Preface: This is a sequel to Fragmented Truths. If you haven't read it and would rather start here, you can find a short explanation of past events once you reach the end of the chapter.

Chapter 1: A Friend in the Dark

Boulder-sized fists smashed the solid, stone ground. Pools of blackness shot out like waves, devouring the grey earth beneath them. With his teeth clenched, Sora sprung up and away from the darkness, flipped backwards, and swerved between the arms of two Darkside Heartless. Heat surrounded his clawed hands, and with a wave of his arms, he hurled green flames that struck the edges of the huge, heart shaped holes in their chests. His shoes struck solid terrain, and he took a few moments to catch his breath. The respite ended abruptly, however, when he heard the sound of smacking lips and looked up to see a ball of jagged teeth rocketing towards his face. Biting his lip, he started to sink into his shadow right as the Darkball snagged a spike of his hair between its jaws. Talk about a close call!

In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the brightest idea facing all those Heartless on his own. Who knew that one little slash of his claws would set a whole mob upon him? While a part of him almost wished he'd followed Ven's advice and snuck past them instead, how could he resist such easy targets? Sure, they probably wanted to flatten him into a black smear right about now, but if he didn't cut 'em down, who would?

Luckily for Sora, he was just as Heartless as the rest of 'em, and his little shadow trick gave him enough time to stitch a strategy together. After just a few moments of waiting, he burst out of his hiding spot, spun around, and dragged his claws clear across the Darkball's face. One second, it floated there like a mutated balloon and the next it exploded into black and purple ooze. As soon as Sora landed, he brushed off his clothes and took a step back. If it weren't for the three lanky figures barreling in from the left, he would've set his sights back on the Darksides. Instead, he wove between their massive claws, swiveling behind one of the Heartless and slamming his shoe against its back.

In the time it took him to land his attack, he barely noticed the black blur inching up from behind. The Neoshadow's claws sliced across him like swords, knocking him off his feet. Pressure bubbled inside his chest, and his mouth flew open, but he made no sound of distress. He couldn't even if he wanted to.

Catching himself with his hands, Sora sneered at the Heartless, pushed himself back up, and smacked his palms together. A purple ring shot out from his body, slamming into each of the Neoshadows' torsos and flinging them backwards. Their whole bodies twitched as the poison set in, but Sora didn't give 'em a chance to fight back; instead, he descended on them one by one, ripping his claws into their shadowy forms. Each swipe reduced them to smoke that fizzled away in a heartbeat. With those pests outta the way, he took a look around. Upon spotting a rectangular cliff up ahead, he took off on all fours and scrambled towards the top. He made it about halfway up when the sound of thundering footsteps froze him in his tracks. Brow furrowed, he peered over his shoulder and found the Darksides lumbering towards him at a snail's pace. Just what he needed to see.

In the corner of his eye, he caught a blue blade swinging at his side. After raising one hand to block, Sora snapped his claws and lit up his dark surroundings with a flash of purple lightning. With the Invisible distracted, he catapulted himself on top of the nearest Darkside's head, scratching at its unblinking eyes. It lifted one arm to swat him away, but Sora latched onto its wrist and sent a trail of fire racing up to its shoulder. The Heartless thrashed its whole body, and Sora's face crashed into the dirt. The weight of an avalanche pounded him in the back, and he wheezed at the crushing pain.

But, just like before, he sank down and slipped free from the Heartless' tight grip. For a giant, muscle-bound monster, it sure wasn't that smart.

None of them were, or they would've seen his next move coming miles away. All three of the Darksides circled in on him, joined by a rising current of smaller, black forms. Tiny Shadows hopped out from around one of the Darkside's fists. Darkballs swooped in with their mouths wide open, while at least a dozen Neoshadows stormed in from behind. No matter where Sora looked, he found himself lost in a wall of shifting, dark figures, swarming him like a pack of starving wolves.

