Summary: AU of KH2 and KH:CoM / Alone Riku searches for the King on an unknown world while fighting his own demons. /(Though Riku knew, deep down, that it was his fault. It always would be.)

Strength of the Heart
Harry Potter

Riku sat on a ledge and stared up at what appeared to be a caved ceiling. The Heartless had been beaten back for now. Closing his eyes to will the images away he laid down.

"It wasn't your fault."

Riku jerked, forgetting that King Mickey was there. His green eyes took a saddened tint after his heart stopped racing.

"It's not your fault, you were blinded by your pain and found what could be the only escape you knew—the darkness." Riku closed his eyes and shook his head.

"It is my fault, if I hadn't listened to that witch—"

"That's exactly what she was," King Mickey interrupted. "She's a witch; spells, cauldrons, and everything that comes with it. You must understand, she twisted your emotions, amplified them. Your pain came from the feeling of betrayal. Do you know what Sora was doing the entire time while he was with my friends?" Riku shook his head. "Looking for you. He was worried for you, Riku. He was worried for you and Kairi."

"I became a mon—"

"No you didn't. Xehanort was the monster; he took control of your pain in order to control you."

"But—"

"Riku, it is not your fault."

Riku sighed. It was all King Mickey needed to hear to know that Riku had given in.

Though Riku knew, deep down, that it was his fault. It always would be.

Riku jerked awake suddenly, brought from his dream/memory by something he couldn't see. Whatever it was it was gone now. The sixteen looking fifteen year old sighed and stared at his image in the mirror. His clothes had drastically changed but he ignored those, seeing as his normal ones were stashed away for preservation. What he stared at mostly was his face, and how much it had changed over the course of five years—he would never understand how he was still fifteen—almost sixteen now he was sure (he didn't know how he knew that either) but in this world was sixteen and a few days or so, and would've been twenty going on twenty-one normally but he had seemingly not aged besides his appearance. Well he aged a very small amount over the years and he had no clue as to how or why. He shook his head.

His once shoulder length bluish white hair now lay about four inches past his shoulders. His face looked older; more matured, and had lost most if not all of its baby fat. His skin was still the same shade as before, if not a bit lighter, and he still was thin but with a muscular build. He was taller. Other than that everything was near the same, only older, and the clothes were horrid.

"I wonder why I even agreed to this…"

'To find King Mickey,' was his immediate response.

With that single thought in mind he moved towards the door, once long bluish white hair turning into short and messy black. His green eyes change to a dark emerald color and his tall stature shrunk to a smaller one. His muscles disappeared leaving him a weak looking body, and he looked obviously malnourished. Although he wasn't really malnourished, he just was playing the part, it was expected of him after all.

Sighing Riku turned to face another day…

…as Harry Potter.

If he thought about it long enough, even while in the dreary House of Black, he knew he was lucky to get even a second chance like he had gotten here, in this world. A second chance at friendship—his first having been utterly destroyed by his actions (he thought so at least but he didn't want it to be so) and a second chance at living happiness, no matter how corroded it was behind obligations he had taken up in this role. He knew it was better than he deserved (or he felt he deserved) and so he was thankful for it.

He was thankful he had made friends with who he had made friends with. Ron had reminded him a bit of Sora and Hermione a bit of Kairi. That was most likely why he had latched onto them when he did—trying to keep the remnants of his past in tact even as they were starting to fade away….

Riku shook his head fiercely. He would not forget, he would not forget. They were his first friends; his true friends…and he'd gone and ruined it all by taking up Xehanort's offer, though at the time he was calling himself Ansem. Riku scoffed at that—it was his meeting up with the King at the door that he learned the truth about that dark heartless he'd housed in his soul.

Blinded by pain, by anger. Blinded by jealousy, by betrayal.

Oh how he loathed it.

Yet he was honestly happy, even with his constant quest to find the King (which was hard to do as he spent most of the year at the damn magic school) he was happy. Maybe not as truly happy as he could be, certainly not, but still….He had Sora and Kairi here, with him, in his memories. He could even see pieces of them in Ron and Hermione, so he let himself have the happiness he didn't deserve.

Riku sighed and stood up off the bed as he heard Molly Weasley call him down for dinner. The woman reminded him a bit of Sora's mother too, now that he thought about it. That brought a pang to the place where his heart should be (if he still had it) because honestly he missed his own mother; his father (the bastard) had left them when he was younger so it was really only him and his mom.

