulders in case the blond lost his balance, there was concern in those green eyes, and it momentarily surprised Roxas that a complete stranger could worry about someone they had never met before.

"So you're standing, you think you can walk? It's pretty damn chilly out here, and I doubt you're roasty toasty in those sopping clothes." The guy made a sweeping motion with his hand at Roxas's outfit, which had started clinging to his body, making him even colder than he had previously been.

Blue eyes became downcast- more than anything right now, he wanted to search the streets for his brother- they couldn't have ended up too far away.

If only he knew.

"Chilly? You mean freezing, right?" wrapping his arms around himself, Roxas found that standing exposed himself to the gentle night wind, and he shivered violently, "I don't think I hurt myself... so I can probably walk. I'm not sure where to, though..."

Roxas watched the redhead speak while unzipping his jacket. "I'll take you to Cid's shop for now, it's the closest, and he's got a fireplace. Once you've warmed up, I'll take you through the city to my apartment. It's over in the second district." The guy slipped his jacket down his shoulders and shrugged it off, reaching forward to drape it around the smaller teen.

"Thanks," shivering, Roxas pulled the tall boy's jacket around him tightly and had to stop himself from following those hands as they retracted- the redhead just seemed to radiate heat somehow. The guy lifted one of his hands, scratching his head for a moment before he ran his fingers through his bright hair, a shaky sigh of relief escaping him.

"Man kid, when I first saw you, I thought you'd already lost your heart. Scared the hell out of me for a second. Ya got a name?"

Confused, the blond frowned. Lost your heart? What was that supposed to mean? Lingo like that was most definitely not used back on the island. Exactly how _far_ had the storm taken him?

"I'm Roxas... who are you? And..." he bit his lip, finally taking a step to accept this unreality, "this isn't Destiny Island, is it?"

The redhead's face contorted into an odd look. " Destiny Island? Sorry kid, you must have hit your head pretty damn hard to think we're anywhere near an island." He caught sight of the boy's shivering and held a hand out to him, forefinger and thumb snapping to create a small ball of flame that hovered over his index finger, an action which startled the blond.

"The name's Axel- commit it to memory." He held out the small flame to Roxas, signaling for the blond to place his hands around it to warm them up.

Reeling back, Roxas swore, bumping into the crate and falling back down onto his ass, "What-- what the fuck?!" he pointed at the flame, hand shaking, "What-- what is that?! How'd you do that?"

Axel curled his finger inward, allowing the flame to dissipate. "its magic- if that wasn't obvious." He placed a hand on his hip, reaching the other out to the blond to help him back to his feet. "It's just a little fire, don't get your panties in a twist- I won't do it again if it freaks you out that much."

"Magic?" Roxas's hands gripped at the back of the crate, knuckles white, desperate to hold onto reality, "Magic isn't _real_- that's from fairytales. Little kids books. No, seriously, what did you do?" He wasn't sure whether to stare at Axel in awe or in fear- either way, he was doubting whether he was even awake or not again.

Axel let out the laugh that bubbled in his throat. "A world with no magic?" It seemed like Roxas's statement had hit a funny bone in the redhead, whose laughter soon died down into a chuckle. "Now _that_ sounds like a fairytale." He tapped a fingertip to his temple.

"Magic is as real as you," Axel prodded Roxas in the chest with an index finger, before pointing to himself, "or me, so commit _that_ to memory. Now," He leaned forward, fingers encircling the blond's biceps to lift him up. "Let's get you some place warm so we can heat some sense back into that frozen brain of yours."

Continuing to shiver violently, the question on the tip of his tongue was about what exactly Axel was suggesting by "a world"- but with the boy's hand on his arm leading him to somewhere dry and warm, the mere thought of stopping in the cold alley to ask more questions exhausted him.

"...A...alright. Lead the way."

Axel grinned. "I knew you'd come around eventually." He slid his arm around the blond's shoulders and directed him out of the alleyway and across the street to where a quaint accessory shop was located. The door opened with a small ring of a bell connected to the frame.

"Hey- old man. You got any spare blankets in stock? This kid is colder than Leon's glare." The redhead called out. A middle-aged man, standing behind the clerk's desk, gnawed on his cigarette, eyebrows bunched together.

"The name's Cid, punk, I ain't old yet. Where'd you find the little bastard?" Feeling the hairs rise on the back of his neck at being referred to as a "little bastard", Roxas had to avert his eyes to the floor and clench his fist to stop himself from biting back. Cid ducked under the counter for a moment before coming back with a plain white thermal blanket. "He looks like shit." The man rumbled. Axel chuckled.

"Found him in the alley- Roxas, go sit on the couch in front of the fireplace, alright?" Axel gave the blond a light push to the middle of his back to get Roxas walking in the direction of the over-cushioned couch that sat in front of an unlit fireplace just at the other end of the store.

Roxas had to remind himself that this guy was letting him into his shop- was even giving him a blanket- and that was much better than sitting outside in the cold. A part of him decided that he didn't like this Cid guy anyway. He headed over to the couch, sitting on the edge of it somewhat awkwardly, not really feeling in the place to be relaxing too much.

"An alley? Is he another survivor?" The elder blond asked, blowing out a puff of smoke when Axel took the blanket from him. Axel shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"I'm thinkin' so- he talked about an island. I'll find out more later." And with that, Axel turned to approach Roxas, blanket in hand. Roxas was pretty sure that blanket or no, he'd still resemble something akin to a drowned rat. He had appreciated Axel's warm arm around his shoulders earlier and his kindness for showing him here, but he was still a bit paranoid about that earlier display of "magic".

"Here, squirt." Axel draped the blanket over Roxas's legs.

"Thanks," Roxas took the edge of the blanket and arranged it over himself, gaze following Axel as the redhead stood straight and approached the fireplace, palm outstretched towards the logs. Calm green eyes rested on Roxas's shivering frame.

"I'm giving you a heads up this time." At first, Roxas didn't realize what Axel was about to do, but the split second before the older boy lit the fireplace, he knew that he wanted to observe. Like an audience watching a magician for the second time, he wanted to learn the trick involved in this "magic". However, despite expecting the logs to burst into flame (which they did), the suddenness of the act still surprised him and he jumped a little in his seat, however didn't react nearly as violently as the last time.

Axel sighed when Roxas jumped, standing straight and approaching the couch. "It's not going to hurt you, and you're gonna have to get used to it. So you might as well learn to now instead of later." He held his right palm out, bobbing it gently to get Roxas to grab onto it.

Roxas stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, before pushing the blanket off to the side and standing up, still giving Axel's hand a wary look but not taking it, as he did not know a reason why he should, "It's just... I've never seen this before. It's weird. But a lot of other weird stuff has been happening, so... I suppose I just have to accept it eventually, but..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Take my hand." Axel insisted softly. "Once you get used to what you're unused to, things will make more sense." If he could get Roxas adjusted to the idea of magic, then explaining the worlds, heartless, and everything that came with, would be even easier. Judging by what he'd seen of the blond so far- his down to earth personality was getting the ride of its life.

"What are you going to do?" biting his lip, Roxas lifted his hand slowly before finally taking Axel's, his warm fingertips sending a small shiver down his spine. He felt he shouldn't trust a stranger so readily, but he figured that you couldn't be that bad if "roasty toasty" was part of your daily vocabulary.

Axel gave Roxas the most reassuring smile he could muster before gripping the blond's hand tightly and using enough fire magic to heat his palm and send warmth through his fingertips and into Roxas's hand. It was the first step into getting the boy accustomed to magic- a simple heating spell. It would do, for now.

Roxas instinctively pulled back at the first burst of heat- embarrassed, he murmured an apology before returning his hand, gripping Axel's palm tightly to stop himself from retracting. He trembled slightly, but clenching his free hand into a fist, he willed up the courage to lift his head and look Axel in the face, giving him a determined stare. He **would** get this.

Axel's face lit up in a grin, "You've got it, Roxas." The redhead's voice was full of encouragement as his other hand placed itself atop their clasped ones, adding to the warmth. It would only take a few minutes of standing like this to completely warm up the blond.

A small smile touched Roxas's lips at the compliment and he murmured a small, "Thanks."

"Hey! Don't do anything illegal in my godamn shop!" Cid snarled, and Axel shot the man a look that promised utter hell upon he who interrupted his first moment of teaching towards the newcomer. Embarrassed, Roxas retracted his hand from Axel's, only to find that the heat generated was quickly fading. He sighed, sitting back down on the couch.

"I've got a lot of questions to ask..."

"They'll be answered at my place- Are you warm enough to go back outside? I'm no good at dealing with fevers if you catch one from the cold- frankly, I fucking hate the cold." Axel waved a hand at the fireplace, causing it to snuff out. Roxas's eyes widened at how easily Axel extinguished the flame, but he shook the feeling off quickly.

"I should be fine," It was a lie, he was still freezing, but there wasn't much he could do. Roxas tugged at the jacket still around his shoulders, standing up. "Do you want your jacket back?"

Axel shook his head. "Not really- you still need it. Come on, It's a bit of a walk, and the longer we wait, the colder it gets out. If you start to freeze up again, feel free to use me as your walking, talking, beanpole of a heater." Axel turned, giving Roxas a curt wave of hand to get the blond to follow him out the door. Roxas complied, quickening his pace so that Axel wouldn't have to wait for him. They both paused in the open doorway as the redhead chanced a look back.

"See ya later, old geezer." He called out to Cid.

"Get the fuck out of my store." The blond man growled back. Axel laughed, digging his hands into his pockets and meandering out into the streets with long, lazy strides and a grin on his face.

Roxas shifted his feet uncomfortably, pausing to give a final glance to the ever-grumpy Cid. "Um- thanks for the blanket," not waiting for a reply (he was a bit scared to), he quickly followed Axel out the door, immediately starting to shiver again as the cold night air seeped into his damp clothes. Roxas bit his lip, following behind the redhead with his gaze concentrated on the ground

He missed Sora.

-------------------------------

Weightlessness-- floating.

Sora felt his body hit the earth with a thud, eyes snapping open and a gasp permeating his lips. His body snapped forward into an upright position. There was darkness all around, his eyes straining to see anything, but finding nothing.

"Riku? Roxas? Is anyone there?" His voice was an echo, the black abyss absorbing his calls. It was cold, the air around him empty, his shallow breaths sounding all the more louder in the utter silence. The room lit up in a flash of light, and Sora jumped, his head whipping about.

Beneath his feet was a large stained glass painting of a boy smiling, his hair spiked up in a wild mullet, his lower body encased in a fin and twisted to circle the perimeter of the large sphere that Sora stood upon. He stared down, stepping back with wide eyes and taking in the sight of the smaller faces etched into the giant mural. A boy with violet hair draped across his right eye, a girl with bright red hair with a yellow and blue fish floating next to her head, their gazes directed to the black above.

"**So much to do... so little time.**" Sora gasped sharply, whirling around so fast that he tripped up, falling down onto his backside before scrabbling back to his feet, fingers trembling. The deep voice echoed in his ears, but there was no direction of where it had originated from.

"Wh-who's there?" He wished he had something, anything, to hold onto to protect himself. His gaze darted about, searching for any form of an object on the empty surface of the large glass flooring.

"**Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut.**" Goosebumps rose on Sora's skin, "**Now step forward, can you do it?**"

With a shaky nod, the brunet took a hesitant step towards the center of the glass floor. Around him, three beams of light shot down from the dark as stone pillars rose, each bearing a different weapon that hovered in the air between light and stone.

"**Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, if will give you strength. Choose well.**" Choose? What was he to choose? One of the weapons? Sora's attention was drawn first to the bulky shield in front of him, then to the right, where a staff floated, bearing a tri-circular orb atop of it. He looked to the left, a sword.

The sword would offer the most protection, wouldn't it? Sora stepped towards it, reaching his arms up to climb onto the pedestal, his fingers closing themselves over the handle. A gust of wind and light burst from below him, blowing his clothes and hair upward as Sora was suddenly overcome with a rush of power.

"**The power of the warrior's invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?**"

Sora's eyes were clenched shut against the light. He looked skyward, his voice barely coming out. "Y-yes!" As quickly as it had come, the wind and light ceased, allowing Sora's hair to fall back into place, as did his jacket. His necklace fell back onto his chest with a quiet thud.

"**Your path is set. Now- what will you give up in exchange?**"

Give up? Sora's head twisted to the remaining two weapons as he slid off of the pedestal, sword clutched tightly in his right hand. The staff, he could still use as a club, couldn't he? Sora bit his bottom lip, brows furrowed. The shield looked too heavy for him to carry; it would end up being more of a burden than anything...

The brunet walked towards the center pedestal, hoisting himself up and reaching out his left hand to rest it atop the head of the shield. This time, the wind burst about him in a circular motion, causing his hair to whip into his face, his jacket flapping wildly and necklace constantly clacking into the zipper and against his collarbone and chest. Sora tightened his grip on the shield.

"**The shield. The power of the guardian- kindness to aid friends, a shield to repel all... You give up this power?**"

Indecision once again hit him at the words of the disembodied voice. He lifted his head against the wind, looking at the staff for a moment before lifting his head up once more. "I do!"

The wind cut out, everything falling back into place. The shield and staff disappeared, pedestals sinking into the ground. Sora stepped off of it, his fingers clutching tightly to the hilt of his sword. A loud crack echoed in the darkness, and the glass floor gave a violent heave before shattering.

Sora screamed as he fell through the darkness, sword nearly slipping out of his grasp in his shock. Pieces of glass were rocketing past, causing the brunet to hold the sword and his arms up to protect his face out of reflex.

Pain fired in his body and he cried out when he hit something solid with a sickening crack, his skull connecting with the hard surface and causing stars to swim in his vision, his focus blaring in and out for a moment. The falling piece of glass connected with the ground about him, shattering on contact. In a few seconds, the shards raining down grew to a halt, silence echoing, save for the chiming sounds that reverberated across the darkness from the noise that had previously occurred.

Sora rolled over, sword clanking against yet another stained glass floor as the brunet pushed himself to his feet, a groan escaping his lips. Broken glass crunched under his shoes. He clutched to the back of his head, wincing and retracting his hand just as quickly to stare at the red coating the tips of his once-white fingerless gloves.

Sora glanced down, staring at the painting below his feet of an effeminate man with faded magenta hair draped about his face and a set of moderately broad shoulders. He was garbed in an oddly intricate outfit consisting of mainly greens, pinks and blacks. It was much like a robe in the way it clung to his chest with trinkets decorating the expanse of his neck and ears. The robe tapered out at the hips to show a set of dark green pants tucked inside a pair of black boots with one leg crossed over the other- as if he were leaning against some sort of wall. Clutched in the man's left hand was a rose that was help up to his gently smirking lips while the other arm hooked a scythe over his shoulder leisurely. There was another man in the corner, a sly grin on his face with a gloved hand tipping his cowboy hat forward, a gun resting on his shoulder. Below that portrait was a younger looking male with wild blonde hair spiked upward in a way that reminded Sora of a bird's tail. An exotic black tribal tattoo curled along the expanse of the blond's left cheek and forehead, creased slightly by his wide smile.

"**You've gained the power to fight.**" Darkness began to swirl around his feet and Sora jumped back, nearly slipping on the shards of glass and clutching tightly to his sword, so hard that it shook in his grip.

"**There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong.**" One of the black creatures from the island emerged, followed by others as they lunged at Sora. The brunet let out a cry of surprise, whipping the sword forward and slicing it through the creature's gut. It let out an animalistic shriek before disappearing in a plume of black smoke. Shaken, Sora barely dodged to the side as another one leapt at him. His eyes wide, he stabbed at it. It too, disappeared. He repeated the action to the other three, sword trembling so violently in his grasp by the end that he had to use two hands to clutch onto it.

Sora's shaky breaths took up the new silence, his free hand holding over his heart, the other still gripping his weapon. He observed his surroundings, and his gaze fell upon a set of crystal stairs, spiraling upward and into darkness. His face set with determination, Sora began to run up the stairs. It was a continuing spiral that went on for what seemed like hours, though Sora never ran out of breath, or became fatigued.

He reached another platform, where a bright light shone down from the other end. On the glass before him was something that sent chills down Sora's spine, and the brunet couldn't help the short, startled cry from escaping him. A man, white as death itself bore a sinister smirk with pale brown hair hanging down either side of his face in two thick clumps. His dull green eyes were sunken into his head, with sallow cheeks and a pointed chin that was held between a thumb and forefinger. The man's remaining arm was tucked underneath the elbow of his left with a syringe held casually between pale fingers. A drab gray lab coat clung to the man's thin frame, hiding all except a pair of black boots that peeked out from beneath the hem.

Just to the right of the man's chin, was a circle that had three corpse-like children hanging out of it, all three of them grinning and holding masks. Above the trio, was an actual skeleton, dressed in a suit with what looked like a smile on its skinless face. And at the very top, a woman smiling, stitches in her face in such a manner that signified that it was all that held parts of her together. Sora could feel despair tugging at the back of his head, this repetition of glass floors and morbid creatures beginning to wear on his nerves. Taking slower steps on the disturbing stained glass, Sora approached the light, staring up at it. Where was the light coming from?

"**The closer that you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes**." Sora's head snapped down to where his shadow should have resided. It had begun to distort and stretch out behind him, emerging from the ground and forming a giant obsidian beast with beady yellow eyes. Sora gasped, fear gripping his body and backing away. The pressure of familiar hands enclosed his shoulders and his head snapped to the side.

Riku, though barely transparent, stood firmly behind him, a gentle smile on his face. The silver-haired teen leaned forward, mouth almost brushing Sora's ear. "_Don't be afraid_." He whispered. The pressure left, as did Riku. "_And don't forget..._" Riku's voice trailed out. Sora whirled around.

"Riku?" Nothing was there. The ground shook, and Sora almost fell over in his attempt to turn around fast enough. He panicked, backing away before turning and running. He nearly fell off the platform, his fear having taken over his sense of mind. He water wheeled his arms, balance wavering until he fell back completely onto the ground, away from the edge, his sword skidding across the ground. His heart thudded against his chest. He could feel the dark creature's presence behind him, and he shot to the side, grabbing the sword and whirling to face the beast.

He lunged, digging the sword into the shadow's calf and dragging it upward, earning an animalistic shriek from the shadow as a burst of black smoke erupted from the wound.

"**But don't be afraid**."

Sora wrenched his sword back and barely rolled out of the way in time when a large claw swept at him. He jumped, clutching the hilt tightly before swinging his arm out and slicing a gaping hole into its arm. Yet another black haze burst forth as the ground trembled when the shadow screamed, reaching out to grab Sora.

"**You hold the mightiest weapon of all**."

Sora stabbed at the claw, imbedding the sword deep into the flesh of its palm. His vision was obscured for a moment, sliding back into focus fast enough for him to use the sword for leverage and scramble up the beast's arm.

"**So don't forget...**" Sora's sword snapped forward, digging into the shadow's neck. It writhed, more incoherent sounds erupting forth before it burst, black smoke invading Sora's sight. His sword faded from his grasp and soon the feeling of weightlessness returned.

"**You are the one**."

---

With a gasp, Sora was jolted into the waking world. The ceiling above him was not his own, and he did a double-take. It was dingy, cracked, and aged. Warm arms encompassed his own body and he looked to the side to see Riku's strong chest pressed tightly against his own, the silver-haired teen sleeping quietly. Sora's racing heart calmed a few paces and he outstretched a shaky hand to run his fingers through Riku's soft locks.

"You're finally awake, yo." Sora's petting ministrations stopped when the voice of an older man reached his ears. His arms snaked about Riku's body as he glanced over his friend's immobile shoulder to see a man with bright red hair and an even brighter grin sitting in a wooden chair next to their bed. In his right hand was a long rod that he tapped against his shoulder, the other gently holding to a book, the red title of _Carmine Complex_ being the only other vibrant thing in the desolate room.

Next to the redhead was a window that looked out into a dying city. It had surprised the brunet at first, and he had to give the scenery a second look. The majority of buildings had living shadows crawling over their surfaces, some of them near crumbling with decay. The sky was a sinister shade of gray, bordering on black as twisted smoke-clouds dotted the air. Just looking outside filled Sora with despair, and he had to avert his gaze.

"Welcome to Midgar, kid." It was a sighed fact that emerged from the man's lips, and Sora turned back to stare at him, earning a cheeky, sarcastic grin that made the scars on either side of the man's eyes crinkle.

"I figure you'll want to know how the hell you ended up here-" He raised a hand before any questions could spew forth, "Actually, I don't got a fuckin' clue. You two popped up right after a heartless raid, so I'd probably get more information by asking **you **how you got** here**." He used his index finger to point to the boy, and then to the ground.

"So wake up Mister Sunshine there and we'll start the interrogation." The redhead waved his electro-rod at the slumbering teen. "Hey kid, we don't have all day, yo!"

The man's voice was loud- and combined with Sora nearly strangling him in fear, Riku woke pretty quickly. Placing a reassuring hand on the brunet's hip, he sat up, turning and giving the owner of the voice a well deserved glare.

It was then he realized he didn't recognize the man, nor did he recognize the architecture of the house they were inside. Suddenly, in a flood, all of the events of the stormy night on Destiny Island came back to him- the water, the overwhelming feeling of a rush of power, and then the weightlessness and darkness. And then bright light, and a feeling of Sora coming close to giving up, and Riku offering him reassuring words... Frowning, he turned back to Sora, checking him over briefly- he was sure the boy had gotten hurt during the battle with that giant shadow monster, but his memory of that was hazy.

He murmured to him quietly, "Are you okay?"

Sora's gaze snapped away from the man and down to Riku, his tight grip softening fractionally when he realized that the silver-haired teen was awake. "I'm fine- I guess we passed out after that storm... but I don't know how we got here..." He bit his lip, memories of his dream flashing into his mind- the falling sensation, glass floors and shadows with eyes.

His own eyes slipped shut, banishing the thoughts away with a scowl. He gazed up at Riku once more. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine as long as you are, but..." Riku trailed off, catching sight of the redheaded man once again. He looked impatient and Riku knew that they both had questions clawing for answers, so he sat up completely, removing himself from Sora and turning so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the man.

"I'm Riku- my friend here is Sora. Who are you, and where are we?"

The man shot Riku a bright grin. "The name's Reno- of the Turks." He pushed himself out of his seat, walking over to the window and pointing a thumb to it. "And this here is Midgar- the dying city."

* * *

Pleae leave some constructive critisism, if you have any. I'm really hoping that I didn't have any spelling/grammatical errors, I'm checking this while I'm in class. 


	3. Riku

**Reverse Eclipse  
**The BirdFox Hybrid Productions

* * *

Reno was a tall, thin man with wild red hair that hung around his face and the rest of it slung back into a low ponytail. He also wore a black suit -- though it was torn in some places and void of a tie -- along with a white undershirt that wasn't even buttoned completely. "I don't know if you're both aware of it, but you fell from a black portal in the sky, yo. You both hit the ground harder than a sack of materia, and came out with not even a scratch- save for the runt over there." His voice was an almost nasal drawl and he seemed to exude an air of self-confidence about him- lazy yet sure in himself enough to not bother with the normal polite manner that most people gave themselves when meeting a new person. He bobbed his head in indication towards Sora and continued.

"The back of your head was bleeding pretty badly- I had to wash it out and sterilize it." He paused. As if just noticing it for the first time, Sora lifted a hand to the back of his head, feeling the gauze of a bandage wrap covering the wound. He winced when his fingers made contact, and traced the gauze around to his forehead, where it was hidden beneath his bangs. "That was four days ago, yo. I don't know much about the heartless- or why they do what they do. All I know is that when things usually come flying out of the sky and they're not breathing fire or eating civilians- it's normally a sign of help." Reno's voice grew and fell, hands moving to accentuate his words as he stepped away from the window, leaving the book on the ledge. He slid his hand into his pocket, the other one grasping loosely to the metal rod in his hand and regarded both boys with a silent stare.

Sora turned to face Riku, eyes wide as the information absorbed itself into his brain. "We're... we're not on the island?" His companion wasn't quite looking at him, gaze concentrated into his thoughts.

"A black portal," Riku murmured quietly, mulling over the word for a moment. "Remember, when you joined me in the water? That storm must have brought us here," he quickly recognized the look of indecision on Sora's face, constantly flickering between excitement and dread, "Hey, cheer up. We got off the island!"

As much as he wanted to continue reassuring Sora, they didn't exactly have much privacy (it just felt a bit awkward having a heart-to-heart with Reno there) and he needed to get some answers from the redhead. He turned back to the man standing across the room; in the motion discreetly dropping his hand on top of Sora's to give it a small comforting squeeze.

"I've got some questions."

Reno looked mildly amused by the twin gazes that both demanded answers, but brushed it off with a wave of his metal stick, grabbing his chair and sliding it towards the bed. "Before you ask anything, I've gotta tell you I don't know a whole bunch of this shit either, yo." Reno scratched at the side of his head using the tip of the metal rod- which Sora quickly recognized to be something called an Electromagnetic Rod- he'd once seen one of them in a movie not too long ago. He moved the metal weapon to tap at his chin.

"I never really had time to look into it. I kinda found out from my buddy, Vincent, who found out from some outside sources or some crazy shit like that- so I'll give you the short and skinny so your little brains don't fuck themselves." He pointed to the two boys, flashing them both a grin. "So- what's the first question ya wanna fire at me, yo?"

Riku asked several questions- the obvious stuff like what made Midgar a dying city, what were heartless, what were materia... Reno answered the questions as well as he could, but Riku and Sora were still left in some confusion about the small black creatures.

The silver-haired boy followed up with one final question, "So... just to check- there is definitely no set of islands near here called Destiny Islands? And if this city is dying, is it possible to leave it?" He seemed to be thinking along the same wavelength as Sora- although he was delighted to be off the island, he wasn't too pleased to be dropped off in the middle of Midgar.

Reno paused, rolling the question around in his mind. "There is a way to leave, yo." He began with a lazy drawl, "With a Gummi Ship- the problem is that the only one we have, Vincent salvaged from a wreck. I've been trying to fix that piece of shit for months. Barret took it about two weeks ago, says it's almost done. It'll only hold three people- Which was fine before, since it woulda just been me an' Vinnie. But with you two..." He trailed off, a scowl becoming apparent on his normally carefree features.

"Destiny Islands... I've never heard of them. Or is it just one island? Man," Reno leaned back in his seat, crossing the fingers of his hands together and resting his head against their upturned palms, looking up at the ceiling. "I've never seen the ocean- me and my little brother grew up here. There hasn't been a starry night since I was twelve, yo." He let out a dry laugh that bordered on some twisted form of a giggle and looked back at the two boys.

Sora could feel despair welling in his chest. No way to leave? There weren't even stars in the sky for him to look at like he used to every night before bed. The sense of familiarity Sora had once had constantly surrounding him was now gone, and he might never get it back. Suddenly, Sora wasn't so sure he wanted to see the worlds. Maybe Roxas was right.

"Roxas!" Reno whipped his head to stare at Sora, apparently startled by the boy's outburst. Sora clenched tightly to Riku's hand, the other one reaching for the silver-haired teen's bicep. "Riku! Roxas is gone!" He turned to Reno, panic in his eyes. "Are you sure we were the only ones who fell?"

