About Mirror Image…Whenever I start writing that one I think about this one, so I'm going to wait until after I finish CBH to get to it… Don't worry though, only a few chappies left! Loved all the reviews, and I'm horribly sorry about the giant lapse in update time!

Levilights: I don't think I made Sora a monster, but thanx for the review! I try my best to make everyone happy with it!

Shira Matakami: I love cookies! But Riku's mine! All mine I tell you! Nah, actually, he belongs to Sora!

JSJM: Sorry for shortening your name, but it's so long! I'm too lazy! Thanx for the review! Also, I hope you can update you story 'Sora, the Fallen Angel', cause I'm loving it!

Dancing Mistree: I'll try to update as soon as is possible!

TheAnimeFreak14: Riku's still alive (barely), and kicking (kinda…) Thanx for the review!

Kmsweetness: Mwahahahahahahahaahaha! I'm so very evil! Gracias for the review! I'll try to update faster!

Kuramasgirl13: This story might have a dark ending, but then again it depends on your definition of dark… Not giving anything else away! And yes, I love PS too! It's my baby!

Riku

Where am I?

It's dank and cold, like a dungeon, not that I can see much with the cloth they've bound my eyes with. The entire place smells like rotting flesh, and I can almost see the grotesque bodies, twisted with expressions unfit for this world; large, gaping wounds home to worms and other disgusting creatures.

Is this where I am going to die?

My stomach hurts so much, the pain spreading throughout my limbs, burning and paralyzing my weakened body. I can feel the warm blood dripping from my side, each drop echoing on the stone floor, a gory symphony in the silent dungeon.

I'm not supposed to be able to die, not supposed to feel pain for this long. Why hasn't it healed? Why is there still pain? The gods told me that I couldn't die unless I fell in love with someone and they loved me back. I am in love, but there's no way Sora could love me. The soaring pain in my stomach is a constant reminder of that.

But as crazy as it is, I still love him. Some part of me deep down knows that, and there's no use denying it. He could kill me a million times and I'd still love him. And it hurts. It hurts so badly it makes the stab wound seem like a tiny scrape.

I just don't know anymore. I love him, but I don't want to see him ever again. It would hurt too much. Why? What did I ever do wrong to deserve all of this? The people I killed deserved to be murdered! They killed my people first. They destroyed my family, friends, and everyone I ever came to care for because we weren't of the proper class. We were peasants, robbers, dirt on the streets just trying to survive by any means, and they still thought they needed to wipe us out.

They ruined everything we did, broke us over and over until no one could piece together the shattered hearts of those who've lost, and lived through it.

It's people like that who create people like me.

Suddenly, the door swings open, the old hinges creaking loudly. Footsteps near me, but I can't do anything to fight back. Even if I could stand, both my arms and legs are chained to the floor, the frigid, biting metal burning my skin and sending shivers to my bones.

His footsteps are evenly spaced and confident, not like the hooded man from before. This is a different person altogether.

"Get up!" A smooth, deep voice yells, accompanied by a boot to the stomach. I hold in a scream of pain, biting through my lip with the effort. God damn it, why am I so weak? If love does this to you, I wish I could just rip out the part of my heart that feels and throw it to the sharks.

After undoing my chains, the man lifts me up and off my feet by my shoulder. "So you are Riku?" He touches my face with a cold hand, and deep inside my heart lurches, as if someone's squeezing it.

"You know, it's always polite to introduce yourself to your guests," I spat out, ignoring the coppery taste of blood in my mouth.

His hand grips my cheek tighter, moving down to my jaw, and he squeezes. With a huge crunch, my jaw shatters, and then I scream. But it's only for a second, because without the ability to move my jaw,I can't say anything.

"Good boy. You shouldn't talk back to your elders." He pats my jaw, and my mind explodes with pain, pure pain. He turns on a bright light, and it casts a yellowish glow through my blindfold.

"You don't look anywhere near hurt enough." What the hell is this mother fucking bastard talking about? He drops me to the ground, and I land hard on my butt. I don't even have time to recover before he kicks me in the ribs. I sputter, blood trailing down from the corner of my mouth before he snaps my arm. It all hurts so much… Too much.

The last thing I remember is a huge bash to my lag, shattering it, before the pain was just too much. The dots dancing in my eyes expand until they cover my vision and I'm trapped in a world of black. Sora, why did you do this to me? Why did you betray me? Why? I loved you…

Sora

Riku!

