Chapter Eight

The Capture

Riku was awakened by a cold wind hitting his skin. He shivered and opened his eyes. The window was open. He couldn't remembered if it was closed or not before he went to bed. A thought crossed his mind that maybe Sora had opened it. But he didn't remember him comming in the room.

He looked at Sora's bed. He wasn't there. Riku smirked, Probably is out looking for her already. He rubbed his eyes. They hurt for some reason. He got up from the bed and walked over to a table next to where Sora slept. There was a note there.

Dear Riku,

I've started to look for Kairi right away. If you feel up to it, I could use your help. Use the gummi ship to track where I am.

Sora

Riku nodded. He was right. He was already looking for her. He laughed, Well, Sora's getting what he wants, isn't he? He's got the girl of his dreams and is gonna be home just in time to go to the ball with her. What a lucky duck.

He walked over to the window and closed it. The cold air still peirced his skin. He rubbed his arms to keep him warmer.

There was a crack. And Riku stood still as he suddenly became aware that there was another presence in the room. He ran over to his bed and reached under it, grabbed the handle of his keyblade and yanking it out.

"Who's there?" he called out. There was no answer. He paced the room quietly, taking a few swings. He couldn't see because the room was pitch black. What he should have done, but didn't think of at the time, was turn on the lights so he could have seen Maleficent comming.

The last thing he remember was a sharp pain on his head before he began swimming in darkness.

Victoria wiped her face from the tears she was crying. This time she wasn't crying because Brandon got hurt. She was crying because she couldn't believe someone she liked so much, Riku, would just lie to her. It hurt her a lot.

She thought she would feel better if she took a shower so she took her pajamas and walked down the hall to go take one. As she felt the hot water hit her tense body, she began to feel all her troubles melt away. She immediately stopped crying and just enjoyed her shower. She even started to sing a little.

After her shower was done with and she was dried and dressed, she was walking back to her room when she hurt a thump comming from Sora and Riku's room. She wanted to check what it was, but decided she wasn't ready to face either of them yet so she kept walking.

She stepped into her room and was immediately unwelcomed by darkness. She flicked the light switch. Still, no light. She started to panic but then kept her composier. She could still see, but hardly. So she groped around to feel for her bed.

"So..." came a voice. It startled her so much, she screamed and turned towards where the sound was comming from. She could see a faint outline of a big person, but couldn't make out the face, "Afraid of the dark, are you?"

Victoria's face scrunched up, "Pete," she said, recognizing the voice from the game, "What do you want?"

"I have orders," he said, "To take you away to Maleficent's lair. So if you want to make things easy..."

"Never," she said immediately. She groped around for her sword.

"Looking for this?" Peter said, holding up a small katana, "Sorry to say I snapped it in half."

"I'll never go with you!"

Pete sighed, "I was told not to bring it this far unless I was made to, but here it is...if you don't come with me we will be forced to kill Riku."

Victoria felt a glint of fear but tried to hide it, "Riku is asleep in his room and is out of harm's way. There's no way you can kill him."

"Really? Because last I saw it Maleficent was fluttering away with his unconscious body back to her lair."

Her face was filled with horror, "What?"

"That's right, he was captured. And if you are uncooperative, he will be harmed."

"No!" she cried. And she looked down, "Ok, I'll go..."

Pete laughed, "I knew you'd come to," he approached her with a long cloth, "Gotta blind fold ya first, don't want you knowing how to get to where we're going."

Victoria was pushed into the room so roughly she fell over. When she regained her balance, she struggled to remove the blind fold. But she couldn't get the knot undone.

"Here, let me help you," she heard a girl's voice said and she felt two hands undoing the knot in the back of her head, "There," said the girl when she was finished.

Victoria turned around to face her, "Thanks..." and then she realized who she was talking to, and she couldn't believe it, "Kairi!" she said excitedly.

"How do you know my name?" she asked her.

"Uh, don't ask," Victoria said, "Look, we're gonna be saved very soon. Your friends Donald, Goofy, and the King are out looking for us."

"And Sora?"

Victoria looked down, "I'm not sure, he wasn't before. I'm not sure about now. Maybe Riku knocked some--oh no, Riku!"

"What?" Kairi said, looking worried, "What's wrong?"

"I was forced to come here or Riku would be hurt," she explained, "Pete said that Maleficent had already kidnapped him but I wasn't sure but I had no choice. I don't want Riku to get hurt."

Kairi giggled a little bit, "Do I detect a crush?"

Victoria blushed but kept it under wraps, "No, I don't really like him. He lied to me earlier about my boyfriend. But it's not like I don't see him as a friend anymore."

Kairi was going to say that Riku doesn't lie and that she should consider believing him but she thought it wouldn't be useful to say at the time and besides, the door was opening. Maleficent walked in.

"Welcome, ladies," she said with a sly smile, "I see you've met each other."

Victoria and Kairi said nothing. They just stared at her with hard eyes.

"Speechless, I see?" she said, walking towards them, "Well, since you're here I guess I can tell you my plans. You see, my partner, Pete, and I are going to open up Kingdom Hearts."

Victoria rolled her eyes. Great, another wacko wanting to get to Kingdom Hearts. How cliche.

"In order for us to do that," she continued, "We need hearts, of course. But this time we are not just going for any old heart. We need strong hearts. Hearts strong with love for someone. Hearts that you both have," she turned to Kairi, "My dear girl, you heart is just running with love. Love for young Sora, love for Roxas...love...everywhere," she turned to Victoria, "And you..."

"I am not in love with anybody," Victoria said over her, "So you've got the wrong girl."

Maleficent laugh loudly, "Ha! You take me as a fool? I see you love for Riku, yet you continue to hide it."

"Will everyone please stop it! I do not love him!"

"Well how about I tell you this..." she leaned a little closer, "The so called 'lie' about your Brandon and another girl...that was true. Now how do you feel?"

"How--how do you know that?"

"All I did was look into his heart. And I know."

Victoria looked down angrily. She knew deep down in her heart that she did have feelings for Riku. And she admits that she did hide them because she had thought he had lied to her. And she knew Maleficent probably wouldn't lie if she was trying to get something out of her but...

"Wait a minute!" Victoria said, "His heart? How did you look into his heart."

Maleficent smiled, "Good, you're peicing it together. Young Riku gave his heart up to us when we threatened him with your life."

"What?"

"We needed his heart anyway. If you didn't go with Pete, we would have forced it out of him. But he gave it up out of selfish love. There's no way we couldn't win."

Kairi's eyes filled with tears, "So...Riku's a Heartless now?"

"Yes and soon you two will be."