Chapter 4- Hollow Bastion

"Let your mind start a new journey through a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be... Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before."

- Erich Fromm

I twitched.

The sound... of flowing water...

...the islands?

I groaned. If this was still a dream, I'd be so pissed.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Though my mind was a little hazy, I placed my hands flat on the ground and pushed myself upwards to stand. I looked around, bemused, feasting in the sight of this wondrous, mystical new world.

I stood upon one of many snow white platforms, which somehow magically levitated in midair. Peering down from over the edge, I could see a pool of water beneath me, which totally defied the laws of gravity, streaming up in superimposed layers of walls around me. Next, I lifted my gaze higher above the rising falls to drink in the marvelous sight of the mellow pink and tangerine-colored sky; and at the far distance stood an unbelievably tall, majestic castle. Though the structure seemed weird to me, like a cross between a factory and a bastion of sorts.

"Where... is this place?" I asked aloud, my mouth hung open in sheer awe. This definitely wasn't Destiny Islands, but it surely did not disappoint. I really did cross over to another world, like I had always dreamed of. How cool! Wait, if I was here, then... maybe Sora and Kairi were, too!

"Sora!" I yelled, checking out my surroundings. "Kairi!" My heart thumped heavier and heavier in dread the longer I didn't receive a response from them. "Koi...?" Alas, I was the only one who made it. My shoulders slumped in sorrow and my gaze lowered to the ground, dejected. I never really considered the odds of ending up somewhere by myself. Where should I go from here...?

"Riku." I gasped. Never was I so happy to hear my name until now. Upon feeling a familiar hand touch my shoulder, I turned sideways to find none other than Koi, the concern evident in her ebony eyes. "Are you alright?"

My mouth broke out into a relieved smile. "Never better," but then my smile dropped to a bemused frown. "How come you weren't there when the storm hit my world?" She lowered her head a bit, to subtly express her guilt.

"My guardian advised against interfering with the world order, so I apologize if I couldn't help you."

I accepted her apology with a shrug, before raising a finger to scratch my cheek in thought. "Well, there's an upside to all of this. I'm not dead. You're here. Sora and Kairi must be alive... somewhere..." Uh... yeah... How the heck was I supposed to start looking for them?

"Wait," she commanded sternly, holding her hand out to silence me. "I sense someone." The seriousness presented on her face made me bite back my snappy retort, which I had planned to say after she went and interrupted me like that, but I decided to put trust into her warning.

Suddenly, splotches of darkness wisped on the ground and then solidified into the same dark creatures that were responsible for destroying my islands. Disfigured limbs, creepy eyes, and all. The next thing we knew, they had us completely surrounded. Though a little miffed that Koi stood in front of me protectively, I surmised she knew the potential danger of these monsters a lot more than I did. Together we stood our ground while they pierced their blank yellow eyes at us, but... why weren't they moving?

My eyes scanned over the immobile creatures shifting back and forth on their feet until a black portal emerged in front of us. From within the portal stepped out a tall woman dressed in black and violet robes with bat sharp-like edges. A pair of huge horns was attached to her head and grasped within her hand was a slender dark staff with a magical green sphere lodged onto the tip. An undeniable form of evil made in sickly green flesh. She seemed familiar to me somehow…

"My, my... what do we have here?" Her glare penetrated mine the very moment she locked eyes with me. I invisibly shivered from the repugnance reflected in her golden orbs. "An intruder..." Then, her attention shifted to Koi, in which her face darkened with recognition. "And a familiar pretty face. I wondered who dared to tame the Heartless so gracefully."

"You know her?" She spared a brief glance at me, disregarding the incredulous look I gave her.

"Yes." Then, her face adopted a cool disposition to erase any means of familiarity with this woman. "Maleficent, I did not realize until recently my companion here wound up in your home. I'm here on personal business. His Eminence has nothing to do with my presence here."

'His Eminence'?

Who was that? I turned to Koi and was about to ask her when the woman spoke again, stopping me short in doing so.

"Be that as it may..." Now the woman dubbed 'Maleficent' began to pace around us, skeptically looking back and forth between us as if trying to discern our relationship. Koi and I remained silent, waiting for her to continue. Soon, she stopped and planted her staff firmly onto the ground, regarding us with that of haughty curiosity. "How intriguing... Why a darkling such as yourself is affiliated with a resident of light is beyond me," she mused. "But worry not. I won't question your reasons, however..." The witch paused dramatically to look at me. "Tell me, boy–."

"It's Riku, not 'boy.'" I spat brusquely.

"Riku," she corrected herself, secretly pleased of my hostility. "Has your world possibly fallen prey to the darkness, thus your reason for making it far out here?"

