-Fear Not the Darkness-

Chapter 1: To Dream

Riku calmly walked past the darkened outlines of palm trees, billowing in the night wind. The air was cool, the water clinging to the sand to snag a few grains, and receding back into the vast blackness of the ocean. Riku's platinum silver hair blew gently behind him, as his green-blue eyes scanned the horizon, aimlessly basking in the faint moonlight. He was unable to sleep, restless dreams filling his nights as he awoke from terrifying visions. Assuming his insomnia would refuse to break from its reoccurrence, he finally sought to spend the late hours somewhere other than his subconscious.

The dreams were short, usually only featuring him and vague surroundings. The dialogue from nothingness seemed random and confusing, the aura cold and unwelcoming; but at the same time, comfortable and familiar. The dream was divided into two parts. He remained stationary for the first half, trying to pick out where he was, and his purpose. His surroundings would change, the blackness filling with invisible life. He found he was able to walk, proceeding to move forward in a direction that seemed to carry on into oblivion. At the motion, he began to see familiar faces. His friends, acquaintances, people he had seen only once. They would fade, ignoring him as he tried to get their attention. Finally, at seeing someone who had been with him since childhood, he would stop and call his name. However, they would not answer, and was proceeded to be mobbed by blobs of shadow, swallowed whole and attacked. At that, he would run towards him, withdrawing his weapon. But he only found himself being lost too, drowning in the army of shadows, panic overtaking him, resisting until he was unable to move, losing sight of everything, all light fading. As the black closed in, he saw it to be futile, and allowed himself to be engulfed into the new formed tranquility.

After that, he awoke with sweat on his face. He knew how wrong it was, how he allowed himself to give in to the darkness. He was ashamed to not resist. But regaining his ego, he collected himself and left his bed.

It altered, who the victim was in his dreams. Sometimes, it was Sora, others, Kairi. He winced as he recalled their fate, and wished to forget it. And thus, as he stood in the sand, he leaned against the paopu tree, wide-awake and lost in his own thoughts. Trying to figure out just what the visions meant sent him into uneasiness.

These dreams…what could they mean?

Sora…

Kairi…

He ashamedly looked down to his shoes, and looked back up to the moon. He blinked, respectfully gazing at the giant rock. The light in the darkness.

He wasn't alone.

The fact that it was there, shining down on him kept him at ease, the moon at its fullest, shimmering on the waters and being the sun's understudy for the sleeplessness. Riku crossed his arms, complacently occupying the lonely beach. He closed his eyes, the waves filling his ears with a gentle rhythm that coaxed his worried mind. He was fine with this, half awake, half asleep. Half a life.

All for the ones he cared for.

"Riku?"

At the sound of his name, Riku's eyes flashed open and turned in the direction of the source. There stood a boy, a year younger than he, with concerned blue eyes that still were filled with youth, despite the fact that he was 15. His hair, brown and outrageously spiked, as he stood at his side.

"Sora? What are you doing out here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," Sora said, grabbing hold of the paopu tree and swinging onto to top. "You seem really tired lately." He finished, folding his arms behind his head and laying on the bark, looking down at him.

"What makes you say that?" Riku asked, rather defensively as he looked up to Sora, raising an eyebrow and waiting for a response. Dammit…he wasn't supposed to know.

"Dude, you can go shopping with the bags under your eyes." Sora sat up, shooting him a look that read 'you honestly think you can fool me?'

Riku glared at him, sighing with irritation.

"Really?"

"Yeah really, and you're always out of it. Is there something bothering you?"

Riku remained silent, looking to him, and only imagined him being consumed by shadows. He quickly turned away from him.

"I… I just can't sleep, that's all."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Riku, what's wrong? Why can't you sleep?" he badgered, waiting for a response.

Riku turned back to him, and sighed.

"No reason." He lied.

Sora blinked and gave out a breath of discontent.

"All right," He said, and leapt off the paopu tree, waving to him. "Don't tell me."

He walked away, his figure fading into the night leaving Riku alone again.

He wanted to tell him, he really did. But not to Sora… he didn't need to know, and he certainly didn't need to worry about him. He could take care of himself.

A yawn escaped from him, signaling his lack of rest. But he couldn't sleep… not unless he wanted to return to the devouring void. It was so confusing, and he wanted to desperately go to a place where he could relax and regain his energy, the energy he needed to protect his friends, to protect himself.

These dreams…what could they mean?

Frustrated, he buried his face into his hands, trying to juggle out what was happening. The leatheron his gloves pressed against his chin and cheeks, scrunched in thought behind his fingers.

I don't understand.

I'm confused.

I don't know what to do.

I'm so lost.

He lifted his face from his hands, and looked back up to the moon.

A single orb, in the blackness, shining down on the beach.

"What happens when your source burns out? Will you just be part of space?" he apostrophized, folding his arms behind his head.

"Will that happen…to me?"