Happy birthday Jchan! Here's hoping you have a fantastic day:D

Many huggles to Koorino Megumi for being an awesome beta reader.

Quick note concerning names:

Naomi – Riku's Mother

Takai – Riku's Father.

Tomoyo – Sora's Mother

I had to name Riku's parents. Referring to them as "Riku's mom" and "Riku's dad" got very tiresome.

This story is KHII spoiler free!

Nine years before the world ended, Destiny Islands had its first brush with otherworldly chaos. And on that night, Riku's best friend was acting very strangely…

Timeless

It was recess at Destiny Islands' Elementary School. The playground was full of running, screaming children who were lost in the worlds of their imaginations. Six-year-old Riku was a popular boy at school, admired and respected even by the bullies in the higher year groups. This recess, everyone wanted him on their team for the upcoming game of tag. But Riku's best friend wasn't among the crowds and that meant something had to be wrong.

"You sure you don't wanna join our team?" Wakka asked. "We sure could use your help, ya?"

"Sorry, I gotta go find Sora."

Slipping back inside, Riku headed down to the first year classrooms. If Sora wasn't in the playground, he had to be in the school somewhere. The cafeteria wasn't open during morning recess so Sora wouldn't be there. Riku thought about checking the restroom but he suspected that he'd find Sora in another part of the school (in other words, a part that didn't stink).

Riku eventually found his friend in his classroom, head resting on the table. Riku frowned. What was wrong? It wasn't like Sora to skip out on recess. Was he in trouble with the teacher? Restless as Sora could be, detention didn't seem likely because the younger boy was without a supervisor. That meant he wasn't in trouble...

"Sora?"

The littler boy stirred slightly but didn't otherwise respond. Riku felt worry sneak through him as he dashed across the classroom. He put his hands on his friend's shoulders and shook gently. "Sora, what's wrong?"

"Got a headache."

Riku unhappily watched Sora push himself up. The brunette was pale and groggy. That was no good at all. Because his parents had gone away to celebrate their wedding anniversary, Sora was spending the weekend with Riku's family. The two boys had had a lot of plans – none of which would work now that Sora seemed unwell.

Sora rubbed his head, his usually cheerful eyes bereft of energy. "The teacher's gone to see the nurse. I told her I was staying with you all weekend so maybe I'll be going home before you with your mom." He tried to smile but lacked the emotion. He looked closer to tears than anything. "It feels heavy." And he put his head back down on the desk.

Riku sat on the desk next to Sora's. "You should get some sleep."

"I did already. The teacher woke me up."

"That's not very fair."

"Mm. I think I was dreaming. It was real weird." Sora rubbed his eyes with his fists. "I didn't really understand it though. I didn't know what I was looking at."

"Then you shouldn't worry about it," Riku advised. "'Sides, you gotta rest up so you can feel better for all the stuff we've got planned over the weekend, right?"

"Yeah. I will." Sora had never sounded less enthusiastic.

The teacher returned, school nurse in tow, a few minutes later. The nurse took one look at the boy and informed the teacher she was calling his parents.

"He's staying with me this weekend," Riku spoke up. "His mom and dad went away."

"Are either of your parents at home?" the nurse asked.

"Mom will be."

And so it was that Riku's mom came to the school early to pick up her son's best friend. Naomi promised Riku she'd be back to pick him up after school, adding that she'd be sure to take care of Sora when she saw the concern in her son's eyes. "Don't worry Riku, he'll be fine. It's probably just a pressure headache. There's a nasty storm coming in. Nothing to worry about. He'll be fine once it's passed."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked as he helped his friend stand up.

"Definitely."

Riku gave Sora his most reassuring smile. "See Sora? If my Mom says you'll feel better later then I'm sure you will too."

"Promise?" Sora asked, holding one hand to his head while using the other to cling on to Riku, not trusting his own legs to hold him steady.

"Promise."

"Okay then." Sora ambled over to Riku's mom, taking her outstretched hand. "See you after school Riku. Thank you Miss Naomi."

