A bright light. Sora was engulfed by darkness with only a single beacon of light ahead of him. He clutched at his chest as he tried to make sense of where he was exactly. There were no stars..just an empty void. Usually, this space was filled with dreams and images. Not having much of a choice, he began walking towards that light. Squinting his eyes, he noticed it morphing and changing into something. Before him was a sigil of light with sweeping arcs that came together to form the symbol. That was..the mark on Riku. He gasped when he noticed something beneath the symbol: a brilliant silvery white unicorn. Its mane shimmered in the ghostly light, seeming to flow as if a wind was blowing by, though the air was completely still. When Sora dared to take another step, the unicorn turned. When their eyes met, Sora recognized the eyes of the unicorn: They were the same as Riku's.

'Riku? Is that you?' Sora held out a hand as he took baby steps forward, hoping the other recognized him. The unicorn seemed to nod, starting to walk towards Sora as well. Sora smiled at the familiar, kind eyes, walking a bit faster now. A star shaped mark, the very same shape as the birthmark on Riku's forehead lined the base of the horn. Sora gazed up in wonder as the horn began to glow and glimmer with magic.

'You..have something to show me, don't you?' Riku nodded, lowering his head so the tip of the horn gently touched Sora's forehead. As soon as it did, the landscape around them began to move rapidly. Lights and scenes blurred past: memories that Sora recognized and some that were not his own. As light grew brighter and brighter, he was forced to close his eyes as he could hardly keep them open anymore.

As the air stopped, an intense heat nearly knocked him off his feet. Sora shielded his face for a moment before slowly opening his eyes.

'What in the..' Before him was a vast city: alabaster buildings took up the whole landscape. The blades of the nearby windmills were crumbling in a blaze of fire. The wind that blew past was only making the inferno overtaking the city grow and grow. Atop the mountain, at its peak, a fortress stood, though it was quickly being overtaken by the fire. People ran about in a panic, tripping over each other. From what Sora could see, most of them were elves. He could recognize a few of the words they were shouting, placing a hand over his heart. What was going on? Why was Riku showing him this?

'All of you need to get out of here now! Take the prince and go as far away as you can.' There was a man with dark hair pulled up and brandishing a keyblade. In front of him were younger versions of Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Roxas, and Riku. All of them looked scared out of their minds. Their faces were dirtied by ash and eyes watery from the sheer heat of the fires.

'What about..my mom? Is she..she didn't..' Riku stammered. He was trying his best to hold back the tears, but his words came out in little warbles as he kept Ventus and Roxas close.

'She's gone, Prince Riku. You're the heir now. She used all her strength and magic to protect you and that..thing.'

'His name is Vanitas, and I know this isn't entirely his fault!'

'Master Eraqus, we want to stay and help. We won't leave you to fight Xehanort along with Vanitas and the others of his organization,' Aqua spoke up, placing a hand on Riku's shoulder.

'This place is beyond saving. Soon, it'll be nothing more than a city of ash and dust by morning. You must carry on the hope of our people. The art of the keyblade must not die out and be solely in the hands of the darkness. Here.' Eraqus took a moment to look at his own keyblade before handing it to Aqua. 'Take it. Your own keyblade was shattered, so you'll need this.'

'But..why? Won't you need it to fight?' Aqua reluctantly took it, holding it close to her.

'I won't need it any longer. I've accepted my fate. It's time I confront my long lost friend and put an end to this. Go to Radiant Garden, and if the worst has happened, go beyond the Lucid Mountains. You'll be safe there.' Eraqus knelt down, tenderly patting Riku on the head. 'Carry on the light your mother gifted to you. Right the wrongs of the past. Succeed where I failed. All of you.'

From some nearby flames, a shadowy form emerged. The shadow danced amidst the flames for a moment before someone emerged followed by a group of fast moving creatures. The yellow eyes seemed to glow along with the flames along with a sinister smile plastered on his face.

'Going somewhere?'

'Go now, all of you!'

Eraqus charged at the boy with the monsters while Riku was tugged along by Aqua and the others towards the edge of the city. There was one final scene of the city burning, and in the distance, to the west, another pillar of smoke was rising into the night sky, blocking out the light of the moon.

