Part Eleven

Ash. Endless miles of ash. The surrounding were a pitch gray, the sky blotting out the sun. The deer which had ran from the lava phoenix found the little girl, as gray in ash as the area. The deer lifted her up on its antlers, walking slowly over to the others where they stood. Cloud patted Aerith on the back as she cried, Riku just sitting there in a stunned, lifeless state. It saw, even though Aerith cried her heart out in empathy, that deep within Riku something had snapped, a suddenly anguish that was being revealed through the hollowness he showed. She got off and floated over to him, looking to his face closely, but Riku not adjusting his gaze. She put a hand on the side of his face, but there was only an eye twitch in responds. They could see her sigh quietly, standing up, and beginning to speak. Her voice, mingled into many different pitches, but able to be understandable than most regular people.

"You friend...is not dead..." she said, and Riku's eyes finally looked up to her but her words still dull to him. "She was merely taken somewhere else...Somewhere far away from here."

"Then where is she? And where's Vincent?" Aeirth asked.

"They are together...but one has been taken to suffer. To have the heart ripped from the still chest of one...Letting the other watch as it unfolds." She smiled half-heartedly suddenly. "But it is only a foretelling of the future. Not what is. You have a half a day before this is carried out. And I wish...the best of luck to you all." With that, she floated back up into the sky, widening and releasing the rain. Plants began to grow once more from the earth, quickly blooming as the sunshine came through.

Riku looked up, seeing the blue overhead. The grass grew around him, trees once again growing tall and magnificent. The girl grew a brilliant green once more, going back to the tree of which the blossoms grew and sprouted them again. He smiled, seeming to know that she was okay for now, and they had to go and rescue her before this time was out.

Cloud helped Aerith up from where she was sitting, paging for the Gummi Ship to beam them up. When they had, Cloud turned angrily to Riku, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Cloud!" Aerith exclaimed, but he ignored her, his cold, emotionless side taking over.

"And since when do you care about what happens to that girl, huh? Whatever happen to your mission on trying to find Kairi?"

"I know this much," he said, getting lose of his grip and stepping back. "Kairi is safe where she is, there's no doubt. Jeria isn't, so we have to go help her!"

He stood back, giving a cold shoulder. "Who's said we are?"

The room grew strangely silent, Aerith's eyes widening in disbelief. Riku narrowed his eyes, knowing that Cloud wouldn't go, no matter what it took. If it was anything he learned, it was that when Cloud had his mind set on something, he just went along and did it.

"You're not serious, Cloud! I mean, what about the Heartless? What about Vincent? Are you just going to turn your back on him?!" Aerith cried, Cloud looked at her as serious as he could be.

"He knew what he was getting in to when he reached to save her. It is not our concern how his past catches up with him." He turned away to walk out, but stopped when he heard her voice.

"Then are you saying we shouldn't have cared? That we should've just let you died when your past caught up with you?"

He did not respond, pausing for a moment and then continuing on his way. Aerith shook her head, sitting down and sighing. Riku just stared, wondering what that had been all about. he walked over, sitting in the chair across and about to ask. But she looked up, filling in.

"I knew it...He really hasn't changed," she said, gazing out the window.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Ever since he gave his heart into darkness to bring me back, he's been so cold. He cares for virtually nothing but my well-being, and it scares me to think what he will do if anyone else gets in his way. It somehow reminds me of..."

Riku blinked, seeing her trail off in thought. "Who? Who does it remind you of?"

She sighed, shaking her head again. "Nothing, no one. It's not important."

"Yeah it is! If it clears up something then somewhat of my stress will be gone! I'll finally understand how this guy ticks, how he can be so cruel-"

"And yet have a love for someone else," Aerith interrupted quietly, smiling as Riku nodded slowly. "See, Sephiroth is so much of his cold side, and yet...the other reminds me of the Cloud I once knew. The one I could look at and see smile..." Tears began to roll down her face, "The one who I could say 'I love you' and get a responds except for a glassy gaze..." Riku remained silent, Aerith beginning to cry again, but able to speak in between. "How so much I reminds me of you and Jeria. How a once heartless being could become a sweet, innocent person. How you became such a thing after you realized what the Heartless was. You share a liking to her, Riku, and please, I beg of you," she reached out, putting a hand on the side of his face as a big sister would, "never let it go. Never turn into what Cloud has become, for there are other ways. Save her while you have the chance. Create your world...as it was meant without selling your life."

Riku only nodded, confused in a way but soon would understand what she meant. She stood up, walking to the door, and turning to say one last thing. "I'll take Cloud back to Travers Town using the warp. You'll have this ship all to your self, and so you can find her with no distractions."

