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Dragging his hand along the side of a tunnel, a young boy smiled warmly as bits of dirt came off to crumble to the sandy floor. He was around the age of fourteen with, hair that blatantly refused to follow any sort of brush and stuck out at odd angles and bright blue eyes peeking out from a tanned face. His smile was bright, aimed directly at the walls themselves. Taking a deep breath, he savored the earthy scent.

The tunnel, while at one point natural, had been dug out in recent years to accommodate taller children. As such the walls were smooth and even. Slouching just enough so the tips of his hair wouldn't scrape against the ceiling, the boy maneuvered through the dirt hallway in the low light. His feet knew the route and navigated what at one point was a pitch black section with ease, overlarge shoes leaving a trail of impressions in the sand.

Eventually he came into a wide cavern, and unlike the tunnel it hadn't been dug out to be widened. The sky peeked through three rocks in the ceiling, illuminating the cavern molded from stone. Tree roots interlaced with the walls in some areas, keeping them in place, and were surrounded by cave drawings; Juvenile things intended to live on forever, crafted from stone on stone. And among this all was a door.

Made entirely of wood, the door seemed to have been pressed into the wall itself with no hinges or knob. Instead, there was a single keyhole at waist height, begging to be unlocked. The boy spared it a short glance, but turned his attentions to other things before long. There, between a bundle of roots and the wall, was a small cluster of mushrooms. He quickly snatched them up and placed them in a bag at his waist. That's when he suddenly went stock still, eyes on the wall.

Among the other cave drawings – drawings of monsters and fun designs and heroes – were two drawings of children side by side. A boy and a girl. They sat just above where he had found the mushrooms. The boy let his hand settle against the drawing for a moment before pulling away. Snatching a stone from the ground, the boy began to work at it, adding to the image. After a while he dropped the stone and stared at his addition for a moment, and would have continued to gaze at it if the sound of soft scraping from behind him hadn't startled him.

"Wh – who's there?" His voice shook as he address the figure. It was in front of the door, the the boy was surprised to see someone standing so close to it so casually, though he didn't know why. The person seemed to be deformed, though he couldn't be sure since their entire body was hidden beneath a large brown cloak. There were no holes for hands or feet, and the shadow of a drawn hood hid their face. But strangest of all the man didn't seem to touch the ground. The lowest portion of his clothes, and his body, hovered a good inch above the sandy floor.

"I've come to see the door to this world," the stranger announced, their voice undeniably masculine.

The boy bit back the sudden urge to flinch. "Huh?" he questioned vaguely, only to have it come out as a prepubescent squeak.

"This world has been connected."

"Wh – what are you talking about?" the boy inquired, taking a cursory step away from the figure.

"Tied to the darkness," the stranger continued, seemingly oblivious to Sora's comment. "Soon to be completely eclipsed."

Fear rose in the boy's chest, but he quickly covered it with a mask of offense. "Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this." He paused for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Huh? Wh – where did you come from?"

One could almost hear the smile in the next line. "You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

The boy's eyes widened suddenly as he connected the dots. He threw his hand to the side, as if to make a dramatic statement. "So, you're from another world!"

A small silence followed. "There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

"Oh yeah?" the boy taunted. "Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out there and learn what's out there!"
“A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”
Glancing to the side, the brunet found his eyes drawn to the wooden door. His gaze hadn't wandered for more than a second, but when he looked back the man was gone.

-T-M-
Awaking slowly, a young man reached up to rub the last of his dream from his eyes.“Sora, you lazy bum,” a young woman jovially announced from his bedside. “I knew I'd find you snoozing down here.”“Kairi,” he groaned, throwing aside his blankets to right himself on his bed. His long brown hair hung around his face in spikes, trailing down his back and pooling on the sheets. Reaching for a hair tie on the bedside table, he quickly pulled it back into a tight pony-tail. “What time is it?”“25h,” she replied, unconsciously reaching up to play with her own shock of red hair after seeing him pay attention to his. Realizing what she was doing, she dropped her hand to her stomach. There it played with one of the many buttons of her uniform, which was pressed to perfection. A small cloth satchel rest against her hip. “You really shouldn't be sleeping this late. What if you throw off your sleep schedule?”Scoffing, the male rolled his eyes. They were a shock of bright blue to match hers. “I need all the sleep I can get. Tomorrow is the first stage of darkness evaluation week.”“Yeah, yeah. A test of doom, six days of slaughter, one day of horror, and one day of rest.” Reaching into her satchel, she withdrew two squashed packs of cigarettes. “Here – a souvenir from Traverse Town. You owe me.”Snatching the packs from where they fell on the floor, the brunet immediately began to beat one against his palm. “You are a lifesaver,” he announced.She shrugged. “I remembered you saying you were out yesterday so I decided to do you a favor.” Holding out her hand, she looked him straight in the eye. “That'll be twenty-five munny.”Sora, in an attempt not to smile too broadly, shrugged as he reached under his mattress for his wallet. Retrieving it, he handed over the amount with a grin. “You drive a hard bargain, but I really don't have a choice.”“Good,” she replied, taking the cash in hand and shoving it into her satchel, only to retrieve five more packs of cigarettes. “Because twenty-five covers seven packs, easy. Civilian stuff is so cheap it's ridiculous.” Tossing the cartons straight into the boy's lap, she took a seat beside him. “You don't honestly think that I would rip you off, do you?”Grinning for all he was worth, the brunet carefully stored six of the packs between the wall and the mattress before engulfing the girl in a hug. “You are officially my best friend.”She scoffed. “Right – try telling that to Riku.”“Riku's not here right now.”“Then I'll just have to do,” she replied smugly, returning the hug for all she was worth.“How was your trip?” he asked, pulling away from the embrace with a small, jealous smile. “Eventful?” Standing, and being sure to avoid bumping his head against the empty top bunk of his bed, he tugged at the regulation underwear that spanned his entire torso, making his way to the steel locker on the far-side of the room.“Kinda boring, actually,” the redhead admitted, fiddling with her blazer's top button as he slipped his shirt on. “It was nice not having to wear this stiff uniform, though.”“You mean it was nice not having to wear clothes designed to counteract gravity.”“Hey, even I like to look nice every once in a while. Wear a dress, a nice coat – frilly underwear.” Heaving a sigh, she leaned back, slipping her hands between the bars of the bed frame and the upper mattress and pulling herself into midair. “So how was your time here? I hope you didn't sleep the day away. Did you remember to check in with the lab?”His grin suddenly went stupid as he turned to look at her, buttoning his shit. “Yeah. Ienzo was there, too.”“I take it he didn't chew you out this time.”“He does not chew me out.”“No, he just scolds you within an inch of tears.”“We are changing subjects.”“Right. How was your Phys. Ed. 2 exam?”“You have just lost best friend status.”Dropping to the bed, Kairi groaned, reaching into a separate section of her bag to retrieve yet another carton of cigarettes. She began to beat it against her palm as she spoke. “I take it things were entertaining.”“Entertaining?” the young man questioned. “I guess I would define tripping over the starting pad and face-planting into the jumping blocks as 'entertaining.' Same goes for losing my Keyblade in the middle of a perry and forgetting I could call it to me. Oh – and should I mention the tire-runs? Because those were a riot.”“You failed, then.”“Yup. Remedial Swordsmanship, starting next week.”“So you've got an hour a day in the Sim room. Big whoop. I can monitor those with you, if you want. Get some homework done. That way no one has to know.”“Two hours.”She started, staring at him as he buttoned up the last of his jacket and slid the belt around his waist. “They double-blocked you? But this is the busiest semester you've ever had! You don't even have any free days!” Gaping like a fish, she tried not to yell. “How could they double-block you?”“Like this, apparently. And don't lie and say I don't need it, because I do.” Shrugging, Sora tried to keep a straight face as he turned to face his companion. “We're in the middle of a war, Kairi. And one day I'm going to have to fight in it. Just as you will, and just as Riku is. And frankly, as far as the Phys. Ed. Examiner is concerned, I'm a Keyblade wielder who sucks at swords play. A liability to the front lines. A dropout.”“Sora, don't talk like that. You're being trained to be a Base Mechanic, not a Keyblade Wielder.”“Then why do I have the Keyblade?”“It's like Aqua said; the guy who gave Riku his power apparently gave it to you.”“That's the thing – he didn't give the power to me!” Feeling as if he could do nothing else, Sora lashed out, his steel-toed boot colliding with the the locker with a resounding 'clang.' “She just assumed that. He gave the power to Riku, but I wasn't even there when it happened! I just woke up last month and it was there. Explain that!”Kairi stared down at her pack of cigarettes as her hands stilled, suddenly at a loss. “I had no idea,” she admitted, tearing a corner open and retrieving a single cigarette. Settling down beside her, Sora snatched up the carton he'd abandoned packing and did the same. Making a fist, he flicked his thumb out, which at the end of glowed a small sphere of fire. He offered it to the redhead, who lit her cigarette without question before he did the same, inhaling deeply and fighting the urge to walk out of the room without explanation.“I've been having these weird thoughts lately,” he admitted after a long while. “Like is any of this for real or not?”“Well, if it isn't,” she began, voice muffled until her fingers took hold of her cigarette, “that would certainly explain why you have a Keyblade.” Taking another deep drag, she held her breath for a bit before letting it out. “You should tell Aqua. The truth, this time, not beat around the bush for half an hour like before.”“The Headmistress? No way. The last thing I need is to get dragged into an Apprenticeship with her and some 'Mark of Mastery' test.”“Sora.” Kairi tested the name on her tongue, almost hesitant to continue. “If no one gave you the power that means you were chosen by the Keyblade. That's a big deal.”He shrugged. “Big deal or not, that isn't going to help me pass Physical Education or Battle Strategy.” Reaching beneath the mattress, he retrieved a small closed ashtray, which he flipped open and tapped the tip of his cigarette against. Kairi did the same before setting the filter between her teeth.Throwing her arms up to grab at the bed frame, the redhead mumbled, “Okay, I give up. What happened in Battle Strategy?”“I confused 'infantry' with 'platoon.'”Kairi allowed her cigarette to hang crookedly at the admission. “You have Vossler, right? How are you alive?”“Ronsenburg was sitting in,” Sora supplied. “According to the posted scores I missed failure by two points.”She whistled at this. “Lucky break. Thank goodness for Ronsenburg and his sexiness.”“Kairi, he's over forty.” Fighting the blush from his cheeks, Sora fixed the young woman with a strange look. “You're nineteen.”“Hey, he's still eye candy. I can't stare at him for six hours a week and not feel obligated to admit that.” They were quiet for a long time after this, partaking in a silence that went from warm and bubbly to sour and lonesome. “When do you think Riku's going to come back?”“Who knows?” Sora replied. “Aren't outings only supposed to last four weeks? It's been what – eleven?”“Twelve weeks, one day,” the woman corrected. “How much is that in regular time?”Blowing out a breath, the brunet began connecting the dots in his head. “Twelve weeks, one day? And we've passed a Semester since then, so that's ninety-eight Maunder days.” He went quiet for a moment before answering. “That's just over four months, regular time. 122 and one half days – 123 on the dot including the change hours from his 13h departure.”“Careful – your Mathematics 2 is showing,” she joked. “Riku is going to kill you when he comes back, you know that?”“I don't care. All I'm worried about right now is whether they're going to pull me from the labs.”“Well, since you only failed Phys. Ed. I don't think you have to worry. That class is more about ability than homework. There's a good chance you won't be pulled, as long as you don't miraculously find a way to fail the Darkness tests,” she assured him. “If you like I can put in a good word with Aqua for you. Keep you in the labs.”“You don't need to do that. I can figure out some extra credit or something,” he announced quietly. “What I'm having trouble making sense of is how you have such direct contact with Aqua.”“She teaches Mastery in the World and Heartless Theory, remember?” She took another drag on her cigarette, settling back into a sitting position beside him. “You can keep a secret, right?”Furrowing his eyebrows together, Sora fixed her with a look. “Yeah. What's up?”“See, last week after class Aqua asked if I would be her little spy among the students. Not a spy in the sense that I tell her what they're doing wrong, but rather what's bothering them. If they received a letter from home that mentioned Heartless or if they're having schedule problems. Usually it's just things like, 'I want to get into this class, and I know I can do it,' so if I think they're good enough to handle the class I tell them, 'I'll put in a good word for you.' Then I tell her what's going on and poof! Students are happier.” Playing with her cigarette's filter with her tongue, she tried not to appear too nervous. “You know as well as I do that she's hard to approach about anything.“Even her smile is intimidating. Every time I walk up I feel like I'm wasting her time. And I know that's not how it is, but it still bugs me. I don't know – maybe it's because she's the Grand Master and I haven't even achieved an Apprenticeship yet. Maybe it's 'cause if I slip up now I might miss my chance. Maybe I... just...”“I think you should stop doubting yourself and do as your told,” Sora suggested as she went quiet, tapping his cigarette against the ash tray and holding it out for her to do the same. “That's generally what teachers look for here. She's no exception. Ignoring the request – now that can cost you.”She smiled before tapping her ashes into the small tray. “Thanks, Sora.”“No problem. Anything else bugging you?”“Well...” Worrying her lip, she frowned, then passed her cigarette from her right hand to her left. “Yeah, actually. I keep thinking that she was talking to me when she said it.”Sora shrugged. “Teachers are like that. Anything else?”Another smile touching at her lips, Kairi shook her head. “Nah – what about you? Anything else on your mind?”He was quiet for a few seconds before answering. “Yeah, actually. I had a really weird dream.”“Really? What was it about?”“Well, I was fourteen again, walking down a dirt tunnel. Before long I was in this cave, and there were a bunch of drawings on the walls and on rocks. I grabbed something from near a wall, and when I turned around there was this guy in this brown whole-body cloak-thing, and he was talking to me in front of this wooden door.” He turned his gaze to the floor, attempting to remember. “I don't remember what he said, but I'm pretty sure I was on the Islands.”“Why? You recognize the cave?”“No – I've never seen it in my life.”
-T-M-
The first of Maunder's three suns had risen after four short hours of nightfall, and Sora was once again faced with the fact that it was the second of two testing weeks. He stood in line, dreading the results though he knew one failure wouldn't be the end of the world – it would just result in a warning. “Don't sweat it,” a blond man beside him in line commented, seeing that his nerves were getting to him. “The only way to fail these things is to half-turn into a Heartless inside the machine.”“Really?” Sora inquired, curious. “Wait – how do you know?”“Oh – it's not from personal experience or anything. It's just that I've been graduated for about seven or eight years, now,” he replied. “I'm an on-call Magic specialist. The name's Myde.” Offering his hand, Myde gave the younger man a warm grin.Unable to resist, the brunet smiled back, taking the offered hand and shaking. “Sora,” he replied, trying not to let all his relief show on his face. “Mechanics Major.” “It's nice to meet you.”“Likewise.” They lingered in silence for a bit as the line moved forward two places. “So,” Sora began, turning back to face his companion. “What's it like to be graduated?”Mydge grinned. “It's like being a student, mostly, since I can still enroll for classes. And I do, so I stay in the dorms. But unlike students I can take off whenever I want. As long as I give notice and I'm back within a week I'm free as a bird.” His grin grew, almost as if the split his face in two. “And like most fifth years and up I only have to take this test on the first day.” They eased further up the line. “So what about you? Third year or fourth?”Hiding a wince, the brunet replied, “Second, actually. I got started late.”Without warning, the blond stared him down with blue-green eyes, startling the younger man. “Wait – are you Sora Sora? Like, Cid's little protege Sora?”“Cid's little protege?” he questioned, scoffing. “I guess that's – wait, he talks about me?”“When he's not complaining about us 'numb skull, short-stick pack of retarded chickens with our heads cut off' he doesn't shut up about you.” Reaching into his pocket for a scrap of paper, he rolled it up, stuck it in his mouth, and smoothed his hair back with one hand before adopting a bad accent. “'Sora built a hand-held gravity generator from a microwave and a hair dryer yesterday, and the rest of ya'll are still figuring out which way to tighten a bolt! If ya'll don't pull yourselves up by y'er bootstraps I'm gonna hav'ta do it for ya with some bare copper wire and a car battery!'” he imitated, wagging his finger at empty air.Unable to restrain himself, Sora giggled. “He doesn't actually say stuff like that, does he?”“Depends. Did you really build a gravity generator from a microwave and a hair dryer three days ago?”“Not exactly. I've been working on it since the beginning of last semester.”“Then yes, he does say things like that.”It was then that Sora realized they were at the front of the line, but his apprehension had seemingly evaporated and he was left with only the image of Myde imitating Cid with a terrible accent and a paper cigarette. “Hey, Vossler,” he greeted the man working the front of the line. He was tall with tan skin, brown hair and eyes, and a heavy jaw.“Sora,” the man grumpily acknowledged when the younger man stepped up to the pod. It was the shape of an egg, but nearly five feet tall with a window to peer out of, and was bright silver. Inside was a seat, just barely worn in by years of scant use. “Ready to go?”“Yeah,” he replied, stepping into the machine and settling into the chair as Vossler closed the door behind him. He relaxed as the machine whirred to life around him, the sides flashing all different sorts of colors before settling into alternating waves of blue and orange. After about thirty seconds, though, the light show ceased, and a red light began to go off above his head. Shocked by the deviation, Sora stiffened when the door opened and Vossler stared him down, holding a sheet out for him to take.“Congratulations, Sora. You just failed the easiest test in the entire school. Don't worry about coming to class the rest of the week.” It was still hot from the printer when he took it with a mortified blush – his schedule, but with two new additions: Remedial Swordsmanship and Remedial Light.When he was halfway back to the dorms, someone called out to him. “Sora, could you come here for a moment?” Surprised, he turned. There stood the Headmistress, Aqua, in all her suited glory. “I'd like to speak with you.”Thirty seconds later he sat in her office, staring her down like a deer in headlights as she grinned at him sweetly, offering for him to take a candy from the jar on her desk. When he declined, she got right to the point. “I'm worried, Sora. I know you are capable of more than this.”Biting back a retort, the brunet shrugged. “Maybe the machine malfunctioned.” This earned him a humored grin, which made him brighten just that much. Aqua was the kind of person that you wanted to please.“That is a possibility,” she replied. “Though I'm thinking this has something to do with Riku. You're worried about him, aren't you?” He shrugged, not quite sure how to respond. “Do you think that might be why the machine read that your darkness was out of hand?”Sora shrugged again. “Maybe.”Her smile returned, and suddenly he felt a lot lighter. “Friendship is a powerful thing,” he began. “It can bring you up when you're at your weakest, or it can drag you through the mud. But you must always be sure that you don't lose yourself for it.” She motioned that he could leave, and he stood with a relieved grin and a small bow before turning and making his way to the door. He paused, though, as she offhandedly remarked, “If you want to change your schedule please think about whether you need the changes first. If you still want to change it, come to me on the fourth day of this week and then make your request. Until then, take some time to yourself, okay? You've may been put on probation, but that's no reason to worry. You are Cid's little protege, after all. Please keep in mind that even failing your darkness tests will not keep you out of the mechanics rooms for more than a day.”“I will, Headmistress Aqua,” he quietly responded. And with a quick, “Have a good day,” he left. As he walked away, the brunet began to wonder if one could die of embarrassment.
-T-M-
“Interesting.”“Dr. Even, if I may be frank, how the hell is failing my Darkness test and being put on probation interesting?” Instead of heading back to his room and holing up for the rest of the week in his depression, Sora had opted to spend his time in the labs. He had been assigned as an on-call mechanic. One of six. However, there was only one scientist in that Semester, and it was Dr. Even, who seemed to have a preference for the boy.“You bear none of the usual signs of your light being consumed,” the blond man drawled, leaning far too close to Sora for comfort. He saw in too much detail the older man's piercing green eyes, sunken cheeks, and pale skin. The boy edged backwards, careful not to bump into anything. The room was a six meter wide cube, and while many other labs had large quantities of delicate machinery of all sorts this particular one only had one large glass chamber in the center with tubes running from it to several boxes built against the walls. Personally, Sora thought it looked like a giant octopus wearing gloves with buttons on them. “Your hair follicles have not degraded, nor has your skin become taught against your skull. Though, admittedly, those are long-term effects that only begin to show after about thirty years of darkness exposure. Nevertheless, it is interesting.”Sora huffed. “Well, you can puzzle it over on your own. I'm gonna get to work on this wiring.”A sharp laugh followed this, and the blond stared openly at his superior like he was crazy. “Work, work, work – you are Cid's little protege.”Feeling the need to throw something, the brunet tore his glove off and chucked it at the floor. “I give up! How long has that nickname been circulating?”“Three days,” a man commented from the corner, slate hair obscuring his face from view. “I must admit I expected you to pick up on it a bit sooner.”Dr. Even frowned. “Now, now, Ienzo, there's no need to be insulting the boy. Partaking in gossip is a destructive pass-time.”“He should at least know what's being said against him,” he replied, turning to face them, clipboard in hand and lab coat swaying with the movement. A single blue eye stared at the both of them, the other hidden behind the fringe of his hair. Unable to stop himself, Sora's gaze trailed along the man's jawbone; a perfect line from his ear to his chin, interrupted only by an almost nonexistent dusting of grayish-blue stubble. His nose was small, if nondescript. Below that sat a mouth that seemed to be permanently bent to the floor, with a fuller lower lip than upper, and a pink so pale that it could barely be told apart from his skin's pallor.“No one can be everywhere.” The scientist's quiet musing brought Sora from his observations, and the brunet turned back to his work, only to have to stop when his rat-tail sneaked over his shoulder to hang near his hands. Stripping his other glove off, he reached back to undo it, tying it instead into a bun before replacing his gloves and returning his attention to the wires.He tried not to let his attention wander from his work, but this proved to be a difficult task when the slate-haired Apprentice came his way. “So, Protege, how do you expect we approach this insulation problem?” Sora tried not to choke too noticeably when Ienzo handed him the clipboard, disbelieving that for an instant the man would want his opinion. Shooting to his feet, he took the clipboard in hand. There was a good deal of scribbling on the sides of the page that he ignored. He couldn't read cursive, after all. Looking instead at the diagrams and what numbers he could see, he shrugged.“Whatever you've got in there is going to tear through that piping as soon as the shielding is gone, or if anyone so much as pokes them. What I personally recommend is replacing it altogether with stainless steel reinforcements, but you'll probably reply-”Taking his cue, Ienzo finished for him. “Impossible. We can't risk a spill.”“Right, so you might just want to rig a fireproof cloth-rig over it and weld some new piping directly over it.”Looking up at the brunet with the trace of a smile, Ienzo appeared blissfully unaware of how much Sora wanted to lean over and kiss him. “Can you weld?”“Yeah, I can.” Standing so close to the slate-haired man, Sora set to work imprinting the man's height and eye color into his memory, making absolutely sure that he would never forget it. Along with this he filed away the smell of the man's shampoo, as they had both leaned over the clipboard at one point and the man was an entire head shorter than him.Passing back the clipboard, he restrained a girlish squeak when their fingers brushed on the underside. Then, in his usual curt manor, Ienzo nodded. “I'll speak with Dr. Even about this.”“I heard you both loud and clear, thank you,” the man in question announced from one of the octopus' gloves. “Right now we don't have the funding for a mass re-make, but we will at our new lab.”“New lab?” Sora questioned. “You're moving? When?”“As soon as we can arrange an off-shore mechanic. Which, I may add, is much more difficult than I thought it would be,” the blond replied, oblivious as to how the words sent the mechanic's heart into his stomach.Feeling as if it were his last chance, Sora asked, “So what are you guys working on?”Dr. Even sighed. “I've told you time and time again, Sora – I can't tell you without Aqua's clearance.”“Top secret. Right. Gotcha.” He allowed a suitable amount of time to pass before following up. “So, there's no chance you're building re-designed uniforms?” This startled a laugh from the man. “Hey, someone had to blow that shit right out of the water!”“I thought you weren't aware of rumors,” Ienzo commented, returning to his corner.“It's hard to be when you've been hearing the same rumor for a year and a half.”“No, we are not redesigning uniforms,” Even announced, reaching beneath his lab coat to pluck at his disdainfully. “Although, now that you mention it, we might have to. The only people who look good in this have blue hair.” He glared pointedly at Ienzo.Surprisingly, the slate-haired man rose to the challenge. “It was designed for Aqua, may I remind you.”“Yeah, yeah,” the scientist murmured, returning to his work. Then, under his breath so only Sora could hear it, he whispered, “Smurf.”“What's wrong with you?” Ienzo asked when the brunet choked on his own saliva and broke into a series of coughs.“Nothing,” he managed after a bit, allowing the coughing, and the laughter it hid, to fade. “It's nothing.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sora had a lot of expectations for remedial light class. None of them were good. What if all the students in the class bore signs of advanced Darkness exposure? What if he wasn't 'dark' enough to learn anything? And most disturbingly, what if the class was actually a torture chamber?
While the final thought didn't make a lot of sense, Sora had gone to his world's public school a lot longer than most of the students at The Academy. And while he was an aide for the front office, he'd delivered a package to the Anger Management room once. There, by the door, was a tall box. A box that, upon asking about it, was revealed to be for students who acted up.
I was soundproof, and could only be unlocked from the outside.
So, on the second day of the week, Sora could be found dragging his feet through the halls at a quarter 'til 13h with a grim expression plain on his face. It was the look of someone who awaited their death. Someone who found no joy in the world. Someone who had hit rock bottom so many times they couldn't quite figure out their own life. Even his trudge was lazy – which wasn't all that surprising seeing as he'd already logged three hours in the simulation rooms. He'd been getting his ass beaten into the ground on a regular basis. All for his other remedial course; swordsmanship.
He was unhappy that he'd even forgotten to pull his hair into a ponytail that morning. In the previous hour alone the locks had snagged on five buttons, three of which belonged to other people, and had gotten caught in two doorways. Not for the first time, he wondered what it would be like to have short hair.
It took Sora quite a while to reach his new class. The door had the crest of the school, like all the others, and beside it was a plaque that read:
Room 305Remedial LightMastery of DialogueDamsels and You
It occurred to Sora that he was in the "Optional Courses" section of campus. He'd only been there one time before – when he'd walked Kairi to her Heartless Theory class a few months prior. (He also marveled at the fact that there actually was a class called "Damsels and You.") And with that last train of thought, he managed to distract himself long enough to actually step through the door. But nothing – not even his worst nightmares – could prepare him for what was actually in the classroom.
Lots of chairs with built-in desks, like some of the other classes had. A very innocent looking wall clock. At the front, a long mirror beside a desk, presumably for a teacher.
And the room was empty. That was important, too.
Sora couldn't figure out what would have scared him more – a class full of would-be villains or the reality that it was full of nothing. That, out of more than 200 students, he had been the only one to fail the Darkness test.
For a desperate moment he entertained the idea that he'd actually stepped into an alternate reality – the ones Ienzo would sometimes talk about. Or maybe he had been displaced in time. Maybe he had died of mortification of what he was currently seeing was just a dream his brain was cooking up before he croaks for good.
Behind him, the door creaked open and a handsome dark-haired man peeked his head in. He stared at the boy for a second before announcing, "You must be Sora."
At the voice, the boy jumped. Spinning so fast he nearly fell, he locked eyes with the figure only half inside the room. "Yes!" he squeaked after a bit, silently wondering if looks were one of the prerequisites to teach at the school.
"Good, good," the man mumbled, stepping further into the room. "Take a seat, then. This shouldn't take very long."
Tromping over to one of the desks, Sora didn't bother masking his confusion as he took his seat. "What shouldn't take very long?"
Turning his back to his student, the man paused. He leaned forward for a moment over his desk before sinister laughter filled the room. The boy watched on curiously as the teacher's shoulders shook with mirth. Then, after one final chuckle, the man spun on his heel to face the boy, bearing plastic fangs and shouting, "Blah!"
Sora stared. "I take it you're Professor Fair?"
Freezing in his pose, "Mr. Fair" blanked a few times before lowering his arms. Almost as an afterthought, he removed the false teeth, as well. "Drat," he groaned pitifully. "That usually gets the first years."
"I'm a second year," Sora informed him. He then took a moment to really think about how stupid first years must be to be surprised like something as lame as vampire fangs. He had never been that naive as a first year. Then again, he had entered late at eighteen. Most were fourteen or fifteen.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fair leaned back to sit against his desk and reached into his pocket to retrieve a slip of paper. He regarded it for a moment before his eyebrows shot up into his hair line. "Well, don't I feel silly." He stored the slip back into his pocket with a grimace.
Sora continued to contemplate the stupidity of first years for a dull moment. After a few seconds of this he turned his attention to Mr. Fair. He didn't know whether to be amused or disappointed. And, going by the teacher's expression, the feeling was mutual.
Clapping his hands loud enough to make the teen jump, Mr. Fair grinned. "Let's get down to business, then. As I'm sure you've noticed, you're the only student in this class."
Raising his hand tentatively, Sora breathed a mental sigh of relief when the man nodded. "I was wondering about that, actually. Is everyone else in the Day 1, Day 3 block class?"
"No," the dark-haired man replied promptly. "It's just you."
"Oh."
The teacher sighed at Sora's crestfallen expression, and waved his hand idly back and forth as if to physically ward it off. "Don't worry about it. Only one or two people fail a year on average, anyway." He paused again, this time regarding Sora. "I was actually hoping you would attend the other class. Your friend Kairi is my TA. She's told me a lot about you." The man frowned. "She also told me you were a first year."
Sora snorted at this.
Professor Fair's expression turned dark. "Now, Sora, I don't think I have to tell you that failing the Darkness test is a very serious thing. You're on probation, and you'll be on probation until the retest. But I think it's fair to tell you how it works."
"Technically or theoretically?" Sora interrupted. Prof. Fair gave him an odd look.
"Excuse me?"
The boy shrugged. "You said you'd tell me how it worked – I'm a Mechanic. It was a joke; technically or theoretically?"
The teacher paused. "Theoretically," he drawled after a moment before pulling a small orb of Materia from his pocket and fiddling with it. "Now, inside the machine there are a series of lights. These lights are special, and are actually aimed at your back. However, you see them on the ceiling. They exist on a separate level of existence as we do – on the level of light and Darkness. The more the light, with is white, is distorted into other colors, the more Darkness one has.
"This is because when the light passes through he body, is has to pass through the Heart itself. The more colors, the more Darkness in a Heart. The more Darkness there is, the more likely one is to be consumed from the inside." He tossed the Materia into the air, and it shined faintly. "In the entire school," he caught the sphere carefully, "you are the most at risk." He stared down at the Materia in his hands for a moment, scared to look up at Sora's expression. It was never pretty, seeing the realization come over someone's face that they may some day be engulfed by their own Heart.
Sora just shrugged, speaking in a light tone that startled the man in front. "But Darkness can't take over if you're happy, right?"
Prof. Fair looked up at the boy in surprise. It was a very simple way of thinking, what Sora was suggesting, but something in the boy's eyes told him it was possible. Smiling, he motioned for the student to stand from his seat, then made his way over behind the desk. They approached the mirror. It was long, and had been propped against the wall. (He ignored the little seed of jealousy after finding that Sora was taller than him.) Reaching behind it, Prof. Fair pressed a button and the glass went dark.
"This is a Heart monitor – of the physical kind. It can show you your makeup of Darkness and Light. And step away from the mirror – it needs to get a read on the world it sees."
Stepped to the side, Sora watched as the glass slowly fogged, then cleared to reveal the classroom.
"I'll go first," the man announced. "That way you'll be able to gauge yours." Stepping in front of the mirror, Prof. Fair motioned for the boy to take a look.
Glancing over the mirror, the teen blinked slowly. It was strange – Prof. Fair was there, but in the center of his chest was a bright light, and seething off of that light was Darkness. It was a dreary mist; one that overtook his entire body. It even shadowed his face, making it several shades darker in the mirror than it was in real life.
"I'm average," the teacher stated simply, surprising the boy. "At best, you want it to be misty. Thick, inky darkness can be dangerous, but it won't be a problem if your light is strong enough. One must also be careful if their light is too bright. Darkness can feed off the power. Or it can do just as much damage as no light at all.
"The Academy isn't trying to push 'Light is good, Darkness is evil,' because that's not true. A balance of both is best, and will allow you a better perspective on the world around you. Not all beings of Darkness are evil, after all, just as not all denizens of Light are good." He paused. "Well, that's enough of my rambling. Come on – step in front of the mirror."
As Prof. Fair stepped to the side, Sora took his place in front of the mirror. Facing forward, they stared at his reflection for a bit. "That's not good, is it?" the boy asked, slightly alarmed.
His teacher shrugged. "Inky darkness isn't the end of the world. Besides – it looks like you have a pretty strong heart!"
At the very center of Sora's chest was a Light – bright and blinding. Surrounding it on all sides was an inky abyss that blacked out his torso entirely, reaching nearly halfway down his arms. But what drew Sora's attention wasn't the Darkness – it was the the slight bulging of his Light. Near the bottom it was a bit bulbous, making his center a bit like an egg. "Is that normal?" he asked, surprised.
"No." Prof. Fair admitted.
Emboldened by this, Sora turned to the side to get a better view and they both froze. It wasn't a deformity of his light. It wasn't shaped like an egg. There, behind his own heart, was another. Small, but bright, it shone with a resilience that seemed to feed his own.
The man swallowed heavily. "I have to tell Aqua about this."
-T-M-
"What do you mean?" a young woman gasped, staring Sora down in shock. Her long hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, a stark black against the gray of her uniform. Even pulled up, her hair was nearly as long as Sora's, which fell in a single line to his knees. Her skin was a deep tan, and her milk-chocolate eyes had a certain sort of softened edge beneath severe eyebrows. She was around Sora's age, give or take a few years.
"Exactly what I said," Sora replied eagerly. Grabbing at a length of coils, the boy set about separating them by hand. "I looked in the mirror and it showed me my light! And there were two of them!"
"Bullshit!"
"Lilo, language!"
"I'm not some naive kid any more. I mean, you're not the type to lie, but no one has two lights."
"I know - but it's the machine I'm curious about," he informed her enthusiastically, turning away from the wiring to look the girl in the eye.
Lilo hummed at this. "Okay, let's say for a second that this machine exists. How would it work?"
"I don't know," the taller boy announced joyfully. "I asked Cid, but he has no idea."
"And your lab friends?"
Sora paused at this. "Lab friends? You mean Ienzo and Dr. Even?"
"Yeah," the girl confirmed. "Have you asked them yet? They're big-time scientists, right?"
"They're not my friends."
"You say that, but you're the only one who gets lab time. I'm jealous." Setting the last of the wires for Sora to melt into place, the young woman stretched her arms far above her head, arched her back, and groaned. "Then again, you are Cid's Little Protege, so I guess that's understandable."
Sora sighed. "How long is it going to take for that nickname to run its course?"
"Depends. When do you plan on graduating?"
Sora, freeing one hand from his work on the wired, flipped her off. Lilo returned the sentiment two-fold, wagging her middle fingers back and forth with a smile.
"So," she continued jovially, "what happened after this supposed 'two lights' incident?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Prof. Fair went really quiet, asked me to sit down, and we kind of just stared at each other for the rest of the hour. After that I left, and no one's really brought it up since."
"And the classes since?"
"He's been really stiff," Sora admitted. "But the lessons are pretty interesting to tell the truth. Did you know that jealousy is the number one contributor towards darkness exposure?"
"No, I didn't. But that's pretty cool. I don't know why, but it's cool."
"I know, right? The entire syllabus is like that. Just... really cool. It's hard to believe it's a remedial class. And I've actually started using the methods he says work for suppressing darkness, just because they're useful in real life, too."
Leaning forward to close the panel now that Sora was done with the wiring, Lilo smiled. "Like what?"
"Like doing stretches before and after bed and drinking ginger ale."
"What's the ginger ale for?"
"I don't know, but I've been in a better mood ever since."
-T-M-
Ducking beneath some wires dangling directly in the walkway, Sora laughed as some kids he recognized as first-year mechanics argued over which wire would need to be replaced for the sulfur-light to work again. Eyes turned to him as he passed, and he picked up the pace. One grabbed his arm before he could escape. Before they could (possibly) repeat his dreaded nickname, the boy smoothly informed them, "Blue wire." Turning on his heel, he slid his arm from their grip and walked away. When no one called after him, he figured it was safe to say that's what they wanted.
With a skip in his step, Sora made his way into the labs. "Afternoon," he called, voice somewhat bored despite his hyper demeanor. Glancing around, he took in the absence of periwinkle hair, disappointed. "Ienzo not in, today?"
"No, he isn't," Even confirmed from the other side of the room without looking up from his clipboard. "And I'm about to leave, as well - there's nothing to do, today. You can go do... whatever you do when you aren't here."
Laughing, the teen tugged his shirt down nervously. "In case you didn't notice, I don't really do anything outside of lab and class."
This seemed to get the man's attention, as he actually bothered to look up from his clipboard. "Why is that?" He then looked the teen up and down, placing one finger to his chin in thought. "From my observations you are a very social person. Surely you have outings with friends in your free time."
"Not really," Sora admitted. "I'm a second year, so I can't go off campus. And my schedule is pretty full this semester."
Dr. Even seemed to take this into consideration. His hand dropped from his chin, curling instead into a loose fist at his collarbone. "I was meaning to ask you about that. I was informed at the beginning of this project that you were in your final Mechanics course."
Shrugging, the boy tugged at his shirt again. "I am. I got an exception in my first year."
"An exception?" Even scoffed. "The things people think of..." Stuffing the clipboard under his arm, he moved to leave.
Bracing himself, Sora cleared his throat as the blond crossed the room. "Sir, I have a question."
"Yes, what is it?" the man asked, stopping in the doorway.
"There was a machine they used in my Remedial Light class; it showed me my light."
The blond waved his hand, as if to physically brush off the question. "Don't worry; you're not going to wake up tomorrow with six hands."
"That's..." Clearing his throat, Sora shook his head. "I'm not worried about something like that. I was wondering if you knew how it worked."
For the second time since Sora had walked into the lab, Dr. Even was surprised. If the brunet didn't know him any better he would have said he looked absolutely baffled.
"You want to know how it works?"
"Yeah." The boy nodded to affirm this in case the scientist went spontaneously deaf. "Do you know?"
"Sora, do you..." The man paused, almost in disbelief. "Why do you want to know?"
"Why? Because I'm curious."
"And?"
"And what?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow at the man's inquisition. "That's all, really."
Turning away from the teen, Even strode out of the room, motioning for Sora to follow. "You should be careful about curiosity. It can be a funny thing."
Following close on the man's heels, Sora allowed his confusion to play openly across his face. "Are you sure you should be saying that? You're a scientist."
"I know I'm a scientist, brat. Some things just need to be said," he informed the boy. "It should make no difference if I'm a scientist or a farmer."
Sora could only nod along, not quite sure what the man meant. He figured he'd figure it out someday. "So, do you know how it works?"
"Ask Ienzo," the man replied, checking his clipboard. "He should be in tomorrow morning."
Nodding, the brunet slowed, allowing the man to walk off alone, staring at his clipboard. "Tomorrow, then," he whispered to himself. "Let's hope I don't forget."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

With nothing to do during his entire week off of classes, Sora eventually paid a visit to the simulation rooms. Many front-line teams had come back early from their rounds to take advantage of the Sim rooms freed up by darkness testing.
”Seifer, watch out!”

“I got it, I got it!”
He watched on, jealousy rising up in him, as four fifth-year students worked to take down a simulated enemy, firing off spells and battling with styles he'd never before even imagined. He watched in awe as the girl- Fuujin, according to the sign-in sheet- shaped a Blizzard spell around her shoes before moving in to throw a series of kicks. She was thin as a rail, but the monster, a Darkside, reeled at her strikes. Raijin wasn't too far behind her, metallic gloves channeling his mana into a veil of fire. Between flickers of flame, Sora could just make out the reddish tint of the metal. He remembered that commission- Cid had him do the wiring. (And when he thought about it, a lot of people had him doing wiring. It was ridiculous how many wires he had set halfway into his second year.)Raijin dodged between the simulated Heartless' arms, and the brunet behind the dashboard couldn't help but jump in surprise as a single punch sent the monster sprawling. Glancing down at the controls, it occurred to him that maybe they were facing too low a level. Turning on the loudspeaker, he cleared his throat. “You guys want a stronger Heartless?”“Let us finish this one, first!” the one named Seifer called back.“Okay.” He could only sit back and watch in awe as the fourth member of the team, Hayner, who until then had remained at a distance, charged a fireball nearly twice his size and fired it with deadly accuracy at the recovering enemy. “Holy shit!” It was then, and only then, that Seifer jumped into action, running into the residue smoke from the spell. Sora didn't see what happened, but when the smoke settled he was surprised to see the Heartless gone. Pressing the button for the intercom once more, he blabbed, “That was awesome, you guys!”“Please don't tell me there's a first year in there,” Seifer drawled humorously, obviously enjoying the praise.“Second year,” Sora corrected. “Anyway, higher level. That was a level forty-eight Darkside. Requests?”Turning back to his teammates, Seifer spoke too quietly for the microphones on the other side to pick up. At this time Sora glanced at the sign-in sheet. It was just as he thought; Seifer was majoring in Team Leadership, while the rest were Offensive magic majors. He blinked. They were an official team- who had the keyblade? “Three level sixty Zwill Blades, please.”Not quite surprised by the request, Sora shook his head before realizing they couldn't see it. “As a student I don't have the clearance to authorize any cumulative levels over 100 for non-graduates.”On the other side of the screen, Hayner shrugged. “It was worth a try,” he joked.“I'll send you two fifties, and if you guys do well I'll phone Cid with your scores and ask for an exception for a test of Simulation strength consistency. How does that sound?”“That sounds, uh, good,” Seifer agreed, appearing to be thinking about something. “Hey, do I know you?”“Sora,” Fuujin suddenly announced, arm extended in an exaggerated point aimed behind the screen.“What? Cid's little protege?” Raijin made a show of his reaction, throwing his arms and torso in a whole-body reflex.Hayner smiled. “I knew it!”Sora fought the urge to slam his face into the console. Settling for second best, he loaded the program. “Two Zwill Blades, incoming in five, four-”“And that is why you don't tease the monitor,” Seifer commented with a grin, turning to face the front of the machine, where two data forms were solidifying. Finishing the countdown, Sora watched as two high-level Zwill Blades burst into action, tearing into the team the moment they were able. It was then that the brunet had his question answered when Seifer called a Keyblade to his side just in time to block, then sent it away after he countered. The young man had never seen a battle style like it- controlled, but unexpected. Occasionally the blond would charge the Heartless, and when it did block it was for a hand-to-hand blow, but then he would summon his Keyblade and strike, and the blow would always be different.Usually he hit it straight on, like all wielders were taught. Sometimes he held the sword backhanded, and others sideways. Every once in a while he would change styles altogether and his movements would become jerky and mechanical. Other times it was as if Sora were watching a dance. But with all his variations one thing remained a constant; Seifer would always send his Keyblade away after striking. It was a confusing set of choreography that made no sense.Turning his eyes back to the others, he tried to properly monitor them. He took survey of the damage they were taking, which was certainly a lot more than what the Darkside had given them. Raijin was favoring his left. This was most likely due to his being left handed, but it could have also been because of an old injury. He made sure to be in the fray at all times, guarding whenever he wasn't throwing any hits of his own. Hayner, on the other hand, cast spells with both hands and always made sure his body was balanced, staying a good fifteen feet from the battle. Fuujin, much like Raijin, was in the fray at all times, but left herself open constantly with wide kicks.It was when he realized this that she went down, struck across the chest by a disorienting spinning attack. The attack would have been enough to take Sora out, easy, but she stood right back up and kept fighting. Mentally, he applauded her, then turned to the others, who were faring much better than he honestly thought they would.Several minutes later, Fuujin took another strike, this time across the face. Down she went for a second before she shot to her feet. But she wasn't up on shaky legs for more than five seconds before they gave out beneath her, and she fell to the floor. Her damage charts showed that she had more than two thirds of her usual stamina remaining, but she didn't get back up. Sora could only stare for a few tense seconds. He watched her flail her arms for a second before rolling onto her hands. Her entire body shook, rolling, convulsing as she stared at the ground and spat out a bit of bile. Taking account of the girl, Sora ran through the possibilities.Fuujin could be sick with a stomach bug, or could have had too much to eat at lunch. The attack could have thrown her off, too. Disorientation could cause nausea. Until she tried to stand up he didn't realize what was really going on; that her uniform and underclothes had been torn. Maunder's gravity had been taking effect, and it had been taking effect for a while. Slamming his hand down on the emergency all-stop button, Sora almost literally jumped over to the closet, only to find that no one had stocked it with fresh uniforms. Without preamble, he raced in the room just as the cease-alarm blared. Yellow warning lights lit the room from every angle, nearly blinding him as he raced to the girl, removing his tie in a haste and carefully unbuttoning his blazer and shirt.Seifer stared at him in shock as he came in. “Sora? What's-” He cut off as he saw Fuujin, convulsing on her side.Tossing his things to the floor beside her, Sora slipped her blazer off, avoiding the small sparks the split buttons gave off as he moved them. Her blouse also sparked, the mechanisms inside the buttons designed to counteract gravity having been severed. Without preamble, he tore her ruined shirt open and off, then worked on the lining of her standard-issue underwear, the wiring of which had been revealed and crackled ominously. “I need your help, Raijin,” he demanded.The man was immediately at his side. “I don't know what to do, you know?”“Lift her up by the shoulders,” he directed, holding the shirt up to her back as he did so. With a little maneuvering they were able to get her into it, which seemed to stop the shivering. He fastened the buttons quickly, then threw the blazer around her shoulders, shoving her arms through the sleeves with haste and buttoning it, as well.Hayner approached from the sidelines, where he had been standing stock still for a while. “Is she going to be alright?”“Ask the medics when they get here,” Sora replied. “And someone might want to do something about her cheek. I don't know anything about cuts.”The sound of tearing fabric filled the room as Seifer ripped off the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a taught, tan bicep. He threw it to Raijin, who caught in and pressed it against the cut on Fuujin's face.“Because we totally couldn't have used her already ruined shirt for that,” Sora deadpanned. Seifer had the gall to move his gaze to the ceiling and whistle out a few low notes. The medics didn't arrive for another five minutes, and when they did Raijin walked off with them, accompanying Fuujin to the medical bay without question. Afterward, Sora, Seifer, and Hayner simply stood outside the Sim room, not really knowing what to do with their time.“So,” Seifer began, startling the brunet. “That was impressive. I take it you've been in that situation before.”Sora shrugged, not quiet expecting conversation. “Phys. Ed. teacher doesn't like me. I get assigned to room-watch a lot.”“How come he doesn't like you?”“Because I lower the average P.E. grade of the entire school by three points.”Much to his surprise, both the fifth years laughed at this. “But seriously, I think I know you from somewhere,” Seifer insisted. Placing a hand on his chin, the man turned to look at Sora, almost as if taking stock of him. They barely had an inch difference in height, the blond being the taller of the two. “Have you ever been to Twilight Town?”“Nah- I'm from Destiny Islands, and I'm not allowed off world yet.”Seifer shrugged. “In that case, did you happen to take Mechanics A second semester last year?”A memory came upon the brunet like a message sent by a God with a bad sense of humor. “You're Gay Pirate guy!” It was only after he blurted it that he realized what he had said. Least to say, Hayner fixed him a very strange look.The blond scowled. “Come again?”“You know, 'cause you came into class that time wearing an eye-patch.” Feeling a bit of a dizzy spell coming on, he settled against the wall, making a mental note to get to his dorm as soon as possible.He snorted, still not amused. “Yeah, because I'd had surgery on my eye.”Sora screwed up his eyebrows, curious. “What kind of surgery?”“Vision correction,” the blond informed him. “Took a bad blow to the face in training and it started degrading. Aqua told the 'rents, and the next thing I knew I was being treated like a five year old with a cavity.” Crossing his arms, the blond leaned against the wall beside him. “It was like I'd done something wrong.”“So you were going to leave it to degrade. Got it.” Raising his hand to the bridge of his nose, Sora fought off another dizzy spell.Taking notice of the action, the Hayner fixed Sora with a look. “Is something wrong?”“Huh?”“You don't look all that great.”Sora blinked up at him for a moment before rubbing his eyes. “Just sleepy. I'm only wearing this for gravity-repulsion after all,” he quietly informed the boy, tugging at the sleeve of the underwear. When his hand lowered he found a blazer being held out to him, courtesy of Seifer.“Put it on- I'll escort you to your room just in case.”“Don't you guys want to get to the medical bay?” Despite his protest, he took the offered blazer and slipped it on, feeling less and less like he was on a slow roller coaster as the seconds ticked by.Hayner laughed. “If I go we'll turn into a bicycle lugging around a spare tire, and if we both go we'll just turn into training wheels.”“What?”Seifer sighed. “Third wheels, Sora. We're third wheels.”…“And you won't believe it- Hayner pulled out this fireball that was huge! It was, like, twice his size!”“Sora, that's the third time you've told me. Trust me- I believe it.”Kairi was tired, had a headache, and wasn't in the mood for chatter. The girl had just spent the previous sixteen hours charging through alternating ice-cold impromptu showers and pools of hot water, stepping through tires, jumping over blocks, crawling beneath barbed wire, vaulting over obstacles, and getting yelled at by the physical education teacher, who happened to be on the male equivalent of the rag. In short, Kairi wanted to smoke, cuddle up with Riku's amazing pillow, and read a good harlequin. And so, in a moment of insanity (dubbed as thus by Retrospective) she had gone to Sora and Riku's dorm room to hang out after her Day of Doom instead of collapsing on her own bed to die in peace. What she had failed to take into account was that when Sora got bored he went to the Sim rooms. And on the Days of Doom the fifth years monopolized them. And when Sora saw fifth years he always went off on demoralizing rants about how great they were.“Seifer was so graceful- it was like a dance!” He paused. Cue demoralization. “I'll never be able to move like them.”She didn't fight it. “That's right. Never.”“Don't both... er... wait, what?”Blowing out a long line of smoke directly at the ceiling, the redhead appreciated the moment of silence much more than she should have. She pondered what might have happened if only she hadn't lit up before Sora opened his mouth. Then she would have known to leave and smoke in her own room. As things were, though, it was too late to leave. She would have to wait until the end of her first cigarette. Even then, Riku's bed was worth the trip. “Might as well give up fighting forever, Sora. You're never going to move like them, and your spells will never be powerful. Oh- wait- you're a Mechanic! I guess everything's fine and dandy, then.“When are you going to learn? You aren't a failed Keyblade wielder because you're not being taught to wield a Keyblade. You aren't a failed mage because at no point have you been a mage. You aren't a failed medic because, hey, you've never even taken a basic medical magic class. And oh, what do you know? You're a damn good mechanic. I guess everything worked out for the best, didn't it?” She turned the page.Again, blissful, mind-numbing silence. “Kairi, are you okay?”“Sora, I just spent sixteen hours in Hell. I would like a little slice of heaven. That requires silence.”“Then why did you come to my room?”“Because Riku's pillow smells nice,” she replied instantly, cuddling up to the fluffy monstrosity that the man had dragged all the way from the Islands in the place of the usual personal affects. (Photos, art supplies, video games, etc.)“But doesn't Riku's pillow smells like him? Shouldn't it be, you know, sweaty and icky, or something equally gross to girls?”Abandoning the pillow, she carefully placed her finger between the pages of the harlequin and leaned over the railing. “Sora, look at me.” He did, eyes gluing themselves to her upside-down floating head. “First of all, Riku doesn't smell bad. He smells like lavender. And the reason he smells like lavender is because he sleeps with this pillow, which is stuffed with polyester, cotton, and an alarming amount of dried lavender.“You hear that? LAVENDER. It's an herb. One that's been proven to relax people, and even help them fall asleep. This makes it the perfect pillow. And it happens to be Riku's precious baby so it doesn't leave his bed. And second,” she continued, lowering her arm with the harlequin in hand over the railing to show the young man, “he sticks harlequins between the mattress and the wall. This bunk is heaven; end of discussion.” She retreated back into the bunk, enjoying the subsequent moments of incandescent silence that she knew would not last long.“Harlequins?” the brunet asked, thoroughly confused. “What's that?” In a last-ditch effort to quiet the man, Kairi stuffed her hand between the mattress and the wall, retrieved a book that looked promising, leaned over the rail, and chucked it as hard as she could before turning back to her companion's roommate's book. “Owe!” Sora shouted, the spine having made first contact with his face. “That hurt!”“I suggest you be quiet, then,” the woman warned, turning another page.Again, silence. Sweet, sweet silence. Snuggling further into her friend's pillow, Kairi set about having her downtime. For hours the room stayed like this; tranquil. And when Sora finally did speak again, she had calmed enough not to punch him in the face. “Hey, Kairi?” he asked, peeking over the safety rail at her.“Yeah, Sora?”“What's a 'heaving bosom?'”“You're actually reading that?”“Yeah- what is it?”“I don't know,” she lied, finding herself incapable of passing up the opportunity. “Ask Riku when he gets back.”“Okay.”On the bottom bunk, Sora found himself tugging his new schedule from his pocket. It had initially been folded five times, but in the two days since he'd gotten it on day one he'd it had gotten crumpled into a ball and thrown at random objects several times before he thought better and retrieved it. Smoothing the creases, he tried not to wince as he looked at his schedule. After the failing his tests had an extra eighteen hours of remedial classes tacked on to every week of class. Sora stared at the schedule for a long time, even after Kairi had climbed down from the top bunk. Upon seeing he was still awake she bid him farewell, mussing up his hair before she left.From there the brunet wondered what Riku would have done if he had been assigned to remedial courses. But the answer was as immediate as it was depressing: nothing. Riku was Riku, and the man wouldn't ever be assigned to remedial classes.Curling up on his side, the brunet snatched a cigarette from the open pack between the bed and the wall, placing it between his lips but not lighting it.…It was the fourth day of the week- the day Aqua asked him to come to her office. Not quite sure what to do, Sora headed to the lab instead, hoping that a chat with Even would clear his head. The young man was surprised, though, when he found the blond absent.“Good morning, Sora,” Ienzo greeted, not looking up from his microscope. With a needle and a miniscule pair of tweezers he bent over his desk. “What brings you here at this hour?”“Couldn't sleep,” the brunet replied, shrugging. “Thought Even might be here since... Well, it was more of a hope than anything.”The man shrugged. “Even is off-world at the moment. Our possible hosts in Hollow Bastion like to speak in person.”Disappointed, the younger man managed a small, “Oh,” as his shoulders slumped.“How much do you know about the uniforms?” The question surprised the brunet, who looked up in shock.“What do you want to know?”“How to get this damn button open,” Ienzo replied, reaching beneath the microscope to show Sora a shirt button. It was from the man's own uniform. Said article, which was usually perfectly smooth with all the buttons properly closed, was rumpled and partially open, placing a small triangle of the man's neck on display. “Among other things.”Whether it was an eagerness born of an effort to distract himself from the view, or to teach Ienzo something for a change, the brunet didn't know. But it wasn't two seconds before Sora snatched the button out of the man's hand and took over the man's seat. “There are slits on the inside, where the string goes, not on the rim,” he narrated, placing it under the microscope. Grabbing the needle, he slid it in the small crack and the button no larger than his pinky nail popped open, revealing a series of wires and small glowing spheres. “Anything else?” He was surprised by the silence that followed.“Uh, yeah...” the other man managed after a while. Sora took his moment of pleased surprise straight to heart, not willing to place it anywhere else. It was a look he rarely saw. “If it short circuits how do I get it started up again?”Rotating the button, the brunet motioned the man over. “It's quite simple. There are two spheres of Gravity Materia in every button; each is about 1.21mm long. One- GM1- is connected directly to the wiring, which regulates the signal. The other one- GM2 begins the process. All you have to do is send a small shock of electricity through GM2. The tricky part is not hitting GM1, because that'll short it out again.”“How far apart are they?”“4.89mm.”“You think Cid's compensating for something?”Sora laughed. “I wouldn't know.” Taking a closer look at the button, the teen frowned. “Hey- this is shorted out!”Reaching around the taller boy, Ienzo summoned a bit of lightning to play over his pinky finger. It skid across the surface of his skin, leaving trails of warmed skin in its wake. Tapping the digit to the button, she shrugged the lightning away and retrieved it from the desk, fitting it back together as the Materia began to glow and the microscopic technology came to life. “Shorted out? I don't know what you're talking about,” he feigned. “It looks perfectly fine to me.”Sora rolled his eyes. “Whatever. How'd you do that?”“Do what?”“How do you get the lightning to play with your fingers like that?”“You should have learned it.”Sora frowned. “I'm only a second year student.”There was a short silence that followed. “Really?” he asked, allowing his surprise to show. “Well, you'll learn it in fourth.”The brunet's eyes shot wide in surprise as the man turned no his heel. “You went here?”Ienzo nodded. “Yes, I did,” he informed him. “I graduated about eight years ago, in fact.”“Got any silly stories about the professors?”Turning back to face the man, the slate-haired apprentice shrugged. “Not really.”“Oh...” He paused. “Classmates?”He seemed to take pause at this and actually think, which surprised the brunet, who hadn't actually expected an honest answer. The silence stretched as Sora watched on, apprehensive but braced. Finally, the man spoke. “A friend of mine lost a bet, cut his underclothes into a bikini, and did ten laps around the track when I was in my third year.” Sora laughed, Ienzo grinned, and a wall of something broke between them.In retrospect, Sora couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

