Disclaimer: I do not own any original Kingdom Hearts characters.

Chapter 2

To Remember

A soft beam of light shone upon moon blessed locks, laying a soft ray of sunlight on resting eyes. Riku stirred quietly, grunting at the mischievous antics of the morning sun. Silver lashes flickered open as he raised a hand to rest on his forehead. He had another dream of that boy blessed by the sky, whose smile outshone the sun itself. He couldn't remember all of it, only that he shared a Paopu with the boy on an island surrounded by crystal water. His heart fluttered as he remembered the silhouette of that breathtaking sky blessed beauty, and that he shared a Paopu with him. The blonde paused mid thought, scratching his chin slightly annoyed. 'What the hell is a Paopu?'

Riku lazily ran a hand through silver locks, noticing how desperately he needed a shower. His sea kissed eyes shut tightly, preparing himself for the trip over to the built in shower resting a few feet from his bed. A cringe swept through his features as he slowly raised his ankle off the mattress, a soft jingle emitting from his chained confines. 'One foot at a time.' He coaxed himself through sheer willpower. The thought of letting an injury caused by that wretched man stop him from keeping his dignity in tact was out of the question. Once he mentally coaxed himself enough, he slowly lifted himself off the bed with help from the rusty bed post. The hot pain throbbing up his left leg was an annoyance to say the least.

"Che, this is nothing." He remembered some of the other injuries that he had recovered from, to say his body recovered perfectly on its own was a boast he was proud to make. The memories of his past accomplishments with damage worse than this helped him brave through the pain in order to make it to the shower. A scoff escaped his lips as he thought of his next challenge. Managing to remove his clothes was going to be a task of its own. Riku quickly removed his shirt, reviling a well-toned core complementing an exceptional V. His pale skin gave off a soft glow as the sunlight greedily caressed his skin. The article of clothing was tossed within arm's length of the shower, landing in a crumpled pile of fabric on the cement floor. Aquamarine eyes landed on his pants and boxers, examining a solution to his predicament. It had only been recently that he was bound by a chain, which was the result of him attempting to fight back against the abuse.

He scoffed as he remembered the look of shock, then rage that spread across his step-fathers face. Considering the shape he was in, he was able to do quite a bit of damage. Riku shook his head, remembering what had caused his raged outburst.

Flashback

Riku stumbled back as another blow was delivered to his jaw, a sickening sound resonating in his skull from his teeth clamping together.

A chilling laugh escaped Sepheroths lips. "You piece of shit, do you think you're actually worth something?" He laughed again, gaining more amusement from the teens humiliation. A disturbing smile spread across his lips as he rested his weight on his right foot, his hand on his hip mockingly appearing at ease.

Riku kept his expression of boredom, his mask perfected after his father died. He slowly regained his appearance, holding his head high with pride. He would not cower, he would not cry, he would not cringe, he would do nothing to satisfy this despised guardians sick need for dominance. The blonde turned his head to spit out the blood gathering in his mouth, keeping his eyes defiantly locked on his abuser. The dark red mucus landed on the cement with a nasty splat, its liquid spreading in a pattern of violence. Riku slowly raised his hand to wipe his pale blood stained lips, his aquamarine pools never leaving Sepheroth.

The older man frowned disappointed. Riku knew he took pleasure from seeing others cower before him. But he would persevere. This mask he had perfected now not only held his dignity, but his mothers, his fathers, and every pleasant memory he had ever experienced. He would not stop protecting what he valued dear to his heart. Riku would protect his light, no matter the cost.

The older man raised his hand to his chin, rubbing his stubble as if thinking of a solution to a problem. Riku watched intently, his body prepared for a blow at any moment. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his cursed lips, promising some form of immense displeasure.

"Oi, would you like to hear an intriguing story son? I believe you might know the characters quite well." He chuckled to himself. "I bet you'd pop a fucking boner hearing about this." He let his hand fall to his side, only to raise it again in order to straighten his tie. "The other night your mother decided she wanted to get a little…defiant." He laughed heartily, shaking his head as if he were recalling a hilarious joke.

Riku tensed, his mask slipping for a mere second. His mother, Sepheroth knew that was the only weakness he could use against the boy. The older man needed nothing more than that mere second of weakness, he continued, knowing he was assaulting the teens most precious person. "It came time for out nightly meeting," The older man held a smug look of satisfaction as he saw Rikus hand twitch. "and she said she wasn't in the mood." A disgusting satisfied laugh fell from the man's lips, his smirk lighting up even more as he saw the scowl plastered across the boy's face. "So I took that pathetic bitch by force! Haha You should have seen her!" Sepheroth closed his eyes clasping his face with his hands, mocking a horrified look.

"She kept screa-" The older mans words were cut off as a sickening blow was delivered to his jaw, his head jerking back in recoil from the powerful force. He stumbled back, desperately grabbing for any object that would heed his fall. Riku let out an enraged roar, swinging back his foot to deliver a swift kick to the ribs.

The teen screamed as he landed his blows, over and over. "YOU FUCKING CUNT! HOW DARE YOU VIOLATE HER!" He could hear the cracking of bones, such a satisfying sound. He continued, relishing in the grunts erupting from the older mans mouth with every kick.