Reno raised an elegant brow, but nodded. "Yeah, I carried you both back- man," his face fell into a look of mild disdain, "you guys were heavy." Sora's breaths began to come in shallow gasps, his fingers clutching tightly to Riku. His eyes were unfocused, a panicked look swimming in their ocean depths. Reno took this as his silent signal to leave and pushed himself up from his chair, "I've gotta find Vinnie and see if he's found anything about the- err... thing." And with that, the redhead silently left the room, closing the door behind himself.

Sora's shoulders bunched, knuckles splashing white from the ferocity that they gripped onto his companion. He turned to face his silver-haired friend, lips drawn into a thin line and brows furrowed.

Sora's outburst had momentarily taken Riku by surprise, having forgotten momentarily about the younger twin in place of worrying over their own whereabouts. "Shhh, Sora, calm down." Riku's free hand came on top of Sora's on his bicep, gently prying the fingers lose before holding the boy's hand in between them. "Reno said that we were the only ones who arrived here, right? So maybe Roxas is still on Destiny Islands. He's safe at home, Sora, you don't have to worry about him."

Riku knew there was the entire possibility this wasn't true- but there was little point in letting Sora panic about his brother for the entire length of their adventure. Who knew how long it would be? Would they ever even go back to Destiny Islands?

Now was not the time to brood- he held Sora's hands firmly, hoping the other would reply positively to his encouragement.

"Riku..." Sora's brow furrowed and he bit his lip, staring down at their clasped hands. Maybe Riku was right, and Roxas was safe and sound back on the island, reading one of his books and wondering where Sora was. Either way, Roxas was gone, and Sora might never see his brother again, he might never have to listen to a lecture, or be reprimanded for doing something foolish. He'd never have a chance to share leftover cookie batter with Roxas after his mother made a fresh batch. He wouldn't even be able to watch him grow up.

Sora took in a deep breath, shakily looking at Riku. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you," the brunet boy muttered out before his body acted on it's own, shooting forward to wrap his arms about Riku's larger body, teeth clenching in an attempt to quell the feeling of despair that had suddenly struck him.

The force of his lunge knocked them both back against the bed, Sora's body extended along the length of Riku's own. His frame trembled, taking in shaking breaths in order to try and calm himself. Things were spinning too far out of control too quickly. He'd wanted to leave the island to find adventure- but he never wanted this. He didn't want to be thrown into a battle that seemed lost, into a world where there was no hope and he was expected to try and save it. He'd wanted-... he'd wanted...

Abruptly, Sora realized that in some way, he _did_ receive his wish. To be with Riku, out exploring the mysteries of another world. A part of him was torn- he'd wanted Roxas to be at his side, helping discover new things and to learn more than any of them thought possible. Roxas was gone now, somewhere that Sora didn't know. His brother Roxas, the same boy who had been with him nearly every waking moment of his life to reprimand him for little things and smile at Sora's antics behind a casually placed hand. The very Roxas that Sora had been so eager to have on the journey in hopes of coaxing the introverted blond out of his shell and to love the thrill of life as much as Riku and himself. And now, if Riku were to fall to one of these heartless monsters, it would leave Sora completely alone, without anyone to rely on or to trust. It would leave him empty inside and vulnerable to the will of this growing heartless threat.

"I can't lose you, Riku. Not like I did Roxas." He knew deep down, something just told him Roxas hadn't stayed on the island. He was worried about his brother, and that, coupled with this sudden, morbid reality crashing down on him was just the breaking point to how much Sora could take in one sitting.

If Riku disappeared too, Sora didn't think he'd be able to take it. Riku was everything Sora needed. He was the weight that tied Sora's floating aspirations down to earth. He was the rock that kept Sora steady, and the compassion that kept Sora from breaking down completely at times.

Releasing a small sigh as Sora buried his face into his shoulder, the older boy slowly ran his fingers through russet locks of hair to comfort and calm him, "Sora, I swear to you, I'll never leave you," his finger trailed from his hair, down his jaw line and under his chin, lifting his cherubic face painted with despair to look him in the eye, "I couldn't leave you, not you. C'mere."

Removing his hand from the boy's chin, he wrapped his arms around Sora's waist, hugging him close to his body, soft brown hair tucked under his chin, "We'll get off of this world together, I promise. I will find a way, because I'm not leaving you. Do you understand?"

Sora clutched to Riku. "Promise- that means you can't break it. You can't ever leave. If you did- I'd search the worlds for you and never stop until I found you." He muttered, ducking his head down against Riku's collarbone, voice thick with unshed tears. He sniffed, reaching up a curled hand to wipe at his watering eyes before tucking it under his chin, the side of his crooked index finger grazing his lips. His eyelids slid to half mast, cheeks heated with the proximity and warmth of the one male his heart had been yearning to be with for over a year. "When we leave- **when**, we leave. We have to find Roxas. Do you promise that too?"

He wanted desperately to tell Riku how he felt instead of asking about finding his brother. He wanted the silver-haired teen to know that it wasn't just their friendship that made Sora so desperate for Riku not to leave. His feelings for the taller boy went beyond platonic and just friendly. They were deeper, and carved into a place in Sora's heart that the brunet knew could never be removed. He just hoped that Riku understood at least a fraction of what he felt- even if he didn't return it.

He was too afraid of losing him to even say anything to get him. Sora thought himself pathetic in that manner, and he bit down gently on his index finger, brows furrowed.

"Of course, Sora. You have a connection with him, I'm sure we'll find him. And you should know that if I were to ever lose you, I wouldn't stop searching, either." Bringing his hand up, Riku returned to playing with the back of the boy's hair, his other arm gently encircling his waist and forming a protective barrier around his smaller friend.

Sora's face and heart warmed and he stared up at Riku, gaze locked with aquamarine ones.

"Riku- I..." His body moved of its own accord, head tilting back and his elbow moving just enough to move him forward. His lips parted just barely, and his eyes fluttered shut. Heart pounding in his chest, Riku couldn't believe what was happening. At first, he thought he was hallucinating- wishful thinking, mind over matter, all of that kind of stuff... But then suddenly not only could he feel his own heartbeat, but Sora's too, and he could feel the other's breath on his lips.

He was in disbelief, but regardless he leant forward too, intending on closing the gap... "I-" Sora's mouth had barely grazed against Riku's when the door slammed open, causing the boy to jerk back and stare at the intruder with a wild flush and racing heart.

"The heartless are storming the building." Reno gasped out, his EMR gripped tightly in the hand that wasn't holding the door open. "We have to leave. There's no place for us- we'll have to run." He hurried to the other end of the room, whipping the shades open to reveal a swarm of black creatures slinking along the glass surface of the window.

"There's not any time left to explain. We have to leave- **now**." It only took seconds for Riku to get out of the bed and help Sora up by the wrist to get him to his feet.

"Lead the way," With his hand slipping from Sora's wrist to his hand, he squeezed tightly before breaking into a sprint after Reno, making sure that Sora was following closely behind .

"Wh-where are we going?" Sora allowed himself to be dragged along, having just enough time to regain his balance before Riku had pulled him out of the room in their hurry.

"Just follow me, stay close." Reno said sharply, leading the two through a series of twisting and winding hallways, occasionally barking at them to speed up when a heartless would emerge from the wall or ground. Reno had his EMR out, hitting any opposing creature and making sure to charge the rod with some form of electricity.

The hallway shook as a deafening roar echoed across the building. Sora stumbled, falling to one knee. Riku was quick to help the teen to his feet as Reno called out to them from down the hall, waving one hand wildly and pulling out a gun, aiming it at the two boys. Sora froze and Riku's fingers tightened around the brunet. The gun fired- a burst of wind whipping past Riku that severed a few locks of silver hair. A loud shriek came from behind them and Sora turned to see a burst of smoke erupt from what had once been a heartless.

"Come on!" Riku tugged Sora forward and soon they were running down a set of stairs and through yet another series of hallways. "We have to get out of here." Reno called out over his shoulder, taking a right turn and hitting a switch that opened an electronic door with a hiss.

"Vincent is going to try and find us transport for Wutai- but I don't see why the hell he should bother. They're no better off than we are and it will take days to get there." The last half was mostly under his breath as he gutted a heartless that had dropped from the ceiling. With a crackle of voltage, the creature shrieked and disappeared in a burst of smoke.

The red-haired male all but punched his hand into a switch beside an industrial black door. With a hiss, it opened to reveal a large room- barren except for a few cars that lined the back. With a rushed command, Reno ushered them into the back of a jeep, where a stoic man with long raven hair sat in the driver's compartment. The vehicle started as Reno jumped over the door and into the passenger's side.

Sora clambered up into the back, Riku's hands on his stomach to help him in before the silver-haired teen hoisted himself into the vehicle. The jeep nearly ripped out of the garage as Reno turned to face the two in back. "You can buckle up, but it'll just be a bigger bitch getting out of the car if the heartless attack us while we're driving- so I suggest just holding onto something." Reno's hand was wrapped around the thick bar that stood over the door.

Upon hearing this, Sora's arms wound themselves around Riku's left one, it being the closest. "I can't believe I'm saying this... but... I'm scared." The brunet confessed to his companion as scenery whipped past, buildings collapsing and the sky darkening with each foot. He was honestly terrified. The air reeked of gasoline and fire burn, along with decay and something toxic that was even more underlying. It was thick, and Sora, who was used to the clean air of Destiny Islands, found himself having a difficult time breathing.

Riku's hand held one of Sora's and he gave it a small squeeze, turning and making eye contact.

"Anyone would be scared in this situation, Sora," he said softly, giving the brunet a small smile, "But don't worry- as long as we stick together, we'll be fine." His own breathing seemed labored, taking in deeper lungfuls of air than normal, but Sora didn't say anything.

Finally as the car escaped from the ruins of Midgar out into the country, the air was clean enough that they were able to breathe freely and the two teens relaxed a little, exchanging small talk. Riku tried to change the conversation to mundane or happy things to try to keep the boy's spirits up. Vincent and Reno spoke quiet words to each other in the front, and at one point, a small two-way radio sitting on the dashboard crackled to life. Reno snatched it up, speaking to someone -- obviously male, by the gruff voice on the other end -- before he turned around and informed the boys there was going to be a change of plans, their destination now residing at Icicle Inn instead of Wutai.

The jeep ride was relatively quiet, trees whipping past and the wheels crunching over rocks and gravel that was scattered over the dirt path. The serenity was interrupted the second there was a thundering slam in the side of the vehicle that seemed to come out of nowhere. The jeep jolted, and Sora couldn't help the scream that had escaped him when it gave a frightening lurch before flipping wildly through the air. The roll cage just barely stopped the passengers from being mangled as the jeep hit the ground again and tumbled across the grass.

Sora clutched onto Riku, mind spinning in confusion and breathing panicked. At impact, Riku had instinctively grabbed Sora into both arms, bringing him close to his torso as he stuck a foot out against the other side of the jeep to keep them from moving too much. He had done it without even thinking.

Once the jeep skidded to a stop on its left side, Vincent and Reno didn't hesitate to jump out of the car, weapons drawn as they hurtled towards the heartless, which was what had flipped the car. Shaking off the shock with a firm jerk of his head, Riku clambered out of the jeep, reaching back in to help Sora out after him. They had to get the jeep back up so they could get away as soon as the fight was over, and staying inside the near-wreckage was just asking for problems.

Reno and Vincent's quick departure had urged the brunet to get out of the car as quickly as possible and to help fight the heartless. Riku's hands were tightly grasping his arms, tugging him forward- but a sharp pain to his ankle caused Sora to jerk back. His foot had become lodged between the bottom of the seat and the floor, twisted at an odd angle that prevented an easy escape.

A noise of despair made its way out of Sora's throat, "I'm stuck!" He yelled out, looking up at Riku for a moment before squirming and twisting his body until his foot had been pried loose. Sora grabbed tightly to his silver-haired companion as he struggled out of the jeep, clinging to Riku when he almost fell.

Catching Sora from his stumble, the silver-haired boy was about to check the brunet's ankle, and was caught completely off guard by what happened next. Sora's gaze snapped up when an inhuman snarl reached his ears. Behind Riku stood a behemoth of a heartless- it's large mouth parted to reveal a set of jagged fangs protruding from the upper and lower jaw, horns giving it an almost satanic appearance as a set of large wings hovered in the air behind the beast. It snarled and lunged at Riku's bare back, teeth open in preparation for deadly blow.

Riku had no time to protest as Sora shoved him violently to the left, hands thrown in front of him in a defensive stance as the heartless dived forward. Riku whipped around, staring in shock as all he could see was what he thought was Sora's death, about to happen in front of him in slow motion.

He yelled the boy's name but he was frozen to the spot- suddenly, a burst of light blinded him. Sora gasped as he had an overwhelming feeling of power and then a sudden weight in his hands. His eyes snapped open from where they'd been clenched shut in fear. A large key was grasped tightly in his hands. He had no time to stare at it in shock, however, because it was the only thing preventing the beast of a heartless from swallowing him whole. An invisible field was forcing the monster's mouth open, preventing it from snapping shut on the small teen. Sora wrenched back with a shout of surprise, stumbling backwards, the large key held tightly in his hand. Reno and Vincent's voices were both shouting at him to run, but Sora couldn't- his body was frozen.

The key- His head snapped towards it. His hand was nearly vibrating with the energy that pulsed from the magical weapon. A roar came from the heartless and Sora had just enough time to cover his face with the enchanted key and deflect the heartless' claw.

He started, eyes going wide with realization.

"Kid! You're holdin' the fuckin' keyblade!" Reno shrieked from where he clung to the monster's shoulder, legs dangling wildly. Sora stared at the key, unable to form a coherent thought or reaction to what was happening.

"Stab it in the eye or something!" Reno's voice had knocked an entire octave higher in his desperation to get Sora's attention. It worked, and the brunet jerked back for a half second and then scrambled forward, swinging the key awkwardly and connecting it with the monster's nose as it hovered above him. The beast screamed, wrenching away and covering the gaping hole in its muzzle with large claw-like hands.

When it lunged at Sora again, the brunet's mind shut down.

"Get the hell out of the way! **Sora**!" Reno's voice broke through the overwhelmed and confused haze of his mind as the Sora felt himself pulled against a strong chest, wind whipping around him. He was placed back down not long after, and Sora recognized his savior as Vincent- who jumped back into the fray just in time to catch Reno when the redhead was flung off of the heartless' back.

It was then that reality came crashing down on him. He had something that could save everyone. This key- just one swing had injured the heartless and blocked its attack far more efficiently than Reno's EMR or Vincent's bullets. His mind flashed memories of Riku, and the feeling he'd experienced when the heartless had nearly gotten hold of his silver-haired companion.

Sora's eyes narrowed, both hands moving to clutch the handle of the large key. He'd do his best- to save Riku.

A battle cry escaped his mouth and he ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards the heartless, enchanted weapon held high behind his head. He swung ferociously when a claw reached towards him.

From the sidelines, as he dropped to his knees next to the wreckage of the jeep, Riku felt weak. Weak in the sense that his best friend, whom he vowed to protect, was fighting, and here he was helpless at the sidelines. All he could do was watch. Watch, and pray that his friend survived the battle.

When the key sliced cleanly through the monster's skin, severing its hand off, Sora was bombarded with a sense of déjà vu, followed by memories of his dream. He froze in place again, and Vincent dropped down next to him, grabbing him roughly and leaping, carrying both of them high into the air. The pale man dropped Sora onto the monster's back, where Reno clutched onto the base of its wing.

The redhead shot him a grin. "About fuckin' time! Stab it in the head!" Reno's arm shot forward to point at the base of the heartless' skull. Sora stared at Reno for a moment, and the redhead's frustration became evident, "**Go! **_**Dammit**_!"

He jumped in shock, nearly slipping in his surprise before rushing towards his target, rearing the key back and stabbing it forward into the creature's head. In the span of a half second, chaos broke out in the form of a madly bucking heartless, flipping both Sora and Reno off of it as it began to thrash in its final throes of life. Vincent shot past, catching Reno before the redhead was impaled by one of the many vicious horns adorning the monster's tail.

Sora was not so fortunate- the brunet barely registered a flash of silver and black before the side of the tail caught him in the torso. A scream tore itself from the brunet's mouth as he was shot through the air. Sora's cry cut itself off when he collided with a tree, stars bursting into his vision and a gasp escaping. He let out a small groan, body falling through the air before he hit the ground with a deafening thud, vision going black.

Riku was on his feet and darting towards Sora after a moment of hesitation as the heartless staggered and fell to the ground, disintegrating into black smoke. Almost skidding as he dropped to his knees, Riku quickly reached out, touching Sora's cheek gently and with precaution, "Hey, hey, Sora, are you alright? Wake up."

A small noise, like a cross between a moan and a sob of pain escaped the brunet's mouth.

Reno and Vincent dropped down nearby, the redhead's arms removing themselves from around Vincent's neck as they approached the scene. The keyblade had disappeared from Sora's hand sometime during his descent, and Reno looked like a cross between worried and disgruntled. Vincent's clawed hand grasped his shoulder and they shared a silent look before turning back to the scene before them.

"He'll be alright," Reno whispered -- though it seemed to be more to himself than anyone -- using the palm of his left hand to press the rod of his EMR back into its handle, hitting the switch to lock it.

Hearing Reno's quiet words behind him, Riku sighed in relief, relaxing, letting his hand slip down from Sora's cheek to his neck, fingers slipping into chestnut locks as he pulled the boy upwards, gently cradling Sora into his chest and exhaling with a slow, wavering breath as he did so.

Riku murmured against Sora's ear that the heartless was gone, and they were safe. But, this was the first time he'd seriously feared for Sora's life. He felt that this feeling would never change, and he knew this was only the first of a long string of many battles. Against whom or what, he didn't know.

Shifting, Riku picked Sora up, moving the immobile teen to slump against his shoulder. He turned around to find that Reno and Vincent had gotten the Jeep back up, assessing the damage done to the vehicle. Riku slowly approached them as Vincent came his way. The dark-haired man helped Riku to place Sora into the back seat. Climbing back in beside him, Riku pulled the brunet up close to his body to prevent the boy from flopping around too much in the ride ahead.

The remainder of their short journey was smooth. Soon enough, they had stopped at the harbor and transferred onto a speedboat- according to Reno, they'd usually take the ferry, but there weren't any people left to drive it for them.

Riku kept silent for the a good majority of the boat ride, allowing the two men in front to converse in relative silence. His arms held tightly to Sora's unconscious body, making sure the brunet wasn't jarred too much each time the speedboat hit a particularly violent wave that caused the passengers to jerk about. It was after nearly two hours of speeding through choppy waters that Riku began to feel the temperature of the air dropping rapidly. When he felt the prone form in his arms give a shudder, Riku spoke up.

"Why is it getting colder? Where are we going, anyway?"

Reno's hand slipped from where his fingers had become intertwined with Vincent's. Riku had been silent the entire ride, allowing the two men to discuss matters on the keyblade, the two boys, and their own relationship- one that had barely formed before Riku and Sora had arrived.

Vincent was one of the only people who Reno had ever been able to connect to on a level where he could discard his careless behavior for a few moments. Before the younger boy had interrupted, he'd been previously attempting to pry information out of Vincent on how to get both boys and themselves off their world in a ship that barely held three, let alone four.

"Icicle Inn ain't called Icicle for nothin', kid. You better hold tight to the keyblade master before he gets the shivers. It's about to get a lot colder." He reached into the underside of his seat and then stretched his arm back to hand Riku a thick blanket that was often used for situations during the winter when boaters would fall into the water. He was too preoccupied to answer any of Riku's questions.

Vincent wasn't looking him in the eyes anymore.

----

Shivering, as it was known to be, was a physical embodiment of how cold a person could be. Axel knew this, and let out a sigh when the shakes began to wrack Roxas's body. He retracted a hand from his pocket, reaching back to pull Roxas in stride with him and clasping his shoulder gently, allowing a bit of heat to filter from his fingertips and warm the blond.

Axel motioned to the guard of the second district. The burly man nodded, stepping forward to push the doors open and allow the two entry. "Stay behind me." Axel said softly, eyes searching for any heartless approach. Roxas reluctantly left Axel's warm hand and moved to follow behind him. They continued walking in silence for a few prolonged moments before Axel spoke up.

"We should be there-" He cut himself off as a series of black shadows began to twist and rise from the ground ahead of them. Axel released a sigh of frustration, extending his arm out and rocketing a fireball at the shadows, causing them to scatter before reforming in a group.

He cursed, beckoning another plume of flames to shoot forth, this time hitting their mark and destroying the shadow creature in a burst of smoke. He tilted his head to the side, regarding Roxas with a quick look. "You alright, Roxas?"

"Y-yeah... I'm fine," Roxas's trembling fingers clenched into fists, moving to hide them from Axel's view. He drew in a wavering breath, eyes scanning the empty streets. "Those... those things- Heartless? They showed up on my island. Are they the reason I'm here?" Roxas's gaze flicked to Axel's hands, which showed no evidence such as steam or scorch marks to suggest they had just produced flame. "Are they only destroyed by fire?"

"No- not only by fire. Those were just the small fry heartless." Axel paused to shift his gaze to and fro before continuing, motioning to Roxas to start walking again. "Heartless come in all shapes and sizes. Some are bigger and uglier than others, while some -- like those ants -- can be easily finished off by a quick fireball." He scratched his head, thinking.

"I guess, since fire's an element of light -- in some form -- that it'd be a more formidable attack than say, blizzard or something." The redhead closed his eyes and gave Roxas a small shrug.

"But then again, I only use fire-based magic." He stopped in front of a wooden door with a worn and undecipherable label above its frame. Axel turned to Roxas. "Did you get all of that?"

Roxas had remained silent as Axel spoke, taking in the new information. There were different types of Heartless, and different types of magic. It seemed pretty basic- however he had a feeling someone like his brother would be eternally confused.

"I think so," he slowed to a stop next to Axel outside the apartment building, "But I'm still confused as to what exactly a Heartless _is_. It's not like any animal I've seen before -- they're almost like small humans -- but their body shapes are still too different."

Axel placed a fingertip to his chin as he pushed open the door to the apartment building. "I guess you could call them that- considering they were once human," stepping in, he held it open for the blond boy.

"It's pretty complicated- but the short end of it is that those creatures are able to take your very heart out and devour it without a second thought. The more hearts they get, the stronger they are."

Biting his lip, Roxas followed Axel through the door- the finer definition of the Heartless made him suddenly fear the odd looking creatures, who had before mostly only served to intrigue him.

They headed down the hallway past several doorways, and with every doorway they passed another question popped into Roxas's head. There was so much he wanted -- no -- _needed_ to know.

Finally they stopped outside a door- apartment number 813. The keys clinked together gently when Axel procured them from his side pocket, stuffing it into the lock and twisting before giving the door a good push to open it. "I don't stay home much to do any kind of cleaning, so if you're any kind of a tidy person, you might want to turn away now."

He entered the apartment, tossing his keys onto the counter of the kitchen that resided right next to the entry, "I'll get you a change of clothes, so sit tight," he pointed to the couch and then retreated into his bedroom to find something suitable for the blond.

Stepping into the apartment, Roxas was blown away. Having Sora as a brother, Roxas was used to some semblance of clutter or mess. This- this wasn't _mess_. This was planting a hydrogen bomb in the middle of a junk yard and letting it go off. This was a catastrophe, a health hazard, a disaster -- in actuality, it wasn't too awful -- Roxas considered himself a bit of a neat freak (compared to Sora, at least). He wasn't obsessive; he liked to have all of his things on his shelves and not on the floor.

Axel's departure into the unknown to fetch him some clothes reminded Roxas the state he was in- he completely forgot how wet and cold he was (after all, he hadn't been that cold until just now, when Axel left his side).

Roxas stood awkwardly just a few steps away from the front door. He had hesitated for a moment there -- wondering if it would be safer to leave his shoes on in the apartment -- but then decided to do as the Romans and he removed his shoes like Axel. The taller boy came back with a set of clothes for him, they looked a million sizes too large, but as it was, Roxas couldn't care less.

Taking the clothing carefully, he thanked Axel before asking, "Would it be alright if I took a shower first?"

"Shower? Uh- sure," Axel lifted his arm to point down into a small hallway, "it's in there- you can use all the hot water you want... I'm gonna go and call a friend of mine real quick..." He pulled his hand back and scratched gently at his cheek, a light flush spreading across the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry about the mess. I don't have a lot of free time on my hands for cleaning."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Padding down the hallway, Roxas found the bathroom easily and slipped into it, closing the door behind him gently. Stripping down, he hissed when the cold air bit at his bare, still slightly damp skin, and he hopped from foot to foot, trying to stay warm. He leant over the bath, and after fiddling around with the knobs a few times experimentally, he turned the water on and got in as soon as the shower had heated up.

Sighing, he relaxed underneath the hot stream of water, letting his eyes shut as he went over the events of the day in his head for what felt like the hundredth time. It was all so surreal. He was still expecting to just wake up any minute and be using his book as a pillow, hunched over his desk in his room, back home. Back where he was safe, warm, life was boring and predictable...

His main priority was to find Sora, but it'd be foolish to go out until daylight- and he had questions to ask, anyway. After washing himself (he used a small amount of Axel's shampoo, and was amused to find it was cheap women's strawberry scented shampoo), he stepped out of the shower, towel-dried his hair and then pulled on the change of clothes the other boy provided him with.

Hanging his wet clothes over the rail in the shower to dry, he turned around when Axel's night pants fell down around his ankles. Nearly tripping, Roxas turned bright red, tugged them up again and pulled the draw string as tight as he could, tying it in a knot at the side.

It'd be just a _little bit_ embarrassing if **that** happened in front of somebody.

Finally returning to the living room, Roxas found that Axel was still on the phone to someone, so he sat down quietly at the other end of the couch and waited.

-

_"You say he's never even heard of magic?"_

"Yeah- I think we already established that, Leon," Axel sighed into the phone, running his free hand through wild locks of red hair- a nervous habit he'd picked up from his brother. There was a grunt on the other line as the older man thought.  
_  
"Was he injured?"_ Axel shook his head, and then realized Leon couldn't see him over the phone, "No- Just dazed and wet. He-" Axel stopped at the sound of the bathroom door opening, glancing to see Roxas, entering the room with Axel's clothes barely hanging onto his body.

He gulped, stamped down the flush that rose to his cheeks and turned away. "Look, I called to ask if I could bring him over so he could get the full story from you- because you know I'm no good at explaining all of that heartless shit."

Leon let out a small sigh, and there was the muffled sounds of talking before the older man spoke, _"Bring him over mid-morning tomorrow. It's late, and you've been patrolling since noon. Get some rest," _It was Leon's own personal way of showing concern, and Axel was flattered, holding back a smile.

"Sure thing boss," Leon grunted again and cut the line.

Axel placed the phone back into the receiver, turning around to face Roxas. The blond was seated on the couch, and so he approached, sitting down next to him. "So- the clothes fit?" He paused, giving Roxas a once- over, "apparently not that much," this he muttered more to himself than anyone.

A loud yawn forced itself out of Axel's mouth. "I'd let you take the bed, but my room's actually messier than out here. I've got an extra quilt that Aerith gave me for winter- so you can use that." Axel rubbed his chin with long fingers, thinking hard for a moment.

