A/N: Hello people! Welcome to the first edition of this story! Yeah… I'm actually supposed to be working on the 6th – 10th chapters of my story on Fiction Press (it's called Collapse, BTW), but this plot bunny just started hopping around in my mind! I couldn't just ignore the call of the wild! That's like if you're an artist and you have an amazing picture in your mind that you'd like to draw, but you're ignoring your sketchbook! Seriously!

And now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: The author does not own Kingdom Hearts. All characters belong to Square Enix. The author solely owns the plot.

Darkness Rising

Prologue
The Death Waltz

"Naminé!" Roxas yelled out in fear.

The petite blonde's sapphire eyes started watering as she squirmed against Vanitas' grasp on her. "Roxas! Go! Save yourself!"

He shook his head vigorously. "I'm not leaving without you!"

The Dark Prince laughed sardonically. "Like he'll be able to save you. You're mine, Naminé; you always were."

The blonde growled. "Like hell she is! She's not your property, Vanitas!" He gripped his keyblade tightly.

The ravenette cackled once again, gripping the terrified blonde tighter. "Oh so, she's your property. Oh, Roxas. You never fail to amuse me. Always trying to be the hero. But you never will be one."

"What on Earth makes you think you can save her?" Vanitas challenged, conjuring an athame from out of nowhere.

Roxas' cobalt blue eyes, which were narrowed into slits because of rage, widened to the size of dinner plates when the Dark Prince hovered the athame at Naminé's chest–right over the area where her heart was. "No!"

The feline-eyed boy grinned. "I knew that'd soften you up."

The dark blonde started towards them slowly, but Vanitas hissed, making him freeze where he stood. "Vanitas… please… don't kill her," he pleaded quietly. "…take me instead." He bowed his head and fell to his knees.

Naminé blinked off her cascading tears, shocked beyond belief at his actions. This was how much he loved her. He would trade places with her in order for her to survive. The platinum blonde shut her eyes for a moment, allowing tears to fall again. Then she spoke. "Roxas…" she whispered, "…please…don't leave me…don't do this…"

Roxas still faced the ground, on the verge of tears. "…but I have to…" his voice but was a mere whisper, but it was so quiet, it echoed off the walls. "…for you." Then he looked up at her, and cringed at how she looked.

Her long white wedding gown hung in tatters, her pale face covered in dirt and grime, hair streaked with grease, and she was barefoot. But she was still beautiful. At least, she was still beautiful to the Dark Prince and him. Otherwise, neither of them would've fallen for her.

Vanitas snorted and summoned a Dusk, shoving Naminé in its arms. Then he clapped slowly, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, now, if we're done with this Hallmark moment…"

The kneeling blonde's fury reappeared on his tired and handsome face. "Fucking. Let. Her. Go. You. Bastard." He stood up, gripping his keyblade tighter in his hands, and reverting into his battle stance.

The Dark Prince hummed in thought, and then he shook his head. "Nah. I don't think so." He smirked, victory apparent for him in his head.

Roxas almost charged him then and there, but he wasn't going to. Yet. "Let her go, or so help me–"

"So help you what?" The ravenette interrupted, a mocking expression apparent across his features. "You'll kill me? Thanks, but no thanks. I happen to like living."

He glanced at the Dusk, nodded at him, and it shoved the terrified petite blonde girl back into his arms. He whispered an incantation that made the athame glow incandescently and shoved it into her abdomen, which made her cry out in agony and fall to the ground. "Naminé here likes living, but apparently, not with me. So, it's lights out here for sweet cheeks!" He grinned wide and evilly.

Roxas' eyes widened in shock as he watched his beloved fall to the ground, her face contorted in a mix of agony, anger and sorrow.

Naminé slowly lifted her head from the floor to look up at Roxas, who stood frozen where he was, staring at her with tears falling from his eyes. I love you, she mouthed, before her head fell slack against the carpeted pavement.

The shell-shocked blonde's expression contorted into an enraged one as he charged Vanitas with a battle cry exploding from his throat.

But the Dark Prince only smirked. He transformed his athame into a long, unadorned silver staff with a black orb on top of it. "Protega!" he yelled, sending the spell directly at Roxas.

The said blonde was caught off-guard, so, unable to block the spell, he was swept off his feet, almost like a backflip, and landed headfirst into the ground.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Vanitas vanishing into a portal with Naminé in his arms, a smirk on his face, and his Dusk behind him.

Vanitas, sitting on the edge of the bed, casted Curaga on Naminé as she rested on the black and red silk sheets, seeing as she was battered, bruised and cut in many places.

Yes, Naminé was still very much alive. The athame didn't really kill her. It just put her into a comatose state that was convincing enough to make her seem dead. It could also erase memories and with the right spell, replace memories as well. It was actually property of Naminé's family.

The Dark Prince watched as her wounds began to heal. He smirked victoriously as he had earlier. It felt amazing to see Roxas crumble like that in front of him. It had increased his already gigantic ego. He would also like to see the look on Roxas' face if he found out Naminé was marrying him and becoming his queen. Only then, will he truly become ruler of his Kingdom. Once he and her are invoked as man and wife. Vanitas grinned at the thought.

When the spell was done working its magic, Vanitas waved his hand in her direction, changing her torn white wedding gown into a black, silk gown. Her platinum blonde hair combed itself, and the dirt/grime disappeared from her body.

Vanitas slowly stood from his position, gripping the silver staff tightly, as he spoke an incantation.

"I call upon the Kings of this land
to give me strength and power.
When this throttled girl awakes
in this bed, upon this tower
Forget me, she shall not
But her past, she shall.
If perhaps, she should remember,
she will slowly fall
To the depths of demise.
Sooner if she leaves my side
To return to be the bride
Of the man she was stolen from."

Naminé stirred in her slumber, but not enough to wake. Her body glowed golden, and so began the process of her "cleansing". "Soon," Vanitas started, "very soon, my future queen." He kissed her forehead, smirked at her one last time, and left the room, feeling very successful.

But what Vanitas didn't know, when he left the room, while Naminé slept peacefully, she momentarily stirred from her sleep, and whispered a single word.

Roxas.

A/N: And so, Batman Begins! XD Okay, okay, just joking. :P I meant the story. You should give this bitch a review. Bitches love reviews~ XD

And I know it's freaking short, but I will strive to make the chapters longer. So take a chill pill, 'kay? :)

Au revoir~ ;)

edited 6-05-2013