Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 20

Harry walked slowly, Riku leaning on him and Goofy as they made their way to their ship. It'd worked, so far at least, they had bought their story. They had planned as much as possible in advance, Hooks' presence had been a fortuitous coincidence, one they were happy to take advantage of. Watching Sora let himself be overwhelmed had hurt, but there was nothing Hook could do to permanently hurt him and if necessary, he could hide himself from the pirate. And it wasn't like he was alone, Harry could feel him, could feel all of the Hallows and they could feel him too.

The ship was very brightly coloured, and rather small, considering it would soon be carrying six people it was going to end up very cozy. Not that Harry would be staying, as much as he hated to do it, he couldn't travel with them. While the villains' group had had their memories wiped, Harry's existence wasn't a complete secret. If he stayed with them, there was too much chance that someone who knew of him would realise and they couldn't risk that. He hated the idea of not being with them, especially Sora, but they were bound together, if Sora needed him then he would be at his side in an instant. They would make it work though, they needed to know what the older Keyblade groups were up to.

They settled Riku in the third seat, strapping him in, and Harry knelt beside the chair, keeping a hand on his knee as he braced himself against the console.

"Hold on tight," Goofy warned as Donald started the ship.

It was interesting to see things from such a viewpoint. His method of travel, while not instantaneous, was much quicker and there was nothing to see. They hovered over the World, Donald and Goofy doing something at the controls, Harry assumed they were looking for Hook's ship.

"Wark! A pirate ship!" Donald yelled, and Harry fought a flinch, his voice…

"In space?" He asked, leaning up and forward to see. Sure enough, Hook's ship was bearing down on them, fast.

"Brace for impact!"

Riku grabbed him and Harry braced against the chair as everything went dark.

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Luna smiled, stroking Kirkē's feathers, the falcon comfortable on the perch her dad had put in her room for the bird. She missed Harry, they all did, but she knew he wouldn't be coming back, not for more than a quick visit. She was so happy for him finding his love and that this Sora loved him in return. The Hallows were merging with their Vessels too, that would be very helpful to keep the Universe from falling to Darkness and ruin. Sometimes…sometimes she hated her visions.

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Goofy got up and moved to figure leaning against the wall, seeing the blood on one pant leg. Pants…Sora was wearing totally different clothing, he even looked a little different, but it was Sora. "Donald!" he called, not wanting to risk giving him a potion when he didn't know what had been done to him.

Donald was quickly at his side, scanning Sora before casting, and blue eyes fluttered open, blinking at them before widening. The boy, Harry was hovering nearby, obviously concerned for Sora.

"Sora!" Goofy hugged him but then pulled back, letting Donald work on his leg, even as the trap door opened again, Riku dropping down.

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Riku staggered to his feet, looking around, Hook's ship. He looked around as if worried but so far everything was going to plan. He could feel Harry, Sora, and Kairi close by, he assumed Donald and Goofy were as well since they'd been on the ship when it crashed. He walked across the deck, looking around curiously.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Hook called, and Riku spun to see him on an upper deck. "Another stowaway."

"You crashed into us!" Riku snapped at him. "Where's Sora?"

"You'll not take that tone with me lad! To the brig with you!"

Riku tensed as Heartless surrounded him but then he found himself falling.

"Riku!" A familiar voice called, and he sat up to find Donald and Goofy hovering over Sora, Harry nearby.

"Sora," he called in relief, scrambling up and over to where he was sitting, Donald healing a nasty wound in his leg. "Are you okay?"

Sora grinned at him, reaching for his hand. "I'll be okay," he promised.

Of course he would, there was no way such a wound would keep him down for long now, but the King's men didn't know that. Before it would have been impossible for them to lie and act so easily but now it was as easy as breathing. Thousands of years, passed from person to person, created by someone older than even Hades…the Hallows made it so easy to compartmentalise things, to act how the two would expect and not how they really were. He knew it would be hardest for Sora with the way Donald and Goofy had been using him, and he was going to confront them on that at some point, but Sora had changed since leaving them, and not just by becoming a Vessel.

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Sora let Donald heal his leg, letting Goofy hover, seeing the worry in his eyes. It was Donald he mostly had the issue with, not so much Goofy. The Captain of the Guard had listened to him, tried to comfort him, but Donald just ignored him too when it suited him. Donald hadn't wanted to help him find Riku and Kairi, had just wanted him to find their King and Sora hated feeling used. He'd been willing to help but they had promised to help him too, something Donald had kept going back on.

He didn't really want to get stuck travelling with them again, but it looked like he was. It'd been tempting to just pretend not to have a Keyblade, to let them think that when Riku's accepted him back it meant Sora didn't have one anymore. But then they'd probably try to leave him behind and drag Riku off to find their king.

