Author's Notes: Yay, at last! The next chapter is here. It took a long time to get out because I had to finish Kingdom Hearts II, which was AWESOME by the way. I think I nearly passed out at the end. Plus, this chapter was delayed because I edited it over, and over, and over, and over… obsessive compulsive? Not me! ;)

Anyways, thanks to all the people who reviewed last chapter, you guys REALLY make my day! And a big shout-out to The Mangosity, who alerted me to the fact that I double-posted the first chapter and did not notice for nearly a month. Embarassing... thanks, Mango! So without further delay, here's chapter two!

Read and review, please!

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It was in a world far, far away from the second wielder's. A place where the rich skin of the land was covered in tangled jungle and great hills, with the undulating silver line of a river carved into the vegetation like a gilded snake. Everywhere, huge trees held their twisted branches and thick crowns of emerald leaves in offering to the sunlit sky, like motionless giants who had stood sentinel there since the beginning of time.

Deep within this jungle, there laid a spot where a ring of logs had been arranged on the leafy ground. Near the logs squatted a stout statue of an elephant, its small face chipped and worn by abandonment and time. A halo of light shone down through a clearing in the branches and gave clear view of the cloud-streaked, cerulean sky. This place was sacred, and it was in this place that the trio of cloaked figures chose to wait. They had endured, ever patient, bearing the steamy breath of the humid forest and the merciless sun and the monotony because they were coming. And their arrival would signal the beginning of everything—and the end.

He sensed it first. The standing figure turned his face into the blaring sunlight, and raised a finger to point at the blip of fiery magic forming in the midst of the topaz blue sky.

"There they are," stated the first.

"Finally!" sighed the second. "Master was right. Oathkeeper chose to bring them to this world because it sensed our darkness." The man dropped the twig he'd been fiddling with and stood, stretching his stiff legs and yawning robustly. Once his muscles felt less like wood and more like flesh, he turned to face the robed female. "You know what to do, don't you?" the second figure questioned the last of the three.

"Of course. And how I long to see my dearest companion once again." The third laughed, a sound like the twanging of a violin string. She licked her painted lips in anticipation of blood and smiled.

"He isn't allowed to see you until we secure a Source. We don't want them to interfere until it's too late. Don't forget that," said the second. Her lusty laugh and hunger for hearts made his lip curl in blatant disgust. What a fledgling.

"As you wish, m'lord." The third figure disintegrated into a haze of onyx smoke, her soft cackle still ringing in the clearing.

The second gazed up into the sky, where the pool of fire was pulsing like a drop of blood. Soon it would fall, bringing closer the two hearts chosen by destiny's hand… them. "I hope she doesn't ruin the plan. It may have been a mistake to bring her here," said the second. "But aren't you excited?"

The first figure did not tear his eyes from the meteor that was bringing them into this world.

"Ever the quiet one," laughed the second, in genuine amusement. "Well, if you can hear me in whatever world you're in, do me a favor and release some of your—ah, friends—seeing as the shadows alone have been insufficient. Be sure to do it before moonset, alright?"

Silence from the first, who was wondering if soon he'd be able to feel them, the staccato of their hearts, the blood throbbing in all those tiny veins. But he had heard. He extended a hand, wiggling his fingers rapidly. Darkness oozed from his palm, pulsing as though alive. The first squeezed his fist shut, and then flicked the shimmering glob of darkness into the tangle of trees.

"Happy hunting," said the second man with a smile, before he disappeared into a nebula of shadow.

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And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth, and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 16:2

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Aphelion

02: Fiddlers Three

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The shimmering ball of light crashed through the canopy of the jungle, spraying sparks through the treetops. Hordes of colorful birds squawked and took wing as the falling star toppled trees and splashed, smoldering, in a broad, icy river. Riku surfaced, sputtering as he cleared his face of the lily pads that floated atop the blue-green water. He stroked through the river and pulled himself up onto the shallow bank, cursing softly. The boy checked himself over. His body seemed intact, but the flank of the black hoodie was shredded into useless scraps. He was pulling off the soaked garment and squeezing the water from his yellow undershirt when Sora came paddling up with Keyblade in hand, grinning like a kid who had just been blasted around on a rollercoaster ride.