"Are you alright? I mean-" He broke off uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at the blond teen. "You seemed pretty freaked out. Uh... I know- when my world... you know.. That I used to have nightmares the first few weeks afterwards, so..." He stood, back facing Roxas, hands on his hips.

"If you have a nightmare, just come and, uh. Wake me up. It's always good to talk about a nightmare after you have one... I guess..." Axel's cheeks flushed only slightly at this and he looked away.

Running his fingers through the slightly damp hair at the back of his head, the blond had to fight down a small embarrassed smile. It was unusual for him to get so much attention (Sora was the attention whore back home) and he felt a bit weird having Axel fussing over him so much. It felt nice, yet unfamiliar, because he was sure that even as children, Sora was always the one getting hurt, or crying in glee "Look at me!", and thus always receiving everyone's affections. He also suddenly realized that this was his first time away from his brother (with the exception of when Sora ran away with Riku for three days and hid in a cave on the play island). He thought he'd miss him more than this- yet he didn't. Maybe the feeling would come with time.

"I... um- thanks. Thanks a lot, the couch will be fine. It beats the alley any day," he gave a small smile to Axel, but the fire mage was looking everywhere _but_ Roxas and he missed it.

"And... I'm fine. I'm starting to get used to the idea of what's happened," it felt like a lie- it probably was- but it was what Roxas wanted to believe. He spread his fingers out over his knees, looking up at Axel, "I can wait until tomorrow for explanations about all this Heartless stuff- you look really tired."

Hearing Roxas merely mention the word 'tired' had Axel's shoulders slumping in fatigue. He turned to face the blond boy, his blush having diminished quite nicely, and gave the boy a bright smile.

"I'll get the quilt for you. Just lay down and don't worry your pretty little head about me. I can take a little sleep deprivation," Axel left the room momentarily, returning with a plain burgundy comforter not long after.

He draped the quilt over Roxas's legs. "You can fix it however you like. I had a friend who'd sleep with one leg over the quilt and the other underneath." Or he could have just told Roxas to make himself comfortable- but Axel was one for subtleties.

He stepped back. "Goodnight kid. I'll wake you in the morning after I go on patrol." He flicked the living room light out, shrouding them in darkness before there was a snap of fingers and a kerosene lamp that rested on top of the coffee table lit up, giving the room a dull, but warm glow.

Peering over the back of the couch as Axel left the room, Roxas issued him a quiet "G'night," before slinking down in the large quilt and pulling it up to his chin, curling up into a ball underneath. Axel stepped into his bedroom, hoping the lamp would help chase any nightmares of shadows away from Roxas for the night. He barely tugged his jeans off before he tumbled into bed, nearly unconscious upon hitting the mattress.

A small smile had hijacked Roxas's mouth for a minute or two after Axel left- it felt so weird getting so much attention from a single person. Sure, Sora fussed over him occasionally, but he usually felt it was out of something akin to guilt, and the brunet was trying to make up for a cock-up of his from earlier.

Roxas's smile faded quickly though. Sora. Sure, they had their arguments and their differences, but Sora was Roxas's twin brother. They were inseparable as children, at least until their Dad moved out and Sora met Riku. But he didn't mind so much if Sora went out without him then, because he knew that he'd see his brother by the end of the night, at the dinner table, or he'd pop his head in to say goodnight--

But now. Now, he didn't know where his brother was. He didn't know if he was safe, or if he was even _alive_... Hell, Roxas didn't even know where he himself was. He curled himself up into a tighter ball, hugging his waist, eyes stinging. He hated this feeling of being alone. He'd never really felt it before, because he always knew his brother was there for him if he needed him. Now, he was in this weird town, sleeping on some stranger's couch that he barely even knew.

Roxas pushed the palms of his hands against his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. _Calm down_, he told himself, _crying doesn't solve anything._

Eventually he sat up. He couldn't sleep- he didn't want to sleep. He needed to keep himself busy somehow. He looked around the apartment for something like a book to read- however with all the mess, he couldn't tell if there even was one somewhere.

So, standing, he rolled up his sleeves. If he couldn't sleep, he'd do something useful. He knew he wasn't really in any position to be cleaning this stranger's house, but at that moment in time he couldn't care less. The mess was reminding him of Sora too much, anyway.

-

When his alarm went off promptly at 7:30 the next morning, Axel could barely open his eyes and his body felt like it was being weighed down with a dozen bags of sand. He groaned, prying his dry eyes open and rubbing at them before reaching a lanky arm out and shutting off his alarm clock.

A tired yawn escaped his mouth and the redhead painstakingly pulled himself into a sitting position, staring blankly at the wall as the day before began to play in his head, reminding him of the tasks to come. His muscles ached, and his body cracked painfully when he stood, the knots in his back twisting and stabbing his nerves. He'd been working on overdrive for the past two months to earn his keep. Leon had been kind enough to offer him pay for his help, and Axel hadn't taken the man seriously when he'd first suggested a schedule for the redhead.

Now Axel woke every morning at seven thirty, got dressed, ate, left the house by eight fifteen to check in with Leon before going off to slay heartless for the next two hours. He'd break for lunch, and by one, he was out killing heartless once more or patrolling the city. On weekends, Leon had suggested giving Axel time off to learn more about fire magic from Merlin, and so Axel's free schedule had quickly filled up-- leaving almost no time for relaxation on the redhead's part.

He stepped into the living room with quiet feet and had to double take, walking into his bedroom, closing the door, opening it, and then re-entering the living room.

It. Was. _Clean._

Not only was it clean. It was organized. Clothes were folded in strategic piles, all of his books on gummi ships and magic- oh hey, there was _Advanced Theory_, he thought he had lost it- and other gifts from Merlin were neatly stacked on the coffee table. His dishes were in the sink, his trash was thrown out, and in the midst of it all, Roxas was peacefully sleeping on the couch, curled beneath the quilt and looking all the more angelic.

If Axel wasn't in such shock and adoration for the boy, he's most likely have gotten morning wood right then and there.

He slapped himself in the face lightly, giving his head a rough shake before silently making his way to the kitchen to pull open the fridge and examine its contents. Aerith had stopped by a few days ago with groceries, knowing full well Axel had almost no time on his hands to bother remembering to keep his food supply up.

There were eggs and bacon, and even a carton of orange juice among the random foods. He pulled the items out and set about making breakfast for Roxas and himself, feeling that the boy fully deserved the meal even more than he had before.

The pan sizzled when bacon was dropped onto it, and Axel stirred the eggs about in their separate pan, humming gently to himself and swaying his hips to a silent beat- suddenly feeling more alive than he had in weeks.

Awoken by the sounds of cooking, Roxas slowly sat up on the couch, arm resting over the back of it as he watched Axel make breakfast and dance (which he found rather amusing, and he had to suppress a smile). He dragged a hand through his hair, attempting to flatten his bed head a little, before finally calling out a simple, "'Morning."

Axel nearly burned himself in surprise when Roxas had greeted him- but since he was a fire mage, and had mad fire skills, he was able to dodge the injury by not dropping the pan full of sizzling bacon. Roxas hid a stifled laugh-turned smile behind a casually placed hand at Axel's sudden stumble. The redhead shuffled the bacon around with a spatula before turning to greet Roxas.

Upon catching sight of the adorable bed-hair that the blond sported, Axel had to resist the urge to go up to the kid and hug the living hell out of him. He was cuter than a stuffed moogle on Christmas. And those things were made to be cute.

"Morning Sunshine- did your head get in a fight with the blender while you were asleep?" _Great diversionary tactic, Axel. You get a mental slap in the face for that. _Roxas made an odd, almost pouting face as Axel turned back to the food, sliding the scrambled eggs onto two separate plates and then placing the empty pan in the sink before returning to finish cooking the bacon.

"Breakfast tasties are almost ready- so you just sit tight while I finish this and get drinks. I'm too poor to afford any other table than that little piece of shit one in front of the couch, sorry," and he _was_ sorry- sorry that he bought that damn thing in the first place. Axel had received many a bruised shins from that bastard piece of furniture in his months in Traverse Town.

"Smells good," as an afterthought, Roxas shrunk down, hiding his lower face behind the back of the couch and issued a slightly quiet, " Thanks", almost as if ashamed that he hadn't said it sooner.

Smiling at Axel's evident dislike for his murderous coffee table, he turned around carefully, informing the redhead that he'd be careful. Sinking back into the couch, he waited for Axel to come join him on the couch.

Axel sauntered in soon enough with two plates balanced on one arm and two cups held tightly by the rims in his long fingers. He set the glasses down first by tilting his body, and then grasped one of the plates and put it in front of Roxas.

"I'm not a prime master genius cook by any means. Actually- I think the only reason that these aren't burnt is because I can kinda tell when things are burning because they start to turn black- which normally isn't a good thing when the food started out white..." Axel sat next to the blond boy, placing a fork on the teen's plate and then watching to see his reaction to the taste.

Roxas didn't hesitate to pick up the fork, having not eaten the night before as he had been too overwhelmed by all the new information thrown at him. The food looked good, and he dug in happily, eating at an almost surprising speed. Pausing part way through, he flushed, realizing his bad manners and he turned to Axel, informing him that it was good and he liked it, although that would have been obvious from the way he was practically inhaling his food.

Finally, upon finishing, he spoke up, slightly embarrassed of himself, "I'm hopeless in the kitchen. I've never managed to cook something that didn't come out partially or completely black."

Fidgeting with his hands in his lap, the true question he wanted to ask eventually wormed its way up to the surface, "So we're seeing your boss today? Sorry, I overheard your phone call last night."

Axel leaned back, having finished a few seconds before Roxas (he didn't eat often, and therefore when he did, it was in small amounts) "Yeah- the boss man. I think my farts have more emotion than that guy, if you'll pardon my crude metaphor," Axel shot Roxas a sly grin before he stood.

"This means that we should get going soon. I'm afraid you'll have to wear those clothes out to the marketplace when we go to get you new ones because I don't have a washer or dryer in this piece of shit apartment," Axel lifted a set of keys from the counter, motioning to the blond as he slipped his feet into a pair of red flip-flops.

"Don't worry, we're coming back, so just put on my extra sandals," Axel nodded his head towards a second pair of shoes resting by the door; this pair were black slip-ons that wrapped around the front of the foot. "It's a good time to be lazy," was always Axel's excuse.

Glancing down at his oversized clothing, Roxas suddenly remembered that not only was he not wearing underwear, but his sweat pants were ten times too big and prone to falling around his ankles at any given time. Reaching under the baggy red turtleneck (Okay, really, Axel's clothes weren't **that** huge. Roxas just liked his stuff close-fitting and he withheld the right to complain internally. Capice?), he checked the knot around his waist- still strong- and relaxed a bit.

Okay, he looked like a tube, but they'd get new clothes quick enough- err, with what money? He looked to Axel, then to the floor. Either he was assuming he had some sort of cash on him, or he was going to buy him stuff. Roxas felt embarrassed accepting such charity from a stranger, but he figured he'd have to get used to the idea, because he had a strong feeling that this stranger would end up becoming someone close to him. He wasn't sure why- maybe he was just latching onto the only person he knew (besides the guy with anger management problems in the shop from last night) in this new world.

"Alright," following Axel out the door, he slipped on the sandals on his way. The walk was one that was made in silence, sleep still lurking in the corner of Axel's senses as he led Roxas through the streets. Heartless stayed away during the morning and early noon hours, mostly coming out late afternoon, evening, and night time.

Axel pushed open the door to Cid's shop, ushering Roxas in along with him. A tall brown haired man, most likely Leon, stood near the fireplace with his arms crossed, looking stoic as ever- Axel personally thought that he just needed to get laid every now and then.

Placing his hand against the small of Roxas's back, the redhead gave him a gentle push in Leon's direction, making sure to whisper in the boy's ear not to be afraid of Leon's dick-headed appearance.

"Make it quick, Leon. We need to get this kid a few sets of clothes. I'll let you explain shit to him- I'm going to go mooch a few munny from Aerith." He gave Roxas a pat on the shoulders and left the shop quietly. Turning as Axel left the shop, Roxas suddenly felt somewhat vulnerable, especially under Leon's scrutinizing glare.

Leon coughed into his fist, looking at Roxas. "What's your name, where are you from, and have you ever seen a heartless before-- and how much did Axel tell you?" Blunt. To the point. Demanding of answers.

"I'm Roxas and I live... well, _used_ to live on Destiny Islands. I saw some heartless the night before I arrived here. Back home, there was a storm- Sora and Riku went out in it for some reason- and when I chased after them, those heartless were coming out of the ground," he was starting to feel a chill and he rubbed an arm casually, stepping closer to the crackling fire as he spoke.

"Axel didn't tell me much. He half-explained magic and the heartless to me, but I still don't really get it. He said something about a world without magic, and that no islands are around here, and my main concern is how exactly I got here..."

Looking back up at Leon, he continued, "But from the sounds of things, people tend to show up here quite often, right?" A part of him was hoping that Sora and Riku would show up here one day, too.

Leon allowed a scowl to breach his features, and placed a hand on his multi-belted hip. "Refugees from other worlds come here to find solace after their homes were destroyed, or bordering on the brink of destruction. It's highly doubtful that there aren't other places like this Town."

Filtering through the responses he'd received, Leon began to launch into a rather detailed explanation of what he knew of heartless and the worlds, and even a bit of magic- though Axel knew far more than he did. The redhead just got impatient too easily to explain things to people who didn't understand.

Axel had returned at some point during his recap, and had stationed himself rather close to the blond boy, his right hand clutching a brown leather pouch most likely stuffed with munny. Leon finished soon enough, looking at Roxas with a blank expression, as if waiting to gauge his reaction.

"One last question... Has anyone ever managed to get back home?"

Upon hearing Roxas's question, both Leon and Axel fell silent. Both men had lost their homes- Axel, only a few months ago; Leon had been in Traverse Town for well over a year. Axel's mind flashed with memories of his brother and his chest tightened.

"No," he choked out, voice sounding far more bitter than he had originally intended. Leon scowled, crossing his arms and turning away from Roxas, lost in his own thoughts of the people he'd left in order to find help, and how he hadn't been able to return home. Flashes of an exuberant young man with a wide grin and light blond hair came to mind

._'Zell...'_ Leon closed his eyes, fully turning away from the younger males and stepping back to sit heavily on the couch, placing his head into a palm, weight supported by an elbow propped on his knee. He'd been so prepared to confess when the heartless had attacked during one of their few times spent alone together- talking about their futures and dreams. The blond had fallen, injured, during the attack, and Leon had vainly tried to fight off the onslaught of shadows.

Zell had forced him away by using the final reserves of his strength- lifting the older man and throwing him into the only gummi ship the Garden had owned. Leon recalled hitting the window as the short male locked it from the outside, yelling through the thick glass to get help. Zell's face had been bloodied and slicked with sweat, exhaustion in those expressive azure eyes.

Leon swallowed the dry lump in his throat and clenched his eyes shut. "No- nobody has ever gotten back home." It was barely audible, a whisper at most, one filled with turmoil.

Axel understood what his employer was going through, and so remained silent as he was driven to experience a series of his own painful memories.

Roxas felt the mood in the room change suddenly and was regretting his words. All he managed to utter out was a small "Oh," in... was it apology? Understanding? Disappointment? He couldn't tell

Axel grasped onto Roxas's shoulders. "Come on.. We've got to buy you some clothes before noon hits." Having said that, Axel applied a mild force into guiding Roxas out of the store and away from Leon, whose depression was beginning to intermingle with Axel's.

Roxas's head turned, watching Leon as he was dragged out, trying to work his tongue to say something, but he couldn't- he was outside already, the door shutting behind them.

The younger boy also quickly noticed Axel's mood and bit his lip, trying to wrack his brain for something to say. He thought that maybe saying something would just dig it in further. Maybe he just needed to remain silent, and let the moment pass.

Blue eyes directed at the floor, the boy followed after Axel as they headed to the market.

* * *

_**Please review**_, if not for the sake of reviewing- but to drop a line and cheer me up because god, I feel like telling my teachers I want to jump off a cliff and die. I'm so worried on what fic to work on because there's so many. This one, Carmine Complex, Looking Glass, Checkered Shirt, Pink Spider, and RK and I have started a SUPER.TOP.SECRET. new fic all about a certain favorite crack!pairing of ours. I'm a little overwhelmed.

I don't want to sound like a Review Whore , and the honest truth is, I love knowing that all the effort I put forth makes people happy. I just adore brightening someone's day, or giving them a rush of emotion and so on, you know? So if you have the time, click the little button down there and tell me what you did or didn't like about this chapter, and any possible emotions you've experienced while reading this.

Constructive Criticism is greatly appreciated at all times.


	4. Axel

**Reverse Eclipse**

The BirdFox Hybrid Productions

* * *

Axel led Roxas through the marketplace, where it was heaving with activity. It had to be- shops started to close down around dusk; when heartless came too quickly for Axel and the others to take care of. 

He turned partially to peer at Roxas. "What are your favorite colors? I've got enough for three sets of clothes." This was actually all of the excess munny that Axel had been saving for the past month- munny to buy a gummi ship so that he'd be able to find his brother. It was munny well earned- but now it would be well spent. He was hoping that a new wardrobe would help to cheer Roxas up.

"Are you sure?" Roxas looked embarrassed to be accepting Axel's charity, and he was about to argue, but he realized as he looked down at what he was wearing that he couldn't live in the taller boy's clothes forever, "Well... black and red," glancing up at the other, he realized that the redhead was wearing black himself, and his hair... well, that was self-explanatory.

Quickly, he added in, "White, too. I like grey as well. I really don't mind, actually."

He wasn't exactly sure why he felt embarrassed.

Axel reached a hand up, rubbing at his chin and wincing when he felt a hint of stubble. He'd need to shave soon. It was a sad fact that he grew facial hair- it looked absolutely ugly on him. Something Axel wasn't particularly proud of. "I like those color choices." He stopped in front of a small Tailor's shop, opening the door and entering. The small bell attached to the door gave a soft chime.

"Hey Garnet- I need you to take this kid's measurements. He needs a few new clothes and I doubt he wants anything plain Jane like mine." Axel didn't dare admit that he was hoping to get something from Garnet's Tailoring for a few months after he'd seen some intricate battle outfits on display. They were costly- which was why Axel wouldn't be able to afford more than three of the basic ones. If Roxas picked something more intricate, then he'd only be getting one. Roxas still needed something to wear around Axel's apartment, and something for bed too. Sheesh- this was going to cost him.

If Garnet charged a lot for one outfit, Axel figured he'd be able to chip in his rent munny too- he'd just mooch off of Leon or Yuffie when it was due.

Garnet approached, placing a delicate hand to her chin and examining Roxas with knowledgeable eyes. She lifted his arm and then placed it back down as Roxas contradicted Axel, "I'm fine with plain--" but Garnet had already disappeared into the back room to procure a long roll of measuring tape and a pad of paper, the former she slapped onto Axel's chest, informing him to write down the numbers she would tell him.

She turned to Roxas. "Okay. Lift your arms."

Once Garnet started to practically maul Roxas with the measuring tape, the blonde couldn't help but be slightly put out. He didn't realize he was going to get _custom made_ clothing. It was probably expensive. He lifted his arms obediently as the dark-haired woman did her work, blushing brightly as she measured up the inside of his leg, hands wandering where none (other than his own) had gone before.

Turning his head over his shoulder, he gave a small, distressed look to Axel. He felt the need to ask if this was the norm on this world, to have custom-fit clothing, but didn't want to sound rude or anything. When the back of a small hand bumped into his crotch, his face turned as bright as Axel's hair, and Roxas whipped around, unable to look the tall teenager in the face anymore. He was mortified.

As soon as the blonde turned away, Axel pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and peered at the contents, flipping through the munny and scowling in disappointment. He didn't allow the needed sigh to escape, slipping the small leather billfold back into his jeans. He'd treat Roxas to a small lunch. He couldn't afford going anywhere but to Tifa's bar. They'd be able to get sandwiches there anyway. Munny was tight- even for someone who'd grown up living on the streets most of their lives. His big brother had taught him that even if you were low on cash, treat a newcomer with as much hospitality as you can to make them feel welcome, because chances are that that same newcomer has gone through just as much hell as you have at least once in their lives.

Axel smiled at the memory of Reno's speech, and scribbled down the final measurements that Garnet called out. The young woman gave Roxas a small push towards Axel.

"Go on and pick out the outfit you like." She said gently, shooting Axel a brief look of worry. It seemed everyone knew the redhead barely had enough munny to live on his own between slaying heartless and taking magic lessons from Merlin.

Axel placed his hand against the back of Roxas's shoulders. "Pick whatever one you'd like to wear for training with Merlin and Leon," after the Heartless attack last night, the two boys had decided between them that Roxas would start training, "and then we'll get you a set of pajamas and something to wear around the apartment."

Gaze traveling over the many mannequins darted around the store, Roxas also noticed the price tags attached to each one and felt himself pale with every glance. He had the rough idea of how much munny was worth from bustling through the marketplace earlier, and he could tell these things were expensive. Finally, he stopped at a table where several catalogues were spread out- he pulled one for boys closer to himself and started flicking through it, looking for something that he both liked and was fairly cheap.

He could feel Axel hovering over his shoulder occasionally, probably interested in what he was about to spend his munny on. Roxas kept note of a few of the pages, then eventually decided on an outfit. He couldn't refuse the redhead's charity but he could do his best to minimize it- the set he had chosen was fairly cheap (yet it was still going to make a dent in Axel's wallet).

"Is this one okay?" he looked over at his shoulder to Axel, wanting to check with him before informing Garnet. The costume consisted of mostly blacks and whites, the main feature being a thick white jacket that reached his elbows with large black circles patching around the shoulders and a black stripe across the bottom hem. The gloves were black and fingerless, and undershirt was also black, with a white circle in the center. An asterisk at the bottom indicated that if the customer had a personal design, that their emblem would replace the circle.

There were straps on the back of the shoulders that connected to the white pants. Roxas figured they reached about his mid-calf. They had deep pockets, most likely for storing items, and a thick black belt that hooked around the hips to sling a sword or gun to. The sneakers were black with a large white 'X' crossed over the front half. The outfit was simple, and it would look cute on Roxas, if Axel had any say in it. The redhead's eyes trailed down across the page until they caught the cost.

Axel winced at the price, but he shot Roxas a grin. "No problem, kid- do you have any design that you want on the chest?" Roxas thought for a moment as Axel handed him a slip of paper that he'd ripped from the pad and the pencil he'd used to jot measurements down.

Roxas shooed Axel away as he thought. Something that would show he wanted to help fight heartless-without saying it outright. The image came to mind and he scribbled it down. Axel peered over his shoulder again to watch as Roxas drew an upside-down heart, before he erased the top and then pinched the sides in before making a thick dash though the center. Satisfied, Roxas stood straight and handed the paper to Axel for his examination.

A smile spread onto the redhead's face, "I like it- simple, and original." Garnet walked up and took the catalogue, examining it, and Roxas's drawing, and then biting her lip before giving the blonde boy the same smile that Axel had.

"I'll have it made in no time. Axel told me you like this color scheme, correct?" The nod from Axel had them both walking to the register, leaving Roxas behind momentarily. They argued quietly as the walked.

"Axel- you can't afford this. I'll cut the price down for you," Garnet punched in the code for the outfit, watching the tax and add on price for the boy's measurements appear. Axel looked away.

"Just ring it up." Garnet sighed softly and pulled up the price. Axel lifted his wallet out, extricating a good half of the munny that had been in it. He handed it to her and Garnet took it with a sad face.

"I'll make him a set of pajamas then, free of charge." Axel's eye grew wide at her offer. She couldn't possibly be serious, could she? Judging by the kind smile on her face- the girl was completely sincere. Axel looked down, flushing.

"Thanks." Roxas would be happy- he just knew it.

Roxas thanked Garnet as they left the shop, and once outside he turned to Axel and thanked him profusely.

"I want to pay you back somehow," they were moving in some direction, Axel leading him somewhere- he wasn't exactly sure where, "I'll... get a job or something. Since it seems..." he watched the cobblestone streets as he walked next to the redhead, not especially wanting to bring up the topic that seemed to depress him and Leon earlier, "...I'll be here for awhile, I suppose. What kind of things can you do here?"

Axel shoved his hands into his jean pockets, thinking hard. "You can help to fight heartless, for one. Merlin is training me to be an apprentice- so I'm sure Leon could use you on the days I'm at the old wizard's. Aerith, Tifa, and Cid could probably always use an extra hand at their shops. Cid's been working on gummi ships lately, so I wouldn't be surprised if he needed someone to help him with the harder stuff. It's up to you what you want to do, really."

Axel knew that Cid needed Roxas's help more than he did. Cid was getting old, and Axel was sure that one day he'd throw his back out or something else unhealthy whilst working on a ship or crating supplies. Axel was young, his body would eventually adapt to his stressful schedule, even if it did take a few years to do so. Just thinking about it made the knots in Axel's shoulders throb and he winced, rolling his neck back and then pressing his fingertips to the back of his collarbone, pressing down in an attempt to ease the sudden stabbing pain.

"I haven't met Aerith and Tifa yet... they work with Cid?" Roxas got a sudden mental image of Cid's foul-mouthed, boyish daughters, and a small fear of the names Aerith and Tifa grew in the pit of his stomach- worried, he followed up with another question, "...they aren't related, are they?"

However, he kept in mind the job opportunities- he'd check them out as soon as he had some free time. Noticing Axel's wince, he slowed his pace and turned back, concerned, "Are you alright?"

Axel uttered a small groan, moving his free arm in a circular motion to try and dull the twisting pain in his shoulder. "Yeah- I'm fine. Just muscle pains. I think I've got a knot in my shoulder the size of a deadbolt." Roxas felt sympathetic for Axel's pain- had the fire mage been Sora, he probably would have sat him down and worked out the knots in his back for him. However, he barely knew him, and despite the affinity he had for the friendly teen, he wasn't about to do something as intimate as a back rub. That'd just be weird.

Axel clenched his eyes shut for a moment before he let out a long breath and answered the blonde's initial question, "They're not related- far from it. Aerith is the town's healer. She's the only one with a strong enough magic level besides Merlin to cast a life-saving spell... Well... life-saving under the impression that you still have your heart. Tifa's a fighter- she grew up with a friend of my brother's. They're both pretty nice." He let his head fall down, fingertips moving to massage at his neck before he looked up again.

"They're all friends- but they have different jobs. Tifa runs a bar- you'll meet her soon enough. We're going to eat lunch there. Aerith is in charge of the pharmacy, and you know what me, Leon, and Cid do."

"Oh right- that's a relief," the words spilled out by accident, and Roxas covered his mouth in embarrassment, "I mean... I thought that they were maybe Cid's daughters or something... I... never mind."

Lunch time was busy in Traverse Town- the district they had just entered was particularly busy, people bustling about everywhere. Roxas still felt a bit self conscious in his oversized borrowed clothes, but managed to fight down the blush and follow Axel through the crowd towards a moderately sized wooden building. _Seventh Heaven_ was painted above the door in bright white letters. A singing drunk stumbled out of the front door, nearly crashing into Roxas (who barely managed a dodge), and then proceeded to fall down the few steps the duo had just climbed.

