Author's Note: This story is kind of winding down, so I'm introducing a side story unconnected to the main one. I'd like some input… should I move this second story to its own story or leave it as part of this one? It's built on what's already happened here so I'm a bit torn. Thanks!

"This really sucks." Riku grunted as she kept moving, mud pulling on her feet with every step. "And I mean that literally."

"Shut up!" Sora sounded harassed, and Riku almost felt bad as she glanced down at her shorter companion. A whole head shorter than her, he had it correspondingly worse in their current situation. Although he and the other short demons were being allowed to switch off riding the beasts of burden, which was something Riku didn't get to do. So her sympathy was limited. "We know it sucks already." Riku sighed and shut her mouth. He had a point.

They were walking through a swamp. A very deep swamp, with a nasty, muddy bottom. The boots they were wearing were in no way tall enough to protect them from the water, but at least the hard soles offered some protection. Riku wondered, in a morbid sort of way, how long it would take for their shoes to rot away entirely. A lot of the demons were already going barefoot. Being a full demon conferred immunity to such things as foot rot, and Riku and the others were already developing a similar immunity, thankfully.

"Hoy!" Axel called as a chakram flashed out, dispatching another death beast. That was what they had called the crocodile things that lived in this swamp, since they were certain death if you didn't look out for them. Long, low, scaly and viciously cunning, they were a constant threat to the safari. Fortunately, everyone was getting very good at spotting and taking them out. Even more fortunately, the hides were valuable and the flesh made a wonderful stew. Two demons were already reeling in the carcass.

"Blaugh!" Sora stepped into a sinkhole and momentarily went underwater, before Riku could grab him and pull him up. "Darkness!" Sora blinked, spitting out the filthy water and gasping. Riku winced in sympathy. The water came to her upper chest, so it was almost neck high on him. It didn't take much to put him under. "Riku, how much longer?"

"Three more months." This was going to be a long expedition, and they had brought all the pack animals and supplies needed for it. Sora looked up at her pitifully, his blue eyes wide and his hair slimed flat to his head.

"Please, kill me." Riku laughed and tried to fluff up his hair, then gave up. The algae wasn't coming out.

"Look on the bright side, Sora. If our guides are right we'll be out of this swamp in a week." That only made the brunette whimper. Riku had to admit, she didn't like that aspect of it either. Especially at night. They had to sleep in special harnesses that let them hang from the trees like a bunch of moths in cocoons. "Just a week and we'll have dry land."

"Dry land, come faster." Sora prayed fervently, and Riku didn't have the heart to mention that dry land would bring a whole host of other problems. The swamp had a plus side… nothing but the death beasts and fish lived in it, really. Well, except for leeches, but they used a repellent to avoid those. Dry land, now… they would start meeting the creatures whose bones could be made into weapons. And the plants that liked to eat people.

It would be interesting.

"Are you seriously going to do that?" Axel didn't know whether to be disgusted or in awe. Right now awe was winning out. Rude looked up from where he was rigging the ropes for the night, and grinned.

"You should try it with Roxas. The demons do it all the time." He was rigging together his harness and Froggy's, as well as Rufus's, for midair sex. Axel met Froggy's gaze, and she just shrugged, faintly embarrassed. It required a lot of effort to make it work, since the mosquito netting couldn't be disturbed… the mosquitoes here were HUGE… but Marty claimed it was worth the effort. He'd already slept with half the expedition and was currently trying to get into Riku's pants. Amazingly, the demon was so good natured and charming about it that he hadn't pissed off Riku or Sora yet, although her refusal had been firm.

"Yeah, but the demons are insane. I mean holy shit." Axel pointed out. "They LIKE this trip." Almost all the demons were enjoying this trip just as much as Doctor Shinra. Even the ones who had unofficially been designated as bait. That was just disturbing. Almost as disturbing as the fact that they had volunteered knowing that if push came to shove, they would be bait.

