A/N- Hello people! So I have been sitting on this fanfic for a looooooooooong time (almost five years) but never had the confidence to write it. Thanks to my new friendship with Ssceles I decided to give it a go. This is a Riku/Ansem story but I'm not a 100% if I want it to be romantic or not. Lemme know. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Snow. Something extremely uncommon on the islands. And now Riku was surrounded by it. He had seen snow before: once during a freak snow storm on the islands and then in the Land of Dragons. But it was nothing like this. The seventeen year old curled up in the corner of a freezing cell as snow flurries drifted through the small barred window at the top of the stone room. All he had was a thin tattered sheet to wrap around himself and the tattered remains of his clothes. This was the third night he was kept in here. He refused to listen to his Handlers. They tried to force him to fight other teenagers and he refused; sometimes purposely lost matches just to show his defiance to this warped system.

But now… he was starting to regret that. Riku knew that's exactly what they wanted; his spirit to be broken so he could be used to gain profit. The silverette didn't want to be broken again. Just recently he had recovered from Ansem's possession and was determined to keep that strength. Riku closed his eyes trying to picture the warmth of his islands again. He pictured racing with Sora and Kairi's smiling face. He gathered up every warm light he could to try and melt his frigid body. A small, rare tear rolled down his cheek as the memories started slipping due to a harsh wind that blew through the window.

More than anything he wanted to leave this world with his little brother and return home. His mind began seeking people to call out for help. He so desperately wanted to call Sora and Kairi. They would come running in a heartbeat if his plea reached them. But then he remembered where he was. Given their ages, they would be captured too and forced to work. This world was powerful. Riku would never, ever wish this treatment for them. His body began to shake as he slumped lower; realizing there was only one person who could possibly save him…

"Ansem… please… save me…" Riku's mind cried out with his last strands of consciousness before he slipped into a deep feverish sleep.

Almost instantly, through the strong will, Ansem appeared in the cell with a wide smile. "At last you see darkness is-"

Ansem never got to finish that monolog. He noticed the boy was not standing in front of him. The heartless had been locked away so tightly within Riku's heart he hadn't really a clue what was happening. Casually he glanced around until he saw Riku's weakly curled up form. Almost uncharacteristically Ansem knelt down and touched the boy's arm. Even through his white gloves his arm felt freezing. Biting down on his middle finger, Ansem quickly pulled off his glove and felt the teen's forehead. He was burning up. He may have been a heartless for over a decade now but he still remembered fevers were never good.

Xehanort's Heartless then took note of the numerous bruises covering his pale skin. Immediately he casted the highest level cure and while it cleared up most of the injuries, others more severe were reduced but his fever was still burning hot. Ansem knew he had to get Riku out of here quickly. He considered simply taking over while Riku was in this weakened state like he did against Lexaeus but it would be impossible to break out of the cell with how sick he was. It'd be like trudging through knee-deep mud.

Ansem stared at the Riku's shivering form deep in thought how to rectify this. He could feel Riku's faint heart beat. He had maybe an hour or two before that would stop and then they'd both be dead. No, no that wouldn't do. He tried telling himself the only reason he cared was to protect his vessel. Ansem then opened a dark corridor. Riku would never survive the trip so Ansem was forced to leave him there for a moment; but not before gently taking off his coat and draping it over the teen. No one else would see it so there wasn't any risk of it being taken.

"I'll be back…"

Riku could have sworn he felt something touch his skin but he was too tired to see whom. He shivered despite his face burning up. He pulled the sheet tighter around his arms and was surprised it actually gave him warmth. And then he heard heavy footsteps approaching from the outside of his cell. He curled up more dreading it was another beating. Through the several layers of sleep he could barely hear a conversation between the Handler and a mysterious voice.

"You sure you want this one? He's only ever lost clients money and currently looks to sickly to do anything."

The other's voice was too low to understand what was being said however Riku didn't care. He knew it just meant another master had come to claim him.

"Alright if you insist. Here, take this just to keep him motivated if he doesn't behave."

