Disclaimer: KH is the property of Square-Enix and Disney.

This is a follow-up to Sleep. BUT it is NOT fluffy. I aimed for fluff but…er… it all went wrong. Don't worry if it doesn't make sense! I just got bored and went nuts XP

For word 74 – Dark.

Special "hello!" to Ayumiyori :)

No KHII spoilers please!

Hearts are troublesome things, especially when you're the Keybearer and you ripped yours out...

Other Side

The hotel lights had all been dimmed. It was always night in Traverse Town but to help people function in a normal twenty-four-hour day the town's administrators had set up a system when, at eight o'clock, every light connected to the town's main power supply would start to dim. The idea was to regulate people's body clocks, allowing them to work and sleep properly despite the endless night.

Technically Sora had fallen asleep during the 'day'. Now it was night and he, being his usual contradictory self, was wide-awake. Flat on his back he looked up at the ceiling, thinking of nothing in particular.

The town's nighttime system worked perfectly for Kairi. She was still fast asleep. She was probably still getting used to having her body back. After all she'd been without it for longer than he had. Nevertheless Sora smirked at her even though she couldn't see it. Now who was the lazy bum? Mindful of his sleeping friend (but isn't she more? A little voice asked), Sora got up and stretched. He felt so much better than before. There were some lingering aches in his body, especially in his chest. He winced when he pressed his hand down. He unzipped his overalls and looked at his chest. It was a mess of blotchy colours, purples mixed with reds, browns and yellows. He frowned and looked away, pulling his zip back up. Looking at that made him realise how lucky he had been. He sighed and frowned. Great, now he was thinking lots of unhappy things. He looked at Kairi but knew he couldn't wake her up. He considered going into the hotel's other room and seeing if Donald and Goofy were awake but decided against it as well. Sora didn't think he could explain to them how it had felt. He didn't think he could tell Kairi either. She might know what it was like to lose one's body but she hadn't experienced running around in the body of a Shadow. All that jerky movement, the struggle to walk straight, the inability to not keep his eyes on one thing but instead looking around at the world with sharp twists of his head that would've made him dizzy if he were normal…

…the sensation that far, far below him there were hearts, three of them, beating rapidly and he wanted them, ran to reach them, fell hundreds of feet and risked death just to get to those hearts so he could get one, two, three and...

Sora pushed the door open and stepped onto the hotel room's balcony. He closed the door quietly. The night air was cool. He sat on the table by the door, trying to forget the sensations running across his memory.

When he saw the Heartless gathering in the alleyway below he knew his memory would never fade.

He jumped off the balcony, Keyblade appearing before he hit the ground. He winced on impact, realising somewhat belatedly that he'd forgotten to put his shoes back on. Never mind. He had Heartless to deal with. He was glad he'd managed to gather all his strength in sleep. The Heartless looked the same – the silly little floating wizards – but they were a lot tougher. Sora didn't worry. All they needed were a few extra hits and then they, like so many others, were gone.

Feeling further energised by the fight Sora decided to patrol the whole town, regardless of his bare feet. Keyblade in hand he strolled off to the doors that would lead him under the hotel and into the Second District. His bare feet slapped against the cold concrete, echoing loudly in the stone tunnel. He pushed the doors open on the other side and stepped out into the darkness.

'Huh' didn't seem like a strong enough reaction.

He was standing in black smog, the edges of which occasionally shifted just enough to reveal Traverse Town beyond. All around him the air was hissing, stretching out before closing in on him. His heart lurched painfully in his chest. He stepped forward uneasily. Something shuffled. He turned back. Something was behind him but it had already hidden itself. He stepped forward again. The ground opened up. He lost his leg in the unwelcome puddle and tipped forwards. He fell forwards and the puddle opened up to swallow him whole. He cried out, feeling his body slipping downwards. He clung to Traverse Town even as the buildings and sky around him morphed into something else. He looked worriedly at his surroundings and they changed back, same old Traverse Town hiding behind the black mist. Sora slowly began inching his way out of the abyss. He looked around, desperate to find someone who could help.

There.

Sora almost called out but he realised something was wrong. The person who stood ahead of him was barely visible. His body was a part of the shadows. Sora winced. His chest hurt, the bruises he had seen earlier seemingly clawing down into his body. Distracted by the mounting pain Sora felt his body slipping back into that abyss.

