Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. But I soon will own a copy of KH 2, because the release of the NA version is just around the corner! Gotta stay spoiler-free! >.

A/N: Hey guys, I'm finally back! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, but I've been busy, and I've rewritten this freakin' chapter about 6 times, and then there was Spring Break...and I'm really just making excuses now, but, yeah, it's here now -.-;; This chapter has been brought to you by my "friends," Hana-chan and Leslie, who have pestered my for just about every day since Chapter 1. If it wasn't for them, this would probably be a lot more late. -glares and mutters incoherently-

Oh yeah, and a note about the beginning of Ch. 2: The words in italics is what Kairi is thinking, and the words that are bold, italic, and in double parenthesis are, well, basically what the darkness of her heart is telling her. It may seem confusing, but I hope that once you read it, you'll understand what I mean. Let's get started, then!

Chapter Two: Awakening

"I want to dream and never wake."


I'm falling…

Where am I?

There's nothing but darkness now.

I'm surrounded by darkness! What happened? The cloaked man! He promised to bring me to Sora…But all I can remember is this suffocating darkness…

Sora…that name seems hollow now, like something that used to have a meaning but is now simply a word. What did it mean? Who was it? His voice…it's left me…

NO! I can't forget Sora! He's all I had…

((But then he left.))

No! He didn't have a choice! Our worlds were separated!

((What did I think the reason for that was? He wasn't meant to be with me. He is destined to fight, to travel. He has more important things to worry about than old childhood friends. He has new friends now.))

Destiny…?

Why can't I seem to fight this darkness?

((I am the darkness in your heart. I am a part of you! Sora fights the darkness, so now he must fight me. I am born of the very thing he is destined to fight - just like Riku.))

Riku?

What are these lies? This can't be me! I never even knew what happened to Riku! What is this side of me that whispers these lies?

((The light is gone. Why do you fight what lies within your own heart? But now even your heart has grown too weak to handle this much darkness. If you endure any more your heart will collapse – you've already lost your body to it; your essence is all that's left, the essence of your very heart.))

My essence?

I try to turn away from myself, but I cannot. There is nowhere to hide…I am forced into the darkest regions of my own mind…NO! I won't give in! My light…it's still strong enough…

((Strong enough? Do you know nothing? You know that it's been fading since Sora left. Now it's not there at all. Darkness can not be conquered; it's all that's left of you. To destroy it is to destroy yourself! Stop fighting it and let it take over.))

I have to…stay strong…

((You know, you brought this upon yourself. You are the one that foolishly fell to despair over the loss of your beloved Sora. That is why you shouldn't grow close to anyone, it will only bring you pain. Emotion does different things to the heart, and feelings of extreme sadness weaken it the most of all.))

No, knowing Sora is worth even all the sadness and weakness, all the pain! Love is greater than any of that!

((Foolish girl.))

I…won't let this…

((You already have.))

SORA!


Castle Oblivion

Images of forgotten days flashed through Sora's mind like a dream. Everything he had lost was finally returning to him, everything he had ever fought for. The false life was erased, and his true self was being pieced back together. He saw himself on an island with his friends, their faces blurred but slowly coming into focus…building a raft, making plans to set sail to another world…fighting the Heartless…closing the door to darkness, and to his friend Riku…and then he saw himself being separated from a girl, who was calling his name.

Now he remembered her name, and he subconsciously called back to the figure -

Kairi!

She was the most important person in Sora's life. Although seeing her being torn away from him again stung like a wound being reopened, the feeling of sorrow passed quickly. The memory of Kairi sent warmth rushing through his slumbering body, like an unexpected warm breeze on a cold autumn day. She was the one memory that would bring all the others into light. Even though he had left her, he had made a promise – the promise to return, and nothing in the world (or, rather, "worlds") would stop him from fulfilling it. Sora would return home.

