DISCLAMER: Don't OWN don't claim to own and DON'T CARE

Our tail delves deeper into Darkness inside the laboratory…

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Oogie yawned and stretched. He had had the most delightful time terrorizing, tormenting , and tearing apart the youthful hero for five hours. He had electrocuted him until the boy's tears left burnmarks, spun him until he puked all over himself, drained him of his strength completely, beat him like a piñata, and was in the process of breaking every bone in his body, each with a satisfying snap and an agonized shreak from his victim.

All the while, bugs swarmed the boy, their tiny feet tickling his face and their itty bitty teeth biting through his clothes and gnawing deep into any exposed skin as they crawled in swarms on every inch of his body. Most of the bugs were concentrating on Sora's chest, where they began to eat away his skin in the Heartless pattern.

The Keybearer was miserable to say the least but his heart burned brightly and his strength of will did not faulter. His bright blue eyes found soft eyes filled with tears, and he winked as he saw a flash of blond hair overtake the auburn locks for a split second. Darkness claimed him and his eyes closed as he entered the sweet floatyness of unconsciousness.

"You mean old thing! You leave Sora ALONE!" Kairi protested, banging her hands against the bars of the cage she and Riku were confined in.

The silver haired youth himself was beating the magic metal again and again with strikes of his weapon, The "Way to Dawn". His efforts also proved futile and he sank against the bars and panted.

"It's no use. This COWARD did his homework. My blade is useless against these bars."

Oogie whirled around clearly offended. "COWARD?"

Riku smirked,

"Yes COWARD! You know the power Sora has when he wields the Keyblade, so you stripped him of the ability to wield it by sealing it in some kind of magic barrier. Sora can fight without the Keyblade as well he needs the support of his friends. You knew this as well and made it IMPOSSIBLE for him to even REACH OUT A HAND to us so we could lend him our support!"

The bug sack continued snapping the bones of his helpless victim but was disappointed that Sora was no longer yelling in pain because he had passed out. So the monster twisted the wrist of his victim until it made a sharp, grating, poping sound that seemed to tickle Oogie's pleasure and he giggled in delight

"What's your point?"

Riku threw himself against the cage his fury sparking in his ice-blue eyes as he silently cursed the sack of bugs for making a move so low.

"You wouldn't DARE to come after Sora when he is at full strength its only now, when you have him teid and drained of the power to MOVE do you attack. You are in fact nothing but a big, bug infested COWARD!"

Oogie thought for a minute then laughed for fifteen minutes before turning and leaving the room, singing about all the wonderful torture methods he planned to use in the morning.

As soon as the villain left, Sora's eyes flew open and he cringed. Oogie's laughter had hurt his head and his Nobody had taken a chunk out of his mind, making the pain worse. The boy's eyes again fell on Kairi and he grinned slightly, trying to give the girl some glimmer of hope.

Riku gasped in sadness and pity at his friend's condition,

"Oh, Sora…..Why didn't I listen to you about entering the Dark Wood? You FELT Oogie, didn't you? Yet you didn't hesitate to follow me in when I teased you about starting a new adventure. You ignored your instincts because of me, and now you are paying the price. If I was still in the Darkness you would be safe. I probably should have stayed."

The boy on the table cast a small cure spell on himself, then lifted his head ever so slightly and croaked in a weak voice,

"Hey, Riku? Could you….do me a favor?"

The older boy grinned sadly, "Anything Sora."

"Shut up."

"But—"

"No buts. I would be DEVASTATED if you were still lost in the Darkness. This isn't your fault so stop blaming yourself."

The boy suddenly trembled lifting a finger ever so slightly to point at his friend, a look of wonder and surprise clouding his features as he croaked in recognition,

"I remember you…"

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The Shadow exploded as the silvery blade cut cleanily through the dark skull, the creature dissolving into dark mist as several others attacked only to meet the same fate. The cloaked terror continued his assault with a growing urgency. Sora's heart was still strong but right now his body wasn't wich meant the young Nobody did not have time to dawdle.

Suddenly Roxas paused in his fury, an impossible sensation washing over him. A warmth crept into his being, a feeling of joy mixed with confusion of how he was really 'feeling' anything at all. What was this strange warmth? Why did he have an even greater urge to return to his Other?

Roxas didn't know. All he cared about was that this feeling—if he could call it that, was guiding him in the right direction at a faster pace than he thought possible. When he finally got to his destination, he was going to make whoever had hurt Sora and Namine pay dearly, and he would do it with BOTH Keyblades. He really DID miss his trusty Oblivion…

Hang in there guys….I'm coming!

TO BE CONTINUED chapter three will be in very very soon! Like later today or Saturday!