Perfect. With all the Heartless close together, Sora pulled his lips into a grin, unashamed to show his pointed teeth to these pests. His glowing eyes darted from the left to the right, and he flung both of his hands above his head and stretched out his claws. The smaller Heartless crouched low; he expected them to pounce at any second. The Darksides reared their arms back while the Darkballs bobbed and swayed. Sora waited just a few more seconds before he shut his eyes and slammed his palms against the ground.

A sheep's bleating signaled the spread of his spell. As he opened his eyes, the Heartless toppled over like a chain of dominos. Even the Darksides started wobbling before long, their arms wiggling like dangling string. They collapsed one at a time into a mountain of a roadblock, but Sora didn't mind. With all the Heartless lost in dreamland, he once again lit up the darkness with flickers of electricity that barbequed the Heartless bit by bit. A rim of crackling flames swallowed any stragglers, and when only the Darksides remained, Sora leaped onto the pile. Starting at the top, he ripped his claws through their shadowy skins, slashing, shredding, and tearing through their muscular forms while they lay still, lost in slumber.

Smog coiled up from their fingertips all the way around their torsos. Their bodies sank into puddles of bubbling ooze, marring the path along with the scattered ash stains and lingering smoke. To call it a mess would be one huge understatement, but on the upside, at least he'd wiped out some of the Heartless. The fewer that made it to the Realm of Light, the better. He'd just have to watch it the next time he stumbled into a swarm.

Now that he'd cleaned up shop, though, he needed to get his butt in gear and hit the road. Sure, his muscles throbbed a bit from getting pounded into the dirt, and his chest heaved from the breathlessness that resulted from that huge Sleep spell, but so what? He'd been through worse, and he couldn't afford any breaks. So, with the speed of a slug, Sora crawled back towards the base of the cliff and dragged himself up to the top.

Once there, he stood up straight and surveyed his surroundings. Just when he thought he might find something new, he instead looked upon another wavy path of grey stone flanked with bulging, black rock formations of varying shapes. Some looked like gigantic mushrooms, others bent over to form tiny bridges or curled in on themselves. Regardless of shape, though, they all glowed with freakish, blue cracks that provided the only light beneath the pitch black sky.

Shaking his head, Sora hopped up onto one of the rocks and leaned over the edge. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on the distant warmth that had led him there in the first place. Compared to when he first marched through the Door to Darkness, the warmth had spread, providing him with a faint tingling sensation. If he focused hard enough, he could almost visualize… somebody, though their shape remained a smudgy mess. Just how much further would he have to go before he found this person?

While he tried to make sense of the feeling, he heard a soft hum in the back of his head.

"You know, maybe you should take it easy," said Ven. "You've been at this for hours, maybe even days. I'd say we both could use a break."

Probably. Sora sighed, dropping his hands in his lap. But c'mon, Ven. Don't you think finding this person's more important? Those Heartless only attacked me because I hit 'em first, but you know they won't hold back against somebody with a heart.

"Well, yeah, but…"

Sora narrowed his eyes, shooting back to his feet. No buts! I might not know who we're looking for, but if they're in danger, then there's no way I'm gonna sit around. We can sleep all we want once we're outta here.

"I guess you've got me there." Ven chuckled. "Truth is, I'd probably do the same thing if I still had my body."

And that's what I'm here for. Smiling from ear to ear, Sora leaped down from his perch and trudged further along the path. As he moved, he glanced from side to side and at the endless display of blacks and greys. They just went on and on and on, making it feel as if he hadn't moved a single inch even after he'd traveled at least half a mile. After taking two more steps, Sora stomped one foot, balled his hands into fists, and fought back the urge to shout.

Ugh! How're we gonna get anywhere when everything looks the same?

"Well, we could always look for landmarks. There's gotta be something that sticks out if we look hard enough. Or… hey! Maybe we could try and make shapes outta all these huge rocks. That might help us pass the time."

