Disclaimer: and you actually thought I owned everything! Well I don't own this! Ha, in your face Matt, just cause I horde pencils doesn't mean…never mind, just remember I don't own the rights to this!

A/N: If I had a nickel for every author's note on I'd be a rich girl. Nanananana…(I like that song btw)

(Rikku's pov)

I woke up with a jolt. It felt like the whole building was shaking, like some sort of earthquake was jumbling the land. I threw the deep red cloak on the ground and stood up, gripping the wall the whole time.

"Riku…Riku? Are you there?" I looked around the whole room, still feeling the shaking sensation. Had Riku abandoned me, left me here…to die? No Riku would never, but still why was I here alone? I light flickered on the other side of the room causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. "Who-whose there?"

"It me, Sora. Paine is here too." The young boy replied from the corner in which he was hiding.

"Sora," I hissed, "why did you have to scare me like that?" I stopped holding onto the wall, even though I still felt the shaking all around me.

"We didn't know if anyone else was in here, unlike you we're not exactly welcome houseguests. We had to re-arrange an entire effing library just to get here." Paine retorted. Sora took a few steps away from the warrior, sitting himself awkwardly onto the bed. I looked at the messed up sheets and strewn pillows. I rolled my eyes, if Riku was going to leave he could have at least made the bed he slept in, and how did he manage to mess it up that badly in one night?

"So Rikku have you been here the whole time…in Yuffie's clothes?" he looked over to me. I looked down at the shorts and green belly shirt I was wearing.

"Not exactly, and I just put on these clothes yesterday because my other clothes were filthy." I stood up and walked over to the door they had entered my room through.

"Oh, I see. So are you ready to get a move on it?" Sora said happily brushing past me and walking into the center of the hallway.

"I think I'll just-" I was about to say 'stay here' but Paine took my arm and practically dragged me into the hallway. "What was that for?" I asked her, she blinked at me.

"I'm not going to let you stay here under their control. You're coming with us, don't you even want to try to save Yuna and Kairi?" she answered me calmly.

"I guess…but who is Kairi?" Paine didn't reply and neither did Sora so I just let it drop. I sighed and walked slightly behind Paine letting my head look behind us every once in awhile to see if we were being followed.

After awhile we came to a "dead end", but that meant nothing to Sora, he just started pushing every brick on the wall, hoping they might trigger some sort of secret passageway.

"Sora, you're getting us no where." Paine complained after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah, they're bound to catch us. This is taking for-eve-errrrr" I stressed the last word. Sora looked up at me with the expression of a kicked puppy dog. "Er-Sora?" I looked at his quavering face and took a step backwards. I was in no mood to deal with emotional outbursts by this guy. "Are you- are you okay?" I asked him again while I pushed a stray hair out of my face.

"I'm-I'm fine." he said softly. I sighed with relief and looked around the hallway. Suddenly I heard Sora start talking again, and rather loudly I might add. "Who am I kidding? No I'm not! I'm not alright! First my home is destroyed and one of my best friends is a heartless, I have no power to control anything anymore and now these people who are supposedly on my side aren't doing a darn thing but making me feel bad. So no Rikku, no I'm not fine!" Sora stood up and gave both Paine and I angry expressions. He stormed off in the other direction and disappeared around a corner. I shuttered with fear and guilt.

"Damn." Paine muttered. I turned to her and nodded wistfully.

"I guess we should find…him?" I half asked half stated. Paine shook her head.

"Trust me he wants to be alone right now. If we follow him we'll only make him run away, and he might possibly run into a dangerous situation." she said. I silently agreed.

"Then what do you purpose we do? We can't just sit here at a dead-end. Yuna is out there you know. Gippal, Tidus, and Baralai are too…even Wakka is out there…" I stopped and noticed Paine tense a little when I mentioned everyone's names. I felt a little tense just thinking of all the people who were missing. Come to think of it we had it harder not being in captivity then they did. We were expected to look for them; they just sat around and waited. At least Gippal was probably just sitting around, maybe not Baralai…

"We should get moving then. There is only one stone left he hasn't pressed, wouldn't hurt to try it." Paine said quietly. Paine pressed the last stone and sure enough is swung open. I rolled my eyes and mentally reminded myself to apologize to Sora next time I saw him. If there was going to be a next time.

"It would figure too, the last stone. This seems like something you'd see in one of those really bad HBO specials." I huffed. Looking around the new surroundings I felt all my anger swell and my blood began to broil. "Somebody owes me a really big explanation."

Paine nodded, "couldn't have said it better myself."

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(Yuna POV)

"I told you once and I told you again I'm not giving into you, not now not ever!" I screamed at the creature-like-woman's face but kept my eyes shut. She muttered something under her breathe and left my bedside, and I couldn't help but feel a little victorious for the first time in five days.

Then reality struck, I've been here for five whole days. I could suddenly feel a warm light creeping over my face; someone had opened the door again letting the warmth into the icy cold chamber. Firm hands grasped my arms and yanked me up from the stone platform. The same hands undid my chains and threw a burlap sack over my head hastily, muttering something about not screaming. I complied and used whatever glimmers of hope were left in me to silently pray that these people were coming to my rescue.

I felt them dragging me down endless hallways with a rushed sense to them. I felt their warm breathe on my back as they paused, presumably wondering which direction to head next. I heard their solid footsteps and didn't flinch or shy away from their firm, warm grasp. Something deep inside told me not to, that little nagging voice known as my conscience told me they were okay and I decided to for once listen to my gut instinct. Besides anything would be better then being chained in a cold room next to dormant princesses all day. Even if I was supposedly one.