Riku glared, flipping his silver from his face. "Let's never, ever do that again."

"Aw, c'mon Riku! It was kinda fun, up until the part when we started hitting the branches. Not cool." The boy heaved himself onto the leafy shore, and regarded his torn and wet clothes with an air of resignation. "Well, at least we're alive, right?"

"Thanks to the fact that we landed in a river and not on a cliff." Riku examined the mass of enormous trees that surrounded them. Oathkeeper's descent had burned a hole through the thick roof of branches, and a single beam of light pierced through the muggy, hazy air. All around them was the sound of chittering animals and running water, paired with the sweet aroma of magnolia blossom and earth. In every eyeful danced a symphony of color—boughs heavy with fistfuls of papayas and bananas, flowers of every hue carpeting the soft earth.

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, he thought, slightly delirious from the fall and the exhilaration of the journey. "I can't believe that this actually worked," he wondered aloud. "I mean, who would've thought that traveling between worlds was really possible? That key of yours is amaz—"

Sora interrupted with a sudden hiss of pain. He doubled over, fingers clenched in the material of his shirt.

"Hey. You okay?" Riku asked, resting a hand between the brunette's shoulder blades and bending down to peer into his scrunched face. The muscles underneath his palm quivered and twitched as though tiny animals were trapped beneath his skin.

The younger boy gripped his abdomen and bit back another cry, but managed to give Riku a watery smile. "Unh… it's nothing. Just that warping from world to world is something kinda new for me, and—ugh—it takes up a lot of energy. Don't worry about me." Sora trembled as his breath rattled between his ribs.

"Maybe you should take a break."

"No... " He steadily inhaled, and the shaking stopped. "I'm ok. It's gone now." Riku raised a skeptical eyebrow, arms crossed. "No, really! I'm fine." The boy straightened up and beamed, raising Oathkeeper in a heroic stance.

"All better, see? Nuthin' to worry about."

"Riiight. If you're sure." At Sora's enthusiastic nod, Riku turned away to scrutinize the landscape, missing the flicker of pain on the other's face as he flitted nervous fingers over his abdomen.

"So, where are we, anyways?"

"I don't really know. Could be Deep Jungle, but somehow I don't think so." He touched the Keyblade to his chest, frowning slightly. "Oathkeeper has nothing to say."

Riku smirked, feeling amused. "So basically we're going to wander around here until someone—or something—attacks us, we get a lead, or until we die of old age in the middle of nowhere."

"You really should think positive, Riku! Just think of it this way. We're going to take a look around and see if we find something that helps you regain your memory." The brunette rested his arms behind his head, with his trademark grin dancing across his lips, and marched into the trees. "So, call your sword, and let's see the sights."

Riku stared blankly at his upraised palms. "And how exactly am I supposed to call it? I didn't do it on purpose the first time."

"Oh." Sora looked a bit startled. "Just envision it in your mind. Call its name."

Soul Eater appeared in a shimmering cloud of crimson light. Riku gave the sword a few test slashes before turning towards the other boy.

"That's how you focus your power. Don't forget." Sora crouched and placed his palms on the floor, as though he were getting ready for a marathon.

"What're you doing now?"

The brunette grinned up at Riku, before dashing off into the jungle. "Kicking your butt at a race! You didn't think we were gonna walk, did you?"

"H-hey! Get back here, you little piece of crap! You cheated!" Riku flung dignity aside and sprinted after the boy, Soul Eater glinting at his side.

The race began. The two boys hacked through the labyrinth of weeds and vines, following the path of the deep stream. Riku discovered that wielding the heavy winged blade was not as draining as the first time he had summoned it to fight Sora, and he could slice through the underbrush with relative ease. When they burst into clearings, the boys dashed through the carpet of leaves, sprinting to see who would be first to the next thicket. The friendly competition helped them push through their exhaustion, but soon the effort and the wet heat of the jungle caught up. They paused at a bend in the river, where a shallow cave of limestone provided some shelter from the swarms of insects.

