**hops** I'm downloading Deep Dive as I type . . . yayness.
I think this'll be just a simple writing exercise . . . so forgive me if it sucks, lol, it's an effort to build something so that I can shove the writer's block I have up it and into the plot hole above my desk ((long story. Let's just shorten it to if you push a writer's block into a plot hole, it disappears **nods**))
**turns on 'Simple and Clean'** I really wish I knew Japanese . . . ^^;; then maybe I'd understand it better ((yes, I have three versions lol I havta see if there's a Japanese remix still . . .))
**stops everything and stares, then goes wide-eyed** I got an idea!! I got an idea!!
**grabs an aqua paintpen and starts scrawling on the writer's block**

Title: Dark.
Author name: Ari Powwel
Author email: spiffy_yet_insane@hotmail.com
Spoilers: Deep Dive, and Another Side, Another Story
Summary: A hooded figure. A Heartless' eye. Blindfolds. Keyblades. Whispered snatches of conversation . . . and the Heartless' insignia. How are they all connected? What is their story? [one-shot]
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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Sora walked through the luminous forest, marvelling at the vast greenery that spread across the hillside. 'It's not likely we'll find the door here,' quacked an impatient Donald.

Sora didn't respond, instead pressing his fingers against a nearby trunk. Donald made to say something, but Goofy stopped him; they both stood behind Sora as he examined the tree. 'It's hollow,' said Sora, sounding a bit puzzled. 'How do we open it?'

'Sora, look!' cried Donald, pointing at another tree. This one sprouted a couple feet behind the first, and was a great deal shorter, but a familiar crest was shining through the dark bark.

'The Heartless?' Sora wondered. 'But – how?'

'Who knows?!' Donald answered. 'What's important is that we find the source!'

'To stop it?'

Donald stopped a moment, and flushed a bit, if it was possible. 'I suppose . . . but remember, Kingdom Hearts is the source of all Heartless. If we can find the source of these ones, maybe the king'll be there!'

Goofy interrupted Sora's angry remark with, 'And, maybe Riku'll be there, too!'

Sora gave up. If those two were set on going, he would too. Maybe they were right . . . and they'd find Riku and King Mickey. Even if they didn't, they could at least stop the Heartless on the way, right? 'All right, let's go,' he said, heading for the tree.

'Sora, wait!!' cried Donald, but it was too late; Sora pressed a hand against the crest on the tree and was enveloped into it.

Silence reigned the forest for about five seconds, before Donald's voice again shattered the peace. 'Idiot.'

*        *        *

Sora passed through pure light – or was it darkness? He wasn't really sure, and in fact, didn't really want to know. Neither was preferable . . . for even the purest light has a reverse side, and the difference between it and its reverse was so drastic, the reverse was capable of doing everything the darkest could. Shades of grey were preferable, instead of pure light or dark.

For several minutes he sped through the extreme, unsure of where he was going, or whether Goofy and Donald were behind him. Then, another Heartless insignia appeared in front of him; Sora could see a beach, lit up by a setting moon. Its reflection stretched over the water and bathed the area in a soft glow, allowing Sora to see a hooded figure, sitting on a rock, gazing out over the waters. It seemed safe enough, so Sora stepped out of the crest and hid behind a rock, not knowing why, himself. He sat behind the rock for awhile, thankful that it was large enough to prevent him from being seen, even if he didn't sit scrunched into a ball.

Then another rock near him began to glow, and the Heartless symbol etched itself on the rock's face. Sora looked at it with interest, but jumped when another figure stepped through the rock. This one was cloaked, too, but Sora could see the pale flesh of his face. His gaze travelled over the face, wishing he'd recognise it. Hesitantly, he looked at the figure's eyes –

And recoiled. The figure's visible eye . . .

Was that of a Heartless.

The person with the glowing eye slowly walked to stand beside the sitting figure. They conversed quietly for a couple minutes, but Sora was in too much shock to listen. However, it did get his attention when the sitting figure started talking in a harsh whisper. He spoke a couple, meaningless sentences, then, 'He looks just like you . . .'

