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A NIGHTMARE OR AN OMINOUS FUTURE?
(KH:Bonds of Blood)(The entire gang except for Sari.))

Raphael was back in his home world in Twilight Town. Him and the gang had just arrived. They all scattered about to explore the area themselves. Raph went off on his own while the others left in pairs. He wanted to take a stroll down memory lane for awhile. Besides exploring, they all wanted to find the darkness in the world, destroy it, and find Sari.

Raph had his hands in his pockets, walking down an empty street. He sat down on a pair of steps infront of a house. Later he realized that it was his house. "Didn't think it was still here." He lifted up the door mat and found a key, "Right where it always was." The boy didn't waste anytime opening the door and entering the house. The interior was dusty, dark, dirty, and some parts were destroyed or charred. "Just like I left it..." He marched upstairs, heading for his room. Upon arrival he immediately started searching for something. "Not here...not under here...not in there...where is it..AH HA! FOUND IT!" After turning over broken pieces of wood, opening a closet, looking under a bed, and knocking over a lamp he had found what he was looking for in box beneath a table. He took out a photo album, looking at all the pictures; tears were streaming down his cheeks as he witnessed pictures of his friends and family who were all killed by the darkness.

There was a sudden creaking noise. Raphael looked up and saw his chandalier creaking. "Wha...OOF!" It fell on his head and knocked him uncontious. When he woke up, he was outside. There was something different about him, but he didn't know what. The young keyblade wielder began running along some buildings, he had found something or someone. He had tracked down Liri and Kouro. They were talking underneath a light pole. Raph watched them carefully, crawling along the front of a building like a lion stalking its prey. "Why am I doing this?" he said in his head. He couldn't control himself. He wanted to...kill them both and steal their hearts...but why?

The turned Raphael sensed two more and dashed off into an ally. He had caught the signals of Grace and Haruka. They were at a diner having lunch. Not talking much since Grace never talked about her past, when she did it was always depressing. Haruka wasn't in the mood for that, so they just talked about somethings during their journey together. Something slithered under their table, snuck up to their chests, tightened, and pulled them out of the diner. They were shocked and struggled to get free. Raphael merely laughed at them as his now snake like claws wrapped around their arms and hands so they couldn't attack. The free thumb claws pointed themselves at their chests, towards their heart region. "RAPHAEL! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? WHAT DID WE DO!? STOP IT PLEASE! I THOUGHT WE WERE CLOSE!" cried out Grace as tears poured down her soft cheeks. Haruka merely glared at Raphael and yelled at him, "I KNEW YOU WEREN'T ANY GOOD! ALWAYS FLIRTING WITH THE GIRLS AND NEVER PICKING ONE AND NEVER THERE WHEN WE NEEDED YOU! YOU HAD SOMETHING DARK ABOUT YOU AND I WAS RIGHT! I SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU OFF WHEN YOU FIRST SNAPPED AT ME!" Raph just shrugged before piercing right through their chests. Their hearts were attached to the thumb claws and absorbed. A look of shock and horror was on their faces, their eyes then lost their life and closed. The turned one then flung their bodies into an ally by a dumpster. "Why can't I stop? I can't resist! I shouldn't be doing this! They are my friends! So why is this happening!?" he thought. "Because you are the darkness that covers this world, idiot!" responded a dark voice in his head. Did he just...talk to himself? What was wrong with him?

Raphael leaped up onto a high building and looked around for the last two...Shoden and Kip. They were busy training on the roof of a wide building. Their weapons clashed and clanged against eachother as they fought. "Which one to kill first? They are both good choices...maybe Shoden? Yes, he will be first..." hissed the dark voice that came from Raph's mouth. He leaped up into the dark sky and divebombed for Shoden. When Kip was pushed back by Shoden's attack he noticed Raph coming down at them. But he looked more like a heartless at the moment due to the darkened sky. "SHODEN! ABOVE YOU!" Shoden looked up and brought up his sword quickly to parry Raph's slashing groping claws. He pushed him off. Raph landed on his feet with ease. "I don't know who you are, but you just made a big...Raph? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WHY ARE YOU DRESSED LIKE...AH!" Shoden was blasted back by a dark energy ball. His sword went flying over the edge of the building. Before Shoden could get up, Raph was glaring down at him.

