Hey, dudes! ^^ Oh man, first chapters are always the hardest, right? But I'm really thankful to everyone who did review, and it's awesome that so many people already have enough confidence in my story to favorite it on the first chapter. I'm feeling the pressure though, everyone wanting Sora and Roxas to jump in, but a guilty conscious is forcing me to tell you that they won't be showing up for a little while longer. You'll understand why soon enough, but just know that I'm gonna be focusing on the story first then the pairings. Not to say that there'll be no romance, I'm just going to try to develop it sort of naturally. Kind of….Okay…I'll stop rambling now….Carry on with the story. You dudes are totally awesome, especially: ramen-is-my-goddess, Kichi Tsukima, Takara Zizumea, XfallenXshadowX, keitorin.24, Chaotic Darkness, A-chan, Mirror and Darkling, -IvyBlonde-, Twilight Emo Wind Goddess 801!

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Chapter 2


The mall was busier than Riku had anticipated. It was the only mall on the main island and by the time school had ended, it was already full with teenagers from all of the high schools. It was odd, at times, mingling with the public school students, especially when Riku hadn't had the time to change out of his uniform. He was handsome enough as it was, but with his uniform, even more people stared and whispered among themselves. Used to the attention though, Riku just soaked it in and ignored them all.

He strolled from store to store, brushing by the less expensive ones. He only bought what was the top of the line so there was no reason to force himself to wear anything cheap. Whatever he saw that he liked, he bought, charging it on the credit card his father had gotten him a few months ago on his seventeenth birthday. It was one of his father's gifts which he had actually fully appreciated. Besides his car. Everything else had been more of a one-time-use thing; a few hundred dollars, a new suit; virtually meaningless throwaways from their family's perspective. But a credit card and a car, those things he was able to use.

After a while Riku took a quick trip to look at electronics for his new flat screen, taking only a few minutes to pick out the newest model. It wasn't too big, but large enough so that he would be able to enjoy it from his bed, just under forty inches. He had handed the stunned salesman his credit card without a second thought, and really, he had even had to reassure the man that he really wanted the television. How annoying. When he had finally finished the surprisingly complex process of purchasing a television, he left the store and dropped down into a bench a short distance from the bustling food court, worn out from the afternoon's activities.

As pleased as he had been with his purchases, he realized that he might have gotten a little overzealous with the amount he had bought. It was hard to keep track of how much he had actually purchased because of the fact that he had asked all of the stores he had visited to hold what he had bought until he came back for them. With a sigh, he pulled out his cell phone. His sports car only had two seats with minimal storage space, built for speed instead of utilitarianism. He would have to ask the driver to come and pick up what he had bought in a larger car.

After he had called up the driver, he happened to glance down at the clock on his cell phone. 7:45. Damn, he had told Axel that they were going to get together. Quickly scanning through his contact list, Riku picked out Axel's number and brought the phone up to his ear. Three rings later, Axel picked up on the other end.

"Hey, Jenovan. Done with your business?"

Riku rolled his eyes at the other's joking tone. "Yes. I am actually. I'm still at the mall though, so if you give me the directions to your house-"

"Hold up there. I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Why?"

"Turn around."

Riku spun around in his seat, aquamarine eyes narrowing when he saw a familiar redhead leaning against a skater shop store front not thirty feet behind him. He was dressed all in black, with tight black jeans and chains hanging from multiple studded belts. Leather bracelets were wrapped around his wrists and he even had thick black eyeliner on. Riku would have barely been able to recognize him if it wasn't for the hair and tattoos.

When he saw Riku's face, Axel smirked and hung up his own cell phone with a quick snap. He stuffed it into his back pocket then ran his hands through his spikes and sauntered slyly over. Having gotten over the shock a while back, Riku crossed his arms, irritated. "So how long have you known I was here?"

"Didn't know until you called actually." Grinning, Axel leapt over the back of the bench. "Guess we've just been shopping in different stores. I got a little tired of waiting for your call, you know? Had to get out of the house."

"I was-"

"Busy. Yeah, I know. Now, let's get to my house. Got your car?"

A little irritated at the interruption, Riku nonetheless answered. "Yeah."