Oh, why not? They had no idea how long it'd even take before they reached the end of the road, and if people could do it with clouds, why not freakish chunks of glowing stone? At first, Ven's suggestion actually worked. As he waltzed down the road, Sora kept his eyes glued to his rocky surroundings. If he squinted, he could almost make out some kinda gumdrop shape with one of the formations, and after rounding a corner, Ven pointed out one stone form that swerved in a suspicious S shape. And if he tilted his head a little to the left and squinted long enough, Sora could almost make out a bunny-like shape at the top of the next cliff.

But as time wore on, even their harmless game of I Spy became a chore. Whenever Neoshadows and Invisibles crept past, Sora buried the urge to engage them just to shake things up. Fortunately, after what felt like an eternity of wandering, their surroundings shifted at least a little bit. In place of pitch blackness, the sky became a mesh of purples and reds smudged together like watercolors on a canvas. Sora even stopped for a few minutes to watch the colors twirl around, mixed with a webbing of black energy. Then he noticed the colors twisting into a whirlpool in the sky and sinking away into a blackened sphere. In place of an abstract painting, Sora saw nothing but a black hole that threatened to swallow him up. With a gulp, he ripped his eyes away from the sight and rocketed down the path once more.

Soon the stones sank away, trees sprouting up in their place. They all looked white as dried up bones, some bent over in creepy contortions while others curved and twisted. Their branches stuck out like skeletal fingers that threatened to grab Sora and never let go. One of them even snagged the hood of his jacket. Once he yanked himself free, he shuddered and looked away. Ignoring the trees, he started to assess the rest of his surroundings.

A wide clearing stretched out before him with strange, white veins reaching out towards the center. Grey mist coasted over the treetops. The reds and purples of the sky blended with dull blues. Oddly enough, Sora spotted a few ash smudges scattered here and there. Upon further inspection, he caught sight of broken branches piled up on each other and heaps of shattered stone and dust. After taking one more step, he felt his foot sink into a shallow hole. When he looked down, he found himself standing in a footprint almost as big as his body!

Had somebody fought here? And against what? That print sure didn't look like a Darkside's doing, given the three pointed claws at the tip. As he examined the print, a grimace crept across his face. Whatever left the print must've been huge, and he didn't care to find out what it was. But just as he moved out of the ditch, he froze. The warmth from before shot through him, sparking into a full on heat wave.

When he closed his eyes, he noticed hints of blue mixed in with the rest of that figure's blurry form.

I think we're almost there, Ven.

He felt so close, in fact, that an idea popped into his head. Taking a huge gulp of air, Sora reached out with his right hand and flicked his fingers away from his palm. A shadow formed at the tip of the footprint, bulging into a twisting dome lined with dancing tendrils. He'd made it this far on foot, so why not take a little shortcut? If he could pinpoint his friends several worlds away, then it'd be a cinch to find this stranger now that he'd picked up the trail.

He slipped into the portal and felt a chill slither down from his head to his feet. Wading through pitch blackness, he kept his eyes peeled for anyone remotely human. Once he reached the other side, he felt his shoes dip into soft, black sand. In place of swirling colors, he saw a pale glow stretching above the horizon. The scent of seawater flooded his senses, as did the sound of rolling waves. From afar, he spotted more of those funky stone structures, but they seemed smaller now. Insignificant, especially compared to the figure he spotted at the shoreline.

Short, blue hair stood out among the moonlight. Squinting, Sora crept closer, trying to get a better look. Soon more features came into view. Pink straps formed an X along her back. White sleeves stretched down from a little past her shoulders all the way to her wrists. The back of her shirt and her shorts meshed with the blackened sand and, come to think of it… had he seen this girl before?

Whether he had or hadn't, it didn't take long before Ven shattered his focus with a loud cry of, "Aqua!"

Sora squeezed his head with both hands and gritted his teeth. The girl, Aqua, tensed and turned her gaze his way. Gulping, Sora flattened himself to escape her sight. He needed to approach this cautiously. Who knew what she'd think if she saw him there in all his shadowy, glowing-eyed glory?

