Charade, a kingdom hearts fanfic

Title: Charade
Rating: PG-13/T
Pairings, if any: Roxas/Riku, Sora/Riku
Summary: You can't always protect what's most important to you, but Riku was determined to do whatever it takes, even if it meant facing Roxas and becoming what he hated most.

Disclaimer: not mine
Word Count: 3951
Warnings: Dark. Boys kissing.
KH1, CoM, KH2
A/N: Dark. Which is a constant theme in most of my stories; actually, so none of you should be surprised. :D I pick on Riku so much, but damn is he an awesome character. Also took some liberties with…uh, most everything. This entire story was mostly influenced by Rubyd's fanart which you should all check out if you haven't seen it already. It's amazing.

http/ (no space here) rubyd(dot)deviantart(dot)com/

A/N 2: Edited and fixed typos, yay.

Fingers lightly touching the frosted glass of Sora's prison, Riku let out a heavy sigh, hands clenching into tight fists a moment later.

"You can save him," a soft voice assured from behind him. "He will wake up."

Riku hadn't even heard her approach, though the delicate girl seemed to have that ability to sneak up on people, or so he'd found. "I…" Riku paused, turning away from the sleeping boy so he could face Naminé. "Shouldn't you be doing something else right now?" The bite in his voice wasn't directed at Naminé, rather, it was directed at himself; she was used to it by now and brushed it off each time. Pity was not what he desired and it was not as if he was lashing out at her in particular.

"Maybe." Naminé shrugged gracefully, shifting her hold on the sketchbook that always seemed to be with her, just as Riku's Keyblade was with him. "DiZ wishes to see you."

Surprises upon surprises, he thought dryly, nodding to the girl as he strode past her without a word. Naminé watched him leave before glancing at the pod, then following the taller man a moment later.

Roxas could sense him, of that Riku was sure but judging from the hoards of Heartless following the blonde, there were more important things to tend to. Leaning against the tallest part of skyscraper, Riku waited, watching the cloaked boy run through the rain, very nearly slipping once but regaining his balance in a matter of seconds. The Heartless pursued him with single-minded determination, even with their numbers being cut down in single strikes from both Oblivion and Oathkeeper, their eyes glowing in the murky darkness that was always present in this world.

Stopping suddenly, the neon blues and greens of the lights around him casting bizarre shadows, he whirled around to cut down the multiple Heartless that had leaped at him. He handled both Keyblades like Riku himself did, the taller boy realized with a tiny smirk, watching Roxas hold both of his hands together and slash diagonally in a quick move. There was no possible way that the blonde could win though; too many Heartless in too confined of a space and the numbers would overwhelm the Nobody.

Leaping up in a swift move, Roxas used the momentum he gained from destroying the Heartless to propel himself up further and further until he landed on the platform before the skyscraper. The blonde paused, eyes scanning the ground which was quickly becoming filled with even more Heartless, replacing those that had started to slither up the walls. Cursing under his breath, he took his eyes off of the hoards of darkness and caught sight of the shadow he knew would appear. Silver hair shining with vibrant streaks of neon colors, Riku waited patiently for the Nobody.

Roxas wasn't an idiot; he knew exactly why the older teen was there- because of Him; it was no secret Riku had been searching for Roxas' Other and as the Heartless stalked him, he realized that he was vaguely relieved to have some semblance of help. There was no way that he could go ask The Organization for help, after all. Two strong leaps gave him enough speed to make his way up the building, both Keyblades at either side of him, metal screaming against metal but at that point he didn't notice. His blood was pounding through his veins with the thrill of battle as he annihilated any of the shadows that got into his path.

Riku took another step forward, another step forward to Sora and found he was barely able to restrain himself from leaping down there and snatching Roxas away somehow to bring him to DiZ. A brief second later, Riku leapt, cold air rushing past him as he fell, catching the Keyblade that was hurled at him with ease. Tucking his arms around himself, he found that the resonating hum of Oblivion was darkly comforting and as he passed the blonde he realized that he was given this particular Keyblade as a sort of taunt or mockery. Sora… Flashes, barely anything flickered through his mind- warm days on a beach with the two of his friends but when he tried to grasp onto it, it only slid away like always.

