Deception in Darkness

Riku went through one of the whale's open throat glands, although he personally could care less where he was. All that mattered was that finally he had what he was waiting for. The lamp signaled him, Jafar had returned, finally he mission to save Kairi would be over, then he could be rid of the horrid genie, and Maleficent, allowing him Sora and Kairi to be free once and for all. Though perhaps, keeping a genie around for two more wishes could prove useful in the future.

He was also just tired of watching Sora goof off with friends that he couldn't stand it! Here Riku was doing everything he could to find Kairi and instead and Sora was busy indulging himself with people he had only met just a few months ago. It disgusted him, even if he liked the Pines boy.

"Sora, you are such an idiot sometimes." Riku grumbled as he made sure to find a safe space somewhere in the whale, "Bad enough you want to spend time with idiots, you always get so distracted that you forget what exactly we're trying to accomplish here".

Once sure no one was looking at him, he pulled out the lamp as red smoke began to surround him before the figure of Jafar in his new genie form arrived.

"Master." The red genie smirked gazing from above at the tiny boy that stood before him. "Always a pleasure to be in your ...Presence"

Riku groaned not going to play the genie's games. "Go back to human form please, I hate theatrics."

"Of course." With a swift motion the large muscular genie transformed back into the robed and turban wearing man he remembered from Agrabah, even his snake staff remained intact. "Is this form more suitable, master?"

Riku glared back at him, having a genie was going to be work, but he would ensure that he knew who was a master in this relationship. He knew that if Sora ever found out he would freak out, but he knew what he was doing, Jafar was evil, so it was completely justified to have him consider this his punishment. Still Jafar didn't act like he was being punished at all, in fact he just smirked even more.

"You are enjoying this way to much." Riku muttered.

Jafar merely laughed, smirking back at the boy. "Oh yes, while I do despise my imprisonment in the lamp, it gives me pleasure to watch you slowly take the knife and twist it in the back of your devoted friend. That is more than enough satisfaction for me."

"I'm not stabbing him in the back!" Riku yelled, incensed by the notion. "I am doing this for him, to protect him. Now where is Kairi?!"

"To the point as ever. Very well, I found the girl." Jafar said giving a bow.

"And?"

"And?" Jafar asked nonchalantly. "And what master? Please be specific."

"Is she here? Where is she?" Riku looked behind him as if expecting Kairi to appear. "You said you found her give her to me!"

"Ah yes… about that." Jafar snapped his fingers and summoned a viewing portal showing Kairi on a bed, unconscious, yet safe. "I'm afraid, you are in a way to late."

Riku eyes widened in fear. "W-What?"

"Her heart…...it wasn't there, it appears to have gone missing."

"M-Missing?" Riku repeated, more of a statement than a question.

"I'm afraid so master...taken by the Heartless, unfortunately ...unless of course...another heart could take its place. The Keyblade Master will not be happy to hear about the loss of one of his friends, he does care for her quite a lot"

With those last words the genie back into the lamp leaving Riku alone to think about what he had said. Missing, Kairi's heart was missing. Everything he was doing, everything he had done, would all be in vain if her heart was missing. Sora would be devastated if he knew. He couldn't let that happen. He needed to think of something, some plant, some sort of way to get a heart to Kairi, any heart.

"Riku!" Instantly he froze as he heard that weird toned voice.

Suddenly, everything was cut short. Slowly the young teen turned around to see standing in front of him Dipper, with a look of shock and horror. Quickly a dozen questions went through his head. How much did he hear, how much did he know? Did he have to knock him out, wish for him to forget? No, trusting Jafar and wasting a wish was a foolish mistake. He had to be careful, the next few words will be critical.

"Dipper… Listen to me very, VERY carefully." Slowly Riku approached the boy even Dipper stepped back with every step forward Riku took, a ticking time bomb of emotions was about to burst.

"Why were you talking to that guy?" Dipper said, his voice shaking. "Why do you have that lamp? What was that…? Does Sora, no ...Why did you run off? Why?! Why…?!"

Quickly Riku put a hand over his mouth to get to be quiet, not wanting him to alert or the others. Using this time he tried to think of just exactly how to word this, he wasn't about to lose an important ally because of a foolish mistake.

"Look…..Sometimes we have to do whatever it takes, right? To protect the ones that matter most, even if it means doing things..." He paused before speaking again. "Questionable things"

Dipper paused, "Yeah but ...Having a Genie slave I mean...is that...That's not the same".

"Is it really?" Riku, interrupted.

Dipper paused to argue, yet he had a point, if Jafar was evil then maybe he did deserve this kind of punishment. Also, when things were desperate you had to make deals with a devil for the greater good, still something about that demon seemed really fishy.

"Look ...It's called a genie." Riku showed him the lamp Dipper flinching as he kept it close. "It's my ace in the hole….I get three wishes, and already I know where Kairi is."

"That's great ...tell Sora and…."

Riku hushed him. "No ...Sora he uh ...he won't understand. He's a bit of a ...moral absolutist in that way."

"Huh?" Dipper looked confused. "W-Why? Isn't he looking for Kairi? He'd be thrilled to know!"

