Mariya and Axel are sitting in the waiting room of the hospital floor of the castle. Mariya is trying not to cry, but some tears escape. Axel, meanwhile is holding Mariya tight, beating himself up inside. I should have gotten there faster.

Kairi is pacing the room, worried herself.

No one else is there, perhaps Serene kicked out anyone who wasn't family.

Mario, meanwhile, paces outside of the room. Not allowed in, he walks back and forth in frustration, but not over his denied admittance. It had been he who first got there, and still, he could have possibly gotten there faster. And it was he that healed Sora without realizing the full extent of his injuries; healing him with a bullet still within him might have very well doomed the king. He grimaces and beats his fist against a column of the room, hoping with all his heart that Sora could be saved.

Riku grabs Mario's arms. "Easy Mario, or you'll hurt yourself." He says.

"How can I be?" Mario mutters. "Lucas and Lexi might have pulled the trigger, but in my haste, I might be the one who murdered the king."

"It may not have mattered if you cured him or not. I inspected the weapons. The bullets are drenched in poison, and the antidote is nowhere to be seen. The poison may have not been cured, it depends how much had gotten into his system. Don't worry though, Serene is the best, she's got alot of anti-poisons lying about.

"Excuse me!" A girl says, running passed. She goed into the waiting room and runs twords where Serene is.

Mario grimaces and looks away. "Still, though, the bullet's still in there, and that could have been dealt with immediately if I didn't screw up."

"You know, if Serene heard you, she's hit you upside the head." Riku says, with a small smile. He looks in the door. "Seems Axel is beating himself up too."

Mario sighs as he leans against a pillar. "...What of Lucas and Lexi?"

"They're in two different cells far apart from one another. They're being watched by guards and camera's." Riku says. "Their trial will take place when Sora is well again."

"Yeah..." Mario mutters. "...What gets me is that they found Sora on Maelstrom Peak. We haven't been keeping it a secret, yes, but still, it just happened so soon after we discovered the planet, I question if there was a direct leak."

"Well, it doesn't help that there are job posters wandering about." Riku says. "But if there was a leak, that doesn't mean they knew when Sora would be there or where he was." Riku says. "Do you have any suspects, though? It's the only thing we got to go on."

Mario is silent before closing his eyes. "One, but by the time we ask him about this, it might be too late...too late..." Mario opens his eyes. "Too late! That's it!"

"What do you mean by to late?" Riku asks.

"Tell me, what are Sora's chances of survival right now?" Mario asks.

Riku makes no comment. "You have to take in that suspect, Mario. He's as responsible for this as Lucas and Lexi."

Serene enters the waiting room, and motions for Mario and Riku to enter. Riku goes in, and once the door was shut behind the two and they were seated, Serene smiles a bit. "He's resting now. I got the bullet out and an anti-poison is in his system. It'll take some time to work, but if the poison didn't spread to far, he should be alright." She says. "Mario, stop beating yourself up, Sora may have been in worse condition."

Mario blinks, then sighs in relief. "Well, guess this means I won't have to travel back in time..." He is silent before he turns away. "Excuse me, then. There's someone I have to talk to." He opens a portal and immediately steps through. The portal closes before anyone can follow him.

{Mario to Maelstrom Peak}

"Leave him go." Riku says when Mariya gets up. "He's goin to talk to the townpeople to see if they seen anything."