"I win," Sora panted, pushing a hand through his sweat-soaked hair and laughing.

"Only because you cheated."

"You're such a sore loser."

Sora dismissed Oathkeeper in a flash of light and crouched by the water's edge. He cupped river water into his mouth while Riku slumped against the rocks, tapping the hard ground with the tip of his sword. His leg muscles ached dully, and a trickle of sweat was slipping down the crevice between his shoulder blades. Discomfort was not on his mind, however. He couldn't help thinking that he was in some prolonged daydream, and at any moment he would wake up with the New York sun on his face and his mother overhead, nagging bitterly, You're up late, the reporters are here, your hair's a mess, I can't believe such a filthy kid is my son, you're not going to go out looking like that, are you?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sora flopped down at Riku's side, pulling bits of branches from his toffee-hued hair. The deepening heat of noon had begun to creep through the trees, though beneath the thick canopy the forest was blanketed in hazy shadows.

Riku massaged his neck with his graceful fingers, working out a cramp that was beginning to stiffen his muscles. He didn't meet the other boy's eyes. "Just thinking about how normal my life used to be before you showed up, kid," he remarked, but without venom. "School, cars, clothes, my psychotic mother…"

"Aren't you ever going to call me Sora?"

"Hm," Riku sighed teasingly, twisting one silver lock of hair around his finger. "Maybe."

Sora crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in irritation, but dropped the subject. "The crazy lady who jumped us in the woods is supposed to be your mom? Don't worry about it. She's not even your real mother, anyways." Sora stretched and yawned as he absentmindedly eyed a mango tree that was crooked from the weight of its delicious fruit. "Your real mom is the nicest lady you could ever find."

Riku stared at the other in complete disbelief. "And what's that supposed to mean? How can my mother not be my mother? There are records, you know. And she is one thing that I can definitely remember."

"No way. Your mom used to make us cookies after we'd get home from school. We used to fight over who'd get the one with the biggest chocolate chips…but you'd always win." Sora offered Riku a nostalgic smile, his eyelids low over his sapphire eyes. "But I guess we're not kids anymore."

Riku turned his eyes away. "If it ever happened, I can't remember."

"It did happen." A pause. Sora climbed slowly to his feet and stepped out from under the shadows of the rocks and into the mouth of the light. Dappled light from overhead nestled into his auburn hair as Sora reached on tiptoe to pluck several of the tender mangoes from the bent tree. He ducked back under the overhang and offered one of the ruby delicacies to Riku. "Do you wanna hear the story?"

The sterling-haired boy bit into the fruit, a gush of sweet juice filling his mouth with pleasure. He peeled the broken skin away with his fingers and chewed the morsel for a moment, savoring the taste.

"Do you really expect me to believe that the life I've been living is a total lie?" He turned to meet the strangely beautiful eyes of Sora.

"You can believe what you want to," said the Keyblade master earnestly. "And I'm hoping that you'll choose to believe me."

Riku paused, but decided the decision must be made. What could it hurt? "Let's hear it then."

Sora spoke. The telling of the tale devoured several lazy hours under the limestone shelter, in which the story of three island children looking for something beyond their crystalline sands and sea—their story—twisted and weaved into a fable of a desperate struggle against sin, evil, and darkness of the heart. The forced journey from the islands to other worlds, filled with mysteries and friendships for the young Keyblade master, while Riku wallowed in darkness and was overcome by the power of the sorcerer Ansem. Riku interrupted with a multitude of questions, but Sora was patient, even when the pearly-haired boy bit back a laugh when the brunette said he had stabbed himself with Riku's own Keyblade in order to free Kairi's heart ("A spark of genius," he snorted, while Sora pouted).

At last, Sora paused as he reached the climax of the tale. The great door of Kingdom Hearts had appeared and vanquished Ansem, but Sora and his two friends could not close the door to the darkness, with an infinite army of Heartless stirring in its depths.