And just who was she in the first place?

Hidden from sight, Sora kept close watch on Aqua's movements. First she peered over her shoulder with wide, blue eyes and a small frown plastered on her face. Her brow tightened and her fingers flexed, but after a few seconds, she sighed and looked to the water once more.

"No, of course not. Ven's safe. Why would he be here in the darkness?"

Sora's head popped out of the ground, and his eyes nearly flew out of their sockets. Ven, d'you know her? Okay, so that was probably a dumb question. He'd already called out to her, after all.

But Ven didn't seem to mind. He responded seconds later in a soft whisper. "'Course I know her, Sora. She's one of my best friends!"

But what's she doing in a place like this?

"I dunno, but d'you think you can get a little closer? Maybe if we talk to her, we can figure out what happened. Or, better yet! We could pull her outta here and away from all those Heartless."

Uh, just one problem, Ven. Sora wiggled his claws before pulling his legs outta the ground. I'm a Heartless, remember? Something tells me that wouldn't end well.

Once again, Aqua tensed. Her right hand formed a fist, and as she rose to her full height, Sora scrambled backwards, heart pounding at the speed of light.

"Oh no you don't!" said Ven. "C'mon, it'll be fine! Aqua knows better than to—"

The rest of Ven's words became gibberish in Sora's mind the minute Aqua turned to face him. The flash of light around her fingertips would've made him scream if he had a voice to scream with. Said light stretched into a silver Keyblade that she held in a tight grip. At the sight of the weapon, Sora sprung backwards, ducked low to the ground, and shielded his face with both hands.

He heard the sand crunch beneath her boots. Cracking one eye open, Sora looked between the gaps in his fingers and spotted Aqua looking down at him with her head tipped to the side. She took a step closer, Keyblade still in her grasp, though her expression softened just a little bit.

"That's strange. I can sense a deep darkness in you just like the others, but…" She stopped, raising her voice. "You're different, aren't you?"

Wait, why didn't she attack him? Biting his lip, Sora lowered his hands and pressed them into the sand. Still shaking, he looked up at Aqua and swallowed hard. After a few seconds of staring, he managed to nod. Since he couldn't exactly talk to her, he scratched a message into the dirt.

'I'm Sora.'

"Sora?" Her hand flew to her lips, and she took a step backwards. "But that's impossible. The Sora I remember was so small and full of light…"

So she knew him, too. But when and how? It must've been back when he was just a little kid or he'd remember something like that. And light? Hah, those were the days. Though he knew Aqua probably meant no harm, her words pierced him in the heart and he hung his head low, gripping at his chest. His claws flexed and his face crinkled up. How was he supposed to explain this? So much had happened that words in the sand could never convey it all.

But maybe words on a page could.

Straightening his back, Sora looked up at her and shoved one hand into his pocket. He plucked out a pad of paper, followed by a pen, and after flipping to a blank page, he scribbled a note and held it up for all to see.

'A lot's changed. I got older, some stuff happened, and I've been this way for at least half a year.' And to top it all off, he hadn't grown a single inch since he became a Heartless.

Aqua's eyes remained locked on the page for several long seconds. She stooped over him, eyebrows knitting together. Her gaze drifted down towards her Keyblade, and she splayed her fingers out, sending the weapon away in a short, white flash. Then her eyes returned to him, and Sora crouched even lower than before. Aqua's lips pressed together, and she reached for her chin. She continued to watch him, study him. After a while, Sora averted his eyes, feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass. Who knew what she thought about this?

But to his surprise, he heard her footsteps move closer and closer. A hand brushed against his shoulder, and when he looked up, he found Aqua kneeling at his side. Her lips slowly curled into a smile, washing her frown away

Sora didn't know what to do. His back hunched, and he pulled his arms near to his chest. Yet despite his movements, Aqua let out a soft laugh, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"It's okay. Even with all this darkness, I can still feel some of your light burning inside you. It's faint, but I'm sure it's still shining beneath all the shadows, just waiting to break free."

