Title: Falling into Nothing
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Shounen-ai, no spoilers, and rewritten game concepts

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over anything that is Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy. I'm just borrowing them to twist them all around a bit.

And now to reply to my lovely reviewer:

Anonymous: Thank you for being my very first review. I'm happy that you like my story, and I'm looking forward to writing the next chapters just as much as you're looking forward to reading them. With that said, I hope you enjoy chapter 2. :D

Chapter 2

Riku stared wide-eyed at the eyes who stared right back at him. Taking a quick step back, he regained his composure, forcing the confusion, shock, and recognition from his own gaze. "Ah, I guess you're the one," he finally said, keeping his voice carefully emotionless. This was something he could focus on later. He could not let himself be thrown off track by a pair of startling eyes or the hazy thoughts that those eyes brought him.

"Who're you?" The voice from behind the cell door was hoarse, as if it had not been used in a long time; or from too much screaming.

"Your rescuer," was the reply, a cocky smile back on his face as he moved forward, quickly unlocking and opening the cell door. The face that he met was not smiling back. "Rescuer? But you can't be much older then me, and…" He trailed off, focusing those amazing eyes back on Riku. Riku, once again, could only stare at the boy in front of him.

"Damn it, you can't be the one…" he muttered aloud, looking at the short kid in front of him. The boy only reached Riku's shoulders; his unkempt, spiky brown hair only extended his height a little higher. His brilliant blue eyes were strangely dimmed by his bruised, dirt covered face. A mark was rising up on his right cheek, probably where the boy had been punched by an angry fist at one time or another.

This kid was the one who was supposed to help them? This short, weak looking boy was the one who the organization feared? There must have been some kind of mistake somewhere. Perhaps the Organization had found this kid in the wrong village. Hey, it was an easy mistake to make.

"The one what?" The other growled back, apparently growing more and more frustrated. Riku just shook his head, turning his back on the other boy. "We don't have time for this. We need to get out of here before they send more soldiers down here." Riku pushed back his doubts, remembering just what he had been sent in to do. This had been the only prisoner in the prison block, and Riku would not just leave him at the mercy of the Organization.

"Let's go," was all he said, turning his back on the other and heading down the hall towards the stairs. The prisoner hesitated only a moment before he jogged to catch up with Riku.

Riku paused before the staircase, listening carefully for any sound that could hint at an enemy's approach. He waved the boy forward with one hand, gesturing up the stairs with the other. "We'll probably run in to a lot of resistance once we get past these stairs. Are you any good with a blade?"

"A blade…? N-no, I've never used one, but…I can learn." Riku just shook his head, waving the idea away. "Battle is not the time to learn. Just stick close to me, and run when I tell you to." The boy quickly nodded, blue eyes darting nervously up the stairs. It was safe to assume that the kid had experienced few real battles beyond the schoolyard scrapes that were so common among the boys.

The two moved up the stairs, eager to free themselves from the dark cells. The spiky haired boy had no desire to return to that terrible place, and Riku could not help but admire the look of determination he saw hidden behind the nervousness that was so apparent on his face. Perhaps this kid would be something more than Riku had first thought.

The determination upon Sora's young, dirty face was no trick of the light. The boy had finally found a way out of that cell, and there was no way he would be thrown back in to it. He looked curiously up at the silver haired young man who had saved him, and the boy with the green eyes looked back, their eyes meeting for a brief moment, before he turned his attention back to whatever lay ahead.

Sora had expected to leave the cells behind in the same manner he had arrived in; kicking and screaming, pulling against those who dragged him to the death he knew awaited him. He paused briefly on the steps, turning blue eyes to gaze down in to the darkness at the bottom of the stairs. His lips turned up in to a small smile, relishing in the feel of leaving by his own free will.

He was leaving in a manner so different than in the way he had first arrived.

The ride upon the Leviathan had been uneventful. From the moment the airship had taken off, things had been peaceful aboard the vessel. Lord Marluxia was relaxing in his personal chamber aboard the ship, while the soldiers goofed off, relieved of their duties for once during the flight.

Only those who were charged with the security of the prisoner were deprived of the peaceful air.

