Archive of Our Own

Sora had to hand it to Hades, this had been one of his better-executed plans. Heartless had already swarmed Thebes by the time they arrived, and more were constantly pouring from the portal to the underworld the deity had somehow opened in the heart of the city. With Hercules doing all he could to defend the terrified citizens, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had dived into the portal to find a way to seal it.

Getting into Hade's lair, finding the Heartless powering the portal, and dispatching it had been surprisingly easy. Too easy. They'd been on high alert as they began their long trek back to the main exit from the Underworld where Hercules was going to meet them, and it was a good thing they were. The moment they emerged from Hade's lair they found themselves face to face with not one, not two, but three of Hade's titans. 

Again.

It had been a tiring battle, but after dealing with them so many times before, not a particularly challenging one. "Seriously, you'd think Hades would have found himself some new minions by now," Sora said, as he kicked a few rocks, the remains of the Rock Titan, into one of the deep cracks in the ground the battle had opened up. "I guess these ones are pretty resilient though."

He watched as the rest of the stones began to roll along of their own accord and followed the ones he had kicked into the depths below. The puddles of water and magma left over by their other opponents were doing the same. Maybe they were disappearing down there to reform. That would explain a lot.

"We better get back and check on Hercules and the others," Goofy called back to Sora, he and Donald already moving on ahead.

"It's gonna be a long walk back," Donald grumbled. He gave a squawk of surprise as Sora ran past, grinning back at them.

"We better get going then!"

Donald and Goofy exchanged looks, Donald exasperated and Goofy amused. They were about to chase after Sora, the way they always seemed to be, when a deep rumble gave them pause. They glanced up at the cave ceiling far above them as a few small stones clattered to the ground around them.

Another foreboding rumble came from beneath their feet and the ground around them began to shake. They stumbled, panicking as the sound of cracking stone rang out from above and below. In their horror, neither of them was fast enough to react.

"LOOK OUT!"

They both felt Sora slam into them at the same time they heard him yell and were sent rolling back. When they came to a stop they looked up to see Sora standing where they had had been just a split second before, summoning a shield above his head as rocks rained down. 

Sora's magic was strong but there were just too many. Too much weight was crashing down on him and the shield couldn't withstand it all. It cracked a few moments before the ground beneath his feet gave way. They cried out for him, powerless to help, and were forced to watch him tumble into the darkness below.

Everything, absolutely everything hurt. 

Every inch of skin felt scrapped and battered and even his bones seemed to be bruised. Nothing compared to the pounding in his head though. What the hell had happened to him?

Sora groaned as he forced his eyes open. Wherever he was, it didn't seem like a pleasant place. It was a cavern of some sort, all dark stone and full of creepy, floating ethereal lights that cast flickering green shapes along the walls. It seemed familiar but he couldn't place the name of it. He was lying on hard, uneven stone and there was debris surrounding him that made him think something must have smashed into the rock walls somewhere nearby. 

He was exhausted. It must be the middle of the night because there was nothing more he wanted to do right now than sleep. He was also alone though, and that worried him.

"Donald? Goofy?" he called out from his prone position. No reply but his own echoing voice, and once that faded the cavern was silent. He had been with them, hadn't he? Last he remembered they were on the Gummi Ship on their way to... somewhere. Somewhere they'd been before. Had they crashed and he'd been thrown from the ship? That would explain the rocks scattered all around and his aching body.

If that was the case, then there was a chance the others were hurt as well. Either that, or they would be anxiously searching for him. Both good reasons to pull himself together and get moving. He needed to find them and make sure they were alright.

He got his hands underneath him and tried to push himself up. He hadn't even made it to a sitting position before pain cleaved through his skull and his vision turned to static. He yelped and crumpled back to the floor, clutching his head as it throbbed. Maybe standing up was a bad idea. 

Dammit, he was tired too. There was something warm and sticky in his hair but as the pounding in his temples passed its peak he found himself not caring. He was sleepy. Too sleepy. Whatever it was could wait, surely this would all be easier to figure out after a nap... 

He groaned. Donald was going to kill him if he really had crashed the ship.

