Technically, this chapter was not in my plans, but since the finale of this story (and its merging with the main fic) won't happen until after the next two chapters of the main KoEH (which, if pattern holds true, will take me a while) I figured I should post something to keep this story somewhat alive. Especially since my precious laptop, Donnie, took one for the team last week and now has to spend the next three weeks getting his screen repaired…

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kingdom Hearts. I'm just a rather creative person with an overactive imagination.

Elemental Hearts - Inside/Outside

Chapter 11: Tremors

A shudder ran up Riku's spine and he twisted back around, gazing back down the long, twisting path. "Christ, what was that?"

Mickey and Kouichi stopped, turning back to him. The King had his Keyblade clutched in his hand, as usual, and Kouichi was leaning on the staff almost like a walking stick. The younger boy rested his head on the edge of the pole, blinking at his pale-haired companion curiously. "What was what, Riku?"

Riku blinked and stared at them. "You…didn't feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked the King, quirking his head to one side.

Riku sighed, shook his head and decided he was being stupid. "Nothing…It was nothing. Just my imagination, I guess."

The other two nodded. sympathetically and turned back to their path, gazing up the hill they were climbing in a thoughtful manner. Riku frowned a bit, rubbing the back of his neck in an attempt to brush away the prickling feeling that was rising up there.

They had recently arrived in a strange part of the Realm of Darkness, a place unlike anything they had seen before. It was almost like a place from their own realm - a number of beautifully rolling hills covered in lush grass - except that the grass was such a dark green that it was unnatural and the sky was pitched black, broken only by the strange dark stars that only Kouichi and Riku could see. A silvery grey path ran over the hills, looping up and down and leading off into the distance of heaven-knows where.

In all honesty, they weren't even sure what they were doing here. Kouichi had lead them off in this direction 'on a hunch,' saying that he felt like 'something was here.' Kouichi's senses about the Darkness were sharp and strong, never leading them wrong before.

But Riku still couldn't push the uneasy feeling away, the feeling that whatever was here, it wasn't what they were looking for…

He hadn't really felt at ease for the last few weeks of the journey. He couldn't explain it, but there it was. Maybe it had something to do with the strange scent he'd sensed hanging around Kouichi ever since that incident on the mountain, the tangy darkness that stuck him as familiar, but not enough so to belong to his friend. Kouichi had brushed off his worries in his usual gentle manner, waving them away like the flies he shooed away from their evening meal.

Riku glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eye, looking over him for any indication that something was wrong. He couldn't find any, just like every other day in the past week. His friend walked as he always did, with the tall black Staff as a walking stick. He had hardly stumbled, and he didn't look sick or hurt or even really tired. But Riku still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong…

As though sensing the eyes on his back, Kouichi suddenly turned and looked at him. Big, innocent blue eyes blinked at him curiously. "Riku? Is there something wrong?"

Riku shook himself roughly, clearing his mind of the awkward thoughts. "Er… No, it's nothing. Just thinking."

"Are you tired?" Kouichi asked, pausing for a moment at the top of the hill to smile back at him. "We could take a break here if you want. I think it'd be a good place, don't you?"

The last comment had been directed to the King, who had caught up with the younger boy at the top of the hill. The mouse-king brushed the hood back from his head and looked out over the path. "Looks good to me. Take a look, Riku!"

Riku picked up the pace a bit to catch up with his companions at the top of the gentle roll. This was the highest peak of the little range they were wandering through, tall enough that they could see over all of the rolling hills. In the very distance, Riku almost thought that he could see a single light of soft grey light, defining the rolling hills and swelling in the middle as though attempting to point something out to them. It gave them a good view of the surrounding area, and that made for secure location for a rest, especially if it was just going to be a few minutes.

"Okay, why not?" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck again, and plopped onto the grass. "I could use a rest anyway."

Kouichi giggled in the endearingly cute way that he always had and settled down in the grass next to his silver-haired friend, laying the Staff across his lap just in case it was needed. He leaned back against Riku body, resting his head against the silver-haired boy's shoulder, and closed his eyes with the complete trust that he'd always had.

For some reason, the entire scene made a chill run through Riku's body, and he hated it. Kouichi had always been surprisingly, well, physical for such a shy person – that is, he expressed his concern and affection mostly through physical contact, whether it was gently brushing his fingers over a wound, hesitantly holding onto another's hand when he was frightened or leaning against them just to feel their presence. It had been a bit strange at first, but Riku had quickly grown to enjoy the constant contact and the warmth of the friendship that it brought.

However, recently, he felt like he could hardly stand to have Kouichi near him, let alone touching him. Every time their skin brushed together, he felt as though ice had slid into the depths of his stomach. He didn't understand it, but he hated it – he wanted the warmth back.

Not far way, Mickey remained standing, wandering idly around the hill to get a better look at their surrounding area. Riku noticed a strange tenseness in his otherwise rubbery body, as though the King was just waiting for something to crawl out of the woodwork and go at them.

