~*~Kingdom Hearts: Mirror Dance~*~

By: Dew

Author's Note: *bows* I thank everyone that has left such a positive review. *happy* And I thank doubly for the people that had taken their precious time to leave a long one and those type of reviews inspire me a lot. ^^ I mean, "This story's good, write more" is fine but still…I consider myself very BAD in writing so I like getting suggestions that would help me.

Now for the story notes, this chapter is packed full of angst. Of course it is Riku angst – I will not bring in a character of my own unless I absolutely need him/her because I despise Mary Sue/Gary Stu. For the yaoi part…I have nothing against yaoi, I sometimes even enjoy it. However, I haven't made up my mind whether to leave it as tight friendship or not but I know the answer will come to me soon! ^.^;;

Again, heavy angst warnings!!

I also apologize for the long Author's Note and for those of who are reading this THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! This chapter has spawned from my own sulking from the pressure of two tests and two projects all due at the same day, which happens to be tomorrow…oO;;; I gotta go study…*scuttles off*

Disclaimer: I DO NOT CLAIM KINGDOM HEARTS. IT BELONGS TO SQUARE AND DISNEY. ONLY THE STORY PLOT BELONGS TO ME. SUE ME AND YOU WON'T GET ANYTHING EXCEPT A PENNY AND THAT'S IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE LUCKY. RUE AND MINT DO NOT BELONG TO ME EITHER!! ^^;;

~Chapter Two~

Riku did not return to Karona immediately. Instead, he stayed inside Karona Forest, avoiding the monsters. He did not feel up to traveling through the beasts right then and there. He stayed in the ruins in the center of the forest, eyeing anything and everything that moved with exhaustion.

No matter what the cost, I'll find him.

Those had been the exact words of the vow he had made to the king. Mickey had been skeptical, telling him that the Door of Light was closed and there was no possible way to meet Sora again until the young Keyblade Master reopened The Door and let them into their home dimension. The logical reasoning had kept him together with the king for a few days before he bid Mickey farewell.

Three years ago. That was when his nightmares had started.

Riku was reminiscing, putting together the pieces of the past with the words of Wylaf. Therefore, the walk back into Karona Forest had been a thoughtfully quiet one. The Keyblade was resting beside him, glowing softly from its own mysterious inner glow. Riku watched it but did not dare touch it.

Touching the blade would excite the small pack of hissing Heartless that had followed him when he had retreated from Wylaf's mountain into the forest. Their number was too small for him to be worried about; however, he did not want to fight. He didn't want to stand from the position he was currently frozen in. He wanted to think.

And so he was grateful for the small protection his Keyblade offered him. Not by killing the Heartless – no, that would mean he himself had to face the fiends – but by the loud hum that seemed too much for the Heartless to bear when they got too close.

Riku found the constant singing of his blade was comforting, relaxing his sore joints. It kept him company when loneliness wrapped her icy arms around him, whispering words of despair inside his ears. The Keyblade had been his only companion through the three years.

Even at the cost of losing worlds to the Heartless…

It was a choice easy as it was cold. A sharp memory rang through his mind, a battered island, harsh wind whipping his silver hair around – a brunette running up to him in confusion and fear. He had welcomed the darkness. Riku clenched his fists, unwilling to remember then scowled at his weakness.

I don't care about the world. I just want to find him.

Another set of sentences that spoke directly from his heart. Riku knew, without a doubt that no words spoke the truth so well. Yet the words were bitter on his lips and against his mind. Wylaf had shown the same distaste for his selfishness hours before.

Do I care? No, of course not. Why should I care?

There were reasons – a bundle of them. Some of them hung in his brain for days on end, only for the green-eyed youth to forget them because he didn't understand. Some were noble, almost disgusting so, while others could only be described as selfish.

A Heartless emerged in front of him.

Riku did not budge, only watching the demon with dull, weary eyes. The yellow eyes of the Heartless assessed him, unable to identify him without the Keyblade's touch against his skin. He murmured a spell under his breath, a powerful gravity spell but did not let it go until the Heartless leaped at him, evidently its hunger overriding the warning his Keyblade sang.

With another soft murmur the spell was released from his hand – the upgraded magic of darkness easily crushing the single Heartless that had tried to attack him. He rose to a kneeled position. Riku knew that his moment of silence was over. His hand hovered on top of the Keyblade, waiting for the Heartless fog to completely disappear so that he would not hear its scream.

Thrilled at the challenge, the rest of the Heartless pack jumped him.

