Chapter Five: Riku's Dark Keyblade

"Sora!" Kairi's faint voice filled his ears, but he could not reply.

He heard Axel's laughter, but could do nothing to stop it, and he heard Riku's cry of rage. Then it all faded as he gave into the darkness, hardly realizing that slowly his heart's light was being distinguished by the growing darkness.

Riku cried in rage as he saw the blades cut through Sora's back. With his Dark Keyblade gripped tightly in his hand, he rushed Axel, but he was already vanishing in the darkness. The steal of his Dark Keyblade crashed into the hard-packed earth, cracking it, but doing nothing else. Riku looked over at his fallen friend. Kairi was on her knees, her eyes wet with tears as she saw the blood on Sora. His eyes were closed and Riku felt a prickle of fear, what if Sora was dead?

Racing over to Sora, Riku dropped down beside Kairi and was relieved to see Sora breathing shallowly, but it was enough.

"Do you think he'll be alright, Riku?" Kairi asked, her voice quavering from fear of the loss of her dear friend.

He put an arm around Kairi's shoulders and said, "He'll be alright. We just need to move him, but seeing as we can't drag him, we'll have to carry him. I'll need your help." Riku instructed.

After a few minutes, Riku and Kairi carefully set Sora down on the couch that Olette sat on. Just as Riku sat down, thinking about how he was going to help Sora, a voice came from the outside of the Usual Spot, "Hey did you see Seifer's face? He looked like a sissy running down the road crying like a baby!" came a laughing voice.

"Yeah! I wish Sora had seen it, he would have laughed, I know he would have!" came a girl's voice.

"I wonder where Sora is now. He promised he'd visit us again."

Riku instantly tensed, "Kairi, who are they?"

"They're friends of ours. Sora knew them from something to do with Roxas and then he came here and met them." Kairi responded whipping her face, clearing the tears away. "Their names are Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

Suddenly the curtain was pulled back to reveal a boy with blond hair that fell in his eyes. His face died away from the laughter seeing Riku in their Usual Spot. He didn't seem to notice Kairi and Sora who were off to the side, "Who the heck are you?"

"Who's that?" Riku asked, not taking his eyes off of the boy, his blue eyes were narrowed.

"Hayner, don't mind him. He acted like this when he met Sora…" Kairi responded.

Hayner turned to look at Kairi and saw Sora lying on the couch. "Whoa!"

The other's poked their hands in and pushed Hayner in as they saw Sora, the girl, Olette gasped, "What did you do to him?"

"Me? Why are you accusing me?" Riku flared.

"Because maybe a certain someone might have done that a few years back…" Kairi muttered, not meeting Riku's eyes, a smirk on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riku growled, glaring at Kairi.

"So you did cut Sora up!" Hayner accused.

"No!"

"But you would have." Kairi responded, laughing slightly despite her friend's condition. She had always loved teasing Sora and Riku.

"Shut up Kairi! And I didn't do this, it was Axel!" Riku finished, his blue eyes flaring with anger.

"Axel? Isn't he the guy that kidnapped Kairi and-" Pence began.

"-and was killed?" Olette finished.

"The very same." Kairi responded. "I don't know what to do to help him either…"

"Maybe I could…" Riku reached down and picked up Sora's Keyblade that was lying on the ground. The minute his fingers touched it, the key vanished. "Oh well…I tried."

"What were you going to do?" Olette asked, glancing at Sora's limp form.

"Try to use the Keyblade to heal his wounds, but it doesn't like him very well. They aren't the best of friends." Kairi said, laughing at this statement. And then she grew serious, "Do you think you could heal him with your Keyblade, Riku?"

"Oh so you're Riku!" Pence said, but Riku ignored him.

"I don't really want to try. If what Scalvatrx said is true, then that means I might just help the darkness in his heart. After all, my Keyblade is a dark Keyblade. It strengthens darkness." Riku answered doubtfully.

"Then does that mean that you're with the dark side, evil? Is that why you wield a dark Keyblade?" Hayner asked.

"I control the power of darkness, stupid. If I was with the dark side you'd-" Riku was cut off by Kairi piping up again, "But you already worked for Maleficent and Organization XIII! You were an evil person!"

"-all be dead right now." Riku finished and turned to Kairi, "And would you please just shut up!"

"Bite me!" Kairi muttered, and then turned back to Sora.

"Why don't you use a potion?" Olette asked.

"I don't think we have any." Riku pointed out.

"We do, here you can see if it works." Pence handed Riku a potion from one of his pockets. "I always carry one just in case one of us gets hurt." Pence explained. Riku nodded and turned to Sora without saying 'thank you' or anything in the such, and used the potion.

Sora blinked and looked around him. Where was he? The place he was at had no strand of light in it and nor did it contain any joy, anger, sadness, or pain. It was just empty. Standing up, Sora called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

His voice rang through the eternal darkness. A sense of deep sadness filled his heart for some reason. He felt lonely, not cared for, and abandoned. Nothing was here in this dark room and Sora believed it to be an abyss. "Where am I?…" he questioned himself aloud, his eyes trailing for dark space to dark space.

Sora turned around and saw, way off in the distance, a faint, but hopeful strand of light. He reached out for it and began to run after it, his eyes filling with hope. His shoes thudded loudly against the darkness, but Sora didn't seem to notice. He just wanted to reach the light. As he drew closer, he heard a voice booming in his head, Do not step into the light! Don't go into the light Sora! The voice warned him, but Sora wanted to be rid of the emptiness in him and this room.