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Standing in Aqua's office, alone, was not a pleasant affair. Especially after having been called there by the woman herself. He couldn't imagine what could be important enough that the Headmistress herself would be late to a meeting she had called before it even begun.Idly, Sora imagined that she was lost.The boy stood in the doorway to the woman's office for at least five minutes before taking a seat in one of the many multicolored chairs set before the woman's desk. (True to form, he took the blue one.) From then he expected to sit in utter silence for many hours that were actually a scant few minutes. But when Aqua strode into the office with all the confidence that comes from a Master, he grinned."Good morning, Headmistress."She smiled back at him. "Good morning, Sora. I'm sorry I'm late. How are you today?""A little tired," the boy admitted."A double-block of Remedial Swordsmanship will do that," Aqua stated simply, if humorously. "How is the affecting you, by the way? This is your busiest semester yet, am I correct?"Leaning back further in his seat, as if to shrink into it, Sora fought down a blush he had no idea had been forming. "I'm okay, I guess. I don't have a lot of trouble with homework, seeing as very few of my classes assign any, so I have a bit of free time."Aqua's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "To my understanding you're taking Physics 4, Mathematics 4, Magic Theory 1, Battle Strategy 2, and Advanced Mechanics. All of those courses involve a lot of paperwork."Sora shrugged. "The Math and Physics are review at best - I learned most of it from public school. I usually finish the work in class, so there aren't any independent study sheets left. Magic Theory and Battle Strategy are the hard ones, but Kairi helps me with those.""And Mechanics?""Cid only assigns homework to slack-jawed, bug..." Sora stopped abruptly, correcting his statement to one that didn't come from the Mechanics teacher at his most abrasive. "He only assigns homework to struggling students." The last thing he wanted was to earn his teacher a reprimand for being awesome.Aqua gave him a good long look, then shrugged. "Very well. How did you like your first week of Remedial Light?""Great," Sora pitched immediately before he realized his mistake. "I mean, I like it a lot. It's a very interesting class, and I'm learning a lot of really useful stuff.""That's good, Sora. Very good." For a moment, an expression of doubt - with maybe a touch of concern - passed across Aqua's face. It was only then that she took hold of her office chair and took a seat. "That's actually why I called you here. Professor Fair made a report a few days ago that something strange took place in the beginning of class, when you went to look at your heart. That there were two lights instead of one. Is this true?"The boy ignored the sudden sensation of his throat falling into his stomach, and replied as evenly as he could, "Yes, Headmistress.""I thought as much. You've never been much of a problem student, so two lights would explain why you failed the Darkness test. 'The closer to light one gets, the greater one's shadow becomes.'" Aqua giggled; it was an attractive sound. "Or so say the philosophers. In this case, the second light may be another person within you."Then the woman smiled, putting Sora at ease. "I have reason to believe that it is... a person. A friend of mine. I think that it is only fair to warn you that in a while I will take you to meet an acquaintance of the school. He might be able to tell you more about yourself."Tell me more about myself? Sora thought. Why do I need someone to tell me about me?"Are there any questions you would like to ask? Concerns? Requests?" Aqua then asked. And while Sora would usually be surprised, he found himself expecting the inquiry."I'd like to remain in Remedial Light," he announced confidently.The woman smiled, grabbed a folder from the side of her desk, and made a few marks on the sheet of paper. "Done."-T-M-Breathing heavily, Sora shot up in bed, narrowly avoiding the bars of the upper bunk. His hands shot to his chest, which he half expected to house a splitting heart. But when no dark figure materialized in his room, he seemed to take solace that whatever had just happened was just a dream. Or, rather, it was the past.Ventus' past.Shaking his head, Sora curled back into his sheets and tried to sleep. What he had witnessed haunted him. And he knew, without a doubt, that he should not remember the pain of someone else's heart being forcefully pried apart. But he did, and he began to wonder if that was the only way to conquer the darkness completely - to sever it from the living.Then, deep in thought, he mumbled, "But would the result be human?"-T-M-Clutching his keyblade tight in one hand, Sora leaped at a darkened familiar figure. It was inky black, humanoid, with impressive muscles and height. Hair fell to its ears, and a keyblade hung from its grip. Occasionally it would flicker, the pixels shifting from side to side. Much to his surprise, not only did the artificial creature avoid the blow, it also retaliated. Landing flat on his back, the boy cursed. Around him the hologram melted away to reveal the cold steel of the Sim room."Sora," Kairi called from her place behind the observation glass, "You need to watch for the upswing.""I know," he shouted, tossing his keyblade across the room. It clattered against the far wall. "I know, I know, I know!"There was a deep, masculine laugh. "Giving up already?"Sora's eyes shot to the observation glass, and was greeted by the reflective side of a one-way window. But soon he was rewarded. The side door flew open, and out strode a man in his early twenties with long silver hair and the build of a greek god. Bright blue-green eyes remained trained on the shorter boy's form as he walked into the room with all the confidence of an experienced soldier."Long time no see," Sora greeted shakily.Sparing the teen a small, weak smile, the taller man turned to the window. "Kairi, set it for Traverse Town, would you?""Gotcha!" the girl replied happily.Stepping up to the boy, the white-haired man tugged at a necklace of stones that hung tight around his neck. "Hey."Sora couldn't help the grin that spread across his face like wildfire, spawning from the pure elation that raced through his veins. "Welcome back, Riku."-T-M-“So, how'd he fail this time?”“He forgot he could summon his keyblade, and how to jump.”“Could you guys not talk about my Phys. Ed. final, please?”Gritting his teeth, Sora resisted the urge to slam his face into the tiled wall of the communal showers as his friends laughed.“Oh, come on, don't be a sourpuss,” Kairi reprimanded jokingly. “He was going to figure out sooner or later. You'd just make it sound like the most miserable thing on Maunder.”Scoffing, Riku stepped out of his underwear, tossing it into the laundry chute. With the gravity-repulsing buttons gone, he hopped right into the showering area, his stomach a knot of nausea and g-forces. “I'm pretty sure nothing is more miserable than the sand out there. Now hurry up – it feels like I'm on a roller coaster in here.”“Fine,” Kairi called back, bored. Shucking the rest of her clothes, she stepped in with the taller boy. “Hurry up, Sora!”“Yeah, yeah,” the boy replied, shoving down his own undergarments before joining them in the wide stall, pressing the initiation button on the way.Three beeps sounded through the bathroom, and a door slid shut behind them, locking them in. A show of red lights played along their bodies, and the three teens shivered under the sensation. It was as if their skin was boiling hot, but frigid at the same time. Whenever a light would move across their body a trail of clean skin and gooseflesh followed. After thirty seconds of this the lights ceased and the door slid open again. Rushing to the lockers, the teens tugged on clean underwear as quickly as they could, shortly followed by pants.“I never liked those things,” Riku commented, buttoning the regulation underwear all the way up to his neck. “They're so weird.”“I like 'em,” Sora commented from the side.“Yeah, but you have a technology fetish,” Kairi teased from his right, tucking her breasts into a pushup bra before buttoning her underwear and shirt. “Why else would they call you Cid's little protege?”Sora flinched.“Cid's little protege, huh?” Riku sneered, fixing the shorter boy with a look. “Cute little nickname you picked up, little one.”“Just shut up,” the brunet protested, leaning face-first into the locker. “Both of you, just shut up.”Turning back to the laser showers, Kairi hummed to herself. “I wonder how these things work.”Sora grinned. “Well, actually-” A hand slapped itself across his mouth as a form of interruption.“I'm going to stop you there,” the taller boy drawled, “and – hey! Don't lick my hand!”Finding his mouth suddenly free (plus a little saliva running down his chin,) the blue-eyed teen proceeded to rant about the benefits of water-free bathing technology and its applications in modern day life. (And not so modern, in their case.)-T-M-Riku was back. It was a simple concept that should have promised joy and prosperity, but instead placed a topic the size of a whale in the very center of the dorm room. One that Riku seemed determined to ignore.To Sora, the front line of battle was a place that was so far out of reach he would never come close enough to see it. But Riku had seen it. Riku had lived it. And despite the younger boy's eagerness to hear about what battle was like from the mouth of someone who had lived it, Sora couldn't quite bring himself to ask. So when he came back to their shared room after the last of his classes the day after Riku's return, the brunet stayed silent and simply climbed into his own bunk to start on homework.After a while, Sora shivered. There was a breeze – but from where? He searched for some kind of fan, which Riku had a habit of snagging from the storage room, but there was none. Eventually, his eyes landed on the window. While it had previously been a porthole designed to be just a view to the outside, someone had magicked it to open and shut like the windows back on Destiny Islands. It even had a latch. Beyond it was the sand of Maunder – an endless desert that was cooling from the day.Despite being summer, the surface was less than half its usual temperature at night. All three suns had already set, leaving the sky dark, and the only sources of illumination were the steady lights from the dorm room windows. On other planets, it was nearing the end of winter, and moving into spring.“Did you change the window?” Sora asked, startling the man in the upper bunk.“Yeah,” his companion replied shakily, turning a page of his harlequin. “I wanted some fresh air.”Sora didn't bother mentioning that Maunder didn't have air, and that the “air” outside was just the same recycled oxygen they'd been breathing for the last three years contained by a force-field. If anything, the air outside was less fresh than what was inside. “How'd you do that?”“A friend of mine taught me.”“A friend?""Yeah.""From where?""Earth.""You went to Earth?""No."Each answer was more monotone than the last, and it worried Sora. But he knew not to pry. Riku hated it when he pried. So instead, Sora laid back in bed and pretended to sleep. Eventually, as he usually did, the taller boy slowly climbed down the ladder and left the room.Stepping over to the window, Sora lit a cigarette and wondered if Riku was going through another one of his "phases," or if he should be worried about his friend.

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The first of the three suns of Maunder peeked over the horizon, instantly flooding the dorm rooms with a sudden rush of light. In his room, Sora groggily sat up. The sun was better than any alarm clock. But that "morning" seemed colder than usual. Peeking out from beneath his thick blankets, his eyes landed on the ice-encrusted windowsill. From the looks of it, Riku had never closed the window. As such, the entire room was about twenty degrees, which did a little more than disagree with the brunet.Leaping to his feet in a rush to close the window, the boy rubbed his arms vigorously on the way. He reached out, throwing it shut and latching it clumsily, before leaping back into bed with chattering teeth. There he curled up in the blankets with misery. Eventually the heat regulators kicked on, and he was greeted by warmer air. Not as warm as he would like, but warm none-the-less. Throwing off his sheets, he glanced at the clock. It was 30h - Maunder's equivalent to midnight.In other words, he had another six hours before he had to get up to go to the labs.Groaning, the boy fell into bed and released a melodramatic sob. After thirty minutes or so of just lying there, he rolled back out of bed and onto the floor, taking the blanket with him. Climbing the ladder to the second bunk, he whistled a tune. "Time to get up," he announced, having reached the top, only to find the mattress empty aside from Riku's blanket and pillow. Either he'd left before the sun rose or he'd never come back.Squashing the bud of worry - he's probably just fine - Sora threw off his blanket and stumbled, half asleep, over to the wardrobe, which he tore open without mercy. It was going to be a long day. Even without stepping out of his room he knew that. -T-M-Looking for Riku was no easy task, especially since Sora had never found any sort of pattern. Especially since Riku didn't have any. They had been friends since childhood, but not the kind that could "always find each other in times of need" or some such nonsense. They were only human. And as such, they were whimsical beings that didn't have drive or direction. The two simply stumbled through life as people usually did - completely unaware of their surroundings.So, after the first hour of searching and failing to come up with anything, it was no surprise that Sora went back to their dorm room and slept for four and a half hours. After which he verbally assaulted his alarm clock and stumbled to the labs."Well aren't you a ray of sunshine," Dr. Even commented when he arrived."Good of you to notice," the boy grumbled back, throwing a weary glance at the scientist before pulling on a lab coat. "What do you need me to do today?""Wiring, mostly," Ienzo piped in, coming in behind Sora. Brushing his periwinkle hair to one side, the shorter boy handed the mechanic a clipboard. "Here are the schematics. Everything in red needs to be redone.""Done and done," the student droned, taking the clipboard with a yawn. "Whoa - that's a lot of red."The doctor nodded. "If you'd like to finish it today I can request a free day for you."Sora shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Other than required Sim logs, I only have Remedial Light today. That's only an hour.""Excellent," Even exclaimed quietly. "In that case, how long to you think it'll take?"Looking over the clipboard, and to the copious quantities of red smudging nearly every inch of the page, Sora sighed. "Twenty-eight hours, at the least. If it's important I can pull an all-nighter. Then it would done before my first class tomorrow. So, is it?"Even squinted at the boy. "Is it what?""Important. Should I pull an all-nighter for this?""That won't be necessary," the man replied. "Just get it done within the next three days."With a nod, Sora made a list of required materials and left for the Mechanics lab.-T-M-“Sora!” Cid called, waving the boy over from his place beside a Gummi ship. “Check this out – I just found a way to fix transmissions remotely!”Jumping, the boy raced over to his professor with a great big grin on his face. “Seriously? How?” Peering into the opening in the side of the ship, Sora listened acutely as the man went on about the steam grid's power supply and how it could be tied in with the transmission's remote-control reaction system. It wasn't for another five minutes that the boy realized why he was there. “Hey, Dr. Even sent me down here for some coils of wire.”“Wire, huh? What kind, and how much do you need?” Standing from his stool, Cid swipes the bottom of his nose with a lazy hand as he makes his way over to one of the larger supply closets, leaving a streak of machine oil on his upper lip. Stepping up to the computer beside the large double doors, the man booted it up. The doors flew open, revealing what appeared to be an empty assembly line.“Insulated copper; 300 feet or so,” Sora admitted sheepishly.Cid lifted one shoulder carelessly. “You act like that's a lot.”“It's more than we've needed before.”“It's still not a lot,” the man informed him in a matter-of-fact way. “Now, if you were asking for Materia, that's a whole different playing field. As things are, wires are cheap. Civilian stuff in general is cheap. And every time you come down here for them, it's for civilian stuff.”Sora sighs, taking hold of his ponytail and twirling the end as Cid prompted the computer to spit out wire. “I know, I know – I just can't help but feel like I'm overstepping my boundaries or something.”A large spool of wire was brought forward, and Cid grinned. “No such thing. Now – this is 350 feet, but I don't feel like measuring off the last fifty. Just bring the spool back with the leftovers, okay?”“Will do. Thanks, Cid.”“Don't mention it.”The spool was large, and very heavy, but it fit easily on a dolly Sora grabbed from the wall. He waved goodbye to the man as he left, walking backwards through the door until he cleared the frame. After it slammed shut, he turned around and lugged it slowly through the halls. And it seemed that everyone was waking up.“If it isn't Cid's Little Protege,” a tall brunet commented as he passed, shooting Sora a smug look. “Keep up the good work!” After the tall boy, on Sora's way to the labs, came a gaggle of girls, a duo of redheads, and a large murder of raven-haired first years who looked as out of place in their uniforms as a bunch of fish in a tree. All of them recognized him as “Cid's Little Protege,” and greeted him as such.When the teen finally arrived back at the labs, he fought back the urge to destroy something. Anything.“Got the wire, Sora?”Looking up, the teen allowed a large grin to spread across his face. He dragged himself through the door with the wire. “Of course,” he announced grandly, making a gesture to the spool. As Ienzo observed it quietly, it occurred to him that the apprentice had no idea how much the small acknowledgment had meant to him.Unwinding a length of ten feet, Sora turned to one of the larger machines in the room and undid the siding. He immediately began to work, throwing glances to Ienzo every once in a while. “Where's Dr. Even?”“He's off to the transmission room to send a message. He should be back in ten minutes or so.”“Oh...” Turning back to his wiring, Sora stared at the piece he was setting for a moment longer than he should have, getting up the courage to ask something he'd been wondering for a while. “So, how old are you, anyway?”Looking up from his clipboard, Ienzo stared at Sora's legs, with protruded from the machine at an odd angle. “I believe I will be twenty-one in ten Maunder days.”“Wow – you must be some kind of genius. You don't see that very much these days.”“On the contrary,” the periwinkle-haired man drawled, storing his pencil behind his ear as he stared at the schematics clipped to his board. “You betray all the signs, as well. It is my understanding that you have become well-known for your proclivity for Mechanics.”Suppressing a blush, Sora set to setting another wire in place before reaching out of the machine, feeling around for a wire-stripper. “I guess,” he admitted. Snatching up the tool, he stripped the wire and slid it into a free socket. Swallowing hard, he clenched his eyes shut as he asked, “I've been wondering – do you have a girlfriend?”Ienzo paused in his calculations altogether at this question. “No, I do not.”“Oh. A boyfriend?”Fixing the boy's legs with an unreadable look, the man fiddled with his hair before answering. “Sora, it would be best to avoid any kind of romantic attachment while in a professional setting.”Sora, in an attempt to keep himself under wraps, bit his bottom lip and clenched his eyes shut. Taking a deep breath, he ground out, “That's cool,” only for his voice to squeak horribly. Realizing he was out of wire, he began to ease out of the machine, hoping his face wasn't too red.“If it's any consolation,” Ienzo said after the boy had crawled out, “if we didn't work together, I would consider it.”While it was offered as comfort, this only made Sora feel worse.-T-M-The world was fuzzy, but not for long. Coming to against a wall, Sora rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the blanket draped across his form. It was the same kind they used in the dorms, but gray instead of blue. He looked at it, baffled, before looking up.“He's awake,” Ienzo announced from across the room, standing beside Dr. Even with a clipboard.“How long have I been asleep?”“Five hours or so,” Dr. Even replied. “It's about 10h.” He was bent over a panel, and in front of him in the pod Sora had just re-wired, a Nova Shadow stood innocently staring them down.“What the heck is that?” the boy gasped, staring at the contained Heartless with nothing short of awe. “How did you get it in there?”“We made him,” Dr. Even replied.“Made him? Wha-”“Didn't you read the Ansem reports? Many of the original Heartless were artificially made.” Turning away from the pod, the gaunt man fixed Sora with a heavy gaze. “I must commend you on your wiring skills, by the way. I expected you to take longer, and had taken the liberty to inform your teachers that you would not be attending classes today and tomorrow.”Yawning big, Sora stretched sore muscles before responding. “Nah – I can't miss class for that long. The homework would be unbelievable. They usually don't assign me any.” Standing, he approached the pod. “So, what are you guys working on? If I may ask, that is.”Ienzo threw a hesitant look at Even, who simply grinned. “Artificial light,” he replied easily.Sora blinked, looking much like a deer in headlights. “Like, the light in a heart? Or in a Keyblade?”“The very same,” the man replied. “We're going to make it portable, and then we're going to mass produce it. Hopefully we will be able to fire it at Heartless much like a particle wave.”The mechanic waited a few seconds, waiting for the man to expand on the idea. But no such explanation came. “And that will...?” he asked, waiting for the man to finish.“Purify them,” Ienzo completed, much to the boy's surprise. “In theory, that is.”It was too good to be true.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sora didn't expect to run into Riku when he went back to the room. But he did. He didn't point out the bags under the man's eyes or the way his hair hung around his face as if he hadn't been taking showers.“Where are you headed?” the boy asked, blue eyes trained on his friend.Riku shrugged lazily with one shoulder. “Simulation rooms.”Jumping at the chance to see his friend in action, Sora blurted, “Do you need a monitor?”Squinting, the taller male fixed the brunet with a suspicious look. “Don't you have classes?”“Dr. Even excused me for some wiring, but I finished early. I don't have any classes for the next day or so.”Satisfied, Riku glanced down the hall – seemingly to avoid Sora's gaze. “Sure, whatever,” he drawled, beginning to walk down the hall.Sora followed immediately, jogging up to his friend's side. He marveled for a moment that it was so much easier to keep up with his friend than before he'd left. It didn't make sense. If anything, the brunet was even more out of shape than before. (At least, that's what the Phys. Ed. teacher made it out to be.)Without warning, Riku stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Hey,” he said, catching the boy off guard. “Have you gotten taller?”Slowing to a stop, Sora turning to the man with a baffled look. Stepping closer, he measured himself to his friend, only to realize that not only did he not come up to Riku's collar bone any more; he easily came up to his nose. “Wow – I have.”The white-haired man took a few steps down the hall, setting a new pace. “Getting your last growth spurt in, I see,” he drawled enviously. “Don't get taller than me, though. I might have to hurt you.”“I'll hold you to that,” the boy replied, training his eyes on the floor with a grin.“Yeah, right.”Not two seconds later the two arrived at the simulation rooms. Glancing from door to door, they looked for one that didn't have an “occupied sign. Finding one, they stepped inside and flipped the switch to reserve the room.“You want to take turns?” Riku asked, turning to Sora with an open expression the boy did not expect. “Half hour ones, so we can take a knee. I didn't get much sleep last night.”“Me, neither,” the younger boy admitted, rolling a shoulder. “Fell asleep in the labs on accident. They didn't know where my room was, so they just got me a blanket.”“Huh.” Riku's eyebrows rose. “That was nice of them. But it's no wonder you look so depressed – you slept against a wall, I take it?” Leaning over and signing them into the computer, the white-haired man glanced back at Sora, who didn't look too comfortable. Pausing in his typing, the man stood to his full height and regarded his friend. “Sora, are you okay?”The boy shrugged, turning his gaze to the wall. “I guess.”Pulling the computer chairs out from the desk, Riku shoved one in the boy's hands before sitting in his own. “Hey, you know you can tell me. What happened?”Sora took his own seat, heaving a sigh. “I sorta I got rejected.”“Sorta? What do you mean 'sorta?'” He paused. “Does this involve Ienzo?”Biting his lip, Sora nodded. “I asked him if he had a boyfriend. He said we should avoid getting involved as long as we're working together. And that if we didn't, work with him that is, he'd consider it. So I either keep working for them, or I quit and essentially never see him again.”It occurred to Riku for a moment to inform the boy that he could always stop by the labs, but he realized just before he opened his mouth that they were off limits to students. “Can't you get his transponder address or something? Arrange a date?”“I don't think he'd give it to me,” Sora admitted quietly. “To him I'm essentially some strange kid that comes in and does their wiring for them.”“You don't know that.”“Yes, I do.” Burying his head in his hands, Sora clenched his eyes shut. “What am I supposed to do?”Riku was quiet for a long time before responding. “I honestly don't know.”Looking up in surprise, the boy rose his eyebrows in disbelief. “But you usually have so much advice.”Shrugging, the man looked to the side. “It's your life, and I can't imagine the complexities. Besides, I'm not the best guy to ask about romance.”“But you're Riku,” Sora gasped, as if it would change something. “You have advice for every situation. Quotes from books, advice from the Masters – you know everything. You used to. But you've changed.” Almost immediately after saying this, Sora regretted it. The expression on Riku's face was so raw with regret. “What happened on the front lines?”Turning to the computer, Riku started the program. “Get in there,” he informed the boy, refusing to meet his eyes.-T-M-Later that night, Sora stared at the bottom of the upper bunk, wide awake. The third sun, Kasheek, had just set. All of the school was asleep except for the astrology/astronomy class, braving the winter air up on the roof. It was deathly silent. Aside from Riku's light snoring, the younger boy had no way to know that time hadn't just stopped.For a long while he thought on Riku's performance in the Sim rooms. How he had effortlessly dispatched the artificial Heartless. It was grace in motion – like watching the recordings of any of the Master's fights. Compared to Sora's own sorry performance – during which he “died” three times, and even held the Keyblade backwards at one point – it was nothing short of perfection.“Eh, you're a mechanic,” Riku had said, staring down Sora's pitiful stats.“I'm going to get myself killed some day,” the shorter boy argued.“Then don't get assigned to the front lines.”There was logic to the argument, but not enough for Sora to be happy with it.The night stretched on, and Sora sat through it, enjoying the darkness. On Maunder, all three suns remained simultaneously set for a paltry four hours. People usually slept right through it, but something was bugging the boy. It wasn't the rejection – he'd get over that soon enough. He wasn't imagining the things Riku would have seen on the front lines, either. Apprehension coiled in the pit of his stomach, and he knew – yet didn't know – why it was.Something was wrong. What it was, he didn't know.Getting up from his bed as quietly as possible, Sora slid into his uniform and slipped out of the room. The hallways were empty, as they should have been at 27h; three hours before the first sun rose. Four of the five moons would be high in the sky, illuminating the sands outside the school.Setting off down the hallway, Sora started to patrol, not quite sure why he was doing it, but suddenly aware that he had to. It wasn't until an alarm was triggered, blaring the sound they had all been taught was for a Heartless on the premises, that he realized he'd walked all the way to the labs.Inside, some kind of liquid darkness pooled on the floor near one of the tubes.A hand landed on Sora's shoulder, making the boy jump.“Hey,” Riku yelled over the alarms. Kairi was behind him. “We're not assigned anywhere. Need help?”“Yeah,” Sora screamed in reply, edging toward the door. “I need you to watch my back as I fix this.” The two followed him into the room, but he stopped them from stepping into the puddle. “Stay out of this if you can avoid it.”His two friends gave him strange faces before glancing down at the puddle in surprise. It looked like ink. But when Sora stepped into it, it didn't just splash off his shoes – it began to seep up them slowly until it got to his ankles, where it seemed to slowly creep up toward his knees. The boy approached the leaking tube, grabbed one of the repair kits from a nearby shelf, and set to work.Summoning their Keyblades, Riku and Kairi stood at the ready and faced the door. For a long while, nothing happened. They eventually start throwing glances back at Sora, who had splotches of the supposed fluid clinging to his blazer and neck. It clung to everything it touched, except for the tube, which remained conspicuously clean.When the Heartless did come, the two were taken by surprise. Kairi was thrown to the side like a rag the moment the battle started. But Riku was on the creature – a Soldier – in an instant. It was gone before Sora had the chance to see it, and when he glanced back at Kairi he was surprised to see the girl clutching her head, her Keyblade gone. A slew of Heartless then filtered into the room, and the boy set to finishing the repair so he could back Riku up. Not that the man seemed to need any help.The Heartless were defeated as quickly as they came, but they kept coming. Riku would eventually get tired – Sora knew. The man was only human. Turning to the repair kit, he stared at the tube to which no kind of adhesive would stick. He could only imagine how the tube had broken in the first place. He couldn't even concentrate a fire spell through it.Figuring he had no other options, Sora heated the rubber stopper in the kit with a fire spell, only for it to melt and seep through his fingers. Too strong, he thought to himself, baffled. Trying again with another plug, with maybe half the mana he'd put into the last one, he shoved it into the hole. It molded into the odd shape within seconds and the leak finally stopped.Leaping to his feet, the boy brought out his Keyblade, charging some of the smaller Shadow Heartless that Riku was ignoring in favor of whatever came after him first. He was only able to take on two at a time, at most, but it was better than nothing. Eventually the number of Heartless dwindled, and finally the room was empty except for the three students.Sora collapsed to the floor. “If the front lines is anywhere near as busy as that, I'm never going there.”A laugh met his comment, and Riku took a seat beside him. “It's worse,” the man informed him, butting him with his shoulder before turning to Kairi. “You alright over there?”“Yeah,” she grinds out with a toothy grin. “Just a little cut on the back of my head. Nothing too bad. Sure sent me for a loop, though.”“I should think so,” Riku scoffed, rising to his feet. Stepping over to the girl, he had to turn so he could observe the wound. “You were like a little rag doll.”Something dropped into Sora's lap quietly. Looking down at the thing, he observed it for a moment. It was malformed, but familiar.Somewhere to his left, Kairi said, “I am not a rag doll.”Picking up the strange thing, the boy observed it for a moment before realizing it was the rubber stopper he had shoved in the pipe. But what was it doing there? He shot to his feet with a nearly silent, “Oh shit!”Riku and Kairi glanced over, only to find themselves expressing similar notions.They were in the presence of a Nova Shadow.It seemed to mill around, as if lost, or in awe. All three of them stood stalk still, not quite sure if it had noticed them, but altogether positive that at least two of them would be dead if it attacked.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“What the Hell are they working on in here?”Riku spat the line with enough force that it brought Sora out of his daze. For a moment he had slipped into a dream, because there was no way a perfectly contained Nova Shadow could break out of a machine designed to keep it in.Or could it?He really needed a cigarette.“I'm gonna circle around to its back – can you distract it?”Nodding, Sora watched as Riku flattened himself to the wall, easing behind the thing. Summoning his Keyblade, the boy took a deep breath, taking a moment for the possibility of turning into a human pinata. Except he didn't get that moment. Just as his Keyblade materialized the Heartless was on the offense, forcing him against the wall. Riku leaped onto its back with a spell at the ready, but it didn't seem to realize he was there until he started beating at its head with his Keyblade.Deciding to pull a card out of Seifer's book, Sora sent his Keyblade away, earning a panicked look from Kairi.“What are you doing?!” she cried, grabbing at a table to drag herself upright. Despite his distraction, Sora noticed a trail of blood on her neck that had been smeared. And just as she was about to make another objection, the creature turned away from the boy and focused its attentions on Riku instead. She watched on in fascination as the Heartless and Riku started to battle in earnest, leaving the younger boy alone altogether. “What the-?”“I guess I'm not a threat,” Sora joked, easing his way over to her. “Are you good to fight?”For a moment the girl looked confident and strong. She stood straight, shoulders back and spine perfectly arched. It didn't take long for her posture to slouch. “I'm in bad shape,” she admitted quietly, reaching up to feel the back of her head. “I fell wrong, and I'm losing a lot of blood. You should get back out there – I'm gonna try to heal this.”“Are you sure?” the boy asked, hovering over the girl until she waved him off.“Go help Riku,” she said, drawing his attention back to the man. “He looks like he needs the help.”If Sora had to be completely honest, it looked like the Nova Shadow needed more help than Riku did. He didn't argue, though, and jumped into the fray as much as he could without summoning his Keyblade. (That seemed to just anger the thing.) With nothing left to do, Sora charged a fire spell. But as he did the inky darkness clinging to his skin seemed to spread like a rash, rushing up his arms and legs. And when he let the spell fly it sent an unexpected wave of recoil, knocking him off balance before careening across the room and colliding with the side of the Heartless with the deafening bang of expanding air.The creature turned to him, and Sora realized the ink, whatever it was, had drained all his mana and redirected it into the spell.He winced. “Oh shit.”The Heartless drew up to full height, ignoring Riku as he lunged at its back, and swiped at Sora with one arm. He hit the wall without much delay, landing hard on his arm with a cry of pain. Time seemed to pass in clumps of agony and a blissfully painless stage between awake and passed out from then on. Riku kept fighting the Heartless, Kairi hovered over Sora, and the boy watched the Nova Shadow with a sick sort of fascination. Things went on this this for a long while. So when a bolt of lightning fried the Shadow where it stood, all eyes turned to the door in surprise.Striding in like he owned the place, Ienzo ignored Riku and Kairi. He ignored the leak in the pipe. Ignored the loud beeps that the machines around them were now blaring at full volume. Instead he walked straight up to Sora, pulling on a pair of thin plastic gloves as he went. Pressing a finger to the inky darkness clinging to the boy's skin, his hand glowed with what the students could only guess was a shielding spell. “You,” he began, turning to Kairi. “Go grab a beaker from the side table.”Not quite sure what was going on, the girl complied, fetching the glass and holding it out to the man.“Hold it for me,” the man said, grabbing the hand with the beaker and pulling it over to his side. “Make sure this doesn't touch your skin.” Pulling his finger away from the boy's side, he drew his hand to the beaker. Riku and Kairi watch on in awe as the darkness peeled away in a long strip, clinging to the man's glove. Raising his arm up, Ienzo deposited one end of the strip of darkness into the beaker before dropping his shielding spell. The entire piece pooled at the bottom of the glass, looking to the entire world like ink.He repeated this for several minutes, captivating the small audience. None of them noticed when a small black tendril reached out of the beaker and pressed itself to Kairi's thumb. A small smudge came off onto her skin, but the rest sunk back into the glass. At first when she saw it she was alarmed, only to watch it sink beneath her skin and disappear. After passing it off as a hallucination, she turned her attention back to Ienzo who had removed all the “ink” from the boy.“Did anyone else step in it?” the apprentice asked, looking around at the other two. When he received two negative shakes of the head he sighed in relief. Then, much to the boy's friends' surprise, he carefully gathered Sora in his arms and stood.Riku was on him in an instant. “Where do you think you're going?”The response was deadpan. “The infirmary.”“No.” Riku's reply startled everyone in the room.Ienzo raised one eyebrow, giving the taller man a condescending look that could peel paint. “Excuse me?”“You won't be taking him anywhere.”Acting on a hunch, Kairi sneaked off to the side and out of the room with an apprehensive expression. Neither of the men noticed.Ienzo scoffed. “I'm taking him to the infirmary, not the Death Star.”“I don't care if you're going to Candy Mountain. You're not taking him anywhere.”-T-M-Kairi had managed to tromp all the way to the infirmary and make her way back with a wheelchair in tow. During this time, Ienzo and Riku continued to bicker like little girls. They're talking about something like Ienzo rejecting Sora, therefore making him the worst person to take the boy to the infirmary or some such nonsense.She figured the only reason the two weren't in a slap fight was the brunet in the shorter man's arms. They were, however, toe to toe and spitting insults that could horrify a nun.Stepping between the two with a small, “Excuse me,” Kairi snatched Sora from Ienzo's grip before turning on her heel and dropping him into the wheelchair.The two men ceased their bickering, surprised.Taking hold of the handles, Kairi wheeled Sora out of the room and down the hall, whistling a happy tune all the way.“You didn't have to do that,” Sora mumbled quietly, proving for the first time that he was actually conscious.“As much as you enjoy being held by Ienzo, I'm pretty sure you need to get a checkup,” the woman reprimanded, nearly breaking into a skip. Remain positive, she thought to herself. She didn't want to show that she was horribly nauseous. Sora's arm looked like it had been mangled, and it bent at an odd angle. The boy had long-since broken out in a sweat, and Kairi had a feeling that if she touched his skin it would either be very cold or feverish.Sora grinned, cradling his arm weakly. “Thanks, I guess.”“I'd say, 'don't mention it,' but that might be moot. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be telling everyone about how Ienzo and Riku were fighting like a pair of little girls over a porcelain doll.”They both shared a laugh at this.-T-M-It occurred to Kairi that Sora had never been on any kind of painkiller before, and it bugged her.She had taken the boy straight to the infirmary, and a quick glance at his medical record over the nurse's shoulder had alerted her to something she never thought she'd see – a practically blank sheet. He'd had vaccinations, but nothing else. Not even a sprained ankle. Her own sheet, when she'd come in earlier for a quick heal and the wheelchair, had been riddled with migraine treatments and sleeping aids she had been assigned while on the Island. Kairi considered herself to be a rather cautious, injury-free person, and had barely gone over a single page in her report. Sora had a single sheet that listed the school's standard vaccinations, along with the Island's flu vaccine and tetanus shot. However, she could remember vividly Sora and Riku fighting – and getting injured – for most of their childhood on the Islands.This thought plagued her as she put Sora to bed. The boy was too addled from the medication to make it on his own, so she had done it in his stead. Riku wasn't back yet, but she didn't let it bother her. He would most likely be wandering the school looking for straggling Heartless. She doubted he would find any, though, since according to the nurses in the infirmary the only place that had been invaded was the Gummi bay. Rumor had it that one of the garages had been left open.Sliding the door shut behind her, Kairi stepped further into the hall to head to her own room, only to nearly collide headlong with a very distracted, very worried looking Ienzo. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, almost surprised to see the other.“Is that Sora's room?” Ienzo asked suddenly, breaking the silence.Kairi nodded. “And Riku's. I wouldn't go in, though. The medics couldn't heal him completely and put him on some pretty heavy medication. They even put him on leave. He's going to be stuck with a cast for the next two or so weeks.”“I see,” the man murmured, throwing an uneasy glance at the door. “Shouldn't someone be watching over him, though? To make sure he doesn't fall out of bed or... or something.”There was a short moment during which Kairi could only stare at the man in front of her. He didn't strike her as the type to be lost for words, and even though he was easily a good three inches shorter than her, Ienzo gave her the impression of a strong, confidant, intelligent man. For that moment it occurred to her just why Sora had a crush on him. It wasn't just his face that was attractive; it was how he shaped his words and delivered them in a precise manner that made you feel like you were worth his time. For a heartbreaking second, she wished she were lucky enough to admire someone like Ienzo.The impression had taken all of three seconds.Rolling her shoulder in an attempt to distract herself from her line of thoughts, Kairi glanced at the wall, then back at Ienzo. “Did you really turn him down?”“If...” Ienzo's voice squeaked, surprising the girl to the point where she couldn't quite believe her ears. The man cleared his throat before continuing. “If we did not work together, I would be completely open to his affections.”“Then back off,” the girl informed him, fixing the man with a narrow-eyed look. “You can show up and save our butts like some knight in shining armor, but you certainly can't follow it up with staying by his bedside like some star-struck lover. Doing that is just cruel. And Sora's worth more than that.”An expression of shame overtook the man's face for an instant as he whispered solemnly, “I know.” It was gone as soon as it came, and was soon replaced with a professional mask, but it didn't go unnoticed. “Thank you for your time,” the man imparted, placing a hand over his stomach and bowing his head at a modest thirty-degree angle.Kairi recognized his posture and style of bow to be that of a very traditional Radiant Garden noble. She returned with her own modest bow, though it was in the style of an Islander. But as soon as she straightened the young woman was met with an expression of surprise so blatant she didn't quite know how to react.Panic rose up in her as Ienzo dropped to one knee before her, angling his face to the floor and flattening his palms to the panels on either side of his left foot. “I apologize, Princess – I did not recognize you.”Kairi's hands flew to her collar, grasping the necklace that had slipped outside her shirt. It had fallen out when she bowed, sliding between the top buttons which she kept undone for comfort. Silently, the woman vowed to keep them all fastened from then on. “Stand up before someone sees you,” she hissed, watching on in a panic as the man flinched before rising, only to refuse to meet her eyes. “No one must know,” she commanded quietly.“Yes, Majesty,” the man ground out quietly, obviously not happy with the turn of events. “Although, if I may ask – who else knows?”“The Headmistress, and my bodyguard, Riku.”Things were getting complicated.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sora's body ached from running around the Island all day, collecting things for their journey. It seemed like an eternity until he could relax, sitting on the dock and staring out at the sun as it set on the horizon. His parents would be expecting him home soon. I wonder why the sun sets red, he thought to himself quietly, staring at the sky as it seemed to catch fire.
Not long after he thought this, Kairi joins him on the dock without a word, dangling her feet over the edge. They're quiet for a long time before she speaks.
“You know, Riku has changed.”
Looking over to the girl, Sora asked, “What do you mean?”

She stared out at the sea, tilting her head to the side. “Well...” Her voice seemed a bit choked. Trailing off, the girl hummed to herself.
“You okay?”
Suddenly excited, she turned to him and exclaimed, “Sora, let's take the raft and go – just the two of us!”
“Huh?” He didn't like how she sounded so serious.
She laughed “Just kidding.”

Laughing it off, ignoring the sudden lump in his stomach, Sora turned his eyes back to the horizon. “What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi.”

Looking down at the water, she murmured a small, “Maybe.” Leaning back and forward slowly, she confessed, “You know, I was a little afraid at first. But now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here.” She turned to Sora, meeting his curious gaze. “Right?”
“Yeah, of course,” the boy assured her, nodding his head animatedly.
She turned back to the sea. “That's good,” the girl somberly announced.