Riku paused in mid swing, his eyes wide in horror. He took a step back after his assault of menacing blows, panting as he clenched his teeth. He knew if he didn't get his rage under control he would end up killing his step-father. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to clear his vision as he attempted to get himself under control.

It was in that moment that Sepheroth was able to catch him off guard. The older man lifted his leg, kicking Rikus ankle with tremendous force. The blonde was knocked down, landing on the cement with a hard 'thud'. At that moment Riku knew he had signed a death notice, and it was coming soon. The teen tried regaining his senses immediately, but he was a second too late. A heavy weight was on his chest, as he felt a pair of hands strangling his throat. His aquamarine eyes opened wildly, staring at the older mans swelling abused face. Riku struggled to throw the older man off, clawing at his arms as he began to run out of beloved oxygen. The teens struggles became less and less forceful as he began to lose consciousness, his vision becoming rimmed in black.

Riku gazed up at his despised guardian, he could see the wild rage that had taken over the mans eyes as his vision was almost completely faded. The blonde fought against the darkness attempting to take over, his vision now completely black. He couldn't hold out anymore, this was the end. Riku gave one last struggle as the darkness began to overcome his willpower, against the pitch black the last words he heard echoed through his mind.

"You will never escape."

-End of Flashback-

The teen let out an exhausted sigh, he had thought he was going to be killed. His platinum blessed locks dangled over his face as he hung his head. He slowly lifted pale hands to unclasp the button on his troublesome pants, keeping most of his weight on his right foot. Riku hooked his thumbs under the worn hem of his boxer briefs, giving a forceful yank. The pants and undergarment fell to the floor, a pile of defeated denim and fabric resting at his ankles. A toned arm rested against the wall helping support his weight as he prepared for the displeasure about to erupt from his ankle. Riku shifted his weight onto his left side, resulting in a shock of hot pain shooting up his leg. He quickly set his right foot back down, shifting the weight over immediately. Slowly, he lifted his injured ankle out of the fabric tunnel, reaching down to slide the discarded clothing along the chain into a pile with its fellow comrades. After finally getting rid of his clothes, he cranked the shower knob, releasing a flow of hot water.

Aching muscles cried out in relief from the relaxing effect of the much appreciated hot water, his body falling into a slight slump from the pleasure. Riku lifted his head, relishing in the hot water running down his face. The blonde stood there, allowing the water to relax his body as his mind began to wonder about that sun kissed boy again.

'…Why can't I seem to remember his name?' He ran a pale hand through his godly locks, scrunching his forehead in concentration. 'How could I have forgotten something so important? Someone like him…how could I have forgotten?' Riku hung his head, resting his palm on the wall of the shower. Aquamarine eyes gazed at the water disappearing into the drain, lost in deep thought about his faulting memory. Silver brows furrowed in concentration as he delved deeper into his memories, he knew there were memories there, of the boy he so desperately longed for. Those azure eyes that held the beauty of the sky in their depths, that unruly cinnamon hair, that beautiful sun kissed skin, and that smile that beamed brighter than the sun on summer's best day. He needed to remember. Someone so enchanting, so beautiful, so pure, was none other than the light he knew he had lost.

Riku released a frustrated growl, focusing with renewed vigor on finding at least something about the boy. He delved into the darkness that rested in the back of his mind once more, the falling water on his skin slowly becoming less and less acknowledged.

He was back in his childhood memories, the few beloved pieces he had of that enchanting boy had all been back when he was younger. But there was something wrong. There were black patches everywhere. It was as if someone had taken treasured pieces of his puzzle and hidden them somewhere, leaving a gaping emptiness. Riku knew the memories had to be somewhere in his psych, things like that don't just disappear. His eyes squeezed tighter in concentration as he dove deeper, forcing himself to find something about that enchanting boy.

There was a black web coating hidden parts of his mind, he could feel it. The blonde pushed forward, unrelenting in his determination to make at least a small bit of progress. He delicately brushed off some of the web, only to be shocked by what he found.

There were those azure pools gazing back at him, a beaming smile playfully twinkling below. The boy had grown; he had now lost some of his baby fat on his face. He was a few inches taller, his cheek bones more apparent, and that unruly hair had grown more out of control. Riku felt a sense of nostalgia sweep over him, a fleeting storm of butterflies rushing through his stomach. What had caught him off guard the most though, were those eyes. They seemed to have become even more mesmerizing, if even possible, more pure. A pair of lush cinnamon lashes briefly fluttered over the entrapped pools of sky, a smile twinkling in their depths. Riku stood frozen as the breathtaking pools gazed into his own sea kissed orbs. They seemed to hold a secret, his secret. The secret he couldn't remember. The secret that was keeping him from remembering who those beautiful blue eyes belonged to. He pushed further, desperate to finally find what he was looking for.

He gazed back down at the forgotten boy, noticing the sadness now entrapped in those sky orbs. He paused, curious as to why the beauty had become sad. It panged his heart dearly; he never wanted to see that look upon the boys face again. He began to rummage through his mind, looking for what could have possibly made his beauty depressed. But he was stopped, by a soft voice coming from no one but the boy himself.