The front door was swung open again, a tall woman bustling out with her hands on her hips, "Stop complaining! I told you to go home and sober up! Or do you need _another_ ass whooping?!"

The man grumbled something unintelligible and staggered off, and the woman's attention turned to Axel and Roxas.

"Axel!" she smiled brightly, mood brightening instantly, "Great to see you!" she quickly noticed Roxas, "Oh! You're a new face. My name's Tifa, I run this bar here--" Roxas opened his mouth, perhaps to introduce himself, but she waved her hands, "Sorry, no time! We're running our feet off and we're under-staffed. Save the introductions for later! Just seat yourselves, I'll come and serve you as soon as possible."

She turned around and disappeared back into the bar, and Roxas stood there, mouth hanging open. That woman was like a female version of his brother or something- always on the go, so loud and-- did you SEE her chest?!

He turned to Axel and his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. One good look at Roxas's shell-shocked face had Axel laughing so hard that he had to clutch at his sides. It took a moment for him to recover, and he wiped a tear from his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah. Tifa'll do that to ya." He ushered Roxas inside, picking a small two seater table near the window. He slipped into the metal chair, pushing the little menu towards Roxas. "She's short-staffed, and this is where a lot of people come to eat in their free time. You might want to think about getting a part-time job here."

Now that Roxas was seated, he suddenly realized exactly how hungry he actually was. Eyes scanning the menu, he really didn't care what he ate- still feeling guilty about Axel's earlier purchase, he chose the cheapest thing on the menu he could find and put the menu down. Watching Tifa run around wildly, her only other waiter hobbling along slowly, he felt bad for her as the bar was excessively busy.

"She definitely looks like she needs the help," he said to Axel, turning back to face him. It looked like it'd be quite awhile before their orders were even taken, so he figured he should try to start some form of conversation with him.

Axel took in Roxas's statement as he watched the older woman rush about to serve everyone without causing complaints. He'd wanted to talk more to the blonde about his life before he'd shown up in Traverse- possibly to learn about some of his likes and dislikes-- but Roxas was right.

"I _should_ go and help." He muttered, excusing himself and standing up to walk over to Tifa, exchanging a few words with her before he was directed to a small staff door to the back room. Axel disappeared behind it for a second, re-emerging with a white apron draped over his neck. He quickly tied the strings around his waist as he approached Roxas.

"Sorry kid. I wish we could spend this time to talk about stuff, but Teefs needs my help. I'll get your lunch order in a sec." He gave Roxas a weak shrug and then turned away to go and deliver an order of sandwiches set out on the bar.

Roxas stared after Axel as he got up and left- he hadn't meant to suggest that! Roxas sighed, sinking back into his seat and watching Axel go about his business, swinging his feet under the table idly. At least the place was lively and interesting to watch. Axel never made it back to him, and after a half-an-hour he was starting to get bored of half-listening in on snippets of other people's conversations (it was too loud to really zone in on specific ones for too long).

He reached out to gently place his hand on Tifa's arm when she passed, grabbing her attention. "Hey, um- if you want, I could help you out," his eyes followed Axel across the room, who stopped to rub his shoulders once again- it was quickly becoming a constant habit of his, "I think Axel's tired- I can wait for my lunch."

Tifa beamed at him, "Oh, that'd be lovely!" she literally pulled him out of his seat by the hand, dragging him to the back of the room (she stopped three times on the way to take people's orders for more drinks) where she handed him an apron and shoved the first order of plates to him, "Alright, get working!"

Not expecting such a sudden reply, Roxas was a bit disoriented for a moment- however he was lucky as he had worked part time in a similar establishment on Destiny Islands once, so he was able to pick up what he was meant to be doing pretty quickly.

An hour and a bit later, the lunch rush was finally coming to a close- there were only a few stragglers left behind and Tifa was able to handle them on her own. Axel looked exhausted and she insisted that he and Roxas sit back down. Roxas watched Axel with a mild curiosity as he rubbed his eyes, then moved to rub at his collar bone again.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he didn't want to feel like a pest for asking, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. He was terrible at starting conversations.

"Yeah, m'fine." Axel muttered, using his free hand to make a shooing motion at Roxas, "Thanks for helping her out. She really needed it. If I wasn't so busy I'd haul my scrawny ass over here to lend a hand more often." He rolled his head back and forth, wanting to let out a groan of despair as the heated pain continued. He sat down, hunching over to rest his head on his arms.

'Did you eat?" He yawned, smacking his lips and peering at Roxas over his arms.

The blonde shook his head at Axel's question, "She was too busy to take my order earlier, so I just waited--" as if on queue, his stomach let out an embarrassing growl. Roxas grabbed a hand to his abdomen, mouth pulling into a line as a blush enveloped his face, "I uh... I guess I'm pretty hungry now."

"Man, I'm real sorry I didn't have time to take your order. Here, I'll go get you something, what do you want?" Axel grabbed the extra menu, searching for something he thought Roxas might have liked. He felt guilty for ignoring the blonde for so long, instead helping Tifa. "The double bacon burger looks good." It was kind of expensive, being one of the larger meals, but it did look tasty... He held back the urge to rub his neck whilst reading.

"Don't worry about it," Roxas gave him a small smile, "Besides, I wasn't waiting for long before I started helping out too," their attention was turned to the menu again, and Roxas found the burger Axel was referring to. And then the price- he was about to suggest something cheaper when suddenly Tifa was standing next to them.

"The double bacon burger is one of our specialties! It'll be really good! You'll like it, Roxas!"

His mouth flapped open and closed as he wondered how she knew his name (and as he was baffled by her chest once again).

"One for you too, Axel?" She scribbled down the order on her note pad, not really waiting for a reply, and she gushed, "Thank you soooo much for your help you guys, you really saved the day!" pausing from her scribbling, she looked up and smiled, "Meals will be free of charge since you helped out- if only I could kidnap you two as permanent staff," she sighed, "I just can't get hard workers like you! Anyway, your meal will be here shortly."

Turning, she left. Roxas closed his mouth, stared at Axel, made an unintelligent I'M-REALLY-CONFUSED sound, and then resisted the overwhelming urge to pout. Axel had to mentally slap himself at the urge to kiss that adorable expression straight off of Roxas's face. He laughed, his arms falling onto the table. His shoulders didn't seem to be getting any better either way. "See- all of our work has not gone to waste! We get to gorge." Axel offered the blonde boy another wide grin, hoping to wipe that bewilderment away from Roxas's face.

"After this, we can find you a job. You think you might want to work here?" Axel knew better than to make the offhanded comment that he'd eventually get used to Tifa's giant breasts being shoved in his face (seeing as Roxas only reached her breasts anyway. Damn, that kid was short.).

"I dunno..." Roxas's gaze shifted across the room to Tifa, who was already bringing over their plates. He gulped, turning back to Axel, "The work is fun, but..."

"Here's your meals!" Tifa placed them on the table with a clunk, smiling brightly at the boys, "Enjoy them- or else!"

Roxas thanked her, then waited until she left, "...she's kinda intimidating, if you know what I mean," he plucked a french fry off of his plate, popping it into his mouth.

Axel smiled, picking up a few of his own french fries and biting into them. Roxas would get used to life around here, he was sure of it. "Don't worry, kid. After a few days, you'll get your bearings." And with that, they fell into a comfortable silence as they ate.

Sure, Axel could most definitely get used to this.

* * *

They'd been driving for what seemed like hours, Sora slipping in and out of consciousness throughout the ride. Night had approached rapidly, and Sora had been stirred from his semi-wakeful state to Reno's voice informing that they would be making camp for the night. He groaned, arching his head back as another stab of pain struck him, now originating from his left shoulder blade.

The noise surprised Riku, who sat up suddenly- Sora had been silent since he had been knocked out, and now he seemed to finally be coming to.

"Sora!" he peered down at his friend, trying to meet his gaze, "You're awake- are you okay?"

"Hurts" The brunette gasped out, raising one hand to grasp tightly to Riku's bicep, his brows furrowing and then slitting one eye open to peer up at his companion, "It hurts."

Reno's head peeked back in the jeep, "We've got a place set up. Bring him over by the fire and Vincent will check his back out."

Riku clasped a hand on the boy's elbow, supporting him, "Do you think you can stand, Sora?"

"I don't know." Sora muttered, forcing himself to sit up by pulling his body forward, using Riku's arm as leverage. He winced painfully when he did so. The brunette hissed, biting down on his bottom lip so hard it nearly bled. Sora's entire weight rested against Riku's chest, one hand held tightly to the side of the seat, the other sliding down to clutch Riku's thigh that was beside his knee.

Aqua eyes winced- he hated to see Sora in pain like this, "Vincent is going to have a look at your back, okay?" moving forward, he slipped his hands underneath Sora's thighs, intending on lifting him up, "Hold onto me, I'll carry you out."

Sora nodded weakly, his arms rising to slip about Riku's neck as the silver-haired teen lifted him. He cried out in pain when they moved, stifling himself by burying his head into Riku's collarbone as he was lifted much like a child, the entire front half of his body pressed against his friend's strong chest, legs on either side of the male's hips. With the help of Reno, he was carried out of the jeep and brought to the campsite, where Vincent sat next to a crackling fire. Reno's hands nested themselves underneath Sora's arms, partially lifting him out of Riku's grasp to help the brunette to the ground, and when Sora stumbled, Riku was there to hold his arms, catching him. Ever so slowly, he was lowered to his knees.

"We have to take his shirt off." Reno murmured, and Sora flushed brightly, giving them a nod.

Riku volunteered himself silently, reaching forward and carefully removing the boy's shirt. He made sure not to let the fabric brush against the boy's back the best that he could, as he was unsure of how much damage had done, or if there were any open wounds. He was careful with removing it from the boy's head as well, since he still had the bandage from before. He felt an overwhelming feeling of pity for Sora- everything seemed to be going wrong for him right now.

Finally, the shirt dropped to the boy's knees, and Riku watched Sora's expression to judge if he was alright. It was close to freezing- the ground was bumpy, but there was no frost yet. Almost immediately, Sora's body began to wrack with shivers, his hands moving to grasp at his biceps, jaw clenching.

Reno's large hands encased over his shoulders and guided the brunette down onto his stomach. Sora reluctantly obeyed, gasping at the feeling of the icy dirt against his bare skin. His shoulder was almost numb with pain, a sickening throb attacking him with each beat of his heart.

"Ah… ah- m-my shoulder... h-hurts," He stuttered, shaking from the cold of the ground as it bit into his skin. He clenched his eyes shut. It was like lying atop a block of ice, and he clutched at the dirt.

Vincent approached, hovering beside Reno on one side of Sora, Riku on the other. His long fingered hand slowly ghosted over the boy's back. It was like one giant bruise- there didn't seem to be a single un-marred patch of skin along the entire expanse of Sora's back. Riku bit his lip at the sight, and his hand instinctively went to Sora's, gripping the cold fingers tightly to console him.

"This will take time to heal," Vincent murmured, glancing up at Riku. "Two weeks, at best."

"Is there anything we can do right now?" his looked up from Sora, meeting Vincent's gaze, "To help ease the pain."

A moan escaped the brunette, followed by a gasp. His shoulder was burning now, as if something was scratching at it with a dull knife.

"Keep pressure off o-" Whatever Vincent was going to saw was cut off by Sora's scream as his body arched, hand grasping painfully tight to Riku's. Someone had plunged that dull knife into his shoulder, and was carving a hole into his skin. The others couldn't see it, but Sora felt it. The brunette cried out again, tears pricking in his vision, voice breaking off in mid-scream with a jerk of pain. He moved to roll onto his back, but Vincent's hand on his hip forced him to stay down. "Hold him!" The raven-haired man's voice commanded forcefully. Sora could barely hear him though the sudden haze of agony he'd been struck with.

Riku didn't need to be asked twice- he gripped the boy's biceps from behind, pushing him back down firmly- but he didn't have enough leverage from his position at the side. Thinking quickly, he moved to straddle the boy's hips, pushing him down as the brunette thrashed, desperately trying to roll onto his back.

"What the hell's going on?!"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Reno exclaimed as Sora began bucking, his arms flying out to grasp at any and everything, another strangled scream escaping him. Riku's added weight kept him from moving onto his back to press his injuries into the ground to try and alleviate the sudden itching, burning agony in his shoulder. His cheeks became tear soaked, face pressing into the cold dirt.

"Sora- what's---" Riku stopped dead, staring down at the boy's back. It suddenly looked shiny, wet almost- and suddenly he realized his left shoulder blade was seeping blood.

"Wh-- what--" There weren't any open wounds there a moment ago- and suddenly it was bleeding- what if those weren't normal bruises?! Wait, his heart is on the left side, what if--

Panic gripped him and he suddenly found it hard to breathe- not many things scared Riku, but the unknown, when it concerned life and death and his best friend, was one of them.

Vincent's eyes had grown wide, a single hand reaching out to gently dab at Sora's back, withdrawing to reveal blood on his fingertips. Sora's screams were still as prominent as ever, though they'd broken off into body-wracking sobs. "It hurts! It hurts, make it stop, please!" The brunette cried out, his fingers beginning to bleed as they scratched at the ground and rocks so forcefully that it broke the skin.

The panic quickly changed into frustration as Vincent and Reno provided him with no answers and Sora's pain seemed to increase. Riku swore under his breath, grip tightening on Sora's arms as he leant forward, speaking into his ear, "Hang in there, Sora- you're going to pull though this, okay? You're going to be okay."

He pulled away, "Can't you guys do anything?!" he shot over his shoulder, panic obvious in his voice.

He received simultaneous headshakes from both men, as neither of them had seen such a thing happen before.

Riku held the thrashing Sora down to the ground for what seemed like hours, though it was truly only over ten minutes, before the pain suddenly dulled and faded, just as quickly as it had come. Sora collapsed limply to the icy ground, breathing heavily, his face streaked with un-dried tears.

Panting, the silver-haired boy hesitated for a minute before slowly getting off of Sora, moving to sit next to him. Blood had seeped across the boy's back and down his arms, and now it covered Riku's hands. He couldn't believe how fast it suddenly stopped. He was expecting Sora to jerk back into spasms again, but it seemed to be over... he hoped.

"Sora?" he spoke softly, leaning in closer to him, "Are you okay? I think the bleeding's stopped."

Sora's response was a slow, keening whine, his bloodied fingers reaching out to grasp onto Riku's. This seemed to kick both Vincent and Reno into action, the redhead standing up and hurrying back towards the jeep whilst Vincent reached back to tear off a decent column of cloth from his cloak.

When Reno returned, he held a water canteen in one hand, and knelt down beside Sora whilst unscrewing the cap. Once the icy water hit Sora's bloody and cold back, the brunette hissed in pain, eyes clenching shut. Vincent reached out to dab ever so gently at the blood, and the two meticulously began to clean Sora off whilst the teen held onto Riku's hand like a lifeline.

Riku made sure to speak to him quietly throughout the entire process, informing him of what was going on- Reno and Vincent were cleaning his back, there was a wound, but they couldn't see how it was made or what shape it was in- they were bandaging it up. Finally the two men pulled back, and Riku looked up to them, gratitude evident in his eyes.

"Can he get up now?" and he received a nod in reply, so he reached down, telling Sora he was going to help him sit up.

Sora sat up with painstaking slowness, leaning heavily on Riku. Reno left again, coming back soon enough with two large sleeping bags. He dropped one at Riku's knees and then undoing the second one, he flipped it out and placed it onto the ground beside the fire.

"You'll have to share," The bags were large enough for two; it's probably what they had been designed for initially.

"Alright... thanks, both of you," Riku's appreciation was sincere in his voice, and he turned back to Sora slowly, reaching out and using the wet cloth from earlier to wipe both of their hands from the blood. He did so silently, unsure of what to say. He wanted desperately to bring the boy into a tight embrace, but he knew doing so would only hurt him. He asked Sora to sit back, and he ran a now clean hand against the boy's chest, brushing off what frozen dirt had clung to him. Once he had finished, aqua eyes met blue.

"Thanks," Sora breathed out, gratitude evident in his voice as he watched Riku, silently questioning what was going on in his companion's head.

"Don't mention it," Riku whispered, bringing a warm hand to the boy's cold cheek, the flickering campfire's light playing with the shadows around them.

Not too far off, Reno and Vincent were settling themselves on the opposite side of the fire, their voices a low murmur as they conversed in the bundle of their sleeping bag. Sora could feel fatigue creeping up on him, but he doubted he'd be able to climb into their own bag without a bit of Riku's help.

"You're going to have to sleep on top of me, is that okay with you? I don't know if sleeping on your side will be safe..."

Sora's face flushed, but he nodded. "It's... it's fine," he murmured, relishing in Riku's warm hand upon his face, "you don't have to." He didn't, the brunette knew that- he also knew that it would be painful for Sora to sleep anywhere but on his stomach, and he doubted there would be room for him to do so without bumping into Riku sometime during the night.

"I want to," a small smile touched his lips, cheeks flushing slightly, "I- I mean- I don't want your back to get hurt, so- and I don't wanna freeze to death, so--" he looked away, embarrassed, before turning back to Sora, "Lets just go to bed."

Sora couldn't help the smile that lit up his face, not fully understanding why Riku would be stumbling over his words. "Alright... but... I need help." The last part of this, Sora whispered sheepishly, not wanting to admit that he was incapable of doing something on his own.

Riku nodded, fighting away his blush as he messed with the sleeping bag, laying it out and unzipping it completely, before sitting in it, beckoning for Sora to follow him.

"Uhm..." Sora moved his body so that he was crawling towards Riku. He stopped next to the sleeping back, and almost squealed when Riku's hands grasped at his arms and tugged the brunette into the older teen's lap, Sora's chest nearly flush against Riku's own

"Oh! Uh..." Sora's face was most likely crimson by now, and his hands gripped to Riku's shoulders as the silver-haired teen slowly lay backwards, bringing Sora with him until the younger of the two was laying flush on top of Riku's body. "Am I too heavy?" Sora asked meekly. He could feel Riku's somewhat rapid heartbeat against his collarbone.

"Not at all," the boy breathed, twisting so he could reach the zip and pull it back up, encasing them in the bag. Riku returned to a more comfortable position, back straightening and legs parting, one of Sora's knees falling between his own, thigh brushing--

Riku blushed faintly, heart racing as he focused on _not_ getting a complete hard-on then and there. Hoping to distract Sora, he spoke to him, "Comfortable?"

Sora shifted about for a moment, but nodded. "Uh... uh-huh..." He muttered, burying his face into Riku's chest. "Thank you..." The brunette whispered into the cloth that pressed against his mouth.

"Anytime," Riku murmured into the boy's ear, moving his arm upwards to clasp Sora's hand gently. Sora smiled, grateful, and slipped his hand to the side to intertwine his fingers together with Riku's, shifting again to get comfortable and practically cuddling against his silver-haired companion. "Goodnight, Riku."

"Goodnight, Sora."

Sora slept through the night, and into the following morning. It took some struggling on Riku's part for them to awaken the brunette. They managed to get him out of the sleeping bag and back into the jeep, wrapping him up in the blanket from earlier, before Sora slipped back into a dreamless sleep. It worried Riku, but Vincent's calm voice spoke up that it was common for one with a concussion to be extremely fatigued- and that the night before was enough to make Sora tired for the remainder of the day.

The brunette was jostled from his cold haze of sleep when they reached the inn. He could feel warm arms lifting him up as an icy wind whipped about. There was a sensation of being carried coupled with Riku's steady heartbeat under Sora's ear. His breath came out in puffs of white, thick eyelashes and brown hair becoming dusted with snow. The cold fell away to a blast of warmth as they entered the inn. He felt himself being transferred into another set of arms- this one stronger. His cheek rested on the crook of the older man's neck, legs dangling on either side of the raven-haired man's hips as claw-like fingers dug softly into his shoulder and long hair tickled his nose.

The chest below him rumbled as Vincent spoke. He vaguely registered seeing Riku hover, watching him with concern as a woman approached, hands grasping his head. He cried out in pain when her fingertips connected with a sore spot on the back of his skull.

"He has a pretty severe concussion. He'll be groggy for a few days. Make sure someone's always with him. He's going to have a lot of dizzy spells until it heals over. Are they any other injuries?"

Vincent shifted his arms, muttering something about Sora's back and warm hands pulled up his shirt- but he tried to shift away. He didn't want to be touched by a complete stranger. Vincent asked him softly to stay still, and Sora- filled with guilt at having caused err for his savior, remained motionless as aged hands ran gently along the expanse of his back, pressing into sore places and eliciting multiple hisses and groans of pain from the brunette.

"Have him sleep on his stomach or side- He's going to be bruised for a while. I'll get you some ointment to help treat the injuries. They're not too severe, so you're lucky." He heard the woman say. The faded clicking of high heels indicated her departure. Sora's mind shut down again as he drifted off into sleep once more.

Vincent shifted the bundle in his arms again, catching sight of Reno walking up, hand clutching tightly to his electro rod. "Barrett says the ship's going to be here in an hour or two. I can't believe they don't have a fucking heater in here that goes above seventy." The second part was muttered more to himself than to Vincent, thought the stoic man allowed a slight smile to adorn his features.

Reno placed a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "When we get the kids a room- you'll talk, right?"

"Of course." His soft reply seemed to put Reno at ease, and guilt nagged at Vincent's mind. He wasn't going to talk about anything that Reno wanted to talk about. Vincent wanted the other male to remain clueless until the time came. He had to do it. Reno had too much at stake with these kids.

The innkeeper returned soon enough and Reno's hand fell from Vincent's arm, taking the ointment and two room keys with a small 'thanks.'

As he carried the sleeping Keyblade Master to his room, Vincent felt as if each step he took only sealed his fate further into it's tomb. He spared a glance at Reno. Wild, gorgeous red hair, pale skin and an aristocratic nose. High cheekbones and a lanky figure taut with muscle from years of living in the slums. He was like a light that attracted others to him. It was no wonder that Cloud had fallen in love with the redhead, much like Vincent.

Unlike Cloud, however, Vincent was more than willing to give up what he loved- because he knew that this was where their fates would divide.

Finally stopping in front of their room, Riku took the key from Reno before opening the door and pocketing it. He held the door open for Vincent so he could bring Sora inside, a frown in place. He hoped this area was going to be safe, especially if Sora was going to be out for a few days- he figured he'd have to watch over his friend, not that he minded. As Vincent sat a dozing Sora down on the bed, he turned to Reno who handed him the ointments.

He spoke quietly as he felt he shouldn't be too loud around Sora, "Hey uh- I just want to thank you for everything. I'm not exactly sure what this Keyblade thing is about, but just... thanks for looking after him."

Reno gave him a wry shrug, "It's okay kid. It's not just an obligation. You remind me a little bit of my brother," he scratched at the back of his head, giving Riku a weak smile. "Either way, you're still kids. You've got a lot going for you. Rest up; we're meeting Barret early tomorrow morning. He's gonna show up sometime around midnight with the ship, and we'll start packing pretty early." He stopped, turning to look at Vincent softly.

"The ship can only hold three. But Barrett said he'd help fix it so we'll be able to manage four of us. It'll be a tight fit, but worth it." Having said this, Reno smiled warmly at Vincent- but when his smile wasn't returned, it became a look of hurt.

He swallowed thickly and turned to Riku. "Bundle up. It gets cold at night, and there's a chance the heater will freeze over. There's extra blankets in that little closet over there." He pointed. "Sleep tight." And with a wave of a hand, he and Vincent departed.

"G'night," closing the door behind him, Riku sighed, hand lingering on the doorknob. He turned around in the dark room, the moonlight from the clear sky outside illuminating the bed, where Sora sat, hunched over, swaying just slightly. He walked over carefully, sitting next to Sora while placing the ointment on the bed. Bodies closer now, he found that the boy was frozen- glancing at his arm, he discovered goosebumps scattered up his arm, just visible by the dim white lighting.

"Hey... how are you feeling?" he leant forward, getting to eye-level with Sora and peering at him, while running the back of his fingers down his forearm, "You're absolutely freezing."

"I- I can't s-stop shiv-shivering." Sora stuttered out, his body wracking with involuntarily shakes. He sniffed, a wave of dizziness over-coming him. The cold was keeping him coherent enough to go over the events of yesterday.

"Are you o-okay? The hear-heartless d-didn't get you, ri-right?" His hazy eyes attempted to examine the expanse of Riku's body, checking for rips in his clothes or blood. He didn't see any, forgetting that they had slept last night and Riku had been fine- but one was never too sure.

As Sora shook, Riku picked up one of the boy's ice cold hands and held it between his warm ones, blowing on the freezing digits softly. He shook his head slowly, "No, I'm fine. You saved me, remember?" he smiled gently, but truthfully underneath he was still bitter that he couldn't do anything, he was helpless- and now Sora was hurt to this extent.

"I need to put some medicine on your back, Sora, but afterwards I'll try to warm you up, okay?" he removed his hands from Sora's to pick up the ointment, moving to unscrew the lid.

Sora's arms reached out and grabbed onto Riku, pulling him close with a breathy groan. The action caused Riku to drop the ointment back on the bed, and it rolled off the edge and onto the floor as the mattress shifted.

"I don't c-care. I'm cold," he mumbled into Riku's collarbone, leaning back to pull the silver haired teen down onto the bed with him, curling up against the heat and sighing in satisfaction, "I'm g-glad you're alright."

His lips were cold against the older teen's collarbone and Riku felt a small shiver travel down his spine, but it made him smile. His smile faded, however, when Sora winced in pain.

"Your back is really beat up so you're not meant to lay on it- here," he helped him roll onto his side, before climbing beside him, body as flush up against Sora's as possible. One hand cupped the boy's cold cheek, his other arm loose around his hip, warm fingertips drifting across the small of his back- but not touching.

"I can't believe how cold you are," his thumb rubbed across Sora's cheek, trailing down across the boy's bottom lip. Still freezing. He brought his face in closer, like the rest of his body, to warm him up- their noses touched and he smiled at the moment they were sharing.

"I can't believe h-how warm you are." Sora whispered back, nose brushing Riku's. He reveled in the warmth that radiated from the hand against his face.

"You're too good t-to me." It was true. Sora was forever grateful for Riku's existence. He never wanted to give him up, to anyone. Ever.

All that was separating their lips right then was Riku's thumb- he could feel Sora's breath on his lips and his fingers twitched against Sora's cheek fractionally- he felt he was pushing it enough, moving into a position like this with his friend- yet he hadn't been rejected yet. It was times like these that he truly wondered if the boy even thought of him in a similar way- all the times they had curled up on Sora's bed on a hot summer afternoon, in nothing but their swimming trunks for an "afternoon nap"- most teenage boys just didn't _do_ that. But they did.

"I'll try to warm you up," pressing his forehead against Sora's, he removed his hand from his cheek, and thus the barrier from between their lips. He drew a shaky breath and brought his warm hands to Sora's cheeks, sliding them down his neck to his shoulders, before dragging off to an arm, rubbing his hands against Sora to create heat from the friction, eventually making his way down to the boy's hand, which he brought up to his mouth to blow on gently.

He stopped after a few minutes, still holding Sora's hand between his own, a faint blush covering his cheeks- luckily it was unnoticeable in the moonlight, "Is... is this okay?"