Sora peered over the top of the boulder, trying to get a good look at the man with the glowing eye. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinising the figure, who stood motionless, absorbing what he'd been told. 'Does he, now?' the figure asked, an amused tone marking his voice. 'I suppose I'll have to see this for myself, eh?' he turned and strode back towards the rock from which he'd come, and Sora, who was now watching to find something familiar about him, nearly gasped. The build of the man's body, the striding walk, his aloofness . . .

Riku's possible lookalike strode into the Heartless crest and disappeared.

Sora sat, pondering the cards he'd now been dealt. Did he go back to Donald and Goofy, or did he follow the man with the glowing eye? Either way, he had to leave the same way he'd come – through the Heartless crest, on the large, jagged rock. Sora looked around the clearing again, noticing the other figure hadn't moved from where he sat. He figured it would be fine to leave; after all, the man hadn't noticed when he'd arrived, why would he notice his leaving? Sora stood up and moved to the rock, the Heartless crest beginning to glow again. The closer he came, the brighter the emblem shone, until Sora stood directly in front of the rock. The crest now stood out from the rock face, stretching to create a pathway from him.

As he stepped through the recently created doorway, the man on the rock looked back at him. 'Good luck, Sora,' he said gruffly. 'You'll need it.'

*        *        *

Riku slowly opened his eyes, which were immediately assaulted by a bright, piercing light. He didn't scream as a normal person would, though, he instead covered his face with his hands, a low groan escaping his lips. 'Ah, you're awake now!' a cheerful voice proclaimed.

Riku recognised the (annoyingly cheerful) voice at once, 'Mickey . . .' he trailed off. He was bursting with questions, all demanding to be asked at once, but which one? 'How – how did we get out of Kingdom Hearts?' he kept his eyes buried in the heels of his palms, sitting on the ground and leaning onto his knees. He felt Mickey crouch beside him as he answered.

'Y'know, I'm still not quite sure myself. Do you remember what happened before now?'

'Sure,' Riku answered. 'We saw one of the Heartless' crests shining in the darkness. You went to investigate, and I followed. All I remember is the light flashing . . . I must have passed out.' His voice held no embarrassment in admitting this; after all, Mickey had come to know the boy rather well inside Kingdom Hearts, and besides, passing out wasn't embarrassing. Not after what had happened with Ansem.

Mickey seemed to nod; how Riku knew this, he wasn't sure. 'You passed out,' he confirmed. 'After that, the insignia stretched into a doorway, and a figure stepped out. He lifted you up and told me that we could leave. Apparently only Heartless are supposed to be trapped there . . . he led me through an endless labyrinth of light . . . or was it dark? I'm not entirely sure.

'Anyways, after awhile, another emblem appeared in front of us, and that's how we came to be here.'

'What about my eyes?'

Mickey's voice suddenly seemed a lot less cheery and a lot more in thought; Riku could imagine the contemplating look on his face. 'I'd imagine it's because of living in the pure darkness for so long. We mice have the ability to see rather well in the dark, so I'm used to the change between bright and dark.' He handed Riku a long, thin strip of fabric, made of a strange material. A blindfold. 'You should probably wear this until your eyes adjust.' Riku accepted the blindfold without thinking, and secured it around his eyes, remembering all the games he and the other island children had played . . . most of Tidus' had involved being blindfolded . . . he mentally snickered, remembering the time Sora had accidentally fallen off his [Riku's] island into the water. Of course, it wasn't deep, so it posed no threat (luckily), but it had been rather funny to see . . . 'The man also gave me these,' Mickey placed something over Riku's knees that, upon closer inspection, Riku recognised to be an overcoat. 'Said we'd havta blend in.' Riku stood up and began to pull the coat over his shoulders, wishing he had different clothes, too, so he wouldn't stand out, but Mickey stopped him. 'Wait, Riku, you need these, too.' The mouse produced a set of clothing for the surprised boy. How had Mickey known what Riku wanted? Or was it just to blend in?

Riku shrugged to himself, then asked Mickey, 'Where can I change?'