They'd been searching for him for well over an hour now with no way of knowing what condition he was in. Or if he was even alive. But they couldn't think like that. They wouldn't let themselves. Sora was tough. He was strong. It would take far more than a few rocks to take Sora out! Far more than boulders falling from above, the ground giving way beneath his feet... plunging into the darkness below.

There were ravines in the Underworld that seemed to stretch on forever, the bottoms hidden by green smog or so far away that light couldn't stretch that far down. For all they knew, some might truly be bottomless. It was hard to know what to expect in Hade's domain. They could only hope that the one Sora had fallen into hadn't been too deep.

"He is going to be in so much trouble when I find him!" Donald griped as he stomped ahead of Goofy. They'd gotten themselves turned around in circles twice now by running through the maze of corridors, but taking a slower pace was painful. The duck's guilt was manifesting as anger. They were meant to take care of Sora and watch his back. Sure he had the Keyblade and was the strongest of their trio (though his magic could do with some more work in Donald's opinion) but he was still a kid. He was still far younger than the two of them, and they would always feel a sense of responsibility for him.

But they'd messed up and been too slow to react. They were worn out but Sora had been to, and yet he'd been able to pull himself together in time to save them. Typical that he hadn't factored saving himself into that equation. He never had been that great at math.

"I sure hope he's OK," Goofy said as he wrung his hands, for what was at least the fourth time. The worry in his voice was even more pronounced than earlier and Donald's shoulders sagged as his anger drained away. He sighed.

"Me too..." Then he gave his head a shake and stood up tall again. They had to stay positive. "But if he isn't I've got my magic. I'll heal him up and he'll be just fine!" They were going to find him and get back to Thebes in time to celebrate with Hercules. That was what they were going to do. They'd find him.

They had to.

When Sora's eyes flickered open he was confused, for a myriad of reasons. The first question that occurred to him was why did it feel like he'd taken a direct hit to the skull from... from... well, something big. The second question he had was why did the rest of his body feel almost as bad? 
The third, and most pressing, where was he?

With an odd sense of deja vu, he gradually came to the conclusion that he had messed up, and Donald was probably going to insist on driving when they next flew in the Gummi Ship. That was if there was still a ship left to fly. There was a good chance that would need some repairs if he'd crashed it.

He hoped that wasn't the case though, because that might mean his friends were in a bad way as well, possibly worse off than him. He summoned his Keyblade and even flat on his back the effort of it made his head spin. It appeared in his hand though and with a muttered "heal," he managed to cast Cure. It was all he could do right now, he was too tired to cast a stronger spell, but it was enough to clear some of the fog from his head, and send a little extra strength to his legs. 

He groaned and cursed whoever or whatever it was that had gotten him into this mess as he dismissed his weapon and dragged himself to his feet. His stomach lurched. He staggered to the closest wall and pressed both hands and his forehead to it, screwing his eyes shut and taking deep breaths as he willed himself not to be sick. He wondered why he was feeling so ill, had he eaten something weird? The food in Thebes had never bothered his stomach before.

Thebes! That was where they had been going. He couldn't for the life of him remember why though. He opened his eyes slowly and peered around. He recognised this place now, the Underworld. Yep, he'd definitely crashed the ship then, and badly if they'd ended up all the way down here. Dammit. He felt awful, but he had to find the others.

He could do this though, he could deal with this. 

He straightened up as best he could, keeping one hand against the wall to steady himself and called out. "Goofy! Donald!" Their names echoed back to him, but no other reply came. Nothing for it then. One end of the cavern had been cut off by the rockslide he must have caused, so he really only had one option. He began limping his way forward, hoping the others were fairing better than him.

Their voices were growing hoarse from shouting Sora's name so much but finally, after what felt like days, a voice came floating through the tunnels back to them. 

"...nald?"

"SORA!" 

They broke into a sprint, certain it was him and when another call of "Goofy?" echoed towards them they could have cried with relief.

"SORA!"

"Guys?"

"We're over here!"

A few turns away, fuelled by adrenaline and worry alone and still clutching at the wall, Sora beamed to himself. If they were yelling that loudly and frantically they must be OK. Maybe they knew where they were as well because he definitely didn't have a clue. 

After a few more yells, continually growing louder as the others approached, Sora sighed, overjoyed, as his friends came hurtling into view. He stopped at once, legs too worn out to continue. "Are you guys alright?" he called to them, wincing as his own voice made his head throb a little harder for some unknown reason.