Axel was getting a feel for how the demons of the Dark Land did things, but it was still a foreign mindset to him. A good demon was constantly trying to do better, trying to get ahead in the world. It was possible to climb to dazzling heights… but possible to fall even faster. Yet for every fall, there was a comeback. A demon was never finished until he or she was dead. Not that all demons were driven by status… many just worked to perfect their crafts or make better lives for their mates and friends. But the ones on their expedition were the more adventurous or desperate ones, and they had little concern for their own lives. Three of them had already been lost to the wildlife, and no one really mourned. They had known the risks.

"Well, we like it too." Rude pointed out, and Axel shook his head, slogging off to look for Roxas. As pleasant as it would be to finally have sex with Roxas again, he just couldn't stomach the thought of doing it in midair. There were limits. When he found the blond, Roxas was sitting on one of the pack animals. Huge, reptilian beasts, they were rigged to carry all of the supplies out of the water. And the supplies were waterproofed anyway, in case one of the beasts got dunked. The death beasts avoided the beasts of burden and Axel had been told it was because their flesh was poisonous. That was why they were using this particular type of pack animal, even though they had a filthy temper and worse hearing. Axel slammed a fist into this one's nose as it tried to bite him.

"Hey Axel." Roxas said tiredly, and Axel smiled. The short blond was like Sora… he was getting to rest on the pack animals at times. He looked ready to fall asleep on this one, but that would be a bad idea. If it decided to rid itself of him during the night, he would be all too likely to drown.

"Hey Roxas. C'mon, time to get rigged up." Roxas sighed but slid off the animal. It snorted but didn't protest any further. Axel tilted his head to one side as he heard a couple sirens tiredly singing a lullaby, but he didn't listen too closely. They hadn't absorbed enough of the Dark Land's energy yet to be able to resist the siren songs.

"I love you Axel." Roxas said softly as they helped each other get on the harnesses. Axel paused a moment to steal a quick, gently kiss from the blond.

"Love you too, Roxas." Soon they were climbing the tree and fastening the ropes securely to a good, sturdy branch. The harness took almost all their weight, and the siren's song lured them into a dreamless sleep.

"Dry land! Thank the gods!" Sora collapsed onto the ground as Riku laughed… and a loud voice behind them swore.

"Shape up you lot! On your guard!" A rough edged female voice shouted, and Sora winced. That was Desdemona, the leader of the Rages and Blades that were accompanying them. Sora scrambled to his feet as she began to hammer the demons into something resembling a proper formation. He and Riku were under her command, and Axel and Roxas as well, so they quickly took their spots in the caravan. The only fighters in the group who didn't really answer to her were Froggy and Rude, but that was because it was their place to guard Rufus. Fortunately, nothing attacked as they were getting themselves back into formation. They were in the deep south now, and the pace of travel would slow a bit as Rufus began taking serious samples.

"Sora!" Riku abruptly grabbed his arm and yanked him back as she saw something stir on the tree he was standing near. Mandibles clashed on the ground as a worm like thing struck where he had been standing and sent a gout of dark fluid across the ground. Riku and Sora's keyblades slashed apart the worm easily, but Riku stared at the ground… the places that had been splashed by the black liquid were smoking. "If that stuff had touched you…" She felt nauseated. What would have happened to the brunette? Nothing good.

"Everyone! This is a perfect example of why you need to stay alert!" Desdemona strode up to them, looking over the carcass and drawing out a knife. "Rufus! You might want a sample of the venom." She tossed back her black hair, kneeling down beside the fallen worm creature and delicately cutting out the venom sacks. "This stuff is actually valuable. If you see more of these things, kill them." Rufus quickly put the sample in a jar, beaming.

"Thanks Riku." Riku smiled slightly as Sora blushed. "You always seem to be saving me."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be saving me in here sometime." This place was certainly dangerous enough, and no one was perfect. Riku kissed him gently on the cheek for a moment before the caravan started moving again.

