"Sora, don't ever change." Devotion…

"Take care of her." Selflessness…

"I'll come back to you, I promise!" So many promises…

"We have to remember our mission!" Abandonment…

"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone." At least that's what I had always believed…

A scattered dream that's like a far off memory…

"Dreaming of you, in world without you…" My other side…

"Just do what comes natural to you." Something so simple, something so natural.

"Don't ever change…" WHY!

"Let's take the raft and go, just the two of us…" Selfishness

"If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this." Jealousy…

I wanna line the pieces up…

"Walking this road without you to remake forgotten promises and meet you at road's end." Riku…

"Thinking of you wherever you are…I will step forward to realize this wish." Kairi

"…Something you could never imitate."

Yours and mine…

Wonk ouY nahT noitceffA eroM deeeN I

Sora

Riku

Aros

"Sora? Baby bear, talk to me."

Sora lifted tired eyes towards the pine wood door in front of him, the separation between he and his mom. His blue eyes seemed to dull some as she pleaded with him to let her in. He slowly slid of the bed and opened the door and looked up at the concerned eyes of his mother. She draped her arms around him.

"Baby bear, what's wrong? You haven't left this room since last Friday. What's the matter?"

He shrugged. "I just haven't been feeling well, mom."

She felt his forehead and decided it was slightly warmer than usual. He had been behind these four walls for a week now, never leaving save to eat. Kairi and Riku had continuously called with worried voices. Kairi had even come by to see him, but Sora never opened his door. He'd simply shout for her to go away. Sora leaned against the warm embrace of his mother feeling much colder than he knew he was. His entire self-imprisonment had been a defense. Not to protect Kairi or Riku but to protect himself from them. When he was near Riku the darkness would burn in his chest and beg to come out from the depths of his heart. When Kairi was there, all he felt were negative feelings that he had never felt before. They were alien to him yet they felt so natural. He didn't want to be around them anymore so he chose to lock himself away in this room. In the quiet of his room, he continued to have restless nights filled with dreams of Kairi's lifeless body. Yet for the past few days his subconscious had been filled with odd dreams. Fingers trailing along his spine making him shiver. Nails biting into his hips and teeth brushing against the skin of his throat making him moan. Skilled hands bringing him unfamiliar white-hot pleasure. Strands of silk brushing over his heated skin making him squirm from the feather light touches. Friction bringing him to heights he'd never been to and he had always cried out a single name in the end. He had always awakened embarrassed and ashamed hearing a twisted laughter in the back of his mind.

His mother led him back to bed and tucked him back in. "You stay in bed, and I'll watch over you today, sweetheart."

He looked up at his mother and gave her a grim smile. She'd always been there with love and understanding. There were no secrets in her eyes and he found comfort in that. He didn't have to be anything to her save for her baby bear and that was all that was needed. He then frowned as the thought of turning on her crossed his mind. "I love you, mama bear."

"I love you, too, baby bear. Rest, and I'll take care of you."

He smiled contently as he watched her leave. At least he felt more relaxed since he had let his mom in. almost peaceful…

"Wuv you too, baby bear."

Almost… "I can't have a moment to myself can I?" He turned his head to look at the mirror on his closet door. His face twisted into an annoyed glare at the blonde reflection lounging in his twilit window. "Roxas…"

"It's kinda hard to be annoyed with yourself, don't you think, Sora?"

"Yeah," Sora murmured sitting up with a smile coming to his face. He could never stay mad with the blonde. Most likely because he couldn't fathom being angry and annoyed with himself. It seemed weird. "I haven't seen you in while, though. Where've you been?"

"As if I can go anywhere," he mused. "You sound awful, I guess no need to ask if your anti-form showed up recently."

"Can you explain it, Roxas?"

The blonde shook his head causing the spiked bangs of his crown to shift a bit. Sora had always admired his nobody. He had dreamt of being like him, careless, intelligent, collected and in control no matter what. He was like Riku and Sora had always wanted to be like Riku.

"All I can say, is that Riku is the source of it, and Kairi is the bait for it," Roxas's tone let Sora know he wasn't saying all he knew. Another ability he wished he had. To lie with a straight face. "Maybe this will help you. Whenever I fought Riku, I felt something deep inside. I know for a fact that nobodies aren't supposed to feel, so it must've been from my connection with you. When I fought him, that feeling kept rising and rising as if it would explode in his presence. However, when he went down, I suddenly didn't want to hurt him anymore. I almost felt upset like I had done a great wrong in wanting to defeat him."

Sora tilted his head to the side as this information went completely over his head. "What was it?"

Roxas shrugged nonchalantly and simply said, "Submission. It's that distinct feeling that one as timid as you has when they come into contact with their own inner darkness. Naminé told me about it."

"Oh," was all Sora could say. He had felt it each time he was with Riku. The darkness may have been violent yet it never wanted to cause Riku the kind of pain that killed. Its only instinct was to get to Riku; at least that was all he ever remembered. He had no clue was going on in his anti-forms head when it attacked Kairi. Bait, huh? That was really twisted. "What do I do?"