"Yes..." I said slowly, suspicious of her knowledge to my situation. "How do you know that?"

"I know many things," she replied in a smug tone, her violet lips twisting to form a smirk. "Enough to know you have no place to go."

I folded my arms across my chest and stared at the creatures I've recently come to learn were called Heartless, wondering how this shady woman and Koi were able to control them. It's obvious they lacked a thinking mind on its own, but it didn't erase the fact they could fight. Not only that, but we currently had no place to rest. Call ourselves lucky...

"If you like, the two of you can stay with me," she proposed, as if answering the train of thoughts occupying my mind, "At the least, I can subdue the Heartless from harming you." If I refused her hospitality Koi and I would be forced to fend for ourselves in this complex predicament. But hell, I would rather pass up the chance for help than forsake my pride.

"Thanks, but no, thanks. Koi and I are fine by ourselves," I exclaimed, stepping beside Koi to emphasize my decision.

"Riku..." Koi warned, shifting her eyes to me. "It might be wise to accept her invitation."

"Huh? Why?" I inquired, throwing my arms out in exasperation. "Can't we go to your world?"

"Not an option." She literally put her foot down, crossing her arms over her torso as if her decision was final. "It is too dangerous. The Realm of Darkness is infested with countless Heartless you couldn't possibly imagine. For now, you haven't much to lose here."

"Listen to her, child," she chuckled, gazing down at us. It perturbed me the way she could tower over us so easily. It made it very hard to hold a glaring contest with her. "She speaks the truth out of concern for you. Touching, I think." Her sarcasm was so disgustingly obvious, it made me want to hurl.

"Is there really no other way?" I whined, not wanting to resort to receiving this woman's help. Later on, I just know I'd look back on this and regret it.

"There are many other worlds, ones I can travel to, but why search for another when this fits your basic needs?" Koi gestured to our exotic surroundings and I could see she made a point there. I was just acting childish because the big bad lady was creeping the bejesus out of me.

"Well?" The two of them stared at me expectantly and I found the suspense rather unnerving.

Shifting my eyes back and forth between them, I eventually sighed and lazily combed my hand through my silver locks until I grudgingly replied with a half-hearted, "...Fine."

"Wonderful. It gladdens me to know, I'll have some company. Come now. I'll take you to your room where you'll be staying." Maleficent dismissed the Heartless, in which they vanished into dark portals, and walked closer to us. I shifted my glare away from her, uncomfortable with the look she was giving me.

Maleficent conjured a portal and motioned for us to enter it. Doubtful, I turned toward Koi for approval and she nodded, smiling an inch to further reassure me. Nonetheless, we followed the woman into the suspicious worm hole, the 'Corridor of Darkness.'

Air was suddenly knocked out of my lungs the moment I had stepped through, causing me to flinch and gasp for oxygen, yet I concealed the strain - caught myself from stumbling in - so as to not concern Koi.

However, it took me by surprise when I felt a jolt of heat encase my hand, Koi's hand coming to grip my own. For some strange reason, the feeling of heaviness I experienced only moments before when I first entered this makeshift pathway was lifted from my shoulders.

"It's best not to adapt to this way of travel," Koi informed me, reading the utter confusion gracing my face. "Beings of the darkness alone can tolerate this way of travel without feeling the effects of immense gravitation."

"She's right." Maleficent inclined her head over her shoulder, smiling vaguely from the display of affection between us. However, I would bet anything she was burning from contempt on the inside. "Aren't you lucky to have a companion who has your best interests at heart?"

I glared at her, refusing to reply to that rhetorical question, yet she merely ignored my scathing look. Soon, Maleficent faced forward again and continued onwards toward the opposite end of this path while the two of us trailed not too far behind.

I subconsciously drew closer to Koi when feeling the cold claws of the darkness sink deeper and deeper into my skin, as if searching for the light of my heart to devour its pure essence. Sensing my discomfort, Koi tugged me close so our shoulders could brush against each other, causing slight friction where it generated heat. Already did I begin to fear the darkness less.

"Here we are." As soon as we reached the supposed exit, Maleficent stepped aside and offered politely for Koi and I to walk out first. No sooner did we step forward did the darkness immediately disappear to reveal an unfamiliar bedroom. I made a guess we were inside the castle now.

"Quaint, isn't it?" Now the dark fairy placed a cold hand on my shoulder, wanting to convince me of the hospitality I should be grateful for. Boring my dull eyes at this new room, why did I get this strange feeling that... we'll be here for awhile?

"Thank you for the gracious accommodations, Maleficent."