Goofy kept asking if the pirates had hurt him which was nice, but other than some blustering by Hook, he'd been left alone. It'd been hard, not to kill the man where he stood for what he'd done to Riku, even if Hook didn't remember it. And it also was a little stranger to feel that way, he knew he'd killed Clayton, but that Heartless with him…had he still been human or what? Was that the Hallow part of him, or just him starting to get fed up with people thinking they could hurt who they wanted and get away with it? Like the Queen of Hearts, Hook, Oogie…

And that was when the strange flying teen showed up…who might not be human with those ears?

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Peter helped them navigate the ship and wasn't bad in a fight, especially since he could fly. And then they were looking up at a girl through a grate in the floor, Wendy, the girl Peter had been looking for. Harry thought she was the reason Tinker Bell was unhappy, the fairy seemed jealous of the girl. And then Kairi appeared beside Wendy, pressing her hand to the grate.

"Riku! Sora!"

"Kairi!" They both called in return.

Riku leapt up onto the shelf easily enough, pressing his hand to hers desperately. "You're okay?" He asked, and she nodded.

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Kairi felt so strange, leaning against the wall, pretending to sleep while the other girl sat on the bunk. To find out she'd been in a coma for so long…her Heart sheltering first with Sora and then Riku….

Warmth…tender, warm, lips on hers, a had cupping her cheek. Slowly her eyes fluttered open, staring up into familiar cyan. "Riku," she whispered, and he smiled.

"Kairi," he murmured, and then he was kissing her again, and she lifted her arms to wrap around him, feeling as he pulled her in close. This was Riku, her Riku, not the one being influenced by that presence.

She curled into his chest and he held her, pressing soft kisses to her hair, a hand running up and down her back. She felt so safe, but everything felt…foggy. What was happening?

"It's okay, you're safe now," he whispered.

She blinked, seeing wood, the shack? No…the room was too big. She looked around, realising the room was swaying slightly. "Where are we?" a boat? And then a familiar figure stepped into view, grinning. "Sora?"

"Hey Kairi." and he was…holding hands with someone who looked a little older, Riku's age maybe, with dark hair and green eyes and…it felt like she knew him, like he was safe?

Kairi was drawn from her thoughts by the sudden awareness of Riku's presence, and Mas…Harry's. She could feel the magic thrumming through her veins, all but purring in reaction to his proximity, wondered what colour her eyes were. It was strange, but she didn't remember it, Riku had held her as she'd fallen asleep and when she'd woken, she'd been naked, a blanket covering her, Master leaning over her. When they'd told her of the Hallows, of becoming the third Vessel, she hadn't hesitated to say yes. She'd trusted Harry immediately, now she knew it was because she'd been within Sora's Heart when he was bespelled. But to be so close to Riku and even Sora, how could she say no to that?

She felt them moving closer and then a stranger called out.

"Wendy!"

The other girl moved and Kairi opened her eyes to see her leaning over a grate. Kairi crawled over, pressing her hand to the grate.

"Riku! Sora!" She called, so happy to see them again, even if she had seen them not long ago.

"Kairi!" They both called in return.

Riku leapt up onto the shelf easily, pressing his hand to hers desperately. "You're okay?" He asked, and she nodded.

She shoved her fingers through, entwining them with his. "You found me," she whispered, smiling softly.

"Always," he promised, eyes flickering black.

And then there was the sound of a door opening, Kairi gasping as she was grabbed, Riku's fingers slipping from hers.

"Kairi!" Riku screamed her name as everything went black.

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Riku's hands balled into fists, how dare they!

"Easy Riku," Sora murmured, grabbing one of his hands. "Breathe, we'll get her back," he swore.

They would, Sora promised and Sora never broke his promises. Riku reached for Kairi, feeling her move higher in the ship. She wasn't in danger, she was one of them, the bond weak still but there. He forced the anger back, he couldn't let Donald and Goofy sense his Darkness, they wouldn't understand, might try and separate him from Sora and Harry. Then again, he was surprised they hadn't noticed the yellow flecks in Harry's eyes yet, maybe they didn't know many humans to realise they weren't natural? After all, they hadn't even commented on Sora's change in appearance.

He felt Harry's silent promise too, that soon she would be by Riku's side, in his arms, and safe. But to gain Donald and Goofy's trust, they had to let things play out. Harry could alter or erase a humans' memories, spells taught on his birth world, but they weren't human and Harry didn't know if they would work, so it was better to not have a reason to need such things.

Riku took a deep breath and then another, letting the rage go, he'd been angry before but this…this was different, ancient, deep…not just human rage. He felt Sora press into his side and leant against him. Was it the Stone or because of how he had been touched by the Darkness? He'd heard Harry call Sora his Light and Riku knew Kairi was his. Without them he feared what he and Harry could become, but it wouldn't happen now. The Hallows could not be destroyed and they were their Vessels for eternity.