No… I just had the worst dream. It felt so real, and to horrible to be a creation of my mind. In it, Riku was being brutally beaten, broken limbs and cuts littered his body, and he couldn't even fight back. It's like he had every inch of him kicked or hit. I could feel so much pain. And not just physical pain. He still loves me, and he's still hurting because of what I did to him. He might be dying because of me.

Wait, wasn't that the point, to kill him? Yes, of course it was, but it should've been quick and painless, not what they put him though. I wouldn't wish that on my enemies, much less Riku.

Beautiful, quirky, stoic, hilarious Riku, everything I could ever need and want embodied in one person. I love him so much, when he declared his hatred for me, it felt like he ripped the other half of my heart out. I have to find him, save him. I need to, or else I'll never be able to forgive myself.

And of course Kairi too. She's my sister and she never did anything to deserve this. At least Riku's a murderer, Kairi's innocent.

I need a weapon. I lost the one Riku gave me when I stabbed him with it, but I can't save him without one. then I see it, laying on the ground.

It's completely back, except for the purple handle, and it seems to radiate power, and danger.

Oblivion

The name comes to me naturally, and with shaky hands I reach out to the dark weapon.

It disappears…

As soon as my hand touched the cool, metallic surface, it vanished from under my hand as if it didn't belong there. In it's place is a new weapon, looking like an overgrown house key with it's bright orangy-gold color seeming out of place amongst the gray mass of land surrounding me.

It fits perfectly in my hand, the blade an extension of my arm, not too heavy or too light, perfect for wielding.

Experimenting, I swing the blade around, hearing as it cuts through the wind, a swift, deadly sound. It too disappears from my hand, but I can feel a nagging in the back of my head. It's bonded to me, and I can call whenever I need it.

Looks like I found a weapon.

Riku

Pain.

Pure pain surrounding me, inside of me. Paralyzing me, seeping the life from my body with each passing second. The silver cuffs they bound my wrists with are unnecessary. I couldn't move anyways. Every part of me aches, and I'm cold.

Not just the cold that you get when you go outside in the middle of the winter, but a totally penetrating, bone deep cold that stays inside of me, freezing me.

Am I conscious or not? Everything's so dark I can't tell. I probably wouldn't be able to see anything in here even if I did have time to allow my eyes to adjust to the dark.

They told me to harness the light.

My light is Sora. I can see his innocent smile, those bright blue eyes staring at me, welcoming me to a world where I don't have to suffer anymore, a world where everything is perfect.

I can't reach that light. His light has left me. Left me here alone in the darkness with no strength left to get out.

I hate him, but somehow I still…Love him.

And for the first time in a long time, tears drip from my eyes, washing away the blood and dirt. My need for death is even more driving now than it has ever been before.

I can still see his face if I close my eyes, and I wish all the pain could just vanish.

I want so badly for it all just to end.

He's coming again, I can hear him. His footsteps echo through the nearly soundless halls, aforewarning what's soon to come.

"Have you been a good boy while I'm gone?" He asks, laughing evilly. His golden eyes glow in the darkness, the only part of him I can see. I glare at him in response.

"Fuck you," I manage to get out before the overwhelming pain in my jaw stops me.

"No, I think I'll do that later. Right now I'm in the mood to fuck your boyfriend." Sora! If he touches a hair on his head, I'll rip him limb from limb, and I'll make him pray for death. If I could only get up…

"How could you do that when you can't even move?" His taunts are getting on my nerves, but they're true. I can't move. It hurts too much. But for Sora… I'd die for Sora.

I hate every moment of it, but I would still gladly face an eternity of hell just to see him smiling.

One thing bothers me though. Why me? Why is he after me?

"My dear boy, I'm not the one after you, though I must admit your death benefits me greatly. If you must know, he's the one who's after you." How did he know? Can he read thoughts?

"We are one in the same, two different sides of the same heart. If you tried hard enough, you would be able to read my mind too." Fuck you! I glare while sending him my mental comments.

Suddenly, the door opens, blinding me with bright white light, and a man steps through. He pulls off the hood to his caped outfit, revealing light brown hair and pale blue eyes.

"Hello Riku, do you know who I am?" If I had the ability to, I would shake my head no, but my mind and body are clouded with pain, making it impossible for me to make even the simplest movements.