"Is something wrong?" he asked softly.

"Wrong?" Mickey didn't twitch, just responded to the comment as though it had been any other random topic of conversation. He didn't even look at the boys, keeping his dark brown eyes focused on the horizon. "Of course not. Why would you think that anything's wrong?"

Riku quirked a curious eyebrow, recalling that, the last time Mickey had played with him like this, they'd met Kouichi barely an hour later. "Maybe because you're more wound up than a spring toy at Christmas?"

Mickey laughed, and the sound was as pleasant as always, but it seemed forced somehow. "I guess I just have a little excess energy, that's all. It's nothing to be worried about."

Kouichi giggled a bit. "Riku, I think you're starting to get paranoid."

Riku glanced back at the younger boy, who still had his eyes closed, and frowned at the returning sense of wrong-ness. He caught the King's eye with a bit of a frown, but said nothing, instead looking once again back to the horizon.

The cold line of light prickled at his eye a bit, like a frosty wind on an icy winter day, though it was obvious that it wasn't moving and wasn't planning on moving anytime soon. It was like this area was stuck in a permanent twilight, hovering perpetually on the verge between light and darkness. Everything around them had a feeling of uneasy to it, as though they were just on the verge of slipping and being lost within one void or the other.

The though made Riku wonder, very briefly, if a void of light would be any better than a void of shadow. He quickly decided that it would not be – light, darkness or otherwise, a world without a form simply could not be a pleasant place.

He realized that his mind had wandered off, yet again, and shook himself back to his senses. What was wrong with him today? It was like he just couldn't stop…thinking…

"Do either of you think is place is a little…strange?" He asked slowly, without really thinking about it.

Mickey glanced at him. "It's the Realm of Darkness, Riku. We all know that nothing is normal here."

"Yeah, I know," the silver-haired teen frowned a bit and brushed his bangs away from his eyes restlessly. "Something just feels…different. Can't you feel it? It's not the usual strangeness, it's just…wrong."

"Hm…" Mickey frowned just a bit. The expression didn't look right on his usually bright face. "I think I understand…things do seem to feel a little off-balance…"

Kouichi stretched, working out a kink in his right shoulder, and let out a little bit of a sigh. "It is different," he admitted with a bit of a yawn. "But I don't think it's really wrong. I kinda like it."

This time, Riku's expression was clearly inquiring if his friend had lost his mind, but Kouichi seemed to make a point out of not noticing it. His eyes were still closed and he still had a strangely relaxed expression on his face, so much so that Riku actually wondered if he had somehow gotten happily drunk without their noticing. If Riku didn't know any better, he would sweat that Kouichi was humming, though it certainly wasn't any tune that he was familiar with.

"It's nice to get off-balance every now and then, you know," Kouichi said with a bit of a giggle, running his hands over the Staff in a contemplative manner. "It makes life interesting. Who knows, maybe getting a bit off-balance is all we need to find that 'something' that's looking for us." He turned his eyes to the silver-haired boy behind him and smiled. "Don't you think, Riku?"

It was then that something clicked in Riku's mind, something that finally answered all of his questions about the wrongness that had followed them for so long. He sat up straight, breaking contact with the smaller boy, and let his mouth drop into the question. "Who…?"

But before he could get it out, something suddenly pulled his arm so violently that he slipped a few inches down the hill.

Instinctively, he pulled back, only to be dragged forward again. He looked for his attacker, but saw nothing. It was only when the green and silver shield attached firmly to his arm vibrated again and jerked that he realized what was happening.

The Shield was doing this on its own…

"Boys!" the King exclaimed, spinning around. "What's happening?"

Above him, Riku heard Kouichi grunt, and managed to spare a glance upwards just enough to see him struggling against the Staff with both hands. The black weapon jerked and twitched, pulling in the same direction that the Shield was trying to drag Riku.

"S-Something's wrong with them…" The younger boy groaned. "It's like they're trying to escape…but I can't let go…!"

Riku's eyes darted around for the source of the magic, but found nothing, no attackers, not even a stray Heartless. In fact, as he looked around him, the strange area that had so held his attention seemed to almost shift and move, the colors around him twisting and blending together, all the edges blurring and fading away, almost like…

Like they were going somewhere, the way that he had through the portals when Melficent…!

"Mickey, grab on!" Riku shouted, thrusting his hand out behind him. "Hurry!"

He could hear the mouse-King's footsteps, bouncing along the ground just inches from him. Kouichi let out a bit of a shout, but Riku couldn't tell if it was a warning or a cry for help. The sounds began to swirl together, and he felt someone grab hold of his wrist, but he couldn't think enough to respond to the grip as his mind was lost to the void…

The last thing he saw before his consciousness faded was a mysterious, haunting castle with green-roofed, stone towers sticking out in all directions like the hands of a clock, sitting on the very edge of Twilight.

And then everything went black.

TBC…