"We're fine!" Donald panted as they ran. They skidded to a halt beside him.

"Are you OK Sora?" Goofy asked anxiously.

"I'm..." Sora's smile faded as he considered the question. "I'm not sure."

His knees and the arm he had braced himself against the wall with all suddenly buckled and Goofy lunged forward to catch him beneath the arms. He lowered Sora to sit on the ground, leaned him back against the wall, and knelt beside him. "What's wrong!?" Sora distantly heard Donald demanding.

"Head hurts..." he raised a hand and touched the base of his skull where the pain was worst. Something sticky was in his hair. His skin stung as he pressed it. Donald was on his other side now, squawking something but there was a buzzing in Sora's ears obscuring his words. What was this weird stuff on his hand? He took it away from his hair and gazed down at his red fingers. "Oh."

He blacked out.

The next thing Sora knew he was lying on his side, with someone's hand on his shoulder. The sounds around him were muffled, but there was no mistaking Donald and Goofy's voices. He felt something press on the back of his head and a sharp pain shot through his skull. He winced. "Oww..." The hand on his shoulder began rubbing his arm, and Goofy was saying something to him. He wasn't sure what the searing pain on the back of his head was, or why his brain was throbbing, but he was thankful his friends were here.

He pulled his eyes open. It was a bad idea. The pain intensified as bright green light flashed across his vision and he winced again, gasping as he raised a hand to his aching skull. But then the sharp pain at the back of his head dulled and faded, and he let out a sigh of relief. His skull was still pounding, a hammer seemingly banging it from the inside, but at least some of the pain was gone.

"Sora?" Goofy's voice made it through to him this time. "Can ya hear me?"

He took his hand away from his head and opened his eyes again. It hurt, but not as much this time. "Yeah..." he breathed, peering up at them through bleary eyes. He gave them a small smile and they both sighed with relief. He was tired though. So tired. There wasn't a drop of adrenaline left in his body and the urge to sleep was powerful. Even so, he didn't protest when Goofy took him by the shoulders and helped him sit up. He wished he had though. 

His stomach and the world around him both lurched violently the moment he was vertical. Stars exploded in his vision and he cried out as the ache in his head skyrocketed. He tried to breathe through the pain but it was just too much. His body went limp, and Goofy got an arm behind his shoulders before he had a chance to fall back

Goofy kept an arm around him, holding him up and letting his head rest in the crook of his neck. He looked at Donald anxiously, and his friend sighed. "He must have a concussion, and magic can't help with that." Goofy gave Sora a miserable look.

"Poor Sora..."

"Let's get him back to Thebes, quick."

Donald had to help Goofy hoist Sora onto his back. He'd carried him like this on occasion before in the early days of the trio's journeys together, back when the teenager was new to adventuring and more prone to injuries, or overwhelming exhaustion when he pushed himself too hard. But Sora wasn't as small as he used to be. He was taller and broader now than when they first met, and it was slow going. 

They'd cleared out the Heartless while searching for Sora, so as they traipsed through the caverns the only sounds were Goofy's footsteps and the much louder sound of Donald's feet slapping on the stone. He tended to stomp when stressed, and right now he was most definitely stressed. It was the echoing of his furious footsteps that woke Sora not long after he'd passed out. Goofy felt him shifting and lifting his head from his shoulder, but couldn't twist around to see him.

"How're you doing there Sora?" Sora didn't answer, and when Donald glanced up his heart sank a little at just how glazed his friend's eyes were. There was dried blood smeared down the back of his neck, and Donald expected bruises would soon be blooming under the grazes on his arms and legs. At least he'd be able to heal those up once they'd all had some rest.

"Where are we?" Sora eventually mumbled, peering around with no recollection of when they had ended up here and how he came to be on Goofy's back. Watching the walls slip by made him dizzy. He couldn't focus on anything long enough to recognise this place.

"The Underworld," Donald replied. "We'll be back in Thebe's before you know it though!"