"I'll give you a hint. Castle Oblivion, the home you stole two hundred years ago belonged to my great grandfather. He was set on destroying filth like you, but somehow the peasants revolted and he perished. You ruined my, the great Marluxia's, life." So, he deserved it. At least when I go to hell, I have him there to keep me company.

"On that day, you stole everything from my family. And now, I'm going to make you suffer as much as I suffered. And by the end of it, Hell will seem like heaven to you."

And they both vanished. Gone. Leaving me alone in this room with only the silence and the pain… And the knowledge that I'm going to die. It's going to be soon, I can feel the demons of death closing in on me. They long to taste my flesh, flesh they've been denied do long.

A sudden fit of coughing spreads blood across the floor. Yes, it won't be long now. Marluxia won't be able to torture me, because all already be dead.

And I've never felt happier.

Heaven

"Shit! What do we do?" A frantic Yuffie paces around the room, nervous. All of the gods seem dispirited, even Sephiroth.

"We just see how everything plays out. Whatever happens is what's meant to be." Sephiroth's words bring wisdom and truth, but they don't ease the troubled souls of the gods.

"Why is it that we were blessed with phenomenal powers, yet we're never able to use them?" Cloud asks unexpectedly.

"If we used them, what would be the fun in mortal life?" Sephiroth asks, smiling faintly.

"How can a life be fun, when you spend each day knowing that one day you'll die. I don't understand mortals." At this Sephiroth laughs.

"That's why we don't interfere with their lives. We're hear to learn from them, because mortals hold a wisdom the gods can never grasp."

Yuffie turns towards him, a curious expression on her face. "And what's that?" She asks.

Sephiroth's grin widens. "They learn how to live."

Sora

Riku, Kairi, where are you? I need to find you. I need you period. God Riku, if you die before I apologize… Why? Why did this happen to us? My sisters and I were just regular people. Why were we thrown into this ragged mess?

I need to find Kairi and save her. And I need to find Riku and tell him I love him. And this time I'll really mean it. I won't have to fake it. I love you Riku. Gods, I love you more than the world itself.

I was so stupid, so stupid. I have to say sorry. I have to see you one last time. You have to live to see me again. All you need to do is live.

"Hello Sora, looking for her?" He appears, carrying Kairi in his arms. Rage pounds through me as I notice a large, nasty looking bruise on his forehead.

"Give her back!" I scream, summoning the key blade to my hands. He just smirks and tosses her to me.

"Gladly, all the bitch has done is complain." That bastard.

"Fuck you! What gave a bastard like you the right to call Kairi anything?" He laughs.

"Nothing, except the fact that I hold her life in my hands." He holds up a small vile in his hand, filled with a purple liquid.

"Can you save them both Sora? Can you get the antidote for Kairi and save Riku before time runs out?" I glare angrily at him, but right now he holds all the cards.

"The poison will be incurable in three days Sora, approximately the same amount of time it will take Riku to die from blood loss. I will be waiting for you in the castle at the other end of the forest with the antidote and Riku. Can you save them both?" He disappears, laughing, and taking the vile with him. That bastard, I'll kill him.

Grabbing Kairi, I run towards the forest. Three days, that isn't long enough for me to take Kairi with me. I have to leave her somewhere safe. On queue, two travelers pop out of the forest like a sign.

"You two, can you watch this girl for three days?" I ask the red-headed stranger.

"Ya," he replies with a thick accent. "Why?" He smiles at me and I gently hand Kairi over to him.

"If I don't return in three days, can you make sure she dies happy?" The red headed stranger nods at me looking totally confused yet completely trusting. His companion, a blond boy, whispers in his ear.

"How do you know we can trust him? The girl could be a thief, or infected with the plague." What if they don't do this? Everything depends on how fast I can get to the castle and back. I won't be able to save either of them if I have to carry Kairi the entire way.

"I don't know him, Tidus, but he looks like a nice person, ya? He'll be back in three day an' nothin' bad will happen, ya?" Tidus shrugs, and I smile.

"Thank you so much! When I come back, I'll make sure you two are greatly rewarded." At this Tidus smiles, taking extra care to gently lift Kairi into the cart.

"In that case we'll set up camp now! See ya in three days!" Nodding, I run into the forest. Leaving Kairi with strangers probably isn't the safest thing to do, but it's the only way. Besides, with the promise of money, they probably won't do anything wrong.

"I'm coming Riku," I say to myself, "I'll save you soon enough!" With that thought in mind, I push myself even faster. I have to save them both before time runs out.