Sora didn't miss her frown, or the way she stared at the water as if it were the last time she would see it. He watcher her as she stood, naturally falling into perfect posture as she stared at the far-off horizon.
“I can't wait, once we set sail. It'll be great.”
-T-M-
Shooting up, Sora groaned as he connected headfirst with the bunk above him. On the upper mattress, Riku groaned.“You okay?” the man asked groggily.“Yeah,” the boy replied. “Just another weird dream. Don't worry about it.”“I meant your head.”Leaning back, Sora sighed. “I'm on so many painkillers I can't feel my face. Don't worry about it.”There was a bit of rustling before a light snore bounced around the room, signaling that Riku had gone back to sleep. The boy on the bottom bunk adjusted the cast on his arm before settling back on his pillows. He attempted to forget about the dream and how strange it was. It had felt real – more real than dreams were supposed to be. He had been conscious, but not, and at the same time being inside the other Sora's skin was like coming home. But not.Heaving a sigh and adjusting himself one last time, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep. It would not do to dwell on dreams.
-T-M-
Sora thought it was strange to be doing something as normal as smoking with Kairi in their rooms only two days after the school had been attacked. Especially since he had to use his left hand. Usually people would go on and on about becoming ambidextrous after breaking their dominant arm. If anything, Sora's penmanship and ability to wield a cigarette with his left hand had gotten worse between the time of his injury and his current cigarette.Holding the stick between two clumsy fingers, he brought it to his lips with more caution than he would use in brain surgery. If he did brain surgery, that is.“Need some help with that?” Kairi joked off to the side.“I'm good,” the boy replied, adjusting his leg. Staring at the cigarette as it burned, he marveled once more that instead of turning to ash the burned end simply vanished. “Where did you say you got these, again?”“There's this little shop in the third district of 'Traverse Town,'” the girl drawled, trying the name on her lips. “Cid recommended it.”“They're nice.”“Right? No ashes.”Sora hadn't noticed when she gave him the seven packs of cigarettes nearly two weeks before that she had picked multiple brands. This one in particular – Scrooge – was especially sweet, and apparently didn't have any pesticides or tars. Sadly, she had only gotten one pack of Scrooges for each of them, seeing as it was experimental. Sora figured it was his new favorite, though he didn't know how he felt about each individual cigarette in the pack having a different flavor. So far they had stumbled across cherry, peach, and apple-cinnamon. It tasted like they were actually eating them.To tell the truth, Sora just wanted an entire pack of peach. Or a lifetime supply. That would be nice, too. He'd probably chain-smoke them until he died, blissful and smelling distinctly of fruit.While gruesome, the thought was also mildly attractive.
-T-M-
Like he had every morning since he broke his arm, Sora went to the infirmary early in the morning with a skip in his step and a smile in his heart. That is, to say, he dragged his feet the entire way, dreading the amount of homework that was quickly piling up from his classes. And he couldn't even work on any of it.Thankfully the doors to the infirmary were automatic so he didn't need to punch in a code, grab a knob with his left hand, twist his entire body, and slam his shoulder into it to get it to open like he had to do with every. Other. Door.Not so thankfully, Kida – Lilo's girlfriend – was busy giving a first year a checkup. She spared him a smile before calling to another medic and turning back to her work, leaving him to stare at her long braid of white hair.It occurred to him that he had only ever been treated by Kida.He was soon approached by a beautiful young woman who looked remarkably like Lilo. “You must be Sora,” she greeted with a smile. “Kida and Lilo have told me a lot about you.”Belatedly, the boy realized that it was Lilo's older sister – the one she complained was always bugging her. “Likewise. Nani, right? It's nice to finally meet you.”“Especially since I'll be drugging you up, right?” the woman joked, prompting a nervous smile.“I guess that helps.”Motioning to one of the free beds, her grin turned amused. “Well, take a seat. It'll take a while to dredge up your medical files.”Fifteen minutes later, Sora began to realize just how bad the filing system in the infirmary was. “Need new computers?”“No,” the woman replied. “Just a new operating system. We have mechanics in spades around here, but none of them are taught how to write software. Because of that we medics got a computer system that works for a metal-head, not a medic-head.” That was when the computer started letting off an alarming beeping noise.That was also when Dr. Even stepped into the room.Nani looked up, surprised to see the man. “Can I help you, Dr. Even?”“I'm just here to talk to Sora, thank you,” the man replied without looking at her. “Go about your business. And turn off those speakers.”Sora watched as Nani bristled before doing as she was told. Dr. Even approached him slowly before taking a seat to his left.“Hello, Sora.”Not quite sure what was going on, the boy looked up at the man with confusion. “Morning,” he greeted in an uneven tone. It seemed his painkillers from the day before were beginning to wear off. “They took me off lab duty for the next week – I hope you don't mind.”“Oh, it's not a problem. We won't be needing a mechanic for a while yet,” the man assured him with a strained smile. “I was actually wondering if I could possibly steal you away for an apprenticeship.”Sora tried to stop his eyes from going wide. He really did. But they soon looked very much like dinner plates, and the boy was so focused on his eyes that his jaw fell open to attract flies.Dr. Even chuckled at the teen's expression, turning his eyes to the far wall. “I know you have questions. Ienzo and I have been planning to uproot and go back to Radiant Garden. It's being restored, now, and once we're there we won't have access to a mechanic such as yourself. We didn't want to lose you, but we still wanted to go home. The most logical step was offering you an apprenticeship.”Gaping like a fish, Sora attempted to get a hold of himself. Dr. Even remained quiet for a while – supposedly to give him time to answer. So when he did, several minutes later, his voice was as even as he could get it. “Honestly, that would be amazing. But I would have to graduate first.”“That can be arranged,” the man announced calmly, standing from his seat as Nani fixed him with a scathing look, wielding a syringe. “I will be in contact,” he told the boy uneasily, eyes on the needle and Nani's livid expression. Then he left, leaving Sora with a mix of apprehension, excitement, and dread.
-T-M-
“As Headmistress of The Academy and a Master of the Order I present to you this medal for services to the school and worlds the universe over. We thank you for your valiant deed of ridding the populace of the threat of Master Xehanort and his accomplices. You completed the thankless task without complaint, and have brought a good name to the school.”Sora couldn't help but stare at the stage in awe. The amphitheater wasn't used much, but when it was there was always a fuss. Before the boy some fifty feet away stood the leaders of many different worlds. Among them he recognized Queen Minnie of Disney Castle, King Phillip from the Enchanted Dominion, and even Queen Cinderella herself. Their pictures were in the textbooks, and each first year was expected to memorize them within the first week. They were flanked by the other rulers, all of them looking very proud to be there, though some didn't look very comfortable in the school uniform. Cinderella seemed to pluck at the pants every so often with a baffled look.Standing before all of them, surprisingly enough, was Riku.They each stepped forward after Aqua, saying a piece about how Riku was always welcome in their world and how they held him in very high esteem. That he had proved that Academy students had every bit of meddle and social grace as their greatest warriors. Each and every student would be welcomed, and the doors were open to them.Envy rose like bile in Sora's throat, but he fought it down and tried not to let it show. Instead he clapped when everyone else did, trying to be happy for his friend when he was knighted and glorified for what had happened on the front lines.Sora tried not to think about how what they were commending Riku for had destroyed some small part of him.Finally, after each ruler had said their piece, Aqua stepped forward once more, addressing the man with a wide small. “Riku,” she began, her voice carrying across the suddenly silent hall. “As Headmistress I would like to personally thank you for single-handedly taking down the Heartless of a turned Master, and for making us all that much safer. For this, I present to you 'Way to Dawn.' I believe you will be able to control it."Much to Sora's surprise, Aqua held out her hand and summoned a dark Keyblade. It wasn't like any other he'd ever seen, and it occurred to him that it wasn't. This one was different. Darkness seemed to ooze out from it, visible but invisible. Its end wasn't even a key, but a blade.Sora didn't clap with the rest of the students. He just stood there, staring up at the stage and gauging Riku's hastily masked frown as he took the offered blade.The protege hoped he'd never have to see the man use it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Three of Maunder's moons hung over the horizon like a mobile, illuminating the desert with an eerie blue light. Atop the Academy's roof, Kairi and Sora stared at the sky like vegetables, dead to the world. Cigarette smoke curled to the sky in a cancer-causing haze, and the two students fixed a passing cloud with a dazed expression.“So you had no idea half the pack was marijuana?” Sora asked, disbelief lacing his words. His eyes were rimmed with red and in his lap was a half-eaten bagel.Kairi shook her head slowly. “No idea,” she replied, equally baked. “Ever get high before?”“Nope.” Dragging out the “o” as long as possible, Sora went quieter and quieter until he eventually grew silent, exhaling the “E” like a pressurized can of air. Then he laughed. “You?”“Nah,” the woman drawled lazily, taking another long drag on her half marijuana, half normal cigarette. “I mean, it explains why the rest are fruit flavored. Imagine following this up with one of those.”“Oh, God – yes,” Sora moaned before taking a bite of his bagel. “Sounds heavenly. This bagel is already the shit – I'm kinda scared those'll blow my mind.”She giggled. “You sound high.”“I am high.”“HA!” Throwing her arms up in the air, Kairi sighed contentedly. “So, an apprenticeship, huh? Impressive. I'm envious. Not everyone gets a 'get out of school free' card.”“Yeah, it's pretty cool. We're going to this place called Hollow Bastion. Ever heard of it?”Standing suddenly, Kairi turned to face the rails and shouted, “I'm the Princess of Hollow Bastion, fuckers!”Sora laughed at this, cradling his broken arm. “Right,” he drawled. “You? Royalty?”The woman pouted childishly. “It's true.”Grinning, the boy shrugged, moving to stand with her, carefully balancing his cigarette, bagel, and broken arm as he rose. He turned to the horizon. Almost immediately his expression turned serious. “I'm going to miss you, you know.”Kairi turned her head to look at him, a silly grin on her face. “Ah, Sora, you're so sweet,” she cooed, saying it as slowly and with as much droning on the vowels as she could. “I'm going to miss you, too. And Riku will, too, the softie.”Sora laughed. “Riku? A softie? Right.”The woman made a kissy face and sucked down the last of her cigarette before tossing it to the sands below. “Rot in hell, you fag!” she called after it.“Language, Kai!”“What? A fag is a cigarette. Besides,” she drawled, throwing her arm around the boy, “I'm your fag-hag. I'll say fag all I want. It's a term of endearment. It's the intention that counts.”“You won't say that when you're sober.” It appeared she hadn't heard him.Her expression turned melancholy before she pulled the boy into a weak hug. “I'm really, really going to miss you.”Surprised by the sudden bombardment of affection, Sora awkwardly attempted to hug her back, with the arm that wasn't broken, without burning her with his cigarette. The boy had learned very early on in his smoking career that nothing could ruin a moment quite like a cigarette burn. Eventually she pulled away, and he was allowed to awkwardly stand there as she fought back tears.“School won't be the same without you,” the woman told him quietly.“You'll have Riku,” he pointed out.She laughed, and the weight of the moment lifted. “Riku's a fucking downer,” she droned, testing the word “downer” on her tongue like it was alien, drawing out each syllable with a strange growl.“Eh, he can't help it,” the boy replied with a one-shouldered shrug. “It's, like, in his blood or something.”“Or his shit.”“What?”“Like, what if he's shitting out his happiness?” Kairi inquired conspiratorially. “What if he's eating something like an unhappiness fruit every day and he just shits out the happiness that's in him?”Sora laughed. “Okay – you're truly and properly stoned,” the boy commented before finishing off his bagel with a smile and tossing the cigarette to the sand below. “Well, I'm off to the garage; gonna go visit Cid.”“It's, like, 27h. Why would Cid be in the garage?”Scoffing, the mechanic made his way over to the roof's exit and waved over his shoulder with his uninjured had. “You obviously don't know Cid.” Just as he was about to leave, Kairi called to him.“Have you told Riku yet?”A silence settled between them as Sora paused at the door, gripping it tight in one hand and exhaling slowly. One of the moons had gone down during their previous exchange, and he was grateful for the sudden lack of light. This way she couldn't see the flinch that bit into his shoulders. “No,” he informed the woman as calmly as possible. “He didn't tell me when he left, so I won't tell him when I leave.”“Grudges aren't attractive you know,” she giggled.Suddenly sober, the boy shrugged. “I know.”-T-M-“What are you doing piddlin' here for, you catty-wampus no count?”As his bad mood disappeared without warning, Sora couldn't stop a smile spreading over his face like a rash. “Good evening to you, too.”“That wasn't a good evenin', you waste of space.” Turning back to his work, Cid began to cut out a shape in a sheet of metal with a fire spell. “I thought I told you to skip out until your arm healed.”“I just felt like I should tell you that I might not be coming back to class.”The fire spell was stopped, the metal sheet pushed aside, and Cid turned to Sora with an expression skin to murderous intent. “Are you switching majors on me, boy? If this is about that Keyblade you better think again.”The boy's grin faltered, and instead of looking his teacher in the eye he turned his gaze to the floor. “Dr. Even wants to take me on as an apprentice.”Cid was suddenly glad that Sora wasn't looking at him, because his face twisted with a strange form of grief. “I've always known you were bound for something bigger than this here lab.” The words seemed to sadden the man as he said them. “I just didn't know you'd be leaving for it so soon.”“It's just an apprenticeship.”“You underestimate Even.”“What is that supposed to mean?”Heaving a tired sigh, the man grinned weakly. “Let's hope nothing. But while you're here, why don't we work on that program of yours? Maybe we can get it up and running before you leave me on this godforsaken ball of glorified rock dust.”-T-M-Not six hours after Sora got his cast off there came a polite knock on his bedroom door. No one knocked in the dorms. “Coming,” he called, quickly running over to the open window, tossing his cigarette butt out and closing it as quietly as he could. Composing himself, he pressed the button that would make the door slide open.Dr. Even stood on the other side with all the composure of a Coloratura. “Sora,” he greeted. “Now that your arm has recovered I take it you are prepared to sign on as an apprentice?”Sora was not prepared to sign on as an apprentice. He wasn't prepared to be looking at anyone at the moment, let alone Dr. Even. In fact, the only thing he was prepared for was sleep. It was nearing 25h, and Sora was in his underwear. “Um, sir, it's almost night time.”“Which means our appointment with Aqua has arrived. I suggest you put on some clothes and go to her office. I will go on ahead.” Then the man walked off like he owned the place.The boy rest his forehead against the door frame and let loose a long, weary moan of despair. All the while unaware that nearly five different students were watching from their rooms, their doors wide open.Retreating into his room, the mechanic pulled his clothes on in a sleepy daze. Hollow Bastion. He had no idea what kind of place it was. He didn't even know how long he'd be there.Sora paused abruptly, feeling as if he needed something to hold him up.He didn't know how long he'd be there.The thought was a horrible one. It was then, and only then, that it occurred to him that he might not see Riku, Kairi, Lilo, and Cid any time soon. He was going to be an apprentice. As such he would be stationed under Dr. Even like Ienzo was. Ienzo; who to Sora's knowledge didn't have a single friend in the entire school. Ienzo; who was there all the time, never doing anything but work. It was at that moment that Sora realized he didn't want to leave.But if he didn't sign on what would he do? Live on Maunder for the rest of his career as a student, waiting for Riku and Kairi to come back from their trips to the front lines before moving back to Destiny Islands? A planet where other worlds, magic, and materia don't have a place?If I go back, he realized, I'll be isolated. I'll have to make up stories about the Academy, or keep quite about it altogether.It wasn't a pleasant thought.Buttoning his shirt with grim determination, Sora forced himself to stop thinking.-T-M-“Sora is still young, which will make him impulsive, at best.”“That won't last long in a field based lab.”“Yes, but-”Sora knocked, and the voices on the other side of the door stopped. He had practically run to Aqua's office, eager to get this over with before he changed his mind.“Come in,” Aqua announced calmly beyond the wood.Taking hold of the handle – it was one of the few non-electronic doors in the school – Sora turned it just enough for the wood to creak open on its hinges, all the while fighting to keep his face blank.“Hello, Sora,” the woman greeted, brushing a blue lock of hair out of her eyes. “We have all the paperwork here if you're ready.”The mechanic averted his eyes to the desk, where three sheets of paper sat. Two had been placed in front of an empty chair. The other sat before Aqua. Taking the extra seat, the boy tried to put a grin on his face. It was strained at best.“Is something wrong?” Dr. Even asked, much to his surprise.“No,” Sora replied quietly. “Just a little tired. Packing with one hand is a long process.”“I see,” the man replied evenly.Sora had a sinking feeling that the scientist had seen right through him. Diverting his attention to the sheets of paper, he looked over them closely. They were acknowledgments of admission, but they were a bit more than that. The first was a sheet that would make him a graduate. It was also a consent form to put him on the radar of “shoot-to-kill” bounty hunters if he ever did anything against the interests of the school. The second was, happily, nothing more than a contract for apprenticeship. He would move where Dr. Even moved, unless directed elsewhere. Essentially he was a slave, and in exchange Dr. Even was charged with his well-being.“I hope you know,” Aqua began, dragging his attention away from the papers, “that you are the first student to be graduating with only a year and a half of classes.”Setting them on the table, Sora signed the contracts without preamble. When he handed them back to Aqua he didn't miss the worry plain in her eyes.Then they left the office, Even giving Sora direct orders to get his bags and go straight to the labs to help them pack up the rest of their machines. The mechanic did as he was told, but as he walked through the halls Aqua's face haunted him.What could have the woman so reluctant to send him?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Sora!” Lilo shouted, running up to the boy as he stopped to hike his bag further up his shoulder. She waved a single envelope in the air excitedly, running up to him. “You got mail!”He looked over at the woman in surprise, not quite sure what was happening. “What?”She stopped in front of him, lungs heaving for air. “I've been trying to find you all day,” she gasped. “Why weren't you in class?” Then she glanced up at his bags and her eyes went wide. “You're being shipped out?”Shaking his head, Sora grinned weakly. “No. I've been contracted as an apprentice.”“Oh...” The woman attempted to hide her displeasure. “Congrats.”“What's this about mail?”Lilo started, then handed over the letter. “We got it in the mail room this morning, but you weren't in class so it wasn't delivered. I tried to get Nani to give it to you, but she said you had already been to the infirmary.”Taking the envelope from the woman with a smile, Sora ripped open the top and shook out a letter.Staring down at the sheet of paper – real paper, not a holo pad or a monitor – Sora tried to summon some kind of emotion. He traced the letters printed in a neat scrawl with eyes half-closed. They formed well-wishes and invitations to visit, as well as bits of gossip that made no sense. His mother had signed the top with her neat cursive, shortly followed by Selphie and Wakka's enthusiastic scrawls. And, at the very bottom – as if as an afterthought – was Tidus' message.Riku had joined the Academy two years before he had, and Kairi one before him. Almost four years total they had been attending the school, and only then did anyone think to send a letter.And it was only addressed to Sora.This left a bitter taste in the brunet's mouth. He had been surprised, and a bit happy, when Lilo had come running up to him with mail. But the longer he thought on it, the more it left him wanting. Where had they been for the last year and a half? At home, safe in their beds because of the students at the Academy. Who knew what would have happened to Destiny Islands without their school. There was a good chance it would have fallen to the Heartless years prior.They didn't know this, of course. Sora knew they didn't know. That didn't stop him from giving his thanks to Lilo, then stopping off at the nearest recycler and getting rid of the evidence.He watched it turn to mulch inside the machine and immediately regretted it.... Stepping into the lab, Sora was shocked to find Ienzo there already, nursing a cup of coffee and going over some papers. “Long week?” he inquired, taking stock of the man's weak posture and the dark rings under his eyes.“You don't know the half of it,” the man sighed, brushing his blue-gray fringe behind his right ear. “Had to capture and contain a Neo Shadow. The first Nova Shadow had taken months, so I guess we should be pleased by our progress. However, it was still very grueling and might not be worth the effort." Reaching into his pocket, the man retrieved a small box that, when opened, revealed a pack of cigarettes, a small bottle of breath freshener, a lighter, and an iron tin the size of a peanut. “Mind if I smoke?”Sora was nearly giddy. “Go right ahead,” he encouraged before asking, “You can smoke in here?”The man shrugged, beating the pack against his hand a few times before withdrawing a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he brought out a lighter. After the man's first few unsuccessful attempts at lighting it, Sora laughed. “Here,” he offered, flicking his finger up from a fist to reveal a sustained fire spell the size of a marble.Leaning forward, Ienzo lit his cigarette with a grin. He took a deep breath and blew smoke down to the floor. “Thanks. And yeah, I can smoke here. You're not a student any more so you can too.”“In that case, do you mind?” he asked, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a single, old fashioned cigarette.At this Ienzo shrugged. “As long as you're smart enough to hide the evidence and not put it out on any papers, I think you're good.”After lighting up, Sora took a deep breath. “Thank God for nicotine.”“That's a handy little trick,” the shorter man noted.“Really?” Surprised by the comment, the brunette flicked his thumb from his fist, tracing the outline of the flame with his eyes. “I learned it in mechanics class. Cid wanted us to get our flame as small and hot as possible so we could do welding without any tools. A week after he told us about it I lost my lighter. You can imagine what I did next. The guy was so impressed with my progress that voilà – I was in Advanced Mechanics and Applications during my second semester.” Taking another drag, he kept the breath in for as long as possible before exhaling, marveling at the way his thoughts were both clouded and perfectly clear all at once. “Apparently it usually takes years to master. Then again, what more motivation does a nicotine addict need than a cigarette?”Ienzo laughed at this, much to the brunettes surprise. “That does sound like quite the motivation.” Taking a heavy drag, the man seemed to savor the silence for a moment before speaking. "So, those kids - Riku and Kairi was it? How do you know them? Are they mechanics, too?"“We're from the same island.”“You don't look it.”“We really don't.” Sora grinned. “Sometimes I entertain the idea that Riku's from a different world, to be honest. He definitely doesn't have the look of an Islander. But the elders keep telling us most of his family just died off or something. Me, him, and Kairi all look so vastly different, but since Kairi's actually from another world that's easy to understand. She's got that pale skin and red hair. But him...” Heaving a sigh, the brunette tried not to look at his companion. “I really don't know. Everyone from the island is laid back. We've got tan skin, blond or brown hair, kind of average height, and have really lithe builds.“He's a whole different breed, though. Not only is he ridiculously tall, but he bulks up quick, practically thrives in conflict, and I don't think I have to mention his hair and skin. He's not like us. I really don't know where he's from. And...” Sora trailed off for a second, wondering if he should really tell the other apprentice the next bit. “He's been really weird since he got back. Quiet. Not that he hasn't always been quiet, because he has, but it's a different kind of quiet.”“That happens to a lot of people on the front lines. Especially the team leaders,” Ienzo informed him confidently. “I don't pretend to know what they see, because I don't know. What few missions I went on back in the day were solo jobs into globs of heartless. Hit and run sorts of things. No one from our side got hurt. I never got hurt. The front lines are an entirely different sort of situation. Some people who come back from it are never the same.”Nodding along, the brunette mulled the words over in his head. It didn't make sense, though. Riku never let anything get to him, and had proved it time and time again.“And as for being different, don't worry about it. He grew up on your Island. That makes him an Islander.” He paused. “What's the name of your world, anyway?”Sora grinned. “Destiny Islands.”“Is that the one with the Paopu fruit?” Offering the tin to Sora so he could tap his ashes in, the man hummed to himself for a moment. “I've been meaning to look into the legend- the one that says a Paopu can intertwine the destinies of the people who share it.”The brunette nodded, bringing the cigarette away from his lips. “Yeah. That's the newer version, though. The old legend that Grandma used to tell is that everyone's soul sang a tune, and that tune didn't always sing with loved ones very well. Eventually, once the two songs grated against one another for too long they would become distorted. That's where the Paopu came in. It might just be endorphins or something, but people who share one usually get along better afterward. The legend says it's because the Paopu teaches the soul a new note, and it begins to sing that new note in harmony with the other person. Used to be used for marriages and stuff, but these days it's just used for families whenever a new kid is born.” He paused, then reached into his pocket to pull out a small box. “Speaking of which, Happy Birthday,” he said, offering it to the older man.Ienzo just stared.“What? You said a week. Happy twenty-second.” Ienzo, looking every bit like a fish out of water, took the box from his hands and stared at the ribbon, almost as if he didn't know what to do with it. At this the brunette couldn't restrain a small laugh. “Come on- aren't you going to open it?”Carefully, as if he were afraid he was going to break the box just by looking at it wrong, the slate-haired man slid two fingers underneath the crease of the lid and lifted it. It fell to the floor with a clatter, surprising the man enough to make him jump. “It's not going to eat you,” Sora commented, earning himself a strange look. And finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ienzo glanced down to his gift; a leather necklace with a square onyx charm the size of his thumbnail. “On Destiny Islands a leather or hemp necklace is a coming of age symbol. It's usually received on your twentieth birthday, and made by a family member or close friend.”“You made this?”“Yeah. You like it?”“Very much.” Placing his cigarette firmly in his mouth, the man carefully plucked the necklace from the box, which he set on the counter they leaned against. Reaching around his neck, he attempted to fasten it. “Drat,” he hissed, fingers fumbling with the clasp. “I don't wear much jewelry.”Knocking his ashes into the tin, which had also been placed on the counter, Sora carefully held his cigarette with his teeth as he motioned for Ienzo to turn. He took hold of the clasp, fastening it clumsily as goosebumps raised on the back of his neck from the proximity. Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, he dropped the clasp – properly closed – and grabbed at his cigarette. “All done,” he announced shakily, attempting not to show how much the contact had affected him."Thanks." Ienzo turned, showing Sora the hemp and bead necklace, which clashed horribly with his uniform and lab coat. "How does it look?""Really stupid," Sora announced confidently. He expected a frown - Ienzo was never short on those. So the small, almost invisible smile that followed nearly stopped his heart."Good," Dr. Even announced, stepping into the room. "You're both here. Let's start packing up."-T-M-Once he had arrived in the gummi ship hanger, Sora tried to keep his feet moving in the right direction. He was finally doing it. Finally, after a year and a half of study, he was doing the impossible for a second year; leaving for another planet. He was going out to see other worlds. Meet new people. Learn new things. Make a difference. In half the time it had taken Riku to get off Maunder, Sora had graduated – with an apprenticeship – and was set off on a journey with no real time limit.In short, Sora was terrified.Stepping up to the ship, the boy swallowed hard. It was your everyday Shiva model, which he could tell at first glance was built around fewer weapon gummis than usual. They wouldn't need weapons where they were going. They were on a mission of learning, after all. Anything more than two lasers would be overkill.Not halfway up the ship ramp, his knees gave out. Bracing his hands against his thighs, the brunet took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. Adjusting his bag - a small duffel filled only with some pocket money, a few sets of clothing, a tool set, and four and a half cartons of cigarettes - he stood once more and strode with what he hoped was confidence into the cabin.Taking a seat at the controls, he loosened the top button of his uniform shirt. Soon he would be rid of that, too. On Maunder the materia in the buttons counteracted the gravity, but on any other planet it would put his body in a constant state of zero gravity which could make his organs shrivel up and cause his muscles to atrophy. The boy leaned forward, but stopped with a grimace after realizing he was sitting on his hair. Standing back up, he took hold of his ponytail and undid the tie. Pulling it into a high tail he looped the hair once, twice, three times to make a thick bun before settling back into the seat. He grabbed the steering joysticks with nervous fingers. The smooth faux leather was a familiar sensation, and helped him to calm a bit. Eyes roaming over the mass of buttons and gauges that made up the dashboard, Sora heaved a comforted sigh.Ienzo and Dr. Even were there with him within seconds, the coordinates were plugged in, and Sora guided the ship out of the garage with a steady hand.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Cider.”“How is that negative?”“I'm allergic to apples.”“Fine. Cicada.”“Pesticide.”Dr. Even sighed. “Anything with 'cide' in it works. As judge, I deem anything with 'cide' off limits.”“You're not the judge,” Ienzo protested.“I am now; deal with it. Incommode.”“What are you guys doing?” Sora couldn't help but ask. The men were changing out of their uniforms behind him, but before long a strange sort of banter had started up. The gummi ship was feeling pretty cramped with them shoved in what little open space there was, which happened to be directly behind the pilot's chair. The boy had decided about five minutes in to the ride that for all the strange angles and occasional elbows to the face, it was still roomier than his dorm room.“Coming up with all the negative words with the letters 'C,' 'I,' and 'D' in them,” Ienzo supplied.Sora scoffed. “Do you not like Cid or something?”Dr. Even hummed quietly. “No. Scincidae – which counts as one and a half since it nearly has it twice.”“No it doesn't,” the other man argued.“Productive,” Sora added in, much to his companion's surprise. “Ridiculous.”Ienzo and Dr. Even shared an odd look, glanced at the mechanic, then resumed dressing. This time in silence. (Whether or not Sora sneaked some glances back at Ienzo was his own business.)“Ienzo, relieve Sora at the wheel so he can change.” Dr. Even's instructions were neither expected nor, apparently, appreciated.“What?” the short man squeaked, suddenly anxious.The noise was a surprising one, and it caught Sora off guard. He glanced back at Ienzo, not quite sure that what he heard had actually been from the other apprentice.“Do it,” Dr. Even commanded firmly, turning his eyes on his underling as he fought with his buttons. It seemed that the taller man was accustomed to old-fashioned clothing that required an obscene quantity of button-fastening. He was currently in the midst of putting on a vest, and beneath it peeked an even older-looking shirt with what appeared to be ivory fittings. Both looked very worn, and even had a few barely noticeable patches. Particularly on the shirt's elbows.Ienzo approached the dashboard slowly, obviously intending to relieve Sora despite the look on his face that screamed, “The world is going to end in precisely fifteen seconds.”Sora couldn't help but ask, “You know how to drive, right?”“No.”The answer was so deadpan, and had been delivered with such a lack of confidence, that the boy couldn't so much as tease the other apprentice. “Well, have you ever driven a go-cart?”“Define 'driven.'”“Past particle of drive,” Dr. Even droned evenly from behind them. “Moved along and piled up by the wind; as driven snow. Or to force into a specified condition; as driven mad.”Ienzo thought for a bit on this. “Yes.”“Not crashed,” Sora amended, sensing the man's hesitation.“No.”“What's with all the dictionary stuff, anyway?” the boy asked, curious.“Ienzo and I always read the dictionary before going anywhere,” the scientist replied, fighting his buttons. “It helps with the aviaphobia.”Sora screwed up his eyes. “You have aviaphobia?”“Me, not him,” Ienzo informed the teen, deadpan. “And if you don't move, I can't relieve you and crash into a meteorite.”The line made Sora pause. Did he want to change? Yes. Did he want Ienzo to crash into a meteorite? No. “Are you seriously going to crash?”“To be honest, I'm not going to do anything. I was just planning to sit there and hold the wheel still until you got back.”Sora blinked. “So if we came across a asteroid field–”“We would die horribly is seconds with no warning or preamble.”“For the love of – we're in open space!” Dr. Even griped suddenly, motioning to the windshield with one arm for emphasis. “I highly doubt we're going to crash and die while Sora changes his shirt!”“I still-”“This is a space ship!” the man continued indignantly. “It's made of gummi blocks, not tin foil!”Taking Dr. Even's words as a hint, Sora stood from his seat and motioned for Ienzo to take it. “For now, just keep us going straight and watch the gauges,” the mechanic informed the shorter man as he settled into the seat. He unbuttoned his shirt as he spoke. “Specifically the negative-pressure indicator.” Sparing a finger, Sora tapped a particular gauge on the dashboard ringed in red. “If it goes above neutral tell me, then look around for any absence of light.” As the boy stepped away, the ship began to perform a long and grating series of beeps and alarms.Ienzo winced. “I didn't do anything.”“It just misses me,” Sora joked, dropping the buttons of his shirt and flipping a few switches before moving away from the dashboard once more. This time it didn't complain. He quickly shucked his shirt, pants, and underclothes just as Ienzo and Dr. Even had before him. Then, grabbing a pile of clothes from the side, he dropped most of them to the floor and pulled on a pair of boxers. Jeans and a tee-shirt came next, followed by a heavy winter jacket.“Heartless incoming!” Ienzo screamed suddenly, shocking the other passengers.Sora ignored his socks in favor of taking his seat back from Ienzo. “Dr. Even, have you worked a turret before?” Behind him, Ienzo practically cowered.“I thought this area had already been cleared of Heartless,” the doctor complained, taking the passenger seat without answering the boy's question. “Why the hell are there so many?”Sora couldn't help but wonder himself. They were traveling through an area that had just been cleared. Where were there so many heartless swarming their ship? It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but it was enough to be a nuisance – especially for the small Shiva they were flying. They took an especially bad hit to the left side, and it made the mechanic wince. “Ienzo, I need you to do something for me.”“Excuse me?” the boy squeaked.“He's pretty useless in the sky,” Dr. Even warned absentmindedly, holding down the big red button on the dashboard that fired the lasers. “And it just occurred to me – why does this ship have lasers and not cannons?”“Think about it later,” Sora replied quietly before heaving a sigh. “Never mind; forget everything I said. They're clearing up.” There was an awkward silence that filled the room at his words as what few Heartless were left moved around the ship and let them be as a world came into view.“So,” the mechanic began, staring pointedly at the towering, rusted castle and the surrounding buildings. “That's Hollow Bastion, huh?” Suddenly, an entire parapet plummeted to the ground. From what the boy could tell, it wasn't intentional. “Is this why you brought me?”“We come before them. Keep that in mind, little apprentice.”-T-M-For some reason, Sora hadn't anticipated being welcomed to Hollow Bastion by two beautiful women and an old man. He'd expected... well, no one, but he certainly hadn't expected that.“Hello Dr. Even, Ienzo.” The first of the trio to approach them was a slim brunet wearing a uniform-like vest and brown slacks. The buttons were a polished brass, contrasting with the deep blue of the vest, which somehow brought into contrast her bright green eyes. After greeting the Professor and Ienzo she turned the Sora. “You must be their mechanic.”Finding himself at a loss for words, the boy stepped forward with a sheepish smile and offered his hand. “I'm Sora.”She took his hand and shook it. “It's nice to meet you, Sora. My name's Aerith. I'm in charge of human relations.” Motioning to the other woman and the old man, she introduced each with a smile. “This is Yuffie, our housing and defense specialist, and Merlin the wizard.”“How do you do?” Merlin greeted jovially.The second woman, Yuffie, seemed to appraise Sora for a moment. She wore the same uniform as Aerith, though on her it was obvious that the vest was padded. Whether this was because of armor underneath or because of the rumored chill of Hollow Bastion, Sora didn't know. “Aren't you a little young to be an off-base Mechanic?”Sora shrugged. “Cid didn't think so. He's our Mechanics teacher.”Yuffie's eyes went wide, but before she could blurt anything out Aerith diverted the conversation. “You must all be tired from your trip – we have some housing set aside for you-”“Where's Leon?” Dr. Even suddenly asked, cutting the woman off with a regal tone. “I was told he would be here.”“Leon was unexpectedly called away to provide backup early this morning.”“When will he be back?”Aerith, much to Sora's surprise, appeared neither put off nor annoyed by the quick-fire interrogation. “I was under the impression that emergency backup is only to be stationed for twelve hours. He should be back soon. Now, we have yet to get any beds or mattresses into the house you have been assigned. As such you can make requests, but keep in mind that the limit is one single per person. Now, if you would grab your bags and follow me, I would like to get you settled.”Sora didn't think he'd ever seen a more put-together hostess.-T-M-Not ten minutes after being shown to their new “home” – a small two-story house with two bedrooms, a bath, and a living room – a knock came at the door. Both Sora and Ienzo jumped to answer it, only to find the two women from earlier bearing armfuls of bedding. Sora felt like he could cry for joy. They'd been on the planet for little over an hour and he couldn't feel his fingers. It appeared that the house didn't have a heating system, either. It was a big change from the strict heating system at the Academy, where the temperature wasn't allowed to fall below sixty degrees Fahrenheit under any circumstance.“Thank you for coming on such short notice.” Aerith's smile was genuine and heartfelt as Sora took the blankets she offered.“Yeah,” Yuffie concurred, handing another pile to Ienzo after the brunets backed away from the door. “Things started to fall apart after Cid left.” Her grin turned sinister. “Speaking of which-”“Yuffie, we should really get going,” Aerith announced loudly, much to the males' surprise. She fixed the shorter woman's hair – just her hair; specifically a single short black strand that had somehow managed to free itself from the rest and rose in a perfectly vertical line – with an expectant expression. “It's getting dark. Let's not intrude on our guests.”And just like that, the women said their goodbyes and left. Sora stared out at the front porch for a second, not quite sure what had just happened. Before long Ienzo took hold of his arm and dragged him further into the house. Dropping his armful of blankets to the floor, the man stepped into the small corner of the living room that had been fitted as a kitchen. “I'm going to make tea,” he announced, grabbing his bag of belongings and sifting through it. Within seconds he pulled out a simple kettle. “Do you want some?”Sora stared. “There's no burner.” Next to come out of the bag was a mana-fueled travel burner. The mechanic attempted not to stare. “Did you steal that from the school?”“I went to and graduated from the Academy, Sora,” the man replied, setting it on the counter. “I'm allowed to purchase gear not available to civilians, just as you are. Now answer my question.”The boy blinked. “What?”Ienzo heaved a quiet sigh before fixing the teen with a look. “Do. You. Want. Tea?”Sora tried not to blush under the intense gaze. “Sure,” he affirmed, dropping his armful of blankets where the man had left his. Rethinking this, however, prompted him to grab one for himself and throw it over his shoulders. “Do you know if it'll be getting any colder around here?”“There's a three step process after the sun sets in Winter. First it rains. Shortly after the temperature will drop to freezing levels. Finally, the streets will ice over and we'll be able to see our breath. For that reason, curfew is at sunset,” the apprentice replied. “We gave you a pamphlet, didn't we?”Sora groaned. “Yeah, but I didn't read it. Question; will it be getting colder during the daytime?” A series of raindrops hit the window, drawing the teen's attention away from his companion.Ienzo didn't look. Instead, he fixed Sora with an unreadable expression. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then he turned back to the burner and set things up for tea. “Of course. If I'm correct, this is the third day of Winter.” When Sora didn't make any sort of response, the man's lips curved down into an empty frown. It was quickly hidden behind a blank mask as he continued making tea.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Alarms blared long notes into the night, disturbing the entire population of Hollow Bastion. Between the noise one could hear an icy silence; the quality of a single sound echoing along frozen streets. After fighting a foot-high pile of blanket Sora shot to his feet. “What's going on?”“You think we'd know?” Ienzo groaned. “We've been here for, what? Six hours?”“If this is their idea of a good morning, we're going back to the Academy.” Dr. Even announced this with a single arm pointed toward the ceiling, voice muffled by his covers.The three males had huddled together for warmth on the living room floor in defense against the cold, curled beneath the blankets Aerith and Yuffie had brought them. It seemed that there had been a spell cast to thicken them in cold weather. As soon as the sun had gone down and the temperature had plummeted the blankets had puffed up to nearly ten times their size. Once an armful, they could now no longer be folded.The alarms were interrupted by a voice, seemingly spoken over the same speakers. “Heartless in residential area 4. All civilians are to remain in their homes. Committee members are to converge on the site ASAP. I repeat; Heartless in residential area 4.” The message was repeated twice, then the voice – and, more importantly, the alarms – stopped altogether.“Heartless?” Ienzo asked, suddenly awake. He pushed back his blanket, emerging still fully clothed.Sora, who was pulling on jeans and a tee-shirt as quickly as he could, fought down a blush as the man spared him a glance that lingered half a second longer than it should have. “Sounds like it. We should get out there.”Approaching the foyer, Ienzo shrugged. “But we're not 'committee members,' or something like... that.” Settling in beside a window, Ienzo hissed a curse.Sora spared a glance at Dr. Even, who was now happily snoring, before turning to the other apprentice with a frown. “What's wrong?” The door shook suddenly as something collided with it, startling a jump out of the teen.“I think we're in residential area 4.” Fixing Sora with a look, the shorter man pushed away from the window and went straight to the door. “Grab your coat,” he said nervously, turning to away with a grim expression. He took a deep breath, then threw the door open, firing a thunder spell through the frame without a second thought before rushing outside.Sora heard more than saw the man slip on a patch of ice right as he stepped out the door. It wasn't the way his ankles went up over his head, or how his entire body seemed to twist in mid-air, that the mechanic found most amusing. It was the girlish shriek that pierced the air. The long string of curses to follow was impressive, but not impressive enough to undo the sheer amount of emasculation Ienzo had just undergone.“The city freezes over every night,” Sora mused quietly, a rare smug expression crossing his face. “Didn't you read the pamphlet?”“Now is not the time,” the man hissed, jumping to his feet. All of a sudden he was surrounded by soldier heartless, and the man's earlier words finally sunk in.I think we're in residential area 4.As fast as Sora could blink, the heartless were gone and Ienzo was taking careful steps off the porch. Once he was off the stairs he turned slowly, fixing the boy with a look. “Are you coming or not?”“Huh?” Sora blinked. “Oh – right. Yeah.” Finally throwing his jacket on, he carefully stepped outside, careful of the ice. As the door slammed shut behind him Ienzo set off without him. Making sure not to slip, the taller apprentice followed at a distance. After a few minutes of staring at the crystals his breath was making in the air, Sora commented, “I didn't expect a heartless attack on the first day.”Ienzo glanced back at him, skeptical. “You seriously didn't read the pamphlet.”The boy shrugged.Scoffing, the older apprentice faced forward before Sora could see his look of disappointment. “We cannot take you seriously if you don't treat us, and everything you do, with the same respect. Next time you're handed a pamphlet read it.” A heartless rose up to attack, a shadow this time, but like before Ienzo had taken care of it before Sora could even figure out what spell he was using.Secretly he felt like a failure. It had been a while since Ienzo had scolded him, though what had just taken place could hardly been called “scolding” compared to what the man used to say, and Sora had been convinced that he might never have to face the apprentice's harsh words again. “I'll read it when we get back,” he appealed quietly. “But in the mean time is there anything is particular I should know?”“Not that it matters much, but the heartless here are level twenty-four.”Sora froze in place, suddenly wary. “Twenty-four? I thought this was a civilian settlement.”“Hey guys! You here to help the committee?”The mechanic fought a heart attack when Yuffie dropped out of nowhere wielding a giant throwing star.Ienzo turned to his companion and smiled, ignoring the impromptu interruption. “Welcome to the front lines,” he said. Then he walked off, secretly enjoying the blatant fear on Sora's face.Glancing between them, Yuffie hugged herself in the cold. “Since you guys are down here anyway, can you take the ground level? Leon and I got the roofs.”The boy blinked. “Leon?”Yuffie pointed up.Following the woman's finger, Sora looked up at the roof of the nearest house. There, shaking out the tension in his shoulders, was a man. He was stocky, with solid arms and broad shoulders. Brown hair fell to his mid-back in messy layers, settling oddly against the same uniform Aerith and Yuffie wore. From his arm hung a large sword that the mechanic swore was too large to work with. And when the new man turned to look at them, it occurred to the boy that horribly disfiguring facial injuries shouldn't make someone look dashing.It also occurred to him that the way the man's pants fit him should be illegal.“He's in charge. Well, as in charge as you can get around here.” The woman giggled. “You might want to catch up with short, moody, and periwinkle.”Sora blinked. “Huh?”“Ienzo?” she prompted. “Periwinkle hair, you know? He just walked off.”The observation surprised the boy, and he glanced around, only to find that Ienzo had begun to turn a corner on the opposite end of the street. “Thanks,” he managed, wrapping his arms around his middle and following at a cautious jog. Unfortunately, Ienzo had bothered to wait for him and he collided with the man, knocking them both to the ground.“Watch it,” the older man hissed.Sora winced. “Sorry.”They'd barely been there a day, and already he'd made a nuisance of himself.-T-M-“Sora.”Scooting to the edge of his bunk bed, the mechanic peered down into the doorway to his new room. There Dr. Even stood bearing a large box of “gifts.” “Yes?”“I need you and Ienzo to place these around town.”“What are they?” he asked, sliding out of bed and to the floor.“Experimental anti-heartless field generators.”Taking the box from the man, Sora sighed. He wasn't going to argue – it was his job – but he wasn't looking forward to stepping outside. He'd read the pamphlet, and according to the unusually thorough section on weather they should expect snow soon. While he would usually be ecstatic, he didn't have a winter coat. In fact, he didn't have anything designed to counteract cold weather. It was the biggest difference between Hollow Bastion and Destiny Islands thus far.Following the doctor into the living room, Sora bit back a girlish squeak at the sight of Ienzo changing next to the kitchen counter. All that covered him when the boy stepped in was a modest pair of briefs – blue ones that matched his hair. Soon came socks, then pants, and finally a shirt and vest before he pulled on shoes.It was the same uniform everyone else was wearing.Just after Sora realized this, and that Dr. Even had retreated into his room, Ienzo turned and addressed him. “Well, what are you waiting for?” He motioned toward a pile on the counter as he buttoned the vest. “You should change, too.”Approaching the man with caution in his eyes, Sora stepped up to the counter to find another uniform folded neatly on the surface. He set the box of devices down carefully as he observed it quietly. “What's this for?”“It's a uniform, obviously. It's regulation around here. And they're a lot warmer than anything you brought.” The tone was accusing.The mechanic tried not to let his disappointment show. Ienzo had been unusually kind – compared to his usual behavior that is – for the past few weeks. Had it been an act to get him to sign on? “Well sorry, but I grew up in the tropics.” Off came his clothes, replaced by the uniform that was heavier than it looked. Like he thought, the vest had been lined with some sort of armor. He had to admit that it was a lot warmer than his usual clothes.When he finished with his buttons, Sora watched the older apprentice lean down and pick up the box, motioning with his head for the boy to open the door for him.The mechanic had half a mind to step back into his room for a good cry.-T-M-An hour later, Sora finally got up the courage to ask, “Are you from Hollow Bastion?”Ienzo looked up from where he was seated at the edge of a ruined fountain, fitting the spout with one of the devices. “No. Why do you ask?”“Red and blue.”A curious expression crossed the man's face before he turned back to his work. Making sure the device wasn't going to fall off, he turned to the younger apprentice and asked, “Come again?”“Well, it's just, your hair,” Sora informed him quietly. “A lot of the civilians around here have red or blue hair.”“What of it?”Sora huffed. “I don't know about you, but I don't know all that many people with blue hair.” When Ienzo laughed, it surprised the boy so much his face went slack and he stared for a moment. This was a different Ienzo – the one from the last two weeks. The one who smoked in the lab and had issues with buttons.“I'll tell you something about this place that isn't in the pamphlet.”The boy blinked. “Huh?”Grinning big, Ienzo confidently announced, “This world once went by another name – Radiant Garden. That's where I'm from.”“What's the difference?”Standing on what was left of the lip of the fountain, Ienzo ruffled the mechanic's hair with a lazy hand. “Let's hope you never have to find out first hand.”Fighting the stain of a blush from his cheeks, Sora tried to calm his heart. It had jumped into his throat and began to beat like he'd run a marathon. He grabbed the now empty box from the ground and followed Ienzo at a trot, suddenly aware that he was in. He was in deep. At this point he could either take a leap of faith, or stand idly by and waste his life pining after a man who, to all appearances, did not reciprocate.“Radiant Garden, huh?” the boy wondered aloud, desperate for some conversation to fill the suddenly heavy silence. “Sounds nice.”“It was,” the man whispered quietly, his tone striking the younger boy in such a way that he couldn't tear his eyes from the man's retreating form.Sora knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, that any leap of faith he took would hurt him more than Ienzo's words ever could.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They had been there a week, and the weather was only getting worse.Snow began to fall just as Sora stepped outside, lighting up his second cigarette of the day. It had felt like months since he'd last had his last helping of tobacco instead of the half hour it had actually been. He'd taken to using cigarette breaks to avoid Ienzo for the past two days. It wasn't until Ienzo stepped out onto the porch with him with his own cigarette in hand that it occurred to Sora that it was a pretty stupid plan.“Can you spare a light?” the man asked.Flicking a finger up from a closed fist, Sora summoned up a small marble of fire. Ienzo leaned forward, lighting his cigarette with the spell. The mechanic then found himself wishing for someone, anyone, anything to prevent him from spending time alone with the older apprentice. Heartless, a building collapse, a meteor-“You learn that from Cid?”In the history of the world, no one had ever been more secretly ecstatic to see Yuffie than Sora was at that very moment. “Yeah, I did,” he replied, hiding a smile. “What's up?”“Leon wants you,” she informed him enthusiastically, getting straight to the point. “Both of you." She turned on her heel and started in the direction of downtown, shouting over her shoulder, "Follow me!"Sora quickly got up to follow. As did Ienzo, though he trailed after the two at a distance, suddenly wary.It took him all of ten seconds to figure out that Sora was avoiding him. Although he still hadn't managed to figure out why by the time they had followed Yuffie further into town and stopped in front of one of the smaller houses.“This is Merlin's place,” the woman announced grandly. “If you ever have questions about magic, and he stops by, he's sure to have an answer.” She then pushed the door open with a shout. “Leon! I'm home!”“You don't live here,” a disgruntled voice replied as the three new arrivals filled into the room.Sora scanned the room, looking for Leon. He wasn't anywhere obvious, and there didn't seem to be any other rooms in the house. Off to the left was a massive pile of books surrounding a table setting, and in front of the door was the largest computer Sora had ever laid eyes on. It wasn't until the boy examined under the desk that he saw the man-legs protruding from it. They wiggled for a bit before settling on a rolling desk chair. The man then lifted his body into the air with the chair as leverage and crawled out of the space on his hands, much like a crab would.Leon emerged from beneath the desk with all the dignity of a half-drowned squirrel. But then, there was only so composed someone can look with their foot on a rolling desk chair, which continued to roll despite the general assumption that it wouldn't. So when he landed on his ass with a great thump and a hissed stream of curses, no one called him out on it."This is Sora and Ienzo." Yuffie had the courage to speak first after the leader's tumble. She motioned to the apprentices with one hand as the man recovered. "Sora's the mechanic!" Her voice was excited as she said this, as if she could barely contain her enthusiasm.Sora attempted to curb his surprise. It was the first time he had ever been introduced in such a tone before. Like he was horribly important. It didn't help when Leon looked up at him with something in his eyes that almost scared the boy. Like he was something to keep safe, but also something to keep at arms length. Unbidden, a blush rose to the mechanic's cheeks.While on the roof the week before, far above the city streets, Leon had looked like something out of one of Riku's novels. Up close he was a perfect specimen of a man. Even through the armored uniform, Sora could tell his entire body was wired with lithe muscle, trained to spring at anything hostile. (The chair didn't count.) Taking hold of his too-thin left wrist, Sora attempted to hide his nervousness and will down the blush that stuck to his face like honey as Leon looked him over with what seemed to be an expression of indifferent appraisal. It occurred to the boy that the man could probably snap him in two. While terrifying, the idea was somehow appealing.Unknown to Sora, Ienzo watched this reaction with hard eyes."So you're the mechanic." Like his gaze, Leon's voice was cold. "Fair warning – you're about to become very popular around here.""Huh?"The man's eyebrows rose, and while his eyes strayed once to Yuffie who said her goodbyes and left, his attention didn't waver from the boy. "In case you didn't notice, there's a castle falling on the city. And you're the only mechanic within a four-billion mile radius."Suddenly, Yuffie's tone – and how the committee had been treating him since he arrived – made a lot more sense.Then Leon scowled outright. "Have any experience with computers?"Sora turned his eyes to the giant machine against the wall, not entirely surprised by the change of topic. "A bit.""I have extensive experience," Ienzo announced from his side, making himself known. His voice was clipped, almost angry. "So if you two are done flirting I would like to get to work. What seems to be the problem?"Flirting?Sora looked to the man in surprise, suddenly realizing that his expression was off. And in a way he'd never seen before. The boy, fighting an incredulous expression, then thought, Is that... jealousy?Leon scoffed, as if the idea of flirting with Sora was ridiculous. "Some heartless chewed through the power cables, but we don't know how fix them. And before that we were having issues with some programs." Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small sheet of paper and handed it to Ienzo. "Here's the list. Try not to blow up the computer before I get back." And with that he reached toward the wall to pick up a small knapsack that had escaped Sora's attention."Where are you going?" the boy found himself asking, surprising himself."We've got a serious issue with the heartless border a few miles out," Leon replied evenly, hoisting the strap of his bag over one shoulder. "Otherwise I'd be doing this myself."-T-M-After Leon had left, the two apprentices had lapsed into a heavy silence. It was as if all the warmth had been sucked from the air – which was probably closer to the truth than Sora would have liked, seeing as it had gotten cold enough to snow. It wasn't that he hated snow – far from it. He just hated the cold, and by extension anything that happened to be frigid in any sense of the word.Although he might have been willing to make an exception for one Mr. Leon. Not that anything was likely to ever happen between them. The guy practically screamed "I have a girlfriend and we use each other for sex, but I secretly love her."Sora, honestly, had no idea how he had come to such a conclusion.A series of beeps came from his pants' pocket, and the boy jumped at the noise, successfully slamming his face into the bottom of the desk. Ienzo looked at him oddly as he dropped the wires he'd been replacing and fumbled with the button, fighting it for a few seconds before pulling out a small device."What's that?" the man asked, surprised."One way transponder," Sora replied quickly, showing him a device that flipped open. It resembled a small computer, but had Greek letters instead of standard English characters, as well as small slots on one side. On the upper section it had a small screen and a small round dot that Ienzo could only assume was a camera. Sora turned the device to face him and silenced it. Pocketing the transponder, he slid further beneath the desk. "Whelp, back to work.""One-way? What does that mean?"The inquiry set Sora on edge. Talking with Ienzo was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. "It means that it can send and receive video. But unlike normal transponders it isn't instant. It usually takes a day or two for the message to reach the recipient." He fixed his attention on the wires, then, and pretended not to hear Ienzo's next question."Where did you get something like that?"Silence."Sora, where did you get it?"The boy took a calming breath. "I'm trying to work here."Ienzo was quiet for a while after that, but when Sora finished with the wiring he rounded on the boy again. "Where did you get it?""Mechanics class," the boy replied tersely. "Cid made it.""Really?" His tone was condescending at best. "He doesn't strike me as the scientific type."Leaning down, the boy turned on the computer. "You're good with programming, right? Get to it."The older apprentice didn't bother turning to look at the screen. "What's wrong with you today?"Sora's eye twitched at the malice in his words, and finally decided that if he was going to snap he wouldn't get a better chance. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Do you even think about what you're saying?""Excuse me?""'He doesn't strike me as the scientific type,'" the boy quoted, visibly growing angry. Ienzo looked surprised, not quite sure what he had unleashed. "I'll have you know that the physics and mathematics courses required to take that class are no cakewalk. Contrary to public opinion we don't just spend all our time wiring – we build. We program. We think." He spat the last word like an insult. "I don't know what you've achieved in the past year, but I built a hand-held gravity generator from a microwave and a hair dryer."And that's just the tip of the paopu. My friend Lilo has been working on a machine that'll scramble skin cells – one that can run off mana, electricity, materia, and magicite. You don't even need to know what you're doing – just point and shoot! And you know what? She's a second year. When are you going to get it through your head that mechanics are scientists, just like you? We all specialize in something – Cid more than anyone."It didn't take Sora two seconds to regret snapping. The look on Ienzo's face – complete and utter shock – was enough to remind him of everything bad he had ever did. His life flashed before his eyes – the time he'd accidentally taken a bit of Tidus' birthday cake before the party had started; when he'd hit Kairi with his wooden sword while he and Riku had been sparring, resulting in a nasty bruise and a bloody nose; telling his parents he didn't like his birthday presents. It all came rushing back to him in a wave of guilt that was neither logical nor relevant to the situation. He had never felt younger."Wow." The word was spoken with a mixture of shock and amazement. "I'm sorry."Sora tore his eyes away from his boots, where they had settled some time during his puberty-tinged pity party, to look at Ienzo. He half expected his eyes to pop right out of his head with surprise. An apology was the very last thing he had expected, but lo-and-behold... Boom. Apology.The man scowled. "What?" he snapped. "Don't look at me like that – it's weird.""You apologized," Sora whispered in awe. "You apologized," he repeated. Then, again, "You apologized.""Yes, I did!" Ienzo snapped hastily, turning bright red. "Get over it!" He then swiveled in his chair to face the computer, fighting the blush that had to all appearances taken out a long-term lease on his face."But you've never-""Subject change: Leon's a grumpy little man, isn't he?"Sora blinked. "You can't just-""I did," the man interrupted. "Now, Leon. He's a grumpy little man, isn't he?""He's taller than-""He's a grumpy little man, isn't he?" Ienzo repeated, fixing Sora with a venomous look.Much like a deer in headlights, the mechanic had a few seconds of shock before his brain caught up with the situation. Thankfully, his current predicament wasn't an oncoming car. "Sure." The word, while spoken in a half-hearted manner, seemed to appease the man. "I wonder what position he's in." The computer finally loaded the desktop, saving Sora from what could have been the most bewildered expression he would ever be on the receiving end of."Come again?""You know – position. He said he was being called to another section of the front lines, so I'm wonder if he's a mage, a keyblade wielder, or a mechanic."Ienzo sighed. "He's none."Sora blinked. "How do you know?""First of all, he has a gunblade, not a keyblade," the man deadpanned. "I assume you saw it last week. It's hard to miss. Second, he flat out said you were the only mechanic within a six-billion mile radius. He's either a mage, a team leader, or – most likely – he never attended the Academy at all."Taking a seat on the floor, Sora wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to ward away what cold what seeping in through his uniform. "Not at all? What makes you say that?""It's simple, really," Ienzo replied confidently. "Gunblade specialists are rare, and the Academy doesn't teach anything that isn't mainstream. For that kind of focus you'd have to go to a Garden.""A Garden?" The surprise nearly overwhelmed the boy's voice as he leaned forward. "You mean Radiant Garden and Balamb Garden, right?"Ienzo smiled. "You catch on faster than I give you credit."Fighting a blush, Sora crossed his arms indignantly. "What's that supposed to mean?""Nothing bad, I assure you."-T-M-Alarms blaring in the middle of the night? Sora had gotten used to that. Yuffie treating him like he was some sort of priceless treasure? He was getting used to that, too. Cold weather? Well, it meant snow. He'd come around eventually.Someone banging on the front door at two in the morning? That was one thing he could do without."You get it – you're on the bottom bunk," Sora announced."You get it," Ienzo hissed below him. "I have seniority, and I'm pulling it."The knocking continued, growing louder by the second.Sora heaved himself out of bed, being careful to duck beneath the ceiling. He had worn his uniform jacket over the footie pajamas Yuffie had been so "kind" as to lend him. Mortification was what one could see on his face when he first received the article, and his disgust didn't wane despite how warm they were. Though it took a harsh blow when he saw Ienzo and Even wearing similar pajamas the following morning.The knocking got louder."I'm coming!" the boy shouted, tugging the jacket closer. "Hold your fish!" Tearing open the door, Sora fixed the newcomer with a glare.It was a tall man – maybe two or three inches taller than Sora – with bright blue hair that had been cropped into a strange style. His bangs stuck straight up while the rest cascaded to his shoulders in a pony-tail. He looked to be about thirty years old and wore the uniform for a committee member, though he wore a strange crescent-moon shaped patch on his left shoulder. "Hold your fish?" he asked, obviously amused. "Are you the mechanic?""Yeah – what seems to be the problem?"The man's expression turned sour. "There's been a collapse."Sora's eyes went wide. "What?! Where? Has anyone been hurt?""You might want to get dressed – I'll explain on the way. And please don't tell anyone else.""Uh – yeah," the boy agreed, waving the man into the house before retreating to his room for clothes. The door slid closed on its own behind him, and he began to root through the pile of clothes in the far corner where his things were. He made short work of his pajamas, then began to pull on his clothes.Ienzo sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Where are you going?""House call," Sora informed him. "I'll probably be back in a few hours.""Oh..." The man curled back up in his blankets, seemingly appeased.Tugging on his shoes, the mechanic bounded out of the room with energy he didn't thing he should have at one in the morning. "Let's go," he told the stranger, motioning to the door. They fell in step quickly, being careful to walk slowly over the thick layer of snow across the ground. It went halfway up their knees, and within seconds Sora's pants were soaked. "So what's going on?""My friend and I were checking out the castle, salvaging metal for the committee, and a section collapsed on top of him," he informed the boy. "Cid used to help out with these sorts of things. He would oversee the rooms and tell us where to cut. But since he left we've been going solo. So far we've managed to keep out of too much trouble, but today part of the roof collapsed without warning – we hadn't even touched it. He was buried.""And you do this at one in the morning why?"Shrugging, the stranger carefully avoided a section of the ground that was black, clear of any snow, eyes wary. "I'm not much of a daytime person."Sora's eyes flicked to the patch on the man's shoulder. "You don't say." This earned a smile from the tall stranger. "So, what do I call you?""Ïsa."The mechanic grinned. "I'm Sora. So, Ïsa, you're pretty calm for someone whose friend is trapped beneath rubble.”Ïsa kicking a rock that was frozen to the ground. “That would be the training; I was specialized for infiltration and political representation at Trabia Garden.”“Infiltration, huh? We don't have majors like that at the Academy.”The man shrugged. “You wouldn't. It's useless against the heartless.”-T-M-Sora was pretty sure they were in an area that was off limits. Thankfully, the heartless prowling around didn't notice them. Ïsa had led him into a series of hallways without doors – a labyrinth of sorts. On the way, the snow made their footsteps horribly loud, but it seemed that the creatures were deaf to the noise. Once inside they were equally as oblivious, seeming not to take notice even as they walked right past.“Why aren't they attacking?” Sora couldn't help but ask.The man laughed. “Heartless may act entirely on instinct, but they're not that stupid.”“What do you mean?”Ïsa just hummed, turning a corner. Sora jogged to keep up.“Did you bring the tools?” a new voice called.Sora turned the corner in time to catch Ïsa say, “Better – I brought the mechanic.”It was then that the boy decided that if a nickname had to stick, he'd like for it to be “The Mechanic.”“You said you wouldn't bring anyone!”Leaning against a nearby wall, Ïsa fixed his friend with a smug look. “I lied.”“Son of a bitch!”Sora laughed. The two reminded him of Riku and himself. Approaching the man beneath the rubble, he crouched down on his knees to get a good look at what was going on.The roof had indeed fallen, and how it hadn't crushed the man he had no idea. It had pinned his shoulders to the floor, and Sora realized that if he moved too much too quickly the entire section would fall and crush its captive. “I'm Sora,” he greeted, scanning the rubble for what to get at first. “What's your name?”“Lea,” the man replied, slightly short of breath. “Spelled L-E-A – can you remember that?” He blew a strand of bright red hair away from his eyes.Sora tapped his temple, feeling playful. “Memorized. Now where are you feeling pressure?”“Internal or external?” Lea joked, offering a weak laugh. At the boy's stern look he grinned. “My shoulders, chest, and there's a section pinching my left leg.”Turning his gaze to the top of the pile, Sora fought a wince. “I'm going to have to weld some sections together. Can you handle heat very well?”“It's what I live for,” the man informed him weakly.Stepping up to the pile, Sora motioned for Ïsa to join him. When the man drew up to his side, he announced, “I need you to hold this section as steady as you can as I reach for the worst of it.”“Anything else you'd like to say?” Lea drawled from beneath him.“Yeah,” Sora admitted. “I honestly have no idea how you're not dead.” Reaching up, the boy called some mana to his fingers in a fire spell, smoothing his hand over the nearest metal section he could. As soon as he drew his hand away the steel began to lose its shape. He did the same with another piece near it, and repeated the process until there was a dome of melted metal over the trapped man.Lea laughed. “I guess I'm just lucky.”Sora didn't miss the soft smile Ïsa wore at this, even as he cooled the steel with a blizzard spell. It was like looking in a mirror – what he and Riku would have been like if his friend had never been sent to the front lines. But suddenly Sora wasn't sure if he would be Ïsa or Lea in this situation.-T-M-Three hours, six piles of rubble, two almost-avalanches, and six shouted expletives later Ïsa dragged away the last bit of ceiling that pinned Lea. They then discovered a thick sheet of steel that, when pulled away, was revealed to have been resting on a set of chakrams embedded deep in the ground on either side of the red-haired man.“I told you,” Lea had bragged. “I'm just lucky.” He wrapped one arm around Ïsa's shoulders, wearing a grin big enough for the both of them.Ïsa scoffed. “Says the man who until five minutes ago was up to his neck in parts of a ceiling.”“I'm lucky,” Lea repeated proudly.Sora laughed. “Just how old are you? Twelve?”“I'm thirty,” Ïsa offered without humor. “This dope is twenty-nine.”“Who are you calling a dope, dickwad?”Sora couldn't help but marvel at how immature both of them were acting, with varying levels of subtlety, despite their age. But more than that, they both wore stupid grins that he'd never seen on anyone that old. “Well, you two should probably be getting back. I'm just going to check the ceiling before I leave.”“Will do!” Lea nearly shouted.“Thanks for your help.” Ïsa extended his hand for Sora to shake, and the boy took it firmly with a small upward twitch of his lips. “I owe you one.”“Don't worry about it. Just make sure he doesn't go and undo my work.”The small twitch filled into a full on grin. “Will do.” Then the men left, leaving Sora with the rubble.Climbing up onto the rubble, Sora carefully picked his way up to the gaping hole in the ceiling. Occasionally he would have to stop and melt some of the piping and sheets of steel, then cool them with a blizzard spell, to use them as a foothold, but the going was unusually smooth. Once he was on top he realized that it wasn't one, but three floors' worth of ceilings that had fallen through. Then the rubble beneath his feet shifted to the side with a great clatter and the boy grasped at the ceiling in an attempt to save his neck.And there it was – a door.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sora had barely taken ten steps away from the collapse site before he realized that not only did he not know how to navigate the maze, but he had no idea how to get back to the residential area. A lot could be said about being unprepared. There Sora was, an idling fish in an area infested with high-level heartless with nothing but an standard mechanic emergency tool kit and his inferior skills with a keyblade.
The door was a strange temptation he didn't expect. No matter what he did it refused to open. Not for lack of trying. The handle didn't turn and the hinges were on the opposite side. Even ramming it with his shoulder had no effect. All that got him was a screaming joint and what could quite possibly become the largest bruise he'd ever get. But most curious of all, any spell the boy attempted to cast bounced right off. The first – fire – had sent him scrambling to get out of the way, and the blizzard to follow had the same effect. The only thing he could be sure of was that whatever the door was hiding had to be important.
After an hour of trying to break it down, Sora admitted that the door wasn't an option and turned his eyes to the wide hole in the ceiling. It seemed his best bet, seeing as he wouldn't be able to avoid the heartless in the maze on his own. But his tool kit wouldn't be able to get him ten feet in the air. Nor could his keyblade. A boy could only jump so high.
Riku can jump that high, he thought to himself, feeling envy begin to well up as it always did in the worst kinds of situations. In fact, he wouldn't need a secondary exit at all. He could just beat back the heartless and be done with it.
Pushing aside the nervous nausea budding in his stomach, Sora tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. That was when he realized he had a pile of rubble at his disposal. Most of which was comprised of metal scraps.
It took all of ten minutes to drag the longest pieces from the wreckage, along with the makeshift metal frame he'd used to keep Lea safe. Figuring a ladder would take too much time, Sora began to pile them together and weld them into place with a few sparse fire spells. (He was glad he'd packed welding wire in his kit.) One hour later it began to roughly resemble a staircase. It was then that Sora cooled it with a weak blizzard spell that took up the last of his mana, whispering a quiet prayer under his breath to whatever God may or may not be listening. The metal warped under the pressure, rippling inward as it stabilized. He stared at his work for a few short seconds – four feet of steel steps made from the beams of the castle – before setting a cautious foot atop the bottom-most step. It held. The second one didn't.
Catching himself with his hands, Sora tried not to scream as a jagged section of metal dragged along his leg. He'd cooled it too quickly – or he hadn't heated it slowly enough. Either way, there was no promise that the rest of the makeshift staircase would hold his weight. But without any other alternatives, Sora carefully extracted the limb and forged on. The fifth step would have given out as well, but before it could snap Sora managed to shift his weight to the next stair.
Thankfully the rest of the structure held. And as Sora reached toward the ceiling, which was now only inches away, he bit back a wince. His shoulder was fighting him. It shouldn't have surprised the mechanic seeing as he'd been ramming it into the door earlier, but the boy couldn't help but wonder why it was complaining as much as it was. Rolling the joint twice experimentally, Sora reached for the edge of the hole in the ceiling, hoping it wouldn't give out while he was lifting himself up. His shoulder complained again, but he ignored it. Taking hold of the edge, Sora lifted himself up on his toes before jumping, swinging his uninjured leg up over the side and bringing himself into what he could assume was a library.
Bookshelves towered over his crumpled form, filled to the brim with what he could only guess to be hundreds of thousands of books. They were all old, leather-bound pieces. Lilo would like this, he thought to himself. It was a silly thought. One that put him in a light haze for a bit. He hadn't thought about Lilo since he'd left.
A light beeping noise filled the room, and Sora glanced down at his pant-leg in surprise. Reaching into the wide pocket at his knee, careful not to move his thigh too much, he pulled out his pocket transponder and flipped it open.

