"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"You sure you didn't just hear it this time?"
"What difference does it make? There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!"
"All right. Suppose there really is a monster... Think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?" Riku teased in disbelief towards his friend.
"No problem. Let's do it!" Sora reassured, oblivious to his friends sarcasm as the two stood in front of the cave. "Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?"
Riku lost his nerve slightly as someone loud was coming from the cave. "Shh, quiet. We've gotta be careful."
As the entered the cave together, Riku walked ahead of Sora slightly, but sighted a breath of relief as he saw the source of his friend's excitement.
"See that? It was just the wind making that noise." Riku pointed out.
"Aw, man." Sora lowered his head in disappointment. I wish it was a monster! Hm?" Sora looking behind Riku towards something that looked like a door. "Hold on! What's
that over there?"
"A window, or maybe a door?" He looked it over once before crossing his arms. "There's no handle."
"Geez, is that really all that's in here?" Sora said exasperated as he lowered his head in disappointment.
Riku smiled in amusement to his friends reaction. "What do you expect in a boring place like this?" His smile faded as he felt a presence behind him, but as he turned his head nothing was there. Still, he felt something unsettling about this place…
"Hey, Sora."
"Hm?" Sora raised his head as Riku walked towards him.
"When we grow up, let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!"
Sora tilted his head in confusion. " Sure. But isn't there anything fun to do now? Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor's house. Maybe we could as to play with her!"
"Do what you want, let's just go home."
Riku turned around to see Sora now looking toward the door,
"Sora?" He walked back towards his friend, about to take his hand but flinched back as he saw Sora now looked back at him, older, just as he left him on the islands. He noticed that he was the same, aged up and holding his weapon in hand.
"Riku!"
What?
The light above them grew dark, Riku looked up towards the skyline in the cave, only to see the dark sphere that consumed the islands hovering above them. Suddenly, the door behind them opened unleashing a gust of wind that threatened to blow them both away. Riku stabbed his sword down to anchor him to the ground, as he reached his hand out towards his friend who was on his knees.
Sora glanced up at him, terrified for the first time in his life, reaching out towards Riku, mouthing something that couldn't be heard over the sound of the darkness drawing closer.
But time seemed to slow down, as something from the darkness, grabbed onto his friend, dragging him towards it's depths with him trying to claw away from it's embrace.
"Sora!"
Riku tried to edge forward, tried to hear what his friend was saying, but was too late as the door was shut.
And then he awoke.
Riku opened his eyes as a cold chill made it's way up his spine. He was on that pirate's ship on his own when Maleficent appeared before him, arriving through her dark corridor. She glanced partly in his direction as she led the way towards the captain's quarters, with him following wordlessly behind.
As she opened the door, sleeping before him under a large window was the friend he had searched so long for.
"Sora!"
Riku ran towards his friend, immediately placing his hand over the unresponsive boys'. "Hey, wake up!" Fear took hold as he shook his friend's shoulder, but what would usually awaken him did nothing, almost as if Sora was….
"What's wrong with him?!"
Maleficent grew an amused grin as she saw fury radiate from Riku. Shadows began for form around them as they were drawn to this new source of power; the boy himself, only focusing on the witch in front of him.
"He was found like this, with his heart stolen away by a heartless no doubt."
"A heartless?" Riku's fury was quelled for a brief moment as he remembered back upon the islands as Sora reached out towards him. The fear in his eyes as from his point of view, he would've seen the darkness take him. If he'd only reached out further towards his friend…
"Can you get it back?"
"Alas my dear boy, not even I have that kind of power. To find a single heart would be the equivalent to searching for a speck of dust within a endless ocean."
"So what you're saying is...it's impossible." Riku placed his hand against Sora's cheek, fighting every urge to simply just pinch him awake as they did when they were still children, back on the islands.
"Not necessarily."
"Huh?"
"A heart is a quaint thing my dear boy, once lost, it searches for any sort of familiarity, any place that it's own burdens can be placed at ease. Now tell me, where do you think such a place would be located within the darkness?"
By my side.
But Riku shook away such impulsive thoughts, closing his eyes, searching for any sort of hint…
He heard their laughs, an all too familiar smile….
His eyes slowly opened with realization, a creeping darkness crawling up his spine when he realized the only place Sora would return to.
Maleficent chucked, "Precisely."
"But, it was taken away by the darkness…" Riku lowered his head in defeat for a moment before turning back towards Maleficent, "Tell me, what can I do?"
Maleficent smiled, "There are seven maidens of pure heart, known as the princesses of heart. Gather them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. There within lies an untold wisdom where you will surely find the place to where your friend's heart resides. But doing so will be no easy task," A green light inflamed around Riku as he took a step away from Sora, "This power will allow the Heartless to follow your commands, use them to complete your task and I give you my word that I will do whatever is in my power to return your friend's heart."
Riku glanced towards the witch, still entrusting as he grasped this new power, summoning dozens of heartless around them.
"Just make sure to remember our deal, Kairi is mine to deal with."
"Of course my dear boy."