"Vexen, Larxene... I wonder who will be next in line." Axel asked as he and Zexion stood within Vexen's lab.

Zexion remarked as he turned back to Axel, "I thought perhaps was to be you."

Axel laughed at his possible hope, "Me? No way. I already took my pounding from Marluxia. He thinks I'm done for good. Nope, I think it'll be him next. For defying the Organization and targeting Sora. I hope he moves exactly as his heart commands him to. So, what about you? I thought you guys had plans for Riku."

"Yes, we were going to set him off against the traitors... But with Marluxia still a threat turning Riku to our side will be a delicate procedure." Zexion said as Axel only half listened.

"Seemed like we got more than we bargained for, thinking we could handle children." Axel said offhandedly, "Riku could prove to be more than you could handle, after all, he's managed to survive this far after all. Think you can beat him into submission?"

"You know that is not how I do things." Zexion said, summoning a dark void before him. "Tell me, how did you obtain the data on Riku's home?"

Axel rubbed the back of his head, " That would be Namine, the memories that Riku had experienced on the other floors may have been his own, but this one is special. After all, it belongs to the only one who remembers exactly what happened just before the islands fell.

Just before he was about to step into the void, and into the homeworld of the two Heroes, he turned to Axel once more. "What exactly has become of the hero of light?"

"Hard to say," Axel admitted, looking away. "but nothing that concerns us. So long as Vexen's experiments come to fruition, there'll be no use for the original."

Even before Riku stepped into the islands, he could smell the salt of the ocean, the breeze hitting his face. As the light dimmed, his heart sank at the sight of the endless blue ocean and the tree that he and his friends use to sit on together.

Never thought I'd miss the island winds so much... Hmph. There was a time I couldn't wait to get off this rock. And now I'm acting all relieved.

For old times sake, he sat on the trunk of the tree, looking outward towards the ocean, wondering if Kairi was looking at what he was seeing now. He hoped so. As for Sora...

Riku simply sighed, lowering his head for a moment as he clutched his heart. "Just wait for me a little longer, alright?" He asked, just before he jumped off of the trunk, in the distance near the dock he thought that he saw a small group of people.

"Is that...? Hey!" Riku called out as he ran towards them. As he came closer, he recognized the faces of his friends from the island.

"Tidus, Wakka, Selphie!" He identified, happy to see some familiar faces, grabbing their attention as they turned towards him. "What's with you guys? I don't think I've ever seen the three of you so quiet." They didn't respond as he recalled that only Maleficent was the exception to his memory. His nostalgic joy fading along with their images. He lowered his head sadly, wondering if they ever made it back to the island.

...

Riku walked back along the bridge, suddenly sensing a presence behind him, immediately he turned to see a face that made him sad. The girl with a bright smile, always slacking alongside Sora and being a shoulder to rest on whenever he needed it.

"Kairi?" He asked as his friend smiled at him, folding her hands behind her back as she tilted her head slightly. As she always did when she did something mischevious. He took a step forward towards her. "Hey, Kairi. Are you-" His heart sank as she disappeared the moment he did. "Ah... No!" He lowered his arm as he turned away. Suddenly sensing the same familiar presence as before, turning to see a boy overlooking the darkened ocean. For a moment he hesitated, "Sora?! Sora!" He called out as he reached for his friend. "Sora, it's me-" But his words were cut off as Sora suddenly slashed at him. Riku reflexively summoned his weapon, clashing against Sora's. "Stop it, Sora! Don't you recognize me?"

Sora attacked him again, but this time Riku jumped back, gasping in shock at the weapon Sora was holding. "That weapon...why, why do you have the keyblade?!"

His friend gripped his weapon, lowering his stance, anger, and confusion warping his face. "What...What did you do to Riku?!"

What?

"Sora, it's me-" Riku insisted, sheathing his weapon and walking towards his friend, desperate. "Please, I promise it's me!"

Suddenly, Sora gasped as he dropped his weapon, falling to his knees as he was slashed from behind. Riku stepped forward to catch him, but the memory faded just before he could feel him in his arms once more. Looking up, he glared towards the black cloak, Zexion holding a lexicon in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Surely you knew this would happen!"

"Why would I know?!" Riku demanded as tears welled in his eyes, walking towards the dark figure.

"You've been to a number of worlds in your memory before this one. And in those worlds, you met only dark beings. That's all that's left in your heart: dark memories. Your memories of home are gone-each and everyone." Zexion mocked as the sunny day grew cloudy.

"That's a lie!" Riku denied, "I remember everyone from the islands! Tidus and Selphie and Wakka! Kairi and Sora, too! They're my...my..." He looked away for a moment, his defiance faltering, "my closest friends..."

Zexion narrowed his eyes with a smile on his face, "And who threw away those friends? Maybe it's your own actions that you've forgotten. You destroyed your home!

There is a sudden flash of darkness, and the islands beginning to be destroyed, as a sphere formed over their heads. Riku gasped as Zexion suddenly disappeared, both of them consumed by darkness.

Riku's eyed widened as he saw the heartless begin to form around him, a large horde of them erupting from their secret place "This is...that night!"

"All of the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered. Many hearts were forever lost to the darkness. Because of what YOU did!"

All of a sudden, the horde scattered as a bright light repelled them. From it fell Sora, who only moments before was confronted by him as Kairi was dragged along. He watched as his friend searched, holding the keyblade, Kairi's keyblade, his keyblade, in hand. He could only watch as his friend struggled to survive against the heartless attacking him without rest. The moment that he wavered was when the horde of heartless formed once more, about to consume him once more, yet Sora dove for Kairi who was unconscious, both getting consumed by the dark.

"No..." Riku gasped as the islands began to fall apart under the pull of darkness, his friends nowhere in sight.

"You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. It was YOU! You were pulled into the darkness then, and now you belong to the darkness."

Riku clutches his heart and looking ahead in horror as he saw a truly terrifying sight. The image of the islands disappearing as he collapsed into an ocean within the darkness. He recognized this place, this place where he truly had begun his journey. His eyes widened as Sora ran past him, towards an illusion, a memory of the past. His past self had his back turned to him, standing withing the dark ocean. His past self turned to him with glowing yellow eyes and a dark aura that consumed him. Sora jumped back as his friend looking horrified, now standing before a version of him that was warped into a giant Darkseid.

"You should look-look at what you truly are."

A monster, one even worse than the heartless. One that can only destroy and be consumed by the darkness.

He fell to his knees, defeated as he saw what his memory couldn't, wouldn't, allow him to remember. But through his despair, not even lifting his head as Sora's words rang in his ears, seeing his friend's fear now warping into determination and anger.

"Give me back Riku!"

This...this isn't who I really am!

Riku watched as Sora destroyed the monstrous version of him, panting in exhaustion. He couldn't look as the next part came, hearing his friend's relief as he walked toward him. He heard a slash, then the sound of his friend crashing to the ground as his past self followed suit. Both of them lying on the ground as the heartless approached.

This is where it ended.

Riku recalled, waiting for the darkness to take them both. But he lifted his head to see Sora struggling to stand. He was heavily injured, but pulled himself to his feet. standing before his past self, weapon in hand. He was only able to take a few just as his past self disappeared into the darkness, guided by Ansem no doubt, abandoning his friend as the exhaustion claimed him. Watching as Sora fell into the dark ocean, the keyblades light disappearing as the Sora closed his eyes, falling into the slumber of darkness.

Riku gritted his teeth together, wailing out as the world faded away.

Notes:

Lotta allusions to past Chapters.

Poor Riku, he just wants his sunshine boyfriend back.