"Un. Y-yeah. It's okay." It was breathed out barely above a whisper, and the brunette held tightly to Riku's hand. "It's more than okay." Sora's free hand wiggled out from between their bodies and reached up to place itself over Riku's as warmth spread through the older boy's chest at his affections being accepted.

Sora shifted uncomfortably, pulling Riku's hands to his mouth so that his lips pressed gently over their crossed fingers. Riku's breath caught in his throat. He had been so blind. How could he really think that Sora just saw him as a friend? They were close friends, but _this_... _This _had to be something more.

Sora gave the silver-haired teen a small smile and released their hands "Let's go to sleep." He pushed himself up fractionally, rolling over and wincing when the fabric rubbed gently across a certain point on his body that did not need encouragement right then. He curled up, face bright red as he attempted to cross his legs whilst still remaining comfortable.

"G'night Riku."

The euphoric feeling running through Riku started to fade and he started to feel cold- after hesitating for a moment, he shifted, moving up closely behind Sora, taking care not to press himself up against the boy's injured back. He draped an arm around the boy's hip, hand limp over his side in a casual embrace.

However, his hand was lower than he had expected- both boys froze momentarily as Riku's fingertips came into contact with the crotch of Sora's pants.

Sora's entire body stiffened. A flash of pleasure had run through him in just that one touch and he couldn't stop the small gasp of a moan that escaped his lips. Embarrassed beyond all hell, he turned onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow. Riku's brief look of surprise quickly tweaked into an amused smirk. Climbing on top of Sora, he hovered over him, hands either side of his shoulders and knees straddling his hips. Leaning in close, he nuzzled his face into the back of the boy's hair, inhaling his scent. Breathing out heavily, he smiled and continued his path to the boy's ear, lips moving against the back of it as he spoke the boy's name in a whisper. He repeated the name breathily, not really concerned about his actions and what they meant- he was just enjoying teasing the boy beneath him and making him squirm.

"Sora- Who are you thinking about, hmm?"

Sora's eyes grew wide and he twisted his head to stare at Riku. "Riku-" He turned his entire body around, ignoring the pain in his back when he began to lay on it. As the boy rolled over onto his back, Riku frowned in concern. "Sora, you shouldn't--" but the brunette didn't seem to care, and Riku was silenced by the brunette bringing himself closer to him. He somehow knew what was happening before it had- he had such a strong sense of deja vu although he knew this had never happened before… Sora's attention was focused solely on the silver-haired teen before him.

"Riku. I-" He leaned forward, arms encircling Riku's neck. Riku felt dizzy as his heart thundered in his chest, Sora's face up close to his, breath cascading against his mouth as the boy breathed out words he never thought he'd hear yet had dreamed about for so long. Eyes half lidded, Riku thought his heart stopped

"I want to kiss you." Sora's crystalline blue eyes brimmed with hope and a lingering fear. He never got to hear the older teen's reply- however. There was a sudden slam against the side of the building that knocked them away from each other and Sora wrenched back with a cry of surprise as it shuddered again, nearly knocking both boys out of bed.

"Wh-what's happening?" Sora squeaked, eyes wide. Not another heartless- he couldn't handle another fight so soon after the last. He panicked, clutching onto Riku with terror and the silver-haired teen clenched his eyes shut- _why NOW?_ Why did this have to happen now?! He reluctantly pulled himself away from Sora, moving to the window and wrenching the curtain back to confirm their fears as the building trembled again.

"Heartless," he breathed out, turning back to Sora, grabbing his hand and pulling him off of the bed, which proved to be a difficult task as Sora's fear had taken over him, driving him into a panic. He stood them in the middle of the room where he brought him into a strong embrace for a moment, before pulling back and cupping his cheeks, "Sora, I won't let that thing touch you. We won't be separated, and I'll do all I can to protect you. You have to trust me, you have to be strong- we'll survive this, okay?" Sora's words were still echoing around in his head despite the situation- he wanted so bad to give Sora his wish, but right now he couldn't.

He tilted Sora's face downwards and kissed his forehead, "Don't let go."

Grabbing his hand, they fled to the hall just as the wall of their room collapsed in, a hoard of heartless pouring in.

------------------------

**Earlier**

-----------------------

As they walked down the hall, Reno's shoulder brushed against Vincent's, his hand going to interlace their fingers. "What's up with you, yo? You're actin' all funny. Is somethin' wrong?" He asked the dark haired man softly. Vincent didn't speak, but gripped the redhead's hand tightly within his own.

Vincent stared at their clasped hands. His own nearly engulfed Reno's. It amazed him sometimes how someone so energetic and upbeat could seem so frail at the same time. He stopped walking as soon as they'd reached only a few feet before their door, turning to Reno and staring at him intensely.

"Vinnie?" Reno muttered, eyes wide with worry. Vincent's free hand rose, cupping the redhead's cheek and memorizing his face. Everything about him- his eyes, his high cheekbones and his full lips. "Vincent, what's wrong? You're freakin' me out, man." Reno said shakily, giving him a weak smile and raising his hands to pull Vincent's away from his face.

Vincent didn't speak, instead, he only leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly against Reno's. The fourth kiss they'd ever shared. Reno squeaked something beneath his mouth, but the ex-Turk wasn't listening. He stepped forward, forcing the redhead up against the wall and grasping Reno's wrists tightly.

Reno got over his shock quickly, leaning into the lip lock with his own vigor, his heart pounding into his chest. Vincent's hands released his wrists, moving to cup his face gently once more.

Reno let out a breathy moan, parting his lips when Vincent's tongue ran over them. Their heated kiss became deeper, and all worries slipped from Reno's mind while Vincent pulled back to place feverish kisses along his mouth and jaw. "Bedroom," The raven-haired man breathed into his ear. Reno nodded, stepping away from Vincent to pull out the key and unlock their room.

He allowed the older man in, and locked the door behind him. He turned and gasped when he was pressed against the door, a hot mouth covering his own. Vincent was kissing him with more fire than the Turk had ever seen in him before. He tried to ignore the way that Vincent suddenly clung to him, as if he was going to disappear any minute.

"Vincent-" Reno gasped against his love's mouth. He was silenced soon enough as Vincent pressed his mouth tightly against Reno's, only to pull back and whisper, "Don't talk, give me that much."

Reno whimpered, cold hands sliding up his shirt. He inhaled sharply, his gasp quickly becoming a moan as Vincent's lips suckled gently on his neck. His fingers tangled themselves in the man's silken hair, head resting against the back of the door.

As Vincent guided him to bed, Reno held no worries for the days to come. His mind was focused on Vincent, and only him. He didn't think of any reasons as to why Vincent had gone from being shy about their growing relationship, to suddenly forward, almost desperate. He didn't think of the raging ice-storm outside or the Keyblade Master. He didn't think of the heartless, and he didn't think of his little brother, or even Cloud, for once. His worries and fears and doubts washed away as he was lowered gently onto the bed, hands unbuttoning his shirt as Vincent trailed hot kisses along the expanse of his chest.

Vincent couldn't help but think of what he was going to have to give up, and how he was going to take advantage of this last chance before it was gone. He couldn't help but worry about how devastated Reno would be in a mere eight hours.

Both men gave themselves to each other that night, but only one knew it would be the first and last time they would be together.

-

It had happened as Reno lay curled up against Vincent's body, listening to the sounds of the older man breathe and being lulled into a deep sleep. The building had lurched, and Reno's hands clutched tightly to his lover's bare chest, eyes wide.

"The fuck was that?!" He cried, head twisting around to observe his surroundings. Vincent pried the redhead's hands away, standing up and grabbing his discarded jumpsuit from the ground and pulling it on. Reno followed suit, grabbing his bottoms and tugging them on whilst hopping towards the window and wrenching the curtains open.

"Holy shit!" Reno snapped the curtains shut in an attempt to block out the beady yellow eyes of the same heartless he'd thought Sora had slain not long before. He whirled around, his unbound hair flying over his shoulder in the abrupt movement. Vincent was adjusting his cloak, Reno's shirt draped over his shoulder as the raven haired man approached to hand it to him.

"Thanks man, I-" Vincent silenced him with a passionate and sudden kiss, one that left Reno's knees weak and his chest heaving for air. The ex-Turk turned, grabbing his shotgun from where it had been left on the floor earlier that night, and proceeded to walk out of the room. Reno quickly buttoned his shirt, leaving the top four undone and grabbing his jacket and EMR before running out after Vincent.

Sora followed Riku as soon as the boy's words had registered in his brain, reality pushing panic out of his mind. His body was still warm from Riku's embrace, though the fear that had engulfed him had destroyed his previous arousal within milliseconds.

Reno was standing in the hallway, eyes wide and his face set into a look of tired resignation. The redhead was pulling his jacket on, feet bare and his hair untied, cascading down his back and shoulders. As the two boys approached him, Reno fished out a hair tie from the pocket of his jacket, pulling his hair out of his face as he addressed them.

"Barret showed up not too long ago. He's got the ship out in the storage shed next to the in. It's gonna be cold- so prepare yourselves." Reno tied his hair up, curling his toes for a moment before he led them down the stairs. "Vincent's gone to distract it long enough to give us time to get to the ship, then he'll join us." He jumped the steps, two by two. Nodding breathlessly at Reno's explanations, Riku followed behind him quickly, making sure Sora was keeping up.

At the end of the stairs, the redhead stopped, looking at Riku. "He's not strong enough to fight." The redhead pulled out a pistol, extending it towards the silver haired teen. "These won't stop the heartless, but it will slow them down enough for you to get by. I'll be in front, so you've got to watch your back. Are you ready?"

Riku clenched his hand to stop the trembling before reaching out and taking the gun from Reno. He tested the weight in his hand- he was just an island boy, he had never seen a real one, yet alone held or used one- he had only seen them on the television.

"I've never used one of these before," he admitted to Reno quickly- there was a strange catch on the back of the gun and he wasn't sure if there was some trick to pulling the trigger or not. Hearing a scrambling and a squeaking, he turned to see a small heartless at the top of the stairs, peering down at them. They had to get moving.

Cursing, Reno snatched the gun out of Riku's grasp. "This is a Desert Eagle." He held it up, as if showing it both to them, and then aimed it at the heartless. "Aim it, get your target sighted inside of the notch here." Reno's free hand pointed to a piece of metal on the top of the gun, near the end of the muzzle that had an inverted notch in the center of it.

"Use your thumb, and pull this lever here." He pulled at the catch on the back, his thumb tugging it down so that the gun gave a loud_ 'click_.' Sora watched this happen with rapture. "Now- you fire." When Reno pulled the trigger, Sora jumped, wincing at the deafening bang that echoed in his ears. Riku watched the quick demonstration in a daze, just barely taking in the essentials he needed to know. He was lucky he was a quick learner (which he couldn't exactly say about Sora next to him). Reno stuffed the still-smoking gun into Riku's hand, careful to only let the silver-haired boy touch the handle area.

'Don't touch the barrel after you've fired, or else you'll burn the hell out of your hand." He dug into his pocket, pulling out a clip of rounds. "That can hold nine rounds, you have eight left." He tossed the two extra rounds to Sora, who caught them with a shout of surprise.

"You unhook that, and then let it drop out, that's the empty cartridge." Reno pointed to the underside of the handle. "Slide in one of these and you've got a new set of rounds. Use them sparingly." And with that, Reno ushered them out of the building as heartless began to pop up along the stairs. "Let's go!"

Clenching the gun in his dominant hand, Riku's free hand returned to Sora's and they fled from the building as the stairs started to become overwhelmed with black. Crunching through the snow, they followed the sound of gunshots- Reno was charging on ahead, snipering off various heartless and clearing a path for them. They could see a large contraption in the distance which hadn't been there earlier when they had arrived- Riku assumed it was the gummi ship that Reno had been speaking about.

Turning over his shoulder as he ran, he shouted back to Sora, "I think we're heading to that- think you can keep up?" He was given a hasty nod in return and together they plunged forward.

When they reached Vincent, who stood by the ship to keep it from being over-run with Heartless, Reno's back automatically attached itself to Vincent's, his other hand on his spare pistol, firing at the heartless wildly. He'd had a moment of panic when Vincent had disappeared, but he realized that his lover was only helping to distract the Heartless and protect the gummi ship.

"You have to find Axel." Vincent uttered quietly, taking down an armored heartless with two shots and then reloading quickly. Reno rolled his eyes, twisting to the side as he shot a nearby shadow. They took a few seconds to reform, but it was enough time.

"That's a given- why are you telling me this now?" Riku and Sora ran past them and straight to the gummi ship. The Heartless were beginning to close in, and Reno was running out of clips. He cursed, digging around in his pockets for another round when Vincent grabbed his arm tightly.

"You must take care of the Keyblade Master," He froze, head snapping up to stare at his dark haired lover.

"Vincent," It was a warning. _Don't joke around_. Vincent pushed Reno towards the gummi ship. "Vincent! Don't do this to me!" Reno's voice had become harsh, but desperate as he stalked towards the ex-Turk once more. Vincent's gun whirled around and pressed into his forehead. The Heartless were nearly on them, and closing in rapidly.

Vincent cocked the gun. "Go," Reno couldn't stop the tears from rising in his eyes. The dark haired man looked past Reno and to the ship, where Sora and Riku were hidden in, Barrett shooting madly at anything that neared it.

Sora understood that look, whirling around to grab onto Riku, "Riku. We have to get him. Reno's not gonna be able to get his brother if he's taken by Heartless," it saddened him that they'd be helping take Reno away from someone equally important, but the brunette had a feeling that if they ever came across Reno's brother, the kid would be devastated that he'd fallen under a Heartless siege, "Riku, please."

Riku winced as Sora clutched at his arm, pleading again for him to do something. He was sympathizing with the situation, placing himself and Sora in their positions- he was holding off an attack on Destiny Islands, shoving Sora on a boat to go find Roxas. He hated to do it, but if he didn't go, he'd be taken down too.

Green eyes scanned the interior of the ship quickly- it was void of heartless and those downstairs were fending off the attack sufficiently. Turning to Sora, he grabbed his shoulder, "Stay here, don't move," before running back down the ramp as fast as he could, grabbing Reno's wrist and tugging him back, the sudden surprise of the movement making the redhead stagger back and lose his balance temporarily.

" Reno! We have to go!"

"Let go of me!" Reno snarled, yelling out Vincent's name when a Heartless jumped atop the older man's back. His body felt weak as Vincent fell forward. He couldn't even find the energy to fight back as Riku pulled him towards the gummi ship. They were too far for Reno to even come close to stopping what happened next.

"Vincent!" The redhead screamed, watching in horror as the claw of a heartless dug into Vincent's chest- the pain actually tearing forth a cry of pain from the raven-haired man. Reno pulled against Riku's wrist, trying to break free. It was like watching a horror movie that played back in slow motion. The flash of light that erupted around the beast's hands before it's dark mouth opened to the shining heart held in it's claws. Within seconds, that light disappeared.

"No!" It was a broken, despair filled cry that wrenched from Reno's throat, tugging vainly at Riku's hand to try and return to the spot where Vincent's body dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap. He didn't care if Vincent was already gone, or that the heartless were so close that the ground was beginning to disappear under the mass of black. They were almost to the ship, but Reno's mind had shut down. Tears were streaming from his cheeks as he let out another heart wrenching scream of Vincent's name, his voice breaking into a sob as he collapsed to the ground, his hand grasping to Riku's forearm.

_"No." _

Gritting his teeth, Riku did all he could to keep hold of Reno as the older man struggled against his grip- he was lucky they were of similar height or he wouldn't have had much of a chance against him. "Reno, we have to get inside before any more come-" he grabbed at the male's arm, fighting to pull him up, but only staggering over as the redhead collapsed back to the ground. He saw the hatch open out of the corner of his eye as Sora ran out. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the heartless were nearly done swarming over where Vincent and Barret had once been- there wasn't much time to waste.

"Quick Sora! Help me out here!" he looped his arm back under Reno's shoulders again, hoisting him up as Sora ran up to them. With Sora taking half of Reno's weight, they were able to move quickly up the ramp- Riku risked looking over his shoulder once more to find that some of the Heartless were starting to follow them up.

Somehow they made it into the door of the ship and they dropped Reno to the ground- Riku yelled to Sora to close the hatch, and he took out the gun Reno had leant to him, taking aim at one of the heartless, eye traveling down the sight- he pulled the trigger- his shot pinged off of the ramp as it moved upwards. Cursing under his breath, he took aim again, this time hitting the heartless in the shoulder, throwing it off of the ramp. He started to aim for the next one, but the hatch closed.

He turned to Sora, giving him a worried look before looking down at Reno, "What now?" he breathed out, only realizing now that adrenaline had made him breathless.

"We have to get out of here!" Sora exclaimed, before he paused to stare down at Reno, who had become like a lifeless doll, sitting on the floor of the ship and staring at the closed door.

"Barrett told you how to start the ship, right? I'll... I'll try and take care of Reno. We should leave." He reached down, struggling with the taller male's weight as he tried to drag the redheaded over to the cockpit, where the three seats were installed. Reno was barely providing assistance, muttering to himself and trying to push Sora away at the same time.

Riku looked to the panel as Sora mentioned Barret- he had barely even met the man, let alone had an explanation on how to fly a ship from him. He hesitated, but was jolted out of his thoughts when the ship suddenly swayed, as if something was slamming into the side of it. Whipping around to Sora, he clenched his fist as he confessed, "Actually, he never did- I don't know what to do--"

Reno collapsed against his arms again, this time sobbing full out and clinging to Sora like a lifeline. The movement caused Sora to bend forwards and made his injuries jolt in pain.

"Just- Just hit the buttons or something until we take off!" He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around Reno's shoulders and holding him tightly, uttering reassurances to the redhead as best he could. Reno's fingernails were digging through the fabric of his shirt and into his arms. It stung, but Sora knew that it was nothing compared to the agony that his red-haired friend was currently suffering.

Riku bit his lip, tearing his eyes away from the sight of Sora and Reno on the ground- it was terrible to watch Reno, who seemed like such a happy and strong person to be so broken. Darting over to the control panel as another wave of tremors shook the ship, his eyes scanned the panel. He had no idea what to do. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and took a leaf out of Sora's book and chose a button at random, pushing his fingers up against it. Upon receiving no reply, he continued his random button pressing until suddenly the computer roared into life, engines of the gummi ship starting.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he had held- _Riku: 1, Computer: 32_. Just because the most advanced piece of technology he had back home was a VCR-- anyway. Now wasn't the time for nostalgia. The screen was asking for coordinates- it offered a list of prelisted ones and Riku scrolled down it and chose one at random. Suddenly the ship was rumbling, vibrating- but not in the way it was when they were under attack. No, they were flying.

When the ship gave a lurch, it was like breaking a spell. Reno stiffened and shoved Sora away violently, scrambling to his feet. "We can't leave him here!" The redhead yelled hysterically, ignoring Sora's cry of pain when he landed on the hard floor of the ship on his bruised back. "He's not dead! Stop the ship!" Reno fell forwards onto the door, his hand reaching for the hatch, but a buzzer sounded, signifying that unless the ship was stopped, a built in safety mechanism would prevent the doors from opening.

"Dammit!" He screamed, his fist hitting the closed hatch angrily. Another scream of rage and despair escaped as he continued to hit the door, cries of Vincent's name escaping. "You lied to me! You said we'd find him together! Dammit Vincent! I hate you!" His head hit the door as a wail erupted from his throat. He had nothing left. Vincent had been the only solid reality he had. Axel was somewhere- but he didn't know where. And all Reno had was a barely pubescent Keyblade Master and his best friend.

* * *

**Psycho Rooster: **Whelp, this is the last you folks are going to see of Axel and Roxas for a good few chapters! D:! We're sorry, but they have to be given time, because Riku and Sora are going to be going through a handful of things that require the next few chapters to concentrate completely on them. As a result, I know all of you AkuRoku fans are probably going to abandon us until they come back, but please, do read, and tell us what you think! We honestly want to know! RikuSora doesn't get enough love anymore! DX 


	5. Reno

Reverse Eclipse

The BirdFox Hybrid Productions

First off, I'd like to list some amazing dedications here.

To all the wonderful reviewers who have been patient with us and have tolerated the utter delay that is has taken for this to be updated. To **The Writer You Fools**, who leaves long, wonderful reviews that help to both inspire us and motivate us to continue writing. This is also for the lovely **Sorceress Fantasia**, who helped give PR some much needed advice on a few grammatical aspects of this chapter. To **Random Kyuubi** and to **Stealthe-Chan**, who both helped to look over all forty pages of this chapter to check for errors. (I hope they caught them all!)

And last, but just as important! To **Dualism**! She's been going through some rough waters, and she's one of the hardest working writers on this site, and she never gets too much appreciation and dedication. She's such a sweetheart, I hope that her life is always good.

* * *

It had taken a scant few seconds of stumbled apologies from the two teens before they were sent away by Reno's broken voice screaming at them to leave him be. Riku had gingerly lifted Sora up from the ground, wincing at the whine of pain from the brunet as they left the front of the ship and wandered into the belly of the vessel. The two teens entered a dark hallway, and once the electronic door had closed behind them they were submerged into a darkness barely lit by small lights marking out the hallway.

In the dark, Riku stopped, pulling Sora into a firm hug, arms wrapped tightly around the lower region of the brunet's back, where Sora hadn't been bruised. He said nothing, only taking a deep breath as he did so. He held Sora like that for a few prolonged moments before finally pulling away, dropping his hand to Sora's.

Quietly, he spoke to him, "Are you alright? How's your back?"

"I'm- I'm alright." Sora uttered, clutching tightly to Riku's hand. He gave the silver-haired teen a weak smile. "It... It just hurts- a little." He admitted weakly, looking away with an embarrassed flush.

Sora didn't want to think about how many times Riku had worried over him. He was far too much of a bother, not worth that much of Riku's concern. "I'll be okay. Don't worry about me." He laughed weakly, trailing off and looking away from Riku with lowered eyes.

"How could I not worry about you?" Riku smiled fondly at the younger boy. "Even when you aren't being chased down by a horde of weird creatures, you're still a danger to yourself." Riku squeezed Sora's hand in an attempt to lighten the mood.

His eyes were starting to adjust to the dark and he could see Sora faintly in the dim lighting- he could also see that the hall they were in wasn't merely a hall, but was probably the only other room on the ship. The walls seemed to have rectangular doors on them, and small diagrams on them. The one behind Sora was a small picture of a bed- turning; the one behind him had a small image of a fork and knife. Back where he thought was a door to another room he realized had a small picture of a toilet on it.

"This reminds me of those really expensive yachts that some of the old folk have back home." Just mentioning the word 'home' made his chest hurt more than he thought it would have. Reaching out, Riku touched the switch on the panel behind Sora. With a whirr of mechanics, the door slid open to reveal three small beds as a light flickered and hummed to life above each small, cubby-like accommodation.

"Hey look." Riku nudged Sora to turn around. "Want to lie down?

The brunet gave the silver-haired boy a shy nod of head, moving to catch sight of the beds Riku had been indicating. "Yeah, actually." With that confession, Sora proceeded towards the nearest of the three beds, sitting down on it and leaning his head back. Riku followed the smaller boy a second later, discovering that on the inside there were small buttons for closing what seemed like a door that would hide the occupant of the bed from anyone who entered the room.

Sora scooted back on the bed so that he was nearest the wall, making sure that Riku had enough room so that the older teen was able to lie down on his side next to the brunet. Riku pillowed an arm beneath his head to observe his companion. Sora hummed softly, pulling his knees up before slowly lowering his body to lie beside Riku, their eyes connecting and unwavering before Riku spoke.

"Don't hide from me anymore, okay, Sora? Tell me what's hurting you." He spoke softly, not wanting do disturb the comfortable quiet that seemed to have descended into the room. Sora looked up at him for a moment, taking in the look of utmost seriousness and then closing his own.

"A-alright." He said, pausing before he breathed in deeply, letting the air rush out of him slowly before he re-opened his eyes. "My back... everywhere it's sore, and when I move- it hurts... and I'm dizzy, a little nauseous and..." Sora lifted a hand to hover his fingertips over his left shoulder, wincing when he pressed to harshly on the bruises. "It's fine... just mostly my back."

Riku sighed weakly, a hand lifting to run through his own hair. "I had no idea it was so much." He muttered faintly, eyes trailing to look up at the brunet for a moment, thoughts mulling over in his head. Shifting, Riku crawled over to the boy, pushing Sora fully onto his stomach and then swinging one leg over the smaller teen and resting lightly on Sora's hips. "It's a little cramped in here, but can you try to help me take off your shirt? I want to have a look at your back." Riku's fingers slipped under the hem of Sora's shirt as Sora nodded. Together, they tugged the fabric over a head of chestnut hair until the shirt was left bunched around Sora's biceps for the teen to use with his arms as a pillow.

"I tried not to get hit." Sora uttered weakly at the sound of Riku's sharp intake of breath, making the brunet cringe.

"This..." Riku began softly, his fingertips hovering above the teen's bruised back. "It doesn't look like it's gotten any better since yesterday." He whispered, eyes traveling up and down the large injury. He caught his lower lip between his teeth, brows furrowed.

"Can I do anything?"

Sora shook his head, a sigh escaping the brunet. "It's okay, Riku." He murmured, hands twitching against the thin sheets. His entire torso was a dull throb of pain that had Sora struggling to take in even breaths without wincing. "It's alright, Riku, honest. I'm sure it'll heal fast." Riku didn't respond at first, and then gently climbed off of the brunet's back with a single hand lingering along Sora's hip.

"I'll see if I can find something, alright?" Sora nodded and Riku left the room to wander out into the hall. He paused, glancing around for a moment and then making his way to where there was a small, dimly glowing sign of a toilet. Riku hit the button, peering in and grinning when he caught sight of a medicine cabinet. The silver haired teen approached it and opened the cabinet only to double-take at the sight of rows upon rows of glass bottles. Most of them were filled with a neon green type of serum while the others held some type of amber colored liquid.

Riku pulled the green bottle out of the cabinet, peering down at it. Wrapped around the neck of the small bottle was a plain white tag. Riku squinted his eyes for a moment to read the label. "Potion..." He murmured thoughtfully, flipping the small white paper to mumble out the instructions. "Apply to injured area generously." His eyes grew wide in realization and he grinned in relief, hurrying out of the bathroom and back into the ship's berth, where Sora awaited patiently.

"Sora, I think I found something that can help." The brunet's head picked up from where it was rested on his arms and the boy glanced behind himself at Riku with a look of curiosity. Riku held up the potion, stepping up beside the bed and grasping the lid of the bottle. There was a scraping sound of glass against glass as he placed the cap onto the bed.

"Hold still, alright?" He asked softly. This earned a nod from Sora as the chestnut-haired boy resumed his semi-relaxed position. Riku dipped two fingers into the bottle, pressing them against the bright green liquid. It was almost a fine powder, and it reminded Riku of his mother's foundation, it clumped and stuck to the pads of his fingers, and a few neon bits of it drifted down onto Sora's back. Riku rubbed his thumb against his index finger, spreading the potion before gently pressing his fingers into Sora's left shoulder blade and smearing the sticky powder against the damaged skin.

