Riku opened his eyes, and saw nothing. He felt something covering his eyes, something stopping him from seeing him. The blindfold he couldn't feel, the blindfold he couldn't remove…

"Welcome to the Darkness, Riku. Hope you enjoy your stay…" A tormenting voice said, before Riku's body burnt with a strange fire. He felt the pain, the anger, the torment, and retaliated in the only way he knew how.

He lashed out at the things around him, tearing the curtains, slashing the chairs with demon-like talons. Yellow eyes saw in the Dark, clawed fingers tore at unsuspecting upholstery, long forked tail slithered and whipped through the air.

Do you know what day it is today Riku?

Riku stopped his destructive work, looking up to the ceiling like a puzzled child.

"No," He replied. The voice in his head chuckled.

It's exactly one year since you defeated the Heartless and came to the island. It's your anniversary. It seems Sora really has given up on you, not to be here for your anniversary…

"Screw Sora! I don't need him! I have all the power I need now!" Riku spat, demonstrating this by lifting up a chair and hurtling it across the room.

You are but a child with a new plaything. Let me teach you the true Darkness. You could be ten times more powerful than Sora. You could crush him.

Riku felt a pang within him. It was telling him something. A long forgotten emotion boiled to the surface, making him immediately freeze.

"I don't want to hurt Sora…" Riku replied. He felt the strength he had possessed leave him.

Hurt Sora? What has Sora done for you? Look at what Sora has done to you! He has made you an animal!

"Sora loved me!" Riku retaliated.

Loved being the choice word. He has forgotten you Riku. You were but a passing phase. It is I, and not you, that can see out of your grimy prison and see what Sora is doing.

Riku blanched and hugged himself.

"What is he doing?" He demanded.

He is currently sat with a woman in a cave, drinking cocoa, laughing at her children's stories. He's talking to her, telling her about his adventures. Telling her how much Kairi meant to him…

"Kairi meant a lot to me then, but I think that's because she was a girl. I thought I had to like girls because I was a guy. I didn't even think about Riku in that way then…" Sora said a little sheepishly. Terra's face only held fascination and willingness to listen, no disgust or judgement. Encouraged, Sora continued.

"What happened?" Terra asked. Sora bit his lip.

"Recently, I have been around the islands a lot. You've seen those creatures, you've seen those men… Those men with the weird eyes…" Sora shuddered as he referred to the skilled warriors who seemed to command the Darkness.

"Ah, I know who you mean. What is it they call themselves again?" Terra asked. Sora met her eyes, his own filled with fire.

"They call themselves the Taro Oki… It means the First Born Sons from the Middle of the Ocean. They refer to the islands as their own… But they aren't the forefront of my problems at the moment…" Sora said, trying to place his thoughts in order.

Yes, the Taro Oki were the people behind Tifa's death, but they still knew nothing about them but their name. They had no bodies to examine, because the bodies burst into flames as soon as there was the threat of losing. It was infuriating, but Sora was glad that there was one mystery he could leave to someone else.

"I want to see Riku so bad… I want just to make it all up to him somehow. Even though he was the one who had the affair, even though I should never have been gone so long, even though I should never have given him reason to doubt my motives behind the trips, I should be the one to make it up to him. I have to be the one who apologises… I want to see him so bad…" Sora whispered, tears beginning to blur in his eyes. Terra's smile faded as she realised this was what was truly troubling the boy.

"Start at the beginning. Start from the day before you realised he was sleeping with someone else," Terra said gently. Sora took a deep breath and began to explain about the gift, coming home early, about Rupai, his role in Riku's life previously, the actual moment of realisation, the confrontation with Riku, Rupai's last visit that night, and finally running away to the island.

"A month? Do you think Riku will be okay?" Terra asked. Sora blinked up at her, confused.

"What?" He asked. She frowned.

"You said that Riku can be moody, drawn into depression, can be vulnerable…" Terra asked quietly. Sora nodded.

"Is it possible… He could have turned to the Darkness for solace?" She continued. Sora felt suddenly numb. Riku would call out to anything or anyone to take away his pain. Why not the darkness that came to his beck and call so easily? How far gone would Riku be by now?

"I have to get there!" Sora yelled, standing up and pulling on his shoes.

"Sora you'll die if you even get to the open sea!" Terra yelled, pulling him back. He turned his tear-filled eyes to her.

"I don't care! Riku's alone in the dark, and I have to go there! If he falls, then I have to catch him! He would always do the same for me! You wouldn't understand! You haven't ever been touched by the Darkness!" Sora shouted, yanking his arm from her grasp and running through the cave.

"Sora!" Terra yelled. He turned, to see her holding a bell. It was a strange bell, silver with a gem stone handle. She raised it above her head and ringing it loudly.

"What are you doing? You're going to wake up Leviathan!" Sora yelled over the clanging. Terra smiled.

"That's the plan!" She shouted back. Sora ran up to her, laughing insanely, taking her hand and jumping up and down.

"Sora, when he awakens, politely ask him to drop you off at your island, alright?" Terra asked. Sora nodded, running down the tunnels in the direction of the serpent's head. He waved goodbye to Terra over his shoulder, not knowing the next time he'd see her.

He saw the serpent's body begin to uncoil, and he quickly reached the head. He stopped, warily as he saw the eyes were open, watching him like he was a morsel of food…

"Who are you? You are not the bell-keeper," Leviathan said, his voice booming in the cave.

"No I'm not. My name is Sora, I'm the keybearer. My… lover… is in trouble. If I don't get to him soon, he'll be lost to me forever. I've been a fool, but I want to make it right. Terra, the bell-keeper, awakened you early so I can fulfil my wish…" Sora got to his knees, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Please, if you possibly could, take me with you and take me to my island…" Sora asked. The serpent regarded him for a minute.

"Your request is acceptable. Seeing as you are the keybearer, I can hardly refuse you anyway. Hold onto the horns and you should tied yourself to me somehow," Leviathan instructed. Sora hopped onto his back, excited that he could get to see Riku again so soon.

Riku snarled and hurled himself against the floor. He scrabbled up the stairs into Sora's room, where he stopped, dazed. He carefully withdrew, carefully not touching anything. He turned up the hall, deciding to find something else to destroy.

His ape-like glee at being able to destroy the things in his house was slowly driving him into a deeper madness.

He's coming.

Riku jolted, wondering if he had really heard that, or if it had been another hallucination.

"Sora…"

Sora felt the wind whip against his face. The sea spray woke his senses. He felt the icy wind and felt it chill his skin.

He was on his way to see Riku. He couldn't wait.