She could feel his light? No, that couldn't be. Shaking his head, Sora flipped to a new page and prepared to correct her.

'But that's not my light. I lost all of mine the minute I became a Heartless.'

Aqua's grip tightened, and her smile wavered. She slid a little closer.

"Could you tell me more about…" She paused. "No, that can wait. What matters now is that you're here."

Though he fiddled with his pen, no words marked the next blank page. Sora stared down at the paper, trying to piece together a response, but what could he say?

The whole time, Aqua stayed close, and her hand remained fixed in place. She reached down for his chin, tipping it up. Part of him wanted to push her away, to focus on the sand or the rocks or even the moon, but his body refused to cooperate. Despite his gut instinct telling him to move, Sora stayed put while Aqua broke the silence once more.

"Listen, Sora. I may not know what happened, but I'd like to help you in any way that I can. So if there's something, anything I can do to make you feel better, please tell me."

'You don't have to.' He cracked a tiny, closed-mouth smile. 'I'll get by just like I always have. Besides, the reason I'm here in the first place is so that I—no, so we can help you. Me and Ven.'

Aqua's breath hitched, and her free hand flew to her heart. "Ven… He's really here?"

Before Sora could write so much as a letter, he felt a jolt to his chest. He didn't even have to guess why.

"Yup, it's me!" Sora could just picture a goofy grin on Ven's face. "Sorry we couldn't get here sooner, Aqua."

"I can't believe this…" Her smile broadened, and she clasped her hands together. "All this time, I've been searching for an escape so that I could come back to you, but here you are. And Sora, too." The next thing Sora knew, her arms wrapped around his middle, pulling him close.

Really, after seeing Kairi again, he should've gotten used to spontaneous hugs. But just like with her, Sora became petrified at the contact, and his notepad slipped from his grasp. Breathing in, he curled his claws against his palms before raising his arms. His hands hovered over her back for a few moments before he finally returned the embrace.

But after about a minute, she pulled away, eyes darting towards the crashing waves. She glanced up at the moon with soft, silent breaths. One hand slipped behind her back, pulling out a tiny object. From between her fingers, Sora made out a vague star shape, deep blue, just like her hair.

"I've spent so much time here alone that I never expected anyone to find me. But now that you're both here…" She looked back to Sora. "How are we going to escape? I'd hate for you to have come all this way to become trapped here with me."

Scooping up his pen and paper, Sora threw his shoulders back, lifted his chin, and hopped back on his feet. 'I've got that all taken care of! Just say the word, and I'll get us outta here in a jiffy.'

Aqua blinked. "Is it really that simple?"

"It is now! Why don't you show her what you mean, Sora?"

Like he had to ask. After shoving his writing tools back into his pocket, Sora raised both of his arms, cracked his knuckles, and took two steps back. Straightening his spine, he snapped his claws and flicked his wrist. The sand at his feet darkened into an even deeper black. The surrounding air chilled while the corridor took form, stretching up higher and higher until it stood roughly two heads above him. Aqua's jaw dropped at the sight, and she jerked backwards; the grip on her charm tightened.

"Are you sure this is safe? I can feel the darkness pooling together, and it's almost suffocating."

Sora slumped, arms dangling at his sides. He reached up and scratched at his cheek, shooting a glance at the portal. With his pen tucked away, Ven spoke in his stead.

"I know it looks scary, but what choice do we have? It's the quickest way outta here, and if you slip into your armor, I think you'll be okay!"

"My armor?" Aqua winced. "Ven, I don't have it anymore. I sent it away with Terra in order to save him. That's why—"

Terra… Just the sound of that name made Sora squirm. Red flashed before his eyes. A figure drenched in black towered over him, amber eyes gleaming. Suddenly, those crooked, lumpy rocks past the shallows looked awfully interesting. So interesting that Sora pulled his eyes away from Aqua and away from the portal, staring blankly at the horizon.