The boy had not stopped yelling at them from the moment he had been brought upon the airship. He had threatened. He had begged. He had bargained. The only ploy he had not tried was tears. Sora refused to be driven to something so desperate. He would not cry free the loss of hope he was already feeling within his heart. He had been strong even when he had been stolen from his home. He had been strong as they dragged him through the forest, where the airship had remained hidden, ready to spirit the boy away with all haste.

That strength, however, was slowly fading beneath the weight of the fate he knew awaited him at their destination. The man who had been sent to retrieve him had spoken so lightly of it; death.

Sora was sentenced to death, and he would not even be told why.

Though he glared with fierce blue eyes, the soldier only smirked back, noticing the slight slump in his shoulders, and the trembling in his hands he was trying so desperately to still. The fire that had inspired the boy's screaming, threats, and insults had just about died.

He sat back comfortably in his chair, a gun and a sword at each hip, enjoying the rare moment of peace he was finally granted with. He just hoped that the boy would not get that fire going again. He did not want to be tempted to use the gun at his waist to simply silence an annoying kid with no future.

It took several hours, but Sora eventually fell in to a restless sleep upon the hard bench that existed within the airborne cell. Even as he drifted in to dark dreams he could not help but feel some small satisfaction at leaving behind an incredibly irritated guard. He had refused to allow himself to stay quiet for too long. If these mysterious people were going to kill him, he would not allow them an easy time of it. It had been the man who had been given the unlucky job of guarding the boy who had been forced to take the vocal punishment.

And so the rest of the trip was passed in peace and quiet. Even the guard who had the terrible job of guarding the prisoner finally got a period of rest, taking advantage of the quiet that was a rare thing around the angry boy.

Sora knew little of what was happening as he was suddenly and violently jerked from his sleep by a pair of rough hands pulling at his arms. He had been shoved on to his belly on top of the bench, his arms forced behind him by whoever was sitting on his legs. His eyes went wide with fear as he felt the rough rope coiling tightly around his hands, holding them tightly together. Panic was building up in his heart as the man finished off the final knot, effectively binding the boy's hands behind his back. He winced as he tested the bonds, feeling the bite of the rope in to his flesh. Were they trying to cut off all circulation of blood to his hands?

Another set of hands pulled him to his feet and practically dragged him from the small cell, not even waiting for the boy to effectively get his feet back under him. The soldier's grip was tight on his arm, yanking him forward as they hurried through the corridors of the airship, and though Sora could feel the dark fear creeping up on his heart, he refused to let it show through. He pulled back against the hand, trying his best to dig his feet in to the floor, causing the man to stumble in front of him, hand still tight around his arm.

"Let me go! There's no way I'm gonna let you drag me wherever!" The guard rounded on Sora, pulling back a fist, ready to send it straight in to the boy's gut. He would have been ready if Sora had tried to run, dodge, or anything of the like, but the prisoner lunged forward instead, mouth wide open, aiming for the arm connected to the hand that continued to detain him. He bit down hard, and the man let out a yell of pain as he loosened his grip on the prisoner, giving Sora the chance he needed. He pulled himself free of the soldier, turned and ran.

Sora had never lifted a weapon in his life, and he was never one who enjoyed fighting. He had one skill, however, that was of the utmost use to him here and now; running. The boy was fast, and the guard had lost sight of him as soon as he looked up from the indent Sora had made on his throbbing arm.

Sora ran through the halls of the airship, not knowing where he was going, just hoping to find some other way out besides wherever the strangers were intent on dragging him. His hands were still bound behind his back, and he wished he had something to cut them free. Unfortunately, finding something and then handling that said something proved to be a problem. The boy instead focused on making his way unseen through the corridors, hoping he would not run in to anybody. He darted around another corner and skidded to a halt, a familiar voice reaching his ears. The door just to the right was slightly open, and that familiar voice was coming from within. Sora immediately backpedaled, realizing just who the voice belonged to. He would not be grabbed once more by the stranger with the pinkish hair, and he was just turning to leave when the voice suddenly rose in carefully controlled annoyance.