"Come on Sora, let's take you home. See you this afternoon Riku. Have a good day and don't worry yourself too much."

"Yeah Riku 'cause you and your mom said I'd be fine and you can't both be wrong."

From that point on, the day went far too slow for Riku's liking. He was worried about Sora and wanted to go home to see if his friend was all right. However, he knew there was no way to escape school before the day was over – he knew that no matter how hard he pretended, there was no way to fool the school nurse into thinking that he too was unwell. So Riku stayed in school, not really focusing on the tasks set by the teacher but managing to get by anyway. The hours eventually dragged themselves past. As his mom had said, a storm was definitely coming in and as the school bell rung for the end of the day, the first blasts of thunder were growling across the sky.

Naomi met him by the school gates. Sora wasn't with her. "He's at home in bed. Poor little thing started running a fever and I don't think I've ever seen him quite so tired."

Riku felt his heart sink. "He's sicker than before?"

"He was for a while but before I left to pick you up he seemed a bit better." Naomi gave her son's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I really think it is the storm. Have you seen how dark the clouds are? And the thunder's been rumbling around. Sometimes all the pressure gets to people." Thunder cracked over the school, angrily stomping around above the clouds. Some of the children shrieked and clung to their parents or older siblings. Riku didn't mind. He loved storms. His mother continued speaking once the weather quietened down. "You'll have to be quiet when we're home though, okay? I know you both had lots of plans for the weekend so let's help him get better faster. Hey." She crouched down so she could be on Riku's eye level. "Don't worry so much sweetie." She stroked his hair and smiled an especially reassuring smile only mothers could give. "Sora will be fine."

They hurried home, mostly because Riku was worried but also because the rain was really starting to hammer down from the sky. Mother and son were soaked through by the time they reached their front door. Once inside, Riku changed out of his soggy uniform into a blue vest and blank pants and carefully crept into the spare bedroom where Sora was resting. Sora was curled up under the blankets, only his hair and his right arm peeking out. He was fast asleep (and still in his school uniform) so Riku decided to leave him be.

Riku had just reached the bedroom door when Sora mumbled, "Time?"

"Sora?" Riku called quietly. "Are you awake?"

No response. Riku laughed quietly to himself. Typical. Sora was talking in his sleep.

Sora muttered incoherently as he flopped over onto his stomach. Once settled, he commented, "Weird how it makes them stop huh?" He made a thoughtful noise. "Can it do anything else?"

Riku left Sora to his odd rambling, heading back downstairs for an after school snack. The storm outside meant he couldn't go and play in the backyard, so he settled down with his toys, playing his favourite game with his Adventurer Jim action figure, the bravest man who ever existed… in Riku's imagination anyway. The hours went by, the sky outside darkening even more. Thunder cracked overhead with increasingly rapidity. The gods up there seemed angry about something. Riku had always found it strange to think that gods lived in the sky. How come all their stuff didn't come crashing through the clouds? They seemed to throw it around a lot too… Maybe gods got bored of living in the sky? Riku shrugged and went back to his imaginary game. The storm was getting closer… but Adventurer Jim feared no such thing! Why, no silly little storm would stop him seeking out the lost treasure of Destiny Islands, said to be hidden in an undersea cave…

Riku's father came in at the usual evening hour, soaked through to the skin. "Goodness, what a day!" Takai declared as he closed the front door, shutting the howling storm outside. "I don't think I could get any wetter, not even if you threw me in the sea!" And he shook himself, water spraying off his silvery-blond hair and splashing Riku, who giggled and said his dad was like a shaggy dog. Laughing, Takai patted Riku on the head, kissed his wife on the cheek and then disappeared upstairs to find some dry clothes. He returned after a hot shower with a book and settled himself on the sofa.

"Isn't Sora supposed to be here?"

Adventurer Jim paused in the middle of a battle with a fearsome sea-monster. "He's not feeling well so Mom put him to bed."

"That's too bad."

Riku sighed. "Yeah it is."

Father and son returned to their tasks, their minds worlds apart.

