Beginning chapter eight

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I must sound like a broken record by now...

Aoi Nikko: Hey Cid, can you do the warning for me?

Cid: What? What the & makes you think I have the time?

Aoi Nikko: Pretty please? bats eyelashes

Cid: Fine, fine! &$ annoying fan girls... This fic is a &$ YAOI. Your stupid $$ shouldn't be here on this chapter if you don't know what this is, or like this $#(! Got it?!

Aoi Nikko: Cid...

Cid: &$ you, I'm done here.

Welcome to Chapter eight of "When All Things Come Back To You". This is a giftfic for the wonderful Uzumaki-sama. If you haven't read her works by now you are surely missing out big time! (That and you are ignoring me...) You should go and read her stuff too as soon as you are done with mine if you have not done so already.

WARNING: This hasn't been beta'd...please forgive me for any mistakes.

Alright, enough. Enjoy the fic!

Chapter Eight, Part One:

Regardless Of Warnings, The Future Doesn't Scare Me At All

Heartless swarm into the lower left platform in the Great Crest area, all of them trying to surround and take down the two men who have just entered the locale. The one in front immediately draws his signature weapon, a massive sword wrapped in long bandages. Wasting no time he leaps into the battle, ignoring his companion who meandered onto the platform with controlled grace, one hand on his absurdly long sword.

"Always so impatient, Cloud."

The man addressed as Cloud rips through a heartless with his sword before glaring at the tall, silver haired man who had spoke.

"I don't have time to play games, Sephiroth." He says turning away to deal with another oncoming heartless. Sephiroth is by his side almost immediately, keeping his eyes on Cloud's back to prevent the blonde from becoming flanked. Grudgingly, Cloud does the same out of courtesy; if someone is considerate enough to watch your back during battle, it is only fair you do the same for them...even if they really don't need you to, as is the case with Sephiroth. The powerful swordsman's strength is immense and his fighting style is ruthless...

...And it seems to become even more so whenever Cloud is involved.

Cloud watches Sephiroth's smooth sword strokes from the corner of his eye, the silver haired swordsman's blade flashing in the light of Hollow Bastion's eternal sunset. Any Heartless that approaches Cloud's back is instantly dispatched, even at the risk of allowing an enemy near his person. The observation causes Cloud's mind to wander back to when Sephiroth came to him in the Chapel and whispered those words that caused him to freeze in awe.

Shhh...

...Let me show you the power that your light brings me...

His...light?

Surely he had to have been mistaken. Was Sephiroth suggesting that Cloud is the swordsman's light? Impossible! Cloud couldn't possibly be someone else's light, not when his own heart is filled with darkness. It has to be some trick; Sephiroth has to be playing with his mind, trying to manipulate him like he always does.

And yet...

An Invisible Heartless teleports in on Cloud's right and the distracted blonde is almost too slow to block its incoming sword slash. Blocking at an awkward angle, Cloud struggles against his opponent, trying to force him back so he can counterattack. Two others glide in for an attack, and Cloud curses under his breath in frustration.

"Sin Harvest."

Halos appear over the heads of the attacking heartless at Sephiroth's words, their faint glow mocking the darkness of their flesh for but a moment. Time slows to a crawl as a dark energy burst from within them, weakening them almost to the point of defeat. Cloud throws away the one he had locked swords with, slaughtering it with a quick thrust just as Sephiroth makes quick work of the other two. The Masamune whirls on his right, then comes from behind him as the last Heartless attempted a frontal assault. Cloud struggles as he is pulled back into a protective embrace. When soft lips brush against his ear, he stills, his eyes wide.

"Hesitation on the battlefield can get you killed, Cloud. Have you forgotten all that I've taught you?"

Angry at the older man's words, for bringing up the past they share, and the fact that he is right, Cloud pulls roughly out of Sephiroth's arms and turns to face him, taking several steps back as he does so.

"What's your game?" Cloud hisses, blue eyes glaring. Sephiroth gives him an amused smirk.

