Moon Glow

Prettier Lies Than Truth

Summary: (multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

-We might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
I have a feelin', it's a feelin' I'm concealin', I don't know why
It's just a mental, incidental, sentimental, alibi
But I adore you, so strong for you
Why go on stallin', I'm fallin', love is callin', why be shy?

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Our hearts are made of it
Let's take a chance, why be afraid of it?

Let's close our eyes
And make our own paradise
Little we know of it
Still we can try to make a go of it

Now, we might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Now is the time for it, while we are young
Let's fall in love

Let's fall in love
Let's fall in love-

-Rod Stewart, "Let's Fall in Love"

Riku's head was bowed as he moved through the miserable, empty streets of Traverse town. The rain was icy cold and took no time at all to chill him to his very bones. His heavy feet splashed in puddles as he continued his slow march to no where in particular. And his guilt, his bitterness, ate away at what little of a heart he had left.

"You fool…" He muttered to himself, wrapping his arms more tightly about his torso, shuddering as he kept on trudging. "You could have saved him…" And though he was devastated at the thought of what might be befalling Sora, his aquamarine eyes refused to shed any tears…. But only because there were no tears left to shed for anyone.

He'd leave that to Kairi, since she wasn't good for much else.

The vicious thought made him smile for a brief second before he became disgusted with himself. Turning the blame on her wouldn't profit him in any way. He needed to accept what he was responsible for, no matter how much he dreaded the prospect.

Suddenly, he heard the Heartless shuffling along in the darkness. He could feel their glowing eyes borrowing into his back. He was not afraid of them for what could they possibly do? He hadn't a heart to give them! Even as he thought of it, he felt a lance of pain shoot through where his heart should have been. "I'm worthless to little wretched monsters like you" He growled into the shadows, darting forward here and there in hopes to scare them back into the shadows.

That was when he actually took stock of his surroundings.

He had managed to get himself stuck in an alley by a sewer system. Above him, he could see three balconies to what looked like rooms of a hotel. Yes, he had been to Traverse Town before, but had never had the time to wander around it…

He was lost.

"Damn it!" He growled under his breath, wishing that he had paid more attention to the direction in which he wandered.

The hissing of the Heartless thundered in his ears, the malicious noises amplified by the stone walls surrounding him. The amount of the yellow eyes that leered at him doubled and tripled, but still they did not leave the shadows. Instead, he could trace the movements of their deranged, horrific dance as they waited for the right time to strike.

That was when he knew that he hadn't attracted the Heartless…. They were being sent to hunt him down. "ANSEM! SHOW YOURSELF!" Who else could it be that wanted him dead? Who else could possibly have such immense control over the Heartless that they could wait so patiently for the command to attack?

Riku…

He looked sharply to his left and then to his right, his gloved palms pressed flat to the stone wall behind him as he took in hurried breaths. "Stop playing around!" He shouted, ignoring how his voice broke in the middle of it. "What have you done with Sora! SHOW YOURSELF!" He roared into the alleyway, only to be met with the increase in hissing noises, the clanking and chinking of armor and the snapping and cracking of teeth being gnashed together. "I know you're there!"

You don't know anything at all, Riku…

"Get out of my head! Come out here and fight me!" He shouted, unable to resist the urge to cover his ears as he slumped against the wall.

Why should I? I'm already winning and I haven't even shown myself yet…

The voice gave new tumult within his soul. "You promised me freedom! What the hell kind of freedom is this?" He cried out, turning and pressing his forehead to the slick, wet stone.

Oh, no….You have me mistaken for someone else. I made no such promise to you…In fact, there never were any promises between us… Now that I think on it, we were barely even friends…

"What are you—Sora?…" No it couldn't be him. "Sora!" He shouted as he staggered backward, slipping on a wet stone and falling into the water drainage behind him. He inhaled water and sat up sharply, spluttering and choking as his already wet silver hair clung to his eyes.

Through the blur of water and hair, he saw a dark figure emerge from a portal of shadow and he recognized that silhouette…. He could recognize him anywhere.

"what has he done to you?" Riku roared, throwing himself onto his feet as he sloshed through the water, ignoring how he almost tripped as he dashed to Sora. He slowed to a stop not a foot away and looked upon the damage Ansem had done to his best friend. The outfit Sora wore now was very similar to the very one Ansem forced Riku to wear, only now it was solid black instead of blending into blue and red. The emblem of the heartless stuck out as a stark crimson color on his chest. Sora's face was pallid and ghastly, as if it had never felt the touch of sunlight upon it. The eyes that bore so deeply into his own were not blue, but golden.

Terrible laughter emerged from Riku's throat, hysterical laughter that he couldn't contain as he staggered backward in horror.

Sora was Ansem's new play-thing.

Riku stood no chance of beating him now. "Kill me, Sora. I don't deserve it," He said bitterly, his eyes still as dry as ever as he looked upon the cruel, twisted features of his beloved Sora. "but I know that's why you're here. I'm only in Ansem's way, after all…with this shell gone, he'll be free to have my heart…" He stared fearlessly into his friend's malicious eyes.

Before he could even blink, Sora had darted forward and slammed Riku against the wall. His black, gloved hands bit into the flesh of Riku's face as he pushed Riku's skull further into the stone behind him. "This has nothing to do with Ansem." He ground out before he threw the silver-haired boy to the ground. "…But everything to do with your heart."

Riku stared up at the sky, dazed and numb all over. He doubted that any amount of Cures in the world could fix the damage that Sora had done to the back of his skull. He was dimly aware that he was being lefted off of the ground and held in the air.

"You had none, even from the very beginning! You tried to take mine, slowly but surely you tried to take it away from me. You made me think you were my friend! That you loved me!" Sora shouted as he threw Riku into a gathering of Heartless.

Though he could feel little, he could feel the icy burn of the shadow flesh against his own, of the cloaws digging into his skin and the teeth sinking into his body. He was in hell, he thought. This could be no other place.

"See? You do not even try to combat my accusations." Sora said coldly, as it his every belief had just been proven by Riku's silence.

Truth was, though he dearly wanted to, Riku couldn't speak at all. His mouth wouldn't even open to scream as the Heartless tore into him. He was going to die, he was sure of it. He felt himself begin to black out.

I loved you Sora….I love you still…But I can't make the truth more convincing than Ansem's lies. He thought to himself, not really hoping that Sora could hear him. He admitted to himself all that he needed to.

He was ready for Oblivion.

"NO! You're lying!" he heard Sora scream as he felt the Heartless drop away from him.

Use my blade…my heart is gone, but you can unlock my soul if you want….And see the secrets hiding there…Or else let me die.

There was nothing but the ringing in Riku's ears and even that was fading fast. Though he couldn't feel it, he knew he was bleeding to death. That was answer enough for him.

So this is it…Take care of her, Sora…

"RIKU! SORA! NO!"

TBC…

A/N: Short and teasing, but sweet. I haven't worked on this story in so long (as I'm sure you all know xD (dodges the throwing of knives and rotten fruit) ) and so, I kinda forgot where I was going with it. So! From here on out, it's sheer making it up as I go along!

This is where the R/R would go if I could remember who all reviewed (AND A BILLION THANKIES TO THOSE THAT DID!). But, you should thank GREEL for her reviews, else I would have entirely forgotten this fic and been content playing KH2 (insert smiley here) um….yeah until the next chapter!

DB

(runs away)