The screech of a Heartless as it disintegrated reminded him that this was most definitely not the time to try and remember any more than he did already. The muscles in his legs complained as he landed hard on the ground, boots sending water flying everywhere, feet protesting the shock just as much. This- he had missed this, combat, feeling the power of the Keyblade as he used it. The power was almost addicting, the tint of darkness that Oblivion gave off making it just that much more tempting than another Keyblade. Riku's world closed off as he lost himself in the strikedodgeblow of battle, heart pounding with excitement as he fought. Above him he could feel Roxas like a steady tingle in the back of his mind as he leapt down once more just as Riku had not moments before.

The combined force of two Keyblade masters and the addition of quick bursts of magic eliminated all of the Heartless far quicker than just one could. There was a split second of pure silence and in twin, smooth movements the two whirled around, tense, Keyblades at the ready. It was as if a silent command was given, the two rushing at each other, blades connecting with almost explosive force, multicolored sparks flying as metal against metal screamed once more, before they pushed back, skidding on the slick cement.

Roxas was quick, far quicker in a one-on-one battle than Riku had originally expected; the observation was proven when Roxas recovered from the clash quickly, darting forward to swing at Riku's side. It would have connected had Riku not whipped his arm up and over his head, using Oblivion to block the hard strike. As it was, Roxas pushed hard, both hands on the blade, swiftly crouching and using sheer force to send Riku flying back, hitting the ground with an audible thud accompanied by a pained hiss of breath from a clenched jaw.

"Why?" Riku managed to grit out, both hands propping him up as he fought to catch his breath. "Why do you have the Keyblade!"

Oathkeeper flashed as the Nobody brought it up, inspecting it quickly, his lips curling in a smile that held no humor. "Shut up." The Keyblade was lifted and slammed down fast enough where Riku barely had time to react and use Oblivion as a shield, arms jarring with the force behind the strike. Quickly, Roxas darted forward, hooking his blade in with Oblivions' and using his weight to pull it out of Riku's hands, sending it flying. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it.' Riku cursed himself, wondering what it was that kept him from fighting Roxas with every fiber of his being. Was it because he was part of Sora and he had vowed to never again hurt the other teen? Suddenly, Roxas' hand was around his throat and metal was pressed to his skin.

Roxas was panting just as hard as the boy pinned under him, though his hand was unwavering as it held Oathkeeper to Riku's neck hard enough to almost draw blood. "You- you know something, about him."

"So what if I do," Riku rasped, finding it harder to speak with the gloved hand constricting his throat. "What…what are you going to do about it?"

Ice-blue eyes narrowed dangerously and Riku could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to decide what he was going to do. He'd find a way out of here, if he couldn't defeat Roxas right now- of that much Riku was sure. He had a promise to keep, regardless if the blonde brat wanted to go or not. "What do you know?" Roxas hissed, leaning forward more but releasing some of the pressure on Riku's throat.

Ignoring the rain that was soaking his clothes, his hair, and making his skin feel like it was freezing, Riku met the Nobody's eyes from behind the cloth with a wry smile. "Sora. His name is Sora," Riku subtly shifted his right knee, hoping to surprise the blonde and gain the upper hand, only to find all air cut off and a small cut on the side of his neck.

"Don't. Don't try anything or I'll kill you without a second thought," Roxas gritted out harshly, releasing the pressure just as quickly as he had put it on. Intense golden eyes scanned over the Nobody's features once more, even though the blonde could not see them and it was then that Roxas realized what he was doing. "I'm not him! I'm not! Stop- stop looking at me like I'm Sora, because I'm Roxas."

