UPDATE: Yeah, I know this is coming in late. Writer's block and school don't mix well with motivation, and there was a switch in POVs that I didn't account for. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

And yes, this is in Riku's POV.

There was a time when I used to believe that I was invincible.

Youthful arrogance, calm islands, the need to escape . . . I thought I was ready. Prepared.

I was wrong.

There's a time when every person must accept defeat. People can usually sense the moment they're about to die.

Well . . . that's one way to start a battle.

Don't Be a Gentleman: Return to Innocence

My heart hammers pitifully inside my chest, reminding me with every throbbing beat of every injury I have sustained. I swallow the blood filling inside my mouth, trying not to gag.

Tough it out, tough it out, you're stronger than this. I hold my breath, then quickly mutter out a healing spell in between my teeth. The pain slowly fades to the background, but I know better. Most of the injuries are still there because I don't have enough energy to perform a proper Curaga spell. Vanitas ain't giving me much time to do a damn cart-wheel, let alone a full spell.

My thoughts are only proven correct as he barrels into me from the side. I block his assault, slamming my Keyblade into his with enough force to send him back a few steps. My heel protests against the pressure I'm putting on it as I duck and shoot out a dark firaga, letting myself smile briefly as the purple flames nearly burn straight through his ankle.

Vanitas simply sidesteps away from the blast, unfazed. "Nice aim. I'm surprised you can still stand." You can just hear the smirk in his voice.

I spit out a wad of blood, fighting through the pain in order to laugh. "You're stalling," I say, coughing afterwards as my aggravated chest reacts to my laughter. "This battle . . . we could have easily ended it. But . . . you're trying to hide your real reason for doing this. You're trying to get something from me." I smirk. "Haven't you figured it out yet? No matter what you do, what you say, nothing is going to change my decision." I raise my Keyblade towards him. "How about you stop messing around so I can leave already."

Vanitas tilts his head then pulls his helmet off. I scowl at his face, mostly because he's still smirking but now I also have to deal with the fact that I'm staring at a Sora-imposter. Freaking bastard is doing it on purpose. "Riku . . . I can see everything. All your pain, all your hatred, your fears, your dreams, your goals . . . may I remind you whose castle you're in?" He chuckles. "You're really transparent, you know that?"

"Shut up." I circle around him, holding a hand to my side to stem the blood flowing out of a deep cut that starts from the side of my stomach and ends at the base of my hips. "All you freaking lunatics talk too much."

"Awww, you're getting angry." His Cheshire grin nearly sends me back. "I have to say, I seriously thought my brother was an idiot when he told me that your darkness helped him overcome Sora. But the answer is so obvious to me now."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

He simply laughs before coming for me again, Keyblade perfectly aligned with my jugular. I lean back and kick out, meeting his blade and feeling the vibrations of the hit sinking into my toes and rattling up my frame. I wheeze and jump back before he can decapitate me. My hands barely bring my own blade up in time to stop the powerhouse kick aimed at my sides.

Okay, he's being serious now. I grunt and grab his leg in midair then shift my elbow into his ribs. It's the first time I directly make contact with his body at all. I shake as the hit sends him into a disgruntled roll. He lays there on the ground, not moving, chest stagnant.

Damn . . . did I actually defeat him? No . . . no that was just one blow. What is he doing? I take a few steps back, trying to reach for the rest of my magic to heal. My hands shake from the effort and despite the green light washing over my skin I'm still steadily losing blood. "Great, just freaking great." I immediately shut up when I hear loud, unstable laughter.

The atmosphere in the room changes. My vision slips in and out. Wallpaper slowly wrinkles and fall from the walls, giant cracks form in the ceiling and on the ground, and worst of all . . . Vanitas' obscene laughter. It crashes into me from all sides, as if there are ten of him and they're all shouting at me at once. I turn rapidly before looking back at his unmoving body. His chest still isn't moving. His mouth isn't even moving. This. Isn't . . . I can't . . .

"Stop . . . need to concentrate." I cover my ears, wincing. "Focus, focus, this is probably some twisted illusion."

"No, it isn't."

I gasp, shaking. "What the?! No, you're not here!" I growl in the direction of Vanitas' unmoving body. "I'm not falling for this, you pathetic bastard."

"That's a pretty mean way to talk to your best friend, Riku."

I shudder, feeling something inside my stomach give way to nausea. I kneel next to Vanitas, shaking him. "You're such a coward! Get out of my head!" I start slamming Vanitas' head into the ground. "Get out, get out!"

"Riku . . . what's wrong? Why are you so afraid of me?"

"Out! You're not Sora, you don't have the right to tell me what to do!"

"I didn't tell you to do anything. Riku . . . I just want to fix our friendship."

"Out. Now."

"Riku, I'm only here because of you. You used to talk to me all the time but now you ignore me. I'm right here inside your heart. Being ignored hurts, you know? What did I do wrong?"

"Shit!" I grip my head. "Go away . . . "

"You're ignoring me. That's not fair! We're supposed to be best friends! Stop ignoring me!"

Not again . . . I can not freaking go through this again!