"Oh, OK." He let his chin fall back onto Goofy's shoulder and his heavy eyes closed, and his friends shared yet another concerned look. The fact that Sora hadn't protested against Goofy piggybacking him like a child meant either he didn't realise it was happening, or he was so unwell he knew he wouldn't be able to walk even if he wanted to. Their munny was on the first. Sora was not a fan of burdening his friends, physically or otherwise.

They continued on in their tense silence for another hour or so, before Sora woke up again. "Hey, Goofy?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?" Donald and Goofy both shared a fearful look, and Donald gave a sad warble.

"We're still in the Underworld Sora," Goofy told him, keeping his voice as warm and calm as possible.

"The Underworld?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, there aren't any Heartless around to worry about."

That was a relief, Sora doubted he'd be much use against even the weakest Shadow right now. "That's good..." Poor Donald would have had to fight on his own now that Goofy had to carry him. He hoped he had the energy to walk again soon. This just seemed unfair to them. He'd caused so much trouble. "Sorry 'bout the ship."

"Huh?" his friends both made confused sounds.

"Crashin' the ship. Sorry 'bout that." This time when Donald and Goofy turned to each other they were far closer to horrified than to worried. What on earth was Sora talking about? Neither replied, no idea what to say to that, until Sora looked down at Donald with guilty eyes. "Am I in trouble?"

"No Sora, definitely not," Donald said firmly and patted him on the leg as they walked.

"Yeah everything's fine Sora, you've got nothing to worry about!" Sora gave Donald a feeble smile, clearly relieved, and the duck grinned up at him as much as he could.

"Do you remember how we got here Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Going to see Herc, and..." he trailed off and furrowed his brow. That was weird, why couldn't he remember what happened after that?

"Then we came down here and fought them titans again," Goofy prompted him.

"Really?" 

Donald nodded up at him. "Yep, and we took them down easy!"

"Weird, would have thought I'd remember seeing those guys again," Sora mumbled, chuckling to himself a little. Hearing him laugh made the others beam. But then Sora groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "My head feels funny... hurts."

"You go back to sleep Sora, don't worry, we'll look after you." Sora didn't reply, but Goofy felt him relax and lean his head back on his shoulder again. They expected he'd be floating in and out of consciousness for a while. If he stayed asleep too long they'd have to wake him up again, just to make sure they still could, but for now letting him sleep seemed the kindest thing to do.

"Maybe we should call someone for help?" Goofy asked Donald after giving Sora a few minutes to doze off. 

"But who? We're the only ones in this world with a phone, and the King and Riku are a long way away."

"Hmmm..." Goofy hummed as he thought, but no ideas came to him.

"Why don't you stay here with Sora, and I'll go get help?" Donald suggested.

"I dunno, what if Hades comes back? Or more Heartless turn up?"

As they debated their options Sora wished they would keep their voices down. His head was pounding in time with Goofy's footsteps, so hard he hadn't been able to fall asleep. He couldn't follow what they were saying. Every word was another nail in his fragile skull. The pain was sickening and when Donald made a particularly loud sound of disagreement his stomach began to roll. There was acid rising in his throat.

"Goofy?" They stopped their conversation at once.

"Yeah Sora?"

"Can you put me down?" Sora mumbled in his ear. "Gonna be sick."

"Oh!" 

Goofy moved fast. He had Sora's feet back on the ground just in time for him to stumble sideways and reach an arm out to brace himself against the wall. His friends both shuddered and looked away as he retched. Goofy hovered close by and rubbed Sora's back, ready to catch him if his trembling legs gave out again. He managed to stay standing as he heaved, then slumped against the wall, gasping in pain and clutching his head.

Donald gave a quick wave of his staff and washed the mess Sora had left on the ground away with a quick rush of water. It seemed like Sora needed a break from moving, and they were both just as keen on a rest. Goofy helped Sora sit down and gave him a soft pat on the head when he slumped against his shoulder at once. 

"I'm confused..." he mumbled. "What happened?" Donald crossed his arms and started tapping his foot, but Goofy cut him off before he could start lecturing Sora about risk-taking.

"You got bonked on the head, so things might be a bit confusing for a bit. We'll look after you though, so just have a little rest and everything will feel better soon."

"Ugh, I hope so..." Donald's face softened as Sora's eyes fluttered shut, and he put a hand on his knee.