"Good, because I took the bus. So let's get going." When Riku only glared up at him, Axel sighed. "Come on. It's a short ride back to my house. Well, not short enough to walk, and it's kinda a long bus ride but hey, I could always head back to the bus stop if you don't want to give me a ride. I understand."

Rubbing his temples, Riku growled up at him. "Fine. I'll give you a ride. Just shut up." He frowned but stood up as he muttered. "Do you have any idea how annoying you are sometimes?"

"Got a small idea, yeah. You didn't tell Namine about this though, right?"

"I said I wouldn't, didn't I? I don't know why you have to make it seem so mysterious though. It's just a history project."

"So it is. I like the mysterious feel though. It makes everything so much more exciting." Smirking, Axel fell in line with Riku, his punk attire creating quite a contrast to Riku's refined uniform. Thankfully for Riku's growing headache Axel quieted down for the walk through the mall. As much as he tolerated and even enjoyed Axel's company, the redhead got annoying fast when he opened his mouth. So if Axel was busy with his thoughts, Riku wasn't going to bother him. In fact Riku was able to enjoy the relative silence of the usual mall noises until they got out to the parking lot.

It was dark out, but Riku had made sure to park near the mall under a light; the effect now being that his car looked almost as if it was being displayed in a showroom. As soon as Axel's eyes fell onto Riku's silver sportscar, they lit up with an admiring though almost mischievous glint that made Riku instantly on guard.

Letting out a low appreciative whistle, Axel walked around the front of the car, dragging his hand over the car's hood. "I always forget how nice your ride is until I get this close." His hand stilled for a moment, holding his weight as he leaned over to look at Riku. "Hey, how much did this beauty cost again?"

"Not sure. My father bought it for me for my birthday. It didn't exactly come with a receipt." Riku unlocked the car, about to slide inside when he sent a glare over to Axel. "It did cost more than you'll ever make in a year though, so get your hand off before you damage the paint or dent it or something."

Axel chuckled but picked his hand up. "Getting off." He was still smirking as he got into the passenger seat. The car interior was just as luxurious as its outside, the scent of the new leather covering the seats and steering wheel still thick in the air. "You seem a little overprotective of it though. Just saying, as a friend, it seems a little unhealthy." Receiving a glare as Riku started the engine, Axel raised his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying, you didn't even let me touch the car for long. I barely had my hand on it and you were already getting ready to snap at me. Made me nervous to even put my feet down in here." He waved his hand, nearly distracting Riku as the silver-haired teen pulled out onto the street, earning another glare. "This is a damn kick-ass sportscar, you should be pushing it as fast as it can go, just barely keeping it from crashing, screw the consequences."

Riku's pale fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel, his grip tighter than usual. "This kick-ass sportscar is a limited addition model. There are only one hundred of them in the entire world. I think that earns me the right to be a little overprotective. Besides, if I was just looking for a fast ride, there are plenty more cars in our garage to wreck. So don't tell my how to drive my car."

Huffing, Axel flopped back in his seat. "How boring. But anyway, turn right at the next intersection then head further into the island."

Riku glanced over at the redhead with curiosity. The center of the island was the poorer area, well; it was where the majority of the citizens of Destiny Island lived. The coastline was all monopolized by rich estates like Riku's or by hotels and the like. Between the coast and the inner city was generally a lining of forested or wild land, kept in its natural state for the benefit of tourists and residents alike. Riku hadn't expected Axel to direct him to any of the fancier villas or anything but he wasn't expecting going to the inner island either. Axel must be poorer than he had initially thought. With renewed curiosity, Riku glanced at Axel again. "You've never told me much about your family."

"Neither have you." Axel countered with a smirk. After a second though when he saw that Riku wasn't going to back down, Axel shrugged, his acidic green eyes falling to the road ahead of them. "Not much to say though. I live on my own. Got no family left." He heard Riku grunt a little with a surprised understanding and waved it off. "Don't worry, it happened a few years ago. Besides, if I talked to anyone about it, it would be you."

Riku was about to question Axel about what he meant by that when a loud and demanding "ping" rang out from the dashboard. Frowning, Riku looked down at the gauges, cursing when he saw that the engine malfunction light on. His aquamarine eyes flashed another gauge to see that the engine was overheating. "What the hell?"