"Game? You're not making any sense, Cloud. We are past the age for games, don't you think?"

Cloud's eyes flash with growing annoyance, even though he has schooled his expression into one of calmness. "You're doing it again. Stop trying to screw with my mind and tell me what you're up to!"

Sephiroth makes a show of slowly sheathing his sword, then fixes Cloud with a bored expression. "I don't know what you're talking about. Unless this is more of your usual paranoia, Cloud, tell me how I have played with your head."

"You've chased me relentlessly through the worlds, fought me countless times in the Coliseum, then when we get back here you stalk me like some maniac." Cloud stares Sephiroth in the eyes as he spits the last word out as harshly as he can. Sephiroth continues to stare at him calmly, waiting for his point. "Then when the heartless invade, you seek me out and play guardian angel."

"Ah..." Sephiroth begins smoothly. "Is it truly that...?" He tilts his head to the side, his smile never leaving his face. "Or could it be what I said to you in the Chapel?" His expression becomes even more smug when Cloud tenses at his words.

"Just answer my question." Cloud grinds out, forcing his expression to remain calm. The man is infuriating.

Sephiroth's smile deepens.

"Let me show you..." He says, taking a step forward. Cloud retreats a step, trying to keep the distance they have between them, suddenly wary.

"...the power..." Sephiroth advances again, and Cloud retreats, his back coming up against a wall.

"...that your light brings me."

Cloud hoists his sword up and points it at Sephiroth's throat, halting the silver haired man's advance and effectively holding him at bay. He says nothing, but the threat in his glowing mako blue eyes is very clear. The two men stare at each other for a moment, and Sephiroth never loses his smug grin.

"All this time, and still you've never learned..."

With the speed of a demon and the skill of angels, Sephiroth draws his sword and knocks aside Cloud's massive buster sword with one fluid strike. Halfway expecting the attack, Cloud manages to keep hold of his blade, but before he can counter, Sephiroth charges forward and closes the distance between them, burying his sword into the wall behind them and pressing Cloud's smaller form against that same wall with his own body, effectively pinning him. Because of the sheer size and length of his sword, Cloud finds he is unable to use it to help him in this situation. He struggles, infuriated at both Sephiroth and himself. Smirking, Sephiroth lets loose an amused snort, and Cloud's struggles to become wild with rage.

"Bastard!" Cloud snarls, when it becomes clear that Sephiroth is quite a bit stronger then him.

Still.

"Don't you understand, Cloud? Haven't you figured it out by now?"

"What am I supposed to have figured out?!"

Sephiroth curses under his breath. "You always were a dense fool." Sephiroth leans his head closer. "The reason I followed-"

"Chased."

"Do you want to know or not?" Sephiroth hisses, angry at Cloud's interruption. Cloud looks away from Sephiroth, still angry. Sephiroth releases an angry breath and continues. "The reason I've acted the way I have toward you is because you-"

"Cloud!"

Both men turn toward the door where Aerith and Leon run through. With a silent curse, Sephiroth releases Cloud, and the blonde pushes past him to join his friends.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Aerith says breathing a sigh of relief. "We were so worried!"

"I'm fine." Cloud reassures her gently. Aerith's eyes slide over to where Sephiroth is, and she doesn't look convinced.

"Why are you here?" Leon asks Sephiroth coldly. "I thought you were supposed to be with Yuffie."

"I was." Sephiroth answers, unconcerned. "When the heartless arrived, I left."

"You left Yuffie alone?" Leon's tone is angry, but it also sounds as though he is not surprised.

"Auron was in the area. He had been following behind us for quite a while, most likely watching me."

"Very wise of him." Cloud snorts. "We had better find them." He turns toward the door, Aerith right behind him. When they had left, Leon stops Sephiroth with a hand on his shoulder.

"In case you haven't noticed, there aren't many of us left. What you did was reckless, and put Yuffie in a lot of danger. I suggest you keep your personal feelings out of this, understood?"