"Basically, he'd hate the idea of me using a genie slave because Sora has….'standards' apparently. I'm more practical in that way".

Dipper however bit his lip and looked unsure. "Well ...I guess. Seems kinda wrong though, isn't that kinda, I don't know-Slavery…?"

"He deserves this" Riku said in a dark yet playful tone. "….He's working for Maleficent, doesn't that seem like rightful punishment to you?"

"The evil witch?!" Dipper stepped back looking shocked. "Are you sure you can trust him, even if this is punishment?!"

"No but like I said, I found Kairi because of him, now we need to get her heart back." Riku explained, his persuasion was working he could see Dipper slowly coming to his way of thinking.

"Well ...Why not wish it back?" Dipper asked.

Riku paused to think for a moment. "Let's just say I don't trust this genie entirely with the idea of getting someone heart back."

"I see…." Dipper still looked unsure he looked back at the lamp and then at Riku both hesitantly his mind working in twenty different directions. "Well ...I-I guess I ….I don't know, why aren't you telling Sora, though? He should know I mean….he's your best friend…."

Riku paused to think. "Well...See ...I don't really trust…Look, from what I've seen this darkness stuff is powerful...instead of avoiding it, why not use it? Can't beat them join them right?"

Dipper looked taken aback. "But were trying to fight the…."

His hesitancy was cut short, as the sound of a high pitch scream came from the whale's mouth. Dipper eyes widened in fear as he realized who it was.

"That's Mabel!"

"Sora!" Riku got his word and ran out.

Riku paused though and put the lamp away, he had to keep a eye on Dipper now. While he felt that the boy would keep a secret, he still didn't trust him enough to not blab if the pressure got to him. He would need to think of preventive measures should that happen, plausible deniability is key.

Finally, they arrived though.

Entering the main mouth, both boys looked in horror at what appeared to be a tentacle induced jiggly Heartless. It's large blobby body continued what appeared to be a cage, and inside it's gut Pinocchio screamed helplessly as they tried to explain it's glutness jail. Already Riku could see Sora with his Keyblade in toe, jumping into action, Donald and Goofy behind him for back up. A battle raged as would most of his conflicts with the Heartless. Riku looked around trying to think of something to do, needing to think quickly as the creature was starting to go on the move.

"Grappling hook, away!" Mabel's grappling hook suddenly attached itself to the Heartless gooey essence flinging it and Mabel along in the air as it moved.

The girl was tough, she pounded the Heartless with her fist yet she wasn't doing much damage. But right now she just wanted to save her friend, his own emotional state one of panic. Mabel was trying to get close to the mouth jail, but the Heartless's rough movement was too much for her to not lose her footing, relying on the grappling hook to stay still.

"Don't worry Pinocchio! I'll save you! Mabel away!"

"Hey, get back here with my kid!" Stan yelled chasing after it, Gepetto following suite. "And my video camera, I wish to film this!"

Dipper started to hyperventilate. "What do we do?! What do we do!? That thing has my sister- Oh man, oh man, oh man ...Maybe the journal has something."

"Come on!" Riku took the boy by the hand as the two ran off chasing it. "Sora's gonna get himself hurt if I don't jump in soon."

Yet that was where Riku was wrong. He wasn't getting hurt at all. In fact, Sora was handling himself quite nicely. While perhaps not a professional, his proficiency with the Keyblade was getting better. His movements far more fluid, his ability to dodge attacks getting better with ease. As he watched a part of him began to wonder if Sora could really do it, could he really defeat the Heartless. Maybe even better, stop Maleficent.

"Donald, Goofy, help me!" Sora shouted.

"We're coming, Sora!" Goofy shouted holding his shield up close.

Donald rose his staff summoning a lighting bolt. "Thunder!"

A few Heartless were knocked back but not enough. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were surrounded but they managed to keep their own. The trio knocked back several of them but for each one they attacked, two more took their place.

Soon any hope for Sora quickly delved out the window, Riku reminded that the darkness was everywhere and spreading with every second and that light could easily be snuffed. His two friends weren't going to be enough to fend them off and he knew that. Quickly, he got into the fray to help out his friend using his own power and might knocking away the heartless to give him some space.

"Thanks." Sora said smiling as he stood in front of Riku Key at the ready. "I can take on the rest."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked seeing more Heartless emerge.

Sora snickered. "Hey, I am the Keyblade Master, right?"

"Sure." Riku grumbled under his breath.

As the two boys took on the smaller underlings, the larger Heartless continued to swivel and swirl as Mabel penetrated it with her grappling hook hoping it would cause him to open up it's mouth and free the wooden puppet. She held on while Dipper frantically ran up to her trying to get on.

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled avoiding the Heartless's tentacles.

"Don't worry, Dipper!" Mabel yelled back still trying to open its mouth. "I got it on the ropes, come on you big ugly thing!"