But she wasn't here, he remembered. She was back on Destiny Islands; back with Sora and Kairi…he swallowed heavily and started to push those thoughts away.

'You've been gifted a second chance,' he thought, 'best not ruin it more than you already have.'

He thumped down the stairs, checking himself in the mirror to make sure the illusion was up—that had been hard to explain when Moody had arrived at the Dursley's. Damn magical all-seeing fake eye. He ended up having to tell Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody and several others the truth. Then Remus made him swear to tell Sirius, which he did. Sirius said he was still like a godson to him, even if his real one was gone. That made Riku smile slightly, the thought that Sirius still cared when he had deceived him…cared enough to come and try to rescue him when he'd made the mistake…

He shook those thoughts away. No time to think of his mistakes, for now he had a life a second chance to make things right with himself and damn him to hell if he was going to screw this up!

He spotted the red head Ron in the hallway who grinned and waved at him. Riku gave a wave too and a smile. Together they stepped in the kitchen and were met with Hermione. He was happy, he had his friends, not wholly there but he had pieces that he could live with. It was better than not having them at all.

It wasn't like Ron and Hermione were replacements for Sora and Kairi—gods he could never replace his friends by people similar…ever. They were similar, that was a given, and it was those traits that had drawn Riku in, just as they had drawn him to Sora and Kairi. They were different people, entirely different people. They had different personalities, feelings, memories, lives. Riku knew this and he knew they would never replace his first friends, his original friends. They were his new friends, in an entirely new life. He cared for them in ways he didn't care for Sora and Kairi, just as he cared for Sora and Kairi in ways he didn't care for them.

Sora and Kairi…they could hold their own in a fight, Kairi not so much as Sora, and Sora not so well as Riku himself at one time, but they could still hold their own. Ron and Hermione…they were more coddled, too pure to have faced what he, Sora and Kairi faced. So yes, he felt differently about them, more protective of them than Sora and Kairi; he wanted them to retain that pureness that they had, even through this war that they had going on here.

He smiled. It was funny really. They were so different from Sora and Kairi…but they were so similar as well.

Ron like Sora would gouge himself on food—though unlike Sora Ron had a jealous streak a mile wide. Sora was kind hearted and forgave people for practically anything. Ron was one to hold a grudge. They both had a fondness for some sort of sport—for Sora it had been swordplay, something they'd do often as kids with wooden swords. For Ron it was Quidditch, the wizards sport on brooms.

Hermione was like Kairi in the way that she'd mediate between Ron and him if they fought. Kairi did the same thing between him and Sora shortly after she had arrived on Destiny Islands and had integrated into their little duo, becoming a trio. Hermione though, unlike Kairi, constantly fought with Ron over practically anything. Kairi just laughed everything off, even Sora's laziness unlike Hermione with Ron. Hermione though, like Kairi, had this air about her—an adapting air, you could say. Hermione being a muggleborn thrust into a wizard's society, Kairi being an outsider that had arrived on Destiny Islands, a world vastly different than her own which she could not remember much of.

The other similarity, Riku realized, was Hermione and Ron's obvious attraction to one another. Kairi and Sora had the same thing, though both seemed to be oblivious to the others feelings much like Ron and Hermione. Riku wondered what Ron would think if he told him the legend of the Paupu fruit…and what he'd think if he pulled the same trick he did with Sora (though this world held no Paupu fruit) though with Sora it wasn't entirely a trick. Riku liked Kairi, he liked her a lot. He liked her enough to notice that she liked Sora and was willing to give her up so that his friends could have happiness.

Shaking his head he dislodged the thoughts. It'd be better to focus on the here and now of this life, this world. If he ever found the King and a way home…he'd deal with what came then.

Smiling once more he dug into his food.

Yes, it was better to think of the here and now, of this life and this world, rather then the then and before of his home, his world.

Hermione watched as her friend sat down at the table, his face deep in thought. He'd been like this more often these days since Sirius' death. She noticed he'd been acting a bit different too, more mature she supposed, since the Department of Mysteries incident. In fact he was acting not at all like she'd assume he'd be acting what with the death of his Godfather. It made her wonder, really, if she knew Harry Potter at all.

"Harry?" she asked, causing said teen to look up from his meal. "Are you…okay?"

The teen blinked his green eyes at her and swallowed his food, saying afterwards, "I'm fine, 'Mione. Why?"

"I just…" Hermione bit her lip slightly before shaking her head. "Never mind."