Adrenaline rushing in his veins, Riku grasped the Keyblade in his bloody hand and charged head on, his thoughts retreating into a corner of his mind, still there but no longer nagging his battle-driven brain.

I'll find him.

A vow he would never break. Words he had used to swear in front of King Mickey of his promise.

No matter what the cost…

Wylaf would just have to deal with the Heartless like he did. He did not care about the worlds if it meant he had to throw away the vow. The words…the promise were all he had left. If he ignored them…no, Riku never ignored them. His vow was the last thing left in the worlds that reminded him that he was still human.

Hack. Slash.

In between the movements were screams, both his and the Heartless. These demons would follow him to the very core of the universe, all following the distinct call of the Keyblade. They had already devoured many worlds, those he had failed to save.

It's not my fault.

It was most definitely was. He had forced all those worlds into darkness, into death. He had selfishly sacrificed them for the clues he never received. He had made a deal with the demons – the worlds for a hint of Sora's whereabouts. Deals the Heartless had quickly broken when the worlds were eaten, the hearts destroyed and the light fading.

But he felt no remorse…only…pity. The poor fools never knew what hit them. Then he would wake up in a new world, only to be found my some kindly old woman or man that would take him in – much like Mrs. Kaasa, the innkeeper, had done.

Riku finished off the last Heartless and finally resumed his walk. To his delight, the rest of the trip remained silent; the Keyblade did not call to the Heartless, a moment of grieving for this ill-fated world.

By the time he reached the gates of Karona, the sun had already set, the skies taking on a bluish-black hue. The strongest of the stars peeked through first, claiming their territory before the smaller, weaker lights settled in between their seniors, quietly twinkling.

Riku pushed the great gateway open, wincing at the large creaking sound it created.

It was quiet in Karona, people already nice and cozy in their homes or hotels, enjoying the peace that hung over the little town. Riku wondered idly if they were aware of the danger their world was in and quickly crushed the thought – he had done his share of sulking on the way back from Raging Mountain to the forest to Karona.

He wasn't exactly surprised when Mrs. Kaasa was still awake. She smiled at him and he gazed back tiredly but in acknowledgement.

"You missed dinner," she said. "Would you like some now?"

Riku thought about it and shook his head. He felt vaguely sick, not to mention the hardcore thinking had chased away whatever appetite he had earlier during the day. He declined.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Mint and Rue came by an hour ago and asked if you were back yet. I'm pretty sure they'll come again tomorrow…"

Riku grimaced. He couldn't face them…not until he got his walls strengthened again. He did not feel up to speaking to them…at least, not at that hour. It would be too hard to hide his pain, especially against Rue. The white-haired boy was perceptive to the point where it seemed inhuman and scary.

"Don't worry," Mrs. Kaasa told him, "I'll tell them to leave you alone to your sleep."

He nodded in thanks and brushed past the old woman up to his room wordlessly.

When he could think again, Riku found himself on his bed and staring up at the ceiling, his eyelids slowly closing. He was drowsy with exhaustion.

The day had been cruel.

Horrendously so.

Even against his will, he felt his conscious slipping…falling…as his walls slowly came back up…

Weakened, Riku did not resist the pull of sleep and welcomed the darkness with open arms. …it was quite warm…

---

Emerald eyes opened, glancing about the room lazily and groggily. Riku sat up, mentally checking for any wounds on his body. Nothing seemed too tender. His shoulders felt stiff and his back was…numb but those were injuries he had been expecting. There was no headache and his legs felt fine. They weren't even sore. With a nod of approval, the Keyblade Master hauled himself out of bed.

Absentmindedly, he reached for the dream…ready to defuse it early…and stopped, unable to find any words or visions. Riku frowned.

No dream? he wondered, wandering into the bathroom. How odd.

Inside, he had a long staring contest with his reflection then shook his head, finding the stray thoughts of yesterday still lingering at the corner of his conscious like predators, ready to jump at him the moment his walls were down…which Riku hoped wasn't going to be anytime soon. It had taken too long to put them up.

Returning to the main part of his tiny room, Riku turned to the weapon resting at the corner of his room and reached for it. The Keyblade hummed in joy and shattered into a million light particles and floated over to him. In less than a second, it hardened back into its original, solid form. Riku sat down upon his bed and hugged the weapon close to its body, feeling its soft vibration of the hum inside his head.

//You are the source of all Heartless.//

Riku felt the song of the Keyblade stop, offering silent solace for his pain. He made forced his eyes to close at the same time pushing down the violent fear of a nightmare.

I've got to get a hold of myself. he scolded. I can't…avoid them forever.

"…It's unlocked you know."