"Dinner will be ready soon Riku," Naomi called from the kitchen a little while later. "Do you want to see if Sora wants any?"

"Okay." And Riku gladly left his toys behind, bored now of playing alone. He went up to his friend's room, calling out as he opened the door. "Sora, are you gonna come for dinner? 'Cause it's almost ready and…"

Sora was bolt upright in bed, his head turned to the rain-slashed window. The room was dark, the storm clouds having blocked out the sun long ago and the lights all switched off. Sora was just a solid shadow… or was he? The edges of his body seemed to be buzzing in and out of focus. Riku blinked hard. It had to be a trick of the light. He called out to Sora again, but his friend failed to react. There was no reason why, but Riku began to feel distinctly uncomfortable. It took him a moment to summon the courage to move. He walked around the bed and came face to face with Sora. He couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped him. "Wh-what's wrong?" Sora's eyes were wide open but utterly devoid of life, merely blank blue slates instead. "Sora?" Riku nervously reached out. "What's happened?" He asked again, Riku's hand landing on jos friend's shoulder, the heat radiating through Sora's school uniform. "Hey!"

Sora moved suddenly, pushing Riku's hand away, hopping off the bed and going to the window. Throwing it open, Sora held his hands out to the rain. Thunder shook the house, louder than ever now that the window was open, and lightning blasted a strange image into Riku's eyes.

His friend seemed to grow.

No. That was impossible. Riku rubbed his eyes and looked again. The instant was replaced and normality returned, the storm gathering itself for its loudest performance.

Sora was small again. He held his arms behind his head. "This is the night, isn't it?"

Riku didn't understand. "Huh?"

"The world is gonna change." Sora lifted his arms so they hung out in the rain, the water splashing and pooling in his palms. He looked back over his shoulder. His eyes weren't natural and neither was the smile twisting his face. "Riku." Sora laughed, a strange noise that sent something shrieking down Riku's spine. "It's you." Riku frowned. Of course it was him. Who else was Sora expecting? Sora's smile lost a little of its peculiarity. "You know, this is really strange."

"What's strange?"

Sora pulled his hands out of the rain and held them to his head. He sighed, the sound morose. "So heavy." His hands hid his eyes, but Riku could still see the sad quirk of his friend's mouth. "Feels like the whole world is on my head." This time the eerie laughter was tinged with anguish. "Maybe it is. After all, it's been a very weird day." Thunder rolled over the house, clattering around for several moments. The gods were definitely up to something, a silly part of Riku's mind mused. Sora's hands fell back to his sides. "Riku?" He turned his lifeless eyes to his friend. "Do you wanna know what's really weird?"

"Huh?"

Sora grinned at him. "You're way smaller than I remember."

Riku frowned. What was Sora talking about? He was the one who was small! Sora just stood there grinning his horribly unnatural grin, not caring that he was acting far too weirdly. Enough was enough. Riku crossed the room and stood in front of Sora, fists clenched by his sides. "You're acting crazy. Stop it!"

Despite the blankness in his eyes, Sora looked truly apologetic. "Sorry. Really, Riku, I'm really sorry. This is all a little…" And he shrugged, turning back to the storm and holding his hands out again. "Never mind. I don't know how I got here and oh! Uh…" Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Forget what I just said." The little boy sighed. "It's so complicated."

"What is?"

Sora shrugged. "Life."

That was it. Riku grabbed Sora's arm, tugging it until Sora turned to face him. "Tell me why you're acting like this. If not I'll… I'll…" What was it people did to shake others out of strange moods? Oh, that's right! "I'll punch you!"

Sora snorted. "Punch me? Nu-uh. No way. Just try it Riku and I'll show you…" He trailed off with a wince, holding his hands to his head again. Lightning forked over the sea. Everything seemed to be focusing there, the thunder rolling away from the land so it could pummel the sea with all its gathered energy. Sora cracked open one eye, still devoid of life, and looked at Riku. "Sorry. I'm sorry. Don't listen to me. I'm not supposed to… Ah…" Blood trickled out his nose. "I'm sorry. Just bear with it a little longer…" Riku thought Sora was talking to him but he wasn't. And it didn't seem like Sora was talking to himself either. Was there someone hiding in the room? Riku looked around. No, the two boys were alone.

