Title: Falling into Nothing
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Shounen-ai, no spoilers, and rewritten game concepts

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over anything that is Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy. I'm just borrowing them to twist them all around a bit.

Welcome to the first chapter of Falling into Nothing. This is an AU Kingdom Hearts yaoi fanfic featuring Riku and Sora as the main characters, though many other Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Disney characters will also be playing various roles. :)

My goal with this fanfic was to take the various story elements presented in the games, and twist them together in to a new story. So be prepared to meet with many familiar concepts. I hope this is interesting for you, and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

Her body felt unnaturally light as she was pulled through the air, past memory, past time, beyond the very borders that controlled the laws of their world. She was beyond what was known and trespassing on to the unknown, the unsure, the myths, the legends, and the very future that would someday befall them.

Pale blue eyes widened in the darkness, fear gripping her still beating heart as the shadows only seemed to thicken. The darkness was all encompassing. Nothing had escaped. Darkness had broken free. Darkness had consumed. Darkness had become all there was, and all there ever would be.

She reached out a pale hand, but nothing could be seen before her. It was as if she had vanished in to the very existence that had replaced the world.

It terrified her. She panicked, stretching her arms out, struggling with limbs she could not see for a hope that was crushed under the weight of absolute nothingness. The young girl wanted nothing more then death, but even that was denied her, for this was the darkest of all existences. Death was given to no one, all they could look forward to was an eternity of fading in to nothingness, before they became like the very shadows themselves.

She opened her mouth to scream, but the darkness had erased all sound as well.

Hope, however, was not lost. A light appeared within the darkness, distant and struggling at first. The trapped girl reached for the light with her vanished hand, reaching for the small bit of hope that had appeared before her. The light spread, and the darkness receded, leaving devastation in its wake. The land was dead around her, but it was there. It existed, and she could ask for nothing more.

She looked up slowly, almost afraid to look upon the one who held the power to drive away such terrifying darkness.

"You're the one who will save us, aren't you?"

The figure simply nodded, a smile in his brilliant blue eyes.

"You're the fabled key…"

Another nod and the smile did not fade. It was a smile filled with hope, and Naminè could not help but trust in that smile.

"We will find you, and you will save us. You must save us, or else we will become nothing at all…"

Nothing at all… Those words echoed within her mind even as she felt herself swept out of the vision, pulled back in to the waking, light-filled world.

She awoke slowly, blinking up in to a pair of serious blue eyes, wondering what she was doing on the floor, half cradled in this man's arms. "Naminè, are you alright? You just suddenly collapsed. What…" the deep voice faltered here, knowing of the young woman's power. "What did you see…? Was it the darkness again?"

"Yes, yes, it was." She spoke softly, removing herself from Leon's arms. She smiled her thanks, realizing that he had caught her as she fell. As cold as he was at times, the man still cared for those around him.

The young seer stood up beside Leon, taking in his defeated expression. The darkness that terrified them so had already begun spreading across the land, and with no answer before them. Now, however, a hope had finally been shown to them.

"Leon, it was the darkness yes, but…it changed this time." He looked up in surprise, for nothing had ever changed in her visions of darkness before. "There is hope. We can face this darkness, we just need…we just need the key."

We must find the key.

Or nothing at all…

She had spoken of a darkness that only existed in legend. She had spoken of the release of this darkness and the horror it would bring. She said she had found the one who would drive back the darkness. Naminé had finally found the key that would save them all.

It was for that unproven vision that the young seer had deciphered that Riku had come to this place. It was for that vision that Riku was killing for.

It was a stealth mission that he was on. He was to sneak in to the underground passages of the Organization, find the prisoner, and bring them both out to safety. It had sounded simple enough, but entering undetected had been problematic. A momentary mishap and a wrong turn had led to a body crumpled on the stone floor at Riku's feet. Several had fallen to the young man's blade at this point, and many would follow.

For now though he just had to keep moving. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon some poor soul, lying in a pool of blood. Riku had to find the key before it was spirited away by his captors.

The young man scoffed at the thought. If this key was supposed to save the world, why did he need saving from these criminals? True, the organization was rumored to hold and train the greatest of warriors with the fiercest of the unknown magics, but the key was rumored to be capable of destroying as well as saving the world. What could these thugs do to it?