Sephiroth meets Leon's harsh gaze with a smile. "And I see you also went running to Cloud's side...Squall." Without another word being spoken, Sephiroth shrugs Leon's hand off his shoulder and follows after Cloud and Aerith. Leon glowers after him.

"I was concerned because he was supposed to be alone." Leon calls after Sephiroth. The Swordsman just waves a dismissive hand and walks through the door. Eyes narrowing, Leon follows suit. The man is only trying to get a rise out of him, and he isn't going to fall for his tricks.

"Cid! Hey, geezer!"

Cid turns his head toward the noise, and cuts himself on a sharp piece of metal. He lets loose a flurry of curses, throwing a wrench at Yuffie, who is the one who distracted him. She dodges quickly, and the wrench hits the frame of the door where Auron is just entering. The samurai glares at Cid who doesn't look even the least bit apologetic.

"What the fuck do you want?!" Cid growls at them.

"Don't yell at us like that!" Yuffie shouts back at him. "Heartless have invaded and we were worried that they might have shown up here!"

"Yeah? Well they did, little miss fancy pants ninja." Cid goes back to his work on the gummi ship. "An' I treated them like I treat anyone who bothers me at work, so take the hint an' get outta here!"

"You idiot! More could come back!"

"I wish they would too. I just recalibrated the main guns on the gummi ship, I could use some test subjects." Cid eyes them again. "Unless you're volunteering for the job?"

"Look." Auron says stepping forward. "Heartless have invaded Hollow Bastion. Unless you're looking forward to losing your home again, get your spear and help us clear them out."

Cid glares at them both for a minute, then reaches inside the cockpit of the gummi ship to retrieve his spear. Muttering curses best left unmentioned, he jumps down to join them.

"Fine, you pushy bastard."

Auron doesn't answer him. When the foul-mouthed blonde is ready, he turns silently and leaves the room. With a sigh, Yuffie follows, Cid on her heels.

"So what's the plan? I hope we're not randomly moving from room to room killing heartless." Cid asks.

"The Keyblade master." Auron replies quietly. "The heartless are here because of him, right?"

"Hey, what're you saying, Auron?" Yuffie says, running to block Auron's path. "I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting..."

"I have to agree with the annoying ninja-girl. I don't like where this is heading, Auron."

"I'm just suggesting we find him. Wherever he is, so is the person controlling the heartless."

Yuffie frowns, covering her chin with a hand. "Controlling... I thought the heartless's attacks were a little too well organized."

"Of course. And the further we go, the stronger they get." Auron nods.

"Like they want to keep us from somewhere." Cid put in. The other ninja and samurai look at him and sigh. Auron keeps moving, leaving the confused engineer behind. Yuffie pats him on the shoulder when he moves to follow.

"Way to state the obvious, Cid."

"What?"

"Let's just go, okay?" Yuffie waves her hand dismissively. Cid scratches his head and continues after them. As soon as he steps into the next room shadow heartless rise from the floor. Cid readies his spear as Yuffie throws her shurikans and Auron settles into an attack stance. The shadow heartless move to attack them, but pause for a second, looking up toward the ceiling. Cid hesitates as well, but Auron doesn't, his large katana sinking into the ones around him.

"Don't just stand there you fool, attack while they are distracted!" Auron commands as he turns to take on a few more to his right.

"Yeah, but..." Cid begins as he runs a shadow heartless through. "What's going on with them?"

"We'll figure it out later!" Yuffie said impatiently. She jumps back away from a heartless, toward the door leading to the lower lift area. She let a bunch of mini shurikans fly, glancing behind her to make sure they weren't trying to surround her. As she did, she noticed some familiar figures in that room and she cart wheels over near Auron and Cid.

"Hey, I just saw Leon and everyone in the next room!" She informs them. "It looks like they have their hands full with heartless too."

Cid rests his spear on his shoulder as he and Auron finish off the last of the shadow heartless. "Then let's go help them out."

"Don't bother." Auron says softly, watching the group emerge from the lift room. "They appear to be fine."