1 new message.

The boy laughed, then hit the symbol for Alpha. But it wasn't Lilo or Riku staring at him through the screen; it was Cid.
“Testing one, two,” the man drawled.
“Is it recording?” Lilo asked, coming into the shot beside him.
Cid scoffed. “The light's on, ain't it?”
“Hey – you said you guys would wait!” Kairi called from somewhere in the background. She slid into screen with a big grin. “Hi, Sora!”
Riku settled in beside her, offering not even the weakest of waves. His expression was blank, but it was obvious that he was not happy with Sora. Suddenly his decision to forgo a goodbye didn't seem too great.
“You better be alive, you hear? If you've gotten y'rself skewered out there I'm removing you from the honors list!”
“Guys – we've already gotten off topic!” Lilo complained.
“Oh, right...” Kairi nudged Riku and mouthed, “Stop frowning.”
Lilo grinned, waving someone off camera over. “3, 2, 1...”
Kida stepped into frame and laced her fingers with her girlfriend's just as everyone shouted, “Merry Christmas!”
It had completely slipped his mind.
“We're hoping you reach this in time,” Kairi announced with a big grin. “We figure the transfer time is sixty hours, so we're doing this two days in advance. But since we don't know the time zone for Radiant Garden–“
“Radiant Garden? He's on Hollow Bastion,” Lilo commented.
Kairi looked physically uneasy as Cid fixed her with a curious look. “Right – Hollow Bastion. Sorry. Anyway, we don't know the time zone for Hollow Bastion so this could reach you at any time.”
“And we have a gift for you,” Lilo cut in enthusiastically. “Right, Cid?”
Tearing his eyes away from Kairi, Cid turned back to the camera, though his half-grimace half-grin wasn't up to par. “Yup. And you better be happy, hear? You're not getting it for a while – and by a while I mean a while – but you'll know it when you see it.”
Nudging Riku again, Kairi whispered something Sora didn't catch. And when she received no response the girl's face pinched into a frown and she jammed her elbow between the man's ribs.
He squealed.
Sora grinned.
“Merry Christmas,” the man grumbled, looking completely put-out.
“Jeez,” Kairi groaned quietly, staring up at Riku. “You can be mad at him, but don't be mad at him!”
Then Riku made a face that Sora figured was worth skipping the goodbye. (Not that he'd ever tell Riku that.)
“Isn't there a time limit on these things?” Lilo advertised humorously, snapping everyone's attentions back to the screen.
“That's right!” Cid announced with a grin. “Enough of Kairi and Riku's lovey-dovey time,” the man joked, much to the pair's utter embarrassment. “We're not telling who, but in a week's time you'll be getting a little guest! In the meantime keep-”
The distinct sound of a door being forced open caught Sora by surprise. Slamming the transponder shut, he shoved the device into his pocket before rolling onto his stomach. Pushing himself onto his hands, he ignored the flaring pain in his leg as he propelled himself along the floor, away from the gaping hole and towards a bookshelf. He managed to settle himself behind it before the noise stopped. That's when he thought to himself, 'Wait – why am I hiding?'
Peering out around the bookshelf, he saw nothing but books. Whoever it was hadn't rounded the corner yet. But the distinct sounds of footsteps floated through the room like a loud ticking clock in the middle of the night – a sound Sora personally found soothing. “Hello?” he called.
The sound stopped.
Sora's heart dropped into his stomach. 'Is it a heartless?' “Who's there?”
“Sora?!”
The boy felt like laughing. It was Leon! “That's my name!” he complained, grabbing on to the side of the bookshelf and pulling himself to his feet. When his leg complained he shifted his weight to the other foot. “I was asking who you were, thank you very much!”
“Where are you in the room? Center? Near the staircase?”
Glancing around him, only to find all sides blocked by shelves, Sora shrugged. “Near a bookcase.”
There was a short pause, then a great rumbling noise. “Marco,” the man called unexpectedly.
'Ah, this game,' the boy thought to himself fondly. Grinning, Sora slid back down the bookcase to sit on the floor. Finding himself comfortable enough, he replied eagerly, “Fish!” The mechanic suddenly recalled fond memories of days on the beach playing Marco-Fish with the others.
His response was met with silence.
“Marco?” the man tried again nearly a minute later, voice tinged in disbelief.
“Fish!” Sora replied eagerly.
“Marco!”
“Fish!”
“It's Polo, goddammit! You reply 'Polo!'” the man shouted. There was short sound of shoes scuffing, more walking, and then another great rumble.
“What are you doing?”
Leon groaned. “I'm unlocking the bookshelves. Marco.”
“You're what now?” Sora asked in his own tone of disbelief, not quite following. As an afterthought he added, “Fish.”
“Why do you keep saying fish?” Leon demanded just as another great rumble sounded.
Adjusting himself against the bookcase, Sora fixed his eyes on the ceiling. “Because that's what you say after the other guy says 'Marco.' It's a water game here, too, right? Where you find the other person?”
“Well, here you say 'polo,'” the man grumbled.
Sora watched in awe as the bookshelf to his right moved on its own, only to reveal Leon in all his glory with an expression of annoyed disbelief. “So that's what you meant by unlocking the bookshelves.”
“What happened to your leg?”
Glancing down at said appendage, Sora tried not to wince upon seeing the blood seeping through the fabric of his pants and dribbling on to the floor. “Long story,” he laughed noncommittally. Endorphins were rushing through him, numbing the pain and making him feel unusually happy. Grabbing hold of his shirt sleeve, he yanked at it until it tore from the seam, allowing him to tie it around his leg.
Leon watched this process with a mixture of mild surprise and confusion. “Do you need any help?”
“Depends. Are you willing to carry me to town?”
The man's mouth quirked up minutely. “Only if you promise not to tell anyone.”
“Done,” the boy replied, taking hold of the bookshelf once more and dragging himself upright. “Once we hit the city we can probably just turn you into a crutch or something. You know – save us some masculinity for the road.”
Leon almost looked like he was going to laugh. “Right,” he drawled, advancing toward Sora before kneeling in front of him, offering his back. As they maneuvered, the man commented, “You're not going to bleed out on our way back, are you? Walking from the battlefield back to town with a corpse on my back isn't on my bucket list.”
“Don't worry,” Sora replied easily. “I mean, there's always a chance, but if you run we should make it with time to spare.”
“You're really enjoying this, aren't you?” he asked, being careful not to lose his balance as he stood.
“It's not every day I get a piggy-back from the resident hard-ass.”
“Has Yuffie been telling you things?”
“No,” Sora droned sarcastically. “Of course not.” He didn't bother to mention that it had been Aerith, not Yuffie, who had given him a rundown on their “uptight, secretly nervous leader” who managed to pull through the oddest situations by just... hitting things. Sora still couldn't believe that, while Leon was very serious and seemed to know what he was doing, the man essentially depended on luck.
And he apparently had very good luck.
“So how did you get the bookshelves to move, anyway?” the boy asked as Leon began their journey through the library.
Shrugging the boy higher up on his back, the man grunted. “There's a book combination. Just match 'em up. It was originally for emergency lock-down so that enemies couldn't get at our training regimen tables and records, which are held at the back of the library.”
“Where did you get the missing books?”
“Well, they're usually mixed up in the shelves, and you have to unscramble them. But I guess this system is a bit old. All I really had to do was kick the right shelf and it moved.”
Sora's eyebrow rose. “You know, on the Islands we have this saying about using up luck.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, really,” the mechanic replied. “It's just that maybe you should stop depending on luck. You might run out.”
Leon scoffed. “Almost every civilian I once knew is dead, my world is under siege by heartless, and I've recently developed an allergy to strawberries. How am I lucky?”
Contemplating the man's words, Sora made a non-committal noise. “You don't mind if I wait to answer that, do you? I mean, that's a pretty hard line to follow.”
“Take your time,” the leader replied blandly.

-T-M-

As they hit the city, true to their agreement, Sora had been let off Leon's back, and the boy used his companion as a crutch. It didn't take long for them to reach residential area four, which was on the edge of the city closest to the castle. But as Sora's front door opened wide the pair became privy to a most entertaining scene.
“They must be spaced evenly – see? Balance is key to these sots of aesthetics.”
“What? You just pile them on! Like this, see?”
“No, no, no – that's all wrong! They're all in a clump – it's unsightly!”
Yuffie and Merlin were arguing over how to decorate a Christmas tree.
“What are you doing?” Leon demanded brashly, startling the pair.
Yuffie and Merlin whirled around, eyes wide with surprise. “Leon!” The woman gasped. “And Sora! What are you doing here?”
“I'm pretty sure I live here,” the mechanic joked, glancing between the pair's guilty faces, then to the tree.
Leon, not having seen the boy's expression, snapped, “Yuffie, Merlin, you realize what you've done is breaking and entering, and by the laws of Hollow Bastion-”
“We haven't broken anything,” Merlin defending. His beard seemed to puff up as he said this. “In fact, I teleported us straight into the room along with the tree. I assure you, nothing was broken.”
It was then that a door squeaked open politely and an enraged Ienzo stepped into the room with a an expression of Hell over easy. "If you would all kindly quiet down that would be fantastic. It may have escaped your attention that it is six in the morning. Due to the ungodly hour I must ask you to keep it down and allow the world to remain comatose for just a bit longer."
Yuffie giggled. "Sorry - we didn't mean to wake you!" she whispered apologetically.
The shorter man's expression was venomous at best. "There's no point in whispering; I'm already awake. But you would do well to keep whispering, lest you accidentally wake the entire street with your talk of breaking and entering, wizards that teleport large objects into your living room without asking, and the degree to which you broadcast your general lack of forethought."
It was at that very moment that Sora began to doubt his interest in Ienzo.
"Goodnight," the man bid them all tersely, turning on his heel and closing the door politely behind him.
Leon shuffled, nudging Sora toward the bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up. You two-" He pointed to Yuffie and Merlin. "Kindly clear out. And please take the tree with you."
Yuffie's lower lip trembled once.
"Actually," Sora chimed in, "I like the tree. Could you leave it?"
The woman's answering grin was bright enough to light up the room. "Of course!" she exclaimed quietly.
Merlin grinned widely, snapped his fingers, and the pair disappeared in a billow of smoke.
Leon fixed Sora with a look.
"What?" the boy defended. "I like Christmas."
"I should bring you to Christmas Town some time." Placing his hand more firmly against the mechanic's side, Leon guided the boy to the bathroom. "Do you have a first aid kit?"
"Yeah," Sora confirmed as he was physically directed to lean against the sink. Patting the counter he informed the man, "It's under here. Behind the bleach." Moving both hands to the counter, the boy hefted himself up with his arms until he could sit beside the sink, knocking a tube of toothpaste to the floor in the process. Reaching gingerly into his pocket he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He placed one at his lips without lighting it before he returned the pack.
Seeing this, the older man leaned down and tossed the tube up to Sora. "Catch," he warned him belatedly as the boy fumbled not to drop it. Turning to the cabinet, he opened it wide. There, much to his surprise, was a full array of cleaning supplies. "You're pretty well stocked for someone who's recently moved in."
"My mom's a nurse. That stuff goes with me where I go, whether I like it or not."
"Ah," Leon confirmed quietly. Motioning to the cigarette with a nod as he brought up the first aid kit, he asked, "How old were you when you started?"
Sora shrugged. "Seventeen."
"That's illegal."
"Not on my world." Growing tired of talking around the cigarette, Sora nabbed it quickly with one hand before heaving a sigh and tossing the tube of toothpaste into the sink. He tried not to hiss when Leon rolled up his pant let, revealing the bloodied strip of fabric that wrapped around the wound.
Leon winced as he removed the cloth and the damage was put in full view. "This looks pretty bad."
Leaning forward, Sora peeked at the cut. "It's not too bad."
"'Not too bad?' It's six inches long," the man snapped incredulously.
"I've had worse. Just clean me up, okay?"" At the man's blank look Sora had to bite back an off remark. "You do know how to clean a wound, right?"
"Not with this kind of kit, no."
"Leon?"
"Yes?"
"That's a universal first aid kid. It was originally native to Radiant Garden."
"Well, I've never had to use one before."
"You've never used a universal first aid kit," Sora repeated, not quite believing his ears.
"I've never used a first aid kit," the man clarified.
Fighting back a disappointed sigh, Sora took hold of his leg and set it up on the counter. "I'll walk you through it, then. First thing you want to do with something like this is to elevate it. After that you take a cotton ball, soak it in hydrogen peroxide, and gently dab at the wound to clean it."
"Right," the man mumbled, opening up the kid and staring blanking inside. "Now which of these hydrogen peroxide?"
"Brown bottle," the boy informed him. "It should be on the left. Balls of cotton are in the packed marked 'disinfectant supplies.' You want to stopper the bottle with the cotton and tip it for about a second."
"Why can't you do this?" Leon asked, shakily doing as he was told, only to spill a few drops of hydrogen peroxide across his lap. He tried again with better results. "I usually just kill things. First aid isn't exactly on my radar."
"You're doing it because I can't reach my shin."
"Reassuring."
Sora grinned. "And because I trust you."
Leon tilted his head just enough to peer up at the boy, his expression betrayed smug confusion. "Really?"
The mechanic felt much like a deer in headlights. He fought to remain level-headed as the strange look the older man had fixed him with sent strange tingles up his leg and spine. He decided at that very moment that attractive people should not look confused the way Leon did. It just wasn't fair. "Well, yeah," he admitted after a few seconds of awkward sitting on his part. "You did just save my life, after all. That's got to count for something. It you hadn't stopped in the library who knows what would have happened?"
Leon was looking all too comfortable as he began to dab around the wound harshly, earning a hiss.
"Gently," Sora reminded the man. His tense expression eased when the man complied. "Good. Now, I need you to look into the cut. Is it clean or are there any jagged areas?"
Peering into the wound, Leon shrugged his vest into a more comfortable position. "Clean."
"Okay - just dab at it, then. If there were layers we would have had to pour Hydrogen Peroxide directly into the wound." He paused. "You might want to remember that."
It took ten minutes to finish cleaning and bandaging Sora's leg. Most of that time was spent re-wrapping gauze. But Leon eventually got the pressure right and escorted Sora to bed. "You're sure you'll be okay?"
"Leon, it's five in the morning. What sort of trouble could I possibly get into?"
The man's deadpan expression was priceless.
It wasn't until after Leon had left and Sora settled into bed that Ienzo spoke. "How did you get injured?"
Sora jumped in surprise, not having expected the man on the bottom bunk to be awake. "House call. There was a collapse. I was careless, that's all."
"Careless enough to have Leon carry you back?"
The boy grinned. "Never mind that - there's something I want you to help me with tomorrow."
"Why did you ask Leon?" Ienzo scoffed.
"Why would I ask Leon?"
"Never mind."
"No, seriously - why?"
"Don't worry about it. Now what did you want my help with?"
Sora was quiet for a long time, confusion plain on his face. Eventually he decided to give up on getting an answer out of the man and simply replied, "There's this door in the castle that doesn't open. I was wondering if you could help me with it."
"Fine," Ienzo replied without much preamble. "Tomorrow's our day off, anyway. I haven't got anything to do."
"Why not? Tomorrow's Christmas Eve."
"That changes nothing."
"Great," Sora announced grandly, trying to get rid of the sinking feeling Ienzo's words gave him. Then, feeling brave, he added, "It's a date, then."
The older man's frown could almost be felt from the top bunk. "Sora, you should already be aware that-"
"Hey, I've had a long morning. Give me this one victory, okay?"
They were quiet for a long while before Ienzo approached the door, having pulled on the rest of his clothes. "Sleep well," he bid quietly before leaving.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"You've got to be kidding me," Sora moaned.
Glancing back at the man who was supposed to be navigating them, Ienzo bit back a stinging retort. Picking through the rubble of the castle entryway, the man went through the complaints that were readily presenting themselves.

You should have checked the daily precipitation report before we left.

There was no way I would have agreed to this in this weather.

What on earth could have possessed you to investigate a

door

?

Outside, thunder boomed just as lightning streaked through the sky. The two had barely been in the torrent two seconds before they were soaked through by the sudden onslaught of rain. Luckily they'd been only a few feet from the castle gates, and after racing through them they'd made it into the building within seconds. Unfortunately they were already soaked, and it had been freezing rain. Above them the lights flickered.
Sora shivered. “You don't think the lights will go out, do you? Because of the lightning?”
Ienzo shook his head, rubbing his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to feel his fingers. “Not a chance. This building is equipped with thirty-two lightning rods, all of which are equipped to redirect the electricity into the ground. Around that is a conductor which feeds directly into a generator separate from the one currently in use. Essentially, this entire building is one big battery.”
The mechanic's eyebrows rose, and he looked up to admire the foyer. After a weak whistle he mused, “One big battery, huh?”
“Don't think about it too long – I'll get you the blueprints later. You said there were Heartless taking up residence in here, right?”
Sora shrugged. “Yeah, but we were able to rush right through them and they haven't popped up yet so we should probably get some feeling back in our fingers.” Turning his eyes to his pointer finger, the boy summoned up a small marble of flame from the tip. He grinned. “Here – use this.”
Taking the invitation, Ienzo took a step closer and held his hands close to the flame. “How long can you keep this up?” he asked.
“About ten minutes, give or take, depending on how hot I make it. This this low a heat I should last about twenty. Can't make it any bigger, though.”
Ienzo glanced up in surprise. “Why not? If you make it bigger you could use it as a weapon against the Heartless.”
“Yeah, but then I run out of mana in seconds. I could run myself dry doing that.”
The answer was not one Ienzo expected. “Oh.”
Turning his eyes away from the flame to look at the shorter man, Sora big back a wince and returned his gaze to his finger. Ienzo wasn't the type to wear his expressions on his sleeve, but the little sliver of pity that had peeked through his eyes was enough to shame him a hundred times over. “Can you feel your fingers yet?”
“Yeah.” The man frowned. “But I'm starting to lose feeling in my upper arms.”
Canceling the spell, Sora shook his shoulders to relieve some of the tension that was building from the cold. Splaying his hands an inch away from the front of his vest, he took a deep breath an let it out slowly. “Take your shirt off.”
Ienzo gaped like a fish. “Excuse me?”
“Just take it off,” the boy ordered, closing his eyes. Concentrating his mana on his entire hand the way he would to melt metal, he tried not to flinch as a burst of steam came billowing up from his vest. He felt no warmth from his hands or the vest, but the steam nearly scalded him, leaving the skin on his face feeling pleasantly damp. “So I can dry it.”
“Why can't you just do what you're doing to yourself?”
“Because mana can't hurt the user, remember? If I used this on you I'd burn you.” Moving his hands to his shoulders, he sighed as he fabric warmed and stopped clinging to his skin. “I don't know about you, but I'm not too keen on injuring someone I like.”
“For the last time, Sora, we need to keep this professional.”
The boy laughed, catching Ienzo off guard. “Jeez – I didn't mean like that. We're friends, aren't we?” Stopping the spell for a moment, Sora stretched with a grin before turning his attentions to his pants. The fabric dried almost instantly under his ministrations, and he began to actively avoid the steam as his skin began to protest the heat. He finished before too long and kicked his shoes off. They were dried within seconds.
Ienzo watched on in surprise for a bit before taking off his vest. The mechanic had a point; one he, in all his quickly numbing glory, wasn't about to argue. He went to hand the vest over, only to find that Sora had turned his back. “What are you doing?”
“I just figured you wouldn't want me looking at you.”
“I'm not a girl. Besides, I went to the Academy. Public showers, remember?”
Sora laughed. “Look, privacy might be an illusion at the Academy, but it certainly isn't here.”
Something in Ienzo tugged itself toward the boy at the gesture. It was a familiar feeling; one he usually felt for strange measurements and new heartless data. He immediately began to fight it, knowing what it usually meant. <i>Curiosity</i>. “Curiosity killed the cat,” he whispered morbidly to himself.
“What was that?” Sora asked.
“Nothing,” the man replied, stepping forward to tease the vest at the edge of the mechanic's vision for him to take. As steam billowed toward the ceiling he worked at the buttons of his shirt. Unlike the rest of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee he went with a dress shirt instead of a tee-shirt of varying lengths. Sora was already done with his vest by the time he got to the third button, and the man suddenly experienced a wave of embarrassment. 'Silly,' he thought to himself. 'There's nothing to be embarrassed about.'
“You ready yet?”
“Just a second,” Ienzo replied, working furiously at his buttons. He fumbled with them quite a few times, suddenly exasperated. He could barely feel his fingers again, and he was getting impatient.
Sora fought the urge to turn. “Need any help?”
“No, I'm good,” the man replied all too quickly, nearly ripping off the buttons in his haste. After another nerve-wracking minute he handed over the shirt and began work on his pants, receiving his vest in exchange which was thrown on quickly. Yanking off his pants, he threw them over her arm quickly before kicking off his shoes and – with as much dignity as he could muster, shucking his underwear. Tugging his pants back on, and double-checking to make sure Sora hadn't peeked, he retrieved his shirt from the boy and handed over his briefs.
The mechanic made a noise very similar to that of a bird choking on a frog. “I thought you went commando.” The silence was palpable. “I really should have kept my mouth shut on that.”
“Yeah, you really should have,” Ienzo drawled, finding himself with a sudden rising urge to maim. What respect Sora had earned up until that point was promptly forgotten.
The underwear was handed back, and Ienzo handed the boy his shoes. As they were being worked on he shed his pants once more and donned his underwear, waiting patiently in the cold air. Sliding the vest off and placing the shirt on underneath, he sighed quietly. They were blissfully warm. His shoes came back, and he traded them for his pants. When those came back he traded them for his socks. Within minutes he was fully dressed, and the only thing on his person that was horribly damp was his hair, which he then set about wringing the water out of.
Sora, meanwhile, watched on in amusement as he braided his own. It had begun to fall out of the bun at the base of his neck, and was dripping down his back. After finishing it off he warmed his hand once more. It instantly dried under his ministrations, nearly frizzing out of the braid. As he did this Ienzo stepped further into the room.
Suddenly, heartless burst from every corner, aiming their dark bodies straight at the shorter man.
An overwhelming lightning spell took out the majority of them, though a few remained, floating in midair and wielding rods meant for spells. Ienzo paled. Watching them carefully he dodged an ice spell, then raced back to Sora, taking hold of his wrist and dragging him into the fray. “Run,” he shouted. “Now!”
It would occur to Sora two days later that the didn't hesitate when Ienzo told him to sprint between – and beneath – upwards of six Wizard heartless (that could very well flatten him in one strike) toward the library. He didn't even stop to think. Instead he trusted the man's judgment without question and barreled into the fray unarmed and essentially defenseless. And when it occurred to him two days later he would start to notice a pattern.

-T-M-

Peering down into the hole in the floor of the library, Ienzo withheld a snicker. “That's a pretty sizable hole,” he commented instead.
“I know, right?” the boy replied, quite impressed himself. “By all rights the collapse should have torn further – into that shelf over there.” He motioned toward a particularly tall shelf filled to the brim with old, musty books. “Instead, the structural integrity held. If it hadn't I'd have gotten into that room. Or, you know, never would have found it without heavy machinery and an ambulance on call.”
“That's great and all, but how are we supposed to get down there?”
Sora glanced down at his leg. It was complaining enough about his sprint through the foyer, and he doubted it would hold if he hung from the side and dropped down. He silently hoped that whatever happened in the course of the day wouldn't rip open his wound. The gauze had kept it together very well, and it had scabbed overnight, but he needed to be lighter on it.
“The edge doesn't look all that stable,” Ienzo observed aloud, startling Sora. “I have an idea. I'll lower you on the far edge away from the rubble. It'll be a three foot drop or so, but that's not too bad. After that you can help me down somehow.”
Sora thought about it for a moment and figured that a three foot drop wouldn't jar his leg too badly if he fell right. “Sounds good. Do you think you can hold my weight?”
“Not for long,” the man admitted, peering over the edge. “Now come on – Even gave us the day off, but I want to work on something later.” Offering his hand to the boy, he tried not to let a smug smirk take over his face at the teenager's expression of giddy excitement.
Taking hold of Ienzo's arm, Sora paused. It was strange – it was almost as if it wasn't even there. There was no texture to the man's skin, but the pressure alone was proof it was there. And the warmth.
“Is everything alright?” Ienzo asked, curious.
Sora looked up, surprised. “Yeah,” he said after a bit. “Just thinking.” He settled next to the gaping hole and threw his legs over the edge. Slowly, he eased over the edge as Ienzo moved down to his level, taking hold of both his arms and laying on his stomach. “Ready?” the boy asked, turning to his companion with an apprehensive grin.
“On one,” the man informed him. “Three, two...”
The “one” went unsaid, and Ienzo braced himself against the floor as Sora eased over the side and fell a bit before the man caught his weight. The boy looked down. “You know any healing spells?”
“Only minor ones,” the man hissed, not liking how Sora's weight dragged the skin of his arms down painfully. “Why? Your leg bothering you?”
“It will be in a moment,” Sora laughed, releasing the older apprentice's arms and dropping to the floor. He hit the ground with a grunt, collapsing to his knee before throwing himself into a roll to the side to take the rest of his momentum. He couldn't tell much around the painkillers, but going by the trickling sensation traveling down his leg the wound had reopened. Rising to his feet, he limped over to the edge of the broken hole in the ceiling and held out his arms. “Jump,” he joked. “I'll catch you.”“Like hell you will,” Ienzo scoffed, peering over the edge. Observing the distance for a bit, he carefully maneuvered over to a section that looked promising. He carefully eased he weight over the side until he was hanging from the edge by his arms. Checking the distance again, he winced. “You know what? Go ahead and catch me.”“Why?” Sora teased. “You're doing so well.”Ienzo was about to make some sharp retort when the edge he was clinging to gave way. He didn't have time to yell in surprise before he dropped like a stone. The next thing he knew Sora was holding him secure in his arms, wiry as they were, as if he didn't weigh a thing. Ienzo frowned. “How did you do that?”“I'm not a wimp, and you're really light.”“Yes, but how did you get here so fast?”“Uh – hello? Earth to Ienzo; I was in position before you fell.” Sora tried to pass the man's comment off as a joke, but the man looked deathly serious.“But you were over there.” He pointed toward the door. “You were saying something about your spells bouncing off.”“No,” Sora denied, starting to feel truly alarmed. “I was standing here, and we were joking about me catching you.”White as a sheet, the shorter apprentice fought to get out of the boy's grip. Dropping to the floor, he set off toward the door. “Whatever. So, you can't get through with spells? Did you try using the keyblade to unlock it?”It then occurred to Sora that he hadn't told his companion about the spells rebounding. “Ienzo, are you okay?”The man shook his head. “Forget it. I just had a little moment. Now, did you use the keyblade to unlock it?”“No.”He scoffed. “Why the hell not?”“Because the keyblade can't do that. If it could someone would have told me.”Ienzo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Right – keyblade studies are mass-produced now. Fantastic.” Turning on his heel the man faced a very confused Sora with all the confidence of a charging rhino. “Summon your keyblade and point it at the door.”“Why?”“Just do it, okay?”
Figuring he had nothing to lose, Sora glanced around them suspiciously before summoning the keyblade. He stared at it awkwardly for a second. Then, after taking a deep breath, he aimed it at the door. Much to his surprise a beam of light traveled from the tip of the sword to the lock, and the frame glowed for a moment before dimming back to its previous, unassuming look. “What just happened?”
“The keyblade can undo any lock,” Ienzo announced, walking right up to the door and throwing it open. “Seriously – has Aqua told you anything?”
“Aqua doesn't teach us directly unless we're her apprentices.”
There was a short silence before the man followed this up with any sort of comment. “I know,” he said, unsure. “It's just an expression.”
Sora fought the urge to point out that it was not, in fact, an expression. But it would have come out in an “Ienzo” sort of way, and he was coming to the realization that being Ienzo wouldn't be very fun. Following the man into the room, the mechanic tried to keep a scowl from his face.
The room was strewn with papers; Sora knew research notes when he saw them. There were equations he remembered from his Mechanics 4 class, and a few others he might have caught the corners of while working in the lab. Along the walls were pictures, paintings, and even more equations. It wasn't until Sora's eyes stumbled across a single art piece – a likeness of a young Master Xehanort – that he began to realize the importance of his discovery.
“Congratulations, Sora,” Ienzo drawled from a chair, leaning backwards in it to stare at the ceiling. “You've found Xehanort's study.”
The boy's face scrunched up in disappointment. “There should be a door around here.”
Ienzo looked alarmed. “Why do you say that?”
“A study is never far from a laboratory. The workbooks said that Xehanort went behind Ansem's back for his experiments in one of his master's old labs, so Xehanort wouldn't have had the luxury of ferrying papers between a lab and a study. There's got to be another room around here.” Placing himself in front of a wide wall, Sora thought back to what Yuffie had said about Leon. How he had gotten by on pure luck.
Despite himself, the shorter man grinned. “You know what? You really are smart.”
Looking away from the wall, Sora blinked. “Huh? Did you say something?”
Ienzo shrugged. “Nothing of consequence. What's so interesting about that wall?”
Turning back to the unusually empty space in front of him, Sora grinned. “There are two seams that run up from the floor to the ceiling here. I'm wondering if it's a hidden door.”
“And if it is?” the shorter man asked, attempting to squash the urge to tell the boy that he was, in fact, right. “How do you intend to get it open?”
In that moment, Sora decided to take a page out of Leon's book. He kicked the wall.
Ienzo sighed. “Kicking it won't work.”
Sora kicked it again. When nothing happened he took a step to his right, grinned, and kicked the wall once more. Much to the apprentices' surprise, the section slid up to reveal a steel walkway. The mechanic smiled a shit-eating grin. “What was that you were saying?”
“You've got to be kidding me,” Ienzo gaped. “You kicked it, and it opened. This has got to be some sort of goddamn joke because there is no way I will believe that just worked!” the man nearly shouted as Sora stepped out onto the walkway and away from the apprentice. “Kicking is not a legitimate form of investigation!”
“You done over there?” Sora called behind him, wincing as Ienzo stepped onto the walkway with him, very much still at the beginnings of a tirade.
Beneath and beside the walkway was what seemed to be an entire hallway of stasis pods. Millions of wires peeked out behind their smooth surfaces, and Sora had the feeling that the wires themselves could fill a blitzball field ten times.
Ienzo followed after him without quieting, obviously not impressed by the scenery. “No, I am not done!” he griped. “This isn't some poorly thought out video game where some angst-filled teenager can just waltz in and fix something by kicking it! Anyone who thought up such a convoluted and counterproductive idea should be hanged. Furthermore, it should not have worked.”
“But it did,” the mechanic pointed out halfheartedly. “And to be honest, I'd probably like to play a game like that.”
“But it shouldn't have, and that's a terrible thing to say.”
Sora tried not to laugh. “Whatever.” Leaving the hallway for the room at the end, the boy looked around in awe at what was, in all honesty, a very plain-looking room. But in it was possibly the strangest computer with the most customization he'd ever seen. “Whoa – check this out!” he shouted, running up to the machine with a big smile on his face. “Ansem's computer. It's got to be powerful.”
Ienzo bristled. “You should get away from there. You never know what you'll find inside.”
“I'm a keyblade wielding mechanic,” the boy scoffed, flipping a few switched that appeared familiar. The machine hummed to life. “If anyone has the authority to check this out it's me. Not only do I have clearance as a graduate of the Academy, but this technology is at least fourteen years old.”
“I may be old, but I am not out of date, I assure you,” a voice announced.
Sora stared at the screen, confused. “Did the computer just talk.”
“Yes,” Ienzo hissed. “Now turn it off or run. Now.”
“Is that you, Ienzo? My, my – it has been a while if you sound so mature. When I was last functioning I was informed that you went rogue; and you were such a spiteful little tyke back then. Full of witty retorts when you weren't utterly silent. It's a good thing I recorded and analyzed your vocal patterns – I wouldn't have recognized you.”
Ienzo went white as a sheet.
“Rogue?” Sora asked, confused. “What does he mean you went rogue?”
“Step away from the computer.”
“I assume this is one of the students of that unfortunate school. If I remember correctly you could only see a portion of the attendee list. Who were they? Ah – yes. Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Kida. I assume he is from the list. Have you come to delete me?”
Ienzo remained silent, stepping slowly out of the room.
“I'm afraid running won't help you, now,” the program announced dryly.
Sora tried not to flinch as a beam of light cut through the air and hit Ienzo, breaking him into little cubes that broke away from his body and disappeared. He barely had enough time to turn and see where the beam came from before he was hit, as well. His head felt light, then everything went black. It was as if energy were draining from his body. But it also felt like he was in two places at once.
“My apologies for taking so long to boot up,” the computer apologized, though it sounded more like gloating. “Precipitation tends to throw my spatial sensors off by a few degrees.”
Part of him remained there, in the real world, and the other was fading in to some cold, dry place that didn't really feel like it should exist. But the real world was fading quickly, and before long everything was cold, dark, and drier than the deserts of Maunder. He didn't like it. There was a reason people didn't leave the Academy's oxygen bubble; outside, the world couldn't sustain life. There was no water, no food, and no way for a living organism to survive.
Something told Sora that wherever they were going would be the same.
The world came back to him a few seconds later, except it wasn't Radiant Garden. Everything was black or blue with lines of light running through them like the interior of a computer.
“He got you too, huh?” he heard Ienzo say.
Sora looked up, and lo-and-behold, there was Ienzo. But instead of his regular clothes he now wore a futuristic-style suit. One that, much to the mechanic's surprise, he was wearing as well. “Where are we?”
“Space Paranoids,” the man replied. “And just so you know, we're scheduled for de-rezzing in two hours.”
Sora didn't know what de-rezzing was, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sora paced back and forth along the length of the cell. It was about the size of his room at the Academy, and as such he found himself unusually comfortable with the containment. At least if he tried to run away from this room his blood wouldn't boil and he wouldn't have to worry about sand-traps or falling into a pool of H2O2. He turned to Ienzo, hands posed in the universal, “Okay, let's get something straight,” position.
“So we're in a computer,” the mechanic began, pausing for Ienzo to confirm. All the while he tried not to stare. Along with their new strange outfits had come helmets, and their hair was tucked up into it, revealing Ienzo's face fully. It was a strange thing to see, though not entirely unpleasant.
The shorter man nodded. “Yes.”
“We're being held hostage by a computer program that has a few too many fish in its barrel. A program that Ansem shut down nearly twenty years ago, but had been rebooted fifteen years ago to be used by Master Xehanort, who then used it to overtake the digital capabilities of pretty much everything?” Reaching one finger under the edge of his helmet, Sora itched.
“Yes.”
“And you're on it's fishing list?”
Ienzo paused for the first time, then asked, “What's that supposed to mean?”
“What? List?”
“Fishing list. What does that mean?”
“Well...” Sora paused. “List of undesirables. People in his way. Fishy-vendettas. Bottles of-”
“So his shit list,” Ienzo interrupted loudly, feeling the sudden urge to punch something the next time he heard the word “Fish” in any of its many variations.
“Umm... yeah.”
“Yes, I'm on his shit list.”
“Okay, so – what's the plan?”
It gave the older apprentice an unmeasurable amount of very inappropriate amusement when he replied, “There's no plan. We sit here and wait until they separate us. They'll take us to a place where we'll be stripped of our code until we're nothing left. Then we die alone in a place almost no one else knows exists, and no one we know will be any the wiser. We'll just die.”
Sora turned a skeptical gaze on the older man. “Wow – great way to look at the bright side, sunshine.”
Ienzo mock-curtseyed from his place on the floor. “I try.”
“Okay, so let's look at what we got,” he mused, scanning the room. “We've got a door-”
“-with a force-field,” Ienzo interrupted.
“I could try opening it with my keyblade,” the boy mused to himself. “Then we could, I don't know, run?”
“Good luck finding a way home.”
Sora turned on the man, smile dropping. “What's with you? You're the last person I expect to just give up like this?” He received a raised eyebrow for this.
“Last I checked, that beam that caught us was experimental. Anyone who tried to get into the computer was horribly mutilated on the other end, or only part of their body was digitized. Vexen only cleared it for use on matter without a consciousness – plants. We're lucky to be in here safely; I don't even want to consider attempting to go back. I'm just glad we're not dead.”
“Yet,” Sora added, biting back a series of questions that arose. “You're just glad we're not dead yet. They're sending us to be de-rezzed, right? We don't have too long. If we find a way to run, at the very least we'll live a bit longer.” He turned to the door, grateful for the man's sudden silence, and summoned his keyblade. But there was no flash of light, and no removal of the force-field. So instead he turned back to the only other thing in the room; the interface.
Ienzo looked at the boy in surprise as he approached the computer-like object, tapping at the keys, only to receive no response. “That's not going to work,” he mused. “They would have cut off the controls when they put us in here.”
“You don't know that,” the boy argued, tapping on the still unresponsive board. “Everyone here could just be really honest, so there's no need to cut off control.”
“Someone goes rogue in every world,” Ienzo argued, shifting against the wall in an attempt to get more comfortable. “It's human nature.”
“But this is a computer. My money's on the fact that no one here is human.” Grinning big, he dragged a finger across a single unlit line cut into the side of the machine, only for it to burst to life. “See?”
Ienzo blinked. “How did you do that?”
“The on-switch is on the side,” the boy told him smugly. “It needs a level of entry and a passcode, though. Know anything about that?”
“Entry level 6,” the man informed him, not quite over his shock. “The password should be 'Reindeer Flotilla.' Two 'L's.”
“Great. Now, let's see what this baby can... huh. It's a transporter.”
The man shot to his feet, disbelief plain on his face. “What?”
“It's a transporter. Look,” Sora offered, stepping to the side. “We can go to light cycles, whatever that is.”
“Light cycles in an arcade game.”
Silence followed this. “Is it a particularly dangerous arcade game?”
“Well, no. You ride around on a motorcycle that leaves a trail of light. I think. I've never actually played it. But I've never heard of anyone dying from it.”
“Then that's where we're going!” Sora exclaimed, pressing the enter button just as Ienzo shouted, “Wait!” Everything around them blurred and within seconds they were standing in a line on a catwalk with five other people. Four were dressed like them, except with red lines instead of blue, and the final wore blue. Except they weren't a person.
“So you're the other two applicants,” the thing said. It stood like a person, talked like a person, but its face was nothing more than a few jumbled pixels, and its voice was jumbled as well. It had a helmet and clothes like Sora and Ienzo, and a single brown hair escaped the confines of the head gear. “I was starting to wonder if there were any other programs in range after this computer's reboot.”
Glancing to the edge of the catwalk, Sora was taken aback by a battle being waged below with what appeared to be frisbees. “Hey, what's that?” he asked, surprised. There were five of them – a program in blue in the center surrounded by four red programs.
“A disc battle,” the faceless program answered. “That's Tron in the center,” he informed the mechanic confidently just as the blue program directed his frisbee in a hook shape to take out a red program. “He fights for the Users.”
“The Users?” the boy couldn't help but inquire, turning quickly to glance at Ienzo, who remained silent, before returning to the program. “Who are they?”
It laughed. “Silly – if you didn't believe in Users you wouldn't be here. They're the ones who wrote us.” Then it stood at attention. “Speaking of fighting, we should probably be quiet. They should be here, soon.”
“Who?”
“The game moderators. They're going to put us in the light cycles.”
“You say that like it's a bad thing.” But as Sora said this his tone went from moderately happy to worried with each word.
The program turned to him, and it was unnerving to see no expression, no face, as he said, “It is a bad thing.”
That's when a ship arrived, floating high above them above the catwalk. A man stood on the prow, looking over them with a sour expression. His suit was the same red as the other programs, though his helmet was different and extended down to cover the underside of his chin and the sides of his face to meet with his suit. “Greetings,” he addressed. “The master control program has chosen you to serve your system on the game grid. Those of you who continue to profess a belief in the Users will receive the standard substandard training, which will result in your eventual elimination.
“Those of you who renounce this superstitious and hysterical belief will be eligible to join the warrior elite of the MCP. You will each receive an identity disc. Everything you do or learn will be imprinted on this disc. If you lose your disc or fail to follow commands you will be subject to immediate de-resolution. That will be all.”
As he left, the red programs around them stepped up, shoved what appeared to be glowing frisbees in their hands, and directed them off the catwalk. Being careful to keep his pace, Sora turned slightly to ask the program, “Hey, that didn't sound like something you'd say to three programs.”
“There used to be others,” it replied. “Before us there were hundreds of programs running free without the MCP, serving the Users.”
“Quiet, you,” one of the guards commanded, jostling the program with one arm.
They fell silent. Eventually they were led into a place filled with what looked to be office cubicles. Except when Sora was thrown in one a wall of light ruse up over the entrance. It's a force-field, he realized, pressing one hand against it, only to be thrown back.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” the program said from the next cell. “It'll only drain your power cells.”
Sora glanced to his right and found that there were holes between the cells. But he figured there was a force-field there, too, so he didn't bother testing whether he could go through. “How do you know all this?” he asked. “What you said earlier – you haven't been here for too long, have you?” He glanced around, expecting to see Ienzo, but was surprised to find he wasn't there.
“I just got here,” it replied. “But my User used another program to make me.”
“Is that why your face is...” Sora waved a hand vaguely at the program's pixelated features.
“My face is incomplete because my data remains unfinished.” It tilted its head, curious. “Have you never seen an incomplete program before?”
“Uh, no. I haven't.”
“Well, you're overdue, then. I'm Grav.” It motioned toward itself, placing a hand on its chest before extending it toward Sora, falling short of the force-field. “And you?”
The mechanic grinned. “I'm Sora.”
The program looked surprised. Or as surprised as a program without a face can be. “That is a strange name. Who is your User?”
“User?”
“Your creator,” it clarified. “Who wrote your code?”
“I guess... I just call her Mom.”
“A woman programmer? That is quite rare.”
“Not really. A lot of the newer students are...” Sora paused, catching himself. “Never mind. What's your User's name?”
“Sora,” it replied.
“Yes?”
“No, that's not what I implied.” It sighed. “Sora is my User's name, as well as your designation. It is why I inquired as to your origins. I was wondering if we could have the same User. Sharing a name with a creator is rare, but not unheard of.”
Sora's mouth went dry. “Hey, Grav wouldn't happen to be short for Gravitation-Based Scan and Design, would it?”
It tilted its head, and Sora figured it was surprised. “Yes, it does.”
“So, uh, Grav, if you could talk to your User, ask him anything, what would you say to him?”
“That is very simple. I would ask him why he left me without a visual interface.”
“And why would you ask that?”
“Because with my coding like this I have no hope of surviving the light cycles. My reaction time takes too long. All of my fuctions are on manual.”
Dread settled in the pit of Sora's stomach at this. “Oh.”
“What are your functions,” Grav asked suddenly, shuffling closer to the force-field between them. “I have yet to ask, and I'm very curious.”
“I'm, uh, a debugging program,” the mechanic lied. “I fix code that's been tampered with.”
“That's a lot like Tron.”
“Tron?”
“He's the program from before. Tron is a security program. Because of his functions he can bypass many of the limiters in the system, and he is very good at the games.” Grav started to leave his statement as it was, but added solemnly, “He is the only program left from the original batch.”
“Original--”
“Get up.”
A shout from outside their cells startled the two, and they both jumped simultaneously. Three guards had approached while they were talking, and were deactivating their cell force-fields.
“Looks like it's time for the games,” Grav muttered.
“But what about the training?” Sora hissed.
“Don't you know?” the program whispered back. “Standard-substandard training is where they don't just de-rez us. It's mercy.”

-T-M-

Sora had no idea what to do with the object in his hands. It was a long tube, heavy with what he could only assume was the computer's idea of metal.
“Three,” someone shouted, and Sora was still lost, turning the tube between his hands like a rotary. “Two.” He barely knew what was going on. He was trapped inside a computer, and someone was counting down – probably to his death. “One.” He didn't have long to live, it seemed. “Start!”
Suddenly the tube jerked forward, taking Sora with with, and a motorcycle materialized around him, going at full speed. There were three others on the board – one leaving a trail of yellow light and two leaving red lights. “What the heck?!”
“You okay there, Sora?” Grav asked through what Sora could only assume was a radio of some sort.
“Fine,” he lied. “What is this?”
“A game,” the program replied. “Just make sure you don't crash and you'll be fine.”
Turning sharply to avoid the oncoming motorcycle, Sora hissed, “Easier said than done!” But then they were on his right, following his every move. He turned left, they turned left. He turned right, they cut him off. Eventually they had him pointed toward a wall. That's when they pulled in front of him.
Everything seemed to slow down for Sora. He tore his hands away from the handlebars in an attempt to shield his face, only to have the bike disappear from under him. As he hit the ground, rolling into a ball to avoid as much damage as he could, he watched on in awe as the tube flew uselessly through the air toward the other bike. And for a moment, just a moment, he imagined that it was still activated, and that the bike itself was flying through the air. Then he blinked, and in that short span of time the lights in his suit flared, as did the grid beneath him, and when his eyes next opened the tube was the bike, and it collided with the red program, which pixelated before his eyes and disappeared. His bike continued, though, going off the grid and smashing against the wall. And upon collision the bike and part of the wall pixelated as well before disappearing, leaving a gaping hole through which he could escape.
Sora couldn't believe his luck.
Turning to the board, he waved his arms in the air in the attempt to get Grav's attention. “Hey!” he shouted. “Over here!”
The yellow bike turned toward him immediately, cutting off the other bike before heading toward him, the red program right on his heels. Sora raced toward the hole, practically jumping through it, only to find the last thing he expected on the other side.
Heartless.
Grav's bike came roaring through the hole, skidding right through a crowd of heartless to an abrupt stop. The side opened up and the program motioned for Sora to join him. “Get on!”
Summoning his keyblade, Sora used it like a club to beat back some of the heartless as they lunged at him on his way to the bike. Before long they were converging too fast for him to handle. Skidding to a halt, he beat back a few more, grabbing at his keyblade with two hands and bringing the end down on their heads without mercy the exact way his teachers kept telling him not to do. There was no finesse, no balance, and left him open to any attack they would launch in the following instant. And yet it worked. Within seconds the Heartless were dissipating beneath his keyblade, and he wasn't sure what to think.
So he didn't.
He bashed at them left and right, occasionally switching from both hands to one if they were off to his side. Then, when there was only one left – and in a move that surprised him more than anything – he threw the keyblade straight at it, summoned it back once it had connected, and threw it again. And again. And again. Eventually is burst into a cloud of darkness and a heart floated away, and he was left feeling more tired than he's ever been before.
Limping over to the bike, Sora tried not to cry out as his leg protested. It had barely managed to clot up, but the fight had broken the wound open again, leaving him dripping on to the floor. Climbing on behind Grav, Sora bit back a wince as the window closed behind him. A silence settled between the two as the program sped off.

-T-M-

“The password.”
“I don't have it,” Ienzo hissed, biting his bottom lip to keep from crying out as the data-extraction device he was pinned to kicked back in. He felt his thoughts drifting away from him one by one before they returned sharp and raw. After a few minutes of this the machine shut down and he breathed a sigh of relief. “I wasn't even aware the new Radiant Garden mainframe had a password.”
“You are very resilient to this brand of treatment,” the program standing before the man, Sark, observed darkly.
“It would probably hurt a lot more if I were a program.” The device kicked back in, and Ienzo cried out as entire memories were torn from him and put back in place, flashing before his eyes like a movie. They were going further back, trying to break him, tearing out memories from his childhood. He tried not to scream outright when the raw emotion of learning his parents were dead hit him. The relief of being adopted by Ansem. The sinking realization that he would never see his parents again.
The machine he'd built to get them back.
“Well, this is a bit of information the MCP will want to see,” Sark stated simply. “A machine that can interfere with the fabric between realities – now that is something.”
For the first time in hours, Ienzo fought against the machine that held him captive. But it held him fast. “And what would the MCP do with that sort of information?”
“Nothing that concerns you,” Sark drawled. A messenger came in, whispering news in his ear before leaving. The program, face blank of any emotion, informed him, “It seems your friend has gone rogue from the grid with a program. An impressive feat, seeing as there was a squadron of Heartless assigned to that game.”
“My friend? You mean Sora? Escape a squadron of Heartless?” He scoffed. “Hardly. You've got the wrong guy. Sora can barely walk straight around those things.”
“Believe it or not, it was your friend,” Sark drawled. “I wonder – will he come for you?”
“Not likely,” Ienzo drawled, though he didn't believe it for a second. Sora would come for him. He didn't know where this confidence came from, but it was there and it was a knowledge he didn't bother doubting.

-T-M-

“So what do we do next?” Sora asked, curious.
“Well, what are we trying to do?” Grav took a sharp turn, throwing them against the right side of the glass shield for a moment.
The mechanic sighed. “Well, all in all I need to get out of here.”
“Get out of here? What does that mean?”
“Uh...” Sora grimaced. “I mean, I need to contact my User. He's on the other side of the terminal, and he needs access to some kind of... machine.”
“Then you need to go to the I/O tower,” Grav replied, taking one hand off the handlebars to point at a tall building in the distance. “That's the only one left functioning, though, and the MCP has control of it.”
“So what do we do?”
“We don't,” the program deadpanned. “The MCP has control of everything around here.”
“Sounds like we need to take out the MCP.”
The bike skided to a halt. Grav turned and Sora had a feeling he would be fixing him with a strange look if he had a face. “Are you serious? There's only two of us. And while you may be an anti-virus program I'm just a waste of space until I have an interface.”
That's when Sora got the idea.
“Hey,” he began hesitantly before clearing his throat. “Question. Our data discs – do they actually hold our data?”
“Of course.”
“Can they display it, too?”
Turning back to take hold of the handlebars, Grav shrugged before starting the bike again. “I don't know. Never tried.”
“Then can I try to take a look at yours?”
“Go right ahead. Just promise me you won't mess with anything. My user worked really hard on my programming, and rebooting is a pain in the code.”
“I promise,” Sora replied, lieing through his teeth. Leaning back, he took hold of Grav's data disc and twisted it off the holder on his back. He stared at it for a bit before holding it like he would hold a pop-up book. “Okay,” he muttered to himself. He recalled the way his bike had been willed to reactivate. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture the disc giving off a hologram where Grav's data was displayed like it would be in a computer.
When he opened his eyes he was greeted with none other than Grav's code. “We have to get Ienzo,” he said suddenly. “Do you know where they would hold prisoners other than the cells? Prisoners that have gone rogue?”
“I don't know,” Grav replied. “But I know someone who does.”
Sora grinned. “Well, let's go get them, then.”
“It's not that simple. They're in the games.”
“...Which we just came from.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, this is going to be fun.”
“What is?”
“Simple,” Sora breathed blandly. “We're going to get ourselves captured and put into the games.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

No one could beat the MCP except for Users. The time before the Shut Down had proved that, even though Grav could barely remember anything from it. That was from a previous program; one that worked with algorithms and tax forms. Now he was a template designed to scan, blueprint, and edit Gummi ships, then manipulate them using Lightning and Gravity Materia. Though where his user would get such things was beyond him. Materia was expensive and rare. It wasn't mass produced like in the old days. From his time in the Academy's database he knew that if all the chips of Gravity Materia in all the uniforms were unified into one piece they would equal half the size of a full orb.
Long story short, his program was shiny on paper but would never come to fruition. And for that very reason Grav would never be finished. He would always run slowly with no proper menu or appearance on a screen. And without a menu he would never look at his reflection and see what his User looked like.
But Sora – he seemed to think he was slow because of bugs in his code. Grav knew bugs. He'd seen them at work. He didn't have a bug; he just wasn't finished. But this Sora, the anti-virus program with the same name as his User, didn't seem to process this on any level. Just like he didn't process that mere programs couldn't take out the MCP. It controlled every access point; every point of origin. And for a program that was all there would ever be.
Grav thought it was all useless, but when Sora leaned forward and asked him for his data disc the program couldn't refuse. There was something in Sora's display that made Grav want to trust him. Something familiar. Something safe. And 'safe' was something Grav hadn't felt since he last communed with his user at the Academy far too many micro-cycles ago.
So when Sora told him they were going to get themselves captured he didn't bother to think about it. Even when the program got out of the bike, took off his helmet, shook out hair that fell down to the base of his spine, and told him that he had accidentally changed part of his code so they were going to switch discs for a while. The way he said he had found bugs in his programming was an obvious lie, but it wasn't one Grav wanted to pursue.
They holed up in an abandoned word processing plant for a while, and Grav watched Sora closely as the boy worked on his code, apparently working out the bugs that were making him run slower than he could. But while Grav didn't know what working out bugs looked like, he knew it didn't look like that. Sora was adding to his code, but like many programs Grav could read it. So he let it be. Even if this strange program changed him to be a slave it would be better than working for the MCP or playing in the games for an unspecified quantity of microcycles.
“There,” Sora had finally said after a while, holding out Grav's disc. “All done working out the bugs. You should run just fine after a quick reboot.”
Grav had taken the disc without asking what the boy had done and placed it on his back. Within seconds he could feel himself shutting down and restarting. Minutes passed like seconds, and the world seemed to dissolve around him until, finally, he felt his program fully restore. Everything was in sharp contrast, then – there were colors. And his head itched. It was strange. Reaching under his helmet, he scratched, only to find something soft lodged inside. Taking hold of his helmet, the program ripped it off, only to have hair fall out and cascade to his waist.
“What-”
“I finished your program,” Sora informed him. “See, there's something I never told you. I'm Sora. Your user.”
Taking a deep breath, and biting back the surprise that everything smelled, and it was so strong, Grav mentally went through his functions and grinned. “We need to get you out of here.”
“And Ienzo, too.”
“And for that we need Tron.”
“At least this way you won't get killed in the games,” Sora mused.
“But don't you see? We don't have to enter the games,” Grav informed the boy, smiling. And for a moment it was disorienting for the user, watching someone with his own face grin in such a way. “We just have to crash them.”