"Go away . . . go away . . . " Six months. Six months ago I got rid of this problem. These hallucinations . . . they were gone for so long, why are they happening now?

"Riku . . . please . . . "

"No!" This is bad. I'm starting to feel random fingers, hands. All pulling and tugging at my shirt. They're aiming for the heart, they're going to try to rip out my heart. "Please, don't . . . "

"You're the one who won't look me in the eye. You're the one poisoning me. I come over and try to talk to you but every time you push me away . . . and then you shove your darkness on me."

"No . . . no, Sora, that wasn't my fault." I can't feel my legs anymore. By the light . . . "That was your choice. Now leave me alone."

"You're my friend. I can't do that . . . unlike you I actually care what happens to you."

"You're not really him! This is a trick!" I stand, shaking and swatting at the invisible hands. "I have to leave."

"It's too late. Even if you leave the castle you'll still hear my voice. Riku, I need you. Please don't push me away again."

"You're not him, you're not him, you're not him, you're not him . . . " I repeat this mantra even as I hear Sora's voice in my head, persuading, pleading. Can't go through that again. "You're not him, you're not him."

A black hand, a real hand, grabs my wrist. I jump then shake as the same hand slams into my chest, gripping my shirt in the position where my heart would be. Nails dig in past the shirt, through skin and I scream. Golden eyes flash briefly before they close as Vanitas laughs. "Do you want me to make the voice go away?"

I shake. "Let go . . . let go of me." I moan as I hear Sora screaming in my head while I protest. "Let go."

"Afraid I can't." He shrugs. "And Sora isn't going to stop either. You either have to deal with him or with me." He smirks. "I assure you, Riku, if you let me do what I want with you . . . you won't ever have to go through this again."

"What . . . what do you mean?" I could barely get the words out. My head kept splitting between the force of trying to fight off the hallucination.

"Riku! Riku, don't let him do it!"

I grit my teeth, shaking. Vanitas smile widens and he leans in close, whispering. "Let the darkness go."

"I . . . I don't trust you." I cough up blood, moaning.

Vanitas tilts his head, staring directly at my chest. "Very well." He sighs. "Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way."

I don't get a chance to respond. He deftly punches me in the head before using the hand imbedded in my chest to slam my entire body into the ground. The weight and pressure of his nails in my chest elicits another scream from my wretched throat, only to be cut off as he repeatedly slams his knuckles into my chest. He summons his Keyblade and slams the teeth of the blade into my knee. I hear the tendons tear, shredded from the sharp weapon, and I twitch and shake as I feel the dark, rich blood form a puddle under my knee.

Vanitas just shakes his head. "I did warn you." He pulls his nails out of my chest in one, quick movement. I watch the blood spray against his neck and my face along with . . . something else. A black, twisting vortex of darkness slowly rises from where my heart is. I shiver and hear Sora's voice rise in volume in my head along with a voice I had almost forgotten. Ansem . . . the first. His voice returns and combines with Sora's. Now I really can't hold anything back.

I let out a scream so loud I thought my throat was going to explode. All injuries, physical pain . . . that was nothing. My brain was on fire, roasting with the misery and guilt I associated with each voice. One childish and pleading, the other demanding and abusive.

Accept the darkness. Accept pain as the only solution. Break away from the light. Don't disappoint me. You are nothing but a pawn. You can't defy me. Darkness is the only way. Let me use you. Your body is a tool. Don't talk back. You'll enjoy this, you'll enjoy watching others suffer. Obey, accept, just a tool, darkness is the only way.

Don't leave me. Talk to me. Look me in the eye. I don't understand. Tell me how you really feel. Stop hiding things from me. Open up. Let me help you. Don't be afraid. Don't act like a stranger. Listen to me. Don't leave, eye contact, don't hide, show me what's really inside.

Over, and over, and over, and over.

This is how I die. Drowning in the guilt and shame each insult brings to the table. It's been a while since I've felt this much power from the darkness. I thought it was something I had pushed past. But it's always been there, tame as it was, never leaving my side. Ready to attack when the holes in my defenses grew too big.

Every thought and every weakness I have is owned by the darkness. This, in comparison, is only a small reminder.

My heart beat slows as the voices slowly fade away. I moan and shake, turning my head in time to see Vanitas raising a purple mist towards his face. He opens his mouth and I watch all the smoke spin around his face before he sucks it all in. He closes his eyes, licking his lips. "Hmmm . . . " When he opens his eyes they are completely black. "Yes . . . yours is very strong."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. "What . . . what did you do to me?" I frown, sitting up. My body is completely numb.

Vanitas just chuckles. "Your darkness is special, Riku. I've never tasted anything like it." He lifts his fingers to his mouth, sucking slowly on each one. "Really, it's like you're carrying three people's worth." He laughs. "But this just means there's more for me."

I back away, shaking while covering up the heart-like scar on my chest. "I gave you what you wanted. You . . . took all of it, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." He smirks. "But your body will just produce more. Different people have different darkness intakes and create their own types at different rates. Yours festers and consumes your psych unwillingly. You've always been more critical of everything around you, Riku. Now that I've seen who you truly are . . . " He lifts his hand and a purple set of chains and collar appear against his fingertips. "Now . . . I know you're the perfect dark vessel for me to use here while I wait for my real feast."