Sora continued addressing the unknown person. "I know you're scared, but it's okay. No one will hurt you. Please, just a little while longer…" The blood was really starting to flow, staining Sora's hand and dribbling down his school uniform.

Despite all the strangeness, Riku still felt a spike of concern shoot through him. "I'll go get Mom."

"No Riku, it's okay. I'll just…um… Oh!" And Sora leaned out into the storm, tilting his head so that the rain could wash the blood away. "See? This'll do fine."

"Are you sure?"

Sora didn't answer right away. He kept his face lifted to the sky, his eyes closed and the water running down his cheeks. When he spoke, he did so in such a quiet voice that Riku could barely hear him. "Worlds change. Good and bad. Riku?"

For some reason, Riku couldn't find his voice.

"You're not bad, not really. You can't be, no matter what happens." Hands held out to the sky, Sora whispered, "Goodbye."

Riku didn't get a chance to respond. Thunder and lightning exploded like it never had before over the sea, shaking Riku's house and every other building on Destiny Islands. Both boys fell to their knees. Sora stayed down while Riku looked up. His green eyes went wide, the images he saw reflecting on their surface. He couldn't believe the scene playing out ahead of him. There was no way… But it was actually happening. The night sky was perfectly clear, the storm clouds blown away… blown away by the meteors that were falling in wreaths of fire. It looked like the stars were falling down. Burning rocks rained down into the sea, sending huge spouts of white water shooting upwards. And there were people outside, watching the heavens as they fell apart. The meteors were louder than anything, smashing into everything that stood in their path. Riku fell back down, clamping his hands over his ears to block out the terrifying, senseless noise of destruction. Everything was shaking, objects falling off their shelves and smashing on the ground. Riku's hands weren't enough to silence the horror, the night's insanity breaking through regardless. So Riku braved the blasts, the quaking and the screaming so he could grab the blanket off the bed, pulling it over himself and Sora. He huddled closer to his friend and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that everything would just stop before the world shook itself apart.

But how had Sora known that? The world was going to change? Only change? To Riku, it seemed like the world was ending. The noises blurred into one barrage of ear-splitting rage. Riku ground his teeth together, humming tunelessly in the hope that he would be able to drown out the crescendo even just a little bit.

Goodbye.

"Riku! Sora!"

Riku sat up, the blanket falling off his head. Huh? When had the noise stopped? He turned and found his worried parents holding lanterns. His mother swept him up in a hug. "Oh sweetie, are you all right?" Naomi lifted him up, holding him tightly. "My brave boy!"

"What happened?" He asked, hugging his mom back as tightly as he could. "Were those really meteors?" He could hear his voice shaking. It sounded like he was going to cry. No way, Riku decided. He was far too old to cry. So he swallowed hard and added, "We learned about them in school…"

"Yes, they were meteors. Most crashed into the sea but some hit the beach. Your dad's going to go down there and see if anyone needs help…"

"But I had to make sure you were all right first kiddo," Takai said, reaching out to ruffle his son's hair. "Your mom's right. You were very brave."

Still holding Riku, Naomi looked down at his friend. "How about you Sora? Are you okay?" she asked the lump still beneath the blanket. "Sora?"

When Sora didn't respond, Takai pulled the blanket back. He found one soggy child, curled up on his side and fast asleep. The man laughed in disbelief. "Kids eh? Sleep through anything." Takai lifted Sora. "Goodness, where did all this blood come from?"

"He was having a nosebleed," Riku replied. "I was just coming to get you when… when the sky started to fall."

"Well, let's all go downstairs," Naomi said. "I'll clean Sora up and we can have some nice hot tea and calm down a little. We've all had a big shock tonight."