"We know so, you'll be back to normal before you know it!" He wasn't sure if Sora had heard though, because he was already asleep.

Unfortunately, none of them were given long to rest, because the Heartless never seemed to leave them alone for long. Donald and Goofy did what they could, Donald taking as many down with fire and lightning as he could, and Goofy never moving more than a few steps away from Sora where he still sat, barely aware of what was happening around him. All Sora knew was things were far too loud, and everything hurt.

With the last of his magic and ethers gone Donald retreated to Goofy's side, both beginning to wonder if this was where it all would end. If there was any time for a hero to show up this was definitely it.

And so one did.

Hercules smashed through the remaining Heartless in record time, and both Donald and Goofy dropped to the ground, exhausted. They thanked the gods (quite literally) for Herc's timing. 

"Looks like you guys could use a hand," he declared, hands on his hips and posing as though they were about to whip out a block of marble and start carving his likeness. To be fair, right now they were so happy to see him they would have done it if he asked. The shine of his smile disappeared as he caught sight of Sora though and his face fell. "What's wrong with Sora?" He rushed over to where he was slumped against the wall.

"He banged his head pretty bad," Goofy said, as Hercules knelt down beside the teenager. He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder and grinned as Sora's eyes flickered open and he looked up at him. 

"Herc?"

"Hey Sora, need some help?" Sora squinted at him as though trying to focus, but didn't reply. Herc's smile faltered. Now up close he could see the dried blood on Sora's neck, and just how battered and bruised the rest of his body was. He was in a much worse state than he'd realised. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here." Sora seemed to understand him this time, as he nodded meekly. Hercules pulled his best heroic smile back onto his face, and Sora gave him a small one back. "I'm going to help you up, OK?"

"Kay," he mumbled. He braced himself, but the warning didn't help much. Lights popped in his vision as Hercules put his hands under his arms and lifted him to his feet, and pain crashed through his skull once again. He yelped, head in his hand again as it screamed at him, eclipsing all other sensations.

"Woah!" Hercules was thankful he hadn't let go of Sora yet because his friend went limp at once, and fell forward into his arms. Hercules glanced at Donald and Goofy, who were looking just as anxious as he now felt. "Will you guys be OK if I go on ahead with him?" he asked as he lifted the unconscious Sora over his shoulder. "I already took care of the Heartless between here and Thebes."

They both nodded emphatically. "Definitely!" Donald said.

"Yep, we'll be right behind you!" Goofy agreed. The sooner Sora was out of here the better, and they knew he was safe in Hercules's hands.

"Alright, see you soon!"

They both breathed a sigh of relief as Hercules launched into an inhumanly fast sprint. He was out of sight in seconds, tearing through the caverns of the Underworld, with Sora in tow, far faster than they could have managed. But then they both shared a look and sighed for a completely different reason. It would be a couple more long, tiring hours before they reached the city. They just had to hope that by the time they made it back, Sora was patched up and on the mend.

By the time Donald and Goofy hobbled through the doors to Hercules' mansion their feet were screaming at them, but they were greeted by the welcome news that Sora had been checked over by the finest physician in Thebe's (according to Phil) and while they should keep a close eye on him for a day or two, he would be fine. He'd been left with very clear instructions to rest.

"Not sure how much the poor kid is gonna remember of that though." Phil's ears drooped sadly as he led Donald and Goofy to the room Hercules had offered Sora, the hero himself following them through the corridor. "It's an impressive knock to the head he took." Donald and Goofy opened the door halfway and peered into the room, needing to reassure themselves Sora was going to be OK. He was curled up in bed looking drained and wan, and the arm hanging off the side of his bed was covered in bandages. But they both smiled with relief. He was sleeping soundly, without a trace of pain on his face. 

They hesitated in the doorway, clearly considering waking Sora up to check on him, but reluctantly withdrew their heads when Phil prodded them each in the side. Hercules chuckled at their disappointed faces as Phil closed the door and shoved them away back down the corridor, with the firm words "Let him sleep, rule number 73, an injured hero needs their sleep!" Herc knew the little satyr worried a lot more about his junior heroes than he tended to let on, especially Sora.