"We should try your Keyblade Riku. It's not working and he's still bleeding." Olette pointed out.

"As much as I don't like it, I agree with Olette, Riku, we should try." Kairi said, her voice full of doubt, but hope.

Riku sighed, willing his Keyblade to appear, "Okay, if you say so…" With that, he held his Keyblade above Sora and said, "Cure!" A shadowed light entered Sora. Their friend didn't seem to change for a moment and their hope was lost, but Sora's eyes suddenly popped open. Riku watched as he lifted himself up into sitting position, flinching in pain.

"Are you OK, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"My back…it hurts." Sora said weakly. "What happened?"

"Axel cut you pretty badly with his spinning disks, but I think you'll be OK now." Riku explained.

"Who was talking? I heard someone tell me something, but I couldn't make out the words." Sora said, looking at everyone, his blue eyes misted over.

Riku was confused, no one had spoke something Sora could have heard, had they, "What did they say? Or who's voice did it sound like?"

"I don't know really. They just said something about a light…"

"What are you talking about Sora?" Hayner asked, looking at his friend curiously.

Sora just shook his head, but Riku wanted to know more, but didn't ask, resisting the temptation. His friend was in no condition to be interrogated at the moment.

Sora didn't understand. Why didn't they understand…or was it that he had been there alone after all, but who had the voice belonged to? He narrowed his eyes in frustration, but the aching pain in his back wouldn't leave him in peace. Maybe he could heal it. He willed the Keyblade to appear in his hand and it did. Holding it in his lap, he muttered softly, "Cure," The wave of green leaves danced before his eyes and the pain receded and Sora was left to sit there, not talking or looking at any one.

What was wrong with him? Normally he'd have been chattering away to his old friends and newer ones. Kairi seemed to sense the change in him too and asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Sora looked at Kairi and then back at his hands.

"Just wondering. You see, Riku was afraid if he used his Dark Keyblade on you, in might help the darkness in your heart take over. It was the only choice we had to use, and it worked, but we don't know how it would affect you." Kairi responded lightly, hoping Sora wouldn't start getting all upset and what-not.

Sora was the exact opposite, instead he just continued to stare at his hands, his eyes clouded over in thought. Though he was awake, he still felt the same emptiness, he wanted to know why, but could not find the words to ask his friends. And if he told them, what would they think that he was crazy?

"So it didn't affect you for what you know?" Riku's voice broke through Sora's thoughts and made him look up.

"Uh wha'? Oh, I-I really don't know." Sora responded bluntly and looked back down at his hands. What if the empty feeling came from the darkness? That just might be what it was, he'd have to ask Riku because he was the only one who had become someone of darkness. Of course Sora had become a Heartless at one time, but that memory wasn't a very vivid one at the moment.

Sora looked at everyone, seeing concern in their eyes. He knew he didn't want to worry them anymore than they already were, so he decided to ask Riku later. "What do you think we should do?" Sora asked, trying to keep his mind off the growing darkness inside of him.

"I think we should go check on everyone else who has probably been attacked by Axel. There may be no one, but I wouldn't want to take the risk." Kairi suggested, looking at the red tarp.

Sora nodded, "I agree with Kairi, we should go check on everyone and see if they're alright."

Everyone nodded and they started off towards the Sandlot. Sora trekked in front, his blue eyes were glazed over with a darker shade of blue color, but no one had noticed yet. Pulling back the tarp, he raced towards the Sandlot, his Keyblade in his hand. Reaching the Sandlot, Sora saw that no one seemed to be hurt. Seifer was back too.

Seifer appeared to have heard them because he turned around and walked up to Sora at once, a look of fury on his face. "Get out of my town kid! Whenever you're here, there's trouble."

Sora was taken aback by the harshness in Seifer's voice, but spat back, "I'm not leaving here, this isn't your town because you don't own it!"

"Shut up you stupid, little mongrel!" Seifer snarled, taking out a glowing blue sword.

Sora's Keyblade came to his right hand. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get." Sora said lightly, yet sneering at the same time. He gripped his Keyblade with both hands and raised it above his head, unaware of Riku's own Keyblade coming down on his. Sora yelled his battle cry, sending the Kingdom Key down to the ground, but it was stopped instantly by Riku. Their blades twisted and Riku quickly knocked it away from Sora, sending it a few feet away, only to have it sink into the ground.

"Enough Sora! We did not come here for another fight." Riku's voice was cold.

Sora turned to Riku, his eyes flashing. Anger swirled within him, making him angry and dangerous, in a way. Sora didn't know why he was behaving the way he was, it had been like this ever since the Heartless had been rid of last time. He had had a growing distrust of Riku, and now, for some reason, he felt like attacking Riku himself, without reason. Baring his teeth, he looked at Riku with a smirk, "Have you ever wondered when it's my turn to fight you without reason?" His voice was smooth, but held mockery and dangerous purpose.

Riku looked taken aback at the darkness in Sora's voice. But he held up his Keyblade anyway, even against his own will. Sora's appeared in his hand. That was when Riku saw the darkness in his friend's eyes. They were misted over, speckled with blackness, turning his ocean blue eyes into an angry storm-like color. His Dark Keyblade really had done something to his friend!