Title: In The Darkness We Meet

Written By: Astaldothôlwen

Point Of View: Unknown

Chapter Four: A Slice In The Dark

Disclaimer: Okay, it's the holidays, and now I have even less money than I had before, but if you like, Square, Disney, I'll give you some candy canes, but nevertheless, I still own nothing.

I am shrouded in Darkness, yes, the Darkness. Had I the chance, to leave would I? Doubtfully. You see, after being tortured and butchered as my body, mind and very soul has, no one would dare want to look at me. No, even consider looking at me. The two of us have gone through so much, after the sealing of the door at Kingdom Hearts. The very thought of it turns my blood cold. Its unfortunate though, what happened to him. The darkness, he let it consume him, which is why I would never let it happen to me. Of course, he never had a chance. Although, we have a new light that has graced our presence, and maybe, we will be okay one day. Kairi has come back to us.

'Kairi, has come back to you. However, you will never see her, before the time of the Darkness comes and destroys everything. You should be aware of that. It will destroy her, and you will turn out like him.'

My inner conscious tells me. So maybe, I should tell you the hardships that we have been put through, although, like I said before, no one would want to look at us, so maybe you may not want to hear, of what we became to be, and how we've become somewhat erased from history.

After the seal of Kingdom Hearts that is when everything began to change at a rapid most hastened pace. You see, as the worlds were changing, reverting themselves to former glories and their bountiful pasts, we were there, we were there on the other side, filled with darkness and hate. There was more Darkness than one can possibly imagine, which is why Ansem turned the way he had, filled with vindictive distrust and indecencies further than the mind can possibly travel.

The Darkness, to look upon it, it gives me a head ache and makes my body numb, but, we were not just looking into the Darkness, it is where we inhabited for what felt like many years, for the pass of time is long and painful here. So many days, so many days we had wished to see the light, but that only attracted them more, the Heartless, to feast upon our flesh, our rotting, pale flesh from lack of nutrition. When I say they feasted, I truly mean feasted.

My flesh, however had fed itself on the Darkness, creating a new ligaments for me, after they had been ripped from the arteries, causing them to bleed and causing me to go to uncertain unconsciousness, which I had always imagined would be a certain death.

But no, it was an endless, most vicious circle, which had never ended. Upon the awakening up, with our newly found limbs, we grew more cruel and vindictive towards each other. Inside, the Darkness was beginning to rot our souls away, it began to decay our decent thoughts, creating more hatred for each other, which is why I did what I did.

He had always been able to find scraps of Heartless around, it was usually fresh, a week old or so. It may of only been an antler, or of he had been lucky, the whole head, and would always share, but I think somewhere, he was hoarding these, rotting, mouldy scraps of meat. One day, after seeing him stagger back, there it was, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, a whole Heartless, and a large one at that, I believe it was a Chernabog, which was much better than the regular Shadow.

As he continued to stagger, dragging this carcass, it struck me, all along he had been eating fresh kill, not ever sharing anything with me. So after he ate the succulent fresh meat, he ate on top of that, whatever he brought me!!! How could he! I thought we were friends! We have been through so many trials and tribulations, and he does this to me?!?

The blood within me began to boil, to think, my very best friend, had betrayed me. So I did something I couldn't imagine, with my Blade, with increasing speed and agility, I struck him, right in the stomach. I had struck my best friend. The look of initial shock was truly priceless. Although the sadness and hurt upon his face was irreplaceable, and I must admit, I had felt a little bad, for not ending his life sooner, so I shoved the blade further through his stomach, causing it to pierce through his back.

His blood, collecting onto the floor, was the most, astonishing, most wonderful thing, I have ever seen. I suppose the pain had been too much for him, because soon after, he fell, lying in his own pool of crimson blood.

Why do I say this is wonderful? You see, the small Heartless come, like the Shadow and Solider, seeking out the smell of blood, that wafts through the air. They make sure the carcass is dead, biting at the corps' throat and eating away at the stomach. Then soon after, the larger Heartless comes, chasing the others away. And that is when I'll make my other kill, and get some fresh meat, like the meat he always ate, and left me with, mere pathetic morsels.

Fleeing the scene of my fallen friend, I hide behind a rock, waiting upon the cease of his body. As always, here were the Shadow and Solider coming for their feast. Closing in upon his body, wait, what are they doing? They are turning away, fleeing. Confused, I ran towards his seemingly lifeless body, when I realised what they had absconded from, he was not dead, no, he was no where near dead. I should have thought of this. Examining his face a little closer, there was an energy radiating from him, the very aura around him poured evil.

The Darkness, it rebuilds us. Watching the Darkness in wisps black and crimson-blood-red filter into his body, creating new ligaments in a swirling motion, I realise its going faster now, the Darkness, I had thought it took a long time to recreate us. Maybe, we are really turning evil, vindictive, like Ansem.

