MegaKiraraLover (MKL): okay, let me get this strait now. THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS STORY! so, unless you don't mind spoilers or you've beaten xemnas in kh2, DON'T READ THE STORY! i don't want any reviews sayin 'oh, you've ruined the game for me now!' or 'how could you not warn me about the spoilers!', cause i'll send you an evil reply tellin you to go fu….well, you get the picture. happily kaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy? well, now that that's over, let me just say this is before hughes dies because HUGHES SHALL NEVER DIE! for he rocks like that where he can't. kay? well, to the summery and the disclaimer and the just so you know and the story! takes deep, rasping breath whew, that was a mouth full!

&&

Summery: When Riku and Sora get thrown into the dark realm after their battle with Xemnas, they think there is no hope of escaping. They think they will be stuck there for eternity. They think they will never see any other form of life ever again. They think wrong.

When a light suddenly appears after Sora reads a letter in a bottle from Kairi, they think they found a way home. They think they found a way to their friends. They think they are finally going to be happy forever. They think wrong.

When they go through the light, some things happen that make the two close friends lose hope. The darkness in Riku's heart returns. Sora's Keyblade goes missing. Altogether chaos happens when it turns out this place is where Xemnas, Luxlord, Siax, and all the other Nobodys go when they've been defeated and they can't find their other halfs. Which is all of them. But there is hope. Hope in a boy and his brother. Hope in the strange practice called alchemy that is common in this dimension. Hope in the possibility that these people-Sora and Riku's new friends-can help them get back to their home.

&&

Disclaimer: Well, after that long and cheery summery, let me just say that I DO NOT OWN FMA OR KH2 CAUSE….well, CAUSE! Kay, now that that's over, lets get to the story, shall we?

&&

Just so you know ((hiya, people!)): When something has ((this)) around it, that means it's me talking. That's it. For once.

&&

Chapter One:

A Light in the Darkness

And a Darkness in the Light

Riku smiled slightly and put the letter he had found in the bottle that had floated to his feet in front of Sora's face. "I think it's for you," he said mysteriously. Sora gave him a confused look before taking the letter and reading it.

"Kairi…." Sora mumbled under his breath as he finished the letter. Suddenly, a light appeared a little way out towards sea. Sora jumped up. "Riku! That light! Do you think…." Riku stood up shakily.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." With that, he leaned onto Sora's shoulder heavily and the two best friends started into the water. They reached the light and (with little hesitation) walked right through, hoping to get home.

&&

Sora opened his eyes with a groan. "Oww….my head…." he said as he sat up. The Keyblade Bearer suddenly glanced around frantically before sighing with relief when he saw Riku laying next to him, still unconscious. "Riku….C'mon, Riku, wake up…." Sora started shaking the poor boy.

"Ugh…." Riku groaned as he opened his eyes. He quickly sat up. "Are we home?" Sora looked around uneasily.

"No….I don't think so…." They were in a blank white space, with nothing around as far as the eye could see. Except for one thing. A big, huge gate-type-thing with weird markings on it. "What IS that thing?" Sora asked with wide eyes as he stared at the Gate.

"I don't know, Sora. Help me up?" Sora quickly put Riku's arm around his shoulders and let Riku lean on him again as the two got up onto their feet.

"Hello." Sora and Riku jumped at the voice. It came from their right. They quickly looked at it and just stared.

The….thing….appeared to be white, like the surrounding area, only it had an unnatural light surrounding it. The light showed the shape of a….boy, maybe.

"Wha….?" Sora started, staring at it. He almost dropped Riku.

"You're the Keyblade Bearer, aren't you?" it asked. Sora's mouth dropped. "I thought as much. I heard that the Keyblade Bearer and one of his closest and oldest friends would be stopping by. Some guy named….Axel, was it?"

"Wait, Axel was here!"

"Yep. A little while ago, actually. Nobody, if I remember right. You know, all Nobodys are sent here after being destroyed. I take the toll, and they go through this Gate here to the Other Side."

"Other….Side? What's the Other Side?" Riku shuddered slightly.

"I've heard about it from Ansem the Wise. He said that Nobodys don't ever truly disappear when they are supposedly killed. They are sent through some Gate to a place that has never even heard of a Heartless, let alone seen one," Riku said with a small quiver in his voice ((awe, poor riku! i hope he's okay….sniff….)).

"Correct," the thing said with a creepy smile, which caused some light to make the shape of teeth. "You ARE a smart one. But to reject darkness? Actually, you've gotten rid of it, haven't you. But, I still need a toll from all three of you."