It seemed to glow, as if identifying the injury, before slowly becoming absorbed, fading the bruising along with it. In place of the darkened skin, a scar began to appear, and Riku's breath caught in his throat, hurriedly dipping his hand into the bottle and gathering more potion into his curled fingers and allowing it to drip and patter onto Sora's back as he spread the green serum across the entire of the brunet's shoulder blade and a good portion of his back. Once again, the potion glowed and was absorbed, removing Sora's injury at the same time, revealing more of a scar.

But the scar wasn't any normal scar- it seemed to be shaped. Riku frowned, applying more of the potion, speaking to Sora as it glowed faintly.

"Sora, a scar is showing up... but it's in a shape. It's almost like... it's been drawn into your back."

"D-drawn?" The brunet boy stammered out, moving his head to try and get a look at his shoulder, but failing miserably. "What do you mean; a scar? Like a tattoo?"

"Kind of, but it's definitely a scar- it's like... hold on. There's still some bruises, but this stuff is clearing them up." Riku smeared some more of the green substance on, waiting for it to fade, and finally the scar was fully revealed.

It was a crown, about 2 inches wide, just the outline of it made out of red skin, typical scar tissue. It was so carefully carved in it almost seemed artistic, but what was weird was that it looked like it had been carved outwards- like it had come up through Sora's skin and broken the surface from the inside. And cutting through the middle of the crown was a key- much like Sora's keyblade.

Riku stared at it in awe, quietly describing it to Sora, disbelief evident in his voice. How was this possible? When did this happen? He couldn't even begin to comprehend it.

"A key and a crown?" Sora twisted his body to look at Riku, with disbelieving eyes. "Are you serious?"

Riku nodded silently, slowly pulling away back from Sora's completely healed back as he recapped the bottle of potion, setting it on the side-shelf in the small enclosure they were in.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this, Sora."

"Is... is it gross looking?" Sora turned back to rest his head upon his arms, staring ahead of him, "No. It's pretty detailed and looks... kinda like someone drew it on you carefully. Your back's healed now. Sora- do you want me to trace it with my finger so you know where it is?" Riku wiped his hands on his jeans, removing any excess potion on them, although the medicine hadn't stuck to him much.

Sora thought silently for a moment, before he nodded. "Yes... please." He murmured, closing his eyes so that he'd be able to get a better image inside of his head.

"Alright." Riku brought down his index finger onto one side of the crown, tracing it and quietly explaining his actions to the brunet in the process until his fingertip was lightly running along the shape of the keyblade.

"Do you have the general idea? We'll look for some mirrors once we get off this ship, I suppose..."

"N...Not quite..." Sora murmured. Riku's hands were gentle, with the faintest of calluses from running around the island with fake swords and blitzballs and building wooden forts. "Try again, slower this time?" Riku obliged with the soft request, returning his hand to the scar and tracing it with painstaking slowness. Sora's breath hitched with each feather light touch, and as the pressure deepened to become a firm drag, Riku could see and feel the muscles of Sora's back tightening beneath him.

Riku never realized he'd gotten lost up in the moment until he'd shifted down to drop gentle half kisses against the shell of Sora's ear.

A small noise. Not a moan, but not a gasp, left Sora. His fingers twitched against the comforter and it was then that Riku realized nothing but Sora could get him to stop. His kisses trailed downwards, gentle and chaste without tongue or teeth involved in any way. His lips met a tanned shoulder and they lingered before continuing painstakingly slowly back up a neck slightly taught with anticipation.

Here, he pulled away just millimeters, letting his mouth continue to brush against Sora's skin as he whispered the boy's name. Sora's head turned, just slightly, face clouded with something unreadable as he lifted himself up just the slightest bit and allowed Riku's name to escape him. Sora's lips parted a mere fraction and his eyes concentrated themselves on Riku's face.

Gaze meeting Sora's, Riku felt his breathing become uneven. He could see an emotion in the brunet's eyes- one he'd never seen before. Shifting to the side, Riku subconsciously moved the both of them into a more comfortable position as a hand slipped up to gently rest on Sora's neck. Riku licked his lips nervously, green eyes refusing to leave immobile blue.

Sora's head tilted upwards as Riku leaned down a split second before a deafening crash came from the cockpit- followed by an agonized scream that had Sora jerking his head to the side. Riku didn't react so quickly, too caught up in the moment to stop his lips from hitting Sora's chin and jaw line. Groaning, the silver-haired boy pulled back and sat up. "I should go check on Reno." Riku opened the door to their small hideaway and slipped out of bed. He paused to look back at Sora. "Stay here."

Straightening himself in the hallway, Riku exited the small side room and entered the cockpit, just ducking in time to dodge a flying object that smashed into the closed door behind him. Tears streaked down his face, the redhead was in a rage- Riku noticed that one of Reno's fists was lacerated and bloody.

"Reno! What are you doing?!"

"Shut up!" Reno's bloody hands clutched to a sliver of glass from the bathroom mirror- which he'd apparently shattered in his anger not too long before. Reno's fists tightened, blood sliding through his fingers and dripping to the ground. He wanted to feel pain; he wanted others to feel pain.

They didn't understand- Vincent was all he'd had left. Cloud had left him and Axel was sent away with the girls to stay safe. Vincent had stayed behind to help Reno protect the world. Riku didn't have to watch Sora's heart be ripped out and devoured, to lose the only thing left for him in his world. **They** were the reason Vincent was gone in the first place.

"Y'killed him!" Reno reared his arm back, throwing the bloodied shard of glass at the younger boy with an enraged scream. "It's all 'cause of you an' that stupid Keyblade Master that I ain't got anyone again!" Another shatter echoed around the room as Riku ducked to avoid the mirror. Reno's body seemed to act on its own, propelling the redhead forward with outstretched arms.

With wide eyes, Riku threw his own arms up in a defensive stance seconds before the taller man hit him and they fell to the floor in a heap. Riku cracked his head against the steel ground and hissed in pain before cracking an eye open to stop Reno's red-slicked hands from wrapping themselves around his throat. "There was nothing I could do!" He protested, struggling with Reno to flip them over so that Reno was pressed up against the floor instead. The man squirmed, his bloodied hands smearing red stains across the ship's floor from where Riku has decidedly pinned them to the ground by the wrists.

"You're not alone, Reno! What about your brother? You said you'd look for him, and he's out there somewhere, waiting!" It was obvious the man was no fighter- his thin body lined only with enough muscles to give him the agility he needed in a fight. Riku, on the other hand, had strength gained from wrestling matches with Wakka and years of lifting weights in his spare time.

Reno snarled, bucking his hips in an attempt to throw the younger boy off. "Axel's probably dead too! It ain't like we knew a whole lot about any other worlds 'sides our own, yo! Cloud- I bet _he_ couldn't even save them! They're all dead!" Reno's voice cracked, his struggle becoming weaker as the blood flowing from his broken and torn hands slowed to a standstill to leave ugly smears against the cold ship floor. A half-sob escaped him. "They're all dead." A keen left Reno's mouth that caused a guilty feeling to creep forth into Riku's gut.

"Don't say that." Riku's grip on Reno's wrists loosened as the man's struggling ceased. "Don't _ever_ say that. You don't know that. What if they're waiting out there, waiting every day for you to come find them? All you've done is pass them off as _dead?_ Aren't you giving up a little too easily? He's your _brother,_ Reno! This Cloud guy, isn't he your friend?" Riku hung his head, bangs slipping down to cover his eyes. "I know how you feel, not knowing where people are, or if they're okay. The worst thing is not knowing. It seems better to just assume that someone's dead instead of spending every day wondering, right?" Reno's bottom lip quivered as he stared up at the silver-haired boy. Riku moved to stare the man directly in the eyes. "That's not the solution."

Sitting back, Riku released his hold on Reno's wrists. He thought of Roxas and everyone on his island. He didn't know where they were, or even if they were still alive... but he had to look, because accepting _maybe_ wasn't an option.

There was a pause where silence descended upon them, until meekly, Reno spoke. "When you've gone nearly a year wonderin' if any of 'em are alive, with no trace or sign from that they ain't dead- your hope just... fades out." Reno looked so helpless, sitting on the ground, legs crossed and hands in his lap as his gaze stared at flexing, red smeared fingers. There was a pause before the red-haired man's lips down turned.

"Do whatever you want." He murmured, moving a hand to help and push himself onto his feet, a fleeting look of pain flashing onto his face at the added weight to the lacerations on his hands. Riku watched this with an expressionless face. "Just... leave me th'hell alone." Reno brushed past Riku and towards the small hallway that lead to the sleeping quarters, blood dripping from his palms and leaving a scarce, dotted and splotched trail behind him.

The hatch door opened and Reno stepped into the resting area, ignoring how Sora sat up to greet him and moving to slide into one of the empty beds without a single uttered sound. Reno pulled the thin blanket over his body and a sigh escaped the redhead, back facing the world. Sora turned to look up at Riku with large ocean eyes conveying his confusion and was given a headshake in return. The keyblade wielder slipped out of his own bed, pausing to grab his shirt and slide it on, and approached Riku. The taller boy led him out into the hallway of the ship's hull, leaving Reno to himself.

"What's wrong with him?" Sora asked softly, earning a half-hearted shrug from Riku. His lips morphed into a scowl, and one hand lifted to grasp to the sleeve of Riku's hoodie, (which was actually his own) and pulled on it to stop his companion from continuing on forward.

Riku paused; eyes trained on the ground before he turned to the brunet and pulled Sora into an embrace. "He's upset because Vincent died. He thinks that everyone who left the world is dead now." The silver haired boy murmured. There was a pause before Sora released a soft 'oh' of understanding.

Riku released him, sighing softly and reaching a hand up to ruffle chestnut locks of hair.

"C'mon. Let's go out to the ship. When I was there with Reno, I noticed how you can see the planets and everything." At this, Sora's eyes and face lit up, and he ended up grabbing Riku's hand to drag the taller boy out of the hallway and back into the main area of the ship, where there still lay shattered pieces of glass along with streaks and drips of blood about the floor and leading down the hall and into the bathroom. For the next few hours, they wandered the ship until deciding that sleep was far too good an idea to pass up.

Reno was still lying as immobile as ever- though shivering so much that Sora draped his blanket over the redhead's body and joined Riku in the older boy's bed. The silver-haired teen shied away from contact until the cold began to get to them both, and they huddled together to keep warm until sleep wafted into their senses.

The next two days were spent entertaining themselves by wandering about the gummi ship and discussing which device did what, and how the navigation system worked. During lunch of the second day, as Riku and Sora sat inside of the small kitchen area, one very disheveled and tired looking Reno entered the small room, causing both boys to quiet down and watch the redhead for a reaction. Reno looked out of place, bushy, unkempt hair and red rimmed eyes that darted from the teens, to the meal of sliced apples and peanut butter sandwiches.

Sora was the first to speak, and lifted up an apple slice. "Are you hungry, Reno?" He reached his arm out in offering to the redhead. Reno gave the brunet boy a weakened smile and took the proffered fruit, nodding once in thanks and taking a seat beside the younger male. Silence descended upon the group as they continued eating, Sora occasionally handing Reno slices of apple and half of his sandwich.

"Would you... like me to show you around the ship?" Both Sora and Riku gave him eager nods, and Reno's smile became a fraction larger. He motioned to the kitchen with a single hand. "This is the food area. There's fruits here- I guess they gotta be restocked at each world or somethin'... uhm. Most of th'things in here are probably all that non-perishable junk... bet'cha probably already knew that though, didn't'cha?" Sora grinned, his head bobbing up and down and Reno gave them an uncomfortable laugh.

"Yeah. Alright then. Follow me an' I'll show you th'engine room, so you know what not t'touch, yo." Sora and Riku pushed their chairs back and stood to follow the taller man out of the kitchen and into the small hallway. Reno pointed to the left, where two doors resided. "Okay, th'first door is the storage unit, and the second one at th' end of the hall is the engine and tank room." Reno began walking, his path lit up by the dim lights that lined the floor. Glancing back at the duo, he grasped the doorknob handle and twisted to reveal a large room with flickering yellow lights. There was a small area to walk, but in the centre of the room was a large, round jelly-like device that had multiple tubes sliding in and out of its dark red surface. A loud hum was constantly erupting from the device as Reno stepped into the room.

"This is the heart of the ship. It's old- that's why it's so loud... M'hopin' we'll be able to find a world that keeps track a'the gummi parts... I know that there ain't a lot out there, yo." Reno paused, his face screwing up for a moment. "At least, I think." He dropped his arm from where it was pointing to the large engine and led them around it to where three large blue tanks resided.

"These are... they're the oxygen tanks..." Reno's voice wavered, his hands clenching for a moment before he drew in a shaking breath. "The...oxygen tanks... can last one person fer a month..." He paused, swallowing thickly and turning to the boys with red rimmed eyes. "We was gonna have a 'nother one put in... for-" Reno's mouth snapped shut, but both teens got the message loud and clear. There was a fourth tank sitting nearby that was trapped down by two large belts, and there were wires sticking out of a small compartment beside the third one. It would have been attached, and there would have been enough oxygen for another passenger... Vincent. Reno's fingers clenched and unclenched and Sora watched the man breathe in steadily for a moment before heading back to the doorway.

"Movin' on," he called out, not waiting for the two boys as he stiffly made his way down the hall and to the cockpit.

Looking to Sora, Riku saw his remorseful expression and didn't follow Reno immediately. He turned fully to the brunet and placed a hand on his shoulder, tilting his chin up with his other hand so their eyes met. He spoke quietly so Reno wouldn't hear, and quickly so they could follow without arising too much suspicion, "This wasn't our fault, so don't even start to think it. If the Heartless hadn't attacked so soon, the tank would have been installed and it would have been fine. It was their decision to let us board this ship, so don't you dare start feeling guilty about Vincent, okay?"

Sora's gaze locked with Riku a moment before he nodded slowly. "I know- you're right." A sigh escaped him, guilt nagging in the back of his mind and heart. "I still feel bad though." The brunet murmured remorsefully, fingers moving to grasp the hand on his shoulder and hold it in his palms.

"Don't." Moving in smoothly, Riku bent down, intent on placing a chaste kiss to Sora's mouth when Reno called out to them.

"Yo, you guys get lost? Come on out here!" Reno's voice cracked as the man yelled for the two boys. Sora's head turned to the door as Riku's lips pressed softly to his cheek. His eyebrows shot up and he looked over at his companion, a shy grin spreading onto his lips before he leaned forward and gently tapped his lips against the older boy's right cheek.

"Let's go, Riku." Sora tugged Riku out of the room and down the hall to where Reno stood in the center of the ship's belly.

"Sorry, we were looking at something in the engine room," he offered, waving his hand nonchalantly as he stepped forward, away from Sora, waiting for Reno to continue with their tour.

Reno glanced from one boy to the next before walking to the very front of the ship. "This is th'cockpit. You can pre-plan your destination if you've already been t'the place and the coordinates are into the ship. You use th'warp drive to reach places that take more'n a week to get to." He drawled, hand pointing listlessly to the control panel.

"Warp drive?" Sora asked, glancing to Riku and then back to the red-haired man. Reno nodded once, a hand ghosting over the controls and pressing into a small green button. There was a hiss as four holes opened up in the floor just a few feet behind the boys. From three of the holes came a set of chairs complete with harness-like straps, but the last one remained empty.

Glancing to the vacant fourth hole, Riku once again knew what it would have been for. He didn't need to ask. Hands slipping into in the pockets of his hoodie, he quietly observed and listened as Reno continued the explanation.

"You... ya need to be strapped in durin' warp drive." Reno pulled his hand from the button and stared at the fourth hole. "If you don't, the force would probably snap your neck." His head rose to look at the boys. "We didn't have to use warp drive that badly though." It came out as a half-hearted whisper that was drowned out by a flashing blue light and a monotonous beeping tone that had Sora's head shooting up in inquiry.

Turning his head, Riku tried to locate the origin of the sound, "What's that? What's happening?"

Reno glanced at the screen as maps and text began to appear and scroll. "We're landin', apparently." The man muttered, approaching the front of the control panel once again. His hands flew along the keys as the ship lurched and let out a loud rumbling sound.

Sora stumbled, wind milling his arms and nearly falling down as the ship heaved again as it began to slow its momentum. Whipping his hand out, Riku grabbed Sora by the arm and steadied him, pushing him down to sit in one of the seats that had protruded from the floor, murmuring a quiet, "be careful," to him as the ship continued to shake and vibrate violently, the view outside the windows becoming obscured by clouds.

The ship swayed to and fro roughly as tree branches began to block an easy descent. Sora's hands flew out to grasp onto Riku's arms to steady himself as he peered over the older boy's shoulder to see foliage blocking their view. Reno was cursing under his breath, hitting another button on the control panel and then sighing heavily when the ship stopped after a heavy jerk that shook the passengers. Sora breathed out a sigh and glanced up at Riku, grinning and hopping out of the seat.

"Where are we?" Moving closer to the window, Riku peered through the glass, finding the action did no good- the window was pressed up right against a large bush of some sort and all he could see were green leaves. Reno was muttering to himself before standing back. "Let's take a look around, yo." He beckoned to Sora and Riku so that they followed him as the redhead approached the large door of the ship, hitting the button to open it. A loud buzz echoed as the hatch opened and engulfed the group in a blinding light.

--------------------------------

He'd been flying, searching for a Superior to teach the other boys how to become warriors. It had been a calm, cloudless night, perfect in aiding Saix's search. The moon was keeping him filled to the brim with energy. The calm had broken quickly enough when a group of winged shadow-esque creatures had dove at him, nearly knocking him out of flight. Saix cursed, trying to bat away the four monsters that were attached to his body, clawing at him wildly. He could barely see through the haze that had taken over. There was a multitude of flapping wings and inhuman growls and Saix cried out in anger, lashing at one of the monsters that had ripped his shirt, right above his heart. He hadn't realized that his concentration on flying had stopped until he went crashing through a window. The glass sliced at his skin, but also succeeded in causing one of the winged beasts to disappear in a plume of smoke. Saix scrambled to his feet, grabbing the shadow creature that was trying to attack his face and screaming as he threw it into the crackling fire place that lie in the corner of the room. He was angry- furious. These monsters had dared to attack

Saix could never anticipate when his body went berserk. It was like seeing through a filter as he lunged at the remaining two shadow monsters, pulling out the dagger from his belt and stabbing at it, only to have claws dig into his arm and rip open the flesh, blood flowing freely.

Things became a blur. These two creatures were stronger than their predecessors, able to dodge him and still fight. The room was torn apart, and his berserk mode was slowly dying down, only one of the monsters left. Clouds had begun to dot the sky, and moonlight was no longer filtering through the window. He gasped for air, unable to see through the blood that clouded his vision. His head was screaming in pain. Both shadows had managed to deal a blow to his face, leaving an X shaped wound across the man's forehead and the bridge of his nose.

His vision fell out of focus and he stumbled out of the room, trying to avoid an attack. He whirled around, barely blocking a set of claws that had tried to dig into his back. He hadn't anticipated the stairs, however, and cried out as he went tumbling down them, landing in a heap at the corner turn, dazed and watching dully as the flying monster advanced as another one materialized from the shadows to join its companion.

Saix registered the sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath, head spinning as he caught a flash of metal that struck through one of the creatures. A howl tore itself from the monster before it burst into a plume of smoke. The rapier flashed again and sliced the head off of the second creature, ending the battle in seconds.

"You there, can you speak?"

Saix's gaze wandered involuntarily for a moment before he focused them on the man before him. He could barely hold his eyes open due to the red haze clouding his sight, and weighing down his thick eyelashes, clumping them together. His eyes burned and he pulled back his top lip. "I can speak well enough." He attempted to push himself up, leaning heavily against the wall. "I apologize for the intrusion." Saix blinked heavily, squinting his eyes and trying to locate the man through his own blood.

"Perhaps I could borrow a cloth? You wouldn't happen to know what those things were, would you?" He reached up a wavering hand to swipe at the liquid obscuring his vision- though it did little to help. His head was throbbing with an agonizing pain that had Saix stumbling just the slightest bit.

"I'm afraid I have never seen such things before," The amber-eyed man looked at the blood covering Saix in distaste, but did nothing to assist Saix's plight.

"Tell me your name and what has occurred."

"I am Saix." He spoke softly, for each syllable that escaped him sent pain flaring in his skull. "I was in search of a Superior, one to teach the lost warriors how to fight." He looked away from the taller man, frowning deeply. He wasn't sure what had transpired, not exactly. "I assume they ambushed me, catching me in flight. Before I was able to fend them off, I fell through the window and into your home. I apologize."

This man, his moves had been swift, striking like a viper with that sword of his. Saix knew, right then, that he'd found the perfect Superior that he'd always been searching for. First, he had to observe, to confirm his assumptions.

Touching his chin thoughtfully, the aristocratic man looked off to the side. Identically dressed women and men were crowding around the room to examine the mess of broken glass and blood. Servants were crowding around the room, examining the broken glass and blood stains. Lifting his hand to the air, the man caught the attention of one.

She came over and curtsied, "Yes, Master Xemnas?"

He motioned to Saix with a hand, "This man was attacked. Clean and bandage his wounds, and then take him to my study."

"Yes, Master Xemnas," She waved over a few others to help her, kneeling down next to Saix as Xemnas turned on his heel, returning upstairs. Saix pushed her away- though he quickly allowed them to help when his legs gave out from underneath of him and he fell to one knee. Two men and the woman from before struggled to pull him through the halls and into a small bathroom.

After being thoroughly bandaged into a mummy-esque creation, Saix had been pushed through the halls until they reached a closed room. The maid opened it, pushing him inside. Had Saix not the ability to hover, he would have stumbled and fallen to the ground instead of using his abilities to stay airborne just a few inches from the floor.

Saix looked about the room as best he could with bandaging over his left eye in order to stay in place and cover his injury. The man -- the one Saix secretly hoped would become his Superior -- sat in a comfortable looking chair, a table resting in front of the man and an empty seat to his right.

There was a cup of tea held in his hand, and a book open and resting on his lap. The man took a sip from his tea and Saix floated over, not bothering to ask if it was alright as he seated himself in the extra chair, watching the man called Xemnas intently.

"Saix." Xemnas seemed to be testing the blue-haired man's name with a feeling of intrigue. "You can hover- how is this?"

Saix's hand motioned to the window, where the curtains were pulled back, to allow the moon to filter in through the glass. "My ability is driven by both my desire to find what I am in search of, and also by the Lunar God herself, who has granted me this gift. I am her child, and she, my mother. The Lost Boys have named her Jenova, and it is what I have become accustomed to referring to her as, also." He placed his hand back in his lap, thinking quietly. This man, named Xemnas, was perfect. His eyes were an unnatural golden hue that reminded Saix of the Father Sun, who gifted him with the power of a quick mind and strong body.

He held the older man's gaze, "I am currently unaware of my location or the name of the man whose home I am residing in." It was his way of questioning his soon-to-be Superior, and if this man passed his final test, Saix would confront him.

"You may call me Xemnas. We are on the outskirts of London, the capital of the United Kingdom," glancing to the table, Xemnas ran a long finger along the edge of his saucer, before looking back up to Saix, deciding to confirm his suspicions, "You are not of this world, are you?"

Saix raised his eyebrows, though the action could not be seen beneath the gauze that covered his injured face. The action itself had jarred the injury, sending pain lancing through his head. He clasped his fingers together. "You are very wise. It is true. I have never heard of London. I follow Jenova as she guides me in my search." He paused, observing Xemnas as the man's name repeated itself in his mind.

"I am in search of a Superior. One to teach the Lost Warriors how to fight- to protect themselves against the pirates who invade our home. You are of significant strength." Saix pushed himself up, floating over to Xemnas, his legs drawn up so that he was kneeling in the air, his shins inches above the silver-haired man's thighs.

"Are you willing to become my Superior? To teach my charges and I how to fight?" His hands reached out, almost hesitant, and then ran themselves through Xemnas's hair. Amber eyes twitched, flickering with something defensive, but Xemnas remained still.

"You have Jenova in you. Your hair is the color of mother Moon's spirit." His hands moved, thumbs resting below Xemnas's eyes. "You have father Sun's spirit in your eyes, golden as the rays that Hojo shines down upon us. I will take you to my home, and you will be given the best accommodations that we can offer in our harsh times. It is dire that you accept my offer."

"If I were to become your Superior, would I be taken to your world?" Xemnas questioned evenly. Saix nodded as he pulled back, landing softly before Xemnas and bowing low, one knee to the ground.

"Yes, and I hope that does not deter you from accepting my offer. It is a necessity that we have been unable to acquire. Please honor myself and my charges by accepting." His eyes closed as he eagerly awaited the reply that could possibly change his life, and the Lost Warrior's lives, forever. For the better.

Xemnas didn't seem to hesitate for even a split second as he spoke.

"I spend all my days with books, and it grows tiresome being alone." He stood from his chair, looking down at Saix, "I will become your Superior on the terms that you submit to me and my ways. Do you accept?"

Saix couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he stood upright once more. "How I have longed to hear that... my Superior." He stepped forward, holding his hands out. "It is important that we depart with haste. My time has run short, and our journey is of significant length. Have you any items that you wish to take with you?" He glanced around the room. It was possible that his Superior would want to bring with him a few of his books, seeing as they were in a room that held quite a few shelves stocked full of them.

"If you wish to bring a satchel of your books, I can carry it."

"That will be fine, I would not want to bring along memories of my past life with me. Let us depart." Xemnas returned Saix's small smile before taking the man's hands.

In the following two years, both men had grown close enough to comfortably share the same bed and spend the majority of their free time in each other's company. On the other hand, the heartless of London were no longer gone for good, and had begun filtering into Neverland to side with the infamous Captain James Hook.

After an attack on the clearing where Xemnas and the Lost Warriors resided, the Englishman had sent Saix out on a request to retrieve information on the dark creatures. The enchanted man had returned with a small book clutched in his hands.

It was a Captain's Log, containing details on the origin of the heartless (their source being a witch by the name of Maleficent) and which weapons were best used for fighting them, along with a list of different types of the monsters. A single page near the center of the book was in a different hand, a letter to Hook warning the pirate that a ship could possibly descend from the sky one day, and to kill the occupants on sight and prevent them from destroying the precious heartless.

"Superior!" From the canopy leapt a boy with short, silver hair that hung limply about his face. He landed in a crouch a mere feet in front of Xemnas, who sat up in his chair. The boy, Kadaj, was young and still learning how to fight.

"Superior, something is falling from the sky, heading towards the eastern clearing! It looks like some sort of weird ship..." The boy trailed off, seemingly unable to form the proper words to express what he'd seen.

Xemnas raised a brow, thinking for a moment before speaking. "Go fetch Yazoo and Loz, and then head towards the destination. Saix and I will meet you there."

-------------

Squinting, Riku finally pulled away the hand that was shielding his eyes from the bright light. It was natural light, he found -- which really wasn't that strong -- but after being subjected to dim, artificial lighting in the gummi ship for the past few days and the darkness of Midgar before, his eyes needed time to adjust to the sunlight again. It was a bit like being back home.

Sora gasped and ran down the hatch door, stepping out into the lush green grass- it was nothing like they had ever seen before, even on Destiny Islands.