Sora gasped and coughed as he woke up violently, feeling like he was literally pushed out of the dream. He wheezed for a moment as his chest rose and fell. Taking a moment, he closed his eyes and got his breathing back to a slow, steady pace. Gazing around at the campsite they had made, the embers of what once had been a fire still glowed faintly. Roxas, Venus, and Xion were still fast asleep, seemingly unfazed by Sora suddenly waking. Looking up towards the top of a hill, he saw Riku sitting on a rock, bathing in the moonlight. As fast as he could, he scrambled up the hill, gritting his teeth as he scraped his knee on some prickly plants.

"Riku!" He ran up to him as if he hadn't seen him in ages, quickly taking a seat next to him. He wasn't sure what else to do, so he hugged him tightly, finding some comfort in Riku's strong body against his own.

"So, you saw it. I figured showing it to you in a dream would be easier than trying to put it into words. You get the full range of emotions that way." Riku kept his tone even, trying his best to deal with the sudden hug.

"That was what happened, wasn't it? That was..Scala ad Caelum, right? You guys were all so young. And your mom..she sacrificed herself to save you?" Sora eventually let go of him but still stuck close by him as he sat down again.

"Yeah, Xehanort came in. I think he was intending on taking Vanitas but also me as well." Riku kept his eyes on the moon high in the sky. "She used all the magic she had to at least drive him back, but..Vanitas joined him anyway." He paused for a moment. "Sora, do you have time for a longer story? I..I'm trying to be more honest with you. I shouldn't leave you in the dark. You should know how this all started, and it's more than the dream showed you."

A little grin appeared on Sora's face, but seeing the serious look on Riku, he quickly gave a serious look of his own. "Yes, I'm ready if you are, but we can take it in steps. Maybe you tell me pieces of the story every night or so. How about that?"

Riku couldn't help but chuckle, responding with a nod. "Sounds good. You saw Master Eraqus, so I'll tell you about him and Xehanort." Riku took a moment to take a breath and piece together events he remembered. "This was before I was born, but from what my mom told me, Eraqus and Xehanort used to friends; however, a schism formed between them: a schism of light and darkness. Because of his use of the darkness and growing powers, Xehanort was exiled from our kingdom. I guess they didn't see a place for it in a kingdom of light. However, years later, Eraqus received word from Xehanort that he wanted to meet with him. He couldn't just ignore someone who had once been his best friend, so he went away somewhere in secret. I don't know what transpired between them, and my mom didn't know either. It was around midnight when Eraqus returned. With him, he brought a child with dark hair and yellow eyes. Now, yellow eyes are a sure sign of someone who is aligned with the darkness, entrenched in it. That child was Vanitas. From what Eraqus had said, Xehanort had brought this child, saying he was his son, but he couldn't take the responsibility of caring for him. Eraqus was reluctant, but the desperate look in Xehanort's eyes was too much. He took in Vanitas but begrudgingly. Vanitas' abilities feed off negative emotions, so whenever he was sad or angry or something in between, monsters would appear: monsters of his own creation. Because of this, many regarded him as a monster. None of the kids wanted anything to do with him and neither did Eraqus. I suppose loneliness wouldn't even begin to describe how he felt. That certainly didn't help with him controlling the monsters. However, my mom was the only one that showed him kindness. She'd invite him to walk with her. He basically became her second son. I considered us friends. I was the only one to invite him to hang out or go horseback riding with me. I wanted to help him. No one should ever feel that isolated. Then, the attack happened without warning. Xehanort and his organization invaded Scala ad Caelum. He told Vanitas he wanted to welcome him back with open arms: that he could be a father to him again, and Vanitas fell for that hook, line, and sinker. He wanted acceptance, and as it was coming from his father, he eagerly took that opportunity."

"Is that why you went them in Oblivion? For Vanitas?" Sora asked after a moment of silence, taking in all that Riku was telling him.

"It was part of the reason. The other was I wanted to understand why Xehanort did that. He could've just left us alone, and things would've been just fine. All I know was my mom played a big part in this, and I'm still trying to figure out what exactly that was. So, um, there you go: the events leading up to now." Riku's hands shook slightly. He didn't think he was going to say that much, but the words just sort of flowed, and he kept going.