"So… what happened?"

"You came. You pulled the door shut from the inside, while Donald, Goofy, and I pushed it closed from the outside. Then Mickey and I used our Keyblades to lock the door."

Riku envisioned the gigantic door Sora had described, fingers of shadow pushing hungrily at the frames. "But wouldn't that mean…?"

Sora's eyes squeezed shut. "That's right. You were trapped behind the Door. You and the King. I was so afraid for you…. I looked for you everywhere…." For a moment the boy's voice cracked under the pressure of his emotion, but Sora managed to push the thoughts from his mind. Riku was not ready for that yet, and he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with it either.

"But you're safe now," he continued softly, "so somehow, you must've gotten out."

"Hm. Then what happened to you?"

"We ended up in a gigantic field, with a path that we walked for days and days. After that I think there was a castle. But for some reason, I can't remember what happened there. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I was asleep for a long time."

"Maybe that's why your clothes are so small on you," he said, gesturing to Sora's ill-fitting and torn red jumpsuit. Sora glanced down at his clothing as though he had never really noticed it before. He smiled sheepishly, before shrugging off his silly mask and becoming serious once again.

"Then I heard a voice calling me—Oathkeeper. It had never really spoken before, but it was telling me to get up, over and over, something about it being 'time at last.' So I opened my eyes but all I could see was blackness. And when I did, I remember there being more voices, but it was so dark, I couldn't see a thing. Next thing I knew, I was falling from the sky like someone had pushed me through a trapdoor. And I found you."

Riku digested the story. It was insane, to say the least, but it was also difficult not to believe when the boy who told it spoke so honestly, every expression and gesture and feeling crystal clear. But he wondered: could it even be true? Could he have lived another life on a tiny island? Plunged himself into darkness? Sacrificed himself for the sake of Sora, and their friend Kairi?

Kairi…the princess of heart. And if he understood correctly, she was Sora's "light". Why would he, Riku, have fought so hard to find her heart? He decided to try and understand the story from that point, which made so little sense in his heart numbed by the solitude he experienced in his own world.

"That girl. Kairi. Did we have feelings for her?"

Sora spun around to face his companion quickly, oceanic eyes wide with surprise and perhaps something else. Riku lounged on the ground, watching with a mixture of amusement and apprehension as a cocktail of emotions flickered over Sora's features. The aqua-eyed boy calmly licked some of the mango's syrup off of his fingers while Sora floundered for words like a drowning man searching for a bit of flotsam.

"W-what?"

"I don't think I wouldv'e gone so far as to save any old friend unless there was something more to it. So I'm asking if either you or I had any more-than-friendly feelings towards Kairi," said Riku, with a dash of his charming smile.

"Well, I—we were—ya see—Kairi was—"

"Is that a yes?"

Sora inhaled slowly, trying to rein his frantic heartbeat. He had not expected Riku to ask about Kairi so soon. "We… we did everything we could to bring her back to us because it was always the three of us. I don't really know… how you felt about her. But I know that there was—is—something more than friendship between me and Kairi." The brunette touched the crude star-shaped keychain that jangled from his belt and lowered his head, a faint tinge of pink smearing the boy's cheeks.

"Ah, I see." With a flick of his wrist, Riku chucked the mango rinds into the bushes. He stretched out on the ground, enjoying the feel of the cool leaves and pebbles through his undershirt. Still, something about the story nagged at him, but his traitorous voice swallowed the words before he could say them. "What a weird story."

"That may be true… but it's our story." Luminous blue eyes filled his line of sight as Sora peered down at him. "Guess you still don't believe me, huh?"

The brunette perched beside the other teen and lay down by his side. "You have to admit, it's a little farfetched," Riku mumbled.