-T-M-

“Password.”
“I've already told you, I don't have it,” Ienzo hissed around a bleeding lip. He'd bit through it trying to keep quiet. “Find yourself a different chew toy, you stupid dog.”
Sark, for the first time, laughed. “If serving the MCP makes me a dog then that must make you... what? A god?”
“Hardly.”
“Well, god or not, you can't last forever.” Initiating the information probe, the program smiled nastily as his captive screamed, the pixels that made up his face attempting to pull back into the machine, only to stop short.
He was made of flesh, not the pixels it was designed to rip apart, but after so long it hurt just the same. It didn't matter that the damage wasn't real.
This went on for hours before the entire world seemed to fade and shift.
'Am I dying?' Ienzo thought to himself, feeling his strength drain from his body.
“Your friends are too-” the program Sark began, and that's when Ienzo's vision went out entirely. But just as this happened something inside him seemed to click, like a cog fitting into place and turning everything backwards, then shifting a line to a new row entirely like a bike shifting gears. And now Sark was saying, “-must make you... what? A god?”
“Fucking hell, not again,” Ienzo hissed. His energy from hours before had returned with Sark's sarcasm, and it made him angrier than it should have. “Just let me die!” he screamed at the man. “I'm not going to tell you. I'm never going to tell you. So just kill me already!”
“You must think your words... cryptic? Is that it? Well, I assure you, you will eventually die.”
As Sark reactivated the probe, Ienzo pondered to himself, 'I wonder what changed this time.'

-T-M-

Sora tried to bit back the malice in his words before he managed, “Wait – you've never done this before?”
“Obviously. You just finished my program,” Grav informed him without tearing his eyes away from the sight before him. Tron was surrounded by a series of programs, all in red, who were firing their discs at the security program simultaneously. But like before, when they were last on the catwalk, Tron faced them without fear with his own disc. Before their eyes two of them fell within seconds of each other, and a third not much later. “I know how I work. It's not going to be an issue.”
The fourth was trickier. He'd lasted the longest for a reason, and faced the program on even ground. His disc would have caught Tron from behind if the program hadn't anticipated it, deflected the projectile, then launched his own at the enemy program's chest where it broke right through. An overhead voice then chose that time to proclaim Tron the winner.
“Now!” Sora whispered.
Grav suddenly called up a panel. It floated before him as a clear personal display. Placing a finger over Tron, he slid his finger up and, lo and behold, Tron followed, rising straight into the air. Eventually he rose high enough to be on their level, where he faced them with a confused expression. “What's going on?”
“We'll tell you in a bit,” Sora informed the program as Grav set him on to the catwalk. “For now, run!”
The guards were on them in an instant, and Sora drew his keyblade in a flash of light, surprising most of them. “Back off!” he shouted, fighting off a laugh when he bluffed, “I know how to use this!” They came at him anyway. Grav gave him a look. “What? It was worth a try,” the mechanic joked, bashing the closest one in the gut with the weapon, only to have them de-rez instantly. He stared down at him in surprised, then looked to the others with a elated sort of surprise. “Change of plan,” he called to Tron, who was holding his disc at the ready. “Fight!”

-T-M-

Ienzo watched curiously as Sark was approached by a second messenger that hadn't approached the first time around, this one looking far more panicked than the first. They conversed quietly for a while, their hushed tones not quite making it to the man's ears. He bit back the urge to ask what was going on, knowing either Sark would tell him just so he could gloat or it was none of his business. Eventually the messenger leaves, and when Sark says nothing he figures it was just that; business. But when there's a sudden scream from the hallway he doesn't know what to think until a program in blue races into the room.
Like with magnets, Sark was thrown against the wall by an invisible force, and the blue program dispatched him like he was nothing. Then it turned to look at Ienzo with an expression of curiosity. Another program stepped in, but it's not a program. It's Sora, and he's proceeded by a strange sort of display. But then Sora steps in again and Ienzo is looking at two Sora's and it's so, so confusing.
“Okay, I'm crazy,” he mused aloud, thinking to himself, 'Pocket dimensions can't create multiples of people... can they?'
“Good to know,” one of the Soras said, stepping up to the control panel Sark had been using. “Now, how do we get him unstuck from that thing?”
The program Ienzo didn't recognize bashed his disc into the console, and gravity finally took affect on the user. The apprentice collapses to the ground, trying not to whimper as all his limbs seemed to turn to jelly. “What?” the program asked. “We shouldn't have equipment like this.” And one of the Soras is arguing with him and it's all. So. Confusing.
But then one of the Soras was at his side, and his long brown hair was trailing along the ground. “Are you okay?”
This is the real one, Ienzo realized. The other one must be a program. “I'm fine,” he choked out. “I'm just not feeling very well right now.”
“Well, maybe you should rest for a bit.”
“We don't have time,” the other Sora announces, stepping up to them. This Sora, Ienzo realized, looked younger, and was a bit shorter. He looked to be about seventeen years old. “The MCP will be getting an update of the situation soon. We have to take him out before they increase the guard.”
“I'm with Grav on this,” the strange program announced, stepping forward as well. “And I don't think I have to mention that the laser only remains active for a mili-cycle after it's been turned on.”
“A mili-cycle?” Ienzo asked, confused. “How long is that?”
“About eight hours in here,” Sora informed him. “But around eight minutes back home.”
“And that leaves us with...?”
Sora winced. “About an hour.”
Anger rose in the older apprentice, and he fixed Sora with an expression to match. “What?”
The boy blinked. “What is it?”
“Why the hell are you wasting time getting me out when you could have just gone yourself, taken the MCP, and gotten me out after the fact? How much time did you waste on this.”
The mechanic frowned. “Waste? We need you, Ienzo.”
“The MCP is protected by a shell of digital boards. There's no assurance that anti-virus program can break through the firewall, and we've been told you have a hacking program we could use,” the strange program announced, taking Ienzo's shouts in stride.
“Hacking program?” Ienzo gaped. “What hacking program? And Sora – since when do you have-”
“We just call it 'The Keyblade,' remember?” Sora prompted, winking. “The anti-virus program, Keyblade. And your hacking programs Fire, Ice, and Lightning?”
The sheer hilarity in the boy's statement only made Ienzo laugh. He had to admit, it was a clever way to disguise the existence of magic and the keyblade, which they weren't allowed to disclose to those not aware of the different worlds. The older apprentice, thinking this over, bit back a laugh. “I won't be up to full capacity,” he informed the boy. “My power source has been drained.”
Grav frowned. “That may present a problem.”
“Well, we have to try,” Sora insisted. “Now come on – we don't have very long.” Reaching down, he took hold of Ienzo's hand and towed him upward until his arm was safely over the mechanic's shoulder.
Racing out of the room, the three crowded around Tron as he raced down a barren hallway, only to come out in an open stretch much like a dock. It was then that heartless appeared behind them, flooding the hallway. Ienzo found himself being passed off to Grav like a sack of potatoes. “What are you doing?” he asked as Grav and the strange program booked it toward the dock, where a great ship was anchored on a line of light. “Why are you leaving him behind?”
“We're not leaving him behind,” Grav argued, adjusting him on his shoulder. “He's the only one who can handle those things. We're just getting the solar glider for when he finishes them off.”
“Finishes...” From his place thrown over Grav's shoulder Ienzo got a good look at what Sora was doing, which was at that moment was spashing the heartless that managed to make it out of the hall in the face. They were in a bottleneck, and as such they couldn't get past him. He wielded the keyblade much in the way one would wield a club, and it occurred to the older apprentice that the style suited the boy, though he didn't know why. He was using it the way a child would use a wooden sword that was a bit too heavy for them to carry right.
It was both impressive and amusing to watch. But more than that, it was a surprise. This was the same Sora who trailed after him like a lost puppy during invasions. The same Sora who wore that silly grin whenever they talked. But there he was dropping heartless like flies with a determined expression plain on his face and an easy stance. And Ienzo couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing that this Sora looked slightly different from the Sora he knew seven hours prior.
“Sora,” the stranger called to the boy, cupping his hands around his mouth. “The glider's ready. Get over here!” Then he motioned for Grav to board, and board the program did, lugging Ienzo up the incline like the limp bag of potatoes he felt like.
“Coming!” the boy shouted, finishing off one last heartless before booking it toward the glider. He practically jumped over the incline, and then it took off. Wind tugged at his clothes and he barely got on far enough not to be thrown over the side. “That was fun!” he exclaimed suddenly, a drop of sweat sliding from his brow to the base of his chin.
Ienzo remained silent as he was placed in a sitting position. Everything hurt, and from what he could tell he had less than an hour to regenerate the mana the machine had drained from him. It felt like he was a gummi ship two notches past empty; bone dry and going nowhere. Grav, Sora, and the program – Tron, he realized, picking up on bits of their conversation – were chatting it up a few feet away, talking about things like the MCP and how it's changed the way every program lives. And Ienzo wants to close his eyes, only for a moment.
It feels like he's blinked, and suddenly Sora is at his side jostling him awake and telling him that they've arrived. They have half an hour left, and with that half hour they've got to defeat the MCP and get to the I/O terminal, which will take them back to the lab.
But when they go in for the fight they leave him outside.
There are occasionally shouts, sometimes screams, and Ienzo starts to become aware of the power beneath his fingers. In the walls, in the ground; it was everywhere, pulsing and begging to be used.

-T-M-

Ten minutes.
Sora feels like he's got a timer counting down in his head telling him he's wasted ten minutes trying to get the MCP's shell open, but there are heartless everywhere. They're filling the space, and Tron's and Grav's discs can only do so much. The mechanic wants to tell his program to open up his display, but they already tried that, and to no avail. Grav's abilities don't seem to affect the heartless or the MCP's firewalls, and when Sora realized this his mind went reeling with things he'd learned in Physics 4. Things he'd never even stopped to consider.
Heartless were made of darkness, which was an inconstant substance. It could separate and reform elsewhere if not defeated properly. It had a certain wavelength that caused it to reform, even when they were separated and mixed with thousands of other heartless.
And, he realized suddenly, that same wavelength could be used against it.
Beating off a series of heartless, Sora dropped to the floor and pressed his hands to it. But nothing happened. Jumping back, he narrowly avoided an attack. He tried again. Still no dice. A third try proved just as fruitless, as did a fourth.
Fifteen minutes his brain supplied. He glanced back to the exit, where he knew just beyond it Ienzo was waiting for them to come out.
Dropping to the floor, he decided to change his tactic. Instead of changing the power he found there he pushed his own into the floor. Work he thought. Work. The lines on his clothes flared once, twice, three times before steadily growing brighter. Then there was a shiver in the air, and before Sora knew what had happened all the heartless dispersed into clouds of black, lingering around him as a mist.
“What did you do?” Tron gasped, surprised.
“These creatures exist on a different plane of activity. They can act as a solid, liquid, or gas,” Sora recited, standing slowly, blinded by the light his suit was giving off. “But beyond that, they are made up of atoms, and those atoms are held together by their charge. I just made them all negative.”
“That won't save you,” the MCP gloated. “You may have defeated my minions, but-” That's when bolt of lightning flew from the door, shattering the MCP's firewall. Without missing a beat Tron threw his disc into the center of the program, disrupting the beam.
After a few seconds of shocked silence, all eyes turned to the entryway, where Ienzo was leaning heavily against the door frame. “What?” he gasped. “I can't let you guys have all the fun.”
Grav laughed. Tron smiled. Ienzo shared a rare grin that had Sora's cheeks tingling with something he hadn't felt in hours.
“Ten minutes,” Sora reminded everyone, resulting in a collecting loss of smiles. Around them all the lights were changing from red to blue, and he had a feeling it was doing that all over the programmed world.
“Right,” Tron exclaimed, racing toward Ienzo and picking him up, much to the man's protest. “Come on, everyone!” the program shouted behind him, rushing off to the I/O tower.
Grav and Sora followed at a jog.

-T-M-

The I/O tower was magnificent. A beam of light shot from the center of the building into a great big sky, which was steadily growing brighter as if it were dawn. And as Grav plugged in the access request for the beam to send Ienzo and Sora back, Tron looked upon the two, standing before the beam, with a suspicious grin.
“You guys aren't prorgams, are you?” he asked.
Sora stared, not expecting the question with his mind occupied on other things. Things like Ienzo's arm around his shoulders and the man's body being closer than it had ever been. “Huh?”
“You're users,” he clarified. “We had an incident a while back where a user was trapped in the system. He found that he could control the system – within limits of course. You must be users as well.”
“How, uh, how to do you figure that?” Sora asked, biting his lip.
Tron smiled. “Just a – what do you users call them? A hunch?”
“You can't program a hunch,” Ienzo observed, surprised.
“All ready to go!” Grav shouted. “Just jump into the beam when you're ready.”
“Right,” Sora called back.
Ienzo and Tron shared a look. One that none of them could really explain in its simple complicity. Then Sora carried the other user into the beam and they were gone.

-T-M-

Coming back to reality was disorienting at best. As their bodies settled back into place the two found themselves dizzy and weak as the computer took back the power they had taken from it, leaving them as two limp noodles on the floor by the time it released them.
“I just want to sleep,” Ienzo groaned, face down on the floor, his arm still thrown over Sora's shoulder.
The younger apprentice wasn't faring much better, letting loose a string of whispered profanities follow by, “My body hurts...”
“Is everyone okay?” a voice suddenly asked, surprising the two.
“Huh?” Sora grumbled. “Tron? How can we hear you?”
“There's a voice interface for users,” the program explained. “My user, Ansem, designed it nearly two-thousand microcycles ago.”
“How much is a microcycle?” Ienzo drawled curiously.
“Not long. Two-thousand is about twenty years, though.”
“I repeat, are you okay?”
“We're fine,” Sora announced weakly. “Just tired.”
“Well, if you're fine I'm going to shut down. If we're on too long we might have an error due to the sheer amount of data we've reconfigured in the last few millicycles. Good night, you two!”
And then there was silence.
“If I ever move again it'll be too soon,” Sora complained quietly.
“Too bad,” Ienzo drawled. “There's a bed in the study.”
“I honestly don't care.”
“You will when you wake up.”
Sora had no reply to this.
They eventually dredged up the energy to drag themselves to their feet and stumble into the study. Once there Ienzo barely managed to reach behind a bookshelf and press a button. Much to Sora's surprise the shelf slid aside and out popped a bed covered in filthy plastic wrappings. These were tossed aside before both apprentices collapsed in it, not caring that it was a twin and they could barely fit. Usually the mechanic would be excited to be sharing something as intimate as a bed with Ienzo, but under the circumstances he really didn't care. As long as the man didn't kick in his sleep he wouldn't care if he were sharing with a corpse. His only request would be that it rotted quietly.
And god help Ienzo if he snored.

-T-M-

It was several hours before either of the apprentices woke. A good coat of dust had settled over them in their sleep, and the air was somehow stale – something neither man had noticed before. And it was only after they stood, stretched, and fixed each other with a series of awkward glances that they left, maneuvering through the castle with Ienzo at the front. Although at first it was the other way around, with Sora thwacking the nearest heartless with his keyblade like it was a club. But they quickly found that not only were the heartless stronger in Hollow Bastion than they were in Space Paranoids, but they were also better at dodging. In a single stroke Sora was useless again.
He tried not to let his depression show too much. In Space Paranoids he'd had something of a revelation; that fighting really was better than wiring. He had made an immediate and noticable difference in there, fighting. Protecting. That's all he wanted to do; protect people. But he couldn't. Either he was too weak, or too slow, or not experienced enough. And never before had it stung so much, because now he'd tasted power and that power was conditional.
On their trip back to town, during which the sun set straightaway and left them to fend for themselves beneath a dim crescent moon, Sora was so busy dodging heartless that he didn't notice the look of concentration on Ienzo's face. He was obviously thinking hard about something. It took him almost twice as long to cast a spell, and sometimes he didn't even notice an adversary until Sora pointed it out. The man was out of sorts at best. But he wasn't tired, or stressed, or even bored. He was lost in thought in a way Sora had never seen before, and would probably never see considering he was so very unattentive at the time.
The arrived in the city before too long. Everything was dead silent as curfew had already come and gone. Ienzo marched on through the snow with Sora at his heels right through the streets until they got to residential district four. But when he approached their door he suddenly slowed, walking on the sides of his shoes. Once they were on their porch he turned to Sora and motioned for him to be quiet. Turning the doorknob as slowly as he dared, the man eased the door open and peered in. He faced Sora and mouthed, “Stay here,” with his hands motioning to the doormat.
Sora blinked, then shrugged, rubbing his arms with numb hands.
Ienzo removed his shoes and padded through the empty living room, then disappeared down the hall. There was the creaking of the floor, the squeaking of an unoiled hinge, and then he was stepping back into the front room, motioning for Sora to come in. “Even's asleep so we don't have to worry about him.”
“What do you mean?” Sora asked, stepping into the room and closing the door softly behind him.
Ienzo took a deep breath, fixed his eyes with Sora's, and announced, “Thank you.”
The mechanic's eyes widened, and he stared at the man with an expression that was beyond baffled. “For what?”
“For what you did in the computer – coming back for me.”
Sora laughed. “You make it sound like leaving you behind was an option.”
“But-” Ienzo began, only to cut himself off. That's when he stopped to think, looking intently at Sora. His eyes trailed from the boy's messy hair to the feet that were just a bit too big for his body, betraying a future growth spurt. The boy's face was open, and completely blank of anything resembling a mask. 'It didn't even occur to him,' Ienzo realized fondly. 'And it never would.'
Sora began to stretch, then paused. “Hey, did you hear...” He stopped abruptly and chuckled. “Never mind.” He stretched, throwing his arms far above his head with a weak grin, completely oblivious to the star-struck look Ienzo had plain on his face.
And just as the shorter apprentice's expression melted into a soft smile, when he thought to himself, 'Screw the consequences,' and took a step forward with the intent to grasp Sora's hand in his, the mechanic's pocket exploded in a series of bells and whistles. The younger apprentice fumbled for his pocket transponder as Ienzo looked on in amusement, still caught in the moment.
Pulling out the device, Sora flipped it open and selected the most recent message, only for his eyebrows to raise considerably.
“Open the door, loser!” the boy on the screen demanded, leaning dramatically toward the camera. Then the message came to an abrupt end.
The mechanic blinked curiously, then glanced up at Ienzo in surprise. “What do you think that means?”
“I don't know. Who was it?” the apprentice replied breathily.
Glancing back down at the transponder, lips pressed into a hard line, Sora screwed up his eyes as he tried to recall the face. “I think it was a guy from my Mathematics 4 class.”
“He said to open the door – what door? Are there any inside jokes among you guys?”
“None. The only door I can think of...” Sora cut off abruptly and walked quickly to the door, throwing it open.
“Took you long enough,” a man announced, stepping gingerly into their living room, arms full of three boxes.
“Riku?!” Sora gasped, stepping out of the way as quickly as he could as his friend set his burdens on the floor. “What are you doing here?”
Standing to his full height, Riku stretched and groaned. “Didn't you get our message at Christmas? We were getting a surprise together.”
“What's in the boxes?” Ienzo asked, earning a glare from the man.
It was obvious that Riku still couldn't stand the older apprentice.
“Why all the effort?” Sora asked, kneeling beside the boxes. They weren't wrapped, and were nothing more than plain brown cardboard, but something told him that what was inside was awesome.
Riku shook his head, then groused, “Jeez, Sora. I don't ever remember you being this stupid.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“It means Happy Birthday, idiot.”
Silence.
“It isn't my birthday.”
“Well, it will be. Next month.”
Ienzo's eyebrows rose until they almost disappeared into his hairline. His star-struck expression was long-gone, and in the four seconds it took for him to turn on his heel and step into his and Sora's shared bedroom, plopping down on the pile of blankets they called a bed, he decided to forget all about screwing consequences. Nothing would come of it now that Riku was there. He'd had his window, and it had officially been trashed.
The older apprentice didn't want to bother considering whether that was a good or a bad thing.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ienzo didn't know what to think about the computer in the living room. It was a bulky sort of thing, years old and definitely inferior to what he and Even had access to. If Sora needed a computer he could always have asked to use one of theirs. The weakest of their machines was easily generations ahead of the clunky thing the mechanic had in the living room.The older apprentice knew he was only being grumpy because Riku had arrived on Radiant Garden. But he was always grumpy anyway. Who cared? Turning his eyes to the pile of wood in the center of his room, Ienzo heaved a sigh and raised the nail gun he'd been given with a frown. “Well, might as well get to it,” he groaned. “I hate manual labor.”
-T-M-
“I love manual labor.” Reaching for a stack of books that had been dropped, Sora piled them into his arms and loaded them carefully into a push-cart. Around him the other members of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee – plus one Riku – bustled about the castle library, placing books in carts and chatting idly. “It so... relaxing.”Riku snorted, kneeling the relieve the bottom level of their current shelf of its contents. “God – no wonder you're a mechanic.”“What's wrong with having a pet dragon?” Yuffie cried loudly from the other side of the room. “They're cute and awesome and they fly-”“-and breathe fire and eat people. You can't have a dragon!” Leon ground back just as loudly.“You may love manual labor,” Riku continued, “but that doesn't mean you should enjoy this.”Sora shrugged. “Why not? It's mindless and-”“But I want one!”“Well that's too bad.”“But this book says-”“That's a fantasy novel.”“So what? I still want one!”Riku scoffed. “What's going on over there?”Glancing over to the disturbance, Sora chuckled. “Apparently Yuffie wants a dragon.”“I gathered that much... Anyway, where are we putting all these books?”The mechanic shrugged. “I'm pretty sure we're just splitting them up between everyone's rooms for the time being.”Riku blinked. “What?”Sora frowned. “What's that tone for?”“They're invading your rooms for this?”“Hey, I volunteered,” the boy replied. “I don't know why you're here, but I want to help.”“But they're awesome!”“They're also collateral damage.”“Why are you here?” Sora asked suddenly, turning on Riku with a curious expression. “Shouldn't you be off on some great adventure saving an underdeveloped populace from the overwhelming threat of heartless or something?”The pale man shrugged. “I'm on vacation. Aqua offered me graduation and I took it.”“So you came to Hollow Bastion? I find that hard to believe. This is a war zone, not a tourist attraction.”“Come on, Leon. You want one, too. I can feel it.”“I do not want a dragon.”Glancing back at the cart, Sora sighed. “Hey, this is getting full. I'm going to take it in to town, okay?”“Sounds good to me,” Riku replied evenly with a shrug. “I'll be right behind-”Leon dropped down from the second level, cutting the man off. “Take Yuffie,” he “suggested,” pointing up at the girl. “She could do with a walk.”Riku and Sora exchanged expressions of amusement.
-T-M-
“And then the dragon swallowed him whole! It was so cool. But then the guy-”“No offense, Yuffie, but could you be quiet for a second? I'm trying to steer,” Sora requested, pushing the cart along the path with his shoulder. It felt like it weighed at least 400lbs. The wheels at the bottom squeaked and complained every inch it managed to gain.“Fine,” the woman scoffed, offended. She turned her back on the young man, nose high in the air. “I guess you won't hear how it ends, then.”“Aren't you supposed to be helping with this?”She shrugged. “I am keeping an eye out for heartless. See?” Making a show of looking around, complete with exaggerated head movements and a hand shading her eyes, Yuffie grinned. “None in sight! I'm doing a good job, aren't I? Ooh – look at that!”Sora wanted to laugh, but that would have required oxygen; something that was fast ecoming a rare commodity now that they had cleared the castle and made their way to the edges of the city. That's when they stumbled across something. Something Sora, for all his experience in mathematics and physics and planning ahead, did not account for.The hill between the castle and the bailey.Grabbing at the cart as it first began its automatic descent, wheels squeaking and sides creaking, Sora bit back a series of curse words. When the handle broke off he panicked. “Yuffie!” he called as it rolled forward without hindrance. “Help!”No reply. In fact the woman was nowhere to be seen.Racing ahead of the cart, Sora planted his heels in the ground and threw himself against the front in an attempt to at least slow the thing. It gained momentum anyway, pushing him along and steadily getting faster. “Yuffie?” he called again. “Could use a little help!”Five feet. Six feet. Seven feet. Eventually Sora stopped counting and just started praying. He even attempted to cut off the wheels of the cart, only to end up slipping and being pushed a good ten feet in one go. And when he reached up to grab the top again, hoping to get enough leverage to slow it to a stop, he received a corner to the stomach for his troubles. Doubling over, he fell inside the cart.Then there was nothing stopping it.When the mechanic got his breath back he was thundering down the road at breakneck speed, the wind tearing across his face and whipping his hair in to his eyes. As he fought with his ponytail he tried not to panic too much. At the very least the heartless he passed didn't much care for a library cart filled with books, plus one keyblade wielder, squeaking and creaking and screaming all the way down the road at upwards of twenty miles per hour. That is, until one was hit.A single heartless – floating and red and Sora was sure it had a name, but he didn't really care at the moment – chose the exact instant it really shouldn't have to hover just above the ground in the direct path of the cart just in time to collide with the thing. Or, rather, be catapulted into the cliff walls. But instead of disintegrating, as Sora desperately hoped it would do, it instead fixed its eyes on him and raced after the errant library cart. It was joined by the other heartless within seconds.That's when the cart hit a particularly large rock. The sides shudders, but thankfully didn't give way. Though the entire container did give a very large lurch that nearly threw the boy out on to the ground. And it was at this time that he was able to properly right himself. Before he was merely staring at the sky, with a limited view of what was in front of him, due to not having been able to control his fall into the cart. But now he was facing his doom – that is to say, facing forward. Glancing behind him, he tried not to scream too loud at the procession of heartless trailing after him.“Help!” he cried pitifully, his voice cracking like a pre-pubescent child's. “Help help help help help!” Turning away from the line, he ducked in to the cart and continued to scream. The cart seemed to cry with him, the corners groaning and the books rattling against the sides. The wheels screeched with terror as they tore down the hill.This is about when Sora realized that the library cart had breaks. This also happened to be the exact moment the heartless began their attack. Just as Sora peeked his head over the side a dark fire spell exploded somewhere above his head, making the cart shake and swerve dangerously. As Sora grasped at the edge of the cart his eyes fixed on the horizon. To his right were the cliffs. The left, the bailey. But right in front of him was a short stretch of open road, then a series of small ledges, an arena-like area, and then... nothing. The ground stopped, and a cliff began.He was quickly running out of land. Either he could coax the cart to crash before the cliff, putting him at the mercy of upwards of twenty heartless, or he could fall to his death. He honestly didn't know which he would rather have.
-T-M-
Finishing with the bottom frame of the book shelf, Ienzo heaved a sigh of relief as he popped the final nail in place. Dipping his hand in the box of nails at his hip, he rolled his shoulder and lifted the nail gun up to shoulder-height. “Half done. God I hate this.”
-T-M-
Sora couldn't reach the breaks.Sora couldn't crash.As the library cart trundled down the hill, skirted across the earth, and knocked aside many a Heartless the mechanic sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening to help him survive the crash. Because in the few seconds that had passed between his realization and the cliff, he'd decided that death by falling off a cliff would be much less painful than death by Heartless.The last few seconds felt like a countdown. First there was a lack of friction; just flying through the air. Second came the light-headed sensation of being propelled through the air. And finally there was vertigo as he plummeted down the side of the cliff, flipping this way and that before he collided with the ground. That's when everything, from his point of view, stopped.
-T-M-
Ienzo looked over his work proudly. It had taken nearly three hours to get to this point. And while he hated manual labor with a passion, the man felt nothing but pride for the thing he had built. Even if it looked like it had been lifted directly from a horror novel. But that was due to a series of interruptions that came in the form of a near constant flow of people stopping by asking if Sora were there.Taking a step away from the bookshelf, the apprentice grinned a small grin to himself, simultaneously refusing to admit that building it had been entertaining.The door flew open, startling the man enough that he dropped the nail gun on his foot. He bit back a swear, then turned his angry gaze on the woman just outside the room. All insults or insensitive reminders of knocking died on his tongue as he watched Yuffie of all people grab desperately at the door frame in an intense panic. Parts of her clothes were torn, and her upper left thigh was a mess of blood. “Is he here?” she gasped. “Please tell me he's here.”“Yuffie,” someone from outside shouted, stepping in after the girl. It was Leon, and while his usual scowl was in place Ienzo could pick out a strange undertone to his voice that wasn't usually there. Stepping up behind the woman, Leon took her by the arm and attempted to drag her out of the doorway. “They already found his body. Give it a rest.”Something similar to vertigo hit Ienzo like a brick. “Whose body?” He asked. The others remained quiet. “Whose body did you find?”“Sora's,” Yuffie whimpered, fingers gripping the door frame hard enough to leave a series of cracks.Ienzo fought the sudden urge to vomit as a weight wrenched its way down his throat and into his stomach as he watched the woman drop to to her knees.As Yuffie began to sob miserably into the leader's pants, Leon let go of her arm and – surprising even himself – placed a comforting hand on the back of her head. “We found Sora's body in-”Ienzo's vision blurred, and suddenly the world shifted around him. It felt like he was adjusting to new light – waking up in the morning and squinting against the sun. And before he knew it Yuffie and Leon weren't there any more. He was just in the room, alone, with a pile of scraps and a steady throbbing in his foot to remind him that whatever just happened wasn't just some messed up dream.They usually weren't, anyway.Dropping the nail gun into the pile of partially shaped scraps, Ienzo raced out of the room, only to bump into Dr. Even.“Watch where you're going,” the man hissed, turning his eyes on the apprentice. “What's wrong? You just went in there.”Ienzo shrugged in an attempt to look casual. “Nothing. I'm going for a walk.”“Awfully fast for a walk.”The statement hung in the air for a moment before the apprentice carefully stepped around Even and sprinted out of the house, more than aware of the eyes that followed his every move.“Just where do you think you're going?” the scientist shouted after the man, though he expected no reply. He'd long since stopped trying to understand his apprentice. It had been more than ten years since he took the boy under his wing and still the young man would occasionally turn around and surprise him.Taking a few slow, measured steps into the kitchen, Even prepared himself a pot of coffee and thought to himself that ever since Sora showed up Ienzo's been acting stranger. But then, they'd all been acting strange around the mechanic. But he didn't yet know whether he could label it an improvement.
-T-M-
Sora was safe inside the castle. When Ienzo learned this he nearly had a heart attack. Fighting down the urge to simply rush in and grab the younger man in order to forcefully drag him back to town, to safety, the shorter apprentice instead posted himself by the wide windows of the library and watched, hoping no one saw him. He watched as Sora chatted with Riku; as Leon approached them and Sora left with Yuffie and a library cart. But just as Ienzo was about to follow them he paused. Leon was talking to Riku. It looked amiable, but he couldn't be sure.Then Riku's expression went blank, and the next words Ienzo found himself focusing on to the point of obsession, attempting to read his lips. A skill the man had never perfected, but still practiced occasionally.You like him.Ienzo could guess who, and he didn't like it.Leon seemed surprised, but the apprentice didn't stick around for the whole reaction. Picking around the scaffolds that had been fitted around the edges of the building, the man carefully made his way to the entrance of the building just in time to duck behind the railing as Sora and Yuffie stepped out with the cart. The ninja was saying something about dragons – Ienzo didn't really care – and Sora was chuckling to himself about something. Probably what the woman was saying.When the pair reached the base of the castle, maneuvering their way through the descending scaffolds and maze of stilts and guardrails, Yuffie continued to chatter as Sora pushed the cart along. Though he looked to be having some trouble with it. No matter which way he tried to turn it the contraption would always go straight. That's when the woman's gaze suddenly shot to the side and she pulled her shuriken off her back and raced away so quickly Ienzo could barely follow her movements. She had jumped up the cliffside with ease, surprising the apprentice, and tackled a heartless so quickly Ienzo was convinced it should shatter to pieces. But it didn't, and instead she was locked in battle. It seemed content to attempt to get around her, though, angling its body toward Sora.Remembering what he set out to do – and convinced that Yuffie would be fine, save for a wound to her leg – Ienzo turned his eyes on the younger apprentice, only to break into a run. The boy was being pushed toward a steep hill; one infested with heartless. And as his first cry for help split the air the older apprentice felt his heart heave in a way it shouldn't, splitting his chest in two and drawing a pained gasp from his throat. Knees giving way, Ienzo collapsed to the ground with a strangled yelp, realizing for the first time in years that he was out of shape. Killing heartless with magic was all well and good, but all he did was walk and fire. Doing something like running after ten years of nothing wasn't going to do him any good in the short-term.Turning his eyes on the cart, which Sora had somehow managed to get himself inside, he tried not to scream as the younger man was propelled down the hill toward a group of heartless. The mechanic was screaming for help, and for the first time in a while Ienzo felt useless.“Jump!” he wheezed, trying to get the man's attention. But he wasn't loud enough. “Jump out of the cart!” His attempt at a scream failed. He wanted nothing more than to tell the man to just abandon the cart and run toward him. Ienzo might have been in no state to run, but that said nothing about his magic.Dragging himself up to his feet, the older apprentice managed to take a few weak steps before his legs gave out again. He couldn't even feel them. His knees refused to work. And as Sora passed through the bottle nose of the valley and out of view Ienzo felt himself start to cry. Never before had he felt so useless. A hand on his arm started to drag him up, but he tore out of it. “Don't help me,” he hissed, turning his eyes on the newcomer. “Around that corner is someone careening toward a cliff surrounded by heartless. Help him.”The person – a man Ienzo had never seen before – nodded once before taking off just as quickly as Yuffie had earlier.Staring after the stranger with something akin to determination, Ienzo dragged himself to his feet once more and staggered over to the side of the road, where a natural wall of rock rose high above him. He leaned heavily on it, no longer trusting his legs to keep him standing, as he approached the bottle neck. All the while preparing a fire spell in case he came across anything less than savory. But what he actually saw was more surprising than a heartless attack from behind.Nothing.There was nothing at all in the valley.Nothing.A place that was usually filled to the brim with heartless was utterly empty, and Ienzo was more than confused. What could have possibly happened in the few minutes it had taken him to get down to the bottle neck?Limping along the road, fire spell still at the ready, Ienzo glanced around curiously, though walking along took priority. He hurried as fast as his knees would let him, and when they started to give out he locked them in place and walked even faster, stopping only to unlock them momentarily and allow some blood flow. When he stopped for the third time, at the edge of what looked to be a stage going by the patterns on the ground, his breath hitched at the sound of faint voices.“-got to teach me! Please?”“-don't take apprentices-”Stepping out onto the stage, Ienzo moved forward carefully until Sora and the stranger came into view.The man wasn't very tall – maybe an inch or two shorter than Sora – though his hair seemed to compensate for this. It was spiked up in a strange style that had Ienzo wincing at the impracticality. And while he'd seen blond hair before he'd never seen it so... yellow. It was a blot of color among shades, which was even more strange. The man's clothes were that of a standard SOLDIER uniform from Gaea, and on his back was a great sword that was easily taller than Ienzo, and twice as wide. He painted an unusual picture; one of a great warrior that had seen many battles. And while the newcomer looked strange Ienzo couldn't help the sudden torrent of awe that crashed through him at the sight of the man.“Why not?”“Because I don't.”Sora looked crestfallen at the news just as he spotted Ienzo. Almost immediately his eyes widened in surprise. “Ienzo?!”In an attempt to keep a straight face, the older apprentice snuffed out his fire spell, ignored the mechanic, and turned to the stranger. “Thanks for saving him.”“It wasn't that big of a deal,” the man replied. “Just try to keep him out of trouble. Civilians shouldn't be on the front lines.”“For the love of – I am not a civilian!”The stranger fixed Sora with a look as Ienzo fought not to laugh. “So,” the older apprentice began, taking a few last steps toward the pair until he could grab at the side of the library cart, which had been stopped a few feet shy of the cliff, “is there something you're here for? On Radiant Garden, that is.”“Yes, in fact. Do either of you know where I can find a man named Sora?”The mechanic went to open his mouth, only for Ienzo to interrupt with, “And what do you want with Sora?”“It's personal,” the man replied. “I was told he was stationed here.”“And who told you that?” the mechanic asked, curious.“It's personal.”“Well, depending on who it is we might not take you to Sora,” Ienzo drawled. “On that note, we don't even know your name.”The man scowled. “Fine. Have it your way. I'm Cloud Strife; Cid Highwind sent me.”Immediately Sora brightened. “Cid, huh? How is the old goat?”A brief flash of surprise lit upon Cloud's face. “You know Cid?”“Of course. I'm Sora!” the mechanic greeted enthusiastically, offering his hand for the swordsman to take. “Nice to meet you, Cloud!”
-T-M-

Bonus: Riku and Leon's Conversation
Leon dropped down from the second level, cutting the man off. “Take Yuffie,” he “suggested,” pointing up at the girl. “She could do with a walk.”Riku and Sora exchanged expressions of amusement. Then, taking hold of the cart, Sora began pushing it through the maze of shelves, shouting, “Yuffie, come to me, my champion! You have been volunteered for a stroll!”“Ooh, goodie!” the woman cheered, appearing almost instantly by his side. Before long they had fled the library, leaving the remaining members of the restoration committee in comforting silence.Instead of returning to the second level, Leon joined Riku in piling books carefully into another cart.“How can these take so long to load?” the keyblade wielder asked no one in particular, dropping another pile of books carefully over the edge of the container.“Merlin magicked them to be bigger on the inside,” Leon informed him quietly. “Sora pretty much jumped for joy when he found out you could actually do that.”Riku grinned. “You like him.”Leon sputtered. “What? I don't-”“Hey, calm down,” the man interjected softly, turning to grab more books from the shelf. “Don't worry. I'm not going to get in your way.”“In my...” The man's face went slack. “So you're not one of those 'two guys together is wrong' people?”“Two guys together is... What? That's...” Riku paused, choking over his words. “I mean, I've heard other worlds are different – I've been to worlds with some radically different beliefs – but what?”Leon shook his head solemnly. “Never mind.”“Well, that...” Attempting to recover from his sudden discovery of homophobia, Riku fixed the handsome older man with a weak grin. “Ask him out. I'm rooting for you.”Pausing mid-reach, Leon blinked much like a dear in headlights. “Seriously?”“Yes.”“Why?”“Because you're not Ienzo.”Silence settled over the two, and it wasn't until several minutes later that Leon spoke. “Has Aqua told you when the Princess will arrive?”Riku grinned. “She should be here within the week,” he informed the man enthusiastically. But as each word came out it was punctuated by a small section of his smile growing that much weaker.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor am I making a profit off of the production or distribution of this work.

-T-M-
After wheeling the library cart into town, and then into his room (with the help of one Cloud Strife,) Sora turned to his guest and asked the question that had been nagging at him for nearly half an hour. “So, what's so important that you couldn't wait a few weeks for Cid to fix it?”Cloud shrugged. “I can show you now if you've got time.”Ienzo glanced over suspiciously as he settled down to piece together his and Sora's bunk bed. (Again.)That's when from outside there was a great crash. Cloud was out the door first, one hand on his great sword and the other thrown out in front of him. Sora was on his tail, summoning his Keyblade to his side and gritting his teeth in a bitter grimace. Shortly after them came Ienzo, who instead of rushing out simply rose to his feet and walked calmly to the front door.They got there in time to watch a giant heartless disappear. Where it had been, Leon's sword pierced the air. He lowered it after a few seconds, storing it in the large holster at his waist. He carefully reached up and plucked Yuffie from his shoulder, where she had been draped in her unconsciousness, and carried her gently in his arms. “Sora,” he said, approaching the boy. “I'm going to need that first aid of yours.”“Popular guy,” Cloud muttered, unintentionally drawing attention to himself.Leon's eyes flickered from Sora to the man, where they suddenly widened with surprise. “What are you doing here?”“None of your business,” the blond man replied easily.The leader huffed in response. “Right.”Taking this as his cue to interrupt the suddenly tense atmosphere, Sora sent his Keyblade away and stepped forward to take Yuffie from Leon's arms. “Looks like a head injury,” he observed quietly. “I can't do much for those.” Turning carefully, the mechanic sidled into the house. “Aren't there any civilian doctors we could ask for help?”“No,” Leon replied, following the younger man through the door. He watched Ienzo carefully as he retreated back into the apprentices' shared room, noting the man's slouch that for some reason gave off an air of hostility. Cloud seemed content to remain outside, leaving the two alone with the unconscious Yuffie. “The last one was eaten a few months ago.”“Then why haven't you applied to the Academy to get a few on-site healers?”“We have. We're on the waiting list. Someone has yet to apply for the position.”Looking over the woman's arms and legs, Sora bit back a series of less-than-savory exclamations. She had burns all up her left leg, and a gash on the upper portion of her right thigh. It would be... awkward to treat. “Do you have any Materia or-”“If we did, Aerith would be taking care of this. And even if we managed to catch a guardian force there are no monsters to draw from. Heartless only give scan.”Without looking up from the woman's injuries, the mechanic asked, “Guardian force?”Leon shook his head. “Don't worry about that. Anyway, you're all we got right now unless someone miraculously has some cure Materia.”“I do.”Leon and Sora's eyes raced over to the front door, where Cloud stood tall and intimidating.“Would you willing to trade for it?” the leader inquired, rising to his full height.Leaning against one wall, the newcomer announced, “I want one thing, and one thing only; Sora's assistance, no questions asked. A cure Materia in exchange is child's play.”Sora shrugged. “Can do.”“Do you have it with you?” Leon asked.“I fucking hate you.”The three men glanced sharply at the door to Ienzo and Sora's shared bedroom, suddenly alarmed.“You mother-fucking pile of shit – I will fucking end you! I will take a hammer to your legs, and then I will burn your center to ashy little bits. And then – only then – will I allow you to live the rest of your life unfulfilled and useless, sitting in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do and no one to love you.”Taking a few hesitant steps toward their door, Sora knocked lightly three times and called, “Ienzo? Everything okay in there?”“Don't mind me,” the wizard replied testily. “Just wrestling with a puzzle that requires manual labor; my two favorite things in the world. Nothing to see here.”The mechanic winced. “Would you like some help?” he offered.“No, I'll do it myself.” Silence followed the statement. A thick, pregnant silence that would have been filled with muffled laughter if Sora hadn't had the sudden image of Ienzo zapping him with what could arguably be the most powerful thunder spell in the universe.“Okay, if you're sure.” Giving the door one last apprehensive look, Sora turned to the two older men in the room. “So, cure Materia. Let's go get it.”“Are you sure it's okay to just leave him there?” Leon asked.“He's fine,” the mechanic insisted enthusiastically, not willing to brave the room just yet. “Let's just get that Materia, okay?”“I will burn you!”“Yup, let's go,” Leon blabbed, jumping to his feet as he suddenly became aware of the possible arson that was about to occur. As he, Sora, and Cloud filed out the door he glanced back at Yuffie and hoped her burns didn't “grow” to span her entire body by the time they got back.
-T-M-
To Sora if felt like he hadn't been in the Gummi hanger in years. He was so busy reminiscing with the machinery used to transport the vehicles to a stationary position in the port that he didn't notice Cloud almost literally chucking three balls of green Materia at Leon and demanding that he get lost. It wasn't until the blond man grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside his Gummi ship that Sora came back down to earth, glancing around in search of whatever was broken. That's when his eyes landed on it. The most beautiful, intricate, flawless piece of basic machinery he'd ever laid eyes on...… and it was broken. Beyond broken. It was cleaved in to three parts.“Oh god, what happened to you?” the mechanic gasped, nearly in tears at the sight of the “dismantled” motorcycle. He immediately ran to its side, embracing the gas tank and stroking its exhaust pipe with a free hand. “You beautiful thing; what could have done this?”“No questions, remember?”“Shh – I'm not asking you,” Sora hissed over his shoulder. “Now, what could have done this to you? A heartless? A Gummi ship? A...” His eyes landed on the fissure where the machine had been cut, and confusion arose in him upon seeing the scrapes along the edge. “... sword?”Behind him, Cloud sighed. “Can you fix him?”“He?” Sora scoffed. “She isn't beyond saving.” He turned to the motorcycle and grinned a silly grin. “Aren't you, Lulu?”“His name is Fenrir,” the blond hissed.“Fenrir, huh?” the young Keyblade wielder mused to himself, eying the motorcycle with an appreciative eye. “Suits you. I liked Lulu better, though.” Drawing away from the machine, he pulled himself up to full height before turning to face the stranger. “I can do a quick fix or I can make him battle ready. A quick fix will take maybe two days. Battle ready will take longer – upwards of two months.”“Battle ready,” the man replied without preamble. “Aside from the Materia, I will pay for any metal or parts that need to be replaced. I don't want any cut corners, got that?”“No problem,” the mechanic informed him easily. “And, let me guess – you want me to do the repairs here?”“Yes, if that isn't an issue.”“No issues here. But...”“But?”“This is very delicate work. Why did you bring it to me?”Cloud shrugged. “Cid speaks very highly of you.”Sora called to mind his grumpy teacher and fought back a smile. “Ah,” he managed after a bit, no longer fighting the expression.“So when can you start?”The mechanic beamed. “Right now if you'd like.”
-T-M-
Sora tried not to cry on his way back to his house. Fenrir was more scrap than motorcycle! The only thing that hadn't been fried when whoever it was sliced it in half – twice! – was the speedometer. Though he had no idea how that remained in tact and not the sword compartment. (Seven swords! Who needed seven swords?!)He'd go as far as to say he'd have to recreate the bike entirely.Stretching, Sora groaned as he made his way through the dark toward residential district four. Then, just outside the district, he paused, suddenly thinking. Reaching for his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette, lit up, and kept walking.He hadn't seen a lot of Ienzo lately, aside from inside the computer at the castle (which was now under Leon's jurisdiction and no one was allowed near.) Sora had been so busy lately that he hadn't made any excuses to be with the man. But at the same time the mechanic was happy as things were. Yet not. He wanted to be with Ienzo; that much was for sure. But did he want to be with Ienzo?The other apprentice was snide, condescending, and selfish to a fault. But at the same time Sora could list off when he'd been strong and compassionate and defenseless. The mechanic hadn't thought anything of it when he'd gotten Ienzo out of the torture cell in the Grin, but for a while after the older man kept giving him this... look. One that Sora used to give him. And it tingled a little bit in his stomach and hurt a bit in his head.Sora, realizing he'd stopped dead in his tracks in his reverie, continued forward until a great burst of light behind him got his attention.Looking up, he gasped.Fireworks.Racing toward the square, he tried to contain himself upon seeing Yuffie – fully healed – with a bunch of other committee members setting up a fireworks show. She was yelling at a small duck for setting one off early.“You got here pretty late,” Leon said, startling Sora.The boy laughed nervously. (He hadn't even seen the man approach!) “I started diagnostics right away; that's why. Had to figure out how to fix it.”“Any luck?”“None. So why the fireworks?”Leon shrugged. “Today is the day our country was freed from the tyranny of the sorceress. It's an Independence Day of sorts. And this way Yuffie gets her 'dragon.'”“So you're doing this to shut Yuffie up?”“Among other things, but yes.”Sora laughed, the anxiety of fixing Cloud's bike almost visually dissipating. Leon watched this closely, taking special note of the way the mechanic threw his head back just enough to expose his throat. How his shoulders shook with the movement. The way he laughed with his entire body.
-T-M-
Ienzo was a nervous wreck. Everyone had just started setting off fireworks and there he was, hiding in an alleyway and watching the whole thing with disbelieving eyes. It had finally sunk in; Sora's almost-demise. For a good two hours or more the man had actually been dead.The older apprentice sometimes felt like reality was shifting to accommodate his wishes. First on the Grid – where Sora had been too late, but then reality reset and he was the magician's savior instead. But this time Sora had been the one in danger, not him, and it made him worry. If he were to pursue the other apprentice what could they accomplish? What could they unlock in their hectic universe? Would their reality begin mixing too quickly?How many times would he have to watch the universe reset for Sora?When would it stop resetting?Would it ever?“Here, I brought you some... I don't know. It looks like soba.”And there Sora was, standing at the mouth of the alleyway and it just tore into the older apprentice. Whenever he needed him the mechanic was always there, whether he knew it or not. Ienzo wanted to be with him. He wanted Sora. And sometimes it seemed so simple even though it wasn't. He took the soba with a nod, hoping the younger man would go rejoin the rest of the committee, only to have the other apprentice settle against the opposite wall.“Great evening for fireworks, huh?” the man asked. “Not a cloud in the sky.”Ienzo nodded, not trusting himself to do much else. He was praying, not first the first time in his life, for a reality where everything was simple. A reality where he didn't lose his parents. A reality where he hadn't grown up in a lab. A reality where his home world hadn't been overrun by heartless and forced him to go to a boarding school in the middle of a desert wasteland.“You going to eat that?” Sora asked, setting his empty bowl on the ground and pulling out a cigarette. Lighting up, he breathed deeply and grinned.Recognizing the smell, Ienzo almost laughed. 'He's smoking marijuana!' It was odd; he'd almost imagined Sora as this goody-two-shoes sort of guy. Checking himself, it occurred to Ienzo that marijuana might not be illegal, or even a stigma, where Sora was from. He wasn't going to tell the boy that it was illegal on Radiant Garden, though. Instead, in a strange haze, the older apprentice reached for the loaded cigarette between Sora's fingers, snatched it up much to the man's surprise, and took a hit for himself before returning it. Holding his breath for as long as possible, Ienzo gradually let the smoke out in the form of small Os he made with his lips.And everything was suddenly not so complicated any more.Digging enthusiastically into his soba, Ienzo turned his eyes to the fireworks now that they were being lit. Yuffie was running around like a mad woman, lighting off entire rows at once despite Merlin shouting to her that they would run out in ten minutes if she kept doing that. By the time the sky was alight in the third round of lights Ienzo had finished his soba and was leaning down to place his bowl in Sora's. When he drew up to full height his eyes caught on the younger apprentice, only to find he wasn't focused on the fireworks. Sora's big, bright blue eyes were fixed on him instead, watering a bit from the light breeze and intent on Ienzo's face.“What is it?” the older man asked. “Something on my face.”Sora shook his head.Ienzo screwed up his eyes. “Hey, have you been getting taller lately?”Blinking much like a doe in headlights, Sora attempted to mentally account for his height.Stealing the man's joint once more, Ienzo took a long drag and let the smoke out in a light giggle. “Wow – I haven't had this stuff in ages.”Sora frowned. “You could ask, you know,” he chastised the man.“Why? You'd say yes.”“Yeah, but it's still mine.”Ienzo giggled. “That it is.” Then the silliest, most idiotic, impulsive idea he'd ever had blindside him. He fought it off, only to have another idea present itself on a silver platter. And he, in all his sobriety, couldn't decently process it. So before he knew what he was doing, Ienzo grabbed the collar of Sora's shirt and pulled him down to his level. Once he man's face was accessible he stood on tip-toe and pressed his lips callously against the taller apprentice's.Sora froze. Nothing was quite computing. Ienzo was kissing him, but those couldn't be his lips. They were... strange. It thrilled him that he was kissing the man – screw that, the older apprentice was kissing him and it was amazing – but there was no texture to his skin. No heat or cold. There was just a pressure against his lips that he knew on an instinctual level was Ienzo, and that was amazing, but at the same time so strange. It was as if he was there, but he wasn't.He knew from sight that Ienzo's lips were chapped, so they should be a bit scratchy. And never before in any past experience had he ever not felt texture. The thought of kissing the man might have been overwhelming, but the actual event was so strange and lackluster that the mechanic didn't really know what to do with himself. So the only thing Sora could ask after the man pulled away was, “What was that for?”“I just wanted to kiss you,” the magician replied softly, returning the joint and leaning against the far wall.Sora watched the man carefully, not quite sure what to do.Then they watched the fireworks: Ienzo secretly freaking out and Sora, for reasons unknown even to himself, attempting to forget the entire thing.
-T-M-
“I thought you guys finished with that months ago.”Craning his neck to peer around around the Restoration Committee's computer chair, Sora found himself oddly blank at the sight of Leon walking through the front door. “We are; I'm just double-checking the wires for any shorts.”“That's fine, I guess,” the man mumbled, glancing to the side. He was uneasy, being so close to Sora so soon after his strange conversation with Riku. Finding himself with nothing else to do, Leon pulled up a chair and watched Sora work. After a while of staring at the mechanic's protruding legs in utter silence he asked, “Is everything alright?”“What do you mean?”“I mean you're oddly quiet. Usually you have all this energy bubbling up near the surface – which I thank you for restraining, by the way – but today you're just kind of... dark. Gloomy. Tired.”Sora shrugged as much as he could from his place under the desk. “I am tired.”“Tired emotionally,” Leon corrected. “Is anything going on that I should know about? Any hazing?”The mechanic giggled. “No, nothing like that. Everyone here is unusually nice.”“Then what's the deal? I know I haven't known you very long, but you just pulled a one-eighty.”“Are Committee leaders usually this HR oriented?”“Shoot me; I'm concerned.”Sora laughed again, earning himself a small grin.“So, what's up? I'm all ears, and free for the next...” He paused to glance at the clock on the wall. “Ten minutes, actually. You have me for ten minutes.”“Great. I've got a shrink for ten minutes. Praise the world, I'm saved.”“Nine minutes, fifty-five seconds. Clock's ticking, Sora. Take it or leave it.”“Ienzo kissed me.”Leon scoffed. “Shouldn't you be happy about that? When you first came here you looked at him like he shit rainbows and unicorns.”“He's already turned me down.”Leon internally flinched. “Mixed signals?”“Yeah. And to top that off he's never really been nice to me. I mean, he's been getting a bit more polite over the last two years, I guess, but lately he's just been downright kind. You know – in between his usual sprees of being an asshole. And then he kisses me and it's just... It's messing with my head, okay?” Dropping his pliers in his tool belt, Sora dragged himself out from under the desk. “No fried wires. You're good to go,” he drawled before nearly sprinting to the door.Leon scoffed, suddenly feeling much better despite Sora's horrible predicament. “Come on – we've got another nine minutes left.”“I've got to get to Cloud's ship. This project is going to take a while.”“He can wait. Take a seat,” Leon commanded, motioning to the table at the center of the room.Not wanting to argue – but still seeking to put up at least a little fight – Sora sat Indian style, leaning his back against the short stone pillar elevating the table.Leon sighed, but let it drop. “Does Dr. Even know about what's been going on between you two?”“I imagine so,” Sora replied honestly, shrugging. “He's been really busy with his projects as of late, so he might not know about any recent developments. It wouldn't surprise me if he did, though. He has a way of knowing things.”“Well, all considered, I'm your superior. Even if he objects I outrank him. Since this isn't exactly a formal setting I don't see anything wrong with coworkers dating.”“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”“Yes, it is,” the taller man confirmed, suddenly finding his position in his chair uncomfortable. Standing, he pushed it to the side and took a seat on the floor, placing himself on the same level as the mechanic. “I don't pretend to have a lot of experience with people, and I have even less when it comes to romantic involvement, but if you're really so bugged about this just ask him about it. Clear the air. He said he kissed you because he wanted to, right? That was probably some kind of vague invitation. He's probably just too shy to ask you himself.”Sora screwed up his face, thoroughly confused. “Shy? Ienzo? Ha – no. That guy is easily the most confident person I know. Aside from, well, Riku.”“You never know. The most confident people are usually the most insecure.”“I highly doubt that.”“You say that now, but I dare you to take a closer look at some of the people around you. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.”Glancing at the clock, Sora rose to his feet and sighed. “Look, I really have to go.”Leon jumped to his feet as well, fixing the younger man with a look. “I do to, actually. But you should think about what I've said, okay?”“Yeah, I will,” the mechanic replied, adjusting his tool belt before making his way over to the door. But just as he approached it, it flew open on its hinges.“Oh, hey,” Riku greeted quietly. He glanced between Leon and Sora quickly, then grinned. “Am I interrupting something?”“No, we're just leaving,” Sora replied evenly, stepping around his friend and out the door. It swung shut behind him almost silently, as it putting a lid on the conversation.Turning his eyes on the shorter man, Riku grimaced. “You didn't tell him?”The leader sighed. “I'm not your puppet.”“I never said you were.”“Besides,” Leon continued insistently, “what feelings I have for him are at this point completely physical. It would be a mistake to pursue anything, or to be pushed to pursue anything. And on that note, it's not up to you to choose who Sora dates.”“I know it's not, but I've seen Ienzo's file. Don't tell me you haven't. You know just as much as I do, Sorceress Conqueror Leonhart. Or do they just call you 'General' these days?”“I don't have time for this,” Leon hissed suddenly, stepping around the taller man with a grimace. Taking hold of the doorknob, he paused. “It's best you stay out of other people's business. Having your planet taken away changes a person; the same goes for Ienzo.”“If I had my way he wouldn't even be on this planet,” Riku announced suddenly. “I have the authority to remove him and you know it. But first I'd like to get him out of Sora's life.”“Sora wouldn't forgive you if you did.”“Yes he would. Eventually.”Leon grimaced, then sighed. “Yeah,” he admitted after a while. “Yeah, he would.” Then he walked out.Remaining in place for a minute, Riku rolled the older man's last words around in his head a few times before he realized something almost haunting. Something he wouldn't be able to explain as the complexity of it had his head turning circles.In those last few seconds, with those last four words, Leon had insulted Riku directly.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts.