Axel leaned over, an eyebrow raised as Riku began to navigate the car to the side of the road. Unfortunately, they were driving through a part of the island that was still more like a tropical rainforest than city. "Hm. Weird, it's overheating. Oh hey, I think I see smoke coming out of the engine. What are you going to do?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Riku snarled. He couldn't believe it, but Axel was right. There was smoke seeping out of the car hood. "I'm pulling over."

The headlights of the sleek, silver car lit the ferns and palm trees along the side of the road as it rolled to a stop. The beam of light stretched just far ahead enough to illuminate the base of the structure of a short tunnel as well, though the interior of the tunnel remained obscured. Still swearing to himself as he parked the car, Riku kicked his door open and stalked around to the front. On the other side of the car, Axel calmly slipped out, meeting him in front of the engine. Frowning, Riku held his hand out over the engine. "Damn. It really did overheat. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Look in the engine?"

"Can't. Getting under the hood requires a specialized mechanic." Scowling, Riku immediately reached for his cell phone in his back pocket. "It better still be on warranty. Someone is going to lose their job for selling this piece of junk." He flipped his phone open only to roll his eyes. "Perfect. There's no reception here. This just makes my day." He strangled the cell phone then glared frigidly at the redhead. "Axel, remind me to hurt you the next time you suggest we go anywhere."

Axel grinned. "Will do. But don't freak out, my house is just on the other side of the tunnel. I'll run over, call a tow truck from the land line and then we can get to work on my little project, sound good?"

"Whatever. Fine, it sounds fine."

"Alright. Wait here then. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As Axel disappeared into the black shadows of the tunnel, Riku walked back to the driver's seat, dropping down into the leather chair. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. The car was working perfectly a while ago, until Axel got into it. Maybe the redhead was just a walking catastrophe. Closing his eyes, Riku leaned his head back, not bothering to close the car door, favoring the cool night breeze instead. He didn't really care if the door was open to the wilderness of the island, even with all of the animals rustling in the underbrush not a few feet away. While other kids were afraid of the night and what the darkness held, Riku had never really been bothered to care about that sort of thing. Perhaps it was from having grown up on a large estate where his father controlled everything. As a kid, he had never needed to worry about danger, and as a teenager, everyone knew better than to mess with him because of his family name. It was as if he was born invulnerable.

He was, however, prone to impatience. After waiting for a while he growled and opened his eyes again, running his hand through his long silver hair when he saw that half an hour had already passed. What the hell was taking Axel so long? He would go after the redhead but he really didn't want to leave his car alone. Useless or not, it was still his car, and maybe it could be saved. It was just an overheated engine after all.

Another half an hour passed before Riku finally growled and got out of his car again. He slammed the door shut, his face dark with anger as he made sure to securely lock it. It did not take an hour to call a tow truck. At least not one that was coming to pick up Riku Jenovan's car. Not on this island anyway.

Fuming, he walked toward the tunnel. Obviously he was going to have to find Axel, or find Axel's house, and call the damn number himself. And then he was going to chew out Axel for making him wait so long. Forget the history project, as soon as he got to a working phone, Riku was going to call his driver again and demand to be picked up.

When he reached the tunnel, Riku turned back to give his car a second glance. It would be such a tempting target for any thieves. Not that anyone had driven down the road in the past hour, but still. Already mourning for whatever would befall his car while he was away, Riku turned back around and entered the tunnel. It really was pitch black inside but he kept moving forward, having too much dignity to try to use the wall for reference.

He estimated that he was halfway through when he noticed that all of the island noises had stopped. There was no touch of the breeze nor could he hear the occasional bird noise. He stopped, momentarily, and paused to gain his bearings then became angry at himself for losing confidence so quickly. There was nothing out there. Just keep walking. Find Axel's house.

He took another step forward when suddenly a bright light surged in front of him. It was blinding and he threw his arm up to block his eyes as it rushed forward. He couldn't see.

It was too bright, even with his eyes closed it was too bright.

The light hit him then surrounded him and just as Riku thought that he couldn't bare it anymore, everything went dark again. What the hell had that been? Riku felt himself shaking, he was breathing in short pants as he slowly opened his eyes and lowered his arm. He could still see the light in front of him, just like the residual camera flash after too many photographs. Bending over, he rubbed his eyes furiously, trying to get over the exposure from the light. If he had been permanently affected he was going to sue someone for everything they had.