Now, however, was not the time to ponder such thoughts. His grip tightened on his sword as a set of footsteps grabbed his attention. All the man saw was a flash of silver before he collapsed to the floor.

A cocky grin spread across the swordsman's face. He knew he was good, and maybe it was not quite fair to compare this so-called key's skills to his own.

Riku, however, was not one to test his luck with such an important mission. He sped around the corner, moving as silently as he could away from the approaching footsteps. There were several sets, and Riku would not push his luck.

A voice swore aloud, and Riku did not doubt that they had stumbled upon their fallen comrade. "You five, search the halls! You! Go inform Lord Marluxia of this development." Then Riku was out of earshot, but not without a valuable piece of information.

Marluxia – Central Member – Master with Scythe

He recalled the words from the briefing. Not much was known of the central members of the Organization. The details of each central were hidden from even the others, and what little had leaked, only heightened the fears of Riku's people.

He was not a man Riku wanted to meet just yet. As exhilarating as such a battle would be he could not forget that his focus was on the mission. Running in to this Marluxia, who was rumored to be so strong, would only endanger that.

He had to find the key.

The 17-year old stopped just before the next corner, and snuck a peak around. All that stood between him and the door to the holding cells was two guards.

Good, I'm almost there. He eyed the doorway at the end of the hall, knowing security would only tighten as he got closer. This was an important prisoner they were holding. It would be a painful blow to the Organization if they somehow managed to lose him. They had probably gone through as much trouble as the King had to identify and locate the boy. Unfortunately, the Organization had moved faster then Riku's King. Now, it was up to Riku to set things right.

Looking closer at the two guards, he saw that they both had sigils inscribed on their hands. They both had some magical abilities then; nothing that they were born with, so not too powerful, but magical abilities nonetheless. Magic users were dangerous, even the lower level ones. They were unpredictable, never knowing when a spell was ready, or if they'd be choosing to use a blade aimed for your gut instead.

Riku could not give them any time. Brushing back a strand of silver hair, he quickly calculated the distance between himself and the guards, then the door beyond that. From here on out, he would be relying on his speed to take out the remaining guards, and get him down to the prison cells with no pursuers, and hopefully no one sounding the alarm. A grin spread on his face as he readied himself, feeling the thrill course through his body. Direct attacks had always been his favorite. They were far more exhilarating than all of this sneaking around business.

Without wasting another moment, Riku darted out and straight forward, running at top speed. Before they knew what hit them, both the spellcasters were on the floor, bleeding from the chest and waist. The door flew open and Riku was through, darting left and right, taking out every person who was unlucky enough to be guarding the cells this day. Riku did not stop to think that these men were only following orders. He did not stop to think that these men had children and families waiting for them back at home. All he knew was that it would either be him or these strangers who stood between him and his goal to fall to the ground. Riku would not allow himself to fall.

Suddenly there were no more guards, and Riku found himself alone with a blood covered sword and a body at his feet. Stepping forward he peered through the barred windows of each empty cell, searching for the one he had been sent to find. Unease started to fill the pit of his stomach as he passed cell by empty cell. Perhaps this was a trap? Perhaps this person never existed? Maybe they had already been killed or moved to another cell? Had he been executed yet? The young man's blood ran cold at the thought of execution. If the prisoner had already been killed then all hope really was lost.

Riku shook his head, banishing those thoughts, focusing instead on the here and now, though he did move his hand closer to the sword at his side. He was not one to be caught unawares.

Finally, Riku came to the last cell, his heart telling him not to get his hopes up, and his mind yelling at him that this better be it, or else there would be a huge problem. The bodies of those in the higher levels had probably been found by now, and reinforcements were, undoubtedly, heading his way. "Hey, is anybody in…" He stopped short, eyes widening in surprise, a memory of something stirring deep within him; something warm, hope filled, but strangely terrifying at the same time. Riku stared in to the small, barred window of the cell door right in to a pair of brilliant blue eyes that stared right back in to his.

So, that's the first chapter, and already several characters have been introduced. I'm sure you can guess who the "brilliant blue eyes" belong to.

I can't say I'm completely happy with this first chapter. I have almost no experience in writing battle scenes, and there will probably be many more of those ahead of me in this fanfic, so I can only hope I improve on that aspect.