Raphael walked towards them slowly, his keyblade disappeared from his right hand. He cracked the joints in his hands by making them into fists. He then released his grip when he was finished. Kouro and Shoden stood up shakily and pulled out two ultima cards. They were going to obliterate Raphael. "DEATH AWAITS YOU!" he roared. "No...stop! Don't kill them! They are my friends. Stop! Don't kill them like you killed my old friends and family!" shouted Raph in his head at the dark one. "Too bad little boy!" it responded. Raphael raised his hands and began to laugh like a maniac. The clouds parted into a circle as he looked back at Shoden and Kip. "GRAVITY CRUSH!" A dark ball of great pressure assended down on them. They screamed as their bones and organs began to flatten...then..."SPHIRCHLCRICKLSHLICK!" They were turned into bloody pulps of bone and flesh and blood. "HAHAHAHAHA...WHAHAHAHAHA..." he laughed as their hearts flew into him, "I GOT THEM NOW TO GET THE REST OF THIS WORLD! HEHEHEEHEHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"NO!" shouted Raph as he sat up. He looked around, his clothes clung to him by cold sweat. He rubbed his forehead before getting up on his feet from his bed. He was back in his hotel room in Twilight Town. There was a knock on the door, "Come in..." The door opened and his friends stepped inside. "Will you shut up, Raph! We're trying to sleep!" grumbled Haruka.
"Yeah Really! I need my beauty rest you neandrithal!" added Liri. They were all dressed in their sleeping attire.
"Sorry everyone, I was having a bad dream."
"A bad dream..Look if you want some bad dreams, come visit my head. I'll show you some bad dreams!" yelled Grace before she and the two other girls left.
"Don't worry about Raph. Just go back to sleep...and wear a muzzle please," said Kouro calmly before following the girls. Shoden and Kip gave him angry looks then left, closing Raph's door.
"Yes...a dream...just a dream...I hope..." he mumbled before laying back down and turning on his side. Raphael's eyes slowly closed and he drifted off just as quick. Behind him was his closet that doubled as a mirror. In the reflection it showed him huddled in his bed, the blankets off since he felt hot. But it really wasn't him in a way. If one would look closer...you'd see a creature sleeping. A creature with a dark heart, red;tough skin, and sharp claws that could just rend your flesh like a diamond edged knife through tissue paper. Was this just a dream, or foreshadowing of the future?

THE DAY OF THE ENCOUNTER...*Bonds Of Blood*

There were only a few left now, two boys and four girls. The others had either died or were taken away. All the worlds they had visited had been conquered. All of their memories had awakened once again, the good ones and the most painful ones. The last task left was to conquer the castle...Castle Oblivion. The group of kids cut down heartless left and right. The Neo-Heartless were relentless in their hunt for their hearts as they raced through rooms and up stairs. They would destroy the order even if it were to be the last things they'd ever do, for the universe...for their fallen comrades. It had to be done or mayhem would rule and precious lives would stay lost in vane.

They all entered a large room and saw a set of stairs leading up to the next. Not wasting anytime, they all began running towards it. There was a burst of lightning suddenly infront of them. They backed up to see who made the attack. As the cloud of dust and rock cleared, Larxene stood in the blasts wake.
"You can't go up there now. You have to play with me first, babies."

One of the girls stepped infront of them, "Everyone go on ahead. I'll take care of her." It was Sari that spoke those words. She brought up a sharp dagger and her deck. Everyone nodded and ran past them heading for the staircase except for a red haired kid.
"You better not die. I will never forgive you...hmhm...PRINCESS!" yelled Raphael at the end before running of towards the stairs. She glared at him in an angry stare.
"I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT WHEN I'M DONE WITH HER!" She had some motivation to live now.

Kouro and Liri gave her quick hugs before dashing through the door. Raph walked over to her. "I'll be seeing you again. I promise you that. This will all end and we'll all be back together. Everyone." As he spoke a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Yes...now go...GO NOW!" she shouted. He grasped her shoulder then ran off after his remaining two friends.

The next room was just a long bit. Kouro stepped forward, strung and arrow with a long rope attached, and shot it towards the ceiling. It pierced through. "Okay, hold on to me as I swing us across," said Kouro before both Liri and Raph latched onto him. He kicked off the ground and swung to the ledge. The arrow gave way and they all let go to grab onto the ledge. Kouro pulled himself up first and helped Liri and Raph get on as well. There was no time for a break despite the princess being tired. "I'm out of breath...but I'll be fine. Let's just get this over with so I can finally get out of this horrid castle."

"Right, we have no time to lose," agreed Raph before the three pressed to the next hallway. It was long with a marble, checkered floor. Crome plants hung down from ledges and pots. Their footsteps made loud clattering noises as they ran down the corridor. Raph pushed open the doors to reveil a twisted, black room. Spikes jutted out from walls. Lit torches were the only source of light. They walked up a long black carpet before stopped to see Zaki fase into existence. "It's my turn to play now. Once I take care of you three, I'll go help MY AXEL. I'm sure he's doing fine against that hussy Haruka. But I will get down there nevertheless just to see for myself."

It was just Raph and Kouro now. They were almost to the top. "They better make it, we should all leave this place together. We have to."

"Yes...I know. I also wish to be with Liri. If she does I don't know what I will do," mutter Kouro as they approached a spiralling staircase.