"Three of us?" Sora asked uneasily. "Its only Riku and me." The smile got bigger.

"I beg to differ. Maybe….Roxas?" Suddenly, Roxas was pushed out of Sora by an unseen force, causing him to land on his knees and palms. He was breathing heavily, and glared at the thing, ignoring Riku and Sora, who were gaping at him.

"I paid my toll, Truth," he said icily. "My memories of Sora, last time I was sent through here."

"Yes, but that was last time. Don't want to break the laws of Equivalent Exchange, now, do I?" Truth asked with a creepy tone in his voice. "Lets see….Roxas, you first. I think I'll take….hmmmm….your memories of Xemnas. That way, you can't help Riku and Sora in the other realm." Suddenly, Roxas clutched his head and started rocking back and forth.

"Roxas!" Sora and Riku yelled at the same time. They ran to one side. Roxas screamed loudly as the memories were ripped from him. Suddenly, Roxas's form started shimmering as his screaming died down. When it stopped, Roxas was almost gone. He disappeared in a shimmer of sparkles, which went into Sora.

"Well, that was interesting," Truth said with amusement. "Now, onto Sora. Lets see….maybe….ah, that's it! How about we take away….the power to let Roxas free. You do know you had that power, right?"

"Wait, I….I did?" Sora asked, standing up and leaving Riku on the ground, where the white-haired teen glared slightly at him, agitated that Sora left him there and that he couldn't pick himself up.

"Oh, yes. You did. But now you don't have it anymore. Sadly, though, Roxas can still talk to you. Aw well, I've got my toll from you right…." Sora suddenly clutched his heart and started breathing heavily. "….now. There you go. Last but not least….little Riku." Riku glared up at him as Sora (who had fallen to his knees when Truth had taken away the power to free Roxas) looked back and forth. What was Truth going to take? "I can't take anything from you. You've lost enough already." Sora breathed out in relief, but Riku's eyes narrowed.

"Not take anything? But then what will you do?" he asked suspiciously. "I still have my toll." Truth's smile returned, making Sora shudder slightly.

"Well, I just need to do something that will create Equivalent Exchange. That doesn't always mean just taking something. Giving something back will sometimes be better," it said with a bigger smile. "And I know exactly what I'm going to give back."

"What?" Sora asked the question sacredly, worried about what Riku might get back.

"The power of Darkness, otherwise know as 'Ansem's' Heartless." Riku's eyes went wide, and Sora quickly moved in front of his friend, trying to protect him.

"No! Please, anything but that!" he pleaded. "Riku's gone through that already!"

"Exactly. Which sadly means he will be more prepared to handle it. The only thing is….the Other Side? It's closer to Darkness than any other realm or world you've ever been to."

"Oh, shit…." Riku swore as he suddenly started glowing with a dark purple light. "Ugh….Sora….i-its happening…." Sora quickly turned around.

"Riku!" he exclaimed fearfully, crouching down next to his friend. "Don't worry, Riku, we'll find a way to get rid of it!" Truth smiled.

"Oh, but there is no way. The only way is to go back through the Gate, which is almost impossible," it said. The light around Riku dimmed, causing Riku to start breathing heavily. "Good day, young 'heroes'. Hehehehehehe…." The Gate opened, and a thousand little black hands grabbed Riku and Sora.

"Aaaaaaaahh!" Sora yelled as he grabbed Riku's arm, trying not to get them separated.

"Sora….calm down….its only taking us through….the Gate…." Riku said calmly. The hands pulled Sora and Riku through the Gate, and the doors closed behind them.

&&

Sora opened his eyes for the second time in what felt like minutes with a groan and sat up with his hand on his head. "Oh man…." he said with a pained voice. "What…." Suddenly, it came back to him. Roxas. Truth. Himself. Toll. ….Riku.

Sora quickly realized he still had his hand on Riku's arm. "Riku!" he exclaimed, looking over at the boy and pulling his own hand away. Sora almost gasped, but managed to swallow it. His poor friend's heart was strong, but….not quite strong enough in this world so close to the darkness. Plus the darkness that had been returned….it had been too much for Riku's body to handle. So, it had….changed. Back to….that form. Back to….Xeanort's Heartless.

&&

MKL: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Ed: ….you're the one who did it to him.

MKL: ….

Sora: he's right, and you know it.

MKL: ….

Riku: like she said, though, i now know how to control him better, so it won't be like i don't know what its like.

MKL: glomps riku THANK YOU FOR DEFENDING ME!

Riku: ….get off.

MKL: obeys right. sorry. got a little over-excited there.

Sora & Ed: ….

MKL: well, see you next time! BYE!