He didn't even know what the light had belonged to. At first it had almost been like headlights but then it had just gotten too bright. Worse than flood lights. What if it had all been part of some elaborate prank on Axel's part?

Hissing at the thought, Riku straightened up, blinking furiously as he tried to completely regain his vision. He was going to kill Axel if the redhead had been at all behind it. He could just imagine that infuriating smirk, could already hear that irritating laugh as Axel would undoubtedly pop out of some random bush laughing his head off. Ha ha, hilarious. Squinting through flashes of blind spots dancing in front of his eyes, he quickly scanned the area for Axel. Or any recording equipment that was taping his reaction. But all that he could see were trees. A dirt road. Rocks. Bushes. He must have stumbled through the tunnel while he was blinded.

But wait, the trees were strange. They weren't tropical at all. Wincing as he tried to focus in on them, he could feel a migraine coming on, Riku walked over, stretching out his fingertips to touch the dark, spindly leaves. It looked almost like an evergreen, one meant for the cold at that, so how could it survive in the heat of Destiny Island?

Putting that question aside for the moment he looked around the area, trying to search for any signs of whatever it was that had blinded him. Maybe it had been hooked up to the tunnel ceiling? Riku turned around to inspect the tunnel only for his aquamarine eyes to widen with shock. Feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of him all over again, he stumbled back a step, the dirt road crunching under his designer shoes. There was no tunnel. There was no tunnel at all. In fact there was nothing, just more dirt road stretching out in the opposite direction until it was engulfed in a forest of more evergreen trees.

Riku brought a slightly shaking hand up to his forehead. No fever. Either he was completely delirious or he was actually in a completely different part of the world. At least, there was no where on any of the Destiny Islands that looked like this!

Pulling himself together before he allowed panic to consume his sensibilities, Riku sucked in a breath then took a good look around. He definitely was in some sort of forest, though it was hard to really tell because it was so dark out. There might have been a hint of a mountain range off in one direction, but it was just a dark purple mass against an even darker sky, nearly unintelligible to the eye. The forest itself was made up of those evergreen trees and then more trees with bare limbs. It was autumn so maybe all of the rest of them had already lost their leaves?

Out of desperation, he reached back for his cell phone again, not at all surprised when he found it missing. He sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. So you've got no phone and no idea where you are. And your wallet," he reached for his other pocket , "and your wallet is also gone. Fantastic." The good news was that someone had to live somewhere nearby, someone always lived nearby. Wherever he was.

Shit. He was screwed.

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair, letting the silver strands slowly slip through his fingers as he turned around. Well, there was nothing to do now but start walking. And if he had to choose, he would pick the direction of the road not going into the heart of the woods.

As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder where the hell Axel was. Then again, he didn't know where he was himself. The only reasonable explanation in his head was that he had been knocked out somehow then…kidnapped, Riku cringed at the word. It made him sound like some helpless child. But nevertheless, something had happened, and now he was in some strange place.

And just realized that his mind was running around in circles.

Rubbing his forehead, Riku blew out an irritated breath, his eyes widening when he saw that the puff of air had been visible. It was cold. Wincing as the full impact of the chilly weather hit him now that his panic was settling down, Riku drew his thin jacket closer around himself. The damn thing might have been expensive, but it was made to be sold on Destiny Islands. It wasn't meant to actually keep a body warm. But at least the walk wasn't that hard. Sure his favorite pair of shoes was being scuffed up from the dirt road, but the scenery was beautiful, in that dark, autumnal sort of way. He imagined that it would be a beautiful sight in the spring anyway.

Suddenly a movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye followed by the rustling of a nearby bush. Frowning, Riku kept his eyes on the road. It was probably just some stupid animal, it was definitely too small for a person anyway.

Whatever it was though, it seemed to be following his every step. As fast as he walked, the bushes next to the road continued to rustle, as if something was purposefully chasing him.

Heart quickening at the thought, Riku finally spun around to face the source of the noise, stomping one foot down defiantly. "Alright, I've had enough! Come out where I can see you!"