"-can't seriously expect to keep him alive? Why don't we just kill him now? Forgive me, Xigbar, but it would be much safer and easier to be rid of the boy now." Marluxia's voice paused here, apparently listening to another that Sora could not hear.

"Fine, I will follow the Superior's will," he said, anger breaking through his careful control now. Sora pressed closer to the wall, ignoring the discomfort in his arms, trying to gather what information he could from Marluxia's conversation with this Xigbar.

"Yes, we have just landed. The boy will be comfortable in his new cell in a matter of hours. I will contact you again as soon as we arrive..." Suddenly an alarm was blaring, and footsteps could be heard pounding through the halls. Sora's eyes widened and he pressed himself closer to the wall, looking around wildly, searching for a way out. He took a step forward, ready to leave this dangerous place behind, but was halted by the voice within the room once more.

"Just a small setback, I assure you, Xigbar. The prisoner has broken free from his…escort. There is nowhere for him to run to. We will find him soon enough. Still, you did not seriously expect this to be easy, did you? He is the key."

He is the key.

A strange dizziness seemed to assault Sora's senses at those words. The world turned upside down and he was barely able to register his knees buckling beneath him. He fell to the cold floor of the airship, feeling himself slipping away from the consciousness he tried so desperately to cling to.

He is the key.

What were those murmurings in his head? Why did everything feel off? Sora shook his head, trying to focus his quickly fading vision. It was fading as quickly as the hope that had sprung up in his heart at his escape.

You are the key.

"No, no, no…I can't…can't do this now…" His head crashed to the floor, eyes rolling back, and he lay there, free for anyone to find.

You are the fabled key.

Fabled key? What's the fabled key? Sora could not clear his thought as he opened his eyes to see a dark landscape stretching out in every direction. He was so cold, and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself; a vain attempt to keep himself warm against the darkness.

"We will find you…"

Who would find him? Why did everyone want to find him? Where was he? How could anyone find him in such a dark place? What could possibly exist here? Those thoughts repeated again and again as he started moving through the darkness. He took slow steps at first, searching for some change in the landscape. Nothing ever changed. Sora was running now, his arms still tight around his body, still freezing to the very bones. Where was the light? Why was there nothing but darkness?

"And you will save us."

Save us? But who was going to save him from this cold? Who would save him from this dark? He did not want to be trapped here, alone, forever. He tripped on nothing and fell to his knees. The pain was too real in this dark place.

"You must save us…"

Why must I save you? How can I save you? The words he so wanted to say could not be forced out though . Where was he? Where could he go?

Help me…somebody…please…

"Or else we will become nothing at all…"

Nothing at all…

Nothing at…

Nothing…

………

But wait; was it really nothing that surrounded him? The boy stood up slowly, ignoring the fading pain in his knees. Something was calling to him now. It was different from that disembodied voice that existed everywhere and nowhere. It was different from the darkness that surrounded him and took everything.

This was comforting, and it was familiar.

He reached a hand forward, heart warming at the light growing in the distance. It was so far away, but it was slowly growing closer. Day by day it grew closer, waiting for the boy to find the strength to harness it.

It would come, and then the darkness would be driven away.

Nothing would fade, and everything would exist once more.

Everything would exist…

Sora awoke back in to the light filled world hours after the untimely collapse. He could not remember what it was that had caused him to collapse, and the dream itself was a vague memory to him.

The dream, however, was far from his main concern. The boy's arms were still tightly bound behind his back, and he was once more being dragged along, though this time he had a man on each arm, two trailing behind them, and one more in the front. The pink-haired man, Marluxia, was nowhere to be seen.

The walls were different from the ones he had been forced past earlier. The corridors of the airship had been made of metal, but these walls and floors were of a cold, dull stone. Sora gulped, his heart speeding up just a fraction more. Had they arrived already? His suspicions were soon confirmed as the man on his right saw he had awoken.

The guards with him now did not include the man he had bitten hours before.

"Heh, finally woken up, have you?" Sora growled in return, swinging a foot forward to kick the guard hard in the shin. Just as the unfortunate receiver of his attack yelped in pain, the man on his left immediately swung around with a fist, knocking his head to the side as he made harsh contact with his cheek.