My eyes widen and I quickly get into a standing position. After one step I'm already crashing into the ground. I frown, shaking as I try to get up again but my bad knee holds me down. Even though I can't feel the pain, it still hinders me.

All I can do is close my eyes as he straps the purple collar to my neck. "There we go. A perfect resource and piece of bait." He cackles, dragging me towards his throne. "Aren't you extraordinary."

I close my eyes. "You can go to hell."

Vanitas pauses, shifting his head to the side. "Well, that wasn't a very nice thing to say."

"Like you actually care." My comeback sounds dull to my ears. As if I'm only bored and not angry at being turned into stock pile of darkness protein.

Vanitas picks up my body and presses me against the throne, tying me up. "I'll have to wait until you can feel again. It's the only time I can extract the darkness out of you."

"You can't keep me here. I will find a way to escape."

Vanitas gives me a small smile. He then stabs me quickly in the other knee. I grunt and shake, despite not feeling a thing. He pats my head. "Gonna be hard to escape if you can't walk."

"Shut up."

"Soon, you won't be able to say things like that." He leans back. "It won't take long. A few days maybe but by then your friends would have arrived . . . and then I'll have her."

Every inch of me inside wants to break out of these chains and lock this guy in a chokehold. "Bait, huh?" I growl at him. "You're not going to let us leave this world, are you?"

"World, huh? You know I'm a little disappointed that you haven't figured that out yet. You're supposed to be smart."

I glare at him. "What do you want with Sora and Kairi?!"

It was silent for a beat of two seconds. For once he wasn't smiling and his black eyes finally change back to their original golden hue. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? I've already given you enough hints."

I splutter in shock, ready to argue that he hadn't freaking told me anything this entire time, when he turns his back towards me and leaves the room, slamming the grand doors shut.

Innocence. What is innocence?

Some think you're only innocent when you're a child. Normally, I would have believed them.

However, after a few days in Vanitas' throne room I'm starting to question the term. Is naïve better in this case?

Every day at a set time Vanitas will come for me. He'll untie the chains on my feet and wrists, though there's no real point since I haven't been able to use them for a while. Despite that, he'll untie everything except for the collar. He'll make me kneel and then he'll talk to me about how worthless I am. How pathetic I am. How easy it was to fool me. Etc.

The first time he did this I shouted back at him. That earned me a black eye. Now I know not to say anything.

When you've been numb for twelve hours straight it's easy to forget what physical pain feels like, what it means. After saying a few epithets Vanitas will damage me somewhere. He already blew out my knees so he started working in concentrated areas. Yesterday he was ripping finger nails from my fingers. Today he'll probably whip my back or something.

The combination of physical and verbal abuse creates a connection. A memory. I remember my past, remember the struggle between light and darkness, remember the reason why I'm still alive and able to function. My heart automatically creates darkness and then Vanitas will sink his nails into my chest in the same spot every time. No matter how numb I feel that one area of my body will always hurt.

He'll eat the darkness in front of me and then . . . he changes. His eyes are orange now, almost red. His face is an ashen color similar to gray and his hair is still black but a little longer. He doesn't laugh anymore and when he smiles I have to look away, otherwise I'll shiver uncontrollably for a minute.

Vanitas is getting more powerful and it seems like I'm responsible. But . . . I don't feel bad about this.

I used to feel angry, depressed, frustrated, self-hatred . . . now I feel nothing. Physical pain is annoying, but later on even Vanitas takes it away. What's so wrong about that?

I've lost sense of most of my emotions. Now every hour is waiting for Vanitas to return once the pain comes back. If innocence is supposed to mask the darkness in our world, make us blissfully unaware of evil . . . then whose to say it's not what I'm experiencing? This situation is terrible and the odds aren't in my favor . . . but when I close my eyes and contemplate about this . . . I come up blank.

I'm still alive. I'm still here. Sora and Kairi are still out there somewhere and I know they're okay cause otherwise Vanitas would tell me something in order to try to make me upset.

But I can't get upset anymore. I'm a blank slate now, nothing hurts anymore . . . and if I can close my eyes and block everything out I return to a time where this didn't matter. I exist and I let life carry me. When I close my eyes . . . I return to innocence.

So originally I was going to have Kairi's chapter before this but she was giving me a hard time for some reason. Riku's is a little more important at this moment and I was able to fit Kairi's chapter somewhere else where it would make more sense. So the wait was a combination of writing half a chapter, then skipping and writing a different chapter to replace the Kairi chapter. Heh . . .

Sheesh, this is so anti-love I almost want to spray everything with fluff or something. Doesn't make sense to post this on this day of all days.

Nevertheless . . . Happy Valentine's Day folks. Thanks a ton for the reviews and support. We're almost to the final climax. Can you believe it? Yeah, I can't . . . but I'm eager for it.

This chapter . . . struck me as weird (this tends to happen whenever I have them eating something in this story. Not entirely sure why). But it was one that I've been waiting to write for a long time. I'm glad to finally have it done.

Justice T.