Disclaimer; I own nothing.

Pairing: Riku/Sora

Rating: R, though for later chapters

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Monitors beeped with a slow and steady rhythm like they had been doing so for the past year. Slowly an unforgettable rhythm beep pause beep slow and steady one could almost waltz to the sounds. Beep, pause, beep pause, beep... beep, beep, pause. The rhythm changed and slowly increased the beeps and the lines on the monitor became faster. It became different enough that the one person currently watching the monitors noticed.

With her brow creasing in confusion the woman in the white uniform moved to the monitors. Her expression changed, from one of confusion to one of incredulity. Moving to the phone hooked on the wall she picked it up dialing a number.

"Doctor it's Jan I'm in room 502 I need you to come here immediately. You have to see what's happening."

After hanging up the phone Jan moved to the bed, which had held the boy for the past year and gazed down at the seemingly dead body.

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/A year earlier/

Riku walked slowly on the side walk on his way to school, yawing widely and repeatedly after every few steps. His back pack was safely secured on his back and his hands were deep in his jean pockets. With another long yawn he set his gaze downwards looking down at his shoes. He knew he should be speeding up he was already late as it was, but really couldn't find it in himself to muster the energy for that task.

Instead opted to keep with his slow pace, he was sleepy and felt like not bothering with school at all for the day. He thought about cutting classes, but decided since he had already gotten out of bed he might as well suffer thought the day.

Before he knew what was happening though, he was sprawled on the ground blinking stupidly up at the blue sky. After a second his senses kicked in and he quickly rose to push himself up and found himself face to face with a familiar face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that"

Mumbled the boy who he had bumped into. Riku smiled, he knew who the boy was, well actually he didn't know but he saw him from time to time. Usually when he was late for school. He remembered seeing the boy a few months ago, Riku rarely paid much attention to people, except when they caught his eye and that boy had defiantly caught his eye.

It had been his attire, the first time he had seen him, he had been wearing all black clothing, his hair had been black, his nails had been painted black, his eyes had been lined with smoky black eye liner and his right ear had more piercings than he really cared to count. That had definitely left an image Riku had been sure he wouldn't forget.

Two weeks after that, he had been late for school again, and had seen the boy, except on that occasion, the boy had been wearing, blue jeans with holes on various places a button down gray short sleeved shirt. On his wrists he had worn numerous round rubber black bracelets, on his neck hung a silver chain with a medallion he really could see. That time his hair hand been white with black steaks. To his surprise only one small silver loop earring had hung from his ear

After that Riku had seen him a few more time each time the boy had completely changed his appearance. He found it interesting, and found it even more interesting that he had actually bumped into the boy when the boy usually walked on the other side of the street. It was than he noticed he was the one the wrong side of the street and he should have turned a block back. A sigh however brought him out of his thoughts.
"I really have to stop daydreaming"

The boy mumbled more to himself than really addressing Riku. Today Riku noticed the boy's hair which he had always seen long was short spiky and blonde with the tips colored red. His clothing was more sensible, black jeans with no holes and a red t-shirt around his neck hung a pair of head phones from which he could hear sounds coming from and no earrings.

"It's okay I wasn't exactly watching where I was going"

Riku replied giving the boy an apologetic smile. The boy returned the smiled which took Riku by surprise. To him seeing the other acting so polite was the complete opposite of what he thought his behavior should have been like. He expected the boy to have a somewhat anti social behavior, but he was most certainly wrong. Especially with the way the boy was smiling, that smile completely brighten his features and brought out his eyes, which he noticed for the first time were green.

"Okay than we're even"

Riku chuckled and nodded. The boy gave him a small nod before putting on his head phones and began walking away. Riku watched him for a few seconds before doing the same, except he cross the street to go back to his usual side and walk a block back.

What a strange boy, Riku thought, interesting definitely. As he reached his usual side of the sidewalk and as he was just beginning to considered maybe getting up late more often he adjusted his back pack only to find his finger touching something solid and a bit cold.

Shifting his hand he pulled the object a bit looking down, to find a silver chain caught on the strap of his back pack and knew immediately who it belonged to.

Automatically he turned around already knowing the boy would be gone. Only to find to his delight the boy still on the other side of the side walk leaning down in the process of tying his shoes. Riku smiled and began to cross the street.

In the process of crossing the street he saw the most horrible thing that anyone has ever had the misfortune to witness. The inevitable on coming to the end of someone's life. There was a car coming, but it wasn't coming at him, it was going towards the boy. At that moment time slowed to an unbearable crawl and for a few seconds his every sense was sent on over drive everything heighten in the blink of an eye.