Tall, beautiful trees lined the clearing, their roots thick and sticking out above the ground. The air was humid, and tree ferns provided hiding places for all sorts of creatures. The air was alive with activity, the cawing of parrots and other birds reached them first, followed by the rustling of leaves and the brush of animals moving about. Overhead, there was a dark blur, and Sora's head shot up to see a small squirrel-like animal leap to the branches of a nearby tree as the croaks of frogs and the loud buzzing of crickets and other insects joined into the melody of the forest.

The keyblade master watched in awe as the rodent from before avoided the strike of a large snake and scrambled up into the higher reaches of the canopy. There was a small noise from behind him and the brunet looked past Riku to see Reno in utter awe, stumbling as he tried to walk and stare at their surroundings. It was at that moment that Sora realized they were no longer dressed in their previous attire.

Reno bore a sleeveless shirt that looked like it was made of animal fur, with brown leather straps slung tightly about his torso and chest to hold it in place. Around his neck was another brown strap that allowed what looked like an animal claw to hang from it. His wrists were adorned with other odd trinkets that could have only been obtained from the forest itself, and the older man's pants were a faded black color, like a pair of old trousers that tucked into a set of ankle-high brown boots strapped together with that same brown animal skin. His EMR was tucked into a makeshift belt at his side- and Reno noticed none of this, rustling as he walked down the ramp and onto the forest floor.

Sora's gaze turned to Riku and he jumped, slapping a hand over his mouth to conceal laughter.

Riku turned to give him an odd look, and Sora pointed to the brown hat that had been plunked onto Riku's silver head. The aforementioned boy reached up and pulled it down with a scowl before noticing his own clothes with furrowed brows. Green vines roped up the sleeves of his thin brown shirt, exposing his muscled arms. The shirt was like some sort of short, brown, fox fur that had been sewn together with wide stitches, but left his chest bare and exposed, like a vest, and Sora couldn't help but trail his eyes downwards, past his navel and across a pale stomach until his gaze was cut off by a pair of russet pants, tied about Riku's hips with a belt made of vines. The pants covered the heels of Riku's brown moccasins, and Sora looked back up at him with a grin. "You look cute."

"Cute?!" Riku threw the hat to the side, brushing a hand through his hair. "Be careful how you use that word, Sora. I am anything but _cute_. You, however..." Riku's voice faded out, his gaze dragging up Sora's form to show the brunet that his clothes had changed as well.

Sora sent Riku the smallest of his glaring pouts that he could muster and stared down at himself.

It was then that Sora realized why the air had felt so humid to him. He was barely wearing a shirt. It was more of a half shirt, tied together with both vines and animal leather. It slung over his left shoulder, and dipped down his chest until it curved under his right arm. Sora guessed by the feel of things that he was most likely wearing something that was once animal hide, and had been modified into fabric to wear. It was short, but the midriff that was exposed barely showed off his lower stomach before it was cut off by his pants, held on by two sets of leather roping. Sora grabbed the hem of his shirt, and tugged it down to cover his tummy- only to have the shirt ride back up once he stood straight. He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and ignoring the odd feel of stitched leather boots covering his bare feet. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Riku leant down so he was at eye-level with Sora, a wide grin sliding into place, eyebrows rising suggestively.

Sora's ocean eyes flew wide and he flushed in embarrassment, pulling down his shirt to cover his stomach in vain once more. "That's not funny, Riku." He replied indignantly, scowling up at the taller boy and thumping a fist into Riku's chest. Riku only laughed in reply, slinging an arm around the boy's shoulders, turning to face Reno.

Sora's arm rested itself around Riku's waist, and he watched Reno with a grin. At some point in time, he'd looked down, and was now staring at his clothes and fingering them with a mixture of disgust and surprise before he whirled around to look at both of the boys with a face that portrayed mild distress. "I'm all up or a costume change an' all, but I liked that suit." Reno made his way up to them, nearly tripping over his own feet as Sora's arm fell from Riku's side.

"They changed when the hatch door opened. We were wearing our own clothes before we landed. I know I really should be more shocked, but after _flying through space_ for a few days I think I've been desensitized to anything out of the ordinary..." Riku grumbled, turning to look down at Sora's hand. It was then that the silver-haired boy took notice that his companion was holding the keyblade. "Why have you got that out, Sora?"

Sora hadn't realized the blade had been clutched in his hands until Riku pointed it out. He glanced down, jumping a little in surprise when the keyblade disappeared suddenly from Sora's hand. The suddenness of their costume change had prompted Sora to forget that the blade had appeared as soon as the hatch had opened.

He turned to Riku, smacking his first into his now empty palm in realization, "On the ship! When the hatch first opened, it appeared in my hand. Then it glowed really bright, so I covered my eyes..." Sora paused for a moment, contemplating. "Uh, I don't really know why it appeared, I just remember it being in my hand for some reason..."

Reno paused for a second, head dropping and hands coming up to motion for the two boys to wait a moment. "Hold on, hold on. This sounds familiar..." He brought a hand up to his chin, in a classic_ hold-the-phone-I'm-churning-the-gears-in-my-little-brain_ pose. Riku and Sora stared at him for a long moment, before Reno snapped his fingers, a grin on his face.

"That's it! When I was told about the Keyblade from my old boss, I was told the Keyblade **Master** ain't gonna be from every world, so his being from another place and all could disrupt a bunch of world order and all that mumbo jumbo. So the Keyblade would try to hide him from the darkness by disguising him as a person from that world. So it's gotta change your clothes or somethin' so ya fit in with everyone else, right?" He looked from Sora, to Riku, and then back again.

Riku placed a hand on his bare hip, thinking hard. "Well, I suppose that makes sense... but why did _our_ clothes change too?" Sora shifted his stance from one foot to the other, and the brunet shifted his gaze to the forest to watch a small handful of colorful birds flutter out of the canopy.

Reno shrugged weakly.. "I'm figurin' since we ain't from here either, the Keyblade's just tryin' to make do, yo."

Sora hummed, brows furrowed. "Okay then." He lifted his right arm, concentrating with little effort to summon the Keyblade as it appeared in his hand with a flash of light. "Does this mean... I can get those pants I really wanted, but my mom wouldn't let me get?" Sora's eyes seemed to brighten and he held up the keyblade in both hands to give it a violent shake. "C'mon, you! Change my clothes!" The boy growled out, eyes narrowing at the weapon when it remained the same as before- as did their clothes.

A silence fell over the small troupe and Sora peeked up to see Riku and Reno staring at him blankly. Embarrassed, the boy allowed the keyblade to disappear in a flash of light. "Heh, yeah." Sora weakly laughed, giving them an awkward shrug and making Riku's face broke into the tiniest of smirks.

There was a crackling of branches from above as a trio of silver-haired boys leapt into the clearing, startling the group as Riku instinctively stepped in front of Sora. This action caught the attention of one of the boys, who looked to be the shortest, with medium length hair that hung in his face. Their gazes locked for a moment before a man with bright blue hair stepped out into the small clearing, bowing low to the three of them. All four of the newcomers wore matching outfits of fur that wrapped around their hips and covered their shoulders like vests.

"Welcome to Neverland, esteemed Keyblade Master." Spoke the blue-haired man the man's eyes locked with Sora's, and the brunet took notice of the large and jagged scar that criss-crossed over the man's eyes. "We were fortunate enough to obtain Captain Hook's journal and anticipate your arrival before he was able to get his hook on you." The man stood, and Sora's gaze darted to the three boys, taking notice of how the youngest looking one never once kept his eyes far from Riku.

"I am Saix, and these three are the lost fighters. Kadaj," He motioned to the boy staring at Riku, "Loz," This time to a taller, and strongly built young man with wispy pale hair, "And Yazoo," Finally, he motioned to a tall, long haired boy who wasn't even watching the group - but Kadaj - with down-turned lips.

Riku looked away from Kadaj and behind himself to Sora the second the brunet's fingers moved to nervously grip the bicep of his right arm. Not too much further behind them was Reno- who was regarding the group in front of them silently. Riku's eyes locked with a set of glowing blue for a few seconds to convey a silent question. Reno nodded and Riku turned back to face the newcomers.

"My name is Riku, and this is Sora and Reno." He gestured to his friends as he spoke. "What is your business with us?"

It seemed that Riku's formality surprised them, and Kadaj's eyes widened before they narrowed with a smile, and Saix bobbed his head calmly in a nod. "Our superior wishes to discuss with you the matters of our world and the growing heartless, young knight." Riku shifted his feet at the title, but said nothing.

Sora's grip on the older boy's arm tightened, and his head popped up over a broad shoulder. "The heartless are here too?" He squawked out, hearing the shuffling of Reno's feet from behind him. The brunet quickly glanced back to see the redhead backing up into the ship, his body tense and eyes darting to scrutinize the forest he'd been admiring only moments before. Sora's eyes narrowed just a fraction and he looked back at Saix and the others, stepping up to Riku's side.

"How bad is it?"

Saix's lips pulled back into a faint smile, while Kadaj narrowed his eyes at Sora, listening to the blue haired man speak. "Far and few between. Hook has yet to get complete control over them, but it is becoming a nuisance. They continue to appear in the Indian encampment, and have already tried to take the hearts of the maidens and the forest creatures."

Riku glanced over his shoulder to Reno, his brows furrowed in thought. "Reno? Do you wanna leave?"

Hearing the younger boy talk, Reno's gaze was directed with Riku's and their eyes locked for a moment before Reno shook his head. "No. I'm good. I'm fine. As long as those things don't start showin' up by the dozens." The redhead replied, reaching up his hands to wave them about and divert any negative attention towards himself.

"...Well, if you're sure." Turning back to the group in front of him, Riku nodded to Saix. "Alright, we'd like to speak to your superior. We have some questions ourselves."

Saix bowed his head. "If that is what you wish, you may ask your questions whenever we arrive. Kadaj will lead the two of you; I would like a word with your red-haired companion- Reno, was it?" Upon hearing his name, Reno jumped in surprise from where he was watching a flock of birds take off into the canopy and pointed to himself, earning a nod from Saix. He scowled and glanced at Riku and Sora, receiving twin nods.

With a low breath, Reno walked past the two teens and up to the scarred man. Saix turned and began walking into the forest and Reno followed. Sora tugged Riku down the ramp, shouting in surprise when it began to retract the second they stepped off of it. The three boys waiting for them laughed and Sora grinned up at them. Yazoo was the first to start walking, followed by Loz and then Kadaj. Riku was soon dragged behind them by an anxious Sora.

As they walked -- both of the older men talking to each other in hushed voices -- the boy named Kadaj began to step closer to Riku. Riku shifted, glancing over to the shorter boy as Kadaj spoke. "All of us anticipated the arrival of a Keybearer, but I never thought he would have a companion as beautiful as yourself," A hand rose to run through Riku's soft, silvery locks of hair and Kadaj was sent a dark glare from the brunet walking along the other side of Riku.

Jerking his head away from Kadaj's fingers, Riku took a deliberate step away from him and closer to Sora, slipping his hand down to intertwine his fingers with the smaller teen. He looked to Kadaj, but said nothing.

Sora gently squeezed Riku's hand back- but the native boy seemed unfazed. "I tell the truth. You look as if you yourself could be a child of Jenova, one of us... You should leave the Keybearer and that walking matchstick and stay with us." Kadaj's hand ran softly down the length of Riku's muscular arm, trying to convey a meaningful look to the island boy.

"He can't stay here." Sora interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Kadaj just the slightest bit. "Riku's our friend, and he has to help us find our brothers. Besides..." Sora paused, as if hesitating. "He's taken." The brunet held up their joined hands to Kadaj.

Riku stared at Sora with a look that was a mixture of shock, glee and embarrassment, but Kadaj caught the look and misinterpreted it.

"Looks like he doesn't feel the same." The younger boy muttered with a smirk. He returned his hand to running up Riku's arm and Sora glanced up at Riku to gauge the older teen's reaction. Before any of the three could continue, leaves rustled and Yazoo -- who had stopped and backtracked to the group -- approached the mischievous warrior.

"This is not the time for your games, Kadaj." A thin hand hooked into the back of the silver-haired boy's collar, and Yazoo tugged him away from Riku, which sent the aforementioned teenager staggering for a split second. Yazoo placed a hand at the back of Kadaj's head, his long hair swaying with the movements it took to force the shorter boy into walking in front of him. In the end, Kadaj threw Yazoo's hand off of him with a scowl and leapt up into the trees with a rustle of his clothes. Yazoo spared a glance at the two boys before following his companion.

Sora loosened the grip his fingers had on Riku's hand, wiggling his wrist to free himself completely and continue walking forward.

"Hey, stop-" Riku grabbed onto a slight wrist, tugging Sora back to him. For a prolonged moment, they stood- yet blue eyes didn't meet his gaze. Riku breathed out an exasperated sigh and pulled Sora into a tight hug.

"That guy's an idiot. Ignore him, Sora." Riku murmured. Sora allowed his eyes to fall shut, head resting upon the taller boy's chest before Riku placed a gentle kiss to his temple.

Sora smiled and wrapped his arms around Riku's torso with all the strength he could muster before releasing his grip. "Alright."

"Good." Riku grinned down at Sora before pulling back and allowing his arms to fall almost awkwardly next to his body as Sora imitated the action. "Now that that's settled, let's try to _not_ get lost in here." Riku gestured to the group ahead and Sora realized how far back he and Riku had become.

-

"I was found alone in my stroller, abandoned by the unforgiving world and found by mother Jenova." Saix motioned to the sky as he spoke and Reno nodded along with the man's story. "She took me as her own, nestling me within her cool embrace and granting me the gift of flight by allowing the fairies of this world to shower me with their magic." Reno hummed softly in thought, not quite taking in what exactly the man beside him had said as his lustrous blue eyes scanned the canopy and observing the animals that stared down at the group traipsing through their home.

"Soon enough, the Lost Warriors were found by mother, and I was sent to retrieve them and bring them here- though only Yazoo has earned the gift of flight from the fairies." A rustle came from above and Reno's gaze darted quickly to watch a small, monkey-like animal leap overhead and catch onto a branch before scrambling to leap again.

"Once I was able to locate our superior, we went about searching for a way to rid ourselves of my nemesis, Hook, son of Hojo, with hair black as death and a hand replaced with a hook from when I severed it off and fed it to the largest crocodile in these wat-"

_WHUMPFH._

Reno staggered back from the tree he'd just run into with a look of stunned surprise, and Saix cut himself off to watch the red-haired man with an odd expression.

Reno fumbled with a sheepish grin, ignoring the loud and shameless laughter from Sora. Saix's raised eyebrow fell, and Reno shrugged. "I lived in a place where they had no trees. It was a city, yo. The flowers were so weak that they died as soon as y'picked them, and any flower girl around was the richest thing since The Don." Reno caught up to Saix, picking stray leaves him his hair.

"Me and my brother grew up in this place called Midgar, y'see. The world was Gaia- but we never left Midgar. Th' both of us lived in the slums, and it was a pretty shitty life. I know that Axel had always asked me about flowers, since when I was real little. There used to be this lil' bush a'dandelions out by where we lived and I'd sit there and stare at it for th' longest time- up until the air was just too much and they died." Saix nodded solemnly, and Reno took this as an initiative to continue.

"I've never seen so many trees before in my life, or animals, or even just the color green, yo." Reno's hand motioned wildly to the forest. "It was all just toxic air and buildin's. Midgar was dyin' before the heartless even came around." At this, Saix turned to look at Reno with a piqued interest.

"Heartless have come to your world too?" Within a half second, realization hit the redhead, and he clammed up, mouth snapping shut and his eyes becoming clouded with some unreadable emotion, gaze turning back to the forest once more.

-

Sora was pulled from his thoughts whenever Riku's hand pulled him to a stop. Loz, along with Reno and Saix, stood in front of a small clearing. The brunet frowned, and Loz gestured upwards. "See the largest hut? That's the Superior's." The taller boy's hand was pointing to a tree house barely visible from its obscuring height in the treetops. Sora released a small noise of awe as Reno released a muttered, "holy hell."

Loz's hand trailed over to another set of house-like dwellings that resided a little ways down from the first hut. "Those three other smaller ones belong to Kadaj, Yazoo and me. What might happen is that Yazoo'll stay with Kadaj and we'll let you have Yazoo's- 'cause his is a little bigger 'cause he's older..."

"That is correct, Loz." Saix confirmed, turning to face the boys. "Please ascend the ladder and I will introduce you to the Superior." He waved a hand to the first hut once more, and it was then that Sora noticed the strong, man-made vine ladder that was draped from the doorway of the hut.

Sora made to step towards the aforementioned ladder when a nasal, high pitched, nervous laugh erupted from Reno. The group turned to look at the red haired male as Reno pointed a hand to the vine ladder. "You're kiddin' me, right? Yo, man, I've seen a metal buildin' fall'n bad weather. I ain't climbing that shit." His thick accent had become decidedly rougher with the man's newly formed panic, though Riku simply raised an eyebrow at Reno.

"Then they obviously weren't built that well, were they?"

Reno glanced back at the silver haired boy, a scowl on his face. "ShinRa made everythin', man. The storms were bad, but-" Reno's head turned back to watch Yazoo and Kadaj come jumping through the foliage to land on a tightly drawn vine rope connecting two of the huts. The younger of the two landed first, pausing to look at the group until Yazoo jarred the vine's movement. The boy scowled at them and then made his way across the vine and into the window of one of the smaller huts, followed immediately by Yazoo.

"I can't climb that shit. S'not safe." Reno finalized, ignoring the irritated rolling of Saix's eyes. Sora glanced to Riku before speaking up.

"Safer than heartless, right?" Reno glanced back at the brunet and scowled.

"Heartless I can predict an' control, yo. I can't stop a twig from snappin' when I'm climbin' it."

Sora brushed past the older man with a roll of his eyes. "We did this all the time back home, Reno. Come on! It's easy!" The brunet motioned to the tree and then to Riku and the others before approaching it and then wrapping his fingers around the closest rung and pulling himself upwards, waving to the group. "Come on!"

"Most of the huts on Destiny Island were made from just wood and nails, Reno, and they all survived every heavy storm we had. Besides, we're in the middle of a forest, so there's protection from the wind _and_ it's a beautiful day. Are you really that scared of falling?" Riku brushed a hand through his hair, a small cocky smirk on his face as he watched Sora start to scale the ladder effortlessly.

Reno shot the silver-haired boy a heady glare and then turned back to face the brunet boy who was scrambling up the tree. "Man, I'm gonna regret this..." The redhead grumbled and stalked over to the tree, hands hovering scant centimeters above the green rope before he grasped onto it and pulled himself up onto the first rung. Instantly, the rope began to reflexively sway from the moving weight of both Sora and Reno, causing the older man released a shout of surprise, arms wrapping about the ladder as he froze on the spot.

"Ladders should be made of metal!" The Turk cried out to Sora. The brunet grinned, peering down at the older man as Reno continued. "And they should be bolted _to_ metal! _With _metal!"

"Stop complaining and just climb it- or were you planning on sleeping in the bushes?" Riku called out, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder, indicating a particularly prickly looking bush behind them. Reno shot the younger male a dirty glare before shakily climbing up the ladder at an agonizingly slow pace. Sora scrambled into the hut first as Reno made it halfway up, and the boy leaned out the open doorway to motion for Reno to quicken his pace. The man was taking so long that Riku had to resist slamming his head against the tree trunk in frustration. Finally, once Reno was near the top, Riku started to climb as well, scaling the ladder within seconds.

In front of them was the largest tree house, which they entered, finding a man sitting at the opposite end. He had long silver hair swept back from his face, and wore a plain white dress shirt that held tapered ruffles at each cuff, tucked into a set of simple black slacks, his bare feet giving an odd contrast to the entire outfit.

The man rose to greet them. "I welcome you to Neverland, esteemed visitors. I am Xemnas." He placed a hand to his chest, but did nothing more.

Riku stepped up to the front of the group to introduce himself, Sora, and Reno. "We were told you have business to discuss with us, but we have questions for you too."

The man nodded, "I will answer your questions; however, please hear me out first." Riku gave him a nod to continue. "Our world is being slowly invaded by an enemy known as the Heartless. We did not know what they were at first, but they came at the same time as the return of our nemesis, Captain Hook. We assumed that this was not merely coincidence, so I ordered Saix to find out more information- he infiltrated their ship and returned with this Captain's log." Xemnas lifted a small book that had been in his hand for the group to see.

"From this log, we discovered the name and intention of these creatures- that they want to consume the very hearts of living people. And it seems that Hook is meant to control them- but from his entries we can tell that he is having difficulty with this. I continued reading to find that a boy, known as the Keyblade Master, would arrive one day in a large contraption, possibly with companions. Hook was planning on capturing and executing you, as you are predicted to be his downfall. What we are asking of you is that you fight alongside us to help us rid our world of Hook and the Heartless. We will provide you with food and shelter, and you can rest from your journey whilst we prepare our attack. Will you help us?"

Riku hesitated, letting all the information sink in, before turning over his shoulder to observe Sora and then Reno. The man didn't look nearly as nervous as he had when he first heard about the Heartless being here, but what Riku did notice were the deep bags under his eyes. Grief never helped a person sleep well, especially when your bed was a plain metal cot on a ship. Reno needed a break.

Riku exhaled through his nose and turned back to Xemnas. "We accept."

A hint of a smile graced the man's features. "Excellent. Now what would you like to know?"

"Is Roxas here?" Sora piped up, interrupting Riku, who had just opened his mouth. Reno's gaze shot up from the floor, looking to Xemnas expectantly as well. "And Axel!!"

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, and Riku elaborated. "Roxas is Sora's twin brother, except his hair is blond. And Axel is Reno's younger brother, who..." He turned to Reno, looking for help.

"He's got redder hair than mine that looks like a porcupine got in a fight with a toaster oven and obnoxiously bright green eyes that could glow in th' dark." Reno made exaggerating hand motions as he spoke, his face filled with an eager excitement.

Xemnas hesitated at Reno's description, an amused smile almost flickering onto his face before he shook his head, "I am very sorry. The warriors and I monitor all who enter and exit Neverland, and we have had very few visitors in the past few weeks, none of whom match your description."

The brothers' hopeful expressions fell, and Riku nodded. "Thank you for your help."

Xemnas simply bobbed his head once in reply before Saix stepped forward from the side of the room. "I'll show you to your quarters and have a meal prepared for you. Please follow me."

Yazoo's hut was of fair size, without many personal mementos around it. It was difficult to tell that it was in constant use- maybe it wasn't. On each side of the hut was a low pile of leaves, covered with a sheet and a pelt quilt... this world's crude imitation of a bed, supposedly. Saix apologized for the lack of a third bed and then left quickly. Riku watched as Reno moved forward into the room. The redhead looked down at the floor, before he jumped up and down a few times, testing the solid floorboards.

"Hey... this is pretty cool!" The redhead drawled, a smile creeping onto his face before he quickly gravitated towards the makeshift window that consisted of a hole placed in the wall, and with a hesitant glance outward, began and looking around at the scenery surrounding the hut in amazement.

Sensing that Reno seemed to be fairly content with the room, Riku spoke up. "We'll be back in a second, Reno." He received a hum of acknowledgement and took Sora's hand, leaving quickly.

Blinking at Riku in confusion, Sora was just about to open his mouth and question him when Riku answered him quietly, knowing what he was going to say, "I need to talk to you, privately."

"Oh... okay." Sora followed along behind him as they moved quickly along the boardwalks in the canopy, admiring the surroundings.

Eventually Riku slowed to a stop, turning around to face Sora, "Well..." Riku released the brunet's hand, running it through his hair as he looked off to the side, thinking, "It looks like Roxas isn't here, or that Axel guy, so there really isn't any reason for us to stay here except for helping Xemnas with his Heartless problem." Riku paused for a moment, thinking. Sora made a noise as if he wanted to speak, but instead kept silent as Riku continued. "Personally... I don't think we should get involved in other people's problems. We'll only end up getting hurt. However..."

Riku's gaze returned to the hut and then back to Sora. "You've noticed how exhausted Reno's been, right? I think we should stay here for a while, for his sake. He needs the rest."

Sora seemed to intake his companion's words with silent thought, running them over in his head for a good few seconds before he spoke. "You're right... we _do_ need to find Roxas, but..." The brunet teen paused, his fingers lacing with Riku's as he thought out his next sentence. "Reno's sad, and I agree with you. All this stuff here." Sora motioned to their surroundings as a series of bird calls echoed throughout the canopy in chorus with the crickets of bugs and frogs. "This stuff is something that could help him feel better. There's no chaos here, and who knows what we'll run into when we reach the other worlds." He said.

"I think we should stay, too."

Riku nodded in agreement, giving Sora's hand a gentle squeeze. "While we stay here... don't worry too much about Roxas, okay? Wherever he is, he'll be fine. He has a good head on his shoulders."

Sora's gaze averted to the ground and he released a slow breath. "I know, but I can't help but worry about him. He's still my brother." Sora stepped forward until his head pressed gently into Riku's collarbone. "You know?"

"Mmmhm." Releasing Sora's hand, Riku brought his arms up around the smaller boy and hugged him firmly, resting his cheek on the top of chestnut locks. "I know."

-

Xemnas had been leading Saix back to their personal hut. He had been running the events of today over in his mind, with the ship landing, the people from another world and the boy with the strange, key-like weapon. He knew this is what Hook spoke of in his diary- there was no doubt about it now.

But he'd had a strong sense of foreboding as soon as he had seen the Keyblade Master. He glanced at Saix as they walked in silence, contemplating. Stopping outside their hut, he turned to him.

"Saix, although I know that you are aware of my feelings, and have been for the past year, I regret that I have not confessed them to you verbally, or even expressed them physically as of yet. I fear that with the arrival of this ship, our days are numbered, and I do not plan to hesitate any longer."

Saix's eyes widened partially in shock. "Superior?" Their entire group was aware that Saix adored the Superior, and that the affections were returned on some level. Saix also knew that to nearly everything, Xemnas was apathetic. He could watch someone be brutally murdered before his very eyes without even batting an eyelash. To hear any form of a confession from this man was like offering immortality; an exceptional rarity, seemingly impossible.

Taking his hand, Xemnas brought Saix's fingers up to his lips, brushing against them. Pulling away fractionally, he murmured. "I am in love with you, Saix."

Saix's mouth fell open a half second before a bright smile lit his face. Lifting his free hand, Saix pressed his palm against the taller man's cheek. "And I you, Superior." Gently slipping his fingers out of Xemnas's grasp, the blue-haired man slipped his arms across the back of his Superior's shoulders. He leaned forward with a grin. "How I've longed to hear that." Saix said softly, his warm smile never once leaving his scarred face.

Almost hesitantly, Xemnas brought his arms up to link around his subordinate's waist and he tugged Saix forward and into his chest, hugging the man close. He felt there was an almost finality in the movement, but hoped that his intuition was wrong. Pulling back, Xemnas gazed down into luminous eyes before pressing his lips gently to Saix's. Pulling back slowly and taking the younger man's hand once again, he guided him into the hut.