After changing and training for a bit, Riku felt more like himself again. He'd strengthened inside Kingdom Hearts in three ways: physically, mentally, and magically. Riku was no longer the confused boy, unsure of what he wanted. He now had the mentality to use magic, and as he [Riku] had no weapon, Mickey had taken it upon himself to teach the boy just that. Riku could now use Firaga, Thundara, Aeroga, Curaga, and Stop. Blizzard spells just wouldn't come to him . . . he couldn't fix the ice in his mind, instead straying to the clear waters of Destiny Islands. Gravity, he protested to himself, would just weigh him down . . . he didn't want to be held down, he wanted to fly – almost as he had when they first set off.

Mickey had also taught him basic shielding, but the biggest surprise had come to them in one of their biggest battles. Riku and Mickey had been surrounded by the earthbound Heartless, when Riku had done . . . something. Mickey told him later that he'd produced a large flaming Heartless insignia around them, which had caused any Heartless that touched it to dissolve.

Riku wasn't one to scare easily, but this revelation scared him. How could he create a shield that powerful, when he couldn't master spells like Stopga, or Blizzaga, or even just Blizzard? And if he got past the idea that he created that shield, why was it in the shape of the Heartless insignia? It was almost as if his greatest fear had been realised . . . perhaps Ansem had lived on, through him . . . Riku was determined, he wasn't going to let anything happen. He could – he would! – fight if Ansem tried to arise again. He wasn't going to just let it happen; not after last time.

'Let's go, Riku!' Mickey called to him. Riku shook his head free of thoughts, shrugged on his greatcoat, and walked towards the mouse with ease.

No, losing his sight temporarily wouldn't faze him at all . . .

*        *        *

Sora was forcibly ejected out of the emblem this time, landing gracefully on his face. '. . . ow.'

'Sora!' Goofy shouted happily. 'We thought you were a goner for sure!'

'Not me,' Donald said. 'I knew he'd come back . . .'

Sora grinned; he knew Donald had probably been the one thinking he was gone, and Goofy'd been sure he'd come back. 'So, what happened?' Goofy asked.

Sora scratched his head absentmindedly. 'I'm not really sure . . .' he described to them what happened.

'Gee, Sora, whattdya think they meant?' Goofy asked.

'I'm not sure . . .' the boy replied. 'What do you think, Donald?'

'I don't know, either . . .' the duck replied, staring off into space. 'But it could be worth investigating.'

'All right, then,' cried Sora, jumping to his feet, 'Let's go!'

The trio was unaware of the glowing eye that stared out at them from beneath a dark hood. The man turned, satisfied with what he'd heard, and walked back into the Heartless' opening. A moment later, a large group of Heartless emerged from the insignia, startling the three . . .

*        *        *

Riku pushed open the doors to the roof of the building, angry with himself. You knew it was possible to get separated, he scolded himself, yet you insisted you'd be fine and followed without assist. Now look where it's gotten you! Lost, that's where. He crossed to the edge of the roof, looking down below, feeling the rain pelting against his body and the long overcoat. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the bright lights of reality, and with no little satisfaction he was able to unwrap several layers of the blindfold. Now only one layer of material separated his eyes from the rest of the world, and the material was somewhat see-through, and he could see easily what was happening below him.

Another hooded figure stood in the street below, surrounded by Heartless. Riku was able to recognise the long antenna that separated them from normal shadows – they were Neo-Heartless, then. The figure pulled out a Keyblade, and Riku was hard-pressed not to gasp, or show a sign of surprise. He remembered that specific blade, he'd seen Sora wielding it more than once. He remembered hearing it referred to as the Oathkeeper; Donald and Goofy had told him that Kairi had given him the keychain for it, for some reason. As Riku watched, the figure drew a second Keyblade: the Oblivion. With no hesitation, the figure plunged into the ranks of the Heartless, Keyblades slicing though the shadows with little effort.

Riku felt a change taking place in himself. He turned his face up to the sky, enjoying the feel of the rain on his face. His arms spread wide, and the clouds above parted, revealing a barrage of falling stars. His heart leapt a moment – the last time he'd seen a meteor shower like this was right before that fateful night with the storm . . . Riku felt the raw power surge through his body and out. He looked down in amazement, seeing a blue flaming Heartless crest around the figure. When the Heartless ran into it, they dissolved, just like Mickey had described to him. Riku drew the shield out as long as possible, finally letting it fade into nothingness. For a moment, the Heartless stood, unsure if to attack or not. Then some of the stronger ones leapt forward again, leapt at the dual Keyblade wielder, who began fighting again as if he'd never stopped.