The door creaked open, the noise sounding almost shy. Riku did not have to open his eyes to know who it was. Feet padded softly against the floor and the Keyblade Master waited until the chair beside his bed protested loudly against the extra weight distributed against its legs.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A couple of minutes at max," he replied. He cracked one emerald eye open and glanced at Rue. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear your morning routines," Rue smiled. "I never thought you were the lazy type."

"Yeah well," Riku answered lamely, "People change. You never know."

"Hmm…" Rue murmured. "How are you feeling?"

"What are you, my mom?" the Keyblade Master asked, smirking. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Rue shrugged helplessly against his remarks, only smiling in response.

"Where's Mint?"

"At the pub." Rue shifted, obviously uncomfortable on the poor excuse of a chair he was sitting on. The green-eyed youth grinned lazily at Rue's discomfort while the wielder of the Arc Edge rubbed the back of his head, as if it helped him fight down the irritation. "We were trying to decide who would be best to come and wake you up."

"And you won," Riku concluded, sitting up. "What time is it?"

"Noon."

"…hn," the Keyblade Master replied. He winced at his oh-so-intelligent answer and sat straight up. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Mrs. Kaasa told us that you came in late last night," Rue shrugged. "We didn't have the heart to wake you."

And if I don't leave, no one will have a heart to do anything… Riku bit in a sharp retort he would've made (to Rue or his thoughts, it didn't matter), reminding himself over and over that Rue did not know of his tight predicament, torn – slightly – in decision. He pushed it away – it was too early (at least for him) to think about such things. "It was nice of you to hold Mint back from kicking the door open and hauling my ass out of bed," he finally said.

"You're welcome."

"What is it?"

Rue blinked. Riku sat up and subjected the other boy of his firm, emerald gaze, tearing into the white-haired warrior with ease. "You don't sit in that chair if you don't have a question on your mind." Riku placed his hand over his chest as if swearing to a sacred oath. "So, ask away, I promise you I will answer with the truth and only the truth."

"Did…Wylaf tell you where the Keyhole is?" Rue asked.

Riku snorted. "Took him awhile but the old lizard told me."

"Where is it?"

"Somewhere in Mint's kingdom." Riku pushed himself onto his feet and attached his Keyblade onto his belt. "I'm supposed to ask her about it. So lead the way to the pub."

"Don't you know where it is?" Rue frowned, standing up as well.

"Probably," Riku shrugged. "But I'm not up to remembering this morn – afternoon."

For his part, Rue shook his head again and sighed, a slight smile grazing on his face. The white-haired boy turned away too quickly for Riku to confirm the smile however and walked out of his room. With one clean stare around his room, the Keyblade Master followed without much of a word. He greeted Mrs. Kaasa, though and thanked her for her hospitality.

The old woman smiled. "Don't mention it."

Riku, out of politeness, smiled back and tailed Rue out the door.

Even against the bright daylight, the alley the pub was hidden under was dark and Riku squinted, trying to force his eyes to adjust quickly. He entered the pub after Rue, feeling the mass of his new burden implanted heavily on his shoulders. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to smile when Mint greeted them, hollering from all the way across the pub, waving.

"Hey, you woke up!" Mint grinned, taking a sip from her drink. "You're one heavy sleeper, Riku." Her voice was friendly, not the sharp sarcasm of impatience Riku had been expecting from the redhead.

"A guy needs his beauty sleep," he answered. He took a seat across from the princess. "I'm surprised you didn't come along with Rue."

"I was!" Mint slammed her glass down and pointed accusingly at Rue. "But he forced me to stay here! I mean seriously, you guys took so long! I could've hauled his lazy ass outta bed hours ago, Rue!"

Riku leaned towards Rue, who sat down on the empty seat next to Mint. "Do I even want to know…?"

The boy smiled sheepishly and shook his head. "No, not really."

"I see."

"Do you know much time we wasted because of you?" Mint did her best to glare at him but Riku had countered her animosity with his smirk, which, he found, got the princess's blood boiling. He was mocking her and enjoyed it immensely; Mint was aware of his hobby and knew better than to be baited. In other words, the fiery girl did nothing after his smirk.

The Keyblade Master wasted no time ordering a drink, asking for the most alcoholic. The waitress nodded and walked off to a different customer, taking their orders then back to the bartender to relay out the orders. Riku watched in fascination, eyeing anything that happened to catch his brilliant forest gaze. He had never been inside a pub before.