Angry, Riku made to sit up, only to be slammed back down by Roxas' hand on his shoulder. Head impacting with the damp cement once more, Riku clenched his jaw to prevent any noise of pain from escaping; he wasn't weak, he couldn't afford to be weak because he had to save Sora. Gritting his teeth to try and battle the sharp throbbing that nagged incessantly at the back of his head, he barely registered the fact that Roxas had leaned closer than he really needed to. "That's getting so very a-" The metallic chink of Oathkeeper hitting the dampened ground was his first indication of something being out of the ordinary. "What are you-?"

Cutting Riku off a second time that night, Roxas reached out wordlessly, sliding glove-clad fingers through Riku's soaking silver hair before leaning over and pressing their lips together in a purely rash and possibly idiotic move. Riku was the enemy, but He, Sora, knew him and Roxas was damned if Riku didn't make him feel something in his nonexistent heart. Ironic, Roxas realized, straddling the other boy more comfortably, surprised when Riku's lips parted in a rush of warm air and it was then that the blonde threw himself into it whole-heartedly. Roxas curled his hands into Riku's hair even more, deepening the kiss when Riku made a soft noise that could have been pain or pleasure; at that point the blonde didn't care in the slightest.

Roxas dominated the kiss, distantly surprised that Riku didn't put up more of a fight but not in the mood to debate on why. Tongue exploring Riku's mouth slowly he could barely contain the smirk that threatened to spread at the throaty noise the golden-eyed boy made. "Who am I?" he breathed into the other's mouth, nipping at his full bottom lip a bit harder than he probably needed to. When Riku didn't respond, Roxas pulled back enough to glare down angrily. "I'm not him! Why won't you see that?"

Not waiting for a response because he didn't think that he was going to get one, he reached back a little more, nimble fingers working at the knot that kept the blindfold on. If this wouldn't help him see who Roxas really was, then… "Nng!" Roxas cried out when what was unmistakably a Keyblade slammed across his face and threw him a few feet away to sprawl on the concrete awkwardly. Riku was panting for air as well, using Oblivion as a support to get to his feet, trying to ignore the dizziness and nausea that encouraged him to sit back down. Tying the black cloth back once more proved to be his mistake as a blonde and black blur tackled him back down to the ground where they rolled for a moment, Keyblades forgotten in their fistfight. Roxas was a bitch to fight without a Keyblade too, Riku realized sourly, taking an elbow to his stomach, sending all of the air out of him in a painful rush.

Roxas could taste the metallic slickness of blood on his lip from where one of the sharp points of Oblivion must have caught him and cut into flesh. Backhanding Riku with a quick move, he grinned grimly at the startled gasp that escaped the other boy. "What's the matter, Riku?" he demanded, pinning him to the ground once more, eyes glowing bright blue with the light cast from the city.

Riku opened his mouth to retort, only to freeze at the feeling of icy darkness curling around him once more, growing larger and larger as it fed off of his anger, his fear. "No…" Riku choked out, throwing Roxas off with an abnormal amount of strength. 'Not again. I can't do this again. I won't let this happen again.'

Roxas blinked, obviously confused at Riku's nearly tangible panic, keeping Oathkeeper in his hand incase Riku attacked again. Though, judging by the way the older teen was trembling and stumbling, he was in no shape to even think about attacking. It took only a brief second for the blonde to realize what was going on- the darkness was beginning to curl off and around Riku in thickening tendrils. It was time to get out of here; if Riku got stronger the battle could go either way and Roxas didn't want to deal with that until he was back at full strength.

Unable to keep his eyes off of the slouched form of Riku, he very nearly winced at the shuddering, choked off noise the other Keyblade wielder made but summoned the portal anyway. A final glance and then he was gone leaving Riku clutching at the ground.

It took a good few minutes for Riku to regain himself; it was only his will that kept the darkness at bay for this long- he could sense more Heartless coming after him and Roxas had escaped.

Mickey was watching him with serious eyes, his arms crossed. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

Riku looked up from where he was kneeling on the floor of Merlin's abandoned house, his skin paler than usual. "I have to. Roxas beat me and I have to get him back," the boy (he was only a boy, Mickey thought sadly) gripped his sleeves tightly before tilting his head down once more, letting his bangs obscure his eyes. "Your Majesty … I don't…"

The mouse nodded solemnly, reaching out to place a hand on Riku's shoulder only to find the boy had shied away, still not meeting Mickey's eyes.