-T-M-

Eyes shooting wide open, Sora lurched into a sitting position, narrowly avoiding the low ceiling. He clutched at his shoulders, half expecting Kairi to be in his arms. When he found no one there he attempted to force himself into reality. It was nearing midnight, and the moonlight filtered through the piles of books that filled the room, placed there temporarily until the library was rebuilt. Aside from the mechanic's panicked breathing the room was silent. Dragging one hand heavily through his hair, the young man sucked in air greedily, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it in a quiet whistle.
You are the one who will open the door.
The words from his dream rung through his head in a way they hadn't since he was at the Academy. And he didn't remember them ever being as vivid. The figure in the dark cloak had made an appearance again, and he could swear that beneath the heavy drapery there was nothing to see. Feeling an uneasy sort of paranoia settle over him, Sora threw his blankets aside and crawled over to the ladder of his bed, which rocked slightly with the movement.
On the lower bunk, Ienzo groaned. “Where are you headed this late?” he mumbled halfheartedly. “House call?”
Sora hesitated a long time before answering. “Nothing like that.”
“Nightmare?”
The mechanic didn't know how the man had guessed it so quickly. But instead of confirming the apprentice's statement, Sora slid down the remainder of the ladder and made for the door.
“You can tell me, you know. I'll listen as long as you need me to.”
Ienzo's offer didn't go unnoticed, though it received no reply. Fleeing the room, Sora bit back a shiver. The younger man's sleep-laden voice had brought back memories of a slightly huskier one. Of soba, fireworks, and skin that didn't feel quite right. The mechanic still didn't know how to approach the man about it, and he doubted he ever would. He was halfway into his boots before Ienzo's voice stopped him.
“It's curfew, you know,” the apprentice reminded him grumpily, stepping out of the room and tugging at his pajamas. His eyes were, thankfully, glued on the front windows. Rain pelted them with a vengeance, leaving streaks of distorted light along the carpet from the lamps outside. “Not that it's ever stopped you before. Although you usually have work as an excuse. What is it this time?”
Sora stopped fighting his boot, going still. “I just need to clear my head.”
The only reply he received was a scoff.
“What?”
“It's nothing.”
“It doesn't sound like nothing,” the mechanic observed quietly. He turned his eyes to the older man's feet, not quite brave enough to meet his eyes. “You can tell me.” As soon as the words left his mouth he knew he'd made a mistake.
Ienzo's hands clenched suddenly, and his arms visibly shook with the effort to keep the sudden urge to hurt the other man at bay. “If you're going to be like this, you can just forget it.” Storming back to the bedroom door, the apprentice paused long enough to spit a few choice words over his shoulder. “If you're angry with me you could at least have the courtesy to come out and say it.” And with that he moved quietly into the other room, shutting the door silently behind him and leaving Sora alone with his thoughts.
The mechanic knew he'd done wrong by the older apprentice. But instead of barging into the bedroom and apologizing he pulled his shoes on and left. If he were his usual self he'd be in the room asking the apprentice to join him for a cup of tea so they could talk it over in a heartbeat. Aside from the obvious, Sora didn't know what brought on the change in him. But he could only imagine where it would lead.
The rain bit into his skin the moment he stepped out onto the porch. Racing to the other side of the street, where the overhang of the neighbor's house was enough to cover him to an extent, he reached into his pocket to retrieve a pack of cigarettes. He beat one out into his hand and placed it to his lips as his body was wracked by a sudden bout of numb shivers. Though he'd only been in the rain for a few brief seconds the mechanic was soaked through.
Snapping his fingers, the man hissed when a marble of fire flickered at the end of his thumb for an instant before disappearing. He tried once, twice, three more times before giving up and shoving the cigarette back in its pack and forcing it into his pocket. Settling against the building wall, the man smacked a fist against his thigh and bit back what he suspected to be a scream.
Sora felt close to a breakdown; something he hadn't had since the islands. He'd never felt so torn over something before. His head screamed to be near Ienzo, to be close to him now that he's apparently willing to partake in a relationship. But his instincts screamed to run far away and never see the apprentice again. Usually Kairi was there to keep him from falling too deep into himself. But for the second time in his life she was nowhere to be seen. His chest felt empty without the young woman's support. I wonder, he thought to himself bitterly. How long will it take me to give up and go back? While Riku was his best friend, he could trust Kairi with anything.
Without warning, his conversation with Leon popped into his head. The man had taken what he had to say in stride, and had seemed supportive. Would he listen as Kairi had listened? It was an appealing thought. He would probably understand a bit better than she would. He'd probably had relationships, and seen his share of the worlds as well. Or, at least, that's what Sora could only assume. He really didn't know anything about the man.

-T-M-

“How did you know I was here?”
Ducking beneath the low doorway of Cloud's Gummi ship, Riku spared a glance at the large lumps covered in tarps in the middle of the ship before turning to face the man. “What? No hello?”
The older man remained silent, tapping his fingers against the arm rest of the helm chair.
“Well, you didn't ask Leon for a place to stay. There aren't any hotels on this planet. So you were either in the castle or here.”
“So why aren't you searching the castle?”
“Because I know you're not stupid.”
Cloud chuckled darkly at this. “What do you want?”
Nudging the tarp idly with his foot, Riku felt too awkward to make eye contact as he announced, “I want you to train Sora.”
“Train him in what?”
“Don't play coy!” the Keyblade wielder snapped loudly, watching carefully as Cloud's hands twitched up toward his ears at the noise. Quieter, he continued, “Will you train him or not?”
Slouching further into the chair, Cloud propped his feet up on the console, which gave two beeps in protest before going silent. “I don't see why I should.”
Riku scoffed. “How about because you owe him? You and I both know you got that cure Materia for practically nothing.”
“One was a heal Materia,” the swordsman added halfheartedly.
“Fine, but that doesn't change the fact that Sora's been working on whatever it is of yours for long enough that Dr. Even has gone around complaining that they're falling behind on work. The least you could do is pay him another favor.”
“You want him trained so much, you do it.”
“You think I haven't tried?” Riku's hands clenched into fists as frustration fought to surface in the worst ways. “Our fighting styles are too different. There's nothing I can tell him that will help. And what's worse is that he's settled into a style that he can't use to defend himself.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?”
Riku scoffed. “You and I both know you've been on the front lines far longer than I have. You were part of the original task force sent to protect the second world before it fell.”
Suddenly Cloud went stiff. His eyes gravitated toward the floor, and he muttered in a guilty tone, “That was a long time ago.”
“And you're no less of a warrior than you were then. You aren't a Keyblade wielder. There are things you can tell him that won't ever occur to me.”
“The lofty warrior admits his advantage.” Drawing his feet off the console, Cloud straightened in his chair until he was sitting rigid against the back of the chair. “What's in it for me?”
“It's not every day someone gets the honor of training a chosen of the Keyblade.”
Eyes shooting wide open, the swordsman fixed his uninvited guest with a sharp look. “There's been no news of a chosen.”
“There wouldn't be. Aqua assumes he got his power from Terra, as I did. But he didn't. It would be in your best interest to teach him.”
“No thanks. The last thing I need is for my name to go down in history.”
Riku scoffed. “It's not like Sora's going to do something amazing. I'm just saying it would be in your best interest to keep him around long enough to see if he can be useful. Your name won't even be mentioned.”
“You just want to save him.”
“And you just want to save Aerith.” The Keyblade wielder smirked at at the subsequent flinch he received. “I've read your file. I know all about her. You can't be around forever, I won't be here all the time, and this place isn't exactly a popular hub for shore-leave. You aren't the only one who can fight him.”
Jumping to his feet, Cloud fixed the younger man with a venomous expression. “I'm not training some kid to fight my battles.”
“You might not have a choice. With her here we're all within the blast radius. If you don't train him, and Aqua asks, I'm putting this on your head.”
“What would you have me do?” the blond snapped. “Take him as my apprentice?”
“Just give him a few pointers. I don't care if you only work with him for ten minutes; just make sure he doesn't trip over himself every five seconds.”
Cloud considered this for a moment, then rose to his feet. “Fine, but on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“We spar right now,” the older man demanded. “If I win you protect Aerith no questions asked, and if you win I'll teach Sora.” He offered his hand to shake on it, expression hard.
Riku grinned. Slapping his hand into Cloud's, he shook it hard before letting go. “Let's move this to the street, shall we?”
Nodding his assent, the stocky man followed Riku out of the ship without complaint, though he paused at a streamlined crack in the wall for an instant. Beating his hand against it once, it opened to reveal a large sword formed from many smaller ones locked into place. He placed it on his back before leaving the ship.
Outside the hangar, Riku was already poised for battle despite the rain. His silver Keyblade was held over his head with one hand and his expression was eager. “I've never fought a master swordsman before. This should be interesting.”
“It will be an educational experience,” Cloud assured him quietly, settling into his own stance. He quickly surveyed their surroundings. There wasn't enough room to swing his sword too violently, seeing as they were in the middle of the city. Visibility was poor at the moment, as well, as night had long since fallen. The only source of light came from a solitary street lamp a few feet away. Thankfully the rain had yet to freeze over on the ground.
“Whoever draws blood first is the victor. That good with you?”
Eyebrows drawing together in confusion, the older man eyed the Keyblade held aloft above the older man. “Keyblades don't draw blood.”
Riku smirked. “Then this should be quite the education. On the count of three, then?”
“Good with me.”
The taller man's smirk dropped, and he steadily began the countdown. His voice bounced around from building to building, muffled only by the rain crashing to the ground in fat drops that were nearly deafening in the silence.
On the second count Cloud changed his stance, holding his sword horizontally one-handed at his side, coiled to strike. Across the way Riku remained unchanged, his expression holding no humor. When the final number was counted neither of them moved. Instead they faced off silently, looking for an opening.
Taking a cursory step to the side, Riku attempted to find a good angle to approach his opponent from. No doubt any move he attempted to make would be countered immediately. His best bet was to guard whatever attack came from the other man first. He'd only ever seen footage of Cloud's style; he'd never seen it for himself.
Suddenly Cloud was on him, pressing against a guard that was induced only by the Keyblade's sudden decision to block for the wielder. Riku thanked it quietly as the stronger man bore down on him with his much larger sword. The pressure was incredible, and already Riku found himself giving beneath the weight. Instead of facing it head on, however, he dropped to the ground and kicked Cloud in the abdomen, attempting to launch his opponent in to the air. But before he could execute the move the man was already on the other side of the street, having jumped out of the way.
Jumping to his feet, Riku found the Keyblade leaping to his defense once more as Cloud bore against him. Their skills were on two completely different levels, he knew, but he didn't let it get to him. He had the Keyblade, and two warriors were better than one. Summoning his strength, he shoved the blond man away and struck, though the wielder only managed to lash his Keyblade through empty air. The other man was simply too fast.
Cloud didn't know what to think of the duel thus far. It was horribly one-sided. Riku had barely managed to block his attacks twice, and had only executed a weak counterattack for an offense. In an attempt to end the match quickly, Cloud made a feint to the left, his feet splashing through the puddle that had begun to engulf the entire street, only to leap to his right and swing at Riku's exposed side. To his surprise the Keyblade wielder didn't fall for the trick. Leaping backwards, the taller man launched a spell from his free hand, which connected solidly with Cloud's side, only to expand and burst in a shower of pressure on contact.
As the swordsman flinched, Riku launched himself forward to strike at the man. Cloud barely had enough time to raise his sword up in a block before the wielder's Keyblade bore down on him, forcing him to the ground with pure force. The blond managed to jump back a bit, but immediately Riku was at his side with a horizontal slash. Finding himself with little alternative, Cloud thrust the side of his blade forward as a block and jumped away to put distance between them. His opponent was better than he had thought, and was apparently just getting warmed up. Reaching down the blade, Cloud separated one of the smaller swords that made it up and held it aloft in his left hand.
“Duel wielding, huh?” Riku observed, impressed. “I must admit, that's something your standard Keyblade wielders will never be able to do. Good thing,” he began, holding out his free hand, “I'm not any old wielder.” Darkness burst from his fingertips, forming a wide blade that looked to be modeled from a bat's wing; the Keyblade Aqua had presented him with during the awards ceremony.
Cloud looked on, refusing to allow his surprise to show. He'd never heard of a Keyblade wielder with two Keyblades. Though, admittedly, the second weapon didn't resemble a Keyblade in anything but entrance. There was no key shaped end, as the weapon was named for. Instead it was a thin blade that looked very capable of inflicting wounds.
“So this is why you called for first blood,” Cloud observed darkly. “You had an ace up your sleeve.”
“Oh, I have far more than a single ace,” the taller man taunted, circling him slowly.
Watching his opponent carefully, the swordsman joined Riku in his predatory stalk. They circled the street several times, neither of them making their move. It was then that Cloud noticed something very alarming; his arms were growing numb from the rain. He hadn't given a single thought to the weather, figuring the battle wouldn't last long enough for it to impair anything beyond visibility. But it had already been several minutes, and aside from a bit of swinging and jumping he hadn't done much that would keep him warm. His arms felt heavy, and the points of his swords fought to point at the ground.
Across the way Riku smirked and jumped into action. He gave Cloud little time to react, laying hit after hit against the man. Firing off a series of lightning spells from the tip of the Keyblade, he chose to use them to force his opponent against a wall and sending the Mana straight into the sky. He continue to beat the sides of the older man's swords, grinning calmly despite how his attacks did no damage.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked into the clearing.
Like in the cockpit, Cloud's hands twitched up towards his ears at the noise, weakening his grip on his swords for an instant. It was all Riku needed. Gripping his Keyblades with grim determination, he used the blunt side of the silver weapon to knock the swordsman's blades aside and struck at the man's arm with the sharper key. The blond froze as Riku announced proudly, “First blood; I win.” True enough, the small cut he had made across the swordsman's bicep turned the rain that ran from it a transparent red.

-T-M-

The next day, after shifting the last of Fenrir's (Lulu's) exhaust pipe to join the rest of it, Sora surveyed the work he'd done over the course of the week, which consisted of slowly sorting and repairing what he could. The body itself was just barely salvageable, and he had worked on that first, though the gas tank had to be replaced anyway due to a puncture on the lower left side. The rims were trashed, as was every piece of wiring throughout the entire machine, though that was being slowly and tediously remedied. While he'd first thought that the machine had simply been cleaved into three parts it turned out that the damage was far more extensive. After being sliced apart with a sword – a long, thin one with a slightly curved edge – the bike had been on the receiving end of both a Blizzaga and a Thundaga, which had warped the interiors. Ninety percent of the bike had to be rebuilt from scratch. Optimistically.
He'd put almost eighty hours of work into the machine at that point, trying to get it done as quickly as possible. Dr. Even had yet to approach him about shifts. In fact, Sora had seen very little of the man for a long time despite how they shared a living space. While the mechanic had gone to Radiant Garden to assist the doctor and his apprentice, it seemed that had become his lowest priority. Almost every day he thought of Even's words the day they came to the planet and inwardly grimaced.
Glancing at his transponder, Sora was shocked to find it was nearly eleven at night. His eyes immediately shot toward the helm, where Cloud snoozed peacefully. The mechanic hadn't even heard him come in. Heaving a quiet sigh, he turned to his vest and shirt in the corner, which he had discarded earlier on in the afternoon. After throwing them on he tossed the wide tarp they had been laid on over the motorcycle parts. Casting a scouring gaze over the floors and dubbing them clear of any spare screws or scraps, Sora left. The sound of the rain outside filtered in to and echoed through the Gummi hangar from the main doors, which had been left ajar as usual. Pushing them open a bit further, the mechanic stepped over the threshold and into the rain. As always he was drenched after a few meager steps. Rushing through the rain, he held his arms above his head in a meager attempt to remain dry as he sprinted toward residential district four.
He was nearly home when he caught the snatches of hushed conversation.
“–Cloud's having him work on, it's a secret. No one knows where he is, okay?”
This intrigued the mechanic. Were the talking about him? The first voice was Leon's, but who was the second? Just before Sora turned the corner, however, he froze in place as a second voice drifted through the deafening rain.
“But you know, don't you?”
Ienzo.
“I don't. But if you're so eager to talk to him just wait for him to come back.”
“He doesn't talk to me in the room. Every time he comes back – well, he's been avoiding me for weeks. And even stranger, Riku's being nice to me. Are you saying you had nothing to do with this?”
“If Riku's being nice to you that's of his own free will. Although I do admit I said a few... unsavory things to him a few days ago about how he treats you.”
“Oh, really?” Ienzo's drawl held more than its share of sarcasm. “No matter; if you see him tell him I need to speak with him.”
“About what?”
“None of your business.”
There was the sound of receding footsteps, which drew to a halt as Leon called out, “You don't deserve him.”
There was a lull in the conversation after this; something that made the mechanic's heart race suddenly. Did he mean what Sora thought he meant?
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Don't play with me; I've read your file. Most of us have. And I'm not going to say we don't judge you for it, because we do. Trust me; Sora would, too, if he knew what happened here. So before you pursue him just keep in mind that one day he's going to have clearance.”
“I'm going to tell him.”
“What?”
“I planned to tell him. Several days ago, actually. But he's been avoiding me. So if you could get off my back about it that would be great.”
More footsteps, the slam of a door, then silence. Sora sagged against the wall, not knowing whether any of what they had said had applied to him. It sounded like it did, and they had said his name. And... what did Riku have to do with anything?
“How long were you listening?”
Sora jumped, hand racing to his heart as it gave a great lurch in his chest. Glancing to his right, the mechanic found Leon standing at the corner, shooting him enough malice to crush a house. “Um-”
“You can't avoid him forever.”
“I...” Attempting to get his breath back, the younger man took a few moments to himself. Stepping away from the wall, straightened his back and attempted to pull himself together. “I know, but I can try.”
“I'm not joking, Sora.
“Neither am I,” he shot back.
“You share living spaces,” the swordsman spat. “Eventually your work with Cloud will be done. It's either face it now, while you still have a semblance of a backbone, or later when you've run out of excuses.”
The mechanic winced. “You're not in a very good mood today, are you?”
Leon scoffed. “Understatement.”
“Bad day?”
“Again, understatement.”
Sora suddenly became aware of the man's attire; he wasn't wearing the usual Committee uniform. Instead he was clad in a leather jacket over a white shirt and leather pants. The shirt clung to his torso, and under the light of the street lamp Sora could make out the contours of well defined abs and flawless pecks. A part of him lurched at the sight; a part of him that used to jump whenever he saw Ienzo, but had remained quiet for the previous month. He turned his eyes to the man's face in an attempt to remain focused. “Want to talk about it?”
The mechanic's glare was enough of an answer. But it soon softened, and Leon ran his right hand through the wet hair that clung to the sides of his face, pulling them to the side. “Can I ask you a question?”
Confused, Sora nodded. “Sure.”
“Is this how you treat the people you care about?” he asked solemnly.
Shaking his head, the mechanic smiled wryly. “No, it's not. It's just...” He paused, contemplating the possibility of telling the man about his and Ienzo's kiss. How strange it had been. This idea was quickly discarded. The swordsman would probably just call him crazy. “It's a lot more complicated than we're making it out to be,” he settled for instead.
Leon's eyebrows rose. “More complicated than mixed signals? Like politics?”
“Yeah,” the younger man lied halfheartedly, turning his eyes to the sky. He shoved his hands in his pockets as they started to go numb. On a whim, he asked, “Hey, can I stay at your place tonight?”
The leader sighed. “If you'd like. But don't get used to it.”
“Thanks. And don't worry; I won't.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor am I making any money off of the production or distribution of this fanfiction.

-T-M-

Radiant Garden, three years after the Birth By Sleep incident:

A conversation between two apprentices.

"It was a small setback, nothing more."

"Two civilians were killed."

"Yes. Only two."

"Don't 'only' me! Two people are dead! What if we hadn't gotten there in time?"

"We did."

"But we won't always."

Chapter 21: A Familiar Sensation

Radiant Garden, fifteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident:

Some warning would have been nice.

Sora couldn't help the pessimistic comment that flitted through his thoughts as he passed by the Gummi bay doors. Without so much as a warning alarm they'd fallen wide open, the vacuum of space nearly sucking him into the void beneath the planet. Throwing himself against the rails along the walkway, the mechanic tried to keep his mouth closed against the air whooshing around him, threatening to drag him over the side. What had happened to the warning bells? They should have gone off the moment someone tried to dock.

Great – one more thing to fix.

Clutching his tool box to his chest, the man watched with a remarkable lack of caring as a Kingdom mark 2 rose into the hangar. It was an old model, going by the way the insulated paint-glue on the front end of the ship had peeled away to reveal the Gummi's true clear interior. If it weren't for multiple layers spaced within the model the mechanic could have looking right into the cockpit.
It was only after the Gummi hangar doors closed that he allowed himself to relax, standing away from the rails to watch carefully as the ship's engines were cut. The vessel fell freely into the dock, where gravity materia took control of the fall and settled it into place. There it bobbed for a few awkward seconds before the door slid open and a familiar woman stepped out with a cautious grin. The mechanic's breath caught as the familiar head of red hair shook as its owner looked about. Blue eyes scanned the hangar. Then the figure ducked back into the cockpit, only to step out onto the incline rising to meet her ship with a bag thrown over her shoulder seconds later.
“Kairi!” Sora called, rushing forward to meet the woman.
She looked up in surprise, and gone was her caution. “Sora!” she exclaimed just as eagerly, dropping her duffel to the ground and running forward to slide her arms around his waist. Burying her face in the taller man's shoulder, she locked her wrists and squeezed.
The mechanic groaned quietly as all the air was crushed out of him. He let the woman crush him for a bit longer anyway. When he was finally released he patted her on the back twice, grinning big. “What brings you here?” he asked, honestly surprised.
Giggling, the woman retrieved her bag from the floor and faced him, posture lax. “I couldn't stay away. Come on – I can't leave you two alone for too long, now can I? You might start falling for each other!”
The mechanic pulled a face. “Me? Fall for Riku? But he's so... serious.”
Kairi laughed openly at this. “You're right – you wouldn't last a week.” Then she dragged a cigarette from her breast pocket. It was then that Sora realized she wasn't wearing the school uniform, and instead was clad in long black dress pants and a white blouse. Placing a cigarette in her mouth, the woman leaned forward for a light, which Sora obliged. “Thanks,” she mumbled around the filter, fixing him with an awkward grin. “So how are the Heartless around here?”
“Few and far between,” he informed her with a grin, taking a moment to tell her about the experimental Heartless field Even had him and Ienzo set up when they arrived. “Although we still have attacks in the middle of the night a lot,” he admitted, lighting his own cigarette and leading her outside. He adjusted his tools, which he had thrown over his shoulder.
Then Riku was there, seething and looking two seconds from throttling the two. “You!” he hissed at the younger woman, eyes flashing.
“Hey, Riku, Kairi's here!” Sora exclaimed excitedly in an attempt to break the sudden tension. His comment fell to the side like a wet towel.
“What are you doing here? I haven't given the all clear.”
Kairi rolled her eyes. “Oh, boo hoo. If I had waited for your all clear I would have been stuck on Maunder my whole life!”
The war hero raised a hand, and when Sora was almost certain Riku was going to hit her he instead gestured wildly and began to speak. The mechanic watched in shock as Kairi mocked him word-for-word in a silly voice as the man dramatically informed her, “Aqua isn't going to like this!”
Deciding to interrupt the two until Riku was ready to calm down, Sora physically placed himself between his friends and faced Kairi with a grin. “So where are you staying?”
“Obviously not with him!” she laughed, offering the boy a smile.
Riku huffed at this, openly miffed. “It's required,” he mumbled. “You're under my protection, and as such you aren't permitted-”
“Why don't you stay with me?” Sora offered. “I can sleep on the couch and you can room with Ienzo, as long as neither of you object.”
The woman flinched at the suggestion. “Umm... Sorry. I don't really feel comfortable rooming with Ienzo. I'd rather take my chances with the couch.”
Slapping his hands together, Sora bore down on her with a desperate look. “Come on,” he insisted. “Take the bed. Please.”
Fixing him with an odd look, Kairi openly showed her surprise. “Sora, what happened between you two?”
“I'll, uh...” shrugging, the mechanic glanced back at Riku before turning to her and whispering, “I'll tell you later, okay?” Practically shoving his cigarette back in his mouth and taking a long drag, he offered her a hand.
Not missing a beat, the woman offered him a suitcase. And despite Riku's insistence that they were breaking protocol and that Aqua was going to be absolutely furious, they continued towards the house Sora shared with the scientists. Before long Kairi was settled in, Riku was fuming, and the mechanic was on his way back to work.

-T-M-

“You.”
Sora jumped, nearly tossing his tape measure into the air as the voice that came out of nowhere startled him. Turning almost completely around, he eyed the newcomer in a panic. “Cloud!” he squeaked. “Don't scare me like that!”
Resting against the Gummi ship's door frame, Cloud shrugged. “Are you at a stopping point?”
“Yeah,” the younger man replied. He didn't bother hiding his confusion. Setting the tape measure against the floor and jotting a few more numbers onto the sheet by his knee, he moved to stand. Facing Cloud with a grin, he asked, “Is something wrong?”
“I've been informed that you have a Keyblade. Is this correct?” His voice was bland; nearly board.
The mechanic nodded quickly. “I'm not very good with it, though,” he admitted.
Cloud's expression remained unchanged at this. “So I've heard.” Uncrossing his arms, the man shoved his hands in his pockets and faced Sora head on. “Would you like some pointers?”
“Umm...” It was like the mechanic's head had gone on break. The man he was working for was supposedly offering to help him with swordplay; something Riku had failed to do in the short time they'd had Physical Education together. And instead of putting forth anything helpful, his brain was playing an error message over and over.

We're sorry, but your request could not be processed at this time. Please hang up and try again.

“If you don't want any that's fine, too,” the swordsman drawled, somewhat disappointed, raising an eyebrow.
Sora took and eager step forward. “Yes, please, I would love some help!”
Cloud, taken aback by the man's eagerness, gave himself a moment to register the enthusiasm before he motioned for the mechanic to follow him out of the Gummi ship. His feet stomped across the incline and through the hanger. He didn't even bother looking back to be sure Sora was following him. The young man's footsteps were loud; far too obvious for any kind of warrior. It was almost an embarrassment.
Pressing his lips in a thin line, Sora managed to hold back his curiosity as to what brought the sudden offer on. For all he knew the older man could feel guilty to unloading such a hefty project in the middle of rebuilding a city. So before the mechanic could look the gift fish in the mouth, he bound after Cloud as the man exited the Gummi ship, sword in hand. Once they were outside the swordsman motioned for Sora to pause. Wandering off a little ways towards a box covered in a sheet, he tore off the cover and held it out.
“Do you know what this is?”
Eyes wide, Sora stared at the creature calmly gazing at him from the cage. “It's a heartless,” he replied softly, suddenly sober. “A shadow.”
“That's right,” the man mumbled, tugging the cage open. Reaching in, his fingers wrapped harshly around its neck as it attempted to escape. Cloud dropped the cage to the ground. There is clattered; the awful clanging noise echoing through the street. “This is a shadow from Hawaii, of earth. Can you tell me what that means?”
“Uh...” The younger man wracked his memory, suddenly horribly confused. “It... doesn't like sunlight?”
Cloud's deadpan expression could peel paint. “I'd been told you went to The Academy.”
“Hey, I'm a mechanic, not a mage. I'm not trained for this sort of thing!” Sora informed the shorter man hastily.
The swordsman sighed, seemingly unaware of the shadow clawing violently at his fingers. It seemed to be choking. “It means this heartless is level two. Here-” He tossed the creature at Sora. “Catch.”
Freaking out for a small moment, the mechanic's arm shot out just in time to nab the thing by the leg. Almost immediately he fought back a wave of nausea. Whatever made up its skin, it was familiar. There was no cold, no warmth; just an expanse of pressure against his hand with no texture. It was similar to holding a gust of wind. The heartless flailed in his hand, scrambling for some kind of purchase.
“What are you waiting for?” Cloud demanded suddenly.
Sora looked at him in confusion. “Huh?”
“It's a heartless. You have a Keyblade. Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Making a sort of waving motion with his hands, the swordsman didn't bother to hide how little he was enjoying the lesson. “Kill it.”
Easier said than done, Sora wanted to say. But instead of pitching a complaint he called his Keyblade to his free hand. Immediately the shadow ceased its struggle, eying him carefully, almost as if waiting for something. Dropping it to the ground, Sora took his Keyblade in both hands and swung. It was truly impressive, the degree to which he missed. The Keyblade fell a good foot short of its mark. When the shadow came to its senses it regarded its almost-attacker for a moment before lunging forward in a full-body tackle. Lucky, before it could make contact, Cloud was there with a death-grip ready for its neck. He was quiet for a long time, and when he finally spoke it was a mixture of surprise and disgust.
“Who in their right mind would give you a Keyblade?” he mused, entirely serious.
“It, uh...” Sora gulped. “It actually chose me,” he clarified weakly.
“Why?”
Glancing from the heartless, to the Keyblade, and then straight at Cloud, the mechanic laughed bitterly. “Your guess is as good as mine.” Taking a step back, he watched carefully as the man released the creature and walked to the edge of the square.
“I'm not going to intervene this time,” the swordsman informed him coldly.
Nodding solemnly, Sora watched the shadow carefully as it sank into the ground. His head was full of too many thoughts. What were the heartless made of? Why did they feel like Ienzo? Or did Ienzo feel like them? It was all far too confusing, and he figured it would be best left for another time. So, pushing the gnawing questions to the back of his head, the younger man stepped away from the steadily approaching blot of darkness. Within seconds it was corporeal again. Keyblade at the ready, Sora lunged.
He missed spectacularly.
“Your depth perception is terrible,” Cloud noted from the side.
“I know,” the mechanic replied dejectedly, eyes on the heartless.
“Have you ever defeated a heartless before?” the man inquired seriously.
Sora shrugged. “A few. They were pretty weak, though. Slow, big – that sort of thing,” the mechanic informed the swordsman, recalling his time on the Grid. “Easy targets, overall. I even had them in a bottleneck.” Attempting to drop back into the stance that had been drilled into him, Sora nearly fell over at a sudden yell.
“If that's not working then stop doing it!”
The apprentice turned, suddenly surprised. Even with one eye on the heartless he could tell Cloud was furious.
“Seriously, are you an idiot?”
“But if I practice it enough-”
“Some things never get any better with practice,” the man scoffed.
Jumping to the side to avoid a strike from the creature, Sora sighed. “What should I do, then?”
“Whatever you want. Use the thing like a club for all I care. The only thing that matters is that you actually hit the stupid things.”
The answer surprised the wielder. It was surprisingly similar to what a few others had told him over the years. But why would they teach proper form at the Academy if they weren't supposed to use it? “Okay?” he confirmed hesitantly, turning to face the splotch of darkness now rushing toward him. Setting his feet wide enough to make Vossler cringe, the way he had as a child, with his Keyblade held in both hands, Sora waited for the thing to jump at him. Up it went, arms stretching toward his face of all things. That's when he swung – a wide arc that soared straight toward the things head. It collided heavily, and on impact the heartless dissipated.
“Oh, thank Gaea – you have some potential,” Cloud mumbled more to himself than his 'pupil.' And with that he stood, reaching into his pocket, and tossed something at Sora. “Keep it.”
Just barely catching the keychain presumably aimed at his face, the younger man looked up in surprise. “What's this for?”
“Put it on your Keyblade,” the man replied. “It should make things easier.” And without another word he left, the only sound to mark his departure being the rustle of his leathers.
Glancing down at the chain in his hand, Sora dutifully replaced the current accessory at the base of his Keyblade. Before his eyes it shone a brilliant light and morphed, becoming longer and more angular. Almost immediately he recognized it from the Keyblade dossier he'd been given the day he'd learned he could wield.
Metal Chocobo.

Why did Cloud have something like this?

-T-M-

A week after the lesson with Cloud, Sora was back at his usual work. He didn't really remember the last time he'd properly spent time in the makeshift lab with Even and Ienzo. It felt like years. But there he was, bundled up in a sweater, fending off a cold, and welding a pipe to the main body of what he had come to call the “octopus fish.” (Of note, Even did not approve of this title.)
“It's getting harder and harder to get a hold of you,” the scientist in question mumbled over a clipboard. “It would be rather convenient if you would cease the hide and seek game you insist on playing with Ienzo.”
“I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you,” Sora replied honestly without turning from his work. Reaching up with his elbow, he bumped his safety goggles a bit higher on his face. “Besides, I'm getting some good time in out in the cliffs.”
“The-” Dr. Even made a noise in the back of his throat and fixed his apprentice with a look. “Have you been hunting heartless?”
The mechanic winced. “Depends. Are you angry?”
“Quite the contrary. This means I can send you into the field.”
Cue a beat of pause.
“Isn't this the field?” Sora inquired weakly. He suddenly had a very bad feeling.
The scientist shrugged. “Technically-”
“If I can do something more than sit and look pretty I'll do it!”
Sora knew that voice, but he'd never known it screaming. He finished the weld quickly. Tearing off his safety goggles, he jumped to his feet and made his way into the living room.
“You're not allowed, and that's the end of it!”
“You can't stop me!”
Just as the mechanic rushed into the living room the front door slammed open and Kairi stormed in. Leon was hot on her heels, looking right furious, but she closed and locked it before he could follow. Ignoring the insistent pounding on the door that followed her like a heartbeat, the young woman collapsed on to Sora's couch and groaned.
“Um...” the man began, suddenly unsure. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” she snapped.
“Want to talk about it?”
Kairi sighed. It was a long, tired sound. “Maybe later.”
Glancing at the door, which Leon was still pounding with enough force to take it down, Sora decided it would be best to simply retreat to work. Even was not surprised by his return, and even had the nerve to point out that the mechanic would have to start his weld over from scratch.
Sora didn't remember life ever being as tedious.

-T-M-

“-and I know that this isn't your jurisdiction, but if you could track down and send the blueprints I would be very-”
“We need-”
“-grateful.”
“- to talk.”
Sora flipped his transponder shut just as Ienzo stepped into the room. Jumping to his feet, he made for the door. “Sorry; I'm busy today,” he greeted warily, waving a hand quickly. He reached for the door, only pause. The doorknob have been iced over. Turning his eyes on the other man, he frowned. “You do realize I can use fire spells, right?”
“I wouldn't recommend grabbing it,” the older man warned dryly. “It's a seal.”
The mechanic frowned. Glancing at the knob, he carefully reached out a finger and summoned a small fire spell. Instead of melting, the ice absorbed the magic directly, taking on a reddish tint as the ball of flame dissipated. Sora frowned. Raising his hands in mock surrender, he turned to the older man and sighed. “Okay, fine. You win. What do you want?”
“You've been avoiding me.”
“Yeah, I have.”
“I want to know why.”
Sora pursed his lips and shrugged.
“Did you...” Suddenly Ienzo's bravado and anger were gone, replaced instead by a blush of all things. “Did you not like the kiss?”
This was one thing the mechanic didn't expect. Judgmental Ienzo he could handle. Rude Ienzo. Heck, even screaming-and-swearing-at-a-puzzle Ienzo was, while rare, still something he was used to. The apprentice blushing like a school girl? Not so much. A flush of his own flooded his cheeks, and he fought to remain eye contact as he intelligently proclaimed, “Uh...”
“Because if you didn't, fine. I get it. A relationship wouldn't work if we aren't attracted to each other on multiple levels. But if you did...” He trailed off suggestively, eyes tentatively sliding to the floor as his blush spread to his neck and ears. “Do you have a girlfriend or something?”
“What?” Sora squeaked, much to his own despair. “No, nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?” the shorter man demanded. Taking a bold step forward, he stopped mere inches away from the mechanic with an expression that almost read of desperation.
Sora did not know how to handle this. The man had so much expression. It was a big change from his usual, where – if the younger man was lucky – he could wrangle a frown or a look of curiosity. But this was too raw. Too potent. And on top of this, the only thing running through his head was, How do you tell the guy you're crushing on that he feels like a Heartless?
If the mechanic knew anything, it was that confessing this to Ienzo would take more courage than asking him out.
And at that very moment, on a completely different wavelength, the older apprentice was mustering a very similar bout of courage. The seal on the door had empowered him. Stepping forward, however, was another matter. He felt paralyzed. Staring up at Sora, taking in the way his breathing was heavier than usual and his hair was wrangled into a loopy bun the way it usually was when the younger man was working. It was mesmerizing. Hypnotic. Terrifying. But despite his reservations Ienzo took another bold step forward. And another. Until he was nearly toe to toe with the man and he was once more very aware of their height difference.
Then, shifting all his weight onto his toes, Ienzo leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss against Sora's chin. The mechanic flinched away, almost as if it were a habit.
The sting of rejection settled heavily in the older man's stomach as he backed away. “Fine,” he muttered. With a twitch of his fingers the seal on the doorknob flickered out of existence and he stepped around the younger apprentice. “I see how it is,” he spat, giving the younger apprentice one more long look before slamming the door shut on his way out.
Sora remained frozen in place for a long while, eyes locked on the far wall. The almost-there, not-really feel of Ienzo's skin had lingered, as had the man's presence. But almost as if to spite himself he was confused. Both emotionally and physically. His blood still tingled the way it had back when they were still at the Academy and had a close encounter, as did his nerves. Out of context his only hang up was that Ienzo's skin wasn't what he imagined. Heartless' skin, he reminded himself. Yet part of him still wasn't convinced. At least the man was gone.
But he wasn't gone. He was still very much in the room, haunting the mechanic with each passing second. “I see how it is,” he murmured, staring down at Sora from an imaginary perch.
Bringing a hand up to touch the part of his chin Ienzo had kissed, the boy flinched again. There was a bit of saliva. Did Heartless have saliva? What if they did? What if they don't? a small part of him whispered mutinously. He tossed the thought aside, only to have another one rise up; the memory of the last time they'd...
“I just wanted to kiss you.”
Did Heartless have emotions? Maybe they did. Sora had seen the flash of anger – of disappointment – across Ienzo's face when the man had left and knew he'd been hurt. And for a long while, standing by himself alone in the room with nothing to distract him but the piles of books still waiting for a rebuilt library, he didn't know whether or not he should be relieved or guilty. It all hinged on the apprentice's mortality.
Suddenly Sora felt like slapping himself.
Why should he treat Ienzo any different just because he wasn't human?
It was a mess. A puzzle that had grown too big as it waited for him to realize it needed to be solved. But there it was, waiting for him to attend to it. But he was scared. Of what, he had no idea.

-T-M-

BONUS: Evan's Cut Monologue – Keyblade Lore

“Part of what makes the Keyblade so fearsome is that when it defeats an enemy it strengthens its wielder. While the rest of us struggle to take damage gracefully from even the smallest of hits, if a wielder fights enough battles even the greatest of foes won't leave a scratch. They will be able to leap large distances without training, master spells of unbelievable magnitude, and deal exponential amounts of damage with the lightest of touches. Even more surprising is that the power they receive is geared specifically to them.
“Those who wish for protection have a higher fortitude than those who wish for power or magic, and vice versa. At times you will feel targeted by the heartless. That is because you are. They have great fear of the Keyblade, and while they cannot break it they know they can break the wielder. They do not target you for what you can do, but for what you can become."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Disclaimer: Besieged Infection does not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts. No money is being made from the production or distribution of this fanfiction.

-T-M-

Radiant Garden, seventeen years after the Birth By Sleep Incident:

A private conversation between a mechanic and his lover

“You miss him, don't you?”
“How can I not? He wasn't nothing to me. I mean, I can't remember him, but that doesn't mean I don't care.”
“Would you miss me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Would you miss me if I disappeared from everything? From the world? From your memory?”
“I think I would miss you even if we never met.”
“... Sap.”
“What's with that?! You're the one who asked!”

Chapter 22: Atop an Interlude

Radiant Garden, fifteen years after the Birth By Sleep Incident:

It had been an entire month since Sora's last conversation with Ienzo, and in that time Radiant Garden made the transition from Fall to Spring. The mechanic had lost track of how long he'd been on the planet. Despite this everything still felt raw and new. Granted, it had taken him an entire year to get used to the Academy. Maybe it was only a matter of time.
It was nearly midnight and Sora was finally taking the time to set up his computer in the living room. It had been too long since he'd last worked with anything that wasn't made by him, and as such the plugs confused him for a long while. It took him ten minutes to realize everything was color coded. For about half an hour afterward he felt like an idiot.
Working with Grav's program was a lot harder with a keyboard in front of him. Maybe being inside the Grid gave him a boost or something, as he was suddenly at a loss as to how to work the program's coding. Like at the Academy, it was all gibberish. After all, he was a mechanic not an engineer.
Three steady knocks on the front door practically had him jumping out of his seat in relief. “Coming,” he called quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Ienzo up. Tearing the door open, he grinned. “Hey, Leon. What's up?”
The man shrugged. “The A/C's broken.”
“... Excuse me?”
“What?”
“I'm a mechanic, not Fix-It Felix.”
“Who?”
“He's from an arcade... never mind.” Sora frowned. “So, this couldn't wait until morning because...”
“The windows are freezing over.”
The mechanic blinked. “That's, uh... So that's why you got me.” A sudden image barreled through his thoughts; Leon waking up to snow fluttering down from the ceiling and the man proclaiming grumpily, “Bah humbug.” Fighting down the urge to chuckle, the mechanic held up a finger and mumbled, “I'll just, uh, get my tools.” He glanced behind him warily. His tools were in the room with Ienzo.
Leon frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” Sora replied automatically, cautiously inching toward his shared bedroom door. “Just a complication.” Sliding his hand over the knob tentatively, he turned it carefully and edged into the room. His eyes immediately flew to Ienzo, who remained fast asleep in his bed. Heaving a quiet sigh, the mechanic tip toed across the room and retrieved his tool belt from atop the dresser.
On the way back to the door he knocked over a stack of books and winced. His gaze carefully slid over to his bunk-mate, twitching nervously. Ienzo hadn't so much as stirred. Practically sprinting out of the room, Sora closed the door as quietly as he could behind him before rejoining Leon. “Okay, all done,” he whispered confidently.
Leon scowled. “You're still not talking to him?”
“Nope.”
“That's going to interfere-”
“You know, Leon, it's really none of your business.” Ushering the man out the door, Sora ignored the blatant scowl on the man's face before closing the door behind him. He fixed his eyes on the leader and grinned weakly. “Lead the way!”
If possible, the man's scowl grew deeper.

-T-M-

The windows had, in fact, iced over.
“So, what, you want me to fix it?” Sora murmured, looking over the window-unit that was spewing out air a good deal below freezing.
Leon shook his head. “I just want it off. I don't care how.”
“Did you try unplugging it?”
“Internal battery.”
The mechanic frowned. “Why on earth would the AC have an internal battery?”
“Didn't you read the pamphlet? We tend to have power outages in the summer.”
Sora sighed. Kneeling in front of the machine, he pressed his thumb roughly against the power button. No go. “Well, it was worth a try,” he murmured to himself before rising to his feet. He rubbed his hands together, hissing. His fingers were already numb. Breathing some heat into the appendages, he slipped his fingers into the space between the AC and the windowsill.
“What are you doing?” Leon inquired, curious, as the younger man practically tore the unit out of place.
“Accessing the battery,” the man replied, setting the unit on the ground before reaching up to re-tie his ponytail. It had slipped forward and threatened to tangle in some screws that had come loose from the device. Coiling it into a loopy bun, he turned back to the AC. He wrestled it onto its side. “If I can take that out we're golden.”
Stepping forward, the leader stared at the machine as if it were the source of all his ire. Which, at the moment, it was. “Why didn't I think about that?”
“Because you kick things for a living,” Sora mumbled.
Leon's head shot up. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“No, you said definitely said something.”
“I totally didn't.”
Leon's gaze intensified for a long while, practically burning a hole in Sora's head until he finally backed off with a scowl. “Whatever...”
The mechanic tried not to giggle when the man retreated to the now empty window frame, partaking in the (slightly) warmer breeze that was filtering through. “How did this thing break, anyway?” he asked, curious. “And don't give me the whole, 'it just broke' routine. I got enough of that at the Academy.”
“Yuffie got a bit excited,” the leader informed him.
Sora scoffed and muttered, “You sure you didn't just kick it?”
“I heard that.”
“You were supposed to. Anyway, I don't pretend to know much about ACs, but we can safely assume something inside came loose. And even if we wanted to fix it some time tonight we'd have to remove the battery first.”
“Why?”
“Because we don't want to be electrocuted.”
“That's...” Leon paused. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”
Sora fixed the leader with a look.
“What?” the man growled.
Turning back to his work, the mechanic sighed.
“Hey – what's the sigh for?”
“Nothing,” the younger man lied, reaching into his tool belt to retrieve a screwdriver. Lining it up with the screws on the back panel of the AC, he grinned. “You know, if you can't do this much how were you working on that computer before?”
“Simple,” Leon replied haughtily, leaning against the windowsill. “I gave it a little encouragement.”
Sora laughed at this. “You really shouldn't be allowed near technology.” Drawing out the last of the screws, the mechanic cheered as he reached in and practically ripped the battery out. The machine gave a slow whine in response. Almost immediately the airflow stopped and the AC went silent. “Well, I think I deserve a hug.”
“Very funny,” the older man mumbled. He watched Sora rise to his feet and come toward him, and in response stepped away from the window. “What are you doing?” he asked as the younger man continued to advance until he was nearly flush against the wall.
The mechanic laughed. Then, in a move that mortified the leader, threw his arms around Leon's shoulders. “I told you – I deserve a hug.” After a few beats of silence, as if to sooth the older man, he added, “And it's freezing in here. I can't feel my arms.”
“Look, I don't know what you've heard, but I don't do stuff like this.”
Sora silently marveled over the fact that he was taller than Leon by a good five centimeters. Nuzzling his nose into the hair over the man's ear, he breathed out slowly, chuckling. “Touchy, touchy. It's just a hug, Leon. Fish over yourself.”
Leon was starting to get used to the conflict of annoyance and desire. Coincidentally, he was also getting sick of his taste in people. He couldn't deny that the man was warm – comfortably so. It was a nice change from the frigid room. Besides, it was just a hug. It wouldn't kill him. Winding his arms around the taller man's waist, he placed his forehead against Sora's shoulder.
The mechanic's head nearly spun in surprise.
“Don't say anything,” the leader warned, breath coming out in cloudy puffs against the mechanic's vest. “Not to anyone.”
“I didn't plan on it,” the taller man mumbled. “You know, I can't remember the last time I've held someone like this.”
The leader laughed. “No kidding?”
“No one's exactly lining up for a snuggle.”
Leon frowned and looked up. “This is not a snuggle.”
Turning to look the man in the eye, Sora smirked. “Oh? Then what is it?”
Suddenly the older man was very aware of their proximity. The mechanic's face was only a few sparse inches away, their noses nearly brushing against one another in the action.
Embarrassed, Sora placed his face in Leon's hair once more. After a few more seconds he parroted a small, “What is it?” He was asking honestly, now, entirely curious. He was confused. It was as if the situation had opened up a whole new set of doors, and Pandora's box was spreading her evil all over the room. The mechanic was suddenly aware of so much; from how warm Leon was to the man's body language. Toes were pointed toward him, arms were strategically placed just below the rib cage – Leon was being careful with him, even if he didn't know it.
More than that, Leon was interested.
Now there was a terrifying thought.
Terrifying, yet exhilarating.
Leon didn't answer, seeming to share the mechanic's confusion. For a moment he considered what would happen if he withdrew his arms. If he ended the embrace prematurely and let it all go like it was nothing. But in the effort to untangle himself from Sora he found himself drawing the taller man closer, twining his hands together behind his back and moving his head away from Sora's until the younger man could no longer hide. Then slowly, cautiously, he inched his head forward. And much to his surprise, the mechanic did the same.
They remained like that for a long time, steadily closing the distance by smaller and smaller amounts, until Sora humbly murmured, “Are you trying to kiss me?”
Both of them were grinning when Leon finally closed the distance.
Almost immediately Sora was overwhelmed at how different the kiss was from everything he'd experienced. His ex-girlfriend on Destiny Island had been sweet; soothing. She would stroke his hair and link their fingers. Ienzo had been shocking. That had been a bare touch of lips that could hardly call itself intimacy. Not to mention both situations he had been charged with an obviously dominant position in the relationship, if only due to his height. This, he would learn a bit later, was most definitely not the case.
Leon was all technique and warmth and hands. At first his fingers had traced the line of Sora's spine, pressing on the middle of his back to pull him closer. But before long they strayed to his arms, his neck; even his ears. Meanwhile his lips were insistent. He pressed at Sora with his bottom lip, and teased him with the top. It was all very disorienting. And at the same time the mechanic couldn't help but categorize it as the best kiss he'd ever gotten.
This was when his anxiety kicked in. Am I moving my lips enough? he wondered. Am I drooling? Is my breathing bothering him? As Leon's lips splayed over his the younger man continued to wonder until Leon pulled away, settling his forehead in the crook between the mechanic's neck and shoulder. His mouth rest hesitantly over the exposed skin just above the younger man's vest. Gasping into the leader's hair, Sora tangled his hands in Leon's shirt and nibbled idly at his lip. He took a few elongated deep breaths, leaving clouds in the air that lingered and settled over the layers of brown hair before him. “That, uh...” he began uneasily. “I honesty didn't expect that.” He gripped his hands tighter as Leon's lips started moving, triggering a shiver along his spine that left parts of him warm.
“Sorry,” the man mumbled, breathing heavily against Sora's shoulder. “I didn't... I shouldn't have done that.”
“What?” the mechanic gasped. His eyes had flown open, and he pulled back to try and get a look at the older man's face. “What makes you say that?”
Leon scoffed. “It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out things are complicated between you and Ienzo right now. I may not be tuned into gossip, but I do spent an inordinate amount of time with Yuffie.”
“Complicated? He and I haven't talked in weeks.”
Pulling away, Leon slipped around Sora and stepped into the middle of the room. There he took a seat on a round table and sighed. “Look, I know the signs, okay? The moment you guys spend some actual time together and resolve whatever you have going on you're going to go back to normal. You're going to flirt. You're going to want to go out. It's better not to open this can of worms at all.”
“You don't know that.” The words were out before Sora knew they were coming. Then, one after another, they flew from him in a bitter rage that budded in his stomach like a small demon, raising its head to face the world for the first time. And despite how the younger man felt this, fought it, restrained it, he still couldn't just shut up. He wanted this chance with Leon. It was the first natural thing he had felt in ages, and the moment Leon started to fight it felt like the carpet had been ripped out from under the mechanic. Leon was warm. His skin had texture. And one kiss bad been enough to give Sora shivers that didn't want to quit. “I – there's something about him that I can't just forget, okay?” he proclaimed, taking a bold step toward the table. “It's not some little thing like having an argument. This can't be resolved all that easily. And even if I can ever get the courage to talk to him again, I don't know if I'll ever be attracted to him. I don't even know if that's possible!”
Leon frowned. “So you read his file.”
Again with the file. “And if I did,” the man bluffed, fighting down his curiosity, “what would you do? Right here, right now? How does that change things?”
“It doesn't.”
“Then why did you kiss me?” Sora asked, voice quiet.
Leon remained silent.
“Why did you kiss me?” he asked again, louder. Then, nearly shouting, he demanded, “Why did you kiss me?!”
“Can't you just let it die?”
“No, I can't,” the mechanic insisted, taking a seat beside the leader on the table.
Silence. Overbearing, blank silence. It settled in the room, joining the wispy clouds of their breath in the steadily warming air. Sora's hand settled beside Leon's on the table, far too hesitant to take such a step during a break in their argument. He could feel the man's warmth; a comforting sort of lullaby against his skin that almost put him to sleep.
It was at this point, where Sora began nodding off, that Leon spoke. “You remind me of Rinoa,” the man admitted, eyes on his hands. “She was my last girlfriend. You're a lot alike.”
The apprentice blinked, attempting to get his bearings again. His mouth fell open in a lazy, “Huh?” as he sat up straighter in an attempt to wake up.
“You're...” Leon cleared his throat, and his voice came out stronger. “You're happy, you're silly – you're even annoying half the time. Mind-numbingly,” he informed the younger man bitterly, hands fiddling with the edge of his vest. “Joy just spills out of you freely like you can't be bothered to contain it!” he continued, throwing one arm out to the side in a mock gesture. “When you're not with Ienzo you're always smiling. Have you ever seen how people react when you walk into a room? Everyone just lights up, and suddenly moral is through the roof.” Then, almost silently, he hissed, “You are everything I'm not.”
Sora blinked, trying to make sense of what the older man meant. “So, what your saying,” he began slowly, “is you can't take this any further because you're envious?”
The man's head shot up so he could fix the mechanic with a glare. “What? No, of course not!”
“Then what?”
“You're telling me it doesn't freak you out that you're almost exactly like my ex-girlfriend?”
The mechanic shrugged. “So you like happy people. It doesn't mean I'm going to stand-fish for her.”
Leon frowned, but held his tongue.
“You know what?” Sora murmured, rising to his feet and stretching his arms out over his head. He turned to face the leader, a smile plain on his face and a hand adjusting his ponytail. “You don't have to decide right now. Take as much time to think as you want. Just take into account that there is nothing going on between Ienzo and I, okay? That's all I ask.
“I really shouldn't have pushed as hard as I have. I find you attractive, sure, but I don't like you like that just yet. We don't really know each other well enough for that kind of step. But I would like to look into that kind of relationship with you if I can. Keep your mind open, 'kay?”
As the mechanic left, Leon watched him carefully until the door slammed shut behind him. His hands rest on the table still, clenching the edge until his knuckles were white. Sora may have been a cowardly idiot over the previous weeks, but in the last few minutes of their conversation Leon had come to the realization that he had never been more attracted to anyone. It felt as if his body was vibrating beneath his skin. Sora wasn't Rinoa after all. Sora was nothing like Rinoa. That much was obvious.