"Are you guys all right?" Leon asks.

"Well, king psycho left me, but I survived thanks to my wit and skill." Yuffie says with a grin.

"...And my katana." Auron mutters, walking past her.

"Don't steal my thunder!" Yuffie grumbles.

Ignoring her, Auron looks over at their unofficial leader. "Have you noticed the heartless's behavior just now?"

"Yes, something distracted them." Leon answers.

Cloud leans against a wall, folding his arms. "Most likely, something happened to whoever was controlling them."

"So then, why are they still appearing?" Aerith asks. "Something feels very wrong."

"I agree with Aerith." Cloud nods. "Now that we are all together, maybe we should make sure Sora is still okay. He may have the Keyblade, but he is still alone."

Sephiroth chuckles as he walks over to Cloud. "No he isn't." He smiles as Cloud glares at him, the blonde silently warning him to keep away. "Remember that boy that was with me when I rescued you? He's a friend of the Keyblade master. I'm sure he's fighting alongside him."

"Wait a minute." Leon turns at Sephiroth's words. "Friend? When did he get here?"

"Forget that." Cloud says suspiciously. "How did he get here?" Everyone's face darkens in grave concern. Sephiroth frowns at them all.

"I don't know when he arrived exactly, but before you get too worried, I saw the heartless attack him." Sephiroth wonders why he is bothering to protect a boy he barely knows. Maybe it is because of how he looks almost identical to himself, or maybe it is the expression in his eyes when he inquired about the Keyblade master...

Sephiroth looks over at a glaring Cloud, wishing he could be as honest and straightforward as that boy. He holds the blonde's eyes for a moment before the blue eyes turn away.

"Maybe his heart led him here?" Aerith suggests. "It is possible he came from where Sora did."

"Yes, and then he could be what was wrong with him when he arrived here." Leon points out.

"Okay, so...what's the plan?"

Everyone falls silent at Yuffie's question, looking at each other before exploding into an argument.

"It's simple, we go see if Sora needs help." Cloud answers.

"Don't be stupid. There's nothing we can do to help him." Sephiroth scoffs. "Wasn't he chosen to fight the heartless?" Cloud glares at him.

"Yes, but...I'm really worried about him, I want to make sure he's okay!" Yuffie exclaims, moving between them.

"We really should worry about ourselves right now. The Keyblade master will be fine." Sephiroth said turning away.

"Some of us aren't as good at worrying about ourselves like you are." Cloud spits.

"If you were, you wouldn't have needed me to help you." Sephiroth shot over his shoulder. Cloud pushed off of the wall, his eyes glaring challengingly. Leon pushes him back.

"Alright, that's enough." He says firmly. "All we know, really, is that the heartless are threatening our home again. We might not be able to help Sora, but there might be some kind of task that he can't do that we can. It's not fair for us to assume that just because he was chosen to fight the heartless, that he should do it alone. He has always had someone there to help him, or have you forgotten that?" Leon looks at them all, releasing Cloud and moving toward the door. "I'm going to go see what I can do. The rest of you can finish arguing about what it is you're going to do." Without another word, Leon turns and goes back the way he came. Aerith lays a gentle hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go help too, okay Cloud?" The blonde looks at her gentle smile and nods. The two of them leave silently, Auron trailing behind. Yuffie races to keep up, leaving Cid and Sephiroth behind.

"Bunch of fools all of them." Sephiroth sighs. Cid nods, but moves to leave, following them.

"Yeah, maybe." He smiles. "And that just means someone should watch out for them, right?"

"Hn." Sephiroth says, following Cid out. "I suppose so."

Chapter Eight, Part Two:

Simple and Clean (Mizu's POV)

By the stars...it's so...warm...

Mizu wraps his arms around himself to try and calm his shaking body. The emotions running through him were intense and almost overwhelming. Was this what it was like to feel? Was this what warmth was? Was it really so bright, so powerful, so...wonderful? Mizu trembles violently, aware of how weak he must seem, but not caring in the least who saw him. The only thing that matters is the incredible emotions running through him, as well as the clarity of a mind free from madness.

