Chapter 1

Sole Residents

By, Greykey

Are you the one?

Huh? Who's there?

Are you the one who will open the door?

Who are you? How did you get here! …… The key hole?

"This world is soon to be pulled into darkness, but you shall survive.

Are you from another world?

Only those who don't fear the darkness can travel to other worlds.

What is this darkness you keep talking about?

You who sees the keyhole fears the darkness?

What are you talking about? Explain.

You know so very little, but you have promise.

Who are you?

If you want to travel to other worlds… just open the door…

But-

The door leads to all we ever wanted…

O.O

The powerful hurricane winds cruised through Riku's hair. He could feel the mist of the restless waves on his face and the slow sinking feeling of near annihilation. Yet, he was excited. Excited by the prospect of finally leaving this cramped island and this small world. Seeing what was out there, finding and collecting new experiences. This apocalyptic setting only brought him promise.

He glanced upward into the dark sky. It was a swirling abyss with a dark globe of pure ruin floating above him, threatening to consume the only world he knew… he couldn't care less. He closed his eyes and waited, they would be coming soon enough.

Sounds of footsteps could be heard running across the bridge. "Where's Kairi! I thought she was with you!" a familiar voice shouted behind him. Ah, he was here now. Riku spoke to him as he watched the wave's torrent, "The door has opened…"

Sora paused, "What?" he sounded confused.

Riku turned around, "The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" The sheer aspect was pumping adrenaline through his bloodstream.

"What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi!" Sora cried incredulously.

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku half-snapped. Did he honestly think he would forget about Kairi? He flinched and Riku continued, "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back," he gazed at the dark sphere of destruction hovering over the island, "We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back," Riku could feel Sora's doubts, "But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Riku looked back at Sora and reached out his hand beckoningly.

"Riku…" Sora murmured warily.

The solidness of the ground disappeared out from under Riku's feet. It felt like he was slowly sinking into a viscous liquid. Something started to crawl onto his feet and up his legs, like how vines climb up an old building.

Riku didn't look down, nor did he fear what it might be. He was leaving this world and this was his ticket out of it. The vine-like things embraced his torso now, but his hand stayed extended to Sora.

Sora ran to Riku with a frightened look on his face. Then he stopped and bent over to reach for Riku, as if his feet were caught on something. It didn't bother him, nor did he try to reach Sora more urgently. Sora might not reach the same world he would at the same time, but they were going to find each other eventually throughout the scattered worlds… somehow… whether Sora grabbed his hand or not.

Riku could feel himself smiling ever so slightly as Sora tried to reach him, but even after Sora flung backwards either by force or forfeit Riku could still feel that small smile grace his lips as he plunged further and further into the darkness.

O.O

Riku woke up groggily on cold, hard ground. He wasn't sure why. Had he fallen off his bed or something? He forced his eyes open and tried to adjust them to the lighting. When his eyesight bettered, he looked around in amazement.

He was lying right in front of a pair of gigantic double doors on a stone ledge over a misty abyss. Memories of the island came back to him and he smiled. This was a different world! He hopped to his feet, and like a child in a candy store, looked around more, trying to soak in every last detail of color and design. Such architectural beauty, he couldn't wait to meet the people who made this place…

He turned to the towering double doors. The people must be inside or something… He paused. Was he supposed to knock or just waltz in? One didn't just knock on gigantic double doors leading into a castle, but one didn't just walk in uninvited either. He made a decision quickly and knocked on the doors. There was no answer. He tried again. Nothing.

It wasn't until now did her realize the awful quietness in this world. Could this place be uninhabited? No, that couldn't be, who would have made this castle then? Perhaps it was deserted… If it was deserted, no one would care if he just walked in then, would they?

He glanced up at the doors, guessing their weight. Would he be able to open them by himself? He tried anyway. He put all his weight into pushing one of the doors open. He didn't have to though; for the second he put his weight on the door, both of them started moving. He was falling from miscalculation for a second, but caught himself.

The doors opened to reveal a grand entrance hall with two curving stair cases leading up to the second floor, embracing a flowing fountain. He could see an even higher floor, but didn't know how he could reach it.

His eyes met back with the fountain and he cracked a smile. This place couldn't be deserted. Not if the water was still running. The water looked fresh and new and tended to. There was no way a person wasn't here.

He walked into the center of the room and then heard the two doors close from behind him. He turned just in time to see the last sliver of daylight disappear from the doorway.

"Who are you, boy?" a calm, collected voice asked behind him. He turned back to see a woman in dark robes standing in an intimidating posture at the top of the left stairway. Her headwear had two horns sprouting out of it, giving her a demonic look, and the green skin wasn't helping her either. However, she gave off a classy air and held a skinny wooden staff with a green orb on its hilt. Perched on it was a crow eyeing Riku suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he asked back.

"I am Maleficent, sole resident of this world," she said, descending the stairway.

As she walked to him Riku inquired disbelievingly, "You're the only one who's here?"

"Yes, now please, who are you and how did you get here?" she stopped in front of him and stared down at him, but not in a condescending way.

Riku didn't want to give his name, but manners had appeared to get the best of him, "My name is Riku."

"Ah, how did you get here, Riku?" she asked calmly, "I don't sense a vessel so how did you reach here?"

"I… I was brought here," Riku phrased carefully.

"By whom?"

"The darkness."

Maleficent raised her eyebrows and for a moment or two, appeared lost in thought. But then smiled warmly. The smile seemed misplaced on her, but it was definitely warm, "You poor boy. The darkness swallowed your world, didn't it? You're heart must have been very strong if it was able to harness the darkness into bringing you here."

"What do you mean?" Riku questioned.