"No need to thank me," she remarked, finding the continuous exchange of politeness between them a bit tedious. "You can roam the castle however you like. So long as you don't do anything foolish during your stay. I can only hope for the utmost of pleasure for you."

"Whatever," I replied gruffly.

We were already inside this building so I didn't want her touch to linger. I impassively budged her hand off my shoulder and released Koi's hand, approaching the enormous bookcases full of tiered novels and manuscripts to study the book titles written in bold lettering. Dismissing my hostile action, Maleficent wasted no time to reach the door.

"I'll take my leave, then." I switched my gaze to the wooden desk situated beside the bookcase, waiting for Maleficent to exit the room. Once I heard the door open and then close, I swerved around to witness Koi surveying the room, though I could tell she was bored.

"Hey, Koi. Why do you serve such a..." I groped for the word that could describe this person without resorting to profanity. "...such a hag?"

"I'm not her servant," she stated firmly, now averting her attention to me, "We're merely acquaintances. Besides, what would be the point of antagonizing her?"

"I don't know..." I looked away awkwardly and raised my gloved hand to scratch my neck, hoping this small action would be enough to placate my unease. If Koi knew this kind of person, I was almost afraid to find out what other friends she got. "Now that I think about it..." I dropped my arm to my side. "I don't know you so well outside the islands. You always do something when I'm hanging out with Sora and the others."

Koi simply raised her slender eyebrows in response, unbothered by my remark. "Then, this is the best time to get to know me. Ask me anything."

"What do you do usually?"

"I patrol the worlds. Make sure the Heartless don't invade and disturb the world peace," she explained. I took the initiative to lean on the bookcase and cross my arms, receiving the notion this was going to take a while. "It was a temporary job my guardian instructed me to carry out until the Keyblade Master appeared to assume his role in eliminating the Heartless."

I pursed my lips, having heard that strange term before.

Keyblade Master...

Ever since I started having those strange dreams... and the storm struck our islands... everything came to connect with that one word. Keyblade.

What the heck was this all about?

"Do you have any idea who the Keyblade Master is?" I asked, developing a new found interest in this.

Koi thought for a few moments before shaking her head solemnly. "No, I don't, but I felt the light of the keyblade resonate with the wielder so he should be scouring the worlds and locking the keyholes as we speak."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Keyholes?"

"Mm-hmm." Koi walked forward and sat on the chair situated near me beside the desk, lifting her gaze to politely meet eye contact. She rested one arm on the flat surface of the wooden table and casually leaned back into her seat, crossing her legs in a comfortable manner. "A Keyhole is a magical gateway that leads straight to a world's heart. Only a keyblade wielder can lock the Keyholes, thus protect the world's heart from being captured by the Heartless. If the Heartless ever come to acquire those colossal hearts in their possession, their numbers and strength will considerably increase."

I looked away and fixated my gaze down at the ground, piecing together the information I had just received.

A Keyhole is like a door to the innermost core of a world - its heart. No wonder the heartless want it. It's powerful all in itself. But... about the Keyblade...

"I'm curious... how do you get a Keyblade?"

"Usually, it takes a strong heart and the Keyblade chooses its wielder. The Heartless fear it, but they chase after the strong heart that has it. So obviously, he or she would be under constant attack."

Huh. So it wasn't really that simple to get one.

"The Keyblade Master.

A hero of light born to save other worlds. A threat to all existing darklings. A key, which can either grant miracles or wrought destruction.

Your heart... is strong. Worthy of wielding the Keyblade."

What was that guy talking about then? Saying my heart was worthy enough to wield it...

"You and Maleficent mentioned 'Heartless' couple of times..." I pressed on. "What are they?"

"You've seen them."

A mental image of those ink black creatures glaring at me with those creepy, beady, golden eyes was enough to make me shiver from discomfort.

"You mean... those things?" I grimaced. "They look nowhere near human."

Koi nodded, but the nervous shift of her eyes caught my attention. Hmm...

"According to this philosopher named Ansem, 'In every heart, there is a shadow...'"

ba-bump

With my eyes closed in concentration, I was able to sense the faintest traces of darkness residing in my heart. Not exactly unpleasant, but... Was that a bad thing?

"In result to a heart losing itself to the darkness, the Heartless is born from that very same darkness and keep the heart captive."

"Then..." I gasped and detached myself from the wall, clenching my fists and acknowledging the worst of my worries. "Sora and Kairi are in danger! We've got to start looking for them–!"

"Do not panic. You're jumping to conclusions." She immediately stood up and approached me, firmly pushing me against the wall so I wouldn't do anything stupid, most likely. "Think calmly."

