Chapter 6: Mental Torture
Riku summoned a shadowy portal to the World That Never Was, arriving in the dark streets of the dark city. "Now, where are you, Xehanort?" Riku said with a noticable amount of distaste and distain in his voice. "Come out, and don't be a coward!" he yelled the last part, but the only noice that greeted him was the echo of his own voice, haunting him and taunting him with it's mocking reverance. Riku ground his teeth together, and stared around the area, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. Riku waited for a moment more, at least for some heartless or nobodies to appear, but, after nothing at all happened, he tried to summon a portal to the inside of the Nobody's Castle, possibly for the chance to confront Xemnas, if no one else. But, to Riku's dismay, he found that he couldn't summon a portal at all.
"So now I suppose that you'll try and make a ultimate entrance and all, right?" Riku said as he sense a figure behind him.
"No, of course not, dear boy." Xehanort's voice was even more mocking than Riku's own echo.
Riku turned to face the heartless. "Where is she?"
Xehanort grinned a sly and evil grin, the one which Riku hated above all else. "Where is who? I don't know what you're talking about, Riku..."
"Don't say my name! You're not worth it to use my name in that sort of humiliation." Riku grimaced in anger. "Now tell me where Kairi is!"
Xehanort crossed his arms, his gloved hands in fists. "Oh, that Kairi. Where is she? She is safe, for now, at least. But you still have one more world to scavange. The heartless and the nobodies have taken care of the rest of the worlds, and their inhabitants.
"Take me to her. You said that I could see her!" Riku was near attacking Xehanort, but he was worried that if he did, Xehanort, Xemnas, the heartless, or the nobodies would harm Kairi in some way. "Now keep your vow, and take me to her." Riku said, slightly calmer this time.
Xehanort's ammused expression faded to one of irritation, to Riku's satisfaction. "Fine, then. Follow me." Xehanort began walking in the castle's direction, and Riku followed. "As you've most likely noticed at this point, you cannot summon dark portals." said Xehanort as they were walking, Xehanort in the lead, and Riku following closely, cautiously, and attentively behind.
"Yes, actually. I have noticed that." Riku stared down at his own hand that was in a black Organization robe. Oh, how he hated that robe, that symbol of darkness and possession. How he would love to give it all up and return to Destiny Islands with his friends. Riku remembered that time, seemingly so very long ago, the time when he himself had suggested riding out on a raft and visiting distant worlds...but that had all changed now. If he could just return to the island safely, he promised himself that he wouldn't ever again think thoughts like that, or wish that he could be somewhere else, somewhere more meaningful. But, it was too late for that. He had wished it, and his wish had come true. And this granted wish, his lifelong dream, had become a nightmare above all others.
Riku was pulled out of his thoughts as Xehanort laughed his evil laugh. "That is because we cannot have you running out on us, and going somewhere where you're not supposed to go. Don't you realize, Riku? Before, when I first told you of my plans, you easily could have gone to somewhere like Hollow Bastion, Traverse, or Twilight town, and you could have gotton help. But, you were foolish enough to dismiss those thoughts as futile plots and ignore them for what they really could have been - loopholes, and escape routes. But now, it's too late, and Xemnas and I have caused your portals to become useless right now, but I will change that so you may go to the last world that you shall reap, but no other. After that, you may go back to your islands with Kairi, and Sora. That is, at least, if Sora does not interfere."
"He knows..." Riku mumbled.
"Of course, I know, Riku. I know everything..." Xehanort said with a grin. Riku thought he had spoken quietly enough so that none but he would have been able to hear, but of course Xehanort had heard. For he hears everything.
Riku looked at the ground. I could have escaped! Why didn't I think of that? It was obvious, and in clear view....maybe this blindfold is really couding my vision, causing me to not see things, or feel them...causing me to turn to the darkness more and more...
"Causing you to become a heartless." Xehanort had even heard Riku's thoughts, and he must have noticed Riku's shocked expression, because he added with obvious glee, "You belong to me, Riku. You are slowly but surely becoming a heartless, and once you do, I will have complete power over you and you will be my slave of darkness."
Riku drew his weapons. "I will never belong to you! My heart is too strong for me to become a heartless."
Xehanort just kept walking, and didn't pay any attention to the ready-to-attack Riku or his drawn weapons. "No heart is too strong to succumb to the seductive power of the darkness. No one can resist past the point of no return...and you are no acception, Riku. If nothing, you are even more a better target than others, like, for say, your so-called friend Sora.
Riku heistated his attack, but not for any reason that he knew of. "So-called?" he said, trying not to pay attention to his hesitation. "Sora is my friend, there is no 'so-called' about it!"
Xehanort seemed to not notice Riku's rebellious pose, but instead said, "You see how you hesitated? You are already falling under my control. Once you turn fully into a heartless, you shall be known as nothing more than the Bounty Hunter."
Riku's knuckles cracked while he tried hard to attack, but was refused by his body to succumb to the action. "Wh-what do you mean?" he said, grunting a little with the effort, but then continued walking behind Xehanort.
"You know good and well what I mean. You fell into this little trap of mine, and you will fufill your stupidity with a lifelong and eternal sentance to servitude. Nothing more I ask of you, and nothing less. Actually, I ask nothing of you. I'm telling you." Xehanort laughed again in his seemingly un-questioned triumph, but Riku spat in his direction.
"You won't ever control me." he said with absolute and unmatched hatred.
"We'll see about that..." Xehanort whispered.
"Yes, we will." Riku whispered in a lower tone. "Yes...we will........"