"Yeah, the things we've done. It is a little crazy." Sora smiled wistfully as his eyes slid shut. "But I won't give up on you, Riku. We'll find your memories, somehow. But you'll always be the same, to me…"

The silver-haired boy sat up and strolled over to the clear brook for some water. He parted the deep green ferns and scooped some of the crystalline liquid into his mouth. The taste of food here seemed fresher than anything he had ever eaten, pulled from the earth in all its splendid color, unlike the pale, dull food that the maids had dished out every evening. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Even if the story isn't true, I hope I never have to go back there.

As Riku returned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked into the face of the Keyblade master and saw peace there. How can he just fall asleep like that? he wondered. We're in the middle of nowhere. Riku gazed out into the thicket of tree trunks and vines. The light dappling through the trees seemed less harsh, signaling the departure of the sun and afternoon's end. The heat of the jungle and the trickling hum of the river lured him towards the abyss of sleep. Sora rolled onto his side, snoring lightly. The other boy watched over the brunette's sleeping form for a few more moments before stretching himself beside the sleeping teen, their backs resting against each other's. In that quiet moment, his voice snuck back and spoke the question that he had wanted to ask Sora, but was too afraid to know the answer.

"Hey, kid," he whispered to the slumbering boy. "You went looking for Kairi's heart because you loved her, didn't you? So then why did you go looking for me?"

Surely Sora could not have cared that much to find him.

Why would he, for just a friend?

Riku closed his eyes, allowing himself to be comforted by the steady rhythm of Sora's breathing and by his golden scent. Even if the story isn't true…

The heartbeat, gentle metronome, ticking endlessly towards oblivion…

Falling…

To fear the fire…

He turns, blue eyes open shut not there at all…

Awaken…

He turns, blue eyes fearing the fire, sapphire against ruby, struggling light…

Awaken, Riku…can you feel it? Do you remember?

Soon…

Riku jerked upright, pale strands of hair tousled and floating around his face. For a moment, he stared around him, bewildered by the sensation of needles being dragged against his skin. Sora stirred, dark eyelashes fluttering before revealing azure gems. The boy yawned gigantically and propped himself up on his elbows. "Whaz wrong?" he slurred.

"Don't you feel that?" Riku asked. Every nerve in his body felt like it was burning urgently, every drop of blood was alive, and his eyes felt drawn to a far-off point between the tree trunks and over the bend of the moonlit river.

The sound of an enraged cry pierced through the veil of slumber. Sora bolted up, all traces of restfulness vanishing from his body. His head darted this way and that, seeking the source of the noise. "Riku, let's go!" Oathkeeper shimmered to life, and its master tore out of the tiny cave, trampling saplings underfoot in his hurry. The green-eyed boy met his pace, disturbed by the tingling that was rushing over his entire body.

They splashed across the crystal stream and bolted into the dark, humid mouth of the jungle trees. The chatter of the forest creatures in their trees had disappeared, leaving a wake of anxious silence. Sora slashed hanging branches and vines from the path as the pair hurried. He knew this feeling, the dread that was boiling in the pit of his stomach. All he could do was pray over and over in his mind: it's not them, it's not them, it's not, it can't be …

Bursting through a curtain of stringy moss, Sora nearly collided right into the crumbling statue of a small elephant. He stumbled over the waist-high figure and nearly crushed his foot on an old rotting log. Riku, on the other hand, leapt gracefully over the obstacles and smirked at the clumsy boy.

"Those stationary objects are real tough enemies, I see," Riku observed with a charming smile.

"Jerk," Sora muttered. At the same time though, both of them appraised the clearing, seeking the danger that was sure to be lurking nearby.

A wolf exploded from the shrubs opposite them. Its fur, whiter than milk, rippled and stood on end as it snarled. The huge animal gave a furious bark, and a few speckles of blood and foam flew from the corners of its angry mouth.

Riku gripped Soul Eater's handle, tensing his body in preparation to spring. "At the count of three, let's take him down," he whispered under the beast's growls.

"Riku… I think it's hurt," Sora replied, watching as another trickle of red seeped from the creature's muzzle.

"So what? You're going to let it eat us?" he snapped back.

"We're not going to hurt you," Sora announced to the snarling creature.

"Are you insane?" Riku hissed.

