A/N: Arg! I should be studying for finals…but…I can't stop writing! If I give Sora a personality disorder will that constitute studying for my pysch test on Saturday?? Lol jk

Ooooo…I have a better idea!

Guilt

Sora dragged his feet along the gritty pavement, hands shoved deep into his pockets, eye fixated on the road in front of him. Images of his dream replayed in his head in a continuous loop, and his temples throbbed in response. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers along the sides of his forehead in little circles as he made the trip from Kairi's house to his own. He hadn't told her about the dream; he still wasn't sure what it meant… "Riku will know what to do. He'll help me sort out this mess." he reassured himself.

The setting sun cast long dim shadows across the streets of Destiny Island. He and Kairi had spent the better part of the day preparing for their early morning departure in a few hours. He thanked the heavens that, although after much protest, the King had decided to leave him and Riku their own gummi ships. Sorry Your Majesty, looks like I'll have to break our promise of only using it for flight simulations… He smiled inwardly, Well, I guess Riku broke his promise, too…so I shouldn't feel too bad! It had taken him almost the entire day to get the ship flyable again. Luckily he had seen Cid work on the gummi blocks enough to have an idea of how they worked, although he could have done without Kairi's incessant pestering to "read the instructions".

He sighed heavily as he trudged up the sidewalk to his front door. He paused as he reached for the doorknob and a heavy numbness weighted in his chest. He drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gripped the doorknob to enter the small house.

The house was quiet and painfully deserted. He wiped the back of his hand across a lone tear on his lid as he painstakingly climbed the stairs to his room. He slammed his bedroom door behind him and dove into his bed, burying his face in his pillow. He didn't want to think about the fact that after a year of suffering the kidnapping of her only son, his mother started seeking psychiatric counseling for suicidal ideations. Then, Sora faded from the memories of everyone on the tiny island, except hers… Her doctors were convinced she was delusional and when they diagnosed her with psychosis and committed her to a mental institution against her will, the pain and betrayal became too much…

"I'm sorry Mom." Sora said raggedly into his pillow, "I should have been here for you… I should have somehow let you know I was okay… I shouldn't have just left you without any kind of explanation…It's my fault you're gone…" Sora rolled over with a huff and stared out the small window over his bed. He peered through the glass at the tiny stars that littered the night sky, realizing that each one represented a different world. He could feel a strange connection to the stars. He didn't know if it stemmed from his previous explorations of many of them, or his desire to see more… Or maybe it was all the friends he had made among the stars… He smiled uncertainly.

He suddenly felt the full weight of his body on the bed beneath him. What little sleep he had gotten the previous night was plagued with dreams…or visions…whatever you want to call them. He was exhausted from working on the gummi ship all day. He whispered a short prayer to the heavens, closed his eyes, and fell into a fitful sleep…

The ground beneath him was hard and cold. The familiar rotten smell of death singed his nostrils and gagged the back of his throat. An eerie silence filled the space around him and he felt motionless against the solitary dissonance. The small hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he regained his senses and he could feel the proverbial presence of something dark. Heartless. Sora's eyes flew open as the realization stuck him and he shot himself to his feet. He waved his arm in a flat arc in front of him, and in a bright flash of light, summoned the Oathkeeper. The cold steel of the familiar blade comforted him as he peered through the darkness surrounding him.

He lowered himself into a low fighting stance, gripping the hilt of his weapon with both hands, reading himself for imminent battle. The world around him was pitch black, and the atmosphere thick with...something. Or rather…nothing… He squinted against the shroud of darkness, trying to focus on what he could sense was stalking him on the perimeter of his blindness.

A short gust of air ruffled his clothes and hair as something dashed behind him. He spun around and thrust his keyblade into the shadows, but it connected with nothing. He stood motionless in the black oblivion, his heart thundering against his ribcage as he tried to steady his breathing. Another gust of wind behind him, and he shot his weapon out as before. Yet, again, his efforts were futile.

He growled in frustration. "Why don't you just come out and fight fair! Quit sneaking around!" He gripped the Oathkeeper in a low fighting stance as he breathed out forced exhalations, his brow pierced in determination.

He gasped deeply as a pair of bright yellow eyes revealed themselves only inches from the end of his nose. He stumbled backwards in shock and lost his footing. As he connected with it, the cold floor beneath him suddenly lit up. His body went numb and his face paled as he recognized the design around him…the figure of him crouching in the center…half dark, half light…

His stare shot back up where the pair of yellow eyes had appeared only seconds ago. Nothing. He launched himself back to his feet and scanned his surroundings. Whatever it was it couldn't have gotten far, he could still feel it…lurking in the shadows.

Then, suddenly, he spotted it. Its piercing yellow glare was fixated on him and it was galloping on all fours towards him. Sora gripped the Oathkeeper tightly, preparing for the attack. As the heartless neared him, Sora's eyes widened in fear and shock. He dropped his shoulders and slightly lowered his weapon as he realized that the heartless was…simply put…him. The only difference was that it was completely black and it left long smoky trails of darkness behind it as it raced towards him.

At the last second, as the heartless left its feet to strike Sora, he swung the blade of his weapon in an uppercut, hitting the heartless just under the chin and sending it flying into the air.

It landed on all fours just a few feet away. Sora braced himself for another attack, but instead, the heartless just crouched on the floor and stared at Sora with narrow sharp eyes. Sora couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was as if the figure crouched in front of him was the exact opposition of everything Sora. The resemblance was unnerving.

"What…What are you??!!" Sora shouted angrily. "What are you doing here?!"

The heartless was motionless and remained silent.

"Answer me!" Sora demanded. "What the hell do you want with me??!!"

Again, nothing…

Sora let out a cry of frustration and anger as he charged the crouching form, his keyblade held high over his shoulder. Seconds before the blade of his weapon connected with the shadowed twin, it morphed into something else. Or, rather, someone else…

Sora stopped the keyblade only inches from the figure's throat. He stared in disbelief as tears pooled in his sapphire eyes. He felt the edges of his world begin to fade and his knees go weak. He struggled to keep his eyes focused as he tried not to faint. He managed to form a response before slipping into nothingness… "Mom?"

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A/N: Hmmm… Sora has many stressors in his life, yes? You think he has issues now? Just wait…

Although this chap is short, I am very pleased with it… Review please!!