"Let us walk to the castle chapel. I shall tell you about the worlds' struggles there," Maleficent wrapped an arm tenderly around Riku's shoulder. He shoved it off as if it were disease, before being interested, "'Worlds''? You mean you know of other worlds beside this one?"

"But of course, now come. Tell me what you wanted to find so desperately," Maleficent walked up the stairs. Riku followed behind correcting her, "I never wanted to find anything. I just wanted to see new worlds."

"That qualifies as wanting to find something too," Maleficent said with a hint of laughter in her voice, "Dou you have colleagues somewhere? Or are you just a lone wolf?" She stepped into what looked like a cage with light beams as bars. Riku followed her carefully and the cage started moving upward.

"My friends are in different worlds now I'm guessing. I'm going to find them once I'm done here," Riku explained.

Maleficent gave a knowing little smile and asked, "How?"

"What do you mean 'how'?"

"How do you intend on traveling to another world? You have no vessel, and relying too much on the darkness will destroy your heart, no matter how strong it is," she informed in a warning tone.

"I can't just keep doing what I'm doing to get to another world?" Riku murmured mostly to himself, but Maleficent replied anyway, "Of course not. You'd need a ship if you ever wish to see your friends again."

Riku froze. He didn't think there would be any problem just going out and looking for his friends. But he needed something.

The lift stopped and Maleficent exited and walked to a small stair way. She stopped and looked back at him, "Come now."

Riku followed her quickly but walked a little slower after that. Maleficent apparently took note for she made 'tsk'ing sounds and said soothingly, "If you want, I can provide a ship for you."

Riku looked up at sharply, "What would I have to do?"

"Ah, you caught me," she had that hint of laughter in her voice again, "I would want you to fetch some one for me before you go on your little quest."

"'Fetch'?" Riku repeated inquiringly, "Is it someone you know from another world?"

"Caught me again," she smiled, "No. I need you to take her from her world and bring her to me."

Riku stopped walking and glared, "I am not kidnapping someone."

"Riku, dear you're so harsh with words. I don't intend to harm the girl. I just need her for a little project I'm doing…" she sounded hurt.

"No. If you want her so badly, you need to do it yourself," Riku snapped.

"Very well," Maleficent sighed, "Such a pity. I suppose you're stuck here then. Oh well, it looks like I'm no longer the sole resident of this world…" she continued walking.

Riku stood his ground for a little while, but when she had turned the corner and climbed a new set of stairs, he reconsidered with himself. He couldn't stay here. Sora and Kairi might be in the same position as he was, and if they ever found out that he refused the only way of reaching them….

"Wait up!" Riku called as he rushed after her. Maleficent was waiting and she had a knowing smile on her face. Riku knew she was toying with him now, but he didn't care, "Who, where, and why?"

"Why should 'why' matter?" Maleficent frowned.

"Because I want to know why I would ever have to kidnap some one," he said firmly.

"Very well, I'll explain in the chapel. It's not far now…" Maleficent led him through a couple more doorways before reaching a large room lit by green flames. It was frankly a dreary place, but it fit with Maleficent well.

"The girl I want you to capture is named Snow White. She is a fair maiden with ebony hair and rose red lips. The fairest of them all, in her world," she explained facing the alter, "The coordinates for her world are already in the vessel."

"Why do you need her?" Riku asked.

She chuckled for a moment, but then started to walk to another door way to the right of the chapel. Riku already knew to follow her by this time and did so. He walked into a colossal room, much grander than the church. Maleficent pointed of to the side and Riku winced. There was a blonde woman there. She was beautiful and clad in a blue dress. She looked asleep or dead. He looked to the opposite side of the room and saw another motionless woman with her hair up and in a ballroom gown.

"There are seven princesses of the purest heart that I need. As you see, I have only two. I think know where four others are, but you need to only concentrate on the one I requested for," Maleficent said.

"That makes six… you're missing one," he pointed out.

"Yes, I fear her world has already been devoured by the darkness. She must be out there now in a world not her own. But I shan't worry about that. Now, your ship has enough room for two, you and the princess," she explained.

Riku narrowed his eyes, "I have two friends. I need a ship for three."

Maleficent laughed, "Very well, young one. How about this: you take the ship for two, and when you return to me with the princess, I'll exchange it for you?" Riku thought about it for a second, and nodded in approval. Maleficent continued, "Good. You may leave as soon as you are ready. For your benefit, there is a collaborator of mine in that world. She is the queen there. She will help you, but she can't do much. The princess in under protection from the queen, so you'll need to be the one who gets her."

"I… I understand…" Riku nodded.

"Excellent," Maleficent smiled, "You may leave as soon as you are ready."

"How about now?" he suggested.

She chuckled, "If you wish. I will show you to your vessel. But before you go, I have a gift." Maleficent tapped her staff onto the ground and a mysterious object fell into Riku's arms. His first reaction was to throw it to the ground, but he caught himself and instead gazed at it curiously. It looked like a demon's wing of sorts, blue with red webbing, and stranger, it had what appeared to be a hilt.

"What is it?" Riku asked bluntly.

"A weapon, of course."

"I thought I didn't have to harm the princess," Riku eyed her suspiciously.

"You don't use it against the princess, you use it for self-defense. Not all you meet in other worlds are as friendly as I," Maleficent stated coolly, "Now. Let us leave. I'll see you off in the ship."

O.o

Ah, you did it.

You again?

You have an incredibly strong heart.

So I've been told.

Although Maleficent is right. Rely too heavily on the darkness and the darkness will swallow you up. Even if it does not feel like it, one is almost always a puppet to their own dark desires.

No worries, I have no intentions of using any 'dark powers' after I'm done with this job. It's strait to Sora and Kairi and I'll forget Maleficent I'll hopefully forget you too.

Heh heh heh… You shall never get rid of me, Riku.

You know my name?

Why wouldn't I?

Just who are you?