As they went, Riku almost told his parents about how strange his friend had been acting. But something made him stay quiet – maybe it was because he didn't know how to explain Sora's behaviour. Riku didn't understand it at all. Had Sora just been talking in his sleep like he always did? It had been different than any other time though… and Riku had felt so uneasy…

"How did he get all wet Riku?" Naomi broke into his racing thoughts as she set her son down on the couch. "I suppose I ought to wake him up so he can get into his pyjamas…"

"Um…" Riku thought fast as his dad put Sora down next to him. "See, when I came up here, Sora was sleepwalking and he had opened the window and he was leaning out and saying… um… something about… um… well, he was sorta telling the gods in the sky to be quiet 'cause they were keeping him up and…"

"Tomoyo did tell me he might do something like that," Naomi said with a chuckle, setting down one of the lanterns on the coffee table. "She really meant it when she said he was always lively."

"Right, I'm gonna head out and see if I can help with anyone," Takai said. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't worry about a thing, I'm sure the worst is over." And he grabbed a coat and hurried out of the house.

Naomi headed into the kitchen, returning with a damp cloth. She cleaned the blood away from Sora's face. "I think his uniform will be ruined. I'll have to explain why to his parents." Sora now cleaned up, Naomi strolled off to the kitchen, thinking aloud as she went. "I'll have to get some blankets and pillows. We'll all stay down here tonight, just in case…"

"But I didn't mean to Dona…!" Sora suddenly sprung upwards, wide-awake and very confused. He tumbled off the chair and hit the floor, sprawled uncomfortably. A few seconds later and he was crying, shocked and confused at the pain he had unwittingly caused himself. "Where am I?"

Riku crouched down next to Sora, calling out to his younger friend and trying to comfort him. "It's okay Sora. You're at my house and…"

"No, no, I was somewhere else and I didn't understand it and there were people I didn't know and they weren't making sense because they didn't really know who I was and I couldn't see 'cause it was dark and I was scared and…"

"Listen to me!" Riku was tempted to do that punching thing to make Sora snap out of his newest strange mood but thankfully even at six-years-old Riku had more sense than most other boys. "You were just having a nightmare Sora. It wasn't real, right Mom?"

"Riku's telling the truth Sora. You've been here at our house ever since you came home from school. You haven't gone anywhere, trust me."

Sora hiccupped. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," Mother and son insisted.

"Really sure?"

"Really sure, Sora."

"Okay." And he made himself stop crying, brushing away his tears and picking himself off the floor. Clambering back up onto the couch, he asked, "Did something happen?" He frowned. He didn't understand why but everything felt funny, like it had changed somehow but still looked the same. "Did it?"

Riku couldn't believe it. How had Sora not noticed the massive rocks falling out of the sky! "You didn't see the meteors?"

Sora looked awed. "Meteors? Really?"

"So you really did sleep through the storm Sora?" Naomi said. She sounded astonished. "That's amazing!"

"Can I go see? I wanna go see the meteors! Are they still falling? Were there lots of them? No one got hurt did they? Did anyone's house get hit? Did my house get hit? What about the school? Did the school get smashed to lots of pieces?"

Naomi smiled down at the boy. "You seem to be feeling better."

"Lots better, thanks Miss Naomi! My head feels fine and everything so can I go see the meteors now? Can I?"

She patted the overly eager boy's head. "Not tonight. We'll wait 'til tomorrow when it's light and safer. How about we have some dinner instead?"

Sora's stomach agreed. And so, despite the insanity of the night, Sora and Riku's lives went on as normal. They ate their dinner, played for a little while (inside, because Naomi was a wise woman and didn't allow either boy to venture outside). Eventually they went to bed, although neither slept for several hours because Sora was too busy demanding all the details Riku could remember about the meteor storm. However before dawn came both boys fell into dreams, their day ending the same way days always ended, even though their world had just changed…

"You better come back now."

Sora awoke with two faces, one concerned and the other pretending not to be, shimmering into focus. Blinking hard to clear his vision, he asked through a yawn, "What are you guys doing in my room?"

Donald continued to look peeved. "We wouldn't need to be in here if someone hadn't decided to cast magic in the middle of the night!"