She had no idea how correct she was.

"So why are you here, anyway?" Axel asked Desdemona as he scanned the forest around them. She was interesting. A black skinned demon with inky black hair and white eyes, she was also a Heartless. But she clearly had full control over herself, despite that, and white fangs flashed as she smiled at him.

"That's quite a question. Which here are you referring to? The Dark Land, or this forest in particular?"

"I was thinking of the forest. But the other is interesting too." Axel admitted, and she laughed. For a Heartless, she seemed to have a fairly wide selection of emotions.

"Fortunately, being a Heartless, it doesn't bother me. I was captured by Organization XII. They were trying to make a powerful Heartless and Nobody, to recruit me, but it failed. My Nobody came out a lesser type and in the confusion, I escaped. I wandered around eating hearts and then one day I wondered… why? And then I was here." She shrugged. "It's a much better place to be. Demons aren't afraid of me. As for why I'm in this bush, I'm trying to get an edge on the competition. With the angels and demons at peace, we have to distinguish ourselves in other ways." She grinned then, licking her fangs. "I'm not a fuck up like Marty."

"Ah." That explained why she was so competent. Axel had found out that for a lot of demons, assassination and various plots were an accepted way to rise… but not among the Rages and Blades. Probably because they were the fighting type demons who, in the past, could always expect combat to open a few holes in the structure. He wondered a bit how that would change, but he wasn't going to be staying long enough to find out. The Dark Land was nice to visit, but he would never want to live there.

"My back itches." Roxas complained quietly, and Axel nodded.

"Mine too." It itched all the time, too. Desdemona laughed, a low, throaty sound.

"You're growing wings." Axel and Roxas both looked at her, startled.

"What, seriously?" Axel blinked, then… "Shit, how will my harness fit?" Their enchanted leather armor hadn't been designed with wings in mind. Desdemona shrugged, not particularly caring, and devoted her attention to the wildlife. Someone screamed and there was a slash as another worm tried to make off with someone. Then she spotted a wave from Rufus.

"Halt!" Her bellow brought the expedition to a ragged stop as Rufus paused to take an intriguing sample. "Go!" They started up again, and she spoke conversationally. "We'll be reaching our first way point soon. Things should get better then." Axel nodded. Demons did live in the far south, and they were theoretically under the High Lord's control… but only theoretically. They had a few stops planned at settlements that were noted as being friendly. There were plenty of other settlements in the brush, but they were to be avoided. They had developed their own savage customs, and Axel didn't want to see if some of the rumors he'd heard were true.

The only thing more dangerous than the wildlife of the Dark Lands was the demons.

Elsewhere, far away, back in the land of the real Kingdom Hearts…

We're damned. Ansem swallowed hard, gazing at the white beach and the blue water. The swimsuit he was wearing seemed like a mockery. Why had he ever come here? Was it masochism? A desire to have a taste of something he could never enjoy again? Was it-

A hand suddenly gripped his elbow and moved him to the water. Ansem blinked, glancing down at the impatient boy by his side. Yellow eyes in a pitch black face looked up at him imploringly and the hand yanked him towards the sea again.

Oh. I came because Sora wanted to swim. Ansem had to smile at his own foolishness, and nodded to the creature by his side. Sora smiled at him, and leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek. His lips were cool and a little… gooey, like the skin was coated in Vaseline. But he was more than used to that, and touched Sora's shoulder, returning the affection with a quick nuzzle before they both ran into the water.

It still hurt, being here. Hurt more than anything… but he would do it for Sora. He would do anything for Sora. Anything at all.