He looked up to the person again. When the shadows moved Sora glimpsed the body within.

Not yet.

The shadows hid the other from view quickly as if ashamed of its presence. But how was that person there at all? Sora gritted his teeth and pulled his legs out of the void. His movements unsteady, Sora stumbled forwards. He crashed back to the ground. What was wrong with his legs? He struggled to get back up but he couldn't do it. Darkness had wrapped around his legs, lashing them together. He tried to free them but he didn't know where to begin. And it was too late anyway. He was sinking into that dark pool again, smoky shadows holding him fast.

And now the other was moving away, blue eyes darkening beneath his shroud.

"Wait!"

Can't.

Every muscle straining, body feeling like it was being pulled until it would snap, Sora somehow managed to wrench himself forward. But even with all his determination willing him on after that other person

I look just like you.

he couldn't get up.

The fog around him held itself up, holding all its breath in tight. Sora looked around uneasily. Little pinpricks danced a jig across his shoulders and up his neck. He could feel it. It was coming. It was all going to come.

Somewhere the bells of the Gizmo Shop…

Huh? I thought it was…

…began to toll.

One

The fog trembled.

Two

Pain bloomed in his chest.

Three

Where was he?

Four

No…

Five

Who was he?

Six

Dangling midair…

Seven

…I'm going to…

Eight

He fell.

Nine

Find something. Find anything. Grab it. Don't let go!

Ten

A heart?

Eleven

The thing, the other thing, was still with him.

Twelve

Lost in a world without…

Thirteen…

Thirteen?

Without you.

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

He looked up, blinded by white. He could see a person ahead of him, knew from her voice that it was a girl, but everything else was lost.

"A dream?" he asked the voice, closing his eyes and resting his blinded irises in the dark.

I told you.

"Yes, a dream. Go back to sleep."

"But I'm awake."

"No you aren't."

Not yet.

Darkness. Cool and comfortable. Safe and…

Find them and take their hearts! Take them all! Hurry! FIND THEM AND KILL THEM ALL!

"Sora!"

Take everything away from them. Take it all and make it yours. Why shouldn't you? They owe you, they all owe you!

His hand reached out.

Don't do it!

He jerked to a stop. Was it too late? There was something around his hand, warm and pulsing. He felt sick. Had he done it? He couldn't tell. He couldn't see his hand. He couldn't see anything. It was as though his mind had been disconnected from his body. Where had it gone? Had it become a part of the darkness? Was this part of him all that remained? Was he just a speck of consciousness in a vast, empty ocean?

No. No he wasn't.

His chest hurt. He tried to pull in a breath but his lungs wouldn't be filled. A sharp pain stabbed into his heart every time he breathed. It hurt. It hurt so much. He might have cried out. He didn't know for sure. The noise was coming back, humming loudly.

What was it?

Memories that are mine but not mine. Who am I? I'm not you any more.

Images too fast to grab. So confusing. This. That. Him. Her. There. Here. Where? When? Laughing. Crying. Screaming. Teasing. Gentle. Harsh. Darkness. The end. Restart. What had been lost?

Fragments of a life that had to be his...

Mine as well.

But it was all gone, wasn't it? All disconnected, all fallen into…

"Sh, sleep."

White?

Too bright?

It's better than this.

"Sora? What's wrong?"

When I sleep I see you, us, me.

Traverse Town?

No.

So many worlds.

Take what they owe you! She's right there. Focus!

He did. He felt it again, life in his hands.

Steal it!

No. It had to be…

"You need to wake up."

It's too early. I don't know who I am yet. Go back.

"…please!" There was a cry. A cry? Her cry? Kairi?

Kairi!

He fell out the dark. The dim lights of the hotel room greeted him. But it was too dark. Kairi leaned over him, her face pale with worry and pinched with pain.

The darkness was pressing in again. He could feel it creeping into him, running through his veins and squeezing his heart. He gasped as pain juddered through his chest. He felt a wrench. His hands flew to his chest.

His panicked blue eyes sought Kairi. "Wh-what's happening?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. It's getting so dark." Her hair sprayed out as her head spun to the balcony door. "Sora there's something out there."

Sora managed to lift his head and watched the door shake. Something on the other side was desperate to get through. The handle rattled.