A bar, perhaps even a tavern but not a pub, especially one so void of violence such as this. Riku chuckled to himself, knowing better than to expect any excitement from Karona – the two weeks he had retreated into Karona's inn from the demons and to his amazement, the Heartless had not entered the city, only hissing in the forest, waiting for the time when he poked his head out in curiosity.

When his drink arrived, Riku took a sip, noting with pleasure that the alcohol was not as peaceful as its surroundings. It burned his throat as he swallowed it and his stomach lurched in recognition.

"…hole?"

Riku looked up from his musings to Rue, who seemed have finished talking. He continued to stare at him, leaving his face completely blank with confusion.

"What did Wylaf say about the Keyhole?" Rue repeated.

"That it's in East Kingdom," Riku replied.

"East Heaven Kingdom," Mint automatically corrected. It was almost daily routine – neither of them noticed the constant mistake the Keyblade Master made; however, Rue did and Rue always chuckled.

"Wylaf told me to ask you about it, Mint," Riku continued, ignoring the interruptions from both the princess and Rue. He gave her a skeptical look, full of doubt. "Do you know where it is?"

"Of course I do!" Mint snapped.

"Where is it then?"

"E-Eh…uh…" Mint paused for a long time then said, "I can't think right now…uh…I'm drunk!" She let out a strange laugh and quickly asked for another drink, having downed her last one. "I wanted to go back home anyway, to see if Maya's doing a going job with East Heaven Kingdom and all."

Riku raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting the princess babble on about how she knew the day would come when her great presence would be needed to help protect her kingdom…something about world domination… Riku ignored the majority of it, only stealing information about the kingdom itself, trying to create a mental map of the area and where the Keyhole would most likely be located.

What then?

He would go to another world and continue his search for Sora. It was simple.

But what about this world?

Riku took a thoughtful drink out of his beverage. This world was doing to die if he did not leave soon. The Heartless were undoubtedly getting stronger and it was only a matter of time before they ripped the seal off the Keyhole.

//You are the source of all Heartless.//

Riku cleared his thoughts upon instinct.

"How fast can we get to East Heaven Kingdom?" Mint asked.

Rue shrugged in reply. He pulled out a neatly-folded piece of paper and laid it on the table, opening it while Riku's eyes memorized the surroundings as the picture was laid out bit by bit. One of Rue's gloved hands pointed to a small dot upon the paper and said, "That's Karona." He traced a trail through the water to a distant land and said, "That's East Heaven Kingdom."

"Oh my God," the princess groaned. She thudded her forehead against the table. Riku watched in wonderment as she whipped her head up, swore and massaged the area of pain. "It would take…weeks to get there!"

Weeks? Riku frowned. This world doesn't have weeks.

"I'll talk it over with Kraus," Rue promised.

"Yes! That old geezer knows everything!" Mint agreed. She hooted. "I'm going home!"

The Keyblade Master smiled into his cup when he lifted it to his lips.

The subject of the Keyhole was dropped – much to Riku's delight – and he was left alone as Rue and Mint chatted together in subjects the Keyblade Master could not even begin to understand. Despite this, he did not feel left out as it seemed; this was their world and because of that, they obviously knew more than he did. He took a thoughtful sip, smiling once in a while when Mint's hyper-ness bounced off the ever-reasonable Rue.

The pub displayed the life in Karona quite well. It was quiet and there were disruption to the peace. The loudest voice inside was obviously Mint's but the princess's voice was diffused by Rue the moment it got too out of hand. Then the pub was silent again with the usual sound of running water and shuffling feet.

He didn't want to destroy it; he was going to miss this place.

Do I have a choice?

Absolutely none.

---

//Don't give up!//

Those had been his words. They had once left his mouth to comfort another. Now they were only a constant reminder of what he had been and done. It represented the reason this endless journey had been pushed onto his shoulders, as a penance for his crimes. Riku did not try and break out of it – no, that was just stupid. He deserved this punishment.

And several more, I suppose. For each and every world I destroyed.

It wasn't, logically, his fault. In the end it was always the Heartless that had set the dark curtain of death upon the world. All he had done was sit there and watch as people screamed and died out. Riku drew a knee up to his chin, forest green eyes glowing in the cabin's darkness.

They had departed for Mint's kingdom in a ship Rue had called a "ME ship", obviously powered by some mysterious orbs that boosted speed…according to Kraus, they would arrive at East Heaven Kingdom in around nine hours. It was three hours into the voyage and Riku had been dozing, fighting off the thoughts that proved to be too much for his fragile mental walls.

Mint and Rue had disappeared up on the deck. He didn't know what was going on but the usual loud curses and Mint's battle cry was enough to tell him the events that were happening.