The car was slowly but steadily turning towards the sidewalk, Riku could see the driver had their head down obviously looking for something on the floor of the car. Slowly he turned his attention to the boy crouching down who was oblivious to what was going on around him. In a split second he considered screaming to the boy, in warning, but knew the process would be in vain, since the boy had his head phones on and was rhythmatically bobbing his head to the sound of the music.

And just like that everything went back to normal, as Riku broke into a run hoping he could push the boy out of the way and even though he knew it was in vain he shouted.

"LOOK OUT!"

Again everything slowed, the driver whose window had been rolled down heard the scream. Looked up saw the kid crouching on the ground and swerved back onto the road, sighing in relief, which would be very shortly lived.

Riku stopped dead in his tracks as the car turned from the sidewalk and back onto the street towards him. In that instant he saw the horrified expression of the driver as he slammed on his brakes, the car screeched as the gears grinded furiously trying to come to a rather quick halt the car slowed but not fast enough. Riku didn't even have time to try and dive out of the way. He felt impact, a force connect with his body. That was the only way he could think to describe it, a force so great he couldn't even begin to imagine how strong it had been.

Funny he thought as he lay on the ground, he had heard that people saw their entire life flash before them before they died yet he saw nothing. No images of himself at a young age, no smiling father or mother, no him and his friends goofing off. He saw nothing, and before his consciousness gave way he thought perhaps than today was not his day to die. And slowly slipped into a deep state of unconsciousness.

On the side walk the boy stood up finishing tying his shoe laces, up ahead he saw his school and with a defeated sigh he began walking. Bobbing his head to the blaring of the music coming from his head phones he moved carelessly never once looking back were the body of his savior lay almost dead.

Later on that day while walking back from school he would hear of the accident and wonder only briefly who had been the unfortunate soul.

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/Present day/

"This is incredible"

Was the voice of the doctor tending to Riku one year the boy had been in a coma. In one year his brain waves had remain a constant while not dead he wasn't exactly functioning. Sure the boy lived but not of his own accord. Riku lived but for the aid of all the machinery hooked up to him. Though now as the doctor read the monitors he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Riku's brain waves were steadily becoming normal, that was not something new to see on patients coming back from comas what was unusual was with the speed it was happening.

"What does this mean?"

The doctor turned to the concern face of the Riku's mother.

"Honestly the readings indicate he's awake, but refusing to wake up. I've never seen anything like this before. Do you see his eye lids how quickly his eyes are moving behind them?"

Mrs. Meneke nodded looking down at her only child.

"That means his dreaming, and it's almost as if he's refusing to wake up. As if he'd rather stay in his dreams"

After a year of no change at all in her son, suddenly he was having all this brain activity and he couldn't wake up. Mrs. Meneke reached out and touched her son's hand. His hand was cold and a dead weight in her small warm one, but she didn't care how lifeless he looked she would not give up on him.

To them Riku seemed to lie lifeless, in his comatose state. Or at least that was his outward appearance on the inside for the past year Riku had been going through the adventure of a life time, and sadly it was coming to an end.

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The city was bleak, the sky was dark not cloudy or stormy just dark with a few lighting rays illuminating the isolated streets. Rain was pouring down on him drumming on his head splashing on the streets. He had yet to see a single living soul or non living for that matter.

Gloomy neon lights flashed off the tall buildings and the darkness surrounding them seemed even more sinister. Riku didn't know why he was there, no that was a lie he knew exactly why he was there. Sora.

It had started out so innocently a simple trip, a voyage to see other worlds, an innocent adventure. Which had quickly turned into something more dangerous, discovering new places, fighting monsters, fighting themselves. Finding understanding, and somewhere along the line he had lost Sora, and had become surrounded by that cursed darkness. Only Sora knew how to rid him off.

He could sense him, he couldn't see him, but he could sense him, Sora was in the city somewhere but where.

The rain slowed and than completely stopped. Riku stopped in the middle of the empty street he looked around and he felt him. He was so close, but why wasn't he stepping forward, was he afraid? Of him?

Riku felt dread wash over his body, why would Sora be afraid of him. Sora had no reason to fear him. Riku could never hurt him, he could never bring himself to hurt the only person he loved.

After waiting for what seemed an eternity, he saw something. Slowly a figure clad in a black cloak emerge from the ground in front in him and instinctively Riku pulled out his dual key blade a handy little weapon he had picked up on he way. The figure fully appeared on the ground and stood in front of him, and slowly Riku lowered his weapon he sensed no danger from the person in front of him. Why should he feel danger? After all it was Sora.