When he heard Ven whimper and moan, he knew the same thought must've crossed his mind.

"Look, Aqua, there's… er, well, there's a lot we've gotta tell you about, but first we need to leave! You might not have your armor with you, but I bet your heart's as strong as ever. One trip through a portal's not gonna stop you."

"You're right." She tucked the charm away, rising up from the sand. "And if what Sora said is true, then I've spent years trapped here in the Realm of Darkness. That's too much time spent away from the worlds when I should have been there to protect them."

Right. And to think she spent all that time alone… Taking a deep breath, Sora marched over to her side, giving her a thumbs up. Maybe things hadn't gone the way she'd planned, but this was their chance to fix everything. Another Keyblade had to tilt things in their favor, at least by a little bit.

He must've done something right, because Aqua's face lit up, laughter fluttering through the air. She reached out for Sora, ruffling his hair. Though he batted his hands at her, his lips tugged into a crooked grin. It took a second before he remembered his knife-like teeth, and he jerked his head the other way just in case. Lucky for him, Aqua didn't flinch or shudder. Instead, she strolled over to the corridor, slipping one hand inside.

Before long, Sora trailed after her on all fours, sliding to a stop at Aqua's side. Standing up straight, he crawled halfway into it, poking his head out long enough to wink and give her one last smile. Anything to reassure her.

And, in turn, Aqua patted him on the head before sucking in a huge breath of air, closing her eyes, and taking an enormous step into the churning mess of a corridor. Once she made it, Sora hopped ahead of her, gazing through trembling tendrils at the few glimmers at moonlight radiating inside. He soaked in the sounds of the waves, taking one last whiff of the salty sea air. Then, with a snap of his claws, the darkness snapped together, closing out all the light.

But he knew it was only temporary. Soon they'd be safe and soon they'd be free. Plenty of starlight awaited on the other side.

TO BE CONTINUED

END NOTE: If you are a new reader and want to know the gist of Antipode, here are some fast facts...

In this AU, Riku is the Keyblade wielder as fate had intended. Sora still held Kairi's heart and became a Heartless in order to save her, but he's taken on an appearance similar to Anti-Form and possesses Ven's heart as well. Kairi has been with Riku, Donald, and Goofy ever since Hollow Bastion and now wields a Keyblade. Riku Replica is alive and well and shares a set of fake memories with Roxas. Throughout the last fic, Riku and his Replica struggled due to Rep's memories misleading him about Riku's intent. As Rep started to see good in Riku, he became more and more uneasy, and the two eventually clashed in Castle Oblivion. Riku's memories got ripped apart by Naminé in a last-ditch effort to keep them both alive. With his heart in tatters, Riku was placed into the Digital Twilight Town until his memories can be repaired. To ensure in Naminé's capture, DiZ created this universe's Xion out of data from Riku's memory, and here we are now.

If you want the full story, you can find the other fics on my profile as well as a link to an abridged summary of the first fic. Otherwise, feel free to start here, if you don't mind hopping into the middle of the action. This fic will be a bit different from the past two in that it encompasses multiple mini arcs that tie together. Sora, Kairi, Riku Replica, and Xion each get their own adventures that occasionally overlap, and I plan to intersperse chapters featuring Riku and XIII/Roxas from time to time. There will also be lots of Disney characters and a few new worlds popping up, like Gargoyles. ;) While I have tagged this story with the Sora, Kairi, Riku Replica, and Xion tags, Riku is still as important as ever, so don't worry about him being swept under the rug.

One final side-note: I had originally planned on making Aqua incapable of hearing Ven, but when I revisited her story in BBS, I noticed that she could hear Terra calling for her worlds away when possessed by Xehanort. I figure her hearing Ven within Sora isn't a stretch, but she's pretty much the only character who can besides Sora and maybe one other.