Poor fools don't even stand a chance.

If the princess did not use her painful "jump-kicks", her rings always packed a punch. Not to mention she had an army of different types of magic at her disposal.

//Come on Sora! Together we can do it!//

The words had been so optimistic, so full of hope that had never existed. Riku hugged the Keyblade close, seeking refuge in the Keyblade's comforting hum and he valiantly fought for consciousness. He did not feel like facing the voice, the nightmare, especially in a place where Rue or Mint could easily stumble onto him dreaming.

The nightmares awaited him like the darkness that wanted to swallow his heart whole…

The Keyblade Master shuddered.

Stop it. Don't think.

An impossible task – instead Riku gently nudged at a memory.

His emerald eyes fluttered closed. The scent of the ocean entered his nostrils and seagulls' cries irritated him from high above the clouds. Light blue waves splashed gently against the tiny piece of land he rested upon, the tree of Papou fruits shading him from the sun's rays. It was Destiny Island, his home, his had-been prison, and the one place he yearned to return to.

The memory warmed him – even for a little while – from the harsh road his life had taken.

Kairi…

He missed her smile and her laughter. How she used to talk to him softly but strongly, understanding the frustration he went through when he felt trapped within the boundaries of Destiny Island.

It had been a silly crush, one he had gone through when he hit puberty. Kairi seemed to be the world for him and he competed against everyone on the island for her attention and for her love. However, when the Heartless had attacked his home and his heart, the attraction, the adoration he had felt for the girl had vanished…devoured to fuel the Heartless.

…Sora…

He missed his friend. The friend he had betrayed for the darkness. He missed how he and Sora hung around the Papou tree and talked before Kairi had arrived on their little island.

Sora was his best friend – they had been together since childhood. They had discovered the Keyhole of Destiny Island together, friends forever, moving through life, supporting each other in their moment of distress. But when he fell from the light, he saw Sora slipping away and transforming into an enemy he dreaded to face.

Maleficent had said that Sora had abandoned him for that duck and dog…when in reality, it was he that had…

//…don't worry…//

Sora, I'm sorry.

//It'll work out. I promise.//

Those words so optimistic it hurt but Riku couldn't help but smile at them, feeling the warmth spread out his body. The silence would not last – in six more hours they would arrive in East Heaven Kingdom. He would deal with the devil again and this world would be thrown into the darkness, shattered beyond repair with no one else to remember it but Riku.

But Riku did not mourn. He did not feel anything except the rage of the betrayal the Heartless has thrown at him.

Worlds were nothing.

I don't care.

He wanted to finish this god forsaken journey.

I'll find him.

A promise. Riku shivered. A promise he would fulfill even if it meant traveling to the End of Time and sacrifice the universe to do so.

---

"Leon?"

"It's the same. There's no change."

"…Go take a nap, Leon; I'll take care of her."

"But –"

"Tiring yourself out isn't going to do anything for anyone. Everyone's been worried about you lately – you haven't been eating properly. All you do is sit here and sulk." Brilliant green eyes shined down upon grayish blue. "Go eat and sleep."

"Aerith, I can't –"

"Yes you can. Cloud's been restless these days. Go spar with him. We can't have one of our best warriors grow old, can we?" A soft smile. "I'll watch her and tell you if there's any change."

"…promise?"

The pink-clad girl giggled. "Yes I promise. Not march into your room and take a nap – I don't want to see those black bags underneath your eyes anymore. You're too thin for your own good so go eat something fattening too."

"Thank you Aerith."

"Don't mention it…Squall. Now scat."

"Aerith?"

"Hmm?"

"…Never mind."

---

The water was splashing violently against the boat, rocking it back and forth. Riku picked himself up for the second time that hour, looking quite annoyed with the turn of weather. He rose to his feet with the help of his Keyblade. The weapon was killing his head – it was singing, no screaming at him for some reasons that were beyond him.

Green eyes flashing worriedly, Riku stumbled onto the main deck where he found Mint, Rue and the sailors standing at the tip of the ship, all of them completely still, none of them fazed by the drastic change in weather.

"What's going on?" he murmured, walking up to Rue.

The white-haired boy said nothing, only pointed. Riku followed the finger and immediately, his heart was encased by a cold blanket. His body froze and his grip on the Keyblade loosened. Even against the screaming of the storm, the Keyblade Master heard the unique thump against the wood. His Keyblade seemed to be crying.

He thought he heard Mint finally work up a scream.

But his eyes were fixed upon the flaming land of East Heaven Kingdom, dread seeping up his heart.

It's gone.