"You won't be giving us anymore trouble, kid," he said with confidence, eyes amused by his comrade's obvious discomfort. The other was wincing as he stepped down with his injured leg, though determined to walk it off.

Sora blinked, trying to clear his suddenly blurry vision, biting his lip as he felt the growing aching from his face. The area was tender, and was probably already swelling up.

Every time Sora piped up with another comment he was granted with another punch or a kick to the gut. He was aching all over by the time they reached his new cell, but he did his best to hide the pain. He just had to walk it off.

He just had to keep walking.

He just had to hold on to what little hope he had left.

Men stood on either side of the cell door as it was opened, and Sora was tossed within with little care and more then a little satisfaction from the man he had kicked earlier. He grunted in pain as he landed hard on the cold stone ground, stunned for the moment the soldiers needed to cut his hands free, kick him once more in the side, and then slam the door behind them. The door was soon locked, and Sora was trapped.

He lay on his side for what felt like hours, curled around his aching stomach, trying to somehow will the pain away. Finally he looked up slowly, carefully stretching out his aching limbs, his shoulders screaming their relief at finally being allowed free movement once more.

He saw the rope burns on his wrists and tenderly rubbed at the wounds, trying to ease the discomfort that existed on the raw skin. He looked around his new prison for the first time, taking note of the featureless walls and the drab cot that was the only somewhat interesting feature of the room.

Sora pulled himself to his feet, and immediately made his way to the metal door, with the tiny barred window at the top. He pressed himself up against the door, standing up on his tiptoes to look through the high window. A guard was standing directly across from him. "Hey, you! Come on, why don't you just let me out of here!?"

No reaction.

He hammered on the door for a while, shouted insults at the man, and yet nothing gained even a twitch out of the soldier. Sora finally collapsed to the floor in defeat, realizing that they had found someone who could deal with his shouts and trouble.

Looking around the cold, windowless cell he could not help the fear and hopelessness that crept in to his heart. He was really going to die here, without even a window to gaze out of.

What would his parents think? What about Kairi? Would anyone even know what had happened to him? Would they simply forget about him and go on with their lives? He hated the thought, but he could not help but doubt his parents. Kairi, however, had always been with him. Kairi was different, and Kairi cared. Had she even realized he was missing yet?

Who could find him?

Sora pulled himself to a corner of his last prison, curled himself up in to a ball, and let the despair overwhelm him. Though he did not shed a single tear it was obvious the boy was crying inside.

When Sora had entered that cell, when he had given up all hope, he had never expected anybody to come for him. Why would anybody come for him? He stayed still on the stairs, unaware that a pair of green eyes had been watching him from the first moment he had lost himself in the bitter memories.

He started as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and turned swiftly, half expecting another guard to haul him back to his doom. Instead, he met the eyes of his rescuer.

"Hey, don't worry. I won't let them take you back. I came to get you out, and believe me; I don't fail anything I set my mind to." Though his attitude was cocky, Sora could not help but trust in the total confidence the stranger had in himself, and the focus he had on freeing Sora from a fate he did not believe he deserved.

"Alright, let's get going then. I don't ever want to go back there." Riku just nodded to the boy, and together they climbed the steps, ready for whatever lay ahead.

Riku had made a promise with those words, and he was not one to break his promises.

Author's Note: And that's it for Chapter 2, and it gives you a pretty good introduction to Sora. I love writing Sora…and I love writing Riku. I can't wait to start writing them together. :D This was basically the Sora intro chapter, while Chapter 1 was the Riku intro chapter, though there is still a ton to be said about both of them. We'll probably have to wait a while for all of that though.

This chapter really went in a completely different direction then I had planned it to do. The flashback was not in the original plan, and when I decided to add it in, I thought it would only be a few paragraphs. As you can see, it became basically the entire chapter. Thanks to that little…phenomenon, I ended the chapter a lot earlier in the plot then I had been planning.

Well, I'll be heading back to the college dorms in about a week, so the updates will be slowing down at this point.

Thank you for reading this far, and please read and review:D