"Don't think like that now. If you doubt then we're both death," replied Raphael as they began ascending up the stairs. Barrel Spider heartless began tumbling down the stairs at them. On impact they would explode. They had to duck every now and then and blow some up with a spell care or two.

The roll under a barrel spider to reach the next room. They got onto their feet and proceeded through room. They noticed that they were walking on a clear, flat surface. Electricity bolted from the bottom. Some struck the four electrodes that made a square formation around the platform. There was even a cloudy storm about them with lightning flashes and thunder cracks.

Two lightning bolts struck down infront of them. From the ground came two young girls "I'm Cali!"
"And I'm Kaori!" They said before summoning forth their magic powers. "AND WE'RE HERE TO KILL YOU AND STEAL YOUR HEARTS!" they said in unisen.

"Great, we get the doublemint twins," sighed Raphael as he brought up his keyblade.

He walked up some stairs until he ran into a room. Everything was dark. The only light visible was the light that shown down on a circular, concrete battle arena. He walked to the center and began hearing some insane laughter. He looked all around but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. "Where the...? Huh...Wait! IT'S COMING FROM MY...AAAAAHHHAAAAAAA!!!" he screamed as he held his head in pain. Dark flashes burst out of his body. He held his head as he fell to this knees. Raphael let go of his head, leaned back, and roared in pain before a dark explosion burst out of him.

When it all cleared, Raph was on the ground. He stood up slowly, wobbling a bit. "Wha...? Huh? What's happened?"

"I'm free from you! That's what happened!" shouted a dark, manical voice. Raphael looked ahead of him to see...Himself. No, his dark, heartless self. "That can't be! How could this happen?"

"Easy. With so much darkness around, I gathered it all up and finally freed myself from your pitiful body. Now I can cause all the chaos I want...Right after I kill you. But you'd like a name wouldn't you? I guess you can call me Rocza."

"I don't care what the hell your name is. I'll be the one to kill you. I'll be the one to conquer myself!" shouted Raph. He reached for his keyblade, but it was gone. Rocza held it in his right hand. It transformed into a dark, sharp, twisted, spiked keyblade.

"Looks like I broke or tore something? Your lungs? Your liver? Pancreas? Please tell me. I'm want to know where to hit you next so you die more painfully you pathetic dork of a weakling!" taunted Rocza as he began moving towards Raphael. Raph gritted his teeth before running forward and slashing at Rocza's chest with Sari's dagger. Rocza caught his wrist and held him up off of his feet. Rocza's keyblade morphed into his right hand, creating a dangerous looking claw. "Having fun yet?" he asked before slapping Raph across his face, "Answer me when I'm talking to you worm! Answer quickly since you're always to eager to rush into a fight despite the dangers. You'd do it even if it jeopradized your life or a friend's life. What can you prove from that? How stupid you are? How stupidly brave you are? Worthless!" Rocza let go of Raphael just then but used his right claw to power punch him in the chest. Raph rolled across the ground before laying down on his back. He coughed a little more blood up. It hit his face and trailed down his cheeks. The boy was about to get up but couldn't. A sharp pain was on his chest. So much pressure. It was hard for him to breathe.

Rocza had his right foot on his chest, pressing down with only a portion of his might. "You were never strong to begin with. All your power came from me. You were just a vessel to contain me. What Larxene failed to tell you was that you were always a dark child. Always causing trouble and mischief. You would hit everyone and want them dead. Well more like I did. You weren't there yet. After having enough of it our parents decided to create you. Put a light side in our body, put you into our body so is to supress me. After that you took over. Loveable, gentle, fun, kind, everything they wanted. It made me sick. So one day I decided to try and get out. I succeeded. So I killed our parents, our friends, everyone close to us. Then I erased parts of your memory just to toy with you. That old b***h didn't have the heart to tell you everything. When you went to Halloween Town, those were just portions I decided to let you have back. Just enough to make you keep going to make me stronger. The more heartless you killed and anger you had, the stronger I got. I strong enough to make my own body. And since I'm out there is no longer a purpose for you to go on. How does this make you feel, Raphael? Sorry, I gave you that name. They always called you Rocza, but that belonged to me. So when I erased your memory, I gave you a name. You never had a name to begin with."

The entire time Rocza was explaining himself, Raphael had tears streaming down his cheeks. He finally knew it all. He was nothing, nobody, a tool. He had no power, no real life. He was just solidified magic. How could he beat Rocza if he had no real power? His deck was even at Rocza's side. The only thing he had was Sari's dagger. "I...I...Hate you! I HATE YOUR GUTS! You toyed with me for so long just to get what you want. You turned me into a LIE! If I could I would kill you right NOW!" he said angrily as he raised his right hand and was about sink the dagger's blade into Rocza's left leg, but he stomped on the wrist and made Raphael drop it.