The brunette ignored him. Cautiously, he placed the Keyblade on the ground and took a step away from it. "See? It's alright. We won't—"

The wolf pounced, moonlight glinting off its pale fur as it flew towards them, jaws wide. Riku swung back Soul Eater, ready to cut into the animal's belly, but it merely soared over his head and into the shadows of the trees. The travelers turned quickly, eyes wide with surprise. With its jaws snapping and teeth gnashing, the prancing wolf seemed to be fighting with another creature that was even larger than itself.

Suddenly, the wolf was thrown into the center of the clearing. It cried out sharply at the impact and a spray of crimson flowed from its flanks, but it struggled feebly to rise from the moonlight-stained leaves. A deep, baritone laughter echoed from the creature in the shadow.

"Akela the great, Akela the Lone Wolf! Can you not rise?" chuckled the voice.

The white animal struggled to raise its head from the ground, but its upper body seemed glued to the floor. Green eyes glared venomously towards the shadowed enemy as the wolf's haunches bunched, trying to drag itself up from the floor.

"You brought them here! It was you!" screamed the wolf, its cry rising furiously from between blood-speckled teeth.

"It was not I who summoned them," said the voice. "But they suit me well. They hate the Pack as much as I do, Akela!" The creature threw itself towards the fallen animal, ready to finish the fight.

But instead of digging into flesh, the tiger's jaws clamped around the steel blade of Oathkeeper, supported by a very angry Keyblade master.

"That's enough!" Sora pushed against the animal with all his strength, and the tiger leapt back, analyzing the newcomer with cunning eyes.

"A man cub. Not just one, but two!" bayed the beast. "What foolishness is this, Akela? Are you adding even more humans to your collection?"

"They are not mine," hissed Akela as he clawed his weakened body to all four feet. "Merely more strangers in the Jungle that mean nothing to me, Shere Khan."

"Then perhaps," laughed the tiger named Shere Khan, "you will not mind if I tear their throats before I tear yours?" The great jungle cat coiled, muscles and orange fur rippling like wet silk, and its haunches fired it towards Riku with a ground-shattering roar.

The sterling-haired teen gritted his teeth as the 500-pound animal barreled into him, his weapon and right arm pinned against the floor by a rough, leathery paw.

"Riku!" Sora was running, panic beating the drum of his heart and speeding his legs, but he was too far away, there was no time to make it—

The tiger's mouth was open, hurtling down towards the soft flesh of the boy's throat—

And Riku did the only thing he could possibly do. It was as if his mind slipped away in an instant, and was replaced by another one that was older, colder, and more calculating than his own. His left arm jerked forward and he raised a palm to the beast's face.

Sinners wrought by shadow fire in blue darkness unbound know your place!

And from his hand welled a ball of pulsing, hot shadow veined with green light that knocked the great beast back. It howled with shock and pain, tumbling over its own paws as it skidded into the elephant statue with a loud crack.

"What the hell--?" Riku stared out his outstretched hand, his surprise mirrored exactly on Sora's face.

"Riku, what did you just—?"

"I have no idea!" he yelled, scrambling to his feet.

But the tiger was already back on all fours, more enraged than ever. "You wish to play with me, mortals?" the animal boomed in fury. "Then you shall face the true might of Shere Khan, ruler of all the Jungle!"

Every strand of fur on the tiger's back was rising, spark of darkness dancing along its spine. Akela bared his teeth and leapt away to land at Sora's side.

"You do not yet understand," hissed the old wolf. "This creature is not truly alive."

"It's a ghost?" Sora asked, brandishing Oathkeeper forward as Riku dashed to his side with Soul Eater at the ready.

"There is no time to explain. Man-cub, have you not any of the Red Flower, which only men possess?"

"A flower? Why would I have a flower?" he responded in confusion, eyes focused on the tiger as it swelled with dark power.

"Not a flower," Riku realized, remembering the dreams with a flash of insight. "He's talking about fire. To fear the fire. You can use magic, can't you?"