Riku sighed, poking a hole in the sand as he thought. The mayor's portal to the Twisted World was already having interesting effects on the Destiny Islands. Riku wasn't sure they were positive effects, but that was progress. The shopkeepers certainly weren't complaining, and Sora's mother was happy as a clam. She had started a serious business making and selling guava cakes and paopu cookies and they were going like hotcakes. Not only that… five families had recently moved in from the mainland. That was more newcomers than he had seen his whole life, and it looked like the trend would only grow as the town grew larger to accommodate the tourists. In other words, the sleepy little town he'd grown up in was changing. It would never be the same, and Riku couldn't help but be sad to see it go.

"Woah, Riku, look at that!" Sora gaped at something on the beach and Riku lifted his head to look. They were engaged in their new hobby… people watching. With the amazing variety of people coming through the portal, it was always a fascinating pastime. Riku grinned as he spotted what Sora was looking at.

"Yes, very pretty. I dare you to go speak to her." He gently teased and Sora blushed. The object of Sora's regard was a petite, beautiful girl with rich blue skin, long black hair and butterfly wings. Her bikini left little to the imagination.

"That's not it. I wonder what race she is?" She looked a little like a faerie, but if so she was a type he'd never seen before. Riku shrugged, then blinked as he spotted someone wading into the water.

"Now that is really weird." He muttered. Sora followed his gaze and gasped.

"Ansem? Xehanort's heartless?" Sora looked ready to run down to the water, but Riku gripped his arm, shaking his head.

"Remember Yen Sid." Sora winced and stopped. That harsh lesson had been useful, in a lot of ways. A version of Xaldin had shown up already, but cautioned by what had happened before, they had just watched. Xaldin had done nothing interesting… he'd swum, got drunk and found a friend before leaving. Riku thought he hadn't been a Nobody at all. "Besides… that could be me, you know." Riku said softly, and Sora's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that, but now that Riku had mentioned it it was obvious. He'd only gotten his true form back because of the explosion of DiZ's machine. If Riku had been out of range of it… "Wait, who's that with him? Is that a Heartless?" It sure looked like a Heartless, but it was splashing in the water… and… Riku swallowed. It looked like Sora. "We might need to check this out."

"You know, the mayor ought to pay us for this." Sora said as they stepped away from the trees onto the sand. Riku grinned. They had unofficially nominated themselves as the people to keep an eye on the crowds and the portal and keep the Destiny Islands safe.

"Come on, you enjoy it. Besides, if he knew what we were up to he'd probably pay us a penny, then fire us." Sora laughed at that. Knowing the mayor and his sense of humor, it was probably true.

"Sora, I wish you wouldn't do that." Ansem said plaintively to the water, although he knew Sora couldn't hear. The boy was swimming underwater for far longer than anyone should. He knew the Heartless body didn't need to breath, but it was still disconcerting. Shaking his head, he started to dive-

And stopped as a hand touched his shoulder.

"Um?" He turned his head leisurely, then made a garbled, incoherent sound as he stared into blue eyes. "N-No… Sora?" He felt sick, about to faint, as he saw the pale skin and the chocolate hair and the eyes that were perfectly right and normal and… and everything… "Oh darkness. Sora, I'm so sorry!"

"Huh?" Sora hadn't been sure what he'd been expecting when he accosted Xehanort's heartless… but it hadn't been for the man to burst into tears and then run away. "…Wait! Riku, is that you?" He called after the departing man, but he ran onto the beach and then vanished into the crowd. "…"

"I think that could have gone better." Riku said thoughtfully, staring after. "I think that's me, but what is he sorry for? Ah!" Abruptly, a Heartless surfaced between the two of them. Riku called in the Way to Dawn without thought and slashed down-

To find it parried with the Kingdom Key held by a black hand. He stared, shocked, as a black version of Sora made an angry face at him. It pushed his blade away and followed after Ansem, pausing just long enough to make an exceedingly rude gesture at the two of them. Sora and Riku both gaped as it vanished into the crowd.

"Okay… what IS this?" Sora asked wonderingly. Riku sighed, then shrugged.

"The Islands get weirder every day." It was a little disheartening.