Harry frowned but nodded in acceptance. She'd tell him when she wanted to, he supposed.

The brown haired girl finished her breakfast and stood, saying something about going to finish her summer homework. Ron finished seconds later and left for the library, stating that Fred owed him a game of Wizards Chess and invited Harry to join. The teen declined and soon it was just him and Remus in the dining room.

Remus watched the teen for a minute before stating softly, "You're thinking about them again, aren't you."

Green eyes pierced the werewolf before closing with a nod of agreement.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Pretty hard not to now a days, really. It frustrates me that I can't find ousama…" he sighed.

"You want to go home," Remus nodded and Harry shot him a dry look.

"Of course I want to go home," the teen said. "I mean sure I messed up the islands once, but they were restored. Really, I miss kaa-san…"

"Not just your mother though," the wizard pointed out and Harry gave another dejected nod.

"Yeah, I miss them too," the teen sighed bitterly. "I don't see how they could ever forgive me though. I mean I know Sora's forgiving, a little too forgiving sometimes, and a bit naïve, but…after what I did I don't think he'd want to. Kairi…Kairi doesn't really know I guess, unless Sora told her; there is a chance she does know, having been with Sora for part of the time, and really, I don't want to be on the receiving end of her anger. She's great, and I guess a bit more down-to-earth that Sora but…I just guess I want her to forget about me and be happy with the idiot."

"Yet you still want to go back," Remus stated.

"I miss them," Harry replied. "They were, and still are I guess, my best friends. I see them sometimes in Ron and Hermione…and it gets hard to think of them as different people every now and then. I don't like that. It's not honest of me to think of them as my…former friends. I don't want them to be replacements, and they're not, but…"

"It just pops up," the aged man replied sadly.

"Yeah…."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find a way home," amber eyes looked at the teen softly. "I'm also sure that they will forgive you in a heartbeat—in fact, I'm pretty sure they don't blame you at all. They wouldn't be true friends if they didn't understand that you went through a rough time."

Harry snorted lightly but shook his head otherwise.

"Whatever," the teen muttered, finishing his breakfast and standing. "I have some homework to finish," he said as he left the kitchen.

"Take care, and don't think too much on this all, okay?" Remus said in parting.

"I'll try," the teen shot over his shoulder before disappearing entirely.

Remus shook his head sadly and ruffled his paper, flipping the page calmly as he started to read.

He couldn't move; he was stuck. The Heartless had him by the arms, their hands clamped tightly, and he couldn't get free. All he could do was watch his new found friends, Ron and Hermione, lose their hearts. He didn't know when the tears began to stream down his face, but it happened sometime during their struggle. He was of no use. He was helpless.

Hermione and Ron fired spell after spell at the surrounding Heartless, and he called out, "Magic like yours won't work on them! Run!" he didn't want them be hurt because of himself.

'I will not have others hurt because of me or my actions! Never again!'

They ignored him and continued their losing battle.

"Run! Run before they can get to you! These are far more evil crea—ah!" a Heartless had bit his shoulder before he could finish his sentence. He felt the blood begin to pool.

They ignored him again. He knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to save him.

"Go! Run! Please! I don't want you—argh!" another Heartless bit his other shoulder. Why oh why did they have to notice his existence? Especially after King Mickey and he defeated those behind the door? Why come here? Of course, they were drawn by Voldemort's darkness, he knew that. He knew that and he didn't like it.

The tears had begun to flow harder now. He couldn't save them…he was weak…he was always weak. He couldn't stop Xehanort; he couldn't find King Mickey. He couldn't do anything properly.

It was tearing at his heart, or what should've been his heart. Xehanort had taken that away from him long ago. Now he was just as much as a Heartless as they were. He had no heart…but he could still feel. Why was that? Did he still have his heart? Was it just clouded in shadows? In darkness?

"No…" he whispered hoarsely. The Heartless were surrounding his friends, closing in on them. Ron and Hermione looked lost. He began to struggle as the Shadows began to inch closer. He himself was being held back by the Neo Shadows. They were far stronger than the little guys, and far more annoying. "No!" he screamed, struggling harder. The Heartless were so close…soon their hearts would be gone and they would be just like the creatures he despised. "NO!"

He broke free and charged. His body was weak, he knew, and the illusion he held upon himself will fade soon, but he didn't care, he had to get to his friends, he just had to.