"Riku, please…don't leave yet."

An immense pain assaulted Riku as the words echoed through his psych. It racked his head as if there were a sledgehammer being driven into his temple repeatedly, each pulse of pain worse than the one before. The teen doubled over, his hands instinctively reaching to clutch his head in an attempt to null the pain. A mangled grunt escaped his lips as he kept himself from crying out. The throbbing continued to become stronger with every bout, slowly forcing him to fade out of consciousness. He was fading, falling into the back of his mind. Riku gave a last desperate attempt to stay aware for the sake of the boy, but inevitably he began to fall into the black abyss of his subconscious.

A scene begins to spill across his vision; they were on the island again, it was night out. The moon lazily hung in the sky, ignoring the stars twinkling game of hide and seek with the clouds. Riku gazed towards the ocean, its soft waves teasing him with a game of moonlit tag. The soft evening breeze caressed his moon blessed locks, blowing past him to playfully tease the palm leaves with a game of midnight hide and seek. He returned his gaze back to the boy standing in front of him, pausing for a moment to drink in the brilliant scene before him.

The boys skin had taken a soft silver glow, the moon light caressing his features lovingly as if he were a pearl of the sea. His unruly cinnamon spikes truly resembled that of a star, the light of the moon casting a glowing halo around his head. He raised his gaze to meet Riku, a silver hue twinkling in his azure pools. The older teen felt a soft tug on his shirt; he looked down to see that the younger teen was shyly holding onto his top as if he were afraid to let go.

The blonde was surprised when he heard a response, coming from him without realization. "What's wrong?" Riku raised an eyebrow puzzled. 'I guess this is a memory…just like last time.' He realized that no matter what his desire now was, that the scene would still play out how it had in the past. He gave a mental sigh, if only he could act as he wished now. Maybe the boy wouldn't look so sad.

The brunette began to blush a soft red, the color complementing his adorable face. His sky blessed pools nervously glanced around at anything but Riku, finally fixating on a shell resting in the sand to their left. "W-well…I wanted to tell you something before you leave." The brunettes grip on Rikus shirt tightened slightly, he felt a soft tugging from the boy tensing up. The younger teen balled his fists in determination, his adorable blush becoming more obvious.

"I-it's really important!" He raised his voice lightly as if doing so would convince him of its dire need to be said as well.

"Well? What's so important?" Riku heard a younger version of his voice, his well-known wit still obviously apparent.

The sun kissed brunette began to slouch letting out a sigh, as if he had run a league and a half. His gaze began nervously shifting again, this time raising towards the older teen with each movement. Slowly, he raised his azure orbs to meet Rikus aquamarine ones. By now the blush had spread all the way to his ears, and he was sporting just about the most adorable shy expression Riku had seen in his entire life.

"W-well you see…I…I'm kinda in l-l-lo-"The brunette paused, taking a breath as if to renew his courage. Which seemed to have done the trick, the boy slowly raised his view to meet an aquamarine gaze again, his expression pure bliss. He laughed softly, tilting his head to the side lightly as happiness shone in his eyes. A soft smile graced his lips as an inevitable sigh escaped him.

"I-"

The platinum blonde awoke to the feeling of water tumbling over his skin, and an impending migraine. Riku slowly sat himself upright, the water still cascading over his figure. He rested his head in the palm of his hand, murmuring softly. "Why does this keep happening?"

He gave a defeated sigh as he felt the oncoming migraine, deciding it might be best for him to get dressed and go to bed. He reached a hand up to twist the shower knob to off, reaching over beside him to grab the old worn down towel he was left with. The blonde hissed in pain as he stood, the chain eliciting a soft jingle with his movements. Slowly he began to drag the towel over his body, wiping the moisture from his skin. Once he wiped the last bit of moisture from his body he hung the used cloth on the bed post to dry, he then reached over to grab his pants and boxer briefs. Riku hurriedly slipped on his clothes, careful of his injured ankle. The blonde gave a soft groan in annoyance; this chain was becoming a pain in the ass.

The moon blessed teen made his way over to his bed slowly, cautious not to injure his ankle anymore. He gave a sigh as he plopped down on the bed eliciting a noisy creak from the disturbance. His body slouched tiredly, silver locks kissing droplets onto his milky skin mischievously. The teen lifted his injured leg delicately into a somewhat comfortable position on the bed, moving the rest of his body to lie down shortly after.

Riku laid there, his hot breath swaying his silver locks with each puff of air. He began to think of getting out of here. He almost smiled at the thought, it seemed impossible now. The teen glanced down at the chain binding him to the room. Aquamarine eyes gazed out the window as the last golden rays of sunlight caressed his lone form. The blonde gazed at the setting sun through his barred window, the last of his hope wavering with a flicker of doubt.

"Maybe he's right…maybe I'll be surrounded by darkness forever.."

A/N: Okay! So that's chapter two ne?! Personally I wanted to get poor 'ku outta there, but I felt this was needed for the plot! Hehe