-T-M-

The door has opened.We've gotta find Kairi!

Kairi's coming with us!

-T-M-

When Sora woke up that night in a hazy mix of nightmare and reality, he almost went into a panic. Wasn't he just on the islands? Why were they being consumed? Why was the ceiling so close he could touch it? As if on instinct his hands scrambled for purchase on the blankets and the bed frame. Slowly reality came back to him.
He was no longer on the couch; Kairi had long since moved in with Riku and he was back in the bunk with Ienzo. Breathing heavily in an out, the mechanic collected himself and hoped he hadn't woken his roommate. After a few long seconds of heaving for air he was able to calm himself enough to listen silently. There it was – the tell-tale even, almost snoring, open mouthed, partially obstructed hissed breathing from the bottom bunk. Ienzo was fast asleep.
The dream had been longer than usual. He'd found Riku on the other side of the bridge, and then he'd found Kairi in this hole-cave thing that didn't even exist. But it had all seemed so real it might as well have been. And then there were those words. The words that came from nowhere and everywhere, hanging over his head like a weight.Fme
You are the one who will open the door.
They were familiar. Sora just didn't know why, and this made him panic.
Throwing his blankets to the side, the mechanic quietly eased himself out of bed and down the ladder. He grabbed his clothes – not his school uniform, not the restoration committee vest, but his clothes from the islands – and left the room, closing the door carefully behind him. Once alone in the living room he shucked his pajamas and started pulling them on. Halfway through his shorts he was interrupted.
“Happy 4AM,” Even droned sleepily, stepping into the kitchen with a covered yawn.
In the living room the mechanic jumped, then fixed his boss with a strange look. Getting over his moment of surprise, he cleared his throat and asked, “Why are you up this early?”
The scientist laughed. His hands were busy setting up the coffee machine to brew as he informed the younger man, “I always wake up at four in the morning.” Closing the lid of the machine, he grinned big as it started to drip down into the pot. He turned to Sora, expression dull. “Now, where do you think you're going?”
Sora remained quiet.
“House call?”
“No.”
“Where are you going, then?” the older man inquired again, posture rigid and regal.
The mechanic hesitated before answering, “Home. Just for a bit. I hope you don't mind.”
“Ah, yes, the islands,” Even murmured, hand coming up to touch his chin. “And how, may I ask, do you intend to get there?”
“Scrooge has rentals.”
The scientist waved a hand in dismissal. “That's just silly; a waste of money! Take my ship. I'm not using it.”
Sora blinked, surprised. “Really?”
“Yes, but in return I need you back here first thing tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that's no problem!” The mechanic could have jumped for joy if he weren't so skittish. “So, uh, you're really not going to ask why I'm going or anything like that?”
Even made a noise of dismissal. “It's your business.” Reaching into the pocket of his lab coat, Even frowned and retrieved his keys. “So that's what I was laying on last night...”
Sora tried not to laugh upon realizing that Even slept in his lab coat. The keys chucked at his face quelled this urge quickly. “Uh – thanks,” he mumbled, hand coming up to rub his cheek. One of them had left an imprint.
The scientist hummed quietly, then waved for Sora to leave. “You're going to want to leave quick if you don't want to run into Ienzo. He's an early riser, too.”
Nodding, the mechanic gave his boss one last, “Thank you!” before pulling on his shoes and running out the door.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Maunder, fourteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident:

A conversation between the Princess of Radiant Garden and her Guard.

"Can't you just let it be?""Let it be? You've got to be kidding.""Sora likes him. A lot.""Just because Sora likes him doesn't mean he doesn't reek of darkness."

Chapter 23: Back on the Island

Radiant Garden, fifteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident.

It had never occurred to the mechanic that it would be difficult getting out of Radiant Garden. In fact, the near-constant patrol of Heartless that classified the world as "front lines," despite the startling lack of enemies on the ground, had entirely escaped his notice. But as he left the world – during which he found himself face to face with a never ending wall of garishly bright Heartless that blotted out the twinkle of faraway stars – he remembered the hassle it was to get to the world. For all of five minutes he panicked. He sat there motionless with his hands on the panel and his eyes glued to the gaudy horizon in a nauseating mixture of fear, surprise, and mild hysteria.
When he moved to get up – to just walk away for a moment and think about this possibly really stupid idea – his hand hit the touch-screen control, the secondary engines lit, and the ship began its gentle crawl through space toward the Wall of Death.
Again, the Keyblade wielder panicked. Closer and closer the Wall crawled, rising up higher than anything Sora had ever seen. They piled higher than he could even contemplate. Before long he was right next to them, and through the glass of the cockpit he could pick out the different types that lined the sky. They were so close. And yet none of them attacked. In fact, the creatures seemed to think he was an asteroid of sorts as he crawled past. They even cleared a space! (Sora took a moment to consider that maybe he was going so slow they didn't consider him a threat.) But it wasn't long before the ship sped up just enough to be noticed and every enemy in front of him seemed to be itching for a collision course.
Sora steered around a cluster of Heartless, knuckles white against the wheel. Fighting back a whimper, the mechanic bit his lip and dodged another round of enemies as he suppressed the instinct to fire, fire everything. Because there wasn't anything to fire. The only things in his arsenal were a pair of sad little cannons that could only shoot at a forty-five degree angles. He hadn't been trained for this. Not really.
The simulators at school had been score counters; glorified video games that placed you in the "Top Pilots" bracket based on how many Heartless you could vanquish. But, like the apprentice's career, there was very little Heartless slaying going on. If at all. He'd been fantastic at the game – he'd even held down first place for all of two weeks at the beginning of his second year – but there was only so much he could do with a gimp for a ship.
It wasn't until he was four hours out that he entered a clear section of space. Finding himself alone – finally – he gave a weak sigh of relief and sagged into his chair. Then, after savoring the peace for a good ten minutes, he reached forward to turn on the radio, setting the frequency to match the Academy's and clutching the mic in his free hand.
The moment he heard static, the mechanic held down the talk button and stated as clearly as he could, "Private line requested."
And he waited. And waited. And waited, slipping into something between alertness and a doze.
"Private line confirmed," a crackly voice replied over the line, startling Sora so much he nearly fell out of his chair.
Pulling himself together, the mechanic somberly requested, "Message intended for Cid Highwind: Sora will be en route in twelve hours."
After a few minutes of radio silence, the voice replied, "Message relayed."
"Thank you. Private line closed." Flicking the radio off, the mechanic sighed and slouched further in his seat. For a moment he couldn't remember why he had made the trip in the first place.
I need to make sure, he reminded himself dutifully. I need to make sure it's still there.

-T-M-

Relief was not a strong enough word for how Sora felt when he approached his destination. Destiny Islands was exactly where it was when he left years before, floating safely in its field of gravity with its small sun and moon orbiting the outskirts. It was set in shadow, and when Sora checked the clock on file he was surprised to find it was five in the morning – far too early to have any decent light on the small island.
More importantly, it wasn't consumed by Heartless.
"It couldn't hurt to visit mom," he murmured to himself, guiding the ship through the miraculously unoccupied space between himself and his home world. Initiating the cloaking field, he descended on the planet slowly. It wouldn't do to disturb the clouds, after all. For all he knew there could be a moon viewing party, and a mysterious hole appearing in the sky could be mistaken for a bad omen. Not that Sora knew much about moon viewing parties. He'd attended all of two in his life. They were usually for parents and grandparents; the wave of technology that had flooded the younger generation had left little love for old traditions.
Despite his reduced speed and cloaked ship, the mechanic kept an eye out for any birds in the vicinity, and stuck to flying over water. (Clouds aside, a mangled bird carcass falling from the sky would most definitely draw attention.) And as he approached the main island, just off the shores of the place he used to play, it occurred to him that he was using UP3 rules for his own planet. It was a sobering thought. Were he flying up to Maunder or Radiant Garden he wouldn't have to worry about these sorts of things. (Except for the birds thing. There was no excuse for bird intestines on the windscreen.)
As he set the ship down behind his father's old shed, Sora let out a dark sigh. The sun would be coming up soon, and if he remembered right it was fall. Cold weather, if he remembered right. Bracing his hands against the door of the Gummi ship, he pushed it open. He didn't expect the wave of muggy heat to burst through the crack. Almost immediately he sighed in contentment. It was so warm; so familiar. It smelled like sand and sea and fruit – just like it should.
He hadn't known how much he missed it.
Tugging at his shorts and t-shirt until they were neatly in place, he carefully set off down the incline. He nearly tripped twice. Much to his despair the cloaking was better than he remembered. He couldn't even see a shadow – just the grass some five feet beneath him. And so when he did trip it was a truly spectacular thing that involved a lot of flailing and general arm waving that did not help him catch himself in the least. It was after he glanced behind him that he realized something both amusing and alarming – he had no idea where the ship actually was. This wasn't like going to the grocery store. He needed to remember where he parked.
With little other option, Sora searched for something that might help him mark his place. Grabbing some fallen twigs from a nearby tree, he set them at the base of the incline – or, at least, what felt like the base of the incline – and placed them one over the other.
"Now, don't move," he commanded, pointing at the improvised X with all the seriousness of, well, seriousness. And with that he turned on his heel and made his way to his mother's house.
It looked like every other house in the area; reddish-orange tiled roof, white adobe walls, square windows. And it was home. Circling to the front, Sora didn't bother with knocking and reached for the spare key taped to the bottom of the miniature Paopu tree his mother had next to the door. It was smooth to the touch; an old brass skeleton key that she refused to update on the grounds of tradition. That and they were pretty.
Straightening, the man put the miniature tree back into place – nudging it with his foot so the circle of slightly darker ground was no longer visible – and faced the door with the key at the ready. He was surprised to find the lock squeaky. It was his mother's favorite part of the house, and was usually maintained better. But any doubts he had about his mother's well-being vanished at the sight of the foyer. It was spotless, just the way it always was.
The mechanic took a cautious step into the house, muttering a quiet, "I'm home," with a small grin. Closing the door behind him as quietly as he could, he made his way into the living room and paused before an alter. Glancing quickly to the hallway not far off, empty of a soul, he turned back to the setting before him and dropped into a kneel.
"Hey, dad," he greeted, bringing his feet beneath him so he could rest his weight. He reached forward, lighting the incense on the shrine with a flick of his thumb and a small marble of fire. As the heady scent of cinnamon flooded the room he slapped his hands together in a prayer. After a moment he opened his eyes, dropping his hands to his knees. "It's been a while. How's your urn?"
The jar in the center of the shrine remained silent.
A body settled in beside him, just as silent as he remembered. "I wasn't expecting you."
"I was in the area," Sora replied, closing his eyes once more and slapping his hands together for another prayer. "Thought I'd stop by and pay my respects." His eyes slid open, slipping to the thin form of his mother, who was just as beautiful as he remembered.
Looking up from her own prayer, the woman tucked a lock of long black hair behind an ear. "I see you're still growing out your hair." Then she smiled; a captivating thing that felt warmer to Sora than the rising sun. "How long will you be here?"
"Not long. I've got to be back by tomorrow."
"Well, then, I'm glad you stopped by." She laughed, but suddenly cut off. "I've been sending you letters," she began, tone serious. "Did you get them?"
Sora sighed. "I got one. I'm sorry I never replied. I... I wasn't in a good place."
"A good place? Is everything alright at school?"
"School's fine," he assured her easily. "I've actually graduated early; they're putting me to work!" Sora didn't look at his mother when he said this. He knew she'd be wearing that look. The one she wore whenever he lied.
He didn't need to see that.

-T-M-

Someone had lit a match and set fire to the sky.
Sora hadn't seen anything like it in two years. Far too long in his opinion. The small island was just as he remembered it, from the trees to the beach to the humble waves that crawled over the sand like they had all the time in the world. Everything was lit from behind by the morning light, set to violent contrast as if his island were some piece of art. And he guessed it was.
The mechanic took his time, lingering on the dock, the beach, and by the spring before he approached the corner from his dream. But before he could pull the vines and leaves and weeds aside he was startled by a light, accented voice.
"Sora?"
Nearly jumping out of his skin, the apprentice turned swiftly to lock eyes on his would-be attacker. Nervous hands fell limply to his sides. "Hey," he greeted. Then, as an afterthought, he added weakly, "Vanille."
The small woman smiled and brushed a lock of light pink hair from her face as a wind kicked through. "It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has." It didn't escape Sora's notice that she had thrown her old school uniform over her sleeping shirt.
"What are you up to?" she asked, peering around the mechanic into the bushes.
The man stepped away from the corner, shrugging. "Nothing, really," he lied, making his way to the spring. "So what brings you here?"
"Your mom called and told me you were home."
"Why would she do that? We're not-"
"I asked her to."
The mechanic made a quick glance back at the younger woman before breathing a sigh and settling beside the spring. He tucked one foot beneath his opposite leg and dangled the free one over the spring. "Vanille, what are you doing here?"
"Just saying hello."
"Why?"
It was a while before she spoke. "It's been two years, Sora," she murmured sadly. Her smile was gone, and in its place was a drawn tilt to her lips. "You didn't even contact us. Tidus and the others have practically forgotten you, and I'm starting to think you're doing this intentionally."
Sora scowled. "What are you talking about? I wouldn't-"
"I know you wouldn't, but the Sora I know wouldn't make that face. The Sora I know would at least send letters to his mother. The Sora I know would let us know when he was coming home." She paused to catch her breath, hands fisting in her skirt. "You've changed."
The mechanic was quiet for a while, allowing the sound of the waterfall to fill the silence between them. "You know," he mumbled after a while, voice nearly drowned out by the water, "you're right."
She laughed. "So, who is it?"
"Huh?"
"Who on earth could make you forget us?"
Sora's mouth fell open before he could properly compose himself. Drawing himself up into a rigid posture, he glanced over at the woman and muttered, "I could never forget you guys."
"Yeah, but there's still a someone. Go ahead – spill. I won't mind."
It took an embarrassing amount of time for the mechanic to realize what she was talking about, and when he did he turned his eyes solemnly to the water just beneath his feet. "There are actually two."
Vanille's eyebrows shot up. "Two?" the woman sputtered in disbelief. Then, in greater shock, she added, "You?!"
"It's complicated."
"I'll bet!" she teased, hands clamped over her mouth to muffle a slew of giggles that had erupted without warning. "So, the first guy. What's he do?"
"He's an apprentice, like me. Except he's been doing it longer."
"How old is he?"
"A few months older than me. Actually, he's around your age."
"Aha..." she hummed to herself, settling beside him in the sand. Slipping to the edge of the basin, she dangled her feet over the water until she could submerge her toes with a sigh. "And what's he like?"
Sora sighed. "He's very serious. All business all the time. And when he's not he's incredibly confusing. I can't even begin to think about how I'd talk to him off the clock. And when we do talk it's so... So..."
"Convoluted?"
"Sure. Yeah. That. It's so convoluted I don't know how to act around him afterward."
"So why do you like him?"
"I-" Sora began, only to cut off abruptly. It was a question he hadn't heard in a while. One he hadn't expected to hear; one he most certainly hadn't answered in ages. "He's..." He thought - really thought - about it for a moment, not quite sure how to answer.
"Is it that hard to answer? Really?" Vanille teased.
The mechanic shook his head. "Well, if you spend enough time avoiding someone you start to forget what's good about them."
"Ah - but you also forget their faults," the woman added helpfully. "Take a moment if you need it; I'll be right here." Slipping down from the edge, she dropped into the water. It stopped halfway up her shins. Walking over to the waterfall, she drew her hands into the cascade with a grin, hands glistening in the morning light.
Sora watched his ex-girlfriend carefully, thoughts on the man worlds away. Settling his chin in his hands, he turned his eyes to the sea. He stared for a long while. Then, without warning, words spilled from him that were both numerous and uncensored. "He's smart," he began softly, fingers reaching up to itch behind his ear and adjust some of his hair. "He's brilliant, really. I mean, I haven't really seen him in action in the lab in a while, but when I do it's just... It's way over my head. He's a natural genius and I really, really envy that.
"He's good looking, too, but that doesn't really have to do with anything. Loyalty isn't really an issue with him, and he's not petty. He's very mature for his age - like you - and he goes about his life unaffected."
"Unaffected?" Vanille asked, confused. She turned to Sora with eyebrows askew. "Unaffected by what?"
Sora leaned back until he was staring at the sky, crossed his arms beneath his head, and breathed a stream of air as his entire body sagged against the ground. "By life, generally."
"So you like him."
"Sorta."
Vanille's hands latched themselves to her hips. "Sora, you like him or you don't like him. It's that simple."
He sighed. "I mean, yes, I like him. I really like him, but there's just this... thing."
"Sora, there's a good chance I'm not going to meet him so spill already!"
"I think..." He trailed off again, hesitant to just hand over the bit of information that had been haunting him for weeks. But a single glance at his ex-girlfriend assuaged his fears. There was a reason he had dated her; the girl's honesty was written all over her face. Turning back to the water, he allowed his shoulders to sag as he admitted, "I think he might have killed someone."
Much to his surprise, she hummed. "Someone you know?"
"No, just... someone. Maybe even multiple someones."
"Well, that is a problem." There was a beat of silence, then, "It sounds like you need to talk to the police."
Sora shook his head quietly. "Not until I'm absolutely sure."
Vanille laughed suddenly, earning a confused look. Turning to the mechanic, she hopped over, slapped his arm, and giggled. "To think, we broke up because you could never choose me over Riku or Kairi!" Then she shook her head. "Now look at you – all grown up and worrying about love triangles and murder."
"Very funny." Reaching idly into his pocket, Sora retrieved a cigarette. But just as he was about to light up he paused.
He had almost used magic in front of Vanille.
She gasped. "Since when do you smoke?!"
"Occupational hazard," he murmured defensively, knowing full and well it wouldn't slide.
Much to his surprise, it did. Vanille drew her lip up into her mouth, sighed, then moved on. "And the other person? What could possibly bring person number two up to guy number one's standards? Or something like that. It's quite difficult to phrase, as I'm sure you can imagine."
Sora went quiet once more, eyes trained on the back of his eyelids with an intensity he would much rather not exist. Questions were assaulting him in the silence. Why did he want to be with Leon? Sure, the man had shown an interest, and it was nice to feel normal for once, but was it anything more than that? Leon was attractive, but that had never been a motivator for Sora beforehand. Why would that change now? It seemed as though the mechanic was so eager for a possibility to forget Ienzo that he was willing to jump through the first door that was presented. But Leon didn't feel like a door. He felt like a locked box at Sora's feet with a key sitting on top, but when the apprentice went to open it he learned that it needed a combination.
"I barely know him," he admitted after a while. "But he makes me feel safe."
"And?"
"And he's really serious and grumpy."
"And?" she pushed.
Sora took hold of the cigarette and shot up to look at the woman, eyes dead set on the water just beneath his feet. "And it feels like I should, but I shouldn't."
"Okay, you've lost me."
"It feels like it would be safer and more rewarding in the long run to date Leon. Like he's the end game or something. But at the same time it feels like something that should never happen. Like..." He trailed off, hands motioning for something similar to a ball of some sort for lack of anything more creative. "Like it's going against laws set in place or something."
"Set in place by what?"
"I don't know. The universe?"
Vanille took a good second to appreciate how odd the expression she was giving Sora felt. "Okay, I take back everything I said. You are most definitely you."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry about it." Glancing down at her wrist, where a pink plastic watch that was two sizes too big clung for dear life for purchase, the woman sighed. "Well, I have to get to work. I hope you figure out your dilemma!"
"Yeah – and thanks for listening," Sora replied, elbows on his knees with his cigarette hanging from his lips once more. "I promise to write soon, okay?"
"You better!" the woman teased, vaulting herself over the side of the spring to join him on flat land. Sliding her shoes on, she faced the rising sun with a great bit smile. "It's no fun without you here, you know."
Sora fumbled to catch the cigarette as it slipped from his mouth as he smartly mumbled, "Huh?"
She giggled. "I don't think you're ready to hear."
"What do you mean?"
Vanille turned to the mechanic, fingers curled up at her lips as if in thought. And then she smiled; the mysterious, brilliant, mature sort of smile that Sora had fallen in love with years before. The one that made him feel like a child in every good way possible and warmed him to his toes. "Maybe I'll tell you. One day." Her hand fell from her mouth and she turned and walked away. Behind her, her hair fanned out in the first of the strong sea winds, leaving a salty aftertaste to the air in its wake.
Behind her Sora was left in shock. Vanille had always been mysterious in a mature kind of way, but he'd never known her to be like that.
Except he had. And every time he witnessed it he was in shock.
He rose to his feet after a while, taking those few steps forward so he could see Vanille depart from the dock. The mechanic found it hard to believe at times like those that she was human like everyone else. She felt like more. And that, Sora realized suddenly, was exactly why he was attracted to her. And Ienzo. And Leon. They all had that something more.
Especially Ienzo.
Sora waved Vanille off, hand poised in the air for a proper farewell. She was maybe thirty feet away. But to the mechanic the gap felt so much wider. It had been far too long.
After she left, and the last the ripples from the oars of her small row boat had given in to the tide, Sora snapped his fingers and lit his cigarette. Turning back to the foliage behind him, he tromped forward. But every step he took made the small gap just barely visible behind a wall of leaves seem smaller. It was almost as if he were back in that dream, trying to get through the impossible door to find Kairi. And yet there was no door, and no Kairi; just a small section of the island none of them had thought to explore.
Thrusting his hands into the foliage, he pushed it aside to reveal a small opening just small enough for a child to fit through. It was really there. It was smaller than in the dream, but the walls were the same dark earthy brown.
Pushing the leaves and things out of the way, Sora got down on his hands and knees and crawled through the hole. It was damp, and mud caked him in second. But he didn't mind. Nothing a quick run in the sea couldn't solve.
When he came out of the tunnel, the mechanic found himself in a small cave. And just like in the dream there were large round rocks and tree roots laid bare, with two holes for light to peek through in the ceiling. Or, in the case of a storm, water. And that, he realized, was how it was formed. Water had carved a hole in the very ground and hollowed it out.
But where did the door come from?
Just like the dream, a door stood on the far wall bare of any scratches or dirt. It was a plain wooden thing, fashioned from the same trees they used to make the island's row boats. While it seemed as if it should fit with the world, Sora knew for a fact that it didn't. No one could have put it there, at yet it looked brand new.
Approaching it took courage the mechanic didn't know he'd need. His feet stumbled one after the other towards the door, and it was only after he made it all the way there that he realized it seemed to be one with the wall. But the moment he put his hand on the side to feel for a seam a heat burst through him, filling the mechanic to his very fingertips. Suddenly air was scarce. Snatching his hand away, Sora took a cautious step back. He looked over where he had come in contact with the door, and upon finding no injury reached forward again. This time he went slowly.
Carefully, he splayed his fingers across the front of the door. Heat. The same overwhelming warmth as before filled his body, almost to the point where he felt sick. But it stopped right before that point, leaving him energetic and restless. Taking his hand away didn't relieve the feeling, though; it simply felt as though he had taken a bit of the heat with him. For a moment it felt like it had taken seed somewhere near his heart. But that was impossible. He knew that was impossible.
Suddenly he recalled the sight of the second light in the mirror.
The mechanic sighed, stepping away from the door. It was after he left, after he had crawled through the small hole and gotten himself covered in even more mud, that he realized he had touched the door to the world's heart. But unlike all the drawings at school it had no keyhole.
Someone had locked it.
He came out of the hole covered nearly head to toe in mud. Without thinking he threw himself into the ocean. For a second he thrashed against the cold. But once he was completely submerged he didn't move. He chose instead to float quietly to the surface on his back and remain as such. His eyes slipped closed, and his body fell limp, as he reveled in the warmth that remained boiling within him. It was as if he had touched a forming star and some of the energy had rushed into him, pushing all the light he could hold deep beneath his skin until it threatened to boil over. He didn't get up for a while, but when he did it was with a mission.
Cid was expecting him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Fourteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident: Emergency progress transmissions of team Miyano part 1.

Miyano - 14.25h Encountered bogey.Miyano - 14.30h Teammate expired. Request backup.Academy - 14.35h No Backup in immediate area; please standby.Miyano - 15.40h Two teammates expired. Request immediate backup. Academy - 15.45h Backup on route. Estimated arrival 17h.

Chapter 24: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Is There a Heartless Among our Thrall? Part 1

Maunder, fifteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident:

Something had been moved. Sora didn't know what, but something in the Gummi Hangar had been moved and he just couldn't put his finger on it. As he docked Even's ship the mechanic's eyes swept over the warehouse, lingering on the wires and spare parts scattered about the space. It had been months since he last saw this room; far too long in his opinion. The wires were still there, and the occasional student project was strewn about the room, taking up far too much space the way they properly should when a fourteen year old is in charge. Gummi adhesive paint coated the walls; even the computers were just as he had left them."Sora!" Cid greeted as the younger mechanic made his way down the incline from Even's ship."Okay, what's different? This is seriously bugging me."The older man just laughed. "Y'er way too sharp fer your own good, ya know that?" Putting a few finishing inky swishes on the clipboard he was attending, the older mechanic shoved the sheaf of papers under one arm and motioned with his free hand toward the far wall. "It's new."Sora frowned. "What do you mean by 'new'?""By 'new' I mean some brat came up with a brilliant idea to build a miniature cannon that shoots acid. That whole back wall is new if you get my drift.""The kid?""On lockdown until further notice.""The cannon?"Cid grinned. "Turned it into a putty shooter," he informed his former student confidently. Reaching deftly towards his pocket, the man plucked something that looked very reminiscent of a hair dryer from his belt, aimed at a pile of wire, and fired a wad of what Sora could only assume was putty. The pile, which was nearly three feet high, slid back a good foot. "Them first years 're learnin' their place fast this year!"Sora didn't doubt it. Striding forward until he could clap his hand on the older man's shoulder, he wholeheartedly informed the teacher, "It's good to see you, Cid."The older mechanic returned the gesture firmly after storing the putty shooter back in its holster, hand squeezing Sora's collar reassuringly. "Well of course it is," he cockily replied. "Enjoy my genius while ya got it in y'r presence, brat.""I will," the Keyblade wielder teased, hand sliding from its place on the man's shoulder. "So, I'm assuming you got my message?"Cid's grin dropped without prelude. "Yeah," he confirmed quietly, pulling the clipboard back from under his arm. Flipping up a few of the top papers, he revealed a thick manila envelope. "This is everything, uncensored. To be honest, smart as you are, I was starting to wonder what was taking you so long."Sora screwed up his eyes. "Huh?"Dragging the manila envelope out from the clipboard, the man sighed. "Aqua's public reports didn't exactly make it the epitome of ambigu'ty, so I 'spected you to catch on a bit sooner.""Left what ambiguous?" the younger mechanic asked, reaching for the file. When it was hastily pulled out of reach he frowned. "What's that for?""Okay. Kid," he sighed, reaching his free hand up to pinch between his eyes before staring intently into Sora's. "I'm sayin' this once, an' only once, so listen good 'kay?"When he paused abruptly Sora realized it wasn't a rhetorical question. Shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, he nodded mutely."Good. Now, if you for any reason want to retain a single shred of respect for that sack of shit don't read this file."Sora, confused, inquired with a puzzled shake of his head and a befuddled, "Why?""You'll know if you choose to read it," the man continued, holding the file just out of reach and shaking it like it was somehow making a point. Which, in a way, it was. "So if you want to go on as you have, blissfully ignorant and therefore quite a bit happier than you will be, don't read this file. Don't open it. Don't glance at it. Certainly don't skim it. In fact, I'd rather not give it to you at all. This is a can of worms best left forgotten."Making for the file again, the younger mechanic frowned when it was pulled out of his reach once more. "What's that supposed to mean? What's even in there?"Cid drew himself up in a way Sora had never seen him do; straight back, shoulders drawn, head high. It was intimidating, and made him look every bit the genius mechanic he was. A silence stretched between them. The older man met Sora's eyes, speaking volumes on their own, before narrowing dangerously. It was then, with a tone so deathly serious the Keyblade wielder couldn't dream of dismissing, that he spoke. "The truth."A shiver raced through the younger man. "About what?""Everything."Sora's frown deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?""It means what it means," the teacher replied easily, shifting the folder under his arm. Motioning to the walls with his free hand, he continued. "This folder contains the very reason y'er here. Why I'm here. Heck, it's the reason this school was even built. This here folder," and at this point he drew the manila envelope out from beneath his arm and shook it in front of Sora like a knife, "details the start of everything, you hear me?"The folder was held aloft for a bit longer, and this was when the younger mechanic's face smoothed out from his frown as he took the hint. Both hands went to the envelope, taking it carefully from the older man's grasp. He almost dropped it – it was heavier than it looked. It was obviously jam-packed, going by the way the sides of the envelope had corners where a stack of paper would. "Is this why Riku doesn't like Ienzo?" he asked, adjusting the package.Cid scoffed. "Kid, that has to be the most horrendous understatement I've ever heard," he informed the younger man confidently. "'Doesn't like' is pebbles. Maybe once you read that you'll how much Riku wants to mutilate that bastard." Glancing at the wall clock, the older mechanic sighed. "You should be getting back. Make sure no one knows you got that from me, okay?""How come?" Sora asked, drawing the envelope under his arm and watching his former teacher turn his back and walk away."'Cause ya don't have clearance, kid."Sora scowled. "What the hell? What is this 'clearance' thing everyone keeps going on about?"Cid's feet paused, and he turned to face Sora with a sigh. "Let's jus' say there are people out there who would be able to use what's in that there folder, and 'cause of that we teachers at the Academy can't let it become public knowledge.The younger mechanic laughed, drawing a look of surprise. "You know I wouldn't do that.""Yeah, but..." The teacher trailed off, rubbing a hand across the stubble of his chin. "Sora, you don't have clearance for a reason.""And what's that supposed to mean?""It means you shouldn't take that," he began, free arm waving halfheartedly in the direction of the folder currently clutched to Sora's side, "at face value.""Uh, yeah. Sure," the Keyblade wielder murmured, shocked. As the teacher walked away, the younger mechanic turned his eyes to the envelope, confused. What could possibly be so horrible that Cid, the least official person he knew, would put up such a fight giving it up?

-T-M-

After getting everything squared away with the Gummi ship, and fighting his way out of the gravity of Maunder, Sora waited patiently for a break in the Heartless population and the lull of empty space. It was then that he glanced at the envelope sitting innocently on the other seat. The package had threatened to fall out of its seat twice on takeoff, but had since sat in place the way the mechanic wanted it to. Up until that point he had occasionally glanced over at it, judging whether or not it was safe to take his attention off the view screen and read. But no such break had come for almost two hours.But come it had. And once Sora was aware he could finally read it he hesitated. Cid's words wound round and round his head until just glancing at the thing almost made his head hurt. What was even in it? Cid had said the truth, but the mechanic couldn't quite believe that. Nothing was ever the truth. The world came in color, and a 'truth' implied a black and white universe where things were either or. This was something Sora would never accept.What if it was as bad as Cid had made it out to be?What if it was worse?The thoughts tore at the apprentice over and over. What if it was important? It obviously had something to do with the Academy. Did he even need to know? Did he even want to know?Yes. Yes he did.Ordering the Gummi ship into a full-stop, he grabbed at the envelope and undid the string holding it closed. Without preamble a thick stack of sheets fell out, held together by an unusually neat hole-punch at the top, where a string had been wound. Most likely due to a lack of rings wide enough for the job. Almost immediately Sora breathed a sigh of relief.Motive Mirror was written atop the first page.As he flipped through the stack, glancing through detail after excruciating detail as only a mechanic could, he made a point to enjoy the blueprints.Then the blueprints stopped, and the whole reason he'd gone to Maunder presented itself.
CONFIDENTIAL: LEVEL 50 CLEARANCE

Personal File – Ienzo Corazza, Apprentice/Magician of the Academy

Index

Page 1: Accomplishments and Titles

Page 3: Early Life

Page 4: Apprenticeship with Ansem the Wise – Radiant Garden

Page 8: Involvement in Birth By Sleep Incident

Page 9: Apprenticeship with Ansem the Wise – Radiant Garden

Page 17: Involvement in Collapse of Radiant Garden

Page 20: Time at the Academy

Page 30: Travel and Research

Page 45: Apprenticeship with Dr. Even – England

Page 47: Apprenticeship with Dr. Even – The Academy

Page 49: Apprenticeship with Dr. Even – Hollow Bastion

Page 50: Brief Summary of Commission from Shin-Ra

Page 56:Brief Overview of Previous Projects and Involvement

Page 90: Current Whereabouts
It was ridiculous.At first Sora didn't bother reading the file; only skimmed through it. There couldn't be this much written for someone his age. It just wasn't possible. How much had Ienzo done? And what part could have possibly been so bad that Riku would want to eviscerate him? (Or, at least, this was what Sora imagined his friend wanted to do at the moment.)After a while he figured that while he was at a standstill he could actually start reading. And read he did. Cue the mechanic's confusion. Why did anyone, clearance aside, have access to what appeared to be Ienzo's life story? Just reading it made Sora feel like he was invading the older apprentice's privacy. After a while he stopped reading in depth and started skimming instead. Reading every other word didn't make it any less invasive, but at least it made the mechanic feel better.And then he stopped feeling better. Instead he started feeling angry. After that, furious. Finally, after fuming quietly for nearly an hour, he kicked the ship into gear and sped toward Radiant Garden. He hadn't found what he wanted – his questions remained unanswered – but that wasn't important.Sora was on the warpath.

-T-M-

Ienzo was not in their room. Nor was he in the lab, or the meeting hall, or even the market. No one had seen him. Not that it was easy to look. The sun had set hours before Sora arrived, leaving the entire planet in a post-midnight haze.Checking their shared room one more time, the mechanic slipped out of the house unnoticed. He had to return some time, but so much energy was threatening to spill out. It was on the way to the castle that Sora caught the first glimpse of periwinkle hair. Hurrying after it, the tall man rounded a corner to find himself alone with the older apprentice. On either side of them were brick walls, bearing down on them with just enough pressure to make the apprentices slightly claustrophobic.Ienzo laughed. "So who gave you my file? Riku? Leon?" He trailed off, then turned to face the mechanic, a hurt yet smug grin on his face. "No - you were off world all day, weren't you? You must have gotten it from Cid."Sora remained deathly silent."You know, it didn't occur to us that the Heartless were dangerous. No more dangerous than, say, a rabid dog. We figured we could train them. Domesticate them, if you will." As the mechanic advanced on him, Ienzo suppressed the urge to run. It would only make things worse. "If it's any consolation, I am sorry.""You're sorry?!" Sora gaped. "They were people!" He moved on instinct, ignoring the hands now scrambling at his shoulders for balance as he shoved the apprentice against the nearby wall. "They were people and they died and it didn't occur to you that the Heartless were dangerous? Do you think I'm an idiot?!""Sora, let him go!"Pulling the shorter man away from the wall, Sora jerked his arms up until Ienzo was dangling by his collar before pushing him back against the brick once more. Insistent hands wrapped around his left bicep, tugging him away, but he didn't bother glancing down to see who it was."Put him down, Sora!" Kairi insisted, tugging at his arms and attempting to drag them away from the older apprentice.The mechanic remained undeterred. "All this time I thought the Heartless were something unavoidable, but no-" He paused to laugh darkly. "It was you. You could have stopped them, and you didn't.""Don't you dare hold me accountable for what the Heartless have done," Ienzo hissed, hands scrambling for purchase at the knuckles on his throat. Struggling weakly against the vice, he kicked his legs out in an attempt to find purchase against his attacker. Unfortunately he wasn't quite tall enough to make contact."He told you to stop and you did nothing. That makes you accountable whether you like it or not!" Hands slid up, almost on instinct, to catch skin as fabric tore."Stop – you're choking-"Sora's vision suddenly went dark.Seconds later, he was struck in the stomach by a solid blow.Kairi held her Keyblade far from her body, as if she didn't want to touch it, as Ienzo looked up at her like she had attacked him instead of Sora. "Get a hold of yourself," she hissed weakly.The mechanic didn't have to look to know what was wrong. The darkness was a physical presence against his skin, boiling through his chest and sliding along his arms."Go get Leon," the young woman ordered, feeling like a much younger girl and holding herself like she had been the one injured.Clutching his stomach weakly, Sora took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself."Sure," Ienzo complied, rising from the wall and stepping past Sora. There he paused and turned to face the mechanic with a sober expression. "I don't care what you think," he whispered just loud enough for the younger man to hear. "I stand by the decisions I made. I don't care if you, Ansem, or even God gives the order. Nothing excuses genocide."Then there was silence, filled only by the echoes of Ienzo's feet as he strode away.Settling into a crouch beside her friend, Kairi sent her Keyblade away and pressed a finger against Sora's shoulder. "You okay? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?""A little," the mechanic admitted. "I think I'll live, though."The woman sighed. Dropping onto the ground without an ounce of grace, the smaller wielder fixed Sora with a drawn expression. "You know, legend said that those chosen by the Keyblade are destined for greatness." This earned a scoff."Right. Greatness.""It's also said they go through more than most." The look she gave her friend then was not one of pity, or even worry. She smiled, a bright, overwhelming thing that Sora didn't want to see at the moment. "So if you fight with Ienzo a bit more you might just get there!""You're kidding, right?""Duh." She snorted, smile melting into a sarcastic lopsided grimace. "You guys better knock this shit off, 'kay? If I hear that you choked him out again I will eviscerate you. Hear me?""Yes, mommy.""And this Darkness thing is getting old. It wasn't cool at the Academy, and it isn't cool here, either."Sora blinked, thinking back to his schooling. "Oh, right – I totally forgot about probation.""You little shit," Kairi muttered to herself. "See, this is what everyone was worried about! You know, the whole turning on people and attacking people thing – it's not exactly copacetic!""What does that even mean?""And yeah, the Darkness thing isn't that great, either, but that can be managed. It's not like the Darkness rose up and choked Ienzo out. That was all you, buddy. And let me just say it wasn't cool. And it wasn't you. Seriously, what has been up with you lately?"Sora shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just... Have you ever felt irrationally angry or scared?""No."The mechanic laughed. "Really?""Really.""Huh." Flopping back onto the ground, the mechanic eyed the sky with a contemplative laziness. "I guess that's what makes us different then."Kairi scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?""You always have a handle on things, and I don't. It's that simple," Sora informed her, waving a hand in her general direction. "Heck, that might be what makes you the better wielder. I already know that's what makes you a better person.""You're being ridiculous.""It's true. Don't pretend you don't already know. Everyone does. It's obvious. You're all full of light and I'm stumbling around my life falling into obvious little potholes and pretending math will get me through. But it won't always work like that." A shadow passed over the man, and the mechanic watched with grim fascination as Kairi reached down, leaned forward, and...… pinched his cheeks until they nearly came off."Get a hold of yourself, stupid," she scolded, glaring darkly. "Jeez – you haven't been this down since you got put on probation!""Im nut dap bab.""Yeah, you're worse." The woman scoffed, releasing his cheeks and leaning back until she was sitting beside him. Fighting with her jacket for a bit she retrieved a cigarette and held it out with her lips for a light.Sora, as always, obliged. Retrieving his own cigarette, he lit up with a sigh. "So how's Riku doing? It feels like months since I've seen him.""He's keeping busy. Mostly he's been running errands for Leon." Taking a heavy drag on her cigarette, he made a series of circles in the air with her lips. "What about you? I can barely catch you for a smoke these days."Sora shrugged. "I've been busy."

-T-M-

"You're not arresting me?"Kairi scoffed. "Are you kidding? This is Ienzo we're talking about. You've read his file. What do you think Seifer did when he found out?""Don't joke about something like that," Leon scolded her quickly, lifting his eyes from the file he was perusing."I'm not joking. He knew he had diplomatic immunity and he used it."Sora had been under the impression that he was brought to the police station to be, well, arrested. This was obviously not the case. In other news, the chairs were rather comfy for an interrogation room.He had a morbid thought that maybe the chair was supposed to be the good cop in a good cop, bad cop sort of situation.Then he entertained the idea of Leon being the bad cop. Uniform and all.Bad thought, bad thought, bad thought.Leon smirked. "It'd be a bit redundant, but we can offer you community service hours if you'd like.""Huh?""Exactly. Even redundancy has its limits. Now, if you could all clear out of my office that would be great."The mechanic, the apprentice, and the female wielder stared at the leader of Radiant Garden's restoration committee and blinked. Was Leon's office really an interrogation room?Leon glanced up and scowled. "Get. Out."They didn't need to be told a third time. But on his way out of the room Sora glanced back at the leader.He looked... worried.

-T-M-

"Looks like they miss you."Sora glanced up from the pile of letters in his hands. Lea stared at him over a pile of mail carefully stacked in his arms, threatening to fall over at any second. "Are you sure you don't need any help?""I'm fine. Besides, what are you going to do? Ride around on a skateboard and deliver letters to pigeons?"The mechanic fixed the newly appointed mail man with a look. "What?"The man blinked. "I honestly have no idea where that came from.""Pigeons?""Hey." Coming up behind him, Ïsa adjusted his own stack of mail – much better managed – and scolded, "It's not going to deliver itself."Sora laughed. "Weren't you guys working on metal collection and salvage?""We dabble."The mechanic watched with amusement was Lea ran off to join Ïsa, following behind him like a baby duck. The men were nearing their thirties, but there was something about Lea that made him seem so much younger. Something that was nurtured by the sweetness just below Ïsa's blank exterior. Sora was so sure of this he almost swore he could touch it. It almost felt like how he and Riku had acted around each other while they were younger.It was nice.Waving goodbye to the mailmen, Sora closed the door with his foot and sorted through the mass of mail that had been redirected from the fake Academy address on Destiny Islands. Among them was a package, smaller than his hand but large enough to make the stack go crooked. After sorting through letter after letter – and writing subsequent replies that would be sent at the soonest convenience – Sora tore open the box.Just what he needed.Turning to the mirror stationed beside his desk – and glancing to make absolutely sure no one was in the living room – he slid behind it and-"Sora, get in here!"The mechanic groaned. Fixing his project with a groan, he dropped the materia back in its box and carefully hid it behind the mirror before sidling away. "You better work," he whispered quietly.His feet felt heavy as he made his way to the back of the house, approaching Dr. Even's room.Or, uh, Dr. Even's Lab.Stepping into the room, and flat out ignoring the impeccably clean pallet in the corner that looked like it hadn't been used in months and had even managed to gather a layer, or seven, of dust (the man's sleeping habits were atrocious,) Sora fixed the not-so-kind doctor with a grin. "What's up?""A direction," the scientist replied without missing a beat.Sora rolled his eyes. "What do you need me for?" he amended, sliding one hand in his pocket in search of a cigarette."Welding, as usual." Reaching into the abyss of his desk, Even retrieved a pair of safety goggles and tossed them in the general direction of his younger apprentice without looking up from his clipboard. "Catch."Sora did so without much effort, turning a wary eye toward Ienzo. He was holed up in the corner and didn't bother acknowledging Sora's existence.Again.Well, he kinda did try to kill him."This has been coming together pretty quickly," the mechanic noted quietly, settling in beside the first pipe Even motioned to with the hand not occupied with the clipboard. "I'm impressed.""It would already be finished if people would stop calling you away every five minutes."Sora flinched. Turning to the pipe, he pulled the safety goggles over his head and tugged his hair back into a loose bun.Even hummed to himself. "Speaking of which, have you finished that work you were doing for the swordsman? That muscly one named after hydrogen.""Cloud.""His name doesn't matter. Did you finish your work?""Yeah, weeks ago.""Loose ends all tied up?""Yeah.""Good."Then there was silence. Almost an hour passed like this, with only the occasional request for welding wire and an inquiry as to when Sora would finish filling the space. It was at this point that Sora dared to break the silence and ask, "How long have we been here, do you think?"Even shrugged. "At least a couple of months. I didn't think to keep track.""Huh... That explains why the rain doesn't freeze over any more.""Yes. Spring is quite mild here."Sora frowned. "Mild? It rains literally every night.""What's wrong with rain?""It's wet.""And it doesn't rain where you're from?""Of course it does; just not as often."The doctor spared Sora a dirty look before turning back to his clipboard and muttering something the mechanic couldn't quite catch. After this he paused, glanced up, and mused, "Oh, Ienzo, I didn't realize you were there. You should socialize more often."Ienzo grimaced."Should we get you a bell?" Even suggested.No reply.Settling his clipboard into his armpit, the scientist drew himself up until his posture was near-rigid and addressed both his apprentices at once. "Now that I have you both here – in the same room-" which was honestly a rarity despite the fact that they shared a bedroom, "- I should like to inform you both that tomorrow I will be sending you out to do field- don't give me that look, Ienzo. You knew this was coming."Sora glanced over and took a moment to appreciate the pure fury boiling almost physically boiling out of Ienzo's ears."Now that Sora can hold his own in battle-""Barely," Ienzo interjected maliciously."- it's time to send you out into the worlds to collect data. I don't have you two around for nothing."Before Sora could object Ienzo had already spoken up. "Where are we going?"The apprentice glared."To start, the Land of Dragons. Then France."Ienzo hummed to himself, hand rising to rest against his chin. "Do you have disguises prepared?""They're being made as we speak," the scientist confirmed.Sora frowned. "Disguises?""Of course," the shorter apprentice confirmed without bothering to spare a glance. "We have to uphold the world order."

-T-M-

Riku did not expect the knocking.Or, rather, he didn't expect someone to nearly beat a hole through his door.Or, rather, smash his door down.Or, rather, make a hole through his house.Those were all exaggerations of course. But for Riku it felt like the world was coming to an end. At the first knock he'd been off the couch, Keyblade drawn and at the ready for the nearest enemy. During the course of the second and third knocks he'd flinched away from the foyer and fallen back against the cushions, curling in on himself. By the time the fourth knock sounded he was drawn into the fetal position, whispering to himself that they were coming. They would get him. It was only a matter of time before he was gone, just like everyone else.By the time Kairi rushed out of her room, tugging a robe over her nightgown with the haste born of desperation, he wasn't breathing. Collapsing beside him she placed her hands gently on his and cooed quietly. "It's okay," she whispered soothingly. "You're on Radiant Garden. You're okay. They're not here. It's March, 15AB. You're okay; you're safe."The rocking stopped. The knocking did not."Just a minute!" she called, hands sliding from Riku's fingers to his arms, then his back. "It's March 28th, 15AB," the woman repeated calmly, grateful that the quick steady knocking at the door had stopped. "You're in Radiant Garden as my bodyguard, and they're not here. They can't get this far. You-" Kairi stopped abruptly as the sound of Riku greedily sucking in a breath cut her off. She smiled, wrapping her arms around the man's shoulders. "Are you okay?"His reply was a weak nod."I'm going to get the door, okay?"Another nod.Drawing herself up off the couch and away from the older man, Kairi stepped into the thresh hold and pulled open the door. The first thing she noticed was Sora's face, which almost seemed to float among the mass of gray that was the street and his Academy uniform."Hey," he greeted. "I know it's a weird time, but I have to ask Riku something. Is he up?"She glanced back at the man in question, watching him physically draw himself into a sitting position before dragging the blankets up to his shoulders and burying himself in them. Once more, a nod. "Yeah, he's awake," she confirmed, waving the younger man in. Closing the door behind him, she glanced uneasily between the men. Boys, really. That's what they were; her boys.The mechanic hadn't been seated longer than two seconds before he suddenly blurt out, "Can Heartless take human form?"Riku was quiet for a long time. "Is there something you want to tell me?" When Sora didn't answer, he probed further. "Do you think someone here is a Heartless?"From behind Sora, Kairi waved her arms for the older man's attention, but to no avail. She could see his hands shaking, even beneath the blankets. Stop asking questions, she wanted to scream. Just answer and go back to bed!"I just need to know. Can they?"Riku rose from his seat and made his way to the kitchen silently. Then, much to the younger wielders' surprise, he poured himself a glass of water. "Yes," he began confidently. "But only if they're incredibly powerful.""How powerful?"The older man shrugged. "Well, we've only ran into one if that tells you anything.""Was it the guy you fought? Master Xehanort?"Without warning Riku slammed his glass down, sloshing water across the counter. "He's no master."Sora flinched. "Oh, uh, sorry."Kairi went to Riku's side, shooing him away from the mess and grabbing a towel from the rack on the oven. She needed something to do."So, uh," the younger man mumbled, fiddling with the strap of his bag. "How do you know?"Meandering back to the couch, the older man settled back among the blankets and fixed Sora with a heavy-lidded grimace. He clapped a hand to his chest. "They have a symbol right here – the one you see on emblems – and they don't bleed."Nodding slowly, the mechanic stood up, reached forward, and pulled Riku off the couch and into a hug."Sora," the hero murmured, amused, "what are you doing?""You looked like you needed a hug," the man replied frivolously as he pulled away. "Well, I've got to go prep the ship for takeoff. Take care of yourself while I'm gone!"Riku scoffed. "I've been to war. You being busy for a few weeks isn't going to kill me.""Yeah, but you look like shit," the mechanic teased, shimmying the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder and taking a place beside the door. Tugging it open, he looked over his shoulder to tease, "Go into battle like that and the Heartless might laugh themselves to death.""Get out of here, stinker," Riku laughed, stepping forward to give Sora a friendly push through the door.Stumbling out onto the street, the mechanic gave a small wave and a quick, "Bye, Kairi!" and walked away, door closing softly behind him.Kairi watched closely as the hero waved back.Riku's hands weren't shaking.Leaning forward on the counter, Kairi grinned big and offered, "Now that we're up, would you like some breakfast?"Riku stared at the door for a bit longer before he turned to face the princess with a confident smile. But instead of saying anything he simply joined her in the kitchen, threw his arms around her waist, and drew her to him. Burying his face in her shoulder, he took a deep, calm breath. "Yeah," he whispered. "Thank you."She laughed. "It's only food," the woman teased, drawing out of the hug. "And you're helping.""Ouch. Must you be so cruel?""Are you saying you can save the universe but you can't cut an onion?""Hey, onions make me cry.""Boo-hoo. At least they don't punch you in the kidney and call you a cat."Riku frowned. "What?""Exactly. Now get the eggs out."

-T-M-

Avoiding a puddle on his way out of the Gummi hanger, Sora frowned.Ienzo was late.Ienzo didn't exactly seem like the type to be late.Drawing a cigarette out of his vest pocket, Sora lit up and settled against the outside wall of the Gummi hangar, only to grimace. Taking hold of the strap of his bag, he tugged it off and carefully lowered it to the ground. There it nearly fell over, the contents clinking hollowly against one another and threatening to spill out. Without much worry the mechanic enjoyed his cigarette while he could, content in the moment of silence."Good idea. We won't be able to smoke on site."Sora nearly jumped out of his skin as Ienzo stepped up to him seemingly out of nowhere.Reaching into his pockets, the older apprentice frowned and patted down his person. Then he turned to Sora. "Hey, you think I could bum a cigarette? All mine are packed away."For lack of anything better to do, Sora held his stick with his teeth and fished in his pocket for a pack. But as soon as his fingers lit upon the plastic covering Ienzo had already reached forward and stolen his cigarette. At this mechanic frowned, turned on his heel, and strode away. But before he could go far a hand came up to hold his arm in a death grip."Where do you think you're going?""Away.""From?""You.""Why?"Sora didn't bother answering. Instead he yanked his arm away from the grip, but to no avail.Adjusting his suitcase – a small carry-on sort of thing that barely came up to Sora's knee – Ienzo loosened his grip to something a bit more tolerable and mumbled, "We're in this job together; don't forget that," before letting go of the mechanic's arm entirely.The younger man frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?""It means we can't avoid each other forever." Stepping around the mechanic, Ienzo made his way into the Gummi hangar without so much as a glance in Sora's direction, suitcase trailing behind him like a loyal puppy.Sora followed behind, much like the suitcase, after grabbing his own bag. It wasn't until they had stored their things in the ship and taken their seats that he spoke. "You're being awfully graceful about all this.""Of course. Do you have any idea how often people try to kill me?""Um... No?""A lot, Sora. It's a lot. After so many attempts you learn how to exchange friendly banter with would-be-murderers.""But... we're all on the same side.""Didn't stop you."Sora's expressions passed between anger, then annoyance, and finally hurt before he settled back into his seat and turned his eyes to the view screen. He didn't know how many hours it would take to get to the Land of Dragons, but he knew it wouldn't be pleasant. And really; it was his fault.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Disclaimer: Besieged Infection does not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts. No money is being made from the production or distribution of this fanfiction.

-T-M-

Maunder, fourteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident:

Emergency progress transmissions of team Miyano part 2.

Miyano - 15.48h Request permission to withdraw.

Academy - 15.50h Permission to withdraw granted.

Miyano - 16.05h Withdrawal failed. Ship compromised.

Miyano - 16.10h Three teammates expired. Team leader remains. Currently in hiding.

Miyano - 16.20h Bogey identified; Apprentice Xehanort. Request full-scale attack.