He knocked through their numbers and as fast as lightning grabbed Ron and Hermione's wrists. He felt the illusion fading now, but he didn't care, as long as he got them out. Seconds later, they were free from the hoard, and all three ran towards the castle. He stumbled slightly, the blood loss and exhaustion getting to him—

Riku shot up, gasping for breath, eyes darting about the room.

'What was that about,' the silver haired teen thought fearfully. 'That was too vivid to be just a nightmare…' he shuddered, remembering the Heartless and the feeling of dread and weakness. 'I don't get premonitions either,' green eyes narrowed as he continued on that strain of thought, 'and Voldemort shouldn't know about Heartless. He doesn't as far as I know, so it can't have been a sent dream through the forced connection by Dumbledore.' A frown tugged at his pale lips, 'It was too vivid, and it couldn't be from Voldemort. I don't get premonitions, or more accurately, I haven't gotten premonitions in years.'

Riku had once gotten premonitions, but they were back when he was five or six—a time that seemed so long ago—and were about things that didn't happen until he was ten and fifteen respectively. The first had been about Kairi's arrival, and he didn't really think much of it at the time he dreamt of that. The second one actually happened at the Door and was his last memory of seeing Sora before they were entirely separated.

He knew what marked them as visions after they had actually occurred (a thing which he realized after he remember his odd dreams those ten some years ago) was that the premonition usually became a repetitive dream. That almost ruled out this particular vivid dream as a premonition as he'd only had it just tonight. If it did reoccur then he needed to plan accordingly as it'd mean that the Heartless would come to this world.

'And in consequence,' he thought with a frown, 'so might Sora if this world is not just behind the Door and merely just another amongst the stars. That wouldn't explain the time difference however, but it would explain why I can't find ousama. He might not be on this world at all.' That thought brought upon a wash of melancholy which he roughly shoved aside. Now wasn't the time for depressing thoughts on the possibility of never getting back to the islands. He'd deal with that emotional strain once he was well away from people.

Sighing Riku forced his tense muscles to relax, his heartbeat having come down from the erratic pace it was after waking up, before laying down on the bed again. Closing his eyes he thought of Sora and Kairi, the happy memories they shared, as he drifted off into sleep. His dreams weren't plagued by the frightening vivid one from before, but rather they were of his memories of before the thought of other worlds became so prominent in his mind.

His sleep was restful and unbroken for the rest of the night.

Definitions:

ousama - King
(Riku called King Mickey "ousama" in RE:CoM Reverse Rebirth; I thought it meant King when I heard it and so I looked it up. Low and behold it does mean King)

kaa-san - Mother
(self explanatory, ne?)

Words in need of definitions only appear in speech/thought.

Alright, no doubt you've noticed what I've done so I'll just give you readers a brief explanation on what exactly is going down—doesn't mean I'm changing the KH, CoM, RR, or KH2 storylines from the way they already are. There are just a few differences; otherwise they pretty much happened as they did.

The differences are so minor that to be honest the storyline hasn't changed more than a centimeter or something of the like.

In other words everything that happened in KH2 still happened. Riku as Xehanort's Heartless—Riku and Sora fighting Xenmas—Riku helping Kairi—all that happened. The whole situation with Nobodies, Roxas, everything. It all happened.

Same was the KH storyline, everything happened as it did.

The difference lies in CoM RR. What that difference is, however, you will have to wait and see. It's actually revealed in the next chapter.

Now to also go on—this story may be short, as in like no more than a little over ten chapters short, and that's because I have a vague idea of what I want to do. The whole thing mainly focuses on Riku and his struggle to overcome the guilt and self-loathing amongst other things. So this story isn't a hundred percent happy, but that doesn't mean it'll be a hundred percent depressing. It varies…fluctuates…constantly.

Now, I will have a poll going on in my bio on this story once chapter two is posted. No it is not pairings; pairings in this are actually very minor. It's mostly a gen fic, though I do have Sokai in the background along with Kairiku and mentions of Soriku. Otherwise pairings aren't really touched upon. The poll will pretty much be self explanatory after you have read chapter two.

This story, as of right now, is not finished. Don't plan on quick updates either.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates for Art is a Bang! but inspiration has currently run dry for that well of thought. I'm debating on what the next chapter of AiaB! will be about at the moment—actually I'm trying to figure out WHAT AiaB! next chapter will be about period as I have no idea what it will be about. I have no ideas what so ever. So again I'm sorry.

As a final note: Chapter Two will be posted one week from today. I should have it up come Tuesday the 27th of May.

Well, I'm signing off.

TK
Twin Kats