My abductors/rescuers, I wasn't sure which, halted and opened a door. I heard the creaking noise as the rusted hinges swung open. They guided me into the room and gently shut the door behind us. I felt their arms being removed from my arms and someone lifted the burlap sack off my head.

I allowed my eyes to remain closed for a moment; I wasn't quite ready to take on my new surroundings but then I gathered up the last shreds of my courage and opened my eyelids slowly.

"Yunie?" Rikku stood in front of me stupefied. She sounded somewhat angry and she glared at me. "This is who was at the top of your list? Yunie?" she asked, but her question was clearly not directed at me.

"She holds a vital part of the key Miss Rikku, we cannot continue without her you that as well as I." one of the men next to me answered stiffly. Miss Rikku? Since when was she regarded with honors around here, last time I saw her she was being held prisoner as well.

"I don't care what she holds I don't want to see her in my presence!" Rikku screamed at them and they bowed their heads slightly. Rikku was beginning to scare me and I shuffled uncomfortably.

"I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but did I miss something?" I asked bravely. I noticed that the soldiers scowled at me with utter disgust before leaving Rikku and I alone. I never knew being alone in a room with her would feel so…dangerous.

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(Sora POV)

'Good for nothing Rikku…and Paine.' I walked slowly down the hall only to be greeted with loud footsteps. With only my instinct to guide me I quietly slipped down a small corridor and hid behind a lift's control mechanism. I looked up in time to see guards escorting a person, most likely a girl judging by the skirt they were wearing, down a hallway. The person had a burlap sack on their head and showed no struggle with the guards. I silently hoped they would be okay before I touched the lift's operating pad and ascended into the castle chapel.

A cold wind greeted me followed by a hissing laughter. I looked around to find that I was utterly alone, except for a gleaming treasure chest on a high ledge. Smirking I ran forward and easily jumped the ledge, then I crept forward ever so slightly so I was standing directly in front of the chest. For a moment I wondered how to open it without my keyblade, but that moment soon passed and I easily flipped the latch up. Inside the chest was a wonderful keychain. It was spidery and black with black and blue stars as its trail. I looked it over and noticed the words Oblivion inscribed in it. I hooked the keychain on the belt loop of my pants, hoping it might provide me with some extra strength until I reclaimed my keyblade. Grinning I eagerly hopped down from the ledge.

I noticed now that I was not alone, but I was accompanied by none other then Riku.

"We meet again; this must be some sort of twisted fate." Riku sneered at me. He was dressed differently know and in his hands he held a black keyblade.

"What has happened to you?" I looked at him painfully this boy was once my best friend and now he looked as if he wouldn't think twice before killing me.

"Riku please," I begged of him, but he simply put up his hand and smiled a vague smile. Then he reached behind his back and pulled out my keyblade with his other hand. Once he had a firm grip on both keyblades he smiled stupidly and I almost laughed, if circumstances had been different then I would have described him as looking like a child with too much candy.

"Here," he tossed me my keyblade. I caught it, slightly shocked and slightly suspicious. "I wouldn't want to win this fight if the odds were completely unfair." he said with a grin. I hooked my new found Oblivion keychain onto the blade hurriedly. Riku was patient and waited for me without another word. Maybe there was some hope for him yet.

"Riku we don't have to do this, we don't have to fight." I begged him one last time.

"Sora as much as I wish you were right I can't believe you anymore. The darkness can change people it has power over their hearts, it is the heat's true essence. I might have believed you before, yesterday even," he smiled slightly, "but seeing as the power can grasp everyone I cannot believe you." he said sadly. I struggled to understand what he was talking about.

"It doesn't have power over me; if anything I have power over the light! And Kairi will be okay Riku, don't worry, she wouldn't want us fighting." I smiled cheesily and Riku returned it with anger.

"This isn't about Kairi anymore, well maybe it is to you but not me. They took Rikku, they came and somehow used her and now she isn't the same…she never will be again. Not unless I can control the darkness. They said…they said she came to them." Riku stated somberly. I now understood the look in his eyes; he was grieving. He loved Rikku, any fool could see. She had been manipulated and somehow they had turned her to darkness. Hopefully the change was temporary.

"Then how will fighting me help? If you answer it's because the boss says so don't bother. Think for a moment Riku, who is the one turning people to darkness, the boss. If we can find the boss we can save Rikku, we can also try to reverse the affects the darkness is having on Kairi, and maybe we can somehow put out worlds back together. I know now that we need to seal this keyhole and eliminate the heartless and the darkness once and for all. I think its time we had peace and true light again, don't you? What do you say, join me…as friends?" I paused for a moment, unsure of his answer but all at once he let out a sharp scream. I saw some form of Riku escaping it seemed from the body he was in. It was all very surreal, but then it was over and Riku was lying on the floor next to me panting, his black keyblade had disappeared.

"All right we'll do this. For Rikku." he said confidently.

I smiled, "For Kairi." We slapped each other high-five and ran off in the direction I had originally come. Little did we know we were being watched, and what were looking for was closer then it seemed.

A/n: awwww? Riku and Sora working together:claps hands: I'm so happy now that I finally got to this point in the story where Riku can start to become a good guy!

Lucy!