This time when Sora dragged his eyes open he actually had a vague idea of where he was. Or at least, he was fairly sure he was in Thebes and knew he hadn't recently fallen out of the Gummi Ship. There were a few fuzzy memories of Donald and Goofy talking to him, the caverns of the Underworld, Hercules smiling at him and helping him stand, and finally of Phil commanding him to go to bed. He hadn't resisted. Sleep had sounded heavenly at the time.

Why he was so sore and tired wasn't something he remembered though. His stomach gave a loud rumble. He didn't remember eating recently either. With some discomfort, and a sickening throb in the back of his head he manoeuvred his way up to sit on the edge of the bed. He frowned down at himself. Someone had removed his jacket and both his arms and shins were plastered with bandages.

He wobbled his way to the door and when he opened it recognised the collumn-framed hallway beyond as part of Hercules' home. He followed the sound of voices down the hall and came across an exit into the largest of the multiple gardens that separated areas of the mansion. Hercules really had done quite well for himself. 

He must have been asleep for a while because it was daytime again. He was grateful it was an overcast day, but even so the light was bright enough to hurt his eyes. Donald and Goofy were standing by a tall fountain topped with a statue of Pegasus, and both staring down at something in Donald's hand. "Hey guys." They spun around at once. 

"SORA!"

He immediately regretted calling out to them. Their yells set off a wave of vertigo and sent a nail through his skull. He clapped his hands over his ears as they ran towards him. "Too loud..." he moaned.

"Sorry," Goofy said, voice a much more appropriate volume now, and he put a hand on Sora's shoulder as he swayed. 

"You should be in bed!" Donald chastised, at a less appropriate volume. 

"I was hungry," he pouted and Goofy chuckled. They started guiding him back inside and a familiar but unexpected voice took Sora by surprise.

"Sora?"

"Riku?" He glanced down in the direction of the voice and saw Donald holding up the Gummi phone, with Riku and Mickey both peering up at him anxiously from the screen. With a smile, Sora took it from Donald. "Hey Riku, your majesty."

"Hey Sora, good to see ya!" Mickey piped up. "We heard you took a bit of a tumble." Sora gave a puzzled frown.

"I did? That would explain a lot." Mickey chuckled, and though Riku gave a small smile he looked worried. Sora hadn't registered that the others had led him back to the room he'd woken up in until Goofy was pushing him down to sit on the bed.

"You wait there Sora, we'll get you something to eat." He thanked them and both Donald and Goofy bustled out. Mickey handed the phone over to Riku, who obviously was anxious to talk to Sora. 

"Hey Riku," Sora said again, feeling a warmth in his chest at seeing his friend. It was a while since they'd last been able to talk and he'd missed him.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Riku was smiling at him but looked tense.

"I'm OK..."

Riku made a small sound of amusement and gave him a doubtful look. "Really?" Sora closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. 

"Head's pretty sore." His head was very, very sore. He looked back up and gave Riku a small smile though. "But I'm OK." The anxious tension left Riku's face and he looked happy. 

"Good, you had Donald and Goofy pretty worried there."

"They worry too much," Sora huffed and Riku snickered. They chatted for a while, Riku doing his best to distract Sora from his headache and Sora extremely grateful for it. Donald and Goofy returned a few minutes later with a tray of Thebe's finest foods courtesy of Hercules. It looked almost as good as the food at Little Chef's Bistro.

"Look after yourself, alright Sora?" Riku told him, seeing he was rather distracted now by the prospect of breakfast. "And get some more rest." 

Sora grinned. "Yes, sir." Riku laughed, causing Sora to chuckle as well, which unfortunately set off another sharp pain in his head. He winced.  "Oww... Rest sounds good to me." 

"Don't worry Riku!"

"Hey!" Sora griped as Donald stuck his head over Sora's shoulder and grabbed at the phone.

"We'll make sure he does!" Goofy assured him, putting his face in front of both the others and grinning. Riku snickered as he heard Sora complain.

"Thanks, and good luck," he said as he waved goodbye. He was well aware of just what a challenge looking after Sora could be.

A few days later Sora was pronounced healthy, though advised to take it easy until the headaches were completely gone. Donald and Goofy grimaced at that, knowing the advice was pointless. Sora grinned while Phil quoted rule 73 to him yet again though and said he'd do his best, and would try to avoid any more titan battles for a while.