Chapter 1: To Be Loved or To Be Feared

Darkness. Pure, black vastness beyond the old, torn buildings and Memory Skyscraper is the only site Sora can see beyond the swirling colors. It had been three-no, four months since Sora decided to train 'til heart's content in the Dream Realm, more precisely: The World That Never Was. It wasn't his choice to stay in this world day after day continuously, but something in his whole being put its foot down to tell Sora not to leave Never Was; something was bound to happen.

'Maybe I've gone crazy. For someone who fought dark beings and travelled to places that should have never been seen by any outsider, this is probably the strangest idea I've done: stay here to wait for "something" to happen.' Sora thought to himself. 'It's been so long since I actually had seen someone else other than a Dream Eater. I think this training session is over.'

Just as Sora walked away from Memory Skyscraper, a strong twinge in his chest had halted him to only grip at where his heart his. 'Don't walk away from this, idiot. Not unless you want everyone to fear you.'

That voice...his voice...has he really gone mad? It couldn't be the same feeling when the earlier feelings told him to stay. They were warm and gentle like the white sand from the shores of the Play Island back home. But this voice, rather this feeling, was unnatural as the short periods of unbalanced darkness. This was chilling to the bone and brittle. 'Sora, behind you!'

Sora turned to only see his reflection; a real-life reflection with opposing differences.. A boy his height, possibly his age too. He had raven black, unruly hair spiking in all directions like him. Gold eyes hard as the metal itself bore into his own. His physique showed more muscles and definition to his body, yet he wasn't as muscular as Riku. He was skinny for someone so lithe, giving the handsome and dangerous edge. A blood tank top matched with a black short-sleeve hoodie with silver-white lining covered his top half. Black skinny jeans with a red belt covered his legs and his black and silver sneakers weren't like Sora's giant shoes, but half its size. He had dark red gloves stopping at his where silver belts crisscrossed at the end.

'Maybe I have gone crazy. This is just whack!' Sora couldn't put this together at all, but it soon didn't matter as the dark reflection pulled out a Keyblade with black and red gears, connected by chains and metal with a familiar blue eye at the hilt of it. The opponent held the weapon a couple of inches above his head with his right and his left relaxed and straight out like Riku's fighting stance, only with the palm facing down.

"You haven't gone mad, idiot. You're a lot like the original idiot." The stranger said tauntingly. This really made his blood boil for some reason. He immediately took out his Keyblade, the Kingdom Keeper, and grabbed the hilt steadily. "Looks like someone wants a beating. If you want some come and get it." The ravenette showed off a smirk and it really made Sora want to break him into two.

Sora lunged at the dark reflection and knocked him off his feet. The other teen was unfazed by this, not seeming injured. Said black-locked teen reassumed position to quickly slice Sora's left arm, giving him a moderate gash. Sora swiftly retaliated with a classic Strike Raid to the chest with a quick Blitz afterwards. The ravenette was fazed by these attacks obviously and started fuming with anger. He couldn't let this idiot win.

A brilliant idea came to his mind, a dastardly, twisted idea. He aimed for Sora with his Keyblade. He launched a Dark Firaga continued by a Blizagga. Sora blocked the incoming magic before turning back to the stranger. He was running into a Dark Portal.

"Hey, get back here! Who are you?" Sora screamed. The stranger looked back at him and gave a smug grin. He ran off into the darkness, but the Portal itself didn't disappear. "He's with them. I have to see where's going." Sora sprinted into the Portal without that feeling stopping him. This was what he had waited for.

Sora was greeted by bright sunlight, no wounds and the smell of ocean water. He was home. Everything seems to be in place; the Paopu Tree was still there, the waterfall was flowing and the tree houses and shacks were in place like nothing had happen two years ago. He slowly strolled along as he took in the precious memories coming back to him when looking at each spot. Looking out to the shore, he caught a glistening object in the sand.

He made haste to the object. Bending down to the ground, he made quite a discovery-it was a Keyblade. It had several different shades of silver and gray with a hilt like his own Keyblade, but the top had an E-shaped blade. And it had such power too it like its wielder is wandering about without it. He glanced around to find anyone. No one in sight until a bit towards his left he spotted a familiar shade of auburn - a sleeping Kairi. Kairi...she must have trained too in his absence to get ready for the upcoming battles. Sora started running to his best friend, pausing ahead before leaning over her face.

"Kairi, wake up you lazy bum." Sora teased. Kairi blinked her violet-blue eyes as she looked up. She went wide-eyed as she sent herself forward to only have her forehead colliding with Sora's. They both groaned and rubbed their foreheads in pain.

After the pain left, Kairi leapt at Sora into a bear hug. Sora couldn't freeze his blushing while Kairi wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt so right to be with her. Sitting next to her gave his heart a flutter.

"I missed you so much! You have no idea how long I've trained to get my mind off of you coming back or not. I see you got a new Keychain too for your Keyblade." Kairi giggled. If it wasn't Kairi's Keyblade, then who's?

"It's not yours?" Sora asked slowly. She shook her head slowly. "Oh, wait a minute. I forgot about him!" Sora looked frantically for the dark-haired teen. Kairi tilted her head in confusion.

"Who? Riku?" Kairi guessed. Sora shook his head. "Then who?"

"Someone dangerous." He cautioned. "Kairi, go home. It's not safe with this guy running around."

"I'll be fine. Let me go with you, Sora." To Sora, her determination set her aside from all the other girls and her pouts were cute.

"Sorry, but no. I don't know anything about him, but he spills this deadly aura."

"We'll both have each others' backs when we'll fight."

"Kairi, I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Well I don't want you to get hurt because you had no backup."

"I can handle this myself. I almost sent King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Lea and Riku to their doom. I can't let that mistake repeat twice!"

"Then you'll let yourself be captured by the Organization?" Sora was fuming at Kairi's attempts to get him to bring her. He couldn't let anyone be near him after what occurred four months ago. A dangerous black glow swarmed his right hand and the Keyblade.

"BACK OFF, KAIRI!" He couldn't format what he said and done to Kairi. Darkness shot out from the Keyblade and smacked Kairi ten feet away from Sora. 'What have I done?'

"Fine, I'll stay... I'll stay away from YOU!" Kairi ran off to the dock and into her boat before Sora could reach for her. He fell where she fell, feeling disgust and terror building up in him.

"Sometimes, it's better for everyone to fear you than be loved." The stranger appeared as the Play Island shifted back into The World That Never Was. "You can strike more fear into anyone who would want to try to stomp you. It even pushes away the people you love the most for their own safety."

"W-who are you and what do you want from me?" Sora questioned while shaking from the scene.

"Someone from the dark. Just call me Vanitas. Let me ask you something, Sora." He walked up to Sora slowly and delivered a hard punch to the left cheek. Sora slumped to the ground to only be scratched in the face with the found Keyblade. "What's better? To be feared, or to be loved?" He walked away into a Corridor of Darkness before Sora could give him his answer.

"I don't know anymore."

Kairi awoke with a scream and a thin sheet of sweat on her face. She got up and smoothed her nightgown. Kairi walked to her window, looking out at one particular star in general to ask:

"Sora, what's happening?"