Chapter 25: Into the Field

The Land of Dragons (China,) fifteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident:
“Nice space today, huh? Lots of visibility.” The poor excuse for a conversation starter fell so flat Sora could practically feel it fall through the ship and out into the vacuum of space, never to be seen or heard from again. Hands stilling against the Gummi ship's control panel, the mechanic sneaked a short glance over to the other seat.Ienzo remained utterly silent, his wrists resting lightly against the sides of a stack of papers, right hand poised at the corner of a single sheet to turn it over.The mechanic's lips split for an instant. But all too quickly they slid back against each other as he turned back to watch the movements of asteroids through the glass of the cockpit. Beside him, paper rustled. Raising a finger from the controls for an instant, Sora angled his head in his companion's direction and remarked at a passing asteroid, “Hey, that one kinda looks like Cid.”No reply.Slouching into his chair, Sora heaved a long sigh. “You know, it's really hard to be civil when you don't say anything.”Another page turned, rustling nearly inaudibly in spite of the silence. And yet it spoke volumes. Being civil has absolutely nothing to do with speaking, it insisted in Ienzo's most matter-of-fact drawl. Stop trying so hard and actually try to look like you're not trying to crash into every meteorite we pass.Sora huffed, which translated to, I do not try to crash into every meteorite. Turning his attention back to their route, he froze. His hands pulled insistently at the steering wheel to avoid the oncoming rock. And while he'd seen it a good ten seconds in advance the ship had decided that it was not, in fact, enough time to dodge and had taken it upon itself to let loose an incredibly long and piercing squeal as part of the hull took the brunt of the hit.Maybe crash was the wrong word, the page continued. But must you insist on saying hello?“Shut up,” Sora muttered venomously.“Yes, please do.” Ienzo's agreement was flat, almost deadpan, and was not accompanied by anything more than the smallest rustle of paper as he lifted his fingers away from the page to wet his thumb.Overzealous son of a fish, the appendage added helpfully.Throwing a glare in the older man's direction, the mechanic bit back a series of phrases that would not exactly be considered 'civil.' It was three hours – three hours of silence and quiet fury and those annoying pages judging him – later that Sora finally picked up the courage to ask the man in the passenger seat, “Any pointers?”Ienzo glanced up, eyes losing a bit of glass at the sight of the approaching planet. He shrugged. “Be polite. Bow a lot.”“Do we have a cover?”“Traveling monks.”Sora frowned. “What if someone asks about religion?”“Don't worry; it's Buddhism.”The mechanic's head shot to the side so fast he had a moment of whiplash. Blinking owlishly, Sora fixed the older man with a look that read of confusion. “They have Buddhism here? How?”“Eyes front,” Ienzo reminded him.Doing just that, the mechanic huffed. His hands slipped from switch to switch on the dash board, confidently engaging the cloaking mechanism and triggering their descent into the atmosphere. When the entire ship jolted to the side his hands clutched at the seat like a lifeline until their flight evened out and they descended toward the ground. Placing his hands on the wheel once more, he tried not to turn around when Ienzo got up. “So how do they have Buddhism?”“It's like you read at school; the worlds weren't always in pieces like this.” Small hands took hold of a latch in the wall and pulled, dragging the nearly invisible compartment door open and resulting in an avalanche of fabric and bags. “It's a long story – I'll tell you some other time.” Stepping away from the pile, the apprentice's hands began working at the buttons of his vest.At the sound of Ienzo's vest being dropped to the floor Sora fought the urge to turn around. Riku's words were still there, repeating themselves over and over in his head until they were a maelstrom of something that nearly consumed him. But he needed to land, and at the moment that was more important than checking if his companion was a Heartless. So, with a good amount of self-control Sora was not aware he had, the mechanic kept his eyes on the ground and settled them in for an easy landing. Parking the ship over a batch of trees just outside what looked to be a small town, the younger man reached for his seat belt. At first it caught, cold metal fighting against his fingers and he tugged it this way and that. But then it gave way and he was free to stand up and turn and-“What are you looking at?”Nothing.And everything.It was strange. The Ienzo Sora knew had short blue hair that flopped over one half of his face, putting into contrast the deep blue of his one visible eye. His thin frame was usually clad in a dress shirt or lab coat of some kind. Something that looked official; professional. Yet in a matter of minutes that had all changed. Blue hair had somehow turned a dark black, pulled into a strict bun, and even bluer eyes had been transformed into strange muddy-brown orbs that didn't really suit the man. Thin arms were clad in thick robes that swaddled his neck and obscured the rest of his form. And, most surprisingly, the pale expanse of flawless skin had been tanned and even sported a few dark moles along the cheeks.Drawing a hand casually to his face, Sora rubbed his eyes experimentally. After a few seconds he pulled his hand away and his gaze slid over the apprentice. Reaching up once more, he muttered, “I think there's something in my eyes.”“Oh for the love of-” Ienzo cut himself off, reached forward, snagged a piece of Sora's hair, and held it up for inspection.Sora gaped and ripped his hair away from the older apprentice, examining the section the man had touched with nothing short of surprise.It had turned black.“It's like you're never seen a transformation spell before,” the older man snapped, arms folding over his chest. “Look, I know this is your first time undercover, but you should have learned about this at the Academy. Disguises often require small transformation spells. Some worlds just don't take well to foreigners.”Glancing up from the lock that had been changed, Sora asked, “So you can turn it back?”“Any time,” Ienzo assured him, reaching up to his own hair, tugging on a few strands, and holding them out as they shimmered and turned their usual gray-blue. Once he was sure Sora got the point he reached up and smoothed his hands across the entirety of his forehead. As his hands passed the strands turned a flat black. “Now get dressed,” he ordered, stepping to the side so the mechanic could see the pile of clothes behind him. “If you need help just ask.”Sora eyed the fabric darkly.He...No...He couldn't ask for help. That would just be...No...Arm here, leg there... head – no no no, Ienzo's was tighter so-“Are you sure you don't need help?”“I'm fine, I'm fine.”“Well, if you're absolutely sure...”Were those sandals? No – and a tie? What was that fo- oh, it tightens the leg piece things. But what was it doing on the shoe? And what was this-“For the love of mako, would you just let me help you already?”“No, I can do this.”“It's been an hour!”“It has not been an hour.”“No, but by the time you get done it will have been.”“It's only been ten minutes!”“Yes, and it took me three.”As Sora fought with the robes, Ienzo watched on with a drawn expression. “You know you're being childish, right?” he insisted, tone dark.The mechanic didn't bother answering, hands fumbling with the ties for the arm and drawing them tight to – well, shit. That was a leg hole, wasn't it? But then the world was slowing to a crawl and Sora was looking out at a world that seemed to be rushing around him and-He was dressed.Looking down at himself, the mechanic eyed the uniform that had been reorganized, pulled over his form, and tied in what felt like a matter of seconds. “What was that?”“That?” Ienzo asked, far happier with himself than he should be. “That was a slow spell.”“And it was necessary because...?”“The spell was necessary because you insisted on being a stubborn child who refused help despite floundering about like an idiot.”Sora frowned. “That's a bit much, don't you think?”Snatching the mechanic's bag from where it had fallen on the floor, Ienzo tossed it at the younger man with a hastily disguised smirk. “When it comes to disguises, nothing is ever too much.”Catching the bag with a drawn expression, Sora rolled his eyes and slipped the shoes on. They were small things that barely contained his feet. “Hey,” he called quickly just as Ienzo was about to open the hatch, “these are too small.”Without bothering to turn and address the man, the older apprentice slid his hand along the side of the door until it responded, sliding open and inviting the cool breeze of the forest into the ship. “Those are the largest size shoes currently available in this country. It is not too small; you are simply too large.” Stepping out of the ship, Ienzo left Sora to his own silence.Glancing down at his disguise, the mechanic frowned. While the costume nearly swamped Ienzo, it barely passed Sora's knees and elbows. He was aware he'd had a growth spurt lately, but he wasn't aware of how much he had grown. It both both exciting and alarming to realize he was finally reaching the height he would be for the rest of his life.Situating his bag over his shoulder, the mechanic stepped out of the ship and onto the planet below, allowing the cloaked hatch to close automatically behind him.Forest. Nothing but forest.Peeking out from behind a tree, Ienzo waved for Sora to follow. “Are you coming or not?” he demanded sharply, bending down to adjust his left shoe.Sora turned a silent eye to his own feet, which had to sit on top of the backs of his shoes in order to fit. It was a strange metaphor for his life as he knew it. “Yeah,” he called back, turning his attention back to the forest before him. “Right behind you.”
-T-M-
It had taken them over an hour to find the main road, if it could be called that. The abysmally narrow path was barely wide enough for the two to walk side by side. Even worse, it eventually curved up into a hill, threatening them with landslides every other step. Eventually they gave in and allowed Ienzo to walk in front.After almost three straight hours of walking – and pausing once to install (aka: embed) one of the devices in Sora's bag in a random tree trunk – the mechanic dragged one of the devices out and examined it for a bit. He remembered making them; small rocks with egg-like devices inside and a circle of scorch where he had melted them together. “What do these things do, exactly?” he asked, turning it from side to side, then shaking it.“They sit there,” Ienzo deadpanned.Sora's head shot up. The last thing he'd expected was sarcasm. Ienzo hadn't treated him to something like that was at the Academy. He really is making an effort, the younger man realized abruptly. It wasn't just banter or allowing Sora near – Ienzo was making an effort to treat him as it nothing had happened between them. It was as clean a break as Sora was going to get, even if it made him feel terrible.The shorter man laughed, bringing the mechanic out of his musing. “Giving up already, babe?”“Umm...” the younger man mumbled intelligently, trying to extract himself from his reverie. His mouth fell open, jaw going limp with the movement and eyes going wide. “What?”The older apprentice chuckled. It was a lighthearted sound that echoed softly down the road. He opened his mouth, preparing to tease the younger man, only to freeze in place. For a long while he remained like this, breath hissing between his lips like a nervous breakdown. Then his eyes flickered around them, landing on everything from the trees to the sky to Sora's shoes. It was upon seeing them, outlining the bit of fabric that was folded over restlessly with his eyes, that he shivered.Sora frowned. “Is something wrong?”“No, nothing's...” The man trailed off once more, hand reaching up to brush the fringe over his face to the side. “It's fine. It's all fine.”The mechanic frowned. “You don't look-”“Someone's around the corner,” the apprentice whispered harshly, interrupting Sora and spinning around, drawing his back into a rigid line. “I can't remember if they're hostile or not.”“Can't remember? What's that supposed to mean?” Carefully stepping around the occasional rocks on the path, Sora pulled into a light jog until he had passed in front of the older man. Turning to look around the turn they had been approaching Sora, much to his surprise, found a gouge in the hillside.It was a small round field with almost solid walls of dirt on all sides, forcing the already gentle breeze to an absolute standstill. At the center was a single tree, old and twisted into a strange shape. It's gnarled trunk bent to the side halfway up and the branches drooped toward the ground. Beneath this tree, which Sora found even stranger, was a horse and a young man in armor talking to a small red lizard.“Mushu?” Ienzo mumbled, surprised. “You weren't here last time.”Sora frowned. “Again, what?”Without bothering to explain, Ienzo dashed forward, pulling his robes up to give his legs more free movement as he ran. Then, raising one arm up in a wave he dully shouted, “Hey.”The soldier hopped to their feet, armor clanking with every movement as the red lizard dove into the horse's saddlebag. “State your...” The man trailed off as he took in Ienzo's clothing, sword lowering slightly as reality sunk in. “What is a monk doing in the hills?”“Long story,” Sora informed him hastily, racing after Ienzo, who had sprinted toward the horse's saddle.The soldier rushed to his horse, seemingly to prevent a theft, but he was too late. Within moments the older apprentice had reached into the saddlebag and retrieved the red lizard. “Mushu,” he scolded, “If I remember correctly you are contractually obliged not to run away.”Spitting a small smolder of fire in Ienzo's general direction – which flew right over the apprentice's shoulder and landed harmlessly in a patch of damp grass where it fizzled into nothing – the lizard scoffed. “You know me, huh? Then you must know I'm a great and powerful dragon!” His claws, and it was a he going by the voice, scrambled over the magician's hands but could find no purchase. “Just...” He grunted. “Just let me go and...” The dragon grimaced, then looked up at Ienzo with a drawn expression. “Now just who might you be?” he mused, voice suddenly smooth as glass and blatantly troubled behind a sudden large grin.“I'm Ienzo.”“You are not Ienzo,” the dragon muttered. “Ienzo is a tiny little-”The small man forced his hand over the dragon's mouth and angled a glare at it, glancing over at the soldier.“Um...” the soldier managed after a bit, hand laying awkwardly on the horse's rump. “Do you know each other?”“We're old friends,” Ienzo replied quietly. His fingers twitched, sliding down and around the dragon's snout to clamp it shut. “He's just having issues remembering.” Turning his back to the soldier, Ienzo walked out of the small encampment and turned the corner.“You were supposed to report in when your planet was restored.”Wiggling out of the man's hands, the dragon jumped to the ground and gave him a once-over. “You really are Ienzo, aren't you?”“Do you have any idea how close I am to reporting you?”“Man, I wound up here,” Mushu snapped, throwing an arm out to point into the wilderness. “Accidentally! And you know what I did? You know what I did the moment I got back?”Ienzo fought the urge to roll his eyes.“I turned to stone, because those are the rules of this backwater hunk o' rock. On other worlds I can freely break the laws of physics, but here? I can only walk around if the ancestors give the say-so. Otherwise I'm a glorified pebble stuck in a shrine. A shrine, Ienzo. You know who I get to talk to there? You know what kind of people I have for company? Dead ones!”“Alright, I get it. Now how about we put your station to good use? Has anything changed since this world came back?”“Yeah, man,” the dragon scoffed, waving his hand in a way that spoke volumes of how obvious he thought the information was. “We're at war.”
-T-M-
Sora watched the man walk away without following, eyes going wide at the scene. “Well, that was strange.”“Thank goodness,” the soldier announced, a hand on their chest. “I thought I was the only one.”“No, no,” Sora assured him. “That was... strange.”A short pause followed the observations, with the only sound to fill the silence the whistle of the wind overhead.“So,” the mechanic began awkwardly. “I'm, uh, I'm Sora. What's your name?”“Ping,” the man replied just as awkwardly, turning and coughing into his hand before saying once more, in a deeper tone, “My name's Ping.”Leaning into a slight incline – the polite bow his mother had made him practice over and over until his back was sore when he was five – Sora carefully shifted his weight to his toes. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”Ping, obviously taken off guard by the sudden formality, returned the bow respectfully. “Of course. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well.”The two straightened as Ienzo stepped back into the clearing with Mushu at his side, giving them both strange looks. “Do either of you mind if we set up came together tonight? The sun will be setting soon, and then it'll be too late to look for a good spot.”Sora shrugged. “I don't mind.”The soldier nodded his assent as well, although hesitantly. “If Mushu's fine with it, I am.”
-T-M-
It wasn't until later that night, beside a roaring fire, that it occurred to Sora something might be off with Ping.“I'm not... too feminine?”The mechanic laughed. “You've seen Ienzo, right?”Ping chuckled nervously. “I don't think he's quite the epitome of masculinity.”“Well, you shouldn't compare yourself to the epitome of masculinity, either. I do just fine.”“Says the man with a Riku complex,” Ienzo muttered, padding quietly through the grass with bare feet and settling silently beside the fire.Sora groaned and hung his head. Ienzo was ri- hey, his hair was black.Oh, right, he thought. We're in disguise.“Don't let it get to you,” the older apprentice added, reaching into one of the man folds of cloth in his disguise and retrieving a small sheet of paper. “If you didn't have anything to strive for you'd just be stuck.”The mechanic laughed. “What do you strive for, then?” he asked, entirely curious.Ienzo shrugged. “A dead man, mostly.”An awkward silence fell. Ping glanced between the two apprentices before turning his eyes to the ground. “So what brings you to out of the cloisters in the mountains? That's where you're from, right?”Sora bit back the sudden urge to announce that Ping knew more about the religion than they did as Ienzo replied without missing a beat. “We've received reports of a darkness washing over the land. A strange evil that attacks indiscriminately and rips out the hearts of its victims.”Ping nodded quietly. “Yes, I've seen a few of these creatures. They are most terrifying.”“It is late,” Mushu announced suddenly, stepping out of Ping's tent in a flourish of fabric. “What has a guy got to do around here to get some sleep?”“I assume going deaf if out of the question?” Sora teased.“You could always turn back into stone,” Ienzo suggested.Ping looked between the two 'monks,' then turned back to Mushu with an awkward grin.The dragon was not amused. “Now, I'm going to sleep, and I better not hear any more of ya'll jabbering. Otherwise there will be some tents cookin' in the mornin'.” With a final motion of “I'm watching you” the dragon retreated into his tent with a small blanket thrown over his shoulder.Ienzo sighed. “Well, I'll be heading to bed, then,” he mumbled, arms reaching above his head with a stretch and a groan. “I suggest you do the same, Sora. We've got a long trip ahead of us.” Grabbing at his robes, the apprentice tugged them up until his legs were a bit less hindered and waddled back to their tent. It was a small thing, hitched up between two trees and looking as if one good breeze would knock it over.Sora didn't doubt that it was magically enhanced.Turning his eyes to the crackling fire, reaching out to take in some of the wonderful yet oh-so-temporary heat that flooded the area around it, the long-haired man groaned, popped his neck, and bid Ping a quiet, “Goodnight,” before rising to his feet and climbing into the tent.“-and it's really quite fascinating that...”Sora paused.Ienzo paused.They both shared a moment of awkwardness that filled the tent like a physical thing, weighing them both down as if in an attempt to choke them.Sora cleared his throat. “So, you talk to-”“Not a word.”“I'm just saying-”“Not. A. Word,” Ienzo hissed, turning over on his pallet and dragging his blanket higher.Sora laughed. “It's totally normal, you know. I talk to myself sometimes, too. So does Kairi. And I bet if you got Riku to-”“I am not Kairi, thank you.”The mechanic laughed. Then, as an afterthought, he asked, “Hey, did you cast silence on the tent?”The apprentice shrugged, though it was barely noticeable beneath the thick wool of his blanket. “I've been told I snore.”Sora giggled, then settled next to his pallet, which was still in a bundle on the ground. Beside it was the bag he'd brought with him from the lab – the bag Dr. Even had given him. As he nudged it aside the devices – rocks, really – clanked against one another loudly. “So I don't think you fully explained what these were earlier,” the mechanic mused, turning his eyes to the still form of his companion.“They repel smaller Heartless within a half-mile radius, and take note of those within a two-mile radius,” he explained simply, voice clouded with something akin to sleep. “Now get to bed, will you? We've got an early morning ahead of us.”
-T-M-
That night Ienzo shot up in bed several times, hands clutching his chest and breath rattling in his lungs. These episodes did not go unnoticed by Sora, who remained half asleep and half awake at all times, ready to spring into action. At times he found himself wondering if his suspicion of Ienzo was silly. If a Heartless were to take Ienzo's form, would it really bother to be so human?
-T-M-
Daybreak found Sora bidding farewell to Ping as Ienzo stumbled blearily from their tent, hands on his face and scowling at the cold morning air.“Take this,” the mechanic insisted, holding out one of the Heartless repelling devices. “It's a good luck charm.”Ping frowned. “It's a rock.”“Yes, from a holy stream.”The soldier looked skeptical. “What does it do?”“It wards off small evils.”Turning his eyes to Ienzo, who was approaching rather unsteadily, Ping fixed him with a drawn expression, then reached a hand up to adjust his chest plate as he asked, “Does it work?”Ienzo sighed. “We haven't seen any dark creatures since we set out.”It was only once the soldier was walking away that Ienzo turned to Sora and sighed. “A holy stream? That's what we're going with?”“Why not?” Sora mumbled, striding over to their tent and tearing the stakes out of the ground one by one. “Heartless, evil spirits – as far as Buddhism is concerned they're one and the same.”The older apprentice fixed him with a strange look, with his eyebrows drawn together oddly and his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the taller man. “Have I told you recently how clever you are?”Sora swelled. “No, actually. You haven't.”“Good, 'cause you're an idiot.”The mechanic scoffed. “Gee, thanks.”“You don't know the first thing about Buddhism, do you?”Tossing the stakes in a pile, Sora set about undoing the knot keeping the tent upright. Reaching up to the bottom branch of the tree, he worked at the rope with gently tugging fingers. “Of course I do,” he argued, frowning at the knot as it seemed to get tighter. “On Destiny Islands we practice a mix of Shinto, Buddhism, and-”“Christianity, yes, I know,” Ienzo drawled. Taking a few steps closer to what was left of the fire, he kicked some dirt onto the coals, smothering them. “I read the file.”“A file can't-”“I know very well what a file can and cannot do, Sora,” the apprentice snapped, cutting the taller man off. “Most of the files and pamphlets in use today are ones I myself wrote.”Sora's hands paused as he allowed this to process.Ienzo traveling.Ienzo writing travel guides.It was almost comedic.The scientist frowned. “That reminds me – I forgot to ask. Aren't you an Atheist?”Shaking his head, Sora tugged the last of the rope free of the knot and let the tent sag to the ground. “I've never really thought about it.”“Never?”“Do I have to? It's not like it's important or anything...”Ienzo is quiet, stock still, for a long time before he seems to remember how to blink. It is then that he glanced down at the last of the fire's embers and grinned. “You're right,” he admits after a while. “It really isn't.”-T-M-A week passed is near silence. Occasionally the two would pause for the day to embed a rock deep in the road, or in a tree. But generally they made their way along the beaten path in moderate silence, becoming rather grateful when it widened out enough for them to walk side-by-side, and then wide enough for horses.When the road split Ienzo had paused, glancing up and down the streets before freezing in place. Sora waved a hand in front of the man's face, and was rewarded with a startled jump.“Sora, when-” The apprentice caught himself, then glanced around. “It's getting worse.”“What's getting worse?”“I've already told you three times,” he complained, glancing down at his shoes and frowning. He reached down, took hold of his right shoe, and upended it. A small rock fell out. “Well, I say you...”“Okay, yeah, sure,” the mechanic drawled, throwing one arm out to bring attention to the road. It had split into four, with the direction they had come from being the last road. “Now which way are we going?”Ienzo shrugged, glancing down the roads individually. “Right,” he said without any deliberation, still eying the center road. “We turn right.”“Okay, then,” Sora agreed, adjusting his bag on his shoulder until it was a bit more comfortable. “Right it is.”For the following few hours he ignored the way Ienzo would jump at any shadows.
-T-M-
They eventually stopped at a stream to bathe. Sora noted that there was no Heartless symbol on Ienzo's chest. Would a disguise really hide that?
-T-M-
Sora wasn't one to complain, but when he saw the mountain they were approaching, and the snow that fell freely over the top, he couldn't help an almost adolescent squeak. “Holy fish.”
-T-M-
Halfway up a mountainside, Ienzo jerked awake, heaving desperately. He tossed his head about, taking in the cave they had taken refuge in and the hard dirt floor. The apprentice heaved a quiet sigh before turning his attention to the man in the pallet beside him. “Sora,” he whispered, nudging the mechanic with a foot. “Get up. We've got a pest control problem.”Sora grumbled. “Five more minutes,” he requested, turning over and pulling the blankets over his head.Ienzo grabbed the man's sheet and yanked it down, exposing him to the frigid air.The mechanic hissed. “Fish! What the- we're in the middle of a blizzard. You don't just do things like that!” he gasped, scrambling for the blankets, then pulling at his robes until they were back over his arms and legs.“We've got bigger problems.”“Bigger than frostbite and hypothermia?”Ienzo, much to his disappointment, didn't bother answering. Instead he jumped right off his pallet and out of the cave, bare feet padding across the dirt floor. As if in afterthought he spun around and tromped right back to the pallet. Pulling his bag aside, he revealed his shoes. Sliding them on, he turned to Sora and demanded, “Hurry up!”Tugging his shoes on as far as they would go, Sora raced after the apprentice with a grim expression. Out into the snow he went. (And, really, why did there have to be snow? He was from an island nation for fish's sake. Why would anyone in their right mind send him there?) Crunching over piles of white, he raced after the man with the head start, squinting through the wind and ice and sleet. The weather was just as bad as when they took cover in the cave. Fighting through a gust that nearly took him off his feet, the mechanic stomped through the last few feet of snow between him and the older man, arms clutching desperately at his elbows to ward off the cold.“What are we-”A sudden gust of wind knocked the two right off their feet, but Ienzo was up in an instant, arms flailing in the general direction of the sky. Bolts of lightning rained down around them, leaving steaming puddles of water scattered across the tundra.Sora squeaked as he narrowly avoided one of the spells. “What are you doing?!” he gasped, shifting closer to the magician.“Stupid fliers!” the apprentice screamed, throwing another batch of spells at the sky. He turned to Sora, taking tight hold of his arm and dragging him to his feet. “You,” he snapped, waving one arm in the general direction of the sky as he screamed over the roaring with. “Get out your keyblade and aim a spell at that!”“At what?” Sora screamed back. Then, turning his eyes to the sky, he frowned.Can Heartless even get that big?“You can't miss it,” the apprentice informed him, taking a step away from the wielder. “Now summon your Keyblade and fire already!”“Okay, okay!” the younger man replied testily, summoning his Keyblade to his side. He tried to remember what Vossler had said about long-distance spells back at the Academy. Something about concentrating magic at the tip of your weapon.It was worth a try at least.Glancing up to where the Heartless flew, some hundreds of feet above them with every flap of its wings sending a new piercing wave of cold air, Sora settled both palms against the Keyblade and brought it straight up. “I can't cast Thunder,” he admitted loudly over the roaring wind. “Well, I can, but I'm no good at it.”“Then cast Blizzard,” Ienzo insisted quickly. “Just hurry up.”“I can't cast Blizzard, either,” the mechanic informed him. “Not one large enough to do any damage. I can cast fire, though.”The Heartless brought itself into a dive, and it streaked across the sky with grim determination. And if Sora could see through the ice in the air he might have noticed that below them was a great sprawling city.“Then cast!”The mechanic braced his feet against the ground and trained his eyes on the teeth of the Keyblade, using them as a mock cross-hair as he took aim at the Heartless and fired. He didn't expect the recoil, which sent him belly up into the snow with an expression of surprise. “Do you think it'll hit?”There was a great roar which shook the air and made the mountain tremble.Ienzo swore.Sora made to sit up, his neck arching forward to pop his head out of the snow much like a little black daisy. “What?”“Looks like you just angered it.”“It's a Heartless. How would you know that?”“Because it's coming back!” the apprentice screamed, nearly in a panic. “Quick, get inside!”“What?”“Get in the cave! Don't come out until I tell you, okay? You only need to land one hit.”“What do you mean I only-”“Do as you're told,” Ienzo screamed, bending over to grab Sora's arm in a vice grip and nearly tearing him out of the snow. “Get inside now.”Stumbling into a patch of ice, Sora fought to catch his balance, with seemed to teeter in every which direction as Ienzo insisted on pushing him toward the cave. “I'm going, I'm going!” he insisted, shoving the apprentice's arms away and tromping through the snow. Behind him there was a crack of thunder and a flash of light, then – he could have been mistaken, but it certainly sounded like – a small sigh.“No need,” Ienzo shouted after him.Sora paused, then carefully turned, trying not to trip over his numb feet. There, lying still in the snow, was the Heartless.“I didn't expect it to go down with one hit,” the magician scoffed as the mechanic approached. “It was weaker than I thought.”Sora tried not to think about how powerful Ienzo really was. “So, uh, what now?”“You hit it with your Keyblade until it disappears, and we go back to sleep.”The mechanic squeezed his eyes shut, pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, and turned slowly opening eyes on the older man. “What?”“Go on,” the magician insisted, waving one arm toward the creature, which seemed to be attempting to rise. “Finish it off. We can't have it coming back.”Another beat of silence passed before Sora approached the Heartless. It was much larger than he'd thought; nearly twice as tall as him, and easily ten times longer than he was. “This will make my Keyblade stronger, won't it,” he asked, bringing said weapon up like a baseball bat and taking aim.“Yes,” Ienzo confirmed, tugging at the hem of his robes until they hung straight. “It will.”Sora swung.The Heartless screamed, then it seemed as if its very skin was shifting into something less solid. Within a few seconds it went translucent. And after this it dissipated entirely, a small light rising into the sky with a strange bell-like noise. When all was said and done – when Ienzo called from him to come back to the cave with him, and after Sora had insisted on another five minutes out in the cold – the mechanic had glanced down at his Keyblade, the Metal Chocobo, and made a noise not unlike a whine.How much negativity – how many lives – had been wasted or lost creating a Heartless that large?He didn't want to know.Suddenly he felt weak.Dragging his feet through the snow, which he could no longer feel as his feet had gone numb several minutes before, the mechanic made his way back to the cave where they had camped. Before too long he was settled on his pallet, rubbing hands warmed with a small fire spell across his feet.“Hey,” Ienzo called from the other side of the cave, where he had set up a makeshift bathing center with a bucket and some snow from outside. His face and hands were still wet from scrubbing them with water warmed from magic. Robes had been pulled away to reveal his magically tanned upper body. “Think you could do that for me in a bit?”Sora nodded, not bothering to reply verbally. Can Heartless get cold? he wondered to himself. I don't know, a darker part of him answered. Next time I see one, I'll ask.Finishing with one foot, he moved on to the other without any commentary. Before long Ienzo was in front of him, adjusting his pallet until it was right beside Sora's. He peeled his shoes from his feet. The mechanic watched carefully has Ienzo's hands slid carefully between his toes, then up his leg, peeling the transformation spell away as he went to reveal... The mechanic winced.“You could have told me you had frost bite,” he scolded, reaching forward with lightly warmed hands to take the first appendage carefully, turning it over in his fingers. “I would have done you, first.”Ienzo laughed. “Language, Sora. Language.”The younger man glanced up, confused.Laughing, the apprentice shook his head lightly. “Never mind. As things are, I would have told you if I had known.”“Known what?”“That I had frostbite.”“How do you not know if you have frostbite?”Ienzo laughed. “Don't tell me you haven't noticed.”Silence.Throwing back his head, Ienzo laughed. “Oh, god, I fell for an idiot.”Sora blinked owlishly. “Huh?”“Simply put, darkness exposure makes your pores expand-”“Yeah, I know that.”“-and I work directly with Darkness on a regular basis-”“Know that, too.”“-and my pores have been expanding for years, and sensation has been slowly dying away.”Sora froze.“Don't tell me you haven't noticed that my skin doesn't have any texture to it. It's actually pretty freaky, kind of like a-”Cutting the man off, Sora gasped a sharp, “I'm sorry.”The mechanic, to put it simply, felt like an idiot.Ienzo frowned. “Where is this...” He paused, then his eyes widened in realization. “Did you... Did you think I was a Heartless?”“I-”“Is that why you've been like... and the...” Ienzo gasped, his mouth wide open in shock. He jumped to his feet and started to pace across the dirt floor of the cavern. “You've been... you... idiot.”“Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry and-”“You're a big fat idiot is what you are!” he shouted, half laughing. “That's why you asked for my file, isn't it? That's why you've been avoiding me for months! And just...” He scoffed, then drew to an abrupt halt as he realized, “Oh, fuck, where does this leave us?”Sora, honestly, had no clue.

-T-M-

Hollow Bastion, fifteen years after the Birth By Sleep Incident

Keeping her eyes trained on the road before her, Aerith Gainsborough made her way through residential district two with her usual calm smile. She paused for a moment to greet some startled-looking civilians who had dared to peek out their front doors. But before long they were back inside, locking the street out with their usual sense of finality. Shortly after, Aerith stopped in front of a house with a yellow door and knocked three times. "Hello!" she called pleasantly.There was some shuffling on the other side of the door before it swung open to reveal a tall, handsome man in his early twenties with shocking silver hair. "Hello?" Riku frowned. "What brings you to our humble abode?" he asked, teasing yet entirely serious."I have a message for Master Aqua," she informed him evenly."And that involves me how?"Aerith peered around Riku to wave at Kairi in the kitchen. "I was told you have in your possession a transponder.""Yeah, and you guys have on that doesn't take twenty-four hours to send a message."The woman shook her head. "All messages have to be cleared with Leon before broadcast, and Leon-""-doesn't have clearance," the finished in unison.Riku sighed, then waved her into the house. "Take a seat," he offered, pointing in the general direction of the couch as he closed and locked the door behind her. When she gracefully settled onto the closest cushion he plopped down in the chair opposite. "So what kind of clearance are we dealing with? Numbered?""Titled," the woman replied, rising from hr seat for a short moment to tug her dress into a more manageable position. "What level are you?""Trustee," Riku replied without hesitation, reaching into his vest to flash a small card for Aerith to see. Along with his height, weight, age, and photo were a series of numbers along with the line, "Clearance: T."The woman in pink smiled an even sweeter smile and nodded. "Since you'll find out sooner or later, and you as well, Kairi," she added, garnering the attention of the princess, "I might as well just tell you now."Kairi rounded the couch, settling in beside the smiling woman with a frown. "What's going on?"Aerith's hands settled in her lap as she stared straight into Riku's eyes. Then, practically emotionless, she stated simply, "The One-Winged Angel is on the move."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Maunder, fourteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident: Emergency progress transmissions of team Miyano part 3.

Academy - 16.22h Please confirm: Bogey is expired Apprentice Xehanort.
Miyano - 16.23h Confirmed.
Academy - 16.25h Please remain in contact while transport is arranged.
Academy - 16.35h Team Miyano, please check in.
Academy - 16.45h Team Miyano, please check in.
Academy - 16.50h Team Miyano, please check in.
Miyano - 16.55h Bogey eliminated. Request pick up.

-T-M-

The Land of Dragons (China,) fifteen years after the Birth by Sleep incident:

Overnight Ienzo had changed from a warm, confident, occasionally talkative companion into the quiet, cold man Sora had first met at the Academy. It was alarming. Among other things.
The mechanic could help but look over at his companion throughout the morning. As they rolled up their sleeping bags, packed their things, and scattered the ash from the fire the man refused to acknowledge even the basics, such as, “How'd you sleep?”
Sora was not feeling very confident about this. Even if they were to decide to return to Radiant Garden, it would take several days to reach the ship. And so they continued in silence; Sora occasionally making notes about the road or the sky. Once or twice he complained about the snow.
“I've never really walked in this much snow,” he began later in the day. “It's kinda hard. Like sand, but cold and wet, and it clings in bigger clumps. You know? Like, Destiny Islands and Maunder were both really hot, and Radiant Garden was really wet. The rain there is ridiculous. But here it's like, snow, snow, snow all the time. Granted, that's because we're on a mountain-”
“Shut up.”
Sora's head snapped to the side, surprised. “What did you say?”
“I told you to shut up. This is the sixth time today you've complained about the snow.”
The younger man scowled. “Well, it's either the snow or your attitude. And something tells me the latter would be counterproductive.”
Ienzo scoffed, but said nothing. Instead he continued on at a faster pace up a steep incline.
Stumbling after the man, Sora bit back a few choice words he knew would get him in trouble as they rounded a hill.
Both men froze in their tracks.
Below them, spread out in a small valley-like field, were the remains of a charred town. Soldiers sparsely decorated the area in a steady patrol. Sora's hands flew to his nose, wondering why he had not smelled the ash or remnants of smoke. But his face was cold to the touch; long numb and useless.
Within seconds they were approached by a thin man in long armor. “What business do you have here?”
Ienzo stepped forward boldly. “We are monks. We seek to traverse the passes.”
“What happened here?” Sora asked quietly, stepping around his companion and the soldier to look down at the town.
“The Hun army,” the man replied, solemn. “And I fear you are without luck. The pass has been blocked by landslides.”
Ienzo made a disappointed noise as Sora continued toward the remains of the village, leaving the two behind him without a second thought. The snow wasn't as deep in this area. He was disturbed to find that the line of footsteps from soldiers were tinged a deep gray as it mixed with soot one layer beneath it. When he finally reached the village he paused, tugging off a glove and laying one tan hand down on the scorched rampart. He half expected it to burn him; to boil at the touch and melt away as if it were still on fire. But it didn't. Instead it was cold and hard.
He pulled his hand away and frowned at the soot marking his palm. The man wiped it on his robes, pulled his glove back on, and continued forward with a grimace. It wasn't long before a soldier stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him backwards.
“Halt. What business do you have here?”
“I am a traveling monk,” he parroted as calmly as he remember the monk back home doing. “I simply wish to see the damage that has been wrought here.”
“Well, you've seen it. Go back to your cloisters. This is no time for a monk to travel.”
Sora laughed. “Ah – but is it ever?” Calling to mind the pamphlet Ienzo had thrust at him that morning, he forced a calm, sweet smile and attempted to present the image his companion had; of a sweet, but knowledgeable monk. “If it is not the Huns, it is thieves and bandits. If it is not thieves and bandits, it is nature. If it is not nature, it is one's companions. With war I at least know what to expect.” And while Sora didn't know half of what was coming out of his mouth, the man laughed so he guessed he was successful.
Looking at at him with a wry grin, the soldier patted the mechanic's shoulder roughly before allowing it to fall to his side. “You should seek our commander. I imagine he would like to know the presence of newcomers in our midst...” While he finished his sentence, his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the Keyblade strapped to Sora's back. “What a strange weapon,” he mumbled, suddenly suspicious.
Foreboding flickered up the mechanic's spine as the soldier eyed him. No doubt he was questioning Sora's cover, seeing as Keyblades were not native. But instead of allowing his panic to show, the man shrugged and smiled. “It was a gift from a friend when I entered the Monastery,” he says simply, hoping desperately that they were called Monasteries where they were. “While it is a blade, the edges are wide and dull as to prevent the slaughter of men.”
“Dulled edged swords can still kill men,” the soldier pointed out.
“Yes,” Sora agreed. “But one would have to try very hard to achieve such a thing. Such effort is beyond me.”
Still eying him suspiciously, the man waved Sora in front of him and stated, “This way. Our commander should like to see you.”
Smiling brightly – at least they hadn't killed him – the mechanic took a few steps forward, only to pause when the man's hand clamped around the back of his neck and a small blade pressed to his throat.
“That is no sword at all,” the man snapped sharply. “Who are you? Where are you from?”
A voice from behind them – the soldier that had met them at the hill – called out sharply, “He is Sora of the Xi'an Monastery; a warrior monk. You will release him.”
“Explain his sword, then!” the soldier with the knife shouted.
“It was a commission from his sister, the lady Fa Shi, so that he would not be able to kill,” Ienzo all but snapped; his voice dull and sharp and calm all at once. He sounded closer. He couldn't have been more than a few feet away. “Release him before he decides to turn his training on you.”
Had Sora not known his limits, he would have believed it himself. Standing very still, he waited for the knife to recede. When it did he shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “I would doubt myself, to be honest,” he joked, turning to face the soldier who had until that second held him hostage. I don't like you, he told the man with his eyes. Brushing past them, the soldier from the hill motioned for Ienzo and Sora to follow. “Take my place. I'll bring them to meet the commander.”
The other man sniffed, but did as he was told.
Ienzo leaned over, whispering up to Sora, “His name is Ling.”
“The passes are closed at the moment,” the soldier – Ling – told them. “As I said earlier; landslides have closed off entire sections of the pass. There's no getting through it at the current time.” Stopping before a tent, he cleared his throat and stated clearly, “Commander, we have guests.”
Within seconds a man emerged, taller then most of the others in the camp, though still barely came up to Sora's nose. “Welcome, Monks,” he greeted simply. “I am Lee Shang. What brings you to the mountains on this sad day?” He spoke to both of them, but his eyes were on Ienzo.
The man, Sora realized, could sense leadership.
“We seek to spread talismans to defend against evil throughout China,” the mage replied simply, pulling one of the Heartless Monitoring devices from a pocket in his robes. “Our journey is nearing an end, and once we traverse the pass and reach the palace we shall return to the Monastery.”
Shang sighed, shaking his head from side to side. “The pass is blocked. You cannot hope to reach the palace until we have cleared the road, which does not seem to be happening quickly.”
Ienzo nodded politely. “I am of Xi'an, and if that is the case we may be of assistance.”
“In what way?” the commander aside, confused.
Motioning toward the mechanic with one hand and storing the device back in the fold of his robes with the other, the shorter man announced, “This is Sora, also of Xi'an. He is a warrior monk, and has great strength within him. Depending on the damage, he may be capable to taking care of the pass with a single strike.”
Finally, Shang turned his eyes to the mechanic. “Do you support his claim?”
“T'is impossible,” a man at Shang's side announced snidely, stepping up to them with a superior expression and a slimy grin. “It cannot be done.”
Sora almost shrugged before figuring that wasn't the time for casual motions. “If Ienzo says it is possible, it is,” he says simply instead. “If he says it isn't, it isn't.”
“Such lack of confidence,” the man sneers. “You could learn much,” he informs the commander dryly.
“Monks are not trained to have confidence,” the mage cut in with a sharp hiss at the man. “Only to be pious. A soldier who is not confident is not competent.”
The man with the slimy grin rolled his eyes, then turned to the board in his hands. “You have not spent much time with soldiers.”
Shang sighed, and that was when Sora saw something he hadn't expected to see – a weariness to the man's facade. Not even a blink later it was gone, and the man was the confident and strong commander he was supposed to be again. “Ping!” he called. “Escort these men to the site of the landslide.” This earned him a glare from the man that Sora could only assume was his attendant.
The soldier they had met in the clearing ran up, eyes wide and surprised. “Sora? Ienzo? What are you doing here?”
Sora noted how Shang startled at Ienzo's name, but kept it to himself.
“Passing through,” the mage stated simply. “We had hoped to reach the capitol within the week.”
Waving his hand for the two to follow, Ping lead them through town, past a cave, and up a mountain path. “We handled the blocked passages on the way up here with no trouble,” he informs them confidently, and isn't that a change? The man they had met in the clearing had been demure at best. “Yesterday, however, we had a run in with the Hun army. There was a landslide, and after we retreated... well...” He trailed off as they approached a large wall of snow, completely blocking off the path. “This happened.”
The wall was nearly thirty feet high, and was piled high with boulders and ice. Several men were clustered around the base with shovels, attempting to dig through the mess. However, every time they seemed to make a dent more snow shifted into the spot.
Pushing his sleeves up, Ienzo quickly announced, “I will pray for safety,” before he strode forward with confident steps, slapped his hands against the mess, and bowed his forehead to touch the wall of ice. The two soldiers froze. Turning to look at the monk in surprise, they exchanged twin expressions of confusion.
“You might want to take a step back!” Sora called just as Ienzo began to murmur something lowly into the wall of ice. Much to his surprise, the men consented.
“What is he saying?” Ping mused, eyes narrowing in confusion. “He's not talking to himself, is he?”
“He's sending a prayer to his ancestors,” Sora informed her with a grin as the men joined them. “In hope that the rocks will fall safely.” Technically that's what Ienzo was doing, but Sora knew better. Ienzo was churning the insides of the landslide with fire and ice until they were brittle and pliant. And when they were loose enough to be moved he would call for the mechanic to step forward.
Before long the mage pulled away from the wall and joined them. He did not call for Sora like the mechanic had thought. Did not so much as make eye contact with him.
Oh, right , the man recalled with a wave of disappointment. He's not talking to me.
Quelling his disappointment, he moved toward the wall with a grim expression. He didn't immediately reach for his Keyblade, however. First he stepped up to one of the larger rocks, tapping it with his knuckles. Then another. Then another. Finally, on the fourth large rock, he pulled away with a deep breath. Grabbing at the tie on his stomach, he pulled it to allow the Keyblade to slip into his free hand. Then, bracing both hands against it like he had on the Grid, he swung.
The great, deafening boom that cracked through the air would have made him jump if he weren't recovering from the hit. Above the rock, a single tear began to sneak its way up the wall. He prepped himself for another hit. Unknown to him, soldiers began to crowd behind him with the others. Leveling the Keyblade for another strike, he smashed it against the rock.
Boom.
Again.
Boom.
And again.
Boom.
The crack steadily worked its way up the wall until he could feel the vibrations of it beginning to shift beneath his feet. And, grasping his Keyblade in both hands, he stuck the rock once more and – without waiting to see the result – booked it away from the wall in a desperate sprint. “Get back!” he wailed. “Get to camp!” He could hear the ice and rock begin to break away from the sides of the cliffs, crashing to the ground and sliding onto the path. “Move, move, move!”
Again, the soldiers obeyed, turning tail and fleeing from the collapsing structure with screams and yelps of terror. Sora followed them as quickly as he could, lungs screaming, though he stalled upon seeing Ienzo lag behind the others, wheezing and coughing. For all Ienzo was a great and powerful mage, it was easy to forget he was not a warrior. He was not in shape. More than that, he smoked. This showed more than anything as he coughed and wheezed, shorter legs fighting to keep up with trained soldiers before he stumbled and came to a dead stop, gasping desperately for air.
When the mechanic caught up he grabbed at the man's hand, practically dragging him behind as he sprinted down the mountain path toward the camp. Never before had Sora been so proud to be tall. Never felt as fortunate to have longer legs and wiry limbs. And as he dragged the wheezing Ienzo behind him, gasping for air as his own lungs fought to work through the abuse he himself put them through, he went through equations in his head.
How far was far enough? Would the avalanche end up covering the camp? Had they done it all for nothing? How thick had the wall actually been?
Sora ran until he reached the camp, collapsing into the snow with a strangled shout, Ienzo following behind like a limp rag. It was there that he realized the shaking had stopped. The noises had stopped. Everything had simply... stopped.
Then shouts.
Cheers.
Sora was picked up and placed on shoulders, carried over heads, and tossed about like a rag-doll before the soldiers deposited him on a pile of blankets and Ping shouted, “Three cheers for Sora, the strongest man in all of China!”
The mechanic looked over the crowd with a sense of foreboding. Weren't they supposed to be keeping a low profile?

-T-M-

That night, everyone settled in to celebrate around bright fires with even brighter spirits. Ienzo watched as Sora was accosted by soldier after soldier who wished to congratulate him, only one of which came above his nose. That man had seemed kind enough, and had offered Sora part of his meal. The mechanic, ever the intelligent one, politely declined, claiming that he was to stick to his humble monk's diet. In actuality, Ienzo had broken the silence to warn Sora against food poisoning before the celebration began.
It was beside the campfire, watching Sora, that Ienzo was finally approached.
Stepping around the pit, Shang settled beside the mage with a grim expression.
The smaller man frowned. “Can I help you, Commander?”
“Ienzo, charmer of Ancestors.”
Turning his eyes back to the fire, the scientist sighed. “I have not been called that in a long time.”
“My father spoke of you often, though you met only for a brief time,” Shang told him quietly. “You were a legend among his troupes. The man who called upon his Ancestors to do his bidding.” He turned to the mage with hollow curiosity. “Is that what you did today?”
“Maybe.”
“When he was home from his duties, my father would tell me of your exploits as a bed-time story. 'He was about your age,' he would say, 'but younger. Barely eight winters under his belt and he screamed at the sky for his Ancestors to smite the wickedness that plagued the city. Despite all odds, a bolt of lightning fell from the cloudless sky to strike a single man that fought through a crowd of people to escape the oncoming soldiers.'”
“It was a long time ago.”
“Thirteen summers yet,” he announced quietly. “It does not make sense that you would join a Monastery. He claimed you had a flare for theatrics despite being such a quiet child.”
“It was a long time ago,” Ienzo snapped again, turning angry eyes on the commander. “Let us not speak of adolescence.” At best, his words were a warning. At worst, a threat.
Shang, surprising them both, turned to the fire and spoke again. “You pass the torch to a man who is still a boy,” he mutters. “He cannot begin to understand how long these men will sing him praises. It may ruin him should he learn.”
“Sora is no common man,” the mage snapped, temper showing through once more. Suddenly, he felt himself flush. “The praises would humble him, not enable him.”
Much to his surprise, the commander grinned. “Your attitude explains much.”
“Excuse me?”
“The boy my father had known might not enter a Monastery, but you...” He sighed. “A man in love might pledge himself to purity should his desires lie with one who has done the same.”
Ienzo sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
“As plain as the moles on your face,” he replied.
The mage's hand came up, fingers tracing the line of moles littering his skin for his disguise. “Yes, I daresay it is.”
Clapping a hand on Ienzo's shoulder, the commander advised him, “Whatever you are angry with Sora for, you should seek to forgive him. It does not do to pair anger with affection.”
“Most assume I am simply always furious with at him.”
“I can see how a man such as that could drive you crazy.”
Turning to the commander with a expression of surprise, Ienzo nodded gravely. “You are the first to recognize this.”
Shang shrugged. “The greater the person, the greater their flaws.”

-T-M-

The next day, Ienzo awoke to find a bleary-eyed Sora tending to the fire. “Late night?” he asked quietly, glancing over at the few soldiers who were awake – or had never gone to sleep.
“One of them men had a stash of Opium,” he volunteered quietly. “He offered to take my mind off the war.”
The mage went quiet.
Sora frowned. “You're making the look again. What's the look for?”
“Every time I start thinking that you're this good little boy you go and do something like this.”
The mechanic chuckled at this. “Okay, seriously? Opium isn't that bad.”
“Opium isn't-” Ienzo cut off, jaw hanging open. Exhaling heavily, he tugged at his robes. “You seriously just...” Trailing off once more, he found himself at a loss for words. “I honestly don't know any more.”
Sora looked at him oddly before leaning forward on his elbows with a questioning expression. “What's on your mind?”
“Just-” Ienzo clenched his eyes shut, running his hands anxiously through his hair. “Where I come from, drugs are a serious thing, okay? It's not just marijuana or just opium. They're both illegal.” He hissed the last bit, glancing around them nervously. “And I'm not going to lie; I don't know your island's stance on drugs. But I can't imagine opium being handed around like a party gift.”
Leaning back against the large boulder behind him, the mechanic made a noise of shock. “Is that all?”
“Is that – is that all?” the scientist gasped in disbelief.
“Well, yeah. I mean, on the islands pretty much everyone smokes. It's not really something that gets talked or thought about; it just happens. And the older folks will occasionally add something extra to their pipes. No big deal. Not for us.” Tugging at the collar of his robes where they were a bit too tight, the man shifted quickly from side to side. “It's just something I grew up with.”
Standing abruptly, Ienzo tugged his robes properly into place before stomping off to his tent, snow crunching underfoot. Reaching for the spikes, he practically tore his tent down before folding his sleeping bag and things into it and shoving it in his sack. “Get ready to leave,” he told Sora quickly, pulling out one of the ration bars wrapped in cloth they had been given for the trip. “We leave now.”
“What? But – don't you want to say goodbye?”
“To who?”
“Shang.”
Ienzo looked at him oddly, face scrunched, as he bent over to retrieve a tent stake that had made its way over towards Sora's tent. “Why?”
The mechanic shrugged with one shoulder, suddenly sheepish. “You two looked really cozy last night. That's all.”
Staring over at the younger man for a long moment, Ienzo gathered the rest of his things, threw his pack over his shoulder, and made his way towards the pass without so much as a word. Behind him he could hear Sora stumbling to get his things together, and to smother the fire. The mage was halfway through what used to be the ice wall – cleared of debris – when Sora finally caught up with him.
“Did I say something wrong again?”
Ienzo fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I believe one disastrous relationship is more than enough to have on my place at once,”
“A relationship? You're-” Sora choked, voice going squeaky. “You're in a relationship?”
“Possibly.”
“With who?!” the man asked, stepping in his path to cut him off.
Ienzo drew to a stop. Then, looking Sora in the eye, declared, “Last I checked, we had something going on between us.”
The mechanic's mouth went dry. Drier than it had been after going without water two days in a row on the islands. Drier than when he'd smoked the opium and had needed, needed to drink as much water as he could get his hands on. He swallowed three times, sucking on his tongue in the hope that there was some moisture to speak, and eventually he managed a strangled, “Really?”
Looking him straight in the eye, the man asked, “Would you think any less of me if I said yes?”
“Is, uh...” Sora swallowed again. “Is that a rhetorical question?”
“No.”
“Then, I wouldn't. Uh, yeah. I wouldn't, you know. Think less of you.” The mechanic was a mess of energy and vibrating limbs, twisting his hands together and biting his lip as his feet shifted uneasily in the snow.
Looking up from the ground, the scientist hoarsely whispered, “Yes.”
All at once, the younger man's heart stopped. His hands stilled. His feet took root to the ground. Everything – even the very air – seemed to come to a halt around him as his entire body froze all at once. “What?”
“Yes,” Ienzo chuckled, stepping closer to the taller man. His feet crunched through the snow, leaving a trail of sooty footprints in his wake.
For a moment Sora figured they symbolized their relationship – but that would be silly. “You really-” he began.
With a heavy gaze and a steady hand settled on the mechanic's, Ienzo solemnly repeated, “Yes.”
There was a roar in the mechanic's ears as his heart seemed to restart; blood thudding through him like a million angry soldiers. Grabbing at the man's waist, Sora plucked him up from the ground – completely oblivious to the whole-body flinch that shook Ienzo's very spine – and jumped and spun them as he laughed, giggled, and made noises he wasn't aware he could make.
“Sora!” Ienzo barked, face red. He hadn't expected to suddenly be a foot taller and spinning and his head and stomach lurched. “Put me down. Put me down right now.”
Nearly falling over in his attempt to stop, Sora gently lowered the older man to the ground, only to watch in open surprise as Ienzo stumbled to the side of the path and dry heaved.
“Don't,” the man managed to wheeze, then coughed. “Don't ever do that again.”
Hovering guiltily, Sora asked quietly, “Pick you up? Or spin you?”
“Both,” Ienzo hissed. He clutched the fabric at his knees with one hand as he beat his other fist against the rock wall. “Don't ever do either ever again. Shit, I feel like I'm going to vomit.”
After a few seconds, the mechanic settled his hand against the back of Ienzo's neck and rubbed his thumb along the bumps of his spine. “This, uh, might not be the best time to bring it up, but last night I managed to give a few of the soldiers some of the monitors,” he said quietly. “They're going to bring them to their families since Ping vouched for me.”
Ienzo laughed. It was a happy, yet bitter sound.
For a minute he'd forgotten all about the mission.

-T-M-

For the remaining seven days Ienzo and Sora spent in China, the two traveled as they had planned. It passed as if overnight, and before they knew it they were back in the Gummi ship, pulling out of the atmosphere and setting a course for the next planet.
“So...” Sora began quietly, settling into his seat as the cloaked ship rose in the air, giving them a wide view of the surrounding forest. “Think we disturbed the world order?”
“Not a chance,” Ienzo drawled dryly, forcing his seat back until he was nearly laying down. Their disguises had been removed, and his hair was once again a light periwinkle that plastered itself to one side of his face. He brushed it aside angrily before laying a cloth across his eyes. “The technology gap is too wide for them to know what the monitors are.”
The younger man shrugged. “I was, uh, actually talking about the whole 'me being famous' thing. That won't mess anything up, will it?” This earned a laugh. Sora's head shot to the side to give his companion an insulted look. “What?”
“You would worry about that,” the scientist drawled to himself. “Don't worry about it, okay? You're not the first outsider to go down in their history.”
Smiling broadly, the mechanic reached over and took hold of the older man's hand.
Ienzo startled, sitting up abruptly to stare at the fingers looping around his.
“Is this okay?” Sora asked quietly, startled. “I was just – we're together now, right? Properly?”
Drawing his hand out of Sora's, Ienzo reset his chair and looked the man in the eye. “Sora, there's something you should know about me before we... Before we make anything official.”
The man blinked. “You don't have a disease, do you?”
Even Ienzo was startled by the laugh that burst from him. “No,” he said confidently. “No, I don' have any diseases.”
“Okay, then. What is it?”
Tugging the bottom of his uniform's dress shirt down as it attempted to ride up, the mage looked the younger man straight in the eye and calmly announced, “My file – you read it, but a file can't tell you everything. Like...” He paused, visibly steeling himself. “It can't tell you that when I get curious about something, it's like blinkers have been put on the sides of my head.”
“Blinkers?” Sora asked, confused.
“It's like I can't see anything else. My project doesn't have any flaws, and if it does I ignore them until I've figured it out or completed it. It's why, even when the first batch of Heartless escaped the lab, I didn't do anything. Even when Ansem shut us down, I couldn't bring myself to stop the project. So... we just continued without his permission.”
“By 'we' you mean-”
“Me, Even, Braig, Dilan, and Elaeus.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “And Xehanort.”
Sora nodded politely. “I'm not going to say I forgive you for any of this, but I'm starting to get why you were part of it.”
“I'm not asking you for forgiveness,” the older man burst suddenly, leaning forward with wide eyes and an exposed expression.
The mechanic blinked, surprised. “Uh, okay. Why do I need to know this then?”
“You make me feel the same.”
A beat of silence.
“What?”
Ienzo sighed, emotion retreating back under his skin as he settled back in his seat. “You make me curious. You give me blinkers. And that's dangerous for me. Just – I don't think you'd be the type to do this, but if you think I'm starting to fall into old habits, tell me.”
“Okay,” Sora promised. “I will.” Pulling away from the contact, the mechanic settled his hands on the ship's controls and grinned big. “So, where to next?”
“Pit stop,” the mage replied quietly. “We need to resupply back at the Garden.”
The mechanic grinned. “Good. I was getting tired of sleeping bags.”