"Huh?"

Goofy helpfully turned the hotel room's lights on. "Ya sure know how to wake everyone up Sora."

"Yeah, and then you started acting like a terrified little child and that was when I realised what you had done."

"Poor lil guy. I think we really scared 'im, don't you Donald?"

"Any child would be scared if they woke up in a dark room and didn't know how they got there or who they were talking to!"

Sora waved his hands to silence the pair. "I don't get it. What did I do-ooohhhh." His memory finally caught up and Sora held a hand to his head. "I went back." He smiled faintly. "I forgot that Riku was small once…"

"Time magic shouldn't be meddled with!" Donald squawked, hitting Sora on the head with his wand. "What did you think you were doing?"

"Ow!" Sora rubbed his head. "But I didn't mean to do anything! I don't even know what I did or how I did it! I was just… I really was… I mean, that wasn't just a dream, was it? I really was in the past! And back then, when I was that small, the me now was in my head…" Sora laughed. "Wow that's kinda crazy!"

"Gwarsh Donald, is that really possible?" Goofy marvelled at the prospect of time travel.

Donald nodded. "Put too much power into Time magic and there's almost no telling what'll happen. Hmm… but how did Sora manage it? Did the Keyblade make the spell stronger? Yeah, it must've been…" because there was no way Donald would admit that Sora was a stronger magician than himself.

Sora held a thoughtful hand to the bump Donald's wand had raised. "Now I know why I didn't remember that night back then… and why instead all I could remember was that dream that wasn't a…" And Sora's eyes went wide. "I was here…"

"Somethin' you wanna tell us Sora?" Goofy asked kindly.

Sora shook himself out of his thoughts. "No, it's nothing. Sorry for waking you up. I really didn't mean to…"

"Maybe I should seal your magic every time you go to bed," Donald commented. "I'm not letting you mess with time again!"

Sora glared at him. "I already said it was an accident!"

"A dangerous one!"

But Sora was already drifting back into thought. "Yeah, okay, so it does explain why I felt so ill back then, 'cause there sort of were two of me in one little head… Oh, and why Riku kept asking me all those weird questions for days after…"

"Huh?" Donald still wasn't amused.

"It's nothing," Sora waved his hands to dismiss the conversation. "Really! Ignore me! I'm not making sense…"

"You never do," Donald muttered.

"It was nothing, okay, nothing at all!"

"Maybe we should go see Merlin about controllin' your magic," Goofy wisely suggested.

"Wow Goofy that's a great idea! You know what, we should go see Merlin right away! Definitely! Okay let's go!" And Sora was out of bed and pulling on his boots in the blink of an eye. "See you there!" And he disappeared out onto the balcony, which he soon jumped off on his way to see Merlin.

Donald and Goofy were left in the dust somewhat perplexed.

"I ain't sure he'll ever make much sense to me," Goofy commented.

Donald merely sighed in agreement.

"We sure did give him a fright though huh?"

"He gave us a fright! Who ever heard of someone using Time magic to switch bodies with a younger version of himself? It's unheard of!"

"I reckon you were right about it being the Keyblade."

"But why tonight? And why Sora when he was that age?"

Goofy headed towards the balcony, Donald hurrying across the hotel room. As they jumped down into the alleyway, Goofy said, "Maybe Sora'll tell us one day. The day he went back to must've been important somehow..."

"It was the night of the meteor storm."

Goofy and Donald looked ahead and saw Sora leaning up against the alleyway's wall. He had a nostalgic look on his face.

"It was the day after that Kairi was found. She came with the meteors. The mayor and his wife took her in and I met her a little while later." Sora looked up at the stars. "At the time I didn't really think about it, but I guess the storm really did change my world."

Donald and Goofy shared a knowing smile. "So that's why it was important huh?" Goofy said. "Musta been why the magic sent ya back."

Sora nodded. Then he shook off his reflective mood, grinned and said, "So, how about we get to Merlin's before I do something crazier?"

End.

I do so love messing with time XD