"Your best bet would be to actually talk to Riku about it." Sora opened his mouth to protest but Roxas stopped him. "But, since you're afraid of what will happen, try confronting the darkness itself."

"You mean, talk to my anti-form!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "You're kidding?"

Roxas gave him a blank stare. "I'm a part of you and so is the darkness. If you can talk to me and I have a mind of my own, I'm sure it can be spoken to. Try contacting it."

Sora threw himself back on the bed and groaned at how ridiculous the idea. Roxas rolled his eyes and slid off the windowsill of his Twilight Town home and walked out of view. "Fine! Suffer then. It isn't hurting me."

Sora dejectedly looked at the mirror, which had returned to normal. He turned on his stomach and screamed into his pillow, hoping to release some stress. He pulled himself out of bed even though he still felt sick and tired. He made his way to the bathroom and stripped off his clothing. Maybe a shower would take away the frustration so that he could think straight. Letting the droplets fall down his face and over his body, he calmed some. Water was always good for relieving his tension; that was one of the reasons he loved the beach so much. He could lounge on the sand and let the water wash over him in waves. It also explained why he always fell asleep on the beach. He smiled to himself thinking of all the times he had fell asleep next to Riku when they were still small. Riku told him he was more like a cat then a bear and Sora had pouted because he loved his mom's nickname for him. He felt a sudden emptiness in he chest when he thought of Riku. This was the first time in a while that he had thought about just Riku. Most of the time, he had Kairi on his mind or trivial things. He never took the time to think about the silver haired teen. Maybe Roxas was right. If the darkness was connected to Riku, then talking to it directly had to be the best bet. Decisively, he pulled back the curtain and stepped out to dry off. He slipped on a pair of pajamas and ran a hand through his dampened locks. He stood in the mirror over the sink and stared into it long and hard.

"Alright, anti-form," he whispered. "I'm listening."

Nothing…

He sighed and turned away from the mirror.

"So impatient."

Sora froze and turned to the mirror to find his reflection swirled with darkness as the Shadow grinned back at him. He wanted to bolt from the image but he forced himself to be unafraid. After all, he wouldn't hurt himself no matter how violent his inner demons were.

"Who are you?"

The shadow smirked showing his fangs. "The closer you become to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. I am the shadow you have nurtured with the light and hidden in the depths of your heart. You can call me Aros. The shadow of your name under the light of uncertainty." (1)

"What do you want, Aros?"

"I think the better question would be what do you want, my dear Keyblade Master."

"What…do you mean?"

Aros shook his head at the naiveté of his counterpart. "I am all that you desire and all that our light the desires. Thanks to your ignorance, our light has become so dim with hatred and jealousy."

"Kai-" A flash of Riku came to mind stopping the name from leaving his lips. Why did he think about Riku when Aros mentioned that?

"If I were not here, our light would not find any peace. Our light would remain troubled and yearning for you if were not there to sooth the darkness within."

Sora grew angry. "Sooth it! You tried to hurt Kairi! Hell, you tried to kill her!"

The Shadow laughed and crossed his arms. "Because, our light wanted it. To sooth his anger and nurture the light that sustains us, I had to satisfy him. In order to survive, I willingly catered to his desires. I wanted him to be satisfied while you clung to the love of that light which does not cast a shadow. That dead light that continuously distracts you from the true radiance that had been there all along. I come to the aid of him when you refuse to."

"Come to his aid? I care about him, I did everything I possibly could to get him back!"

"I am all that is left of that desire to be with him. I have been harboring it and shielding myself from that dead light in which you have submersed yourself in." His tone turned angry. "Tell me, when was the last time you stayed at his side since your return."

Sora couldn't answer. When Kairi said they'd be together everyday, she meant it. They were always together, always smiling, laughing, and having fun. Never once did Riku cross his mind when he was in this fairytale land with Kairi. It was like he faded in the background and Sora was the one who was pushing him away. The one moment he wanted to be close to Riku was when he had a problem that was connected to Riku. Even now, he was staying away from him. Aros scoffed at him in disgust.

"Grow up! You staying a child is not helping anything! This is what I desire, Sora. When you are with Riku, I want control. You either allow me to control your actions and body or Kairi won't be so lucky next time. I'll kill her, and no one, not even Riku himself, will stop me."

Sora worried his bottom lip with his teeth. It was clear he had no choice. Give in and he could keep both Kairi and Riku but refuse and Kairi would die. He loved Kairi no matter what this bastard said. He never wanted to hurt her. She was the only light he needed. He looked the shadow directly in its glowing amber eyes with defiance and made his decision.