He was about to say thank you, but she ran out before hand, the door quickly shutting behind. In a matter of moments, the ship shook, saying that the other two passengers were gone, back to Travers Town. Putting his hands on the steering wheel, he pulled out of the atmosphere of this planet, setting a course out into space. As he finally just began to float there in the mist of space, he tried to find a planet centered around Heartless. He yawned, however, growing increasingly tired.

All of the suddenly, he felt his body slump to the floor, his eyes still wide and looking up, but paralyzed completely. The surroundings formed into a deep red, a dark, shadowy figure coming into the view of the corner of his eye. His eyes about widened in horror, but there was no movement and al he could do is watch as the figure dressed in gray chuckled, putting its hands behind its back.

"Hello my dear old host. How have you been these part five years?" he laughed, waving a hand as Riku felt something cold come up through the floor and wrap around his wrists and ankles spreading all around to until it reached his neck. "Well...I hope they were kind to you, for your next few days shall not be so."

With that, it spread onto his face covering up to his eyes. The darkness sucked him into the floor, along with the figure, until the Gummi Ship was left empty, deserted...

"Your courage is great, no doubt. The only question is... how great is your foolishness, and how deep is your weakness...?"

Riku opened his eyes, feeling a dizziness coming to his head. He felt a splitting pain in his hands when he regained full consciousness. His arms beginning to ache, he looked around, seeing himself stand in darkness. He looked up, hearing the chains clatter as he saw his wrists shackled to them. Though, he gave no emotion when he saw what else had happened to him. His hands, the palms, and been driven through, a hole able to be seen through bleeding down his arm. A bit fell as the chains suddenly let go, falling on his face. He began to walk forward, as if forced to, a the voice continued, crystal clear in this place. But it was the voice of his enemy, of Ansem.

"I'll give you a choice, young sir." The figure in front of him waved a gloved hand, a being lying in front of him. "If you kill this girl, I shall give you what you've been searching for. I'll give you the Keyblade Master and the Princess of Heart."

He blinked slowly, his heart still in a state of unconscious but his outer being not. At the moment, he saw someone he did not know, someone irrelevant to him. Just some lady that was in his way. He looked up to the hooded figure before him, not caring if it was Ansem or not, but only hearing what he wanted to hear. That this person could bring Kairi and Sora back.

"You do this for me, and I shall grant you your most desired wish. Your friends, Kairi and Sora, will be reunited to you," he said, as if reading his thoughts. He waved his hand, a keyblade appearing in the hands of Riku, the one he remembered from so long ago. Riku stared at it, and then back at the lady. The man grinned, "All it takes is only little slice."

"So...you'll bring them back...if I do this?" Riku questioned, his voice in a monotone.

"That is the proposal. But you must do this, and I shall even give back your hands so you do not suffer pain in reality."

Riku stalled, but soon raised the Keyblade up, walking forward. The man smirked menacingly, knowing that his ideas were all going according to plan. As Riku approached, he noticed the lady had no face, that his as blurred out somehow. But he didn't care. As long as it got him back to his friends...

As he raised it above his head, he hesitated for a moment, his hands beginning to ache even more. With it, he could stand it no longer. He couldn't stand this pain, either is be in his hands or in his mind. But everythign seemed to slow, Riku stopping himself from striking her as he heard a voice...Kairi's voice.

"Stop it, silly! Don't you know the person that's right in front of you?"

Riku shook his head, standing back as he blinked several times, the face of this lady coming into focus. The blurriness seemed to melt away as well as the false mask, leading to him turning to shock. Though her eyes were dull and expressionless, as if she was not there, he could still know who it was indefinitely. Her black hair accented her fair skin, paler than usually as if her life had been suspended in animation.

"Jeria..."

"...Ri...ku..." she mouthed, not looking at him but able to be understood.

He then realized what he was doing, and dropped the sword. The man screamed in anger, like a screech, as darkness came from behind him, wrapping around Riku's throat and sending him back, being incased in chains once again. Riku exclaimed to be let free, though his voice was choked beyond that of most comprehension. He was absorbed into nothingness, Jeria lying there still, as the man came looming over.

"It is not surprising he feel into such weakness. I still do not understand how something like you could ever be appreciated by anything, but then again, he is nothing, as every world is! I cannot kill my flesh and blood, unfortunately enough, to the laws that I cannot come near you, but nevertheless, your end shall come." He smirked again, the black underneath her spreading up and consuming her once more into the darkness. "Oh yes, you shall die at last."

The man turned, disappearing, before she sank into it completely, however, she mouthed one last time his name, seeming to find hope in it, and fading once more as everything else did in this forgotten place...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N Hmm...doesn't that remind you of something. ^________^ Anyway, thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! I'll try to make it come sooner next time, REALLY!