Although that madness did give Mizu something very close to sentient thought, it was not enough, not when he also had both Ansem and Riku's memories of true thought and emotion. It made him greedy, made him want to become something more then what he was. He wanted to experience what they already knew. He wanted to feel what they took for granted. Now he will experience everything they have, as well as some new things. They no longer mattered. The only thing that matters is himself...

...And the Key.

Mizu tosses his head back as a single tear rolls down his cheek. He wipes it away, looking at his hand in wonder.

"It worked..."

It was the one thing he had not been sure of, his plan to make himself whole. So many things could have gone wrong, and he could have been destroyed. He almost didn't survive the Key's ultimate show of power. It took all he had to retain conscious after that explosion of light. As it was he had very little strength left, but he was still better off then the Key, who had used everything he had in one focused burst, leaving him drained and suffering from the terrible amount of light his heart contained.

The Key is only human after all, and the human heart is a balance of light and darkness. If a heart has too much darkness, such as Mizu's did, it would slowly rot away; but a heart that has too much light it would burn itself out quickly. The Key's heart was doing that very thing...

"But I saved us both from our eventual destruction, Key. Now, nothing has the power to take our life... as long as you belong to me."

Tortured sobbing catches the amber eyed boy's attention, and he turns to the distraught form sitting on the floor pounding weakly on the barrier he had placed over the entrance to the Keyhole. Mizu walks over and kneels, placing a hand on the barrier that separates them.

"Now I know..." Mizu says to him softly. "Now I know how you felt about him, why you loved him. His warmth, his strength and determination...I understand now..."

The sobbing figure tenses and red-rimmed eyes look up, a death wish present in his glare. Mizu only smiles patiently, of course this boy is angry, he lost the one he loved. But he only has himself to blame; he had not been strong enough to keep him.

"You understand nothing. What did you do to him?! Let him go!"

Mizu stands, looking down at the angry boy he resembles and laughing. "Poor fool. I can't give him back. The Key is apart of me now; he is the light my heart was lacking. If I even try I won't live long. Do you honestly think I will destroy myself?"

"I don't care what happens to you. I only want Sora back!"

"I'm sure you do." Mizu sighs. "Now that I can feel what he is like first hand, I would want him back too if I were in your position. However, Riku, don't you understand that it is because of you that I was able to have him? If you had remained on Koritsu, I might not have had the chance to take him like I did."

"Shut up, that's not true!"

"But it is. I had managed to force the Key's heart to become mostly light, but in doing so; his will was too strong for me to overcome. When you arrived, probably to try and 'save' him, the relief he felt lowered his will just enough for me to be able to absorb him. If you hadn't shown up, he would have burned through his own heart and I would have been forced to find a less desirable partner." Mizu sighs again, happily. "So again, I am in your debt Riku. Thank you so much."

Riku shakes with anger and he pulls himself to his feet, his sword in his hand. "If that's true, then step out here so I can tell you 'you're welcome'."

Mizu smiles, shaking his head. "If you wish." The black Keyblade appears in his right hand. "But you must know..." Mizu holds up his left hand, the silver Keyblade materializing in his grip, "That you are way out of your league." He watches as Riku backs away, beckoning to him with his free hand. Unable to resist the invitation, Mizu lowers the barrier and steps through. As soon as he has, Riku leaps forward with a downward slice and Mizu neatly sidesteps, lifting his left arm and bringing it down upon the teen's back as he passes by. Riku barely manages to keep his footing, and with a curse, turns to stop Mizu from burying the black Keyblade into his back.

"It's not going to be that easy!" Riku hisses over their joined blades. Mizu only smiles and kicks Riku away.

"Once you are gone, the Key will settle down and accept his place in my heart...as my heart..." Mizu steps forward, but stops at Riku's smile. Something sharp rakes across his back and pushes him forward. He turns around angrily to discover a shadow heartless. What in all the darkness...? Why is this happening? Mizu turns again when he hears Riku laugh softly.

