Chapter 1: The Gazing Eye

In the midst of the rising falls, among the floating pavement and orbs of water, there laid a silver-haired boy. He wore a yellow shirt that was black in the back, with two black straps crossing over his chest in an x-shape. He wore blue wading pants, and blue and white shoes with black soles. His hands were covered by black gloves that were matched with black wristbands.

The boy grunted in pain as the world seemed to blur into existence around him. His head spun as he rose to his feet, lurching forwards as he tried and failed to find his footing. He quickly glanced at the area around him and, when he realized that he was alone, panicked.

"Sora!" he called out, "Kairi!" No response save for the rising water of the inverted waterfalls. "Well isn't this just wonderful?" he commented as he crossed his arms, "I go through the trouble of opening that door so we can all leave together, and then those two manage to get lost!" He sighed. "Sora was right there in front of me, I had summoned a portal for Kairi, how hard could it have possibly been?"

"You would be surprised, child," a woman's voice echoed, "The darkness can obscure even the most straightforward of roads."

"Huh?" the boy's head whipped around as he turned to face the speaker. The woman's appearance wasn't exactly pleasant or welcoming. She was covered from head to toe in dark black and purple robes, only her pale face and hands visible, and her head was covered with a black-horned headdress. She carried a staff with a green orb at the tip. Her golden eyes were offset by the violet make-up on her eyelids. "Who are you?" The the corners of the strange woman's red lips pointed upwards in a smile.

"My name is Maleficent," the woman answered, "I sensed a dark portal on my castle's grounds, and had to investigate."

"Castle?" the boy questioned, "What's that supposed to be?" Maleficent merely gestured to a strange structure in the distance, and the boy's breath was taken away. The structure was far larger than any that could have possibly existed on the small islands, it's stone and metal spires reached into the clouds, the violet citadel towering over the ruins that surrounded it. Sure, the strange, heart-shaped insignia didn't look all that inviting, but that didn't make it any less exciting. "Just how big is this island?" Maleficent merely chuckled.

"That would be Hollow Bastion, though last I checked there aren't any bodies of water large enough for any islands on this world," she answered.

"So I've really made it to another world?" the boy asked, his own concerns briefly forgotten.

"Indeed you have, as the darkness guided you here," Maleficent replied, "Now child, what is your name?"

"I'm Riku," the boy answered, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to look around this place to find my friends." Riku walked past Maleficent, then paused when he finally realized he was on a floating platform above a pool of water.

"I'm afraid you won't find much," Maleficent warned, "Myself and my allies are the only inhabitants of this world, and I did not sense any other corridors of darkness opening here when you arrived." Riku turned to face her.

"Doesn't matter, I found my way here, I'll find my way to my friends no problem," he replied.

"Using the powers of darkness? To an unknown location?" Maleficent questioned, "It was sheer luck that brought you here, leaving now would be foolish, especially when you're standing in the presence of one of the most powerful people in all the worlds." Riku was taken aback.

"What are you implying?" he asked. Maleficent grinned.

Maleficent and Riku sat on a table near what looked like a fireplace, Maleficent sipping a cup of tea and Riku holding a cup of chocolate.

"Okay, this is nice and everything, but what do you want?" Riku asked. Maleficent grinned as she waved her scepter, and a green-tinted image of a blond-haired girl in a blue dress with a white apron materialized on the table.

"My sources indicate that this girl was spirited away to a world known as Wonderland after her own world was consumed by the darkness," Maleficent began, "Bring this girl to me, and I will use my magic to reunite you with one of your friends."

"Only one?" Riku asked.

"I am a busy woman, and tracking spells across entire worlds can take time," Maleficent explained as she dissipated the image, "Of course, I might have more time to search for your friends if you were to assist me." Riku stared at his feet.

Okay, so she'll only bring me to one of my friends, so she'll probably ask another favor if I want her to find both Sora and Kairi, he thought, But, can I really trust her? At that moment, two images flashed through his mind. One was of a bruised Sora, holding a broken wooden sword, trying to fend off some kind of creature. The other was of Kairi, hugging her legs to herself, on an island barely bigger than her, half-starved and alone. He couldn't take any chances.

"Okay, you have a deal," Riku answered as he sat down his mug, "Now how do I get to this other world?" Maleficent grinned.

"Just take my hand, and I shall handle the rest," she answered as she held out her hand. The cup of tea and mug of hot chocolate vanished. Riku reached for her hand, paused inches away, before accepting her hand in his own. Maleficent swept her scepter over the table, causing to to slide across the room, before green flames shot out of the ground beneath their feet, and both were spirited away to a distant world.

As the green washed away, Riku's eyes were forced to adjust to the darker environment. As soon as he could see, he glanced around the room. It seemed to be maroon in color, with walls that stretched up too far for him to see the roof, and a small, twisting corridor leading to a large door.

"All of my attempts to obtain the girl have failed," Maleficent explained, pulling Riku out of his thoughts, "And seeing as the Heartless are closing in on this world's heart, I am running out of time to locate her."

"So I take it that's where I come in?" Riku asked.

"Correct," Maleficent answered, "I need you to locate the girl and bring her here so that I may bring her back to my world, and away from this mad realm."

"Anything I should know about?" Riku asked.

"This world runs on madness, do not expect to be able to solve any situation logically," Maleficent started, "Disregarding that, there are still the Heartless, which will not hesitate to steal away your heart if they get the chance." Riku pulled out his wooden sword.

"Something tells me this toy isn't going to cut it," he remarked. Maleficent grinned.

"Ah, but we can easily fix that," she started as she spun her right hand around the green orb at the tip of her staff, "By drawing forth a weapon from the depths of your very heart." Riku dropped the toy sword as a green glow enveloped his body. He held out his right hand, feeling power surging within him, and dark wisps deposited a sword into Riku's hand. The blade resembled a red, violet, and blue devil wing; a blue, cat-like eye rested in the hilt; and the handle itself resembled a braid.

Soul Eater.

"What's this?" Riku asked while Maleficent scowled.

"I know for certain that I sensed-" the frown vanished from her face when she realized Riku had spoken, "Oh, that is a weapon of extraordinary power, that draws its strength from the deepest reaches of your heart."

"My heart?"

"Yes, it shall grow stronger as you do, and will destroy any Heartless that dares to strike you," Maleficent continued, "Now off with you, we shall meet again once you have brought the girl back to this room." She struck the ground with her staff and vanished in a surge of green flames. Riku held his sword up to the light to get a better look at it.

"Why do I feel like I'm being watched?" he asked as the he noticed that the eye didn't seem to be made of glass or crystal, "Well, I'd better get to work." And with that, Riku's journey had begun.

a/n: So yeah, I figured I'd post the other completed chapter while working on Beach Pines. Chronologically speaking, the entirety of the first Traverse Town visit happened during this chapter. And so we kick off the Wonderland Arc. Don't worry, I'm following the tradition of "two-to-three chapters per Disney World" unless something big happens. Anyway, at the moment this is going to be my take on what Riku was up to whenever we didn't see him in kh1. And before you ask, yes, there is going to be an appropriate level of angst, but this won't all be doom and gloom. As for the T-rating... You'll see why next chapter.