"Very well. I've no doubt that you will find him and bring Sora back."

"I have to," Riku responded, his voice rough. "Don't tell Sora. Promise me you won't tell him what happened to me until I find a way to become myself again."

From the heavy sigh, it was obvious that Mickey didn't want to comply with the teen's wishes but he would, for Riku's sake. "Be careful."

There was a soft laugh. "I will."

Mickey left the room, ducking out under the ragged cloth that stood in place of a doorway, hearing a shuffling noise as Riku stood up. 'Be careful.' Before the darkness could start seeping out of the room, Mickey vanished in a flash of light leaving Riku behind.

Once he was sure the King was gone, he swallowed hard, pulling on the blindfold but pausing before he could take it off fully. Ansem was always at the deepest, darkest corner of his mind, never really gone, just caged so tightly Riku sometimes forgot he was there. Now. He had to do it now, before he lost the nerve. In one quick move, all of the mental bindings that kept the darkness from taking over his heart were gone and pain was all he knew. Voice cracking, he felt his entire body shift and change, shoulders broadening, limbs lengthening, hair becoming less layered and more sharply angled. One hand reached up, very nearly clawing at the blindfold and jerking it off a second later.

The teen collapsed on the uneven stone floor a moment later, no longer Riku but Ansem.

It was that night that he returned with Roxas, not bothering to explain who he was or anything to DiZ, only saying that he was a castaway from the darkness. DiZ smiled that infuriatingly condescending smile and didn't question him further.

Roxas backed against the cold metal bars, blue eyes flicking from the form of one Nobody to the next. "Don't call me and then lock me out," he muttered before whirling around and using the Keyblade to unlock the door. The Nobodies paused and Riku could almost hear their thoughts before they tried to move forward. In a rush of darkness he was there, cutting through the creatures with grim satisfaction.

Almost.

"But what is a Nobody?" Roxas demanded with a swipe of his fist.

Riku appeared a moment later, glancing at the boy for a brief second before turning his attention to DiZ. "DiZ, we're out of time! Too many Nobodies!" Roxas made a noise of strangled anger and confusion, and Riku had to slam the door on his memories once more.

DiZ was sitting in front of his computer once more, absently tapping at some of the keys when Riku walked in. The tall young man very nearly sighed as he realized he couldn't read what the man in red had on the screen, but that was obvious because it was the encryptions that DiZ had created.

"His progress is astounding."

Riku didn't reply instantly, instead choosing to toss the small blue globe up and down, noting the way that it caught the glowing light from the computers and cast a flurry of color onto the wall.

"So what happened?" Riku finally asked, unable to resist the curiosity gnawing at him. One final toss and then the ball was tucked inside the hand-made pouch he had stolen from Sora's Nobody.

"Naminé's encounter with Roxas put his heart in contact with Kairi's." DiZ sounded all too pleased with this, even though it had seemed that he wanted Naminé to have nothing to do with the other Nobody. "And that, in turn, affected Sora. You see?"

Sora...Kairi, too. Riku swallowed down the mix of guilt and anger that left a bitter taste in his mouth and made his stomach roll uncomfortably. He had to say something, before DiZ decided that he would stop giving out information so candidly without knowing who he was speaking to. "Naminé…" he began slowly, "she's a wonder."

DiZ's voice turned slightly mocking now, his tone saying what his words didn't, 'of course she is, it is why I chose her.' "She wasn't born like other Nobodies. She can interfere with the hearts and memories of Sora and those aligned with him."

Riku already knew this. As to whose Nobody the blonde girl was, that was what he was unsure about. "But who's Nobody is she?" he decided to ask, taking advantage of the man's unexpected candidness.

DiZ tilted his head over to the side, a smug smirk curling his lips. "I could tell you…" he drawled teasingly. "But first, perhaps you could tell me your true name?" The condescending tone of voice implied that he already knew who Riku was, even with the disguise.