Sora nodded once. He sprinted forward, Keyblade twirling and glowing gold with sorcery, and pointed to the tiger with Oathkeeper's tip. "Firaga!"

A deluge of flame blasted from the end of the pearly weapon and scorched Shere Khan's face and back. With an ear-shattering scream, the tiger was engulfed in fire that devoured his body until they could see his bones outlined against the light. Then, with a flash, the beast was gone, leaving only smoldering ashes. Sora whipped around and came back to where the wolf and the other boy stood in amazement.

"Are you ok, Riku?" He nodded, flexing his fingers and examining his hands. Where had that come from?

"Good." Sora held the Keyblade over the wolf's head. Akela bared his teeth at the boy, too weak to fight back, but Sora only smiled and met the wolf's distrusting look with calm azure eyes.

"It won't hurt. It'll make you feel better." Green light trickled from Oathkeeper's blade and the animal shook its head in surprise as its wounds stopped oozing and sealed themselves with new, pink skin.

"So, what was that thing?" Sora began. "You said it wasn't really ali—oof!" With a blur of movement, something tackled the brunette and landed between the humans and the wolf. Sora rubbed his chest, wincing, as he propped himself up to see the attacker.

"What now?" Riku growled, fists tight around Soul Eater's hilt. This was certainly turning into one of the weirdest days in his life: filled with dreams, voices, ghosts, and talking animals.

"Mowgli!" cried the white wolf.

"Don't worry, Akela. I'll kill them."

In front of the travelers stood a human boy, with jet black hair that flowed halfway down his back and skin tanned dark by the forest sun. He wore a scrap of cloth around his waist which hardly covered anything, and had the lean but muscular look of a wild animal. He appeared younger than them by a couple of years, but he had eyes that were like deep pools of water, an adult's eyes. A long knife clasped between his deft fingers glowed in the moonlight.

"Who are you?" he snapped in a youthful, but authoritative voice. "Have you come to bring us more trouble?"

"We could ask the same thing," muttered Riku.

"Um…" The Keyblade master tapped his chest. "I'm Sora. And this is Riku."

"Foreigners," the boy snarled, ready to pounce.

"Mowgli," said the wolf, "these cubs have saved my life. It was Shere Khan whom we sensed in the Jungle, not these two. Because they have saved the leader of the Pack, they cannot be killed despite their trespassing. We are indebted."

The boy lowered his knife with a surprised look toward his elder, but he bowed slightly towards the other humans. "If you have truly saved my friend here, then I'm grateful. I apologize for hitting you," he said to Sora.

"It's alright." The brunette climbed to his feet and offered his cheerful grin.

"Hey, you. Akela, or whatever your name is. You said that the tiger wasn't real, right? So what the hell was it?"

The old wolf seemed unruffled by Riku's rude tone, though Mowgli frowned. "Lately, in the Jungle, we have been having a bit of trouble after the sun goes down…"

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The night sky was heavy with clouds that streaked across the full moon and its court of stars. Against the face of the moon, a hooded figure watched the proceedings of the Keyblade wielders' night. He was disappointed: He could not feel their hearts after all, despite his attempts to hone in on the rhythms, to feel them in his own hollow chest, to reach out and grab the strings of their hearts and twist until they tore. With a throb of darkness, another figure appeared at his side and interrupted his musings. Silence, tickled by the sound of whispering wind, was broken as the second spoke.

"Riku was able to tap into the darkness for a moment. Was he starting to remember?"

"No," answered the other. He was in a sour mood. "Merely a flash. Perhaps influence from Oblivion."

"That's a shame!" laughed the second. "But I guess it doesn't matter yet, now does it? The players are all coming together. We've found a way in. And soon, we will be able to make contact with Sora's light."

The first allowed a smile to grace his shadowed features. The prophecy was soon to be fulfilled, at long last.

The second grinned and spread his arms wide as if to grasp the stars. "Now then! Let's watch destiny give us one helluva show!"

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Oh hoooo, the little plot chunks are coming together. Now that you've read, please review!