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Donald was glad they'd found Sora, alive and mostly well. He almost hadn't recognised him at first, he'd changed his clothes to something like the other boy, Harry, wore and in darker colours too. Even his hair and face looked a little different. How fast did humans grow? He wasn't sure what he thought of Harry and Riku, they hadn't really talked while looking for the pirate ship.

He'd been confused when it was Riku who had reached for Kairi, he'd thought Sora and Kairi…but he'd been wrong? There was something about the silver haired boy that didn't seem right to him, and he'd felt that surge of dark rage, though it had been pushed away quickly enough at Sora's urging. Still, that was very concerning, but they didn't know what had happened to him since the Islands fell.

And he glanced at Harry, that boy he'd been wary of since meeting him at the Coliseum. His presence had been way too convenient, even if he had been a good help against Cerberus. He obviously had a way of travelling between Worlds, so he assumed it was him that had found Sora and Riku. Or had Sora been transported to someone he knew could fight when he vanished from Traverse Town? It'd been months though, why hadn't Harry brought him back there to let everyone know he was alive? Had they spent the whole time looking…looking for Riku and Kairi?

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Sora grimaced as they came out on the deck to find Tinker Bell in a lantern and Kairi being held with a sword to her throat. He didn't glance at Riku, not wanting to draw attention to the death glare he knew the older teen would be throwing at Hook for daring to touch Kairi. At least she was conscious, her hands bound to keep her from fighting. Kairi had never been all that interested in training, but she had some of the knowledge of the Wand now. It might take years for the three of them to have full access, the Hallows doing it slowly to keep from overwhelming them. Still, it would be enough to give her knowledge of the basics of how to fight with magic.

Kairi did not look at all impressed with being used as a hostage, neither did Tinker Bell. Did Peter realise she'd been captured? Sora didn't bother listening to Hook, keeping his attention on the surrounding Heartless, there were a lot of them. There was no way they could hide that both he and Riku had Keyblades.

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He was angry, somehow, the boy was now beyond his reach. He had been so close, the child's mind and will fading but that blasted Faerie and her spawn! He needed a body and soon, she had all but one of the Princesses in the castle, with a body he could gain access and open the Keyhole.

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Maleficent stood on the balcony, staring out at the Rising Falls. She did not like having the children out there alone, infiltrating the King's circle. The King's men were no real threat to them, but others could be. She doubted Merlin would raise a hand against them, the ancient wizard stayed out of conflicts and had no issues with those who used darker magics, so long as they did not harm the innocent or children. But the one who had taken over the tower? Him she considered a threat to her children.

She had to trust the powers and skills the Hallows had given them to allow them to pass among the Light without discovery. Her son was well trained in concealing himself as well and he did not plan to remain at their side. He would travel the Worlds and return home, making sure to run into the others when believable. Being parted from his love would be difficult, she was sure, but the Hallows bound them together so it would not be a full parting. But it was too risky for Harry to remain with the group, not when his change was continuing. It was not overly obvious yet, but soon the yellow in his eyes would be impossible to dismiss and other changes would begin. There was no guarantee how he would change as his humanity faded, they were a very diverse people after all.

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"You think you're so great."

Hermione looked up to find Ginny Weasley standing in front of her. She sighed and closed her book. "I honestly don't care at all what you think Ginevra, and in case you failed to notice, neither does any other member of our House. You are a jealous child who thinks the world owes her something. Harry Kakós was not the Harry Potter you grew up believing would be your Prince Charming. Grow up and get over it."

She left the silent common room, not wanting to deal with any of the Weasley's. She had her OWL's this year, and then she would be heading to France for her Sixth year. It had all been arranged, Kirkē showing up to carry her correspondence with Madame Maxime. She felt bad to be leaving Neville and Luna behind, but while Mr Lovegood would have allowed her to transfer, Madame Longbottom wouldn't. So Luna was staying for Neville since they were his only friends. Hermione would miss them, but she'd come back to Britain during the summers and they could write, she'd have to look into buying her own bird, Kirkē was Harry's after all.

And that was another reason to ignore Ginny's ranting. Harry now had a boyfriend named Sora who apparently was absolutely wonderful. A year younger than Harry and personality wise they seemed quite different, but she'd never heard Harry so happy. She really hoped he'd come back so they could meet Sora one day. And he'd made friends with Sora's best friend first, so it was good to know he wasn't alone now he wasn't at school.

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Harry twisted to the side, locking his blade with Hook's. Donald and Goofy were staying back, protecting Kairi. That left Hook to the three of them, something none of them minded. Riku was the most hesitant in facing the man who had hurt him, but Harry and Sora would not let him hurt Riku again.

Sora threw a fireball in Hook's face, sending him reeling back, Harry slipping around behind him, sword raised. He didn't flinch at the choked cry of pain the man let out, Harry's sword emerging from his chest. Maybe killing in front of Donald and Goofy wasn't wise, but Harry would not let the man live to torment more children.

TBC…