"Something the matter?"

Mizu frowns as several more shadow heartless rise from the floor. "Why are you here? I demand you leave at once!"

Instead of obeying, the heartless attack. All of them, at the same time. Mizu swings his Keyblade at them, knocking them away. Why...?

"You have a complete heart, Mizu. One capable of controlling the Keyblades. Of course you are being attacked by heartless. Of course they aren't obeying you anymore. You're the Keyblade master, remember?"

Mizu stares at Riku in angry disbelief. "You called them. You're controlling them!"

Riku smiles slowly. "Yes."

Mizu's face completely loses its cool composure. It twists in an ugly blend of hatred and rage, and he races toward Riku to attack. Riku shakes his head, still smiling, and a Darkball heartless knocks him off course. Mizu falls to his knees and jumps to his feet quickly, only to be knocked back down by Riku's fist.

"Let Sora go, now!"

"You dare to order me around?" Mizu stand to his feet, glaring at Riku. "You couldn't defeat me without your little pets!" He becomes even angrier when Riku continues to smile.

"Whatever it takes to win."

Riku then gestures slightly, and several more Darkballs appear. Mizu turns to deal with them, and Riku attacks his unprotected flank, darting away when Mizu turns to try and put him down. Another heartless slams into him, bloodying his nose, and Mizu wipes his face with the back of his hand. He has had about enough. Rolling out from the middle of the heartless, he lifts his black Keyblade into the air.

"Thunder."

Combined with his incredible energy, the spell call forth massive bolts of black lightning, eliminating the heartless immediately. He catches sight of Riku who was still reeling from the powerful spell, and his eyes narrow. He points a finger at his enemy, using the Key's spells once again.

"Force."

The gravity spell flattens Riku to the floor on his stomach, and Mizu walks over slowly, lifting the black Keyblade when he reaches the boy's side.

"Words can't express how much I utterly loathe you." Mizu says, his words insanely calm. "Luckily, I don't have to waste time trying to find some. Besides... actions are much better, don't you think?" Mizu clenches his teeth and begins to plunge the black Keyblade down...

...NO!...

The power holding Riku down is suddenly dispelled, and the silver haired teen quickly rolls to the side, dodging the deadly strike by mere inches. Mizu holds a hand to his chest, as if trying to keep his very heart from spilling out. No, the Key is his...he would not allow that fool to take him...

"The Key is mine!" Mizu lunges forward in a rage, swinging blindly at Riku who could just barely block his swings. "Mine! You will not have him back!" With a powerful swing, Mizu knocks aside Riku's sword with the silver Keyblade and sends the teen flying into a wall with the black. Riku slams against it and slides to the floor dazed. Mizu is upon him instantly, rushing toward him with both Keyblades. Riku shakes his head to try and clear it, but Mizu isn't going to give him that chance. He raises the black Keyblade to put an end to this hated enemy, the one person who could possibly take away his chance for happiness...

His blade is stopped.

Standing between him and Riku is Sora, a gold light surrounding his ghostly form, the silver Keyblade in his hands. He looks at Mizu with a firm expression, and then he turns to smile at Riku.

Nonononono...

"NO!" Mizu stumbles back. "You belong to me. ME! Do not forget your place!"

Riku reaches out to the glowing apparition. "Sora...!"

...I trust you Riku...

Sora's expression becomes gentle and he gives his best friend his warmest smile. He then vanishes, the silver Keyblade falling at Riku's feet with a dull clang. Riku looks at it with tear filled eyes.

"That's right..." Mizu gasps, lowering his hand. "Go back where you belong...no more of that, you are mine now..." He looks up at Riku, who is staring at the Keyblade at his feet, tears running freely down his face.

"The Key is mine...and I will destroy anyone who tries to steal him!" Mizu leaps at Riku again, and the other boy quickly grabs the silver Keyblade and blocks his attack.

