Chapter 8

Riku tossed and turned on the narrow sofa that had served as his bed. He had finally given in to the dreams that vied for control of his mind. Many of them were pleasant, often dreams of him and Sora playing at their Island, children again, not a care in the world. Other times, however, He would find himself delving into bizarre or downright frightening nightmares. One instance found him dreaming of being slobbered to death by a swarm of Meow Wows, another found him lost in the dark emptiness of Sora's nightmare, knowing he desperately had to find him, or risk them both being lost in that black abyss. Most unsettling, however, was the recurring flashbacks of his dealings with Xigbar in past months, combining into one long, twisted nightmare:

Sora was bound and shaking in that cold room, his body completely exposed to the chill because Xigbar had stripped him so that the only thing covering him was the rope that bound him. Riku sat there, struggling against his own bonds with no success. He could only watch helplessly as Xigbar tried to force Sora into submission so he could have his way with him, but Sora still had fight in him. An attempt by Xigbar to pry Sora's legs apart had left him open for a blow to the stomach. Xigbar struck him across the face in retaliation, earning him his second counterattack- a swift kick between the legs.

That was where the memory ended and the horror story began. Xigbar had gotten to his feet, fuming, and began to beat Sora savagely. Riku could just hear the crunching of his best friend's bones through Sora's harsh outcries and his own screaming pleas, which went ignored until Sora went limp against his binds, barely conscious. Xigbar was about to have his way with him when Riku suddenly made his final, desperate plea:

"Please, take me, do whatever you want to me, just stop hurting Sora!"

Sora stirred softly as he heard Riku's plea, and the older boy could just hear Sora's begging.

"No... please... don't do it... Riku..." Xigbar stood up, grinning evilly, as he turned on his new victim.

"You were going to get your share of the fun eventually, brat. But since you wanna be generous, I'll listen to your demand. Sora, you have a good friend. Riku here just agreed to take everything I had left in store for you, as well as what is waiting for him! But there's a catch: If he dies before I had my fill, you get double what's left! So hang in there, Riku, your friend's life might just depend on it!"

That was when he began. Riku had been unconscious through most of the original ordeal, so he was lucky to have been unable to feel most of it. This time was different, what was happening to him now felt like real torture, both the pain and the knowledge that this was what he had planned for Sora. Xigbar had stripped Riku completely naked, just like Sora had been, and began to go through the same ministrations he had the first time he violated him. Riku struggled to suppress his shudders and the growing sensation of nausea as Xigbar, not at all gently, began to grope him.

"Why so tense, brat?" Xigbar asked sarcastically as his hands moved lower down Riku's body. "I thought teenage boys loved this sort of thing!" he added as he made a quick grab at his arousal, earning a groan of displeasure from Riku. Meanwhile, Sora had recovered enough to cast Cure over himself, and could now be heard struggling and screaming for Xigbar to stop.

-Sora, please, don't look- Riku thought as Xigbar withdrew his hands long enough to take his gloves off. Returning to his intent, he forced his fingers deeply enough into Riku's mouth to make him gag, withdrawing them just as quickly.

"We can't have you leaving a blood trail after all of this, can we?" Xigbar said as he forcibly shoved two fingers into Riku's body. Riku tensed up at the intrusion, a low, guttural moan escaping his lips. Xigbar worked his fingers inside the boy's body at a frenzied pace, but Riku remained tense, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of ease through his endeavors. After several minutes of fruitless attempts to get Riku to loosen up, he withdrew his fingers in distaste.

"Fine, have it your way. If you're not gonna relax, you might as well scream!" Xigbar exclaimed in sadistic pleasure as he now forced his entire hand into Riku's body. He couldn't hold back, the man's hand was huge and he could feel it tearing him. Riku let out a blood-curdling shriek, joined almost instantly by Sora's desperate screams of "RIKU! HOLD ON! RIKUUUU!"

The younger boy found his strength suddenly, getting loose from his bonds, Sora drew his keyblade and charged at Xigbar with intent to kill. But the man was quick to notice. Tearing his hand from Riku's body, he summoned his weapons, blocking Sora's attack and sending a bullet crystal through his body at the same time. Sora choked up blood and clutched his chest, slumping over.

"NOOOOOO!" Riku tore through his bonds, fueled by pure rage. He picked up Sora's Keyblade from where it had fallen and threw it at Xigbar. The teeth of the Keyblade pierced the man's neck, ending his life on impact. Riku ran to Sora's side, lifting him into his arms. The younger boy was breathing heavily and choking, bringing up a mouthful of blood with each cough.

"Ri...ku..." Sora looked at Riku with dim eyes, tears beginning to form in them.

"I'm here, Sora, it's over. We're safe now, please, hold on." Riku took Sora's hand, rubbing it encouragingly, feeling helpless as he watched his best friend get weaker in his arms, before giving a last, quivering breath and going still.

"Sora? Sora! Please, wake up! SORA!" He called the boy's name, trying in vain to revive him, only to finally hold the boy to his chest, sobbing quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Sora. It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so selfish, you'd still be here!"

An empty feeling began to take hold: it was cold, lonely, and dark. The feeling was more agonizing than any pain Riku had ever endured. And he could no longer keep it all in. A scream of rage and anguish broke the silence and echoed around the empty room.

"SORAAAAAAA!" Riku was suddenly bolt upright, half-seated, half-lying on a sofa in a strange room, staring into the concerned face of Aqua. As soon as realization set in, he put his face in his hands, sobbing in relief.

"It was a dream... it was only a dream..." Riku repeated to himself, beginning to rock back and forth where he sat.

Aqua hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder, wanting to comfort him while at the same time not wanting to startle him further.

"The Darkness has that kind of effect on a person..." She said, looking into his eyes and nodding in understanding. "It will seek out and invade your dreams, especially if something is troubling you. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

End of Chapter 8