Sora didn't move, Riku couldn't see his face, he had the hood of the cloak on his head, but felt his gaze fall on the weapon in his hand. With out giving it a second thought Riku threw the dual blades down and stood empty handed and defenseless in front of Sora. Sora still didn't move.

"Sora?"

"It's time."

Sora said speaking for the first time, but not moving. Riku frowned a sense of foreboding coming on.

"Time for what?"

"I know you can feel it. I can't help you any more Riku. It's time. Time to go back to your world"

Lifting his hands Sora pulled back the hood covering his head and looked not at Riku but up at the dark sky. Riku moved forward.

"Yeah lets go back you and me back to Destiny Island back to our world"

A humorless smiled played on Sora's lips before he turned his sad blue eyes which had once been so innocent and happy to Riku. He shook his head slowly.

"No Riku not Destiny Islands that's not your world that's not my world. Our world is out there. You have been sleeping and it's time you woke up. I can't help you in here any more. It's time to leave."

It couldn't be true. What Sora was saying made absolutely no sense, yet in a way deep down Riku knew he was right. Something he didn't know what but something was pulling him, forcing him to awaken. And he was fighting it with all the strength he had. Deep down he knew he had to leave, but if that meant a world without Sora than he'd rather stay in the dark forever.

"No. Sora I don't want to leave you here"

Riku whispered and moved forward closing the distance between himself and Sora. Gently he placed a hand on Sora face, which earned him a smile a genuine smile. And he felt his heart warm seeing the innocence in Sora's face.

"I won't stay here Riku. With out you here there is no reason for me to stay. My world is also out there with yours we share the same world. But we can no longer stay here it's time we leave. I know you feel it too. I know you feel them. Stop fighting them"

Their world was else where? Not here, but our there? Than there was hope. Riku blinked he felt it that pull and he was not fighting it as much as he should have anymore. It was a voice a familiar voice it was calling to him. As much as he wanted to stay with Sora he couldn't ignore that voice. It was full of hope, pain and suffering, suffering that for some reason he knew only he could stop if he responded to it. How he knew that was beyond him, and he was tired of trying to figure things out.

The voice was getting stronger and closer, and he was torn between going to the voice and staying with Sora. Suddenly he was blinded by Sora's hair as he threw his arms around him in a tight hug, Riku felt Sora shake and hugged him back just as tightly. In that moment he knew no matter how hard he fought he had to go back. Just like that he also knew no matter where he was going it was not home, there at that moment with Sora in his arms was where he belonged. He knew that no matter what happened, to him embracing Sora would always he like coming home. Unfortunately their embrace was a good bye.

"Riku I'll miss you so much. I'll never ever forget you. Promise to never forget me?"

Sora's words were whispered, mumbled on his neck. Riku felt them and held Sora closer to him before pulling back and staring down at the boy he had fallen in love with. He stared trying to memorize every single detail and than whispered.

"I swear I'll never forget you. And if it's true we share the same world I swear I'll find you Sora if it's the first, last and only thing I ever do. "

Tears were flowing freely from Sora's eyes as he tried to smile encouragingly, and Riku doubted he would ever see anyone look so strong while they cried. Sora had a look of acceptance, as if accepting he would never see Riku again. Almost as if he knew he would never be with him in this world or in any other. All Riku wanted to do was reasure him that he would in fact find him. Before he could say anything he felt himself sinking into the ground and the familiar voice calling him and he could no longer find it in himself to ignore it.

"Good bye Riku"

Sora whispered and disappeared.

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"Riku sweetheart wake up. I need you please come back. Please wake up"

Light invaded his closed lids, beeping bombarded his ears and slowly his eyes fluttered opened. An unfamiliar surrounding came slowly into focus, but he felt no danger. He saw a woman, she was holding his hand and smiling despite her tears. There was also a man and another woman both were standing back, watching the woman and himself.

He didn't know those people and there was only one thought more prominent than finding out who the people in the room were.

"Where's Sora?"

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Cardel: Well there it is. I hope that wasn't confusing.

Demak: Yay you finally posted this.

Cardel: Shut up I hate you guys I hope you're happy.

Jin: We are

Cardel: But we haven't even finished the other story yet, and now you just had to bug me until I posted this one.

Jin: Quit your whining. Besides we're muses that's what we do.

Demak: Maybe if you didn't slack off so much you could type more and whine less.

Cardel: Leave me alone you mean muses. And to all the lovely people who read this review please.