"Is it locked?" Kairi whispered.

"I…I don't know."

He struggled to sit up, the pain in his chest binding him to the bed. Kairi helped lift him up. He realised he was clinging to her. He reached out with a trembling hand. The Keyblade appeared. It locked the balcony door just in time. The thing outside was scratching, scraping, trying to break in. Sora let the Keyblade go. It was too hard to concentrate on it when his heart hurt so much. It got worse with each pound on the door.

Pain. His eyes went wide. Could it be…?

He said her name. "Kairi…" but his voice was trembling, breathless.

The door began to crack. The thing outside was going to get in.

"Oh." She turned to him slowly. She trembled but held herself stiffly, eyes wide and skin milky white. "The… it… out there… it's…"

"Me. Another me."

But that wasn't right. It wasn't another him…

The door was ripped backwards, the thing on the other side tired of games. A smudge of darkness raced into the room. Sora reached for Kairi and pulled her back.

It was a part of him.

"I'm sorry!" she cried out.

"Why?" His eyes were on the black shape. It tore around the room, smashing and breaking everything. "Why are you sorry?"

She clung to him. "I'm sorry I didn't bring you back right!"

The dark figure loomed up; it's body an ill-fitting sheet of black. Sora pulled Kairi to him knowing he had to protect her even if he couldn't move. It covered them, drowning them in it's self. The wind was knocked out of him. Something kept punching and thumping him.

Did it want his heart?

Was Kairi okay? He didn't have the breath to ask.

"I know what to do," she whispered.

Their hearts connected. Kairi held his head to her shoulder.

"I can fix it." Her hand went to his chest. "I'll get it right."

Sora looked up. There was nothing. He was even starting to forget that she was there with him. The pain was crushing. He couldn't breathe any more.

Kairi reached out without releasing Sora. Her hand grabbed the Heartless. "I know where you belong. Don't be afraid any more."

The punching stopped. Something jabbed into his back. His heart slowly, so slowly, began to beat again. He finally managed to breathe. He dropped out of her arms, his body slumping backwards.

The ceiling blurred. The lights faded.

So white. It cut through his head, slicing into his brain and sending jabs though his eyes with each blink.

"It's okay now."

But only sort of.

"That was a bad one, wasn't it?" A laugh. "But you can't be without it."

He was so exhausted. He let himself fade away. The dark was such a relief from the brightness.

"…Heartless?"

"No…was…him."

"Huh?"

"I didn't bring… all back."

"Ya mean…?"

He felt warm now. Warm, safe and comfortable again. He could feel the bed against his back, the soft blankets laying heavily but feeling so good over his body. His body… it felt normal now. The agonising pain in his chest was now back to a faint ache. Soon it would be gone entirely. He sighed. He was waking up.

"It… I mean he followed us all the way back here? How?"

"I don't know."

"D'ya think he's okay?"

"I hope so." There was a familiar sigh. "I think he'll be fine now." She laughed. "I didn't know I could do all these things."

"I'm glad you can Kairi."

He felt her hand slip around his. "I am too." He felt her hand brushing across his forehead. "You're looking a lot better now. Hey, Sora?"

He cracked his eyes open. Kairi smiled at him.

"Are you real?" He asked. "Last time this happened you weren't you, you were Yuffie."

"It's me, really." She pinched him. "Okay?"

"Yeah." He breathed out and rubbed his hands over his face. "That was all weird." He laughed. "I only went out for a walk."

"No you didn't."

Sora looked over at Donald. "I didn't?"

Goofy sat next to Sora and patted the boy on the shoulder. "You were sorta havin' a nightmare but then parts of it were real. Here." Goofy helped Sora sit up. "But I promise alla this is real."

Sora reached for Kairi's hand. "Thanks. Again."

She sat closer to him. "You're welcome."

Donald weaved some magic and walked over with a tray of steaming drinks. "All for you Sora. We'll have no more sleeping!"

"Donald this is a historic occasion."

"Oh?"

Sora knocked back one of the drinks. "Mm fruity."

"Sora? Historic?" Donald repeated.

The boy grinned. "I agree with you. No more sleeping."

"It won't be long now Sora, promise. You'll forget me and you'll wake up. Almost done."

The End

Yeah. Okay. I dunno where that came from.

Thank you for reading my random brain fart XP