The silverette winced having heard that sentence many times to know what he was referring to. Each handler was given a sharp crop to be used on their slaves when they disobeyed or misbehaved. And others used it for more… nefarious purposes… the likes of which Riku was spared due to his insolence and will to fight. Riku tried to force his eyes open. He tried to move. To stand. He couldn't take another beating. But his body just refused to move and he lay as still as a rag doll.

Yet… much to his surprise… he felt a pair of strong arms ever so gently pick him up bridal style and gingerly carried the boy out of the cell. Out of instinct Riku curled up against the warm man. It reminded him of the warm sand back home… His mind began slipping in and out of catalepsy. He remembered feeling the freezing wind as they stepped outside before the feeling of something warm wrapped around him as he fell asleep again.

Next thing he felt was gently being laid on what felt like a dusty old armchair. Riku desperately wanted to open his eyes to see what was happening but he barely had the strength to achieve that. Instead he focused his ears listening as his new Handler shuffled around the room before lighting the fire which slowly began to warm the room.

"Now lets get you out of those wet clothes…"

Large hands began peeling away the blood stained tatters which earned a small cry from the teenager as some of the pieces had actually become stuck to his skin. Undressed down to his boxers, Riku dreaded the worst; his eyes still unable to open and the only command his body seemed to obey was to scratch the upholstery with the tips of his fingers. More rustling before he was gingerly scooped up again and this time laid on a soft, now warm bed. Was he really that fortunate to get a kind Handler? This could be a trap though. Trying to lure him into a false sense of security before completely breaking the boy.

All the wild theories soon wore him out again; drifting into a deep sleep as the blanket was tucked tightly around him to keep warm. Riku hadn't a clue how long he was out for this time. He was so comfortable and warm in the bed he didn't want to wake up in case it was all just a dream. Eventually though the inevitable happened and Riku opened his eyes. The room was bathed in a warm yellow glow clearly radiating from the blazing fireplace.

The room was basic, made out of wooden logs stacked together with a wardrobe and dresser as well as a full body mirror hanging on the wall. A single window by his bed side looked out onto the snow covered streets of this cruel world. Riku attempted to sit up but found his head was too heavy from the fever.

"You still need to rest."

Riku almost jumped at the sound of Ansem's voice. Almost if it weren't for the fact his body felt like it weighed two tons. "What are you… doing here?" His voice croaked having not spoken in a while.

"You called me here, remember?" Ansem reminded as he sat down on the bed with a small bowl of cold water in one hand and a cup in the other. He set the cup down on the bedside table before wringing the white cloth in the cold water and laying it gently across Riku's forehead. The silverette gasped in relief feeling the cold against his burning forehead.

"Why did you… save me…?" Riku asked with a touch of worry in his soft voice.

Ansem sighed. "Even I have standards… And child abuse is one of them. As much grief as you've caused me, I would have never wished this upon you. Too many bruises."

The teen rolled his eyes. Ansem then picked up the cup, "drink this… it'll help you sleep and break the fever."

That's when Riku really began to struggle. He found a small reserve of energy just enough to turn his head away. The heartless probably drugged it so he could take over his defenseless body. "No… I won't let you… control me again…"

The older man grunted at Riku's fruitless attempts to escape and as much as he wanted to avoid physical violence, Riku having the drink was more important for the boy's survival. He gripped Riku's jaw trying to still him.

"I promise… I won't do anything." It almost pained Xehanort's Heartless to make that promise but if he didn't Riku could hurt himself trying to escape in this state.

Eventually Riku ran out of energy and his head stopped wriggling. He hated this. He felt so weak and helpless. The cup was pressed to his lips and he reluctantly opened his mouth drinking the warm liquid. It tasted like a nice fruit tea from back home. Just as Ansem said, the medicine soon kicked in and felt extremely tired again. He tried fighting sleep fearing what Ansem might do but alas it was no use. His eyes closed tight and he sank into the warm recesses of his memories.

A/N- Please let me know what you think! I'm rather proud of it and next chapter we'll get into a bit of the backstory more. Till next time!