A/N: Alright, guys, I forgot to mention at the beginning of the story, along with this being an OC-centric story, it's also OC/Riku. Specifically Aurora/Riku. I know a lot of people aren't into Canon/OC pairings, so I meant to put that out there in the beginning. Sorry!

Now, without further ado…

ONWARD!

…

Chapter Three – Hollow Bastion

Running water. That's the first thing Aurora noticed. The next was the overwhelming cold. She pushed herself slowly to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to control the shivering, looking around. She was on a small, stone platform with walls of rising water surrounding her on three sides. Looking forward, she saw floating platforms leading the way towards a castle in the distance.

"Ugh… Aurora?"

Aurora quickly turned and spotted Riku. That manic, fevered look he had on the islands was gone, replaced by confusion.

"Riku! Are you okay?" Aurora asked, quickly turning to the boy. He nodded, looking around as he stood.

"Yeah… Where… where are we?" he asked. Aurora shook her head.

"I don't know."

Riku glanced at her, before his eyes widened and he looked around. "Do you think Sora and Kairi made it off the Island with us?" he asked. Aurora's own eyes widened.

"I'm not sure. We should look for them," she said, standing up. Riku nodded, calling for them. Aurora followed his lead, doing the same.

The only response was their voices echoing back to them in the silence. Aurora tightened her arms around herself.

"I… don't think they're here," she said in a small voice.

"No… it doesn't seem like it," Riku said, looking down, before suddenly looking up, in the direction of the castle. "But I do think we're being watched…" Aurora followed his gaze and spotted a figure in a long, black robe, looking directly at them. The two teens glanced at each other.

"Maybe we should talk to her. See where we're at?" Aurora suggested weakly.

"Better then sitting here doing nothing, I guess," Riku sighed, before walking over to the edge of the platform and jumping to the next one. Aurora followed after him, shivering again at the cold.

As they got closer to the woman, they began to notice more unsettling details about her. Her skin was sickly pale and green, and there were horns on her head. She watched them with a smirk as they grew closer, fingering the orb on top of her staff, and a raven was perched on her shoulder.

"Riku," Aurora said softly.

"I know, but I don't think we have much of a choice," Riku muttered back, glancing around and not seeing a different direction to go.

The two teenagers finally reached the platform just below the one the woman stood on.

"Well, what do we have here? Two lost souls?" she asked in a mockingly kind voice.

"Yeah. We were hoping you could tell us where we were?" Riku asked. The woman studied him for a moment, interest sparking in her eyes. She then turned and looked at Aurora, studying her as well.

"I see," she said softly to herself. "Your hearts must be strong, to survive losing your world to Darkness, and to make it here without a vessel. Perhaps you coming here is no mistake after all," she said.

"Darkness…?" Aurora muttered softly, putting a hand to her head, remembering the flashes of memory she saw, back on the island. Riku put a hand on her shoulder, worried by that, before scowling at the woman.

"Start making sense," he snapped.

"Ah, yes, forgive me. This is Hollow Bastion, and I am Maleficent, the Queen of the Castle here," she said with a dramatic sweep of her arm towards the castle in the distance. "Am I wrong in assuming that you are searching for your friends?"

"No, you're not. What of it?" Riku demanded.

"Then, perhaps we can help each other. My cohorts and I are in need of assistance. If you two help us, then we will help you two find your friends… Sora and Kairi, was it? I can also give you a place to stay, since your world is no more," Maleficent offered. Riku looked at Aurora.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked. Aurora was quiet for a moment, thinking it through.

"I…" she hesitated, looking up at Riku. She could see that he was hesitant as well, but leaning more towards accepting the deal. And honestly, despite not trusting Maleficent, or Darkness, there was really no reason to turn it down. After all, they had no way to get off world or find Sora and Kairi. It sounded like Maleficent did. "Sounds like the best offer we're going to get for now."

Riku nodded. "Alright."

"Excellent. Right this way." Maleficent turned with a sweep of her robes and led the two teens onto a lift that lead from the Rising Falls, towards the castle. As they moved closer, Aurora couldn't help but shiver more, feeling colder and colder.

Then she spotted the symbol on the castle. A small gasp escaped her.

"Heartless…" she whispered, thinking back to the flashes she had remembered on the island when first facing the Shadows.