There was a prolonged pause before Riku pulled back the hood of his coat, keeping his face blank. "It's Ansem."

DiZ laughed loudly, mockingly but didn't elaborate on what it was that he found so amusing. "It's an honor, Ansem."

The Present

"…Riku?"

Sora's hesitant voice tore Riku from his memories; tilting his head up and over, the older teen wasn't surprised to find Sora watching him with a mix of hesitation and nervousness. It wasn't that he was able to read Sora any better than he had been able to before, it was that this was the most common expression on Sora's face now that everything was said and done.

Face blank, Riku raised an eyebrow, not yet willing to verbalize his question.

Sora sighed heavily, moving to flop down on the sand beside Riku, using his arms as impromptu pillows, staring at the cloudless sky. How was he supposed to start this? Maybe it would be better to just say it all at once and not dance around the subject; neither of them were much for subtlety most of the time. "With… with Roxas… I know something happened."

There was no outward indication that Riku had even heard the rush of words and briefly, Sora wondered if he needed to elaborate to get any sort of reaction or answer to the questions he had. "Ri," he whispered, almost too softly to be heard but oddly enough, it seemed to be just what was needed to make the older teen talk.

"Yeah. A lot of stuff happened while you were asleep," Riku answered vaguely, rolling onto his side and propping his head up so he was able to see Sora better. How much did he know? How much did Roxas tell his Other- or was it just that Sora had absorbed all of Roxas' memories when they joined together once more? "He's…not you."

Blinking, Sora tried to puzzle out exactly what Riku meant when he said that. "But, he is in a way. He's half of me."

"I know that, damn it Sora, I know that." Riku clenched his jaw, ignoring the startled blue-eyed gaze of his friend. "I've known that and it hasn't changed anything."

He wasn't making any sort of sense, Sora thought, frowning as he tried to piece out what Riku meant and a way to change the subject without seeming totally obvious about it. He couldn't let Riku brood like this, he just wouldn't allow it. "Riku…thanks, for everything you did for me. I wish there had been another- a different way. I really do." Sora trailed off, reaching out to touch the bare skin of Riku's right arm, a shy smile on his lips. He was acting on pure instinct now, pushing all of Roxas' memories out of his head because it was his time with Riku. Part of him wanted to ask exactly why he had kissed Roxas back so long ago but it wasn't his business.

Riku smiled wryly, moving onto his back, the invitation obvious at that point. "No more thinking about Roxas," he ordered softly, relieved when Sora scooted over a little more, propping one elbow up in the sand just above Riku's shoulder. It was only a brief second of hesitation before the brunet was placing his right hand against Riku's cheek, tilting his head to the side just a bit. Summoning up the courage was the biggest problem Sora faced right then, as he stared down into Riku's blue-green eyes. "I would do it all over again to save you."

"Don't. Don't say that," Sora hissed with surprising vehemence. "Don't ever say that- the darkness won't ever touch you again, I won't let it."

Riku didn't respond, he only accepted the soft, gentle kiss, not resisting when Sora licked his bottom lip as hesitant sort of request. "Sora…" Riku found himself sighing; whether it was because he was trying to remind himself of who was with him or some other reason, Sora didn't know or care to even think about. They would deal with everything as it came.

Sora vowed Riku wouldn't ever have to deal with the darkness ever again, pulling back for air and licking his lips thoughtfully.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Sora." It was to Riku's relief that Sora didn't respond, he only watched the older teen with a serious expression that didn't belong there.

You can't always protect what you love, you can always die trying though.

Note: As far as me calling Riku golden-eyed, I was going off how in pretty much all of Kingdom Hearts 2 he had the blindfold when he was in his old body. I think that was the reason when Riku got turned from Ansem back into himself he still had the blindfold on and acted so surprised to find his eyes were back to normal. I figured that once he and Mickey got out of Kingdom Hearts, his eyes were gold, hence the blind-fold. :)