Darkness made sound, and it almost drowned out everything else as it surrounded him. Clouds of black and violet erupted from him like smoke, and he let the energy run it's course through his body.
"Hey!" Sora's voice was calling out over the roaring plumes. "Hey! Tell me your name!" He called, putting his hands around his mouth. "What's your real name!?"
'My name? Ha. Just like that one scene.'
"Do you remember your true name?"
He let his head fall back to stare up at the night sky, refusing to answer his question. He knew what it was. He just didn't want to hear it from him.
Why was this happening? Why did his brain have to put him through this torture one last time before he managed o get back, fix everything, and start anew? Was this divine punishment? The result of spirits mocking him with the pains he'd have to face over and over again?
It really, really pissed him off.
Sora edged closer. The dream eaters were shaking and barking out in distaste, seemingly to be in some kind of pain as they hobbled about. He'd never seen this much darkness from a single person before- Riku had never shown his transformation in front of him. So Sora reached out to grab not-Riku's wrist through the darkness- and then flinched back, tongue clicking from the burn the plumes gave him. This wasn't just energy, but an attack as well. "I can help you! Just tell me what's wrong!"
"You can't help me." He finally said. "The longer I spend with you, the worse it will get."
"What?"
'Wake up,' he told himself, squeezing and trying to will his eyes open, like he had done dozens of times to escape his nightmares. 'Don't try to tell me this is real! Don't tell me I'm trapped in here!'
The dream eaters screeched. The pricklemane and toximander shuddered as plumes of darkness began to emerge from them. Sora gasped and rushed to them, dropping in front. "What's wrong? Did you get hit?" But the dream eaters, that were once friendly and cheery, barked at him, snapping at him to get away. Their eyes turned red, the darkness covering more of their bodies as they convulsed. Sora turned to not-Riku, screaming over the roar. "The darkness is getting to them! You have to stop, or they'll be taken too!"
Not-Riku looked over with annoyance through his anger, watching the dream eaters with a sort of distant interest. So he was a danger to them. Of course he was. 'Stay away.' 'You're bad.' 'You're-'.
Rolly assumed battle position, hackles raised at the turning in front of him. Sora tried to hold his hands between the dream eaters, but it was clear they were starting to now see each other as enemies. Looking at not-Riku, the boy was slightly crouched, hands jerking as he shook his head, like he was trying to do something. Realizing he was too far gone in his darkness, Sora summoned his keyblade to aid him. It was a long shot, but he might be able to use it to draw out his light and cut through the darkness to get to his heart.
But when not-Riku glanced over at the sound and light, he didn't see Sora trying to find a way to help him. He just saw Sora drawing his keyblade, standing protectively in front of the dream eaters.
'He's… he's drawing his keyblade? Against me?'
And through his anger came a sort of disbelieving horror. He had thought he had come to terms with the fact that if Sora were real, they would never actually be friends. Personality-wise he was an introvert, his "fun" being activities that were mostly solitary. He wasn't fun, he couldn't hold a conversation about normal things, he didn't like most games with people, or anything. He spent most of his time alone in his room. While they might be nice enough to each other, the real Sora would find him boring.
And realistically, if Sora were "real", he'd be out saving the world, fighting heartless- erm, monsters? Demons? Whatever "evil" creature existed in the real world- and wouldn't even meet him. He'd never know he even existed. He thought that was the worst thing he'd have to come to accept.
But he was dead, dead wrong.
'Of course he is,' he thought idly. 'He has to think of the good of everyone. Even if...'
He couldn't even finish the thought. Sora pointed his keyblade, beginning to power it up, but not-Riku was already gone, vanished in red fractals and a computerized bleep. Sora jumped.
"Wait, come back!" He called, dashing to the spot, and looking around, but seeing no one. "Where'd you go?! HEY!" He called out. But the plaza was empty, and no one except the dream eaters slowly shaking off the darkness answered.
'That face,' he mused as he looked at his weapon. 'I didn't even get the chance to try to save him. The second he saw the keyblade it was like his whole world shattered. Why did he look at me like that?'
He didn't know. All he knew was that that face of pure, raw devastation was going to haunt him until he could find him again.