~*~Kingdom Hearts: Mirror Dance~*~

By: Dew

Author's Note: Uh…this is my first KH fic. ^^;;; Umm…this is a sequel to Kingdom Hearts and is somewhat based off of the secret ending. So if you haven't beaten the game…SPOILERS ALERT!! And all you sharp people, I'll be putting quotes I have squeezed out of the secret movie once in a while in the chapters. See if you can spot them ^^;; but don't expect a prize ^^;;; I'm a horrible artist and really, really poor.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT CLAIM KINGDOM HEARTS. IT BELONGS TO SQUARE AND DISNEY. ONLY THE STORY PLOT BELONGS TO ME. SUE ME AND YOU WON'T GET ANYTHING EXCEPT A PENNY AND THAT'S IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE LUCKY.

~Prologue~

The wind blew violently around him as the rain pelted his cloaked skin. He didn't mind the numbness, his mind was focused solely on the creatures that withdrew themselves from the shadows of the ground slowly. Their yellow eyes seemed to tear into his body and Riku felt his hands clench into fists in nervousness and excitement. He felt his Keyblade sing in agreement.

Their hunger for his heart filled him as Riku smiled crudely at them. He could feel their anxiety – they had not tasted a heart of someone so powerful in such a long time…

Finally their patience drew thin and the black demons lunged, hoping to tear his heart out from his body. Riku withdrew his Keyblade from its haven and twirled it around his body in defense. The Heartless hissed in protest as they eyed and felt the raw power that radiated from the blade within the eighteen-year old boy's hands. Riku's lips drew a tight line of determination as he lifted the weapon into a fighting stance.

The Heartless hissed once more, growling some language between each other as they eyed Riku hungrily.

"The Keyblade Master…" the Keyblade translated, vibrating softly in the silver-haired youth's hands. "The Keyblade Master…"

"Strong heart," another hissed. "Keyblade…the Keyblade…"

Riku gripped his Keyblade tighter, eyeing the Heartless in front of him and his back tensing as he heard the breath of the Heartless behind him. The battle would be short, yes. The battle would be painfully easy; they always were. The Heartless will swallow their fear of the Keyblade and lunge, their hunger overtaking their terror of his weapon.

He would kill them all but Riku never made the first move.

It would be suicide to make the first move.

The wind howled in anticipation as the rain fell down upon him and the Heartless, awaiting the inevitable battle in the near future. Riku felt the cold seep through his cloak but even then he did not lower his gaze or his defensive stance.

A Heartless lunged at last.

Riku felt his Keyblade react and felt his body swing around the attacking Heartless and brought the weapon down, cleanly slicing the demon in half. It screamed as it exploded into a black fog. Adrenaline was rushing in Riku's veins as the rest of the Heartless hissed and growled some more, not wanting to meet the same fate as their companion.

That's it… he thought, watching the Heartless fidget. Come at me.

"The Keyblade…" they were hissing. "The Keyblade…powerful heart…a Keyblade Master…"

"KEYBLADE…!!" the Heartless chanted, circling around the teenager with hungry yellow eyes. "KEYBLADE…"

Come at me bastards, that's it…come get me… Riku thought further, his gloved hands soaked with rain and sweat.

As if answering his prayer, the Heartless charged at him, their black claws positioned to rip his body apart. He took half-a-second to take a breather then launched into a fury of attacks – slicing open a Heartless to his right, stabbing another to cover his left. Riku ignored the throbbing pain on his back and the scent of his own blood flooding into his nostrils.

Shit, shit, shit… he thought has he swung in an arc to hit three of the Heartless as the others attacked his open sides and back mercilessly. I'm taking too much damage from these flunkies…

He withdrew, jumping back to a safe distance and watched the Heartless breathe heavily, their crazed eyes glaring into him, searching for his heart underneath the cloth and skin. He felt their raging hunger flood into him. Riku glared back steadily, not letting his fatigue show. These Heartless were far stronger than the others he had fought in the course of three years, Riku concluded as he was surrounded once more by the Heartless pack.

"Keyblade…our death…the Keyblade…" they murmured, "Like the Pure Hearted One...a Keyblade Master…"

Riku's green eyes widened then narrowed. They know. his mind snarled with eagerness. They know…they know where he is…

"Where is he?"

His voice startled the Heartless – they reeled back as if stung. He took a step forward, making the Heartless in front of him step back. Riku's forest green eyes were flaming with inner hope…the three years of his painfully long journey might be finally…finally over…

"Where is he?" he repeated, his voice lowering dangerously. His hands shook as the Heartless stubbornly refused to answer. "Answer me!" he yelled, his young features taking on those of an impatient child's. "Where's Sora?"

The Heartless were silent. It seemed like the world was silent as well. The name of the one had searched for three years…the wind rang it over and over again inside his skull.

"He knows…" one finally whispered.

"He knows…" another repeated more firmly.

"The Pure Hearted One…he knows…!!"

Riku gripped his Keyblade tightly. The Heartless started to shriek, their shrill voices ringing inside his head painfully. They seemed no longer interested in his heart, only in the ritual they were performing. Riku felt his body tremble as he waited patiently for the Heartless to finish. He could feel a smile. He not only wanted to smile; he wanted to dance for joy too.

They know…

"Gone…" one told him. "Search for him…we search for him…yes…the Keyblade…it calls us…"

"Where?" he cut in, "Where is Sora?"

"Gone…" they repeated, their voice more hysterical than usual. "Searching…yes we are…searching for the Keyblade…it calls…gone, gone, gone…" The Heartless snickered, possessed by some demon of a deeper darkness. Yellow eyes faced off against green as the Heartless sniggered. "Gone, gone, gone, gone, GONE…and the Keyblade calls…"

They melted into the ground slowly, still howling with their insane laughter. "It calls…"

"Wait!" Riku cried, jabbing a hand towards them. They did not stop snickering even as their antennas vanished into the ground. "Tell me where he is! Where is Sora?"

"It calls…" the Heartless answered, their voices fading. "The Keyblade…it calls…"