"It's funny. The start is so simple: two friends grow apart. Weird how something as big as this can start out so small. What's that called? The butterfly something?"

"Butterfly effect. Yeah, that's a good term for it," Riku said, covering his mouth as he tried not to laugh.

"Hey! I'm not the best with words sometimes, okay?" Sora playfully jabbed at his side, laughing along with him. "You know, it's nice to hear you opening up to me about this stuff, but I'd like it if you were more honest with me about stuff that happens to you when I'm not there. Like, the back of your jacket was all ripped up earlier, but all you ever say is 'I'm fine.' You don't have to tell me now, but don't be afraid to tell me when you're not okay."

"I, uh, yeah, sorry. I'll try to be better about that. I guess I just don't like to make people worry. Kind of a habit," Riku said with a shrug. Sora was right. The feeling of those wings coming out of him..he could still feel the stinging pain as they ripped through his back. It was the same as what they did to him back in Oblivion.

"Hehe, gotta give me some of your honesty, Riku," Sora teased, sticking out his tongue at him. "Shake on it?"

Riku looked from Sora's face to his outstretched hand a couple of times before sighing in defeat. There was no way he could say no to those eyes. "Yeah, deal." He took Sora's hand in a firm handshake. Riku looked around for a moment to be sure the others were still asleep. This was an opportunity, and if he was going to be like a knight to Sora following his promise to Kairi, then he'd take it. He hesitated a moment before gently bringing Sora's hand up to his lips, planting a chaste kiss on his knuckles. "And I promise I'll protect you no matter what."

Sora's face immediately turned bright red. Riku could feel a hint of a tremble in his hand, but he made no attempt to pull it away.

"I..I'll do the same for you. We'll protect each other." There was a moment of peaceful silence between them as they both gazed up at the moon. Riku always found comfort in it. He wasn't sure if it was just because it was always there, always the same or if it had to do with his past life.

"Hey, Riku?"

"Hm?"

"You're really pretty..as a unicorn. I-I mean you're pretty as you are now obviously! But..j-just thought you should know."

Riku clenched his fists as he felt his heart practically flutter at those words, having to look somewhere else. "Thanks, Sora."

It was midday by the time all of them reached a town. It was in the middle of a large open field. The border of it was lined with trees, making it stand out starkly against the flat landscape. As soon as they made it past the trees into the main part of the town, the whining was already starting.

"Rikuuu, we're hungry!" Roxas spoke up, urging his horse to trot alongside Riku and Sora's.

"You guys ate at the campsite," Riku replied flatly, side glancing him. "My money is limited, you know."

"Yeah, but that was hours ago, and this is a town with actual good food. I bet there's so much stuff Xion hasn't tried yet. Come on!"

Riku blinked a few times, getting that same annoyed feeling whenever a fly was buzzing by his ear. He slowed his horse to a stop as he pulled out the small pouch. He took out most of the coins that were left, handing them to Roxas. "There. Go eat. Happy now?"

"Thanks!" It was only a few seconds later that they hopped off the horse quickly followed by Ventus as all of them ran towards town.

"Geez. See what I mean when I said I'd be a babysitter?" Riku tilted his head a bit towards Sora behind him.

"Yeah, I can see what you mean, but it's good to see them having fun."

"Get some semi healthy food at least!" He shouted over to them. Riku led the other horses over to a fenced in area near the stables. He clicked his teeth as he checked the money pouch, seeing that there were very little coins left now. "Ugh, I'm gonna have to do some odd jobs to get us more money."

"Wow, an Elven Prince doing odd jobs?" Sora teased, accepting Riku's hand to help him off the horse.

"Well, since our kingdom is so small now and in hiding, funds are pretty low. It's nothing I haven't had to do before. I'll just check around town for anyone who needs help with something. There's always something for a strong elf to do."

"I bet all you'd have to do is show off your biceps and bat your eyelashes, and you'll get jobs in no time." Sora winked at him, yawning as he stretched his arms over his head. "I'll help too."

"Hm, we'll see if anyone wants help from a shortie like you." Riku reached over to ruffle his hair. It was funny just how comfortable they were getting with each other already. "Let's go then while those troublemakers are busy stuffing their faces."

"Hey! I can be short and useful!" Sora raced off after him before Riku got too far away.