Sora's mother made her way up the stairs with a hot meal for her baby bear. She knocked on the door a bit while balancing the tray with practiced patience. When she received no answer, she entered the room to find Sora lying on the floor in the doorway of his bathroom. She panicked and set the tray on the floor, running to Sora's side. She pulled him into a sitting position to find him snoring lightly. Her eyes narrowed into a blank stare and picked her son up as best she could, dragging his comatose body to the bed.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're narcoleptic, baby bear," she breathed out tiredly. "I guess you were too tired to make it to your bed again." She shook her head and took the tray away to put it away for later. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take care of him when I come home from work."

Sora sat up slowly, his cinnamon bangs shadowed his eyes. His arm reached out and grasped the phone and dialed a number from memory with out glancing once at the buttons. He pressed the receiver to his ear.

"Hello, Ms. Hikari? Can I talk to, Riku?" Pause. "Thank you, ma'am." Pause. "Hey, Riku, my mom just went to work and I'm not feeling too good. She wants you to mother me while she's gone, you mind coming over?" Pause. "Great, sorry about this but thanks anyway. I'll see you in a little while. Bye." Sora placed the receiver in the cradle and lifted his amber eyes to the mirror. He smirked when he saw Sora sitting on Roxas's bed with his legs drawn up and his head buried in his arms. "For once, you made a good decision, even if it was a selfless decision."

An hour later the doorbell rang from the result of a thoroughly annoyed Riku who was drenched from the sudden rainstorm that caught him on the way to Sora's house. His hair was soaked and clinging to his face like a second skin. He rubbed his arms against the cold of the raindrops and wind as he rocked impatiently. Of all days to forget an umbrella after had sat right there, and watched the freaking weather channel. Twitching, he raised a foot and kicked at the door in his form of a firm knock. It opened a second later revealing a half dressed Sora with a flushed face with most likely was from a fever. He looked at Riku with tired eyes and stood aside.

"You're all wet," he whispered looking Riku's dripping form over.

"Really now? What was your first impression?" Riku growled heading for the hall closet for a towel.

Sora followed him with a small smile on his face as the older teen removed his vest and shirt to wring out the water in the bathroom. Sora licked his lips as he watched the muscles in Riku's arms and shoulders shift as he squeezed the garments free of water. He walked silently behind Riku and reached out, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. He held back a shudder at the warmth beneath his hands and Riku turned to look back at him curiously.

"What?" the blond inquired hanging his shirt and vest on the shower rod.

"Do you want a different set of clothing?" Sora asked with a grin. "You'll get sick like me if you keep those on." He pointed at Riku's sopping we pants. Riku looked down at them disdainfully. The brunette was right and gave a nod as his agreement. "I might have some clothes from your last sleep over." He watched Sora walk away and he swore that, if he didn't know any better, he saw a slight sway in Sora's hips. His pajama pants hung dangerously low on them revealing a little too much to be modest little Sora. He arched an eyebrow at the retreating brunette, completely oblivious to the smirk that was present on Sora's face. He motioned for Riku to follow him and silently he obeyed. They went upstairs where Sora tossed a shirt and pajama pants at the blonde. Riku shrugged off the uneasy feeling that he was getting around his best friend and made a beeline to the bathroom to shower and change. Sora sat on the bed and leaned back on his elbows never taking his eyes off Riku's body.

"You're going to be stuck here, Riku. The rain is supposed to last all night."

"Yeah I know, I told my mom that just in case. I just forgot to bring clothes." Riku said over his shoulder disappearing into the bathroom.

Sora bit his bottom lip to resist the urge to molest the boy. Everything about his light begged to be chained and fucked. He smirked to himself doing his best to control his urges. He had to be sophisticated about this. It ruined everything if Riku didn't act first. He'd immediately know that something was wrong and that would spoil his fun. Aros wanted to take this slow so that Riku would have it in his mind that this was what Sora wanted. This was his light and he had to nurture it. He let himself visibly shudder when he heard the shower turn on. His amber eyes peered through the door straight at Riku who removed the remainder of his clothing and entered the spray of water. He smirked. Well, caution didn't mean he couldn't have little fun. After all, even he got bored sometimes. Just for kicks, he decided. He closed his eyes while still facing the bathroom and envisioned himself standing right behind his light. This would be fun…

1) What I meant by this was that if Sora's name were reflected on a mirror or if you took a model of his name and shined on it from the opposite direction (light of uncertainty) you would spell it Aros. See, it was deeper than just spelling his name backwards

So, raise your hand if you think Sora needs counseling for all this damn personalities: Raises hand: anyway, I'm so sorry with how long this took. I'm at my dad's and I had to learn how to use something called word perfect or what ever. I gave up and whipped out the laptop. I'm so glad I brought it! Anyway, keep the reviews coming. And for those of you who read and don't review, that's just rude. 1009 hits so far and only 25 reviews? You people suck. A flame or an update soon makes me happy damn. The next chapter will be longer. The reason for that is that all important quotes have been made for this story unless I deem something else relevant. In the next chapter you will get what you've been craving since this story began. A bit of Anti-Sora/Riku smutty goodness. So REVIEW damn you! Otherwise you gets no treat!