Lost in Memories

All that's left is darkness

Riku's POV

I groan slowly waking up finding myself floating in an empty grey void "Where am I..." I ask "Stay asleep" A voice said "Who's there?!" I asked "You should remain asleep. Here, beween light and dark" The voice said "Between....what?" I asked and I gasp and look around "The king! Where's the king?!" I asked "Together we closed the door to darkness. After that-" I said "You came drifting here by yourself" The voice said "You did not have the strength to overcome the darkness" He said "Or...maybe you were close to it" He said "Hmph. As if I'm some kind of demon" I said "Turn from the light. Shut your eyes" The voice said "Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal" He said "But...." He said and suddenly a card appeared infront of me "What's this?" I asked "It is a door to the truth" The voice said "Take it and your sleep ends, as you take the first step toward the truth" He said "But know this: the truth will bring you pain. Will you still go?" He asks "There is no return to the security of sleep" He said. I took a moment and then I grabbed the card "This seemed like a boring place to take a nap anyway" I said with a grin "That was very well said, Riku" The voice said and the card glows taking me away.

Soon I found myself inside a castle, at the lowest basement as all I have is a door infront of me and I look at the card in my hand "A door to the truth, huh..." I said and I use the card to open the door going inside.

"This is Hollow Bastion!" I said "What you see is not real. It's the world of your memory" The voice said "My memory?" I asked "The things you remember from your time at Maleficent's castle became a card, and that card made this world" The voice said "You've seen everything here before, haven't you?" He asks "Yeah..." I said "So what now? Am I going to learn something? Maybe meet someone?" I asked "You would meet the people in your memories" The voice said "Ordinarily" He said "What does that mean?" I asked but I got no reply "Hey! I'm asking you a question!" I shouted but no response "Fine" I said "But it had better be you I run across next, Voice" I said and started to run off.

Eventually I reached a room...a room I'm familiar with "Everything IS just how I remember it. Even this room..." I said "It must be nice being back in your old bedroom. Think of all the memories..." The voice said "You again. Sorry, but these memories I could do without" I said "Maleficent gave me this room" I said "So she did. And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered" The voice said "You cast away your home, your friends, everything...But at least they gave you a nice room" He said "Stop talking!" I shouted and run off.

I reached the entrance hall but nothing "No one here, either..." I said "There's nothing but heartless in this castle" I said "Voice!" I shouted "I know you're watching-so explain this!" I said "Where are the people from my memories?" I asked "Do you want to see them?" The voice asks "Of course I do" I said "But you cast them aside" The voice said "What?" I ask "You dreamt of the outside world, and you passed through the door to darkness" The voice said "Behind you, you left family, friends, home-everything-all in pursuit of darkness" He said "But I cast that aside, too!" I shouted "And what do you have to show for it?" The voice asked "First your home, then the dark. Your heart only knows how to cast away" He said "It's empty-like that room" He said "That's why you don't meet anyone" He said "Your heart is hollow-except for the residual darkness" He said "You're wrong! I reject the darkness!" I shouted "Ha ha ha...Did you really, now?" The voice asks and I run off.

Soon enough I reach the chapel and find Maleficent? "I knew you would return, Riku" Maleficent said "Maleficent! You're alive?!" I asked "You haven't been paying attention. I am but a figment of your memory" Maleficent said "Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you" I said "But of course. After all, your heart is stepped in darkness" Maleficent said "You can only see those who exist in that same darkness...." She said "No..." I said "Be grateful you have someone to keep you company. Your heart is empty" Maleficent said "Were it not for the darkness it contains, you would be completely alone" She said "That's sounding pretty good right about now" I said angry "Come, now. You once turned to me to sate your hunger for darkness" Maleficent said "You want me here. Who but I can grant you the darkness you long for?" She asks "There was a time I did want you around. I surrendered my heart to the dark" I said "But never again. You and your darkness have nothing to offer" I said walking past her "All I did was lose myself...Empty myself!" I said "I'm finished with all that" I said "If I'm stuck seeing people like you, people of the dark..." I said "I'll take you out one by one" I said summoning my keyblade "Then you musn't forget to destroy yourself last" Maleficent said "For, like me, you are one of the dark" She said "That's fine with me. I turned to darkness because my heart was weak" I said "I hate that weakness. It's like I'm my own enemy" I said "And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just makes it worse!" I said "Enough talk, Maleficent" I said "So you hate the darkness enough to fight it" Maleficent said "Oh, the agony you must feel!" She said "Then let me end your pain, Riku-end it forever..." She said "with the wondrous power of darkness!" She said transforming into a dragon and I got ready to fight.

After I defeated her I made my way out of this room and I find myself back in the castle and I could see stairs to the next floor "Why do you shun the darkness?" The voice asks "Hmph. Come on, I know you heard me-every word I said to Maleficent" I said "Darkness is your weapon. It is time you learned you must accept it" The voice said "What do you mean?" I asked "Stop resisting. Accept the darkness. You have no choice..." The voice said finally revealing itself to be Ansem "If you are to serve me again!" Ansem said "I thought it was you...Ansem" I said "Oh. You don't seem suprised" Ansem said "All you have been talking about is the darkness. I can only assume you wanna pull me back in..." I said "so you can play puppet master" I said "Clever boy" Ansem said "I knew you'd be the one to most appropriately serve me" He said And now, surrender to me again-" He said "You're crazy! Not a chance!" I said charging at me and leap for a straight but Ansem uses force to push me back "Did you really think you could do me harm?" Ansem asks "A weakling like you couldn't even defeat Sora, let alone a keyblade master like Brody-and you had darkness on your side" He said "Excuse me...for being weak..." I said sitting up "You are weak. You need darkness. Surrender" Ansem said walking towards me "Bow to darkness. Bow to me" He said "That's not gonna happen!" I said and Ansem stops "Only the darkness can offer to you all of the strenght that you will need" Ansem said "You're wrong!" Mickey said suprising me but it was only a small light projecting his voice "That voice...! Your majesty?!" I asked "That's right! Remember Riku, you're not alone" Mickey said the light going into me "Listen close. The light'll never give up on you" Mickey said "You'll always find it, even in the deepest darkness!" He said "I got it" I said standing up "I won't lose to darkness. Not today" I said "You think that feeble little light can save you from the darkness that I command?" Ansem asks and I got ready to fight.

"What, that all you got?" I asked as the fight came to a draw "It seems to me that you are intent on resisting the darkness" Ansem said "All right. Then see it for yourself" He said pulling out a card "This is a card crafted from your memory" Ansem said "Advance through the world it creates and soon, you will understand..." He said "Chasing after light is not the way. It will not give you distance from the darkness" He said "There is no running from the darkness" He said "Don't worry, I'm not running. Give it" I said "I'll enter the world and in the end, if I haven't given into the darkness....Then I win" I said and Ansem throws the card with a smirk and I grab it "I have one more gift fot you" Ansem said and closes his palm and a orb of darkness forms infront of me going inside "What'd you do?!" I asked "I simply tampered the darkness that yet remains in your heart" Ansem said "You still think that I'd rely on darkness?" I asked "To use it or not is your choice" Ansem said "I'll be waiting Riku...for you to sense it and yield to the darkness in your heart!" He said disappearing "Tch" I said.

No matter what, I will overcome the darkness.