"Okay..." I scowled, exasperated, suppressing the urge to shove her off me. "Where do you think we should start looking for Sora and Kairi?"

"I'm... not sure." She pulled away and straightened out her ponytail, appearing to be lost in thought, analyzing the situation at hand to narrow down our options. "There are many worlds in this vast universe. I can't feel their hearts... either because they're too far away for me to detect or... they've simply been captured by the Heartless." I bit the inside of my cheek, refraining my thoughts from straying to that morbid alternative. How could she sense hearts anyway? "We can never know until we begin searching. Traveling through the Corridors of Darkness is instantaneous, so there is no rush."

'No rush'? How could she possibly remain calm in all this mishap? We didn't have any clue as to where the hell they were. Sora and Kairi could be anywhere! ...then again, nothing good would come out of losing my cool.

I sighed inwardly and nodded, satisfied with the information she enlightened me with - despite the frustrating inability to do anything about it. Instead, I decided to empty my head of all recent negative thoughts by beginning to appreciate the pleasant interior of this bedroom. That's a start. Reaching the foot of the bed, I slid my fingers across the clean white bed sheets, admiring the soft texture.

Honestly, I expected this room to be a lot gloomier than this. Like, you know, a barren prison cell and iron bars, along with a pathetic, beat-up lamp for light. Instead, I actually got a nice room with... Wait a second...

"Are we supposed to sleep in the same bed?" I blurted out, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I don't sleep," she said, regarding me with this look like I had forgotten my parents' birthday. Hey, to ask this kind of question was completely natural, mind you. "I thought you knew that."

"...no, I didn't." I breathed a sigh of utter relief. We didn't have to share a bed. This made everything so much easier for me. Whoa, rewind. Did she say she doesn't sleep? Don't people die after the sixth day of absolutely no sleep? I felt morally obligated to express my concern. "Why?"

"A side-effect of living in the Realm of Darkness." Well, if that's how it works, then I really shouldn't criticize. I mean, she didn't criticize my home so it wouldn't be fair if I did the opposite. It made sense, if you think about it. How could you sleep in a world of complete darkness?

Just by thinking the word 'darkness' reminded me of the horrible state of my islands and the aftermath hit me like a ton of bricks. A bit weary from the event of my home's destruction, I dropped my body to lie on the soft bed, causing the mattress to sink under the new additional weight. Next, I heaved a dejected sigh. It's not a dream after all... We're really in another world, but... it wasn't exactly the same without Sora and Kairi. Koi's company was better than having none, but I still felt worried about my other friends' safety. Who knew how long it would take to find them.

I sighed sadly and lifted my gaze up at the ceiling. Or would they even be alive...

"Is something wrong?" I shouldn't be surprised Koi noticed my disquiet behavior.

"No..." I mumbled, but then decided to admit the truth. "A little anxious." I sat up and directed my attention to the table where Koi sat, who was now skimming through the pages of a book.

Well, for now, I thought it best to stick with Koi; at least, until I met up with my friends again, because I wasn't too sure whom to trust. What I had now treaded upon was a whole new battlefield - unknown territory - where I better do my best to tough it out or else face the worst.

"Hey..."

She looked up at me curiously. I leaned back and placed my hands flat on the bed to balance myself.

"You'll look after me, right?" Wordlessly, she placed the book aside and got up, walking over to sit beside me.

"Of course." The sincerity found within her black eyes was very appreciating, and my lips curled to form a smile.

"And I'll look after you."

"That's acceptable," she nodded in agreement, glancing down at her hands folded across her lap.

"It's a done deal." I smirked, "We'll look out for each other."

Next, Koi held her hand out and I clutched it on impulse, warmth mingling from our conjoined hands.

We lifted our gazes to meet eye contact, and for a moment, I swore we had created a deep connection. It was a silent bond, which would last us for the longest time.

"It's our promise."

(A/N):

Heh heh, so sorry that it took a while. I had to treat this chapter carefully, because I didn't want Maleficent's poetic dialogue to be out-of-character. Especially since I rewrote the scene to fit Koi into the mix of Riku and Maleficent's first confrontation.

How Riku regards Koi isn't as close as his friendship with Sora and Kairi. Want to know why? Think of it this way - Before all the major events following after the storm, Riku was a simple boy living a simple life on a simple island with his simple friends. Koi's not exactly a normal person.

In the main plot that we're currently delving in (Riku getting involved with the Keyblade and becoming an antagonist), Koi could prove to be a valuable companion in his conflicts. Sadly, Sora and Kairi couldn't be there for him when he took the fall.