Some of the Heartless leapt into the air, meaning to attack from above, but the figure jumped up, too, flipping backwards with the Keyblades crossed over his chest. Before he landed, he threw the blades in a movement Riku recognised as Strike Raid. Sora had been particularly fond of that, he remembered.

The figure leapt into a flip again, landing at the top of the steps outside of a nearby building. The Heartless quite easily outnumbered him, they stood all over the streets, amber eyes staring at the man.

Riku almost missed what came next; the man, in one quick movement, jumped into the air and began running up the wall of the building. He defied everything Riku had ever learned, running up the building as if it were the ground. The Neos followed him, running up and ahead of him. Riku looked behind him, hearing a disturbance, and saw a dark pool erupting on the roof of the building, spawning more Heartless. Riku knew it was time to act, and stepped to the edge of the building. Here's hoping . . . Riku quickly took a deep breath and dived over the edge, falling towards the ground.

The man threw one of the Keyblades at him, striking down several Heartless in the process. Riku caught it deftly, and as the two passed, time seemed to slow as they spared each other a passing glance. Riku noted, with some amusement, that the dual Keyblade wielder hadn't been stripped of his title; he'd drawn a third. It had a golden blade and silver handle: Mickey's Keyblade. He gasped now, wondering what had happened to his companion.

Then Riku reached the ground and tightened his grip on the hilt. He dashed forward, then swung the Keyblade in a sideways arc. The Heartless that caught the blow burst into nothingness, its stolen heart raising to the sky, speeding off to an eternal rest. Riku spared it a last glance before turning back to the group of Heartless. His eyes raised to the roof momentarily, where the other man was fighting another group of Heartless, as big as the one on the ground. 'One down, who-knows-how-many to go . . .' Riku muttered, plunging in.

Riku sliced through the last Heartless with a final strike, eyes quickly scanning the area for any more. Riku looked up at the rooftop, noticing that a second, smaller figure was fighting along with the first. He wanted to go up to help him, but he wasn't sure exactly how to.

As his brain finished forming the thought, the smaller figure destroyed a final Heartless at the same time the dual wielder did, a bright flash lighting the street. The two figures dropped to the street with him, slowly walking toward him. Riku recognised the smaller one as Mickey, and noticed that the mouse held a Keyblade almost exactly, if not completely, like Sora's.

Riku knew now, he was ready. A hand snaked into his silver locks, untying the knot that held the blindfold to his eyes. He grasped the dark material in his hand and tipped his head back, pulling the fabric from his eyes, and revealing to them the normal light, for the first time not causing him pain.

Riku looked into the dual wielder's face, covered by a dark hood. Straw-coloured hair fell into his face, covering his eyes from view. He spoke only two words:

'Where's Sora?'

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**hides** I have a ramp!! Now I just havta push the writer's block up it . . .

I wonder, what is it with me lately? This is the second one-shot I've done with KH2 . . . the first one will probably be experiencing a title change once I come up with a good one. It dealt with Kairi, and this one with Riku.

You know, I didn't even expect this one to turn out like this; I was just attempting to get a story, no matter how frivolous . . . but I was downloading Deep Dive, and I was on ansemreport.com ((great site, everyone should go there **nods** that's where I downloaded Deep Dive from)) and somehow this idea sprouted.

And I seriously doubt it'll be continued ((this, I mean.)) As much as I would like to write a KH2 fic, I won't. I just – won't.

Oh, and it's named Dark ((I need to write this so I won't forget lol)) because a) the Heartless are dark, and that's what nearly everything deals with, the Heartless crest being the pathway, the Heartless in the street, the glowing Heartless eye; b) because of Riku's blindfold, c) it fits and it's the only thing I could come up with at 12:36AM and 96% of Deep Dive downloaded.

Anyways, I hope you liked it, please check out some of my other fics, and please review!!