HEARTLESS

After Riku somehow persuaded Sora to stop eating those hearts, he was trying to get Sora to let him outta the cell. Needless to say it wasn't going well.

"No," was Sora immediate response.

Riku frowned a little, slightly annoyed at this. "What? C'mon Sora, we're best friends aren't we?"

Sora shrugged, reaching out and grabbing hold of one of the bars. "Its not an order of mine to do anything involving your imprisonment, but I can't take any chances." Sora paused. "However..." With one swift yank, the cell bars slid sideways, opening just enough for Sora to walk in. "I don't think they'll mind if I join you."

Riku barely paid attention, he was staring at the door completely dumbfounded. "How long has that been open? !"

Sora blinked a few times in confusion, then snickered to himself. "Long enough for you to think it was locked."

The teen sighed, pushing Sora out of the way and grabbing his wrist in the process. "We're leaving."

"No!" Sora got in front of him, closing the cell doors immediately.

Riku growled a bit. "Sora, seriously. We need to find your heart and get home!"

Sora shook his head, standing still. "A-Ansem's gonna be really ticked if he finds out you escaped. Remember before? If he can just control your movements, when he's weak like this, who knows what he can do when he's stronger!"

"What are you talking about, him being weak?"

Sora hesitated a moment. "...You know why he's a shadow most of the time?"

Riku narrowed his eyes, staring at him. "...No... Why?"

"Ansem's not very strong at the moment. That how he can be contact with everyone without using up too much of his power." Sora paused, looking down at his Heartless emblem. "...From what I can piece together... Whats going on with me has... really increased the darkness in your heart."

"..."

"..."

It was silent for a moment, Riku was about to say something, but then Sora started acting like the Heartless he was again. "Of course, nobody cares! Your just gonna fall back into the darkness and be Ansem's puppet again!" He cackled, shaking his head with amusement.

The teen hissed at Sora, now scowling at him. "What did you say?"

Sora smirked, crossing his arms, "Your just gonna be Ansem's puppet again."

Riku grabbed Sora by his wrists harshly, pushing him back until the Heartless's back pressed against the wall. He kept his grip firm so the other couldn't move. Riku growled lowly, "I'm not his puppet! I at least didn't get myself kidnapped!"

Sora squirmed around, trying to free himself but found it to be impossible. "Don't change the subject! Your gonna be his damn puppet just like our first journey! You'll fall back into the darkness probably with no way out!"

"Our first journey? !" He spat, rolling his eyes. "What would you know about what I faced? About what I had to go through? You were the only thing that kept me sane in that hell!"

"..." For the first time, Sora looked bewildered. "Wh-What?"

Riku's tone softened, but continued anyway. "I didn't exactly have a choice with the darkness, Sora. Honestly, I hated it. Heartless, Ansem's shadow just following me everywhere, not being able to see you..." His grip on the younger boy loosened a little, his gaze traveling down to the gray floor. "But you were alright. Helping people, saving the worlds, all that. I had thought that once it was all over we could be together again. 'Course, this was before you found me at The World That Never Was, but its still true."

Sora shivered a bit, staring at him silently. Riku glanced up into his amber, mentally cringing. He whispered to himself, "Blue looked better on you..."

Sora didn't hear, he said without noticing, "Let go of my wrists, Riku." Riku did so and Sora immediately wrapped his arms around the older teens neck, leaning his head on his shoulder.

Riku blinked in surprise, adding in a muffled tone thanks to his pale white, "S-Sora?"

"I... I'm sorry, Riku," The Heartless answered. "I didn't know about all that."

Riku smiled a bit, hugging Sora back. "Its alright. I never really planned on telling you actually."

They stood there in silence for a moment, until Sora took a step back. "Come on."

"What?"

"We should get out of here." He grinned a little at this. "Unless you want to stay in this cold, dreary cell. I can see how anyone would want to."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Dummy. Yeah, lets get outta here."

Sora started to make his walk over to the cell bars and opened the door barely an inch when he suddenly froze up, standing completely still.

Riku blinked a few times, touching Sora's shoulder. "Sora? Whats wr-"

"AHHHHH! ! !"

Sora immediately broke out into a heart wrenching scream, falling to his knee's. One hand gripped his Heartless emblem and the other clutched his head tightly.

Riku flinched, crouching next to his friend. "Sora? Sora! Whats wrong? !"

"Idiot."

Riku looked outside the cell and saw another newcomer- Vanitas leaned on the wall, holding something very black and circular in his hand. However his fingers were digging deeply into the object. He growled, "What are you doing to Sora? ! Stop it!"

Vanitas snickered, edging his fingers in deeper- only making Sora's screams louder- and replied, "Punishment. He was thinking of escaping."

"Just this for thinking? ! How Heartless are you? !"

"I'm the one with the heart here. Not him." Vanitas snickered again, holding the object up, removing his fingers. "Oh wait, I do have his heart!"

Both Sora and Riku looked shocked at this. Sora immediately jumped up, pouncing through the gap in the bars for his heart. Vanitas was ready for this and raised his foot up, successfully kicking Sora back into the cell. Riku grabbed hold of Sora before he could fall, almost yelling at the other teen. "How is that Sora's heart? !"

Vanitas shrugged boredly. "Simple. Ansem had ordered me to dispose of it. But if I did that, I would die as well. So here's his heart now- Contained by a field of darkness." He scowled at the two. "Your yelling at me like I did something bad. You should be grovelling at my feet that I saved your pathetic boyfriend!"

Riku hissed, "Like hell I'd ever do that!"

"You wouldn't," Vanitas looked down at Sora. "He would." He gripped Sora's heart through its container tightly. Sora started whimpering in pain, edging closer to Riku. "Right, Sora?"

Sora didn't look at him, he panted out quietly. "... Th-Thank you... V-Vanitas for s-s-saving m-my heart..."

Riku shook him a bit. "What are you saying, Sora? Don't thank him! He's the one who turned you into a Heartless in the first place!"

Vanitas cackled, shaking his head. "Your such an idiot, Riku! Don't even bother- By the time Ansem and I are done with you both- that-" he gestured to Sora, crouching and whimpering on the ground- "is all you'll be reduced to."