"Sora..." he begins, "is his name. You will let him go of your own free will...or I will destroy you!"

Mizu jumps back with an angry hiss, he tries to call the silver Keyblade back to him, but it doesn't respond to his commands. Well, it didn't matter. The Key still belonged to him; he still had his incredible power of his heart added to his own. There is no way Riku could get the better of him. No way at all...

Chapter Eight, Part Three:

Donna Toki Datte, Zutto Futari De

Riku stood facing his angry opponent, the solid weight of the silver Keyblade in his hand. The last time he held this weapon, he had stolen it from Sora. This time the brunette has entrusted him with it, trusting him to stop this enemy and save everyone from the darkness. Though he knows he does not deserve Sora's faith in him, he will not betray him again.

"So. Because you have the Key's weapon, you suddenly believe you will fare better then you have previously?" Mizu regains his composure. "But he has defeated you. I have defeated you. Do you really think you can prevail against us both?"

"The only person I have to fight is you." Riku retorts. "The proof is right here in my hand. Sora isn't going to fight me, and he isn't going to let you use his powers to fight me either. You're on your own. Absorbing him was the biggest mistake you've made."

Mizu smiles coldly. "Are you sure?" He places a hand on his chest. "How can you defeat me...with the Key inside...?"

"Why don't I show you?" Riku answers calmly. Mizu's smile fades.

"As you wish." Mizu leans forward slowly, and then attacks suddenly. Riku manages to block, and Mizu leaps away, releasing a ring of dark power. Riku leaps over it, and Mizu runs under Riku, slicing upward at his vulnerable spot. Riku twists in mid-air and lands facing his opponent, his Keyblade out and ready to defend himself. Mizu's eyes narrow as he looks for an opening, and from his position on the ground, Riku does the same.

"The only thing you've shown me is how well you run."

Riku says nothing to Mizu's taunt. Instead, he searches desperately for an opening, all the while trying to figure out a way to release Sora. Even with the cerulean-eyed boy fighting his captor, Mizu is still incredibly powerful. Meeting him head-on has only resulted in failure. No, this time he needs to have a plan.

Seeing what he hopes is an opening, Riku tenses his muscles and springs forward, ducking to his left when Mizu swings at him and attacking his unprotected side with a powerful swing. Mizu rolls with the attack and swings his arm back in a powerful counterattack, following it up with a blast of dark power that sends Riku sliding across the floor. He comes to a stop and pulls his injured body up into a standing position, but Mizu doesn't give him the chance to attack again.

"That was certainly unimpressive. This ends now." Mizu lunged forward with the black Keyblade, and just before he reached Riku, the other boy moved slightly to his left, grabbing Mizu's Keyblade and twisting it out of his grip. Before his enemy could call the Keyblade back Riku turned and swiftly plunged it deep into Mizu's heart. Mizu stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide with disbelief.

"You...allowed me to hit you...and then you...you..."

"The black Keyblade has the ability to unlock hearts." Riku said softly. "And so, I'm sure you can guess what happens next..."

Mizu screams in agony, a bright light bursting from his chest. Riku covers his eyes to protect them from the harsh illumination, and moments later; a gentle hand touches his shoulder.

"Riku..."

The silver Keyblade vanishes from his grip and Riku looks up at the sound of his name.

"Sora...?"

His friend smiles at him hesitantly. "Yeah." Sora pulls Riku to his feet. "Thanks to you."

"How very touching..."

Both boys turned to look behind them, and Sora covers his mouth with the back of his hand in horror. "What...what happened to him?"

"The black Keyblade not only freed you, but unlocked his full potential." Riku informed him with a grimace. "He's as horrifying as he'll ever be right now."

Horrifying was an understatement. Mizu had transformed into a monster. Crooked, inky black antennae wriggled out from under long silver hair that fell past his waist in scraggly strands; his eyes became glowing orbs of solid yellow light. His face was covered with what looked like a grinning Japanese Noh mask, black lines drawn from his eyes to under his chin. His limbs were elongated and tipped with wicked six-inch claws, each gleaming like a black lacquered table and sharper then any chef's knife.