The bush nearest to him trembled, its dense branches shaking side to side for a second before they suddenly parted. Riku took an involuntary step back as something began to crawl out onto the road. It was small, not two feet tall, but it was completely black with two antennae perched on top of its head. What was most disconcerting though were the two glowing eyes, bright enough to almost be headlights, that were even now looking Riku over with a definite intelligence. Whatever this thing was, it could think. And it was emitting this feeling that seemed…wrong. Like it was something that was just bad. This thing wasn't good. There was something evil about it.

Momentarily losing his ability to speak, Riku stared back at it as it inspected him.

He had never run from anything before and yet right now his mind was reeling. Fight or run? Fight or run? Fight or-? His instinctual dilemma was answered by the creature as it took an almost experimental swipe at him with one of its clawed hands. Riku jumped back a step then turned and ran.

His legs carried him as fast as they could as he sprinted down the road. The patter of feet behind him kept him running. If he stopped, that thing would catch him. He didn't want to know what it would do. There had to be someone nearby to help him!

A hysteric laugh of relief broke passed his lips when far in the distance he saw the glow of what looked to be a campfire. There was someone! They would help him. They had to. All he had to do was outrun that thing long enough-

Riku cried out as there was a sudden sharp pain in his ankle. Tripping, he fell to the ground, rolling over to find that thing clawing at his leg. Hissing from the pain, he kicked out, catching it in the side of the head. It didn't let go though, just crawled further up his leg. Riku's breath hitched as it reached out, its clawed fingers straining to reach his chest. The sound of his heart pounding filled his senses. Was this really how he was going to die?

"Oi! You there, hold still!"

Without thought, Riku did as he was told then threw his arms up to shield his face as the creature grabbing onto him suddenly disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Shaking, Riku held still as he heard footsteps approach, only lowering his arms when he heard the voice speak up again. "It just wasn't his lucky day. It was yours though, boy. Now come along, back to the fire so that I can have a real look at you."

Numbly, Riku looked up at the dark figure, unsure as to whether be terrified or grateful. The man sighed and Riku was just able to make out the nod of his head as he motioned back to the campfire. "Nothing to be worried about, it's not like I'll bite any worse than that Heartless." The man turned and began to walk back to his camp, his words carrying over his shoulder. "Of course you deserve what you get wandering on your own at this time of day."

Riku hesitated only a second before stumbling onto his feet. "Hey, wait!" The man showed no sign of slowing down though and Riku grit his teeth. The wound in his ankle stung but he tried to ignore it and limped after the man toward the welcoming glow and warmth of the fire. As he approached the camp, Riku could see that some sort of covered wagon was parked near the campfire. In the flickering light, it looked to be made completely out of wood, decorated almost to look like those gypsy wagons that Riku always saw in movies. A log obviously serving as a seat lay next to the fire itself and a handmade spit was cooking something over the flames.

As Riku stumbled into the perimeter of the camp, the man crouched down to prod his fire into a new, bright blaze. The fire revealed the man to be young, thirty at most, with neatly trimmed blond hair and a short mustache and goatee. In short, he looked much too civilized to be living in some wagon in a forest like this. "Now then, let's see what I've got my hands on?"

A pair of sharp blue eyes met Riku's gaze, widening for a split second, as if shocked by what he had saw, before the man shook his head and smiled. "What are the odds? Wouldn't have bet on it myself…"

Riku's eyes narrowed. He was through with being confused. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Stepping forward, he crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? Who are you? Where am I and what the hell was that thing back there?"

"My, so many questions at once, you're likely to overwhelm a man like that. But I'll try to take them one at a time, shall I?" The man glanced up at him and smirked. "As for your first question, I'll have to skip that. But otherwise. My name is Luxord, you'd be right to remember it. And as to where you are and what that was, well, let me pose my own question; what's the last thing you remember?"

Riku sighed and dropped down to sit on the log. Burying his face in his hands, he shook his head. "The last thing I remember before all this was walking through a tunnel on Destiny Islands. Then there was this light and now I'm here."

"Destiny Islands? Goodness, you are a long way from home then." Luxord gave Riku a particularly searching look before he tilted his head back. "I'd wager then that you're not aware of the fact that you're no longer in your world?"

Riku stared, unsure of how to react. "W-What?"

"Welcome to the spirit world, my friend. Stay for a while, you need to know a thing or two."


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