Everything is coming back to me, the true…memories…

But even as all this was coming back to him, other memories were fading. Images of Naminé and Castle Oblivion dimmed and eventually disappeared completely, whipped away by the whirlpool of swirling thoughts and emotions, lost forever in the darkness of Sora's heart. Now, Naminé, the multi-leveled Castle Oblivion, and the enigmatic "Organization" never were, nothing but a faint dream – or maybe it was something of a nightmare. All the same, Sora couldn't regret this, for it was what he chose. It was a small price to pay to regain his memories.

Kairi…

Everything was worth it for her. Of course, he wanted to find Riku too, but something between himself and Kairi had grown…different. That, and there was that promise he had made. Whatever he had just been through was no more, and he would be on his way once more to fulfilling that promise. With the swirling tides of memories came mixed emotions, and now a sudden, fierce courage washed over him. Forces of darkness? Hah. Sora would teach them to mess with the Keyblade master. Still, something inside him told him not to get too cocky

Right. What was most important now was fixing the mess they had gotten into, and then finding a way back to Destiny Islands. "They" meaning Sora, his companions, Donald and Goofy, Riku, King Mickey, Ansem, and…who else? Did Sora have any idea how big this whole…mess was? Light and darkness, friends and enemies…the whole adventure had been thrust on him so suddenly, and now the enormity of it all was catching up to him. It would be nice just to be on Destiny Islands again. Why'd the stupid Keyblade have to choose him, anyway?

That's right, he thought, blame it all on destiny.

Destiny Islands…

Home.

Sora could almost hear the salty waves crashing endlessly against the glistening shore, over and over…he could almost smell the crisp island air…these sensations made him want to fall deeper into sleep, even though he was awakening. In sleep, in dreams, there was no Keyblade, no battle between the light and darkness, no separation at all. There was no fear in his sleep, no uncertainty of what would happen next. He was only surrounded with memories. There was nothing to be worried about at all, because he was in Paradise. As long as he was with those he cared for, it didn't matter where he was at all – that in itself was paradise. With Kairi and Riku, at home. One place, not in a cramped Gummi Ship flying from world to world. Why should he ever open his eyes to the true darkness that lay beyond? Why couldn't he stay in the dreamworld forever? Then the answer came again – Kairi.

After all, if a promise was broken, it never was a promise at all.

Sora's dream of Destiny Islands seemed to be growing more and more realistic. He could feel the warm breeze now, and the soft, damp sand beneath his fingers. It now felt as if he were a part of his dream, instead of just observing a scene. He was lying on the shore, staring up at the deep, cloudless sky, as he had often done when he still lived there. Suddenly, a huge wave crashed against the shore, drenching Sora in the dream-ocean water and causing him to jolt awake.

Sora's eyes finally shot open, but there was definitely something wrong.

Everything was exactly the same as when his eyes had been closed.


A/N: I hope that was worth the six-month wait...and because I feel really bad about that unexpected hiatus, I'll provide you with a very rough, uber-short preview of Ch. 3!
(((Ultra-Special Exclusive 76-Word Preview of Darkness Binding: Chapter Three)))

Chapter Three

Sora's dream was now reality.

He blinked several times, but the scene remained the same. He was back on Destiny Islands. Sora jolted upright to survey his surroundings, and there was no doubt about it. This was one of the main islands, the one where he had actually lived. Somehow he had been expecting to see the island where he, Riku, and Kairi often met - not that he had been expecting any of this.

"Sora!"


Well, there you have it. Got love cliffies, huh? The rest of this chapter should come a lot sooner than the last one, but if it still takes too long, I should be posting a series of one-shots and songfics for KH that I've been working on to help channel my creative powers. (Not that I have any...) I think it'll be called "Moments." Tomorrow is the 28th! Aren't you excited? That was totally off-topic, butI've gotta say thank youto everyone who reads and reviews (-wink wink nudge nudge-) this story. You're awesome! -hugs-

See you next chapter, and enjoy KH 2!