Sora moved forward, Keyblade in hand, but Riku stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's do this together. He's too powerful otherwise." He should know. "Let me fight with you again."

"Do you have a way to stop him?"

"Yeah, I do. Can you try to hold him off for a little while? If I can get to the gold Keyblade inside the keyhole..."

"Okay. Let's do that." Sora nods. "Don't take too long."

"Never."

Sora turns back to the monstrosity that is Mizu and ran forward into battle. He leaps over claws that rake the ground after him and swings down, his Keyblade clanging loudly against sharp claws as Mizu blocks his attack. Mizu pushes him back, and Sora sends a barrage of fire spells into his face.

Riku uses that time to make a break for the Keyhole. Mizu never even notices as he scoops the golden Keyblade from where Sora had dropped it and races back to help his friend.

"Don't you miss it, Key?" Mizu purrs at Sora as they fight. "You were well protected inside my heart, don't you want to go back?"

"No, I don't!"

"Oh, but I do...though it has only been a short time, it feels like a piece of me is missing..." Mizu turns and grabs Riku out of mid-pounce, slamming him into the wall behind him.

"Riku!" Sora runs forward a few steps, but is forced to jump back when Mizu swipes at him. Still holding Riku against the wall, he brandishes the claws on his free hand, spreading them like he would a fan.

"Haven't you tired of him by now?"

"Let him go!" Sora flung the Keyblade with all his might, and Mizu dodged, but didn't let go of Riku. Sora rolled under the heartless's claws, trying to get in close and he turned to grab his Keyblade, which was returning to him.

"Sora! Look out!"

Silver strands of hair flew towards Sora's back, wrapping around his neck and pulling him upwards. Sora gripped the hair to keep from cholking, twisting his body slightly so his whirling Keyblade could cut through the hair as it returned to him. He crashed to the ground, coughing, and Mizu pins him with his free hand.

"Clever, little Key, but not quite good enough." He giggles insanely at Sora's squirming. "Oh, have you any idea of how it excites me when you struggle? I think I'll take my time and enjoy it this time..."

"No...you won't."

Mizu's eyes flick back to look at Riku, who's Keyblade is glowing with a soft light. "Still have some fight in you, Riku? Why don't you just sit back and I'll get to you later."

"If you already have a complete heart, you'll have to leave Sora alone, right?"

Sora struggles wildly, understanding what it is Riku is going to do. "Riku! No!"

Closing his eyes, Riku silently connects his own heart to Mizu's. The heartless's eyes grow wide as his very body begins to unravel, and he releases his enemies as he tries to stop what is happening. Riku falls to a lifeless heap on the floor, and Sora races over to him, his Keyblade vanishing. Mizu eyes the brunette sadly as the last of him unravels into ribbon and vanishes like smoke.

"...Sora..."

Author's Nonsense:

Wow! It's been awhile, eh? Did you miss me? Anyways, here we are at the end of chapter eight, and this just might be the nastiest cliffhanger I have ever done. Bad guy has been defeated, but what happened to our brave Riku? Well...I ain't telling'! If you want to know, you had better review, because otherwise I won't put up the next chapter. Heh heh. Want the translation for part three? Here ya go!

Donna Toki Datte, Zutto Futari De

No matter what the time, we'll always be together

La la la... Whelp, I guess I'm done here. I'm gonna be greedy and ask that you all tell me what your favorite and least favorite part of this fic is. I know, I know, I have nerve after making you all wait two months like I did...but if you don't want to wait another two months you'll do it! Mua-hahahahaha! Just kidding. I won't do that to you again. I guess I should get to work, huh? Oh, and please read my Cloud/Leon one-shot called "Snapshots" I worked uber-hard on it, and I think it is the best work I have done so far. I need a confidence booster, so please? Confidence equals faster typing. I'm so shameless. See you all soon!

Ciao!