Dipper watched in horror as his sister continued to be swung around by the giant blog, the group now entering the large gut of whale. Ooze gushed through some of the pores yet Sora and the others kept their distance as they sliced through the beast. Mabel though was strong, she was holding her own pretty well. Sora as well was helping her out, distracting the Heartless, the power of the Keyblade drawing it to him and not onto Mabel.

Taking his sword Riku jumped forward to help Sora out, making cutting down the Heartless before it could get a swing in him.

"Thanks."

"No problem!"

Sora charged forward, giving everything he got to protect his Key. Mabel for her part punching the beast with her fist, Dipper keeping near in case she fell. As for the old men of the group, Gepetto was not as helpful as he was worried, afraid for the safety of his little boy, Stan however was a league onto himself. He was taking on the Heartless as if it was a boxing opponent in the ring, blasting at it with everything in terms of a punch. Still, Riku knew none of it would be good enough. These large Heartless were strong, and this one seemed quite agile. Made of mush, but it must have had a weakness somewhere. Thinking, Riku eyed each spot, trying to find a place sensitive area, yet he could find nothing. Now it seemed that it would just be luck and chance that one day.

Taking a deep breath, Riku took his sword and plunged it right in the center hoping it would be the final blow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, boy, not unless you wish your dear friend Kairi to sleep forever."

Instantly Riku stopped, Maleficent's voice still ringing in his ear.

"Riku!" Sora yelled.

Too late, the Heartless took him by one of its tentacles as it began to make it's way down one of the whale's inner pipes. The last sounds he could hear was that of Dipper and Sora's screams, apparently Mabel had been taken along with them.

"Riku!" Sora yelled.

"Mabel! Mabel!"

"Pinocchio!"

Too late, they were gone.

-000-

"Wake up, child! We are alone." A familiar feminine voice called in his ear.

That voice, Riku knew it all too well now. Slowly getting up he saw a black robe of the woman standing in front of him, the tip of her staff plowing down into the whales inner skin. Looking up Maleficent smirked down upon him as he rose back on his feet. Perhaps she was here to gloat at his predicament or perhaps she just wanted to watch him squirm. Either way, to say he was happy to see her was an overstatement.

Apparently, he had been transported here to what looked like the whales intestinals against his will and he was not pleased by this at all, Maleficent's pet Diablo glared at him and he was back at it.

"What do you want?" Riku gloated, as he tried to stand as tall he possible could. "Why did you stop me from attacking your Heartless? Need it for something perhaps, if this has anything to do with Sora you said-?"

"I need…" Maleficent seemed shocked before her face reverted back to a sly grin. "No, no, I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding, I do not need it ...You need it."

"Me?...Why?" Riku asked definitely confused now.

"The puppet of course." Maleficent replied looking at Pinocchio who was knocked out from the impact. "A being with no heart yet he is alive. Quite a sight to behold, while I know a bit living beings with no hearts ...one who was given life without one, or without losing it in the first place ...that is magic I would love to desire myself."

Riku looked at Pinocchio and then at Maleficent. "You know, don't you?"

"Indeed." Maleficent said smirking back at the boy.

Riku looked at the puppet and was able to put two and two together now. If Kairi didn't have a heart yet neither did this puppet, then why did the one live while the other was asleep? This angered him, how was it his own friend was made to suffer when a pathetic pupept was frockling around dancing and singing! In his rage, he clenched his fists, he was upset, at Maleficent, himself and now this puppet. It was a blight against him and one he was going to rectify.

"So, you think the puppet can bring back Kairi?" He asked, his tone darkening.

Maleficent chuckled. "Indeed, I do. If you allow me to take him back to home, I could then ...look closer into what exactly makes him tick. Darkness has that power, after all."

"Darkness can do a lot it seems." Riku replied folding his arms and leaning against the wall. "Maybe if I have some time I could learn how to do a few of it's tricks."

"If you embrace it, it can do wonders, but so long as you hold yourself back my boy you can never truly use that power."

"Power?" Riku's looked intrigued.

"Yes, I sensed it since you've arrived and when you captured both Alice in Wonderland and Jasmine in Agrabah. The slightest temptation of darkness, one that if tempered could be the grandest dark wave that could engulf all the worlds! You can feel it, don't you? The Darkness, it grows stronger every day. Consuming world after world, Heartless hordes grow, even without my manipulation."

As Maleficent spoke, Riku thought deeply. She was partially right, he could sense the Darkness rising. Somehow, he just knew it was growing in strength every day. He didn't even need a reminder, he could see the stars going out every time he was looking out the window. Yet, he would stay because Sora would appreciate in the end what he was doing. Sora was a good friend to him, and he has his back. It was necessary, this was all necessary.

Plus with that power he could have whatever he wanted, break his chains and be free from anyone or anything that held him back! His parents, his world, anything, darknesses was what was giving him these gifts, these wonders! Still, that last bit of light remained, Sora, how was he going to explain this all to him?

Maleficent noticed his plight and smirked. "Well, I'll let you decide. This Heartless shall remain here and the wooden puppet will remain asleep. But I would hurry, I don't know how long you have till you receive company."

"Mind your own business, Maleficent!"

In a flash of green fire she left, leaving Riku alone to stew in his own thoughts.