Murmuring? Hm, it seems as though he's waking up. Great. Oh well, I'll tell him as the Chernabog was being dragged behind him, he was attacked by a group of Heartless. However, I had fended them off, allowing him to rest, and managing to save our supper. Glaring snidely, I truly wonder if he is hoarding food, giving himself the good meat, but it is not time for that, for, behind his closed, thin eyelids, I can see his eyes moving.

Slowly, he rises his body to a sitting position, checking his body out, looking at his scars in his stomach. Explaining my over fabricated story, he seems to buy it. Strange, on the Islands, I was never a good liar. Oh well. We must flee, I can hear the footsteps of something larger than the typical Shadow Heartless that had fled before. Raising him to a standing position, I go to explain our predicament, but he fully understands already, and is breaking into a run.

Safe, as usual. I am beginning to think I am immortal in this realm of Darkness and hate. Continuing our trek, we stop at a spot that hasn't been viewed for a while. The doors of Kingdom Hearts, you can faintly make out the crack of where the doors sealed. Placing my fingers at it, it is shockingly cold to the touch. But, then again, in this world, everything is.

Maybe I am beginning to loose my mind, because, at the precise moment I touched the where the Door was, I started to hear a voice. A female voice, it is sweet like the nectars of the sweetest, most radiant yellow flowers of the Islands. My heart, it feels warm. How strange, it feels, happy, and youthful, no longer rotting and vengeful. He's walking away, why is he walking away when I am feeling so wonderful, and I haven't a clue why.

Running up with him, there is something wrong with the Doors, both turning around, we notice there is a large light, where the seam is. It was golden, and incandescent. Something was wrong. There is no reason the Door should be reacting like this. The light, its growing, filling our Hell hole of a home with this glorious light. It burns, I feel as though my skin is on fire, melting my flesh off my very bones.

I can't see, I can't think. This is pain I know I cannot run from, or be restored by the Darkness from. The shrill screams from the Heartless are deafening. Closing my eyes, laying on the ground, I give up.

And when I woke up, that is when I realised we were back here, in Hollow Bastion. I have also realised, that light, that wonderful, light, had been Kairi's presence, entering this world. Kairi, the source of all life within me. Although I am still as I was in the Darkness, somehow, I know she will have a major part in this. Ansem has his own ideas as to what he'll do with her. He has been torturing her, with voices and monsters, and that is why we will both do whatever it is we can to prevent that from happening.

After we arrived, Ansem had found us, and we were thrown in a cobblestone, wet, and dank jail, with no light, save from a torch down the hall. Life, it is Hell, but at least we aren't being kept in the Darkness. This place, its too cold for Hell. My companion, who has been through everything so far with me, interrupts my thoughts.

I am not certain what it was he said, but he's walking away, down to the front of our tiny cell, as far as we can being chained. Getting up, I follow him, sighing he stops, turning to me, grasping his stomach, there is something wrong. I never meant this to happen, it is as if my life is going in slow motion, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. He is falling, gripping his stomach still. Looking up with me, with a pained face, reaching for me, with a wavering arm, he says something that shatters my world around me, "Sora, don't let them harm her."

And with those six words, he collapsed onto the floor.

'Riku, don't you worry, I will never let anyone harm her. Don't talk like that you'll be fine, I need you too you know.'

Authors Notes:

Quick Messages: I would like to dedicate this chapter to Kristy Scott and her family. We all miss you so much, but I can't even imagine what your family is going through right now, which is why I am going to dedicate this chapter to you, in light of the holidays.

I'm sorry I hadn't posted in a while, you know how I said I had tonnes of homework before? Well it has only gotten worse, plus projects, plus Oliver! (which my school doesn't own either, so don't sue us!) and everything else that is going on. And what's a sundae without the cherry, well we think I had mono, as I was dreadfully ill the last little while, sleepy, no energy, paler as a ghost, you name it, I was it, unless you name healthy, I wasn't that lol. Okay, well, here goes, I am going to try and make it as vague as humanly possible, heh heh heh.

Everyone, have an awesome holiday break! I am trying to be very generic with that wish, so I don't offend anyone

Hm, wow, I wonder if Riku isn't doing well because of Sora, when he stabbed him for the food. Hm, well, this chapter wasn't really my favorite, it felt too narrative for me, and I don't think I put enough description in, not nearly enough. Feh, hopefully the next one will be better. I wish I could have got this chapter up sooner, but I had been really, really sick. School put me in the hospital, got blood tests, the whole nine yards. But I'm better! I know I won't get another chapter up before New Years, so have a great holiday everyone!

Candace,

xoxoxoxo