-

" Reno..." Sora piped up, his gaze concentrated on the thatch roofing with his arms tucked behind his head from where he rested on one of the two beds. From across the room, the redhead hummed curtly to show he was listening. "What was your world like- before the heartless came?" Riku glanced over at Sora, showing his surprise with a quirked eyebrow. Reno sighed, slipping his hands underneath his head. There was a prolonged pause before the older man spoke.

"Back home, in Midgar, we would go months without even seein' th' sun 'cause of all the shit coverin' the skies." The bed rustled as Reno shifted. "Man." A soft, half laugh escaped him. "That place was like a goddamned hellhole...Mom left us when me and Axel were still kids, took all her shit one night and was gone when we woke up the next day." Sora's gaze darted over to Riku, and the silver-haired boy slipped his hand over the brunet's, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Back before she left, she had a flower. Just one." Reno's voice was a nonchalant drawl, a rough edge coating his normally smooth tenor. "Axel would sit and stare at it for hours- didn't care that our mom gave more attention to that half-dead plant than she did to her own children." A high pitched chuckle escaped the redhead, one that was fast paced and bordering on sarcastic. Sora watched Reno sit up with a sigh, leaves rustling beneath him. Reno leaned against the makeshift window, his face hidden from the boys' view.

"Axel was probably three, maybe four. He barely touched that flower and th' thing fell apart. Man," Reno released a dry laugh, "She was so _mad. _Hit him harder'n the cops would hit me when I'd get caught stealin' shit. She left a few months after that..." A long breath escaped the man, his head leaning out of the window to peer up at the sky. "After that, I don't think I saw any kind of plant 'till I was nineteen."

"How old are you now?" Sora asked quietly. Reno glanced at him for a moment before turning his head away once more. "Twenty three..."

An uncomfortable silence fell once again, neither Sora nor Riku had any idea what to say or do. Reno cleared his throat, scooting away from the window and lying back down. "I'm digressin'. Point is, Axel was just a kid - hell - I was a kid too." A sigh escaped Reno as he settled down, rolling onto his side and curling up. With a long exhalation of breath, Reno fell asleep.

Sora watched him for a few moments before releasing his own sigh and reaching over to wrap his arms around Riku. "G'night guys." The brunet murmured. Riku returned the embrace at first, but within the following half hour, Riku realized that his mind was too busy going over the day's events to settle down just yet. Carefully, so as to not wake Sora, he pushed the brunet away from him, scooting slightly to the side. He couldn't do this, not with Reno in the same room as them- although both he and Sora were asleep, he just felt... guilty. Why should he be able to be happy with Sora like this when Reno was so alone?

There was a flash of moonlight from outside and Riku looked up to see Kadaj standing in the entryway. The Lost Warrior's frame was silhouetted by the moonlight creeping in from the grass and vine flap that he held back with one hand. The silver haired teen crept forward ever so quietly until he knelt down beside where Riku laid, one hand moving out to slide through those thick silver locks of hair.

As soon as Riku felt fingers run through his hair, he flipped onto his back, whipping a hand up and slapping Kadaj's away from him, sending the boy a nasty look. Kadaj ignored the motion, as if it had only been a teasing push, and returned his hand soon enough before maneuvering his body to crawl on top of Riku's thighs.

"What are you doing!?" Riku hissed, grabbing Kadaj's wrist and jerking his hand away. "Get off of me." He whipped out his other hand, pushing against Kadaj's chest to attempt to stop his advances.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kadaj asked softly, grinning as his hands slid back to Riku's chest, dipping beneath the vest to feel at the porcelain skin underneath his fingertips. Sora stirred, but Kadaj didn't falter, even as the brunet rolled over, squinting his eyes in the dark.

"R...Riku? What's going on?"  
**  
**Riku froze. "Nothing, Sora. Go back to sleep."

If Sora saw him like this... he wouldn't know what to do. Kadaj's hands were dancing up his skin too quickly and his mind shut down. Without a second thought, Riku reared his arm back and he punched Kadaj in the face.  
**  
**Kadaj fell back with a shriek just as Sora snapped upright in confusion. Reno apparently had been awake the second Kadaj had stepped into the room, and his laughter was now filling the hut as Kadaj teen hit the ground in a heap, holding his injured face and shooting Sora a heady glare. The brunet recoiled and turned to look at Riku with wide eyes silently requesting some sort of explanation as Kadaj scrambled to his feet and left swiftly.  
**  
**"Pest control." Was Riku's simple explanation to Sora, before he linked his arms around the boy's waist, pulling him flush up against his body and nuzzling into the back of his neck. It seemed he was probably safer cuddling up against Sora, after all. Reno's chuckles died down soon enough and the hut was quickly filled with the heavy breathing brought on by sleep.

-----

Riku and Sora were awoken the next morning by Yazoo, who brought in a tray of food for them and then left. Reno was absent from the room, most likely having decided to explore their surroundings more thoroughly. Sitting with crossed legs on the edge of the bed, Riku chewed his small loaf of bread thoughtfully. As he ate, the silver-haired boy began to think. He wondered how long they'd be on this new world for, and how long it'd be until they left, if they'd ever find Reno's brother, or if they'd ever find Roxas -- and more importantly -- if they'd ever return home. He turned to Sora. "How are you feeling?"

Sora nibbled on the small tangerine slice that had been on the tray, leaning his head against Riku's shoulder sleepily. He hummed at the question, and then swallowed the tangerine before speaking. "I'm a lot better. I was really tired." He reached for an apple slice, taking a small bite out of it and wrapping his arm around Riku's.

"I... I'm starting to miss the island." He confessed quietly before popping the rest of the apple slice into his mouth and eating it.

"Me too." Riku inhaled deeply before turning and looking to Sora. "I don't know if it's just me, but this place does smell a lot like the sea. I can taste the salt in the air- it's nothing like Midgar." He sipped from a glass containing a vibrantly colored fruit drink, contemplative. "I wonder if there's a beach nearby... Do you want to look around after breakfast?"

Sora gnawed on another apple slice, pondering for a moment before he nodded. "I'd like that. It sounds like fun." He replied, glancing up at the silver-haired teen. They had some time alone now, but at the moment, just talking like this was enough for him. A smile was shared between them before both boys finished up their breakfast. Once done, Riku stood and put the few articles of clothing he took off the night before back on before picking up Sora's and dusting them off. Once Sora had finished his breakfast, he softly asked the brunet to stand.

"I've always wanted to do this." Riku smiled at his friend before suddenly pulling Sora's shirt over brown hair. Wiggling, Sora got his arms through it and Riku tugged the shirt down to his waist, hands lingering for a moment.

"C'mon, let's go look for that beach." Riku turned to the doorway, holding the door open for Sora.

Face flushed, Sora followed Riku out the door. As they walked out into the forest, Sora felt Riku's hand slide over his own, intertwining their fingers. He grinned to himself, stepping closer to the silver-haired teen as they made their way through the trees. It was a companionable silence, sometimes filled with mindless chatter about odd things, theories on the heartless and such. Sora's face lit up when he heard the sound of crashing waves reach his ears and turned to face Riku, smiling brightly. "I hear the ocean! C'mon!" He began to jog, tugging Riku along as his heart swelled with excitement. Though it had been probably only a few days since they'd left the island, it seemed like forever to Sora.

They broke out of the trees to find themselves on a long expanse of sand that stretched on for about a mile. The waves that crashed up on the shore were nothing like the beautiful crystalline ones of back home, but it was open water nonetheless. A small, sad smile touched Riku's lips and he looked to the ground- he hadn't missed the island before this, but more than anything this beach made him homesick instead of cheering him up. But if it made Sora happy, he'd be fine.

Sora turned to Riku, his cheerful expression falling upon catching sight of his companion's face. "Riku? what's wrong?" He stepped towards the taller boy, hand holding tightly to Riku's own. "Don't be sad. Let's go make a sand castle." He gave Riku a small smile and stepped backwards, leading them towards the waters and pausing just before the shoreline. He kicked his shoes off, tossing them further up the beach and then tugging his shirt off with a shred of reluctance flashing through his mind.

"Let's go swimming!" And with that, Sora wrenched his pants down, exposing his pale blue boxers to the other teen with little embarrassment. "C'mon Riku!" Riku gave a small laugh at the brunet's antics, a grin lingering on his lips. "That's okay, you enjoy yourself."

Sora deflated for a moment, sending Riku a disappointed glare before running into the ocean, yelping at the icy bite of the water before he dove forward headfirst. Seconds later, a set of chestnut hair broke the water's surface and Sora shook his head to dispel excess water from his hair. He waved enthusiastically at Riku before diving into the water again, swimming to the bottom and pressing his palms against the sandy floor. Each wave that crashed above sent his body swaying back and forth and he smiled, digging his fingers into the sand before pressing his feet down and forcing himself back to the surface, breathing in deeply once he broke through the water. He wiped at his eyes, laughing to himself. He'd missed swimming in the ocean. It was a great stress reliever.

His left shoulder blade was itching violently, and he reached out to scratch at it, wincing when he felt the raised skin of a scar. His eyes went wide, suddenly remembering the whole of the night before, and, pressing his full hand against the scar, traced the edges of it as the ocean swayed about him. The wound had completely healed itself almost instantly, it seemed. All that was left was a scar-- most likely just a few shades lighter than his own skin.

He turned back to the shore, spotting Riku sitting in the sand with his legs crossed at the ankles and his weight leaning back on his arms. With a mischievous grin, Sora dropped his hand from his back, grinning and diving under the water to swim back to shore, emerging from the shallows and then jogging up to Riku. "Hey Riku!" He slid into the sand, kicking it up onto Riku's hand and leg in the process as he landed somewhat beside the older boy. Riku's lips quirked and he reached out a hand to tug Sora forward and against his chest.

"Sora, you're such a-" Whatever it was Riku had planned on saying was cut off by a crash from the forest, causing him to jerk his head upwards and catch sight of Kadaj looking flustered and emerging from the forest with a heated glare directed at Sora.

Riku scowled and tightened his grip on Sora, reaching up and pulling the boy closer to him protectively. Sora didn't speak, watching the interaction between the two silver-haired boys before Kadaj cleared his throat. "There's many places in Neverland to explore. Perhaps you would like me to show you some?" Kadaj's eyes were trained solely on Riku, but the older boy turned to Sora first to receive an eager smile.

"Sora and I would like that." He said to Kadaj. A disgruntled look flashed across the Lost Warrior's face before it was replaced with a dark grin.

"Then allow me to show you the Mermaid Cove."

-

Kadaj led them through the forest, and Sora couldn't help but smile to himself as the trees began to thin out, the ground becoming harder beneath his feet and the air cooling slightly. He'd only heard about mermaids in children's stories- and once mentioned in his father's journal... but to actually see them?

Sora grasped Riku's hand with a half-concealed laugh of excitement when the trees broke to reveal water not too far off. Instead of sandy beaches, however, it was rock, black and gray rocks that led out into the center of the water. There was a waterfall not too far off, and it all seemed to lead out to the ocean. When the group reached the edge of the rocks, Sora realized that there were no shallows. It seemed like the water was already too deep to measure by just looking. Kadaj stood behind them and both Riku and Sora crouched down at the edge of the rock. "Can we see mermaids like this?" Sora asked softly, glancing back at the Lost Warrior. Kadaj nodded, an odd grin on his face before he pointed out past them. Sora followed the finger as Kadaj whistled shrilly using two of his fingers. There was a moment of anticipation before five heads broke the surface of the water, their faces an odd shade of royal blue, hair varying shades of red to brown.

"Riku- look." Sora breathed out.

Riku nodded, though it was apparent that the older boy was just the slightest bit disappointed. "They look just like humans from here, though." Riku squinted at the water, trying to make out the tails underneath, but there were too many ripples in the water to see much.

The mermaids dipped down into the water, approaching and popping back up barely ten feet away. A gasp of awe escaped Sora's throat, and the brunet leaned forward with wide eyes.

Suddenly, the firm sole of a boot connected with his back, causing him to cry out in surprise as he tumbled into the water, hitting the icy liquid with a splash. The mermaids clicked out sounds of interest, diving forward. Sora barely broke the water for a gasp of air when webbed hands grasped at his hips, legs and shoulders, dragging him back down with a startled scream, cutting it off with a burst of bubbles as he and the mermaids disappeared into the dark waters. Shock caused him to release his only breath of air into a flurry of bubbles. His eyes burned with the salt of the brackish water as slick-- almost slimy-- fingers wrapped around his arms, throat, hips and hands. Everything was pulling him down, his struggles weak as his lungs began to burn. With a garbled shout, Sora's eyes opened to stare into a set of white irises. The mermaid's lips opened to reveal a set of fangs, her red hair floating all around them as she tightened her grip on Sora's throat. He choked and struggled against their hold. His eyes, nose, throat and lungs burned with ferocity as the water suddenly swayed around him and the webbed fingers that had been pulling him down disappeared. Something snatched the back of his collar, dragging the brunet upwards until he broke the surface with a loud gasp of air, coughing wetly and hacking up water. He gagged, clutching his stomach tightly with one hand and struggling to hold himself up with the other arm.

"Sora, are you alright?" Riku exclaimed with worry as Sora pushed away the older boy's hands to spit up seawater. He rubbed viciously at his eyes, nodding and drawing in gasps of air. Riku's hands rubbed at his back and Sora leaned back, sagging in relief when he was pulled up against a firm chest. He weakly opened his eyes to see a very wet and very irritated looking Kadaj standing before them with crossed arms.

"He wasn't going to get you at first." Riku muttered into Sora's ear before addressing the Lost Warrior. "Apologize to him."

Kadaj's face turned to a look of irritation, peering down at the coughing and shivering teen. His face contorted into a look of disdain and he returned his pale green eyes to Riku, using a hand to flick we hair over his shoulder. "Why apologize for trying to cleanse Neverland of foreign filth?" He asked softly. Sora lifted burning eyes to Kadaj, but his hurt expression was ignored. Riku growled from behind Sora.

"If that's the way you feel, then none of us have a reason to stay. We could just leave you to the heartless."

Sora opened his mouth to scold his companion- but Riku's arms slid around his stomach and silenced him. Kadaj's face screwed up with contempt and some other unreadable emotion before he turned and stormed off.

--------

As soon as he'd reached the forest edge and had become hidden by the trees, he broke off into a run, frustration and hurt thrashing about in his gut. He leapt over fallen logs and allowed stray tree branches to tear at him, not stopping until he collided into another person with a shout, sending them both hurdling to the ground in a heap. Kadaj gasped, quickly sitting upright atop the person he'd crashed into, his bottom lip quivering when he recognized the forever consoling face of Yazoo. The taller male already looked concerned, reaching a hand up to press it against Kadaj's face and tap his thumb just under a light green eye, brushing away the single tear gathering there. Kadaj's teeth clenched, his face scrunching before he collapsed onto Yazoo's chest, clutching to the older boy tightly as a single sob escaped him, followed quickly by another, and then another, until they melded together, giving him only sparse chances to gasp in air through his tears. "Yazoo, why can't he choose me?"

Yazoo sighed, relaxing back against the thick green grass of the forest floor, moving his hand to run through Kadaj's silver locks soothingly. "He's in love with Sora. You can't change that. I told you that if you forced yourself on him, all you'd do is push him away."

"But why?" The silver haired boy exclaimed, his tears leaving damp, darkened stains on the fur of Yazoo's outfit. It was soft, and it always had this comforting smell to it that never stopped from helping to calm Kadaj down whenever he was upset about something. He grasped onto the fabric of Yazoo's clothing. "Why would he? He said he never wanted to see me again...why? I was just trying to help him see that I'd be better!" Kadaj had nothing against Sora, except that the boy was obnoxious and too cute for his own good, but for Riku to be in love with such a runt? Kadaj couldn't understand.

"I think that it'd be better if you never see him again, Kadaj." Yazoo's voice was calm as always, continuing to stroke the boy's silver hair. "You're losing sight of what really matters. Who you really love. I know you, and I know that you don't really like Riku. Think about it."

Kadaj's sobs had gradually died down as Yazoo spoke, those long fingers of his running through Kadaj's silver locks of hair in a soothing manner. He thought- and hard. In the four days Riku and the others had been around, Kadaj noted how the newcomer seemed to be filled with a caring confidence, a strong body, and kindness. It had attracted Kadaj to him...but as Yazoo spoke, the younger boy slowly began to realize the little similarities between the person who he was chasing, and the one waiting right in front of him. Kadaj sat back, placing his hands on Yazoo's chest, his hair slipping down to hang around his head, brushing against his cheeks and chin as he stared at Yazoo with a look of utmost concentration. His hand rose, pressing against the taller boy's face and tracing the outline of his lips and then nose, before circling his brow and then cupping Yazoo's face. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes. I've known for a long time." A small, rare smile graced his lips as he spoke. "You're not too good at spying, Kadaj. I catch you every time you think you're being sly."

Kadaj's eyes went wide for a moment before ducking his head. "Forgive me, I was a fool."

A small chuckle escaped Yazoo's throat. "Well, that's about to change." His hands rose, sliding about Kadaj's neck to pull the younger boy forward.

--------

As soon as Kadaj disappeared from sight, Riku's grip on Sora tightened and he turned the brunet around just enough so they could see each other clearly. "Sora... are you alright?" He asked softly, running one hand through wet locks of chestnut hair.

Sora nodded, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "I'm fi-" Riku's lips pressed tightly against his own and Sora's heart leapt into his throat, eyes fluttering shut. The older boy pulled back and released an unsteady breath, pressing his forehead against Sora's.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you myself- I knew they'd just take me under too." Riku murmured. A grin broke across Sora's face, despite their topic of conversation.

"It's okay." Sora said. Riku's free hand moved up to cup Sora's cheek, and he leaned forward, pushing his lips up against soft pink ones in return. His heart felt like it had sighed, and he even more relaxed now than he had ever before, yet at the same time his heart was thundering in his chest, making him lightheaded and giddy, and he wanted to smile and grin but he had this gentle touch against his lips and he couldn't, he wouldn't break it, not for the world.

Sora couldn't help but grin against Riku's lips, somewhat breaking the kiss as his arms slung themselves around Riku's neck and he pushed himself forward to tackle Riku backwards with a muffled laugh, near tears with relief and happiness. Sora pulled back just enough to grin wildly at Riku before he was tugged down into yet another lip lock.

The kisses were light and gentle, almost shy, and continued so in a similar fashion for several minutes before they eventually parted. Nuzzling into Riku's neck, Sora's silly grin was contagious enough that Riku had a nearly identical one. He ran his fingers through brown hair and stared up at the cloudy sky, recognizing the signs of possible rain and sitting up. "We should probably head back to camp." He murmured. Sora hummed softly, pursing his lips for a moment before he gently pecked Riku on the mouth and then nodded.

"Good idea..." He didn't move though, thinking quietly for a moment. "Do you remember how to get back?"

"I... no." Embarrassed that he wasn't sure where to go, Riku quickly tried to justify himself. "I suppose if we just start walking we should find the camp soon."

Sora thought on this for a moment until he nodded his agreement. "All right." Riku stood first, helping Sora to his feet and then taking the boy's hand to entwine their fingers together. Sora shot him a grin, leading them into the darkening forest. They continued walking for a few prolonged minutes- the sky becoming darker as more rain clouds settled in. It was then that sound of tinkling music reached Sora's ears. "Riku, do you hear that?"

Riku stopped, turning back to face Sora as he fell silent, listening. Faintly, he could hear the same echoing chime of music as the brunet.

"Yeah." Riku said faintly, keeping a hold of Sora's hand. He glanced around, goose bumps rising on his skin as the temperature began to drop slightly. "It's quiet, but... is it just me, or does it sound like it's really close by?"

"Yeah..." The brunet replied absently, before releasing Riku's hand and jogging forward, ignoring his companion's call for him to wait up. The music seemed to get louder the deeper into the forest he went. Rain had begun to lightly drizzle down upon them as Sora pushed his way past a large thicket of bushes, halting in his tracks and stumbling when Riku ran into him from behind. All around, dancing in the air about a monstrous tree, were golden lights that fluttered about with a life of their own. The tree itself seemed hollow, and beneath the thick buttress roots, light shone. Sora turned to Riku, ocean eyes wide, before looking back at the tree and grasping onto the older boy's hand, walking towards it. "What do you think it is, Riku?" He whispered. The rain began to fall gently, and Sora released a shiver.

"I don't know- they almost look like fireflies..." The music was much clearer now, but still quiet, almost as if it was being played by tiny instruments for tiny ears. It was coming from the direction of the tree, though the pattering sound of the rain was beginning to drown it out.

He turned to Sora. "Do you think the music is coming from the tree?"

Sora seemed to contemplate this for a moment, but whatever he'd decided on, he didn't say. Instead, his eyes alit with curiosity and he grasped onto Riku's hand tightly, leading the silver-haired youth forward until they reached the tree. Sora crouched down to stare into it, his face becoming a look of pleased shock. Inside, he could see fairies. Literally, small, golden and shining figures, dancing about to the quiet music that played from somewhere in the tree. Their sparkling wings fluttered, trails of jewel-like dust trailing their every movement. Sora's breath caught in his throat, and he clutched tightly to Riku's hand. "R...Riku. They're fairies..." He breathed out, turning to look up at his friend with such awe that it was like a child.

Riku looked at him with a raised eyebrow, using a hand to move wet hair out of his eyes. "Sora, there's no such thi--"

Sora's hands clapped over Riku's mouth before he could continue. "Riku!" He hissed, his brows furrowed in reprimand. "Don't ever say you don't believe!" At the odd look that he received, Sora pulled his hands down from over Riku's lips and explained. "My dad's journal said that it kills them, when children say they don't believe. Besides- look!" Sora grasped Riku's face and forced his head to turn and look down inside of the tree.

Riku nearly stumbled, but placed his hands on the tree to balance himself as he was forced to look inside the tree. He squinted as he was temporarily blinded by the glowing lights inside, but as he slowly opened his eyes again he could see little people with wings floating around, some of them playing on miniature instruments, some dancing, some singing, some pointing at him, some flying straight at his face--

Riku pulled back with a shout as three fairies blasted out of the tree trunk straight at him, sending both him and Sora toppling back onto the wet forest floor with twin splashes.

Sora squawked, grasping to Riku as he felt something move around in his hair, and a high pitched voice squeak out 'help! The beast has gotten me in its mouth!' His eyes grew wide and he flailed his arms about, reaching his fingers into his hair- only to make the shrieking fairy become louder and for its two companions -- one with dark hair the other clad in black -- fluttered towards him, the brown haired one kicking Sora in the nose and earning a shout of pain from the brunet. His hands flew to his abused face as the two fairies tried to extract their companion from his head. It seemed like the rain did little to help any of them, making Sora's hair damp and causing it to tangle the small creature even more.

Riku hurriedly attempted to help by brushing the brown haired fairy from Sora's face with the back of his hand. The action sent the small creature sprawling out into the rainy air a few feet away before Riku reached in and yanked a small blonde fairy out of a mess of chestnut hair, holding her by her leg as he stared at her in a mixture of awe and disbelief. Seriously. Real fairies.

"Hey! Hey! Lemme down ya big ugly monster!" The little blonde fairy in Riku's grasp shouted, her tiny fists flailing about, wings flapping so hard that they weren't even visible- just tiny puffs of wind against Riku's hand that barely disturbed the rain. She squirmed about in the silver-haired teen's grasp and Sora leaned forward to stare at the glowing creature, his eyes wide and mouth open in awe. "Is it real?"

"...I... think so--!" Riku released a startled shout of pain the second a black blur whipped past, sinking a small sword into the side of Riku's hand, making him let go of the blonde's leg.

"Back off, buddy." The dark fairy growled in her small voice, mustering up the hardest glare she could at Riku. Riku's face contorted into a scowl as he waved about his injured hand, holding onto it after a moment to stop the flow of blood from the wound, though it was quickly washed clean by the rain.

"Back off? You were the ones who went after us first!" He replied indignantly. The dark fairy scoffed, crossing her little arms.

"You shouldn't have been nosing around in our landing."

"Your landing? How were we supposed to know that it was **your** landing?"

As the two began bickering, the remaining fairies stationed themselves next to Sora's head to watch. The brown haired one made a thoughtful humm, turning to look at Sora. "What _were_ you two doing anyway, peeping in on the Royal ball?" The blonde one nodded enthusiastically, her small hand reaching out to slap Sora on the nose, earning a startled yelp from the brown-haired boy as he nursed his injured appendage.

"We were lost in the forest, and we heard music- so we followed it. I'm sorry if we were intruding." Sora apologized, looking genuinely sincere. The brown haired one waved her hands about. "No- it's alright. As long as you weren't planning anything funny. I'm Yuna." She placed a little hand to her chest, and the blonde fairy floated up beside her, mimicking Yuna's actions.

"I'm Rikku! And that's Paine!" Rikku indicated the black-clad fairy that was currently attempting to pull out Riku's eyelashes, and Sora laughed softly.

"She sure does seem to have fun causing it." Rikku released a small giggle as Riku batted Paine away from his face. She fluttered back indignantly, rejoining her companions with crossed arms and looking at both of them with a neutral expression.

"So? What's going on here?"

"They're lost." Yuna answered, waving her hand to indicate both boys. "They just followed the music. They're not gonna steal or kill any of us. It's okay." Paine seemed to accept this, and settled down just the slightest bit. Rikku fluttered around the two of them, and then up into the air before she dove back down.

"We can show them the way back to their home!" She volunteered, her small arms waving about enthusiastically. Yuna glanced uneasily at Paine, but when she received a set of closed eyes, the brunette fairy gave Rikku a small nod. It seemed that the rain did little to affect any of the small creatures' flying, and although it took a few confused detours, in the end, the three fairies led the boys back to the Lost Warrior's camp, where they were met with bad news.

Kadaj was nowhere to be seen, and Loz was nearby holding to his head, where bandages covered some form of an injury. Yazoo spoke softly, "Your companion has been taken hostage by Captain Hook."

* * *

And that would be the end of Reverse Eclipse's posts on this site, meaning the next chapter will be brand new, and never-before-seen to any eyes but Yuka and Psycho Rooster's. Are you excited? Did you want a teaser? Yes?

---

_Sora had never experienced a feeling of body-crippling fear until now. The pirate captain's hook dug all the more menacingly into his throat, tearing open pale flesh and generating tremors of pain down the keybearer's neck. Sora swallowed dryly in nervousness, his Adam's Apple bobbing unevenly against the sharp edge that dug so dangerously against his skin. Azure eyes darted down to lock with Reno's, and the man writhed angrily, trying to wriggle out of his binds, though the mast and rope remined steadfast, though it was doubtful that the Turk would give up any time soon. _

_"Did ye think ye'd be able to get past Captain Hook, aye?" Hook rumbled low into Sora's ear, his beard tickling at the brunet's neck and cheek. Sora shut his eyes, silently reprimanding himself for quaking like a child, yet unable to do much more than release a soft breath of panic. He was a coward._

---

Excited yet? Oh, **do tell me**. I can't wait to start working on this. n--n

So the next chapter is the big 'battle' non? How will Sora get out of this? Will the triplets help? Is Reno going to be okay? What's happened to Riku?

muahaha. Review. It's just a quick click to that periwinkle blue button down there, and a quick type type of what you thought and whether or not you're anticipatingthe next chapter.


End file.

Kingdom Hearts, Adventure, Drama