"Aurora? Are you okay?" Riku asked softly, wrapping an arm around the girl. Aurora glanced up at the boy, unsure of what to say, especially in front of Maleficent. Riku mistook her silence and shivering for simple fear and smiled at her, giving her a squeeze. "Hey, what did I say before? I'll keep you safe, no matter what. I promise," he said.

"Here we are," Maleficent said, stepping off of the lift and leading the teens into the castle, through a library, and down a few halls, until they reached two doors. "You two can stay in these rooms. I hope you find them comfortable. Once you are settled in, I will send for you, and we can discuss how we can help one another," she offered. Riku nodded.

"Thanks," he said. Aurora nodded as well and walked over to one of the doors, going in. The room was small and simple, with just a twin sized bed in the corner, a dresser and desk against the walls, and a window, facing the rising falls. Aurora sat on the bed and looked around, taking a deep breath, unsure of how to settle in anymore.

Being here, in a castle plastered with the Heartless insignia all over its exterior and its entrance hall… it just felt wrong.

…

The first way Maleficent promised to help them was to train them.

In the first training session with Riku, she helped him tap into the darkness in his heart, which allowed him to summon a sword that looked almost like a demonic wing, with a blue eye set in the hilt. He held it up, studying it.

"Soul Eater…"

"What was that?" his sparring partner, a pirate by the name of Hook, demanded.

"That's what this sword is called. Soul Eater," Riku said, before entering the stance he'd always used while sparing on the islands. Hook, of course, was a lot more skilled, pushing Riku to his limits, but Riku thrived in it, quickly growing stronger.

Meanwhile, Maleficent sensed Aurora's magical potential, and had had a Sea Witch, Ursula, train her in spell casting.

Aurora took to the training, quickly learning (or was it remembering?) how to cast basic elemental spells with her shield, which she remembered was called Destiny's Heart. Ursula was a hard and mean teacher, though, and would push Aurora until her magical reserves were dry, without letting her use an item to refresh. She said it was a way to help Aurora 'grow her magical reserves.'

…

"You know, Aurora, you would be much more powerful and able to protect yourself better if you would utilize Darkness," Maleficent advised. Aurora and Riku had been training for about a week now with the denizens at the castle, preparing for the…. errands Maleficent said she would need them for. Aurora had just finished training with Ursula, who had put her through a tough session.

Aurora was exhausted.

"Oh?" Aurora said, a little nervously. This wasn't the first time the Dark Fairy had approached her about using Darkness, but Aurora couldn't bring herself to be comfortable with the idea. Or to trust the Fairy at all.

"Yes. It would increase not just the power and potency of your magic, but also your endurance," she explained.

"I see. I'll… consider it," Aurora said, before spotting Riku. He was sitting on the railing in the entrance hall, a faint sheen of sweat covering his face and arms. He'd just finished his own training, it seemed. She quickly hurried over to him and away from Maleficent.

Riku, hearing her footsteps, turned and gave her a small smile, before spotting Maleficent and frowning slightly.

"Hey, Aurora. You okay?" he asked, hoping up and leading the girl into the library.

"Yeah. She was just… pushing for me to use Darkness again," Aurora explained. Riku nodded, glancing at Aurora.

"Right."

"Riku, please tell me you don't actually trust these guys," Aurora suddenly asked, the fear she's been feeling for the past week spilling over. Riku turned fully to look at Aurora, and smiled slightly, shaking his head.

"No. Honestly, I'm just using her," he said, leading Aurora over to the table and sitting at it. Aurora sat across from him.

"Using her?"

"For the training, really. I… when we first made the plan to get off the Island, I honestly thought I was invincible, but…" he shook his head, glancing at his hands. "Without this training, we probably wouldn't have made it too far, honestly. Not with those Heartless out there. But now… now I feel ready to take them on."

"Right," Aurora sighed. "Besides, we really don't have a way off this world, do we?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it. Though, I don't think a raft is going to work this time," Riku joked, causing Aurora to giggle.

"Probably not."

"Believe me, Aurora. Once we're strong enough, and able to get off world, we will get away from here and we'll find Sora and Kairi. We've just got to play nice, for now, alright?" Riku said. Aurora nodded.

"Alright."