Now what?
What what what?
That word -that annoying word- was now the new concept that flitted through his mind, the only thing he had to try and make a name for himself as he passed by that same mailbox again. The only sound accompanying him was that of his heels as they splashed through the puddles and that of his own sigh of defeat.
He knew it wasn't that word's fault; it was just trying to help him figure out his modus operandi. Somewhere deep inside his pseudo-self, he wondered: was this the right world for him? He had yet to see one person, and the dim lights and golden brown houses and night sky was making it difficult for him to see. He inwardly cursed the white halls of his previous home; if only it was like the darkness that had darted around the corner, then his eyes could adjust…
wait
wait
Darkness? But… that thing was shaped like a person…
He gave chase. "There's no way it could be him…"
Woe is the little replica emo.
X
It was a rather odd scene that played out before him. He expected many a thing when he turned that corner, but… this was definitely not one of them.
There, sitting on the edge of a small brick roof was a girl and a boy. Normally, this would have been a good thing for him to see, but the fact that the boy was the very likelihood of one of his original's friends dipped in swirling darkness that should have been long since gone did not help much. And the girl… it was like she was his lovely memory angel and her redheaded other combined into one.
The girl blinked. "…Riku?"
He snapped back. "Uhh… no, not really." He looked her over again. "…Namine?"
She shook her head. "Not really her, either. Or Kairi, for that matter."
He pointed to the darkness behind her. "And I take it that's not Sora?"
The Heartless' golden eyes slanted at the outer edges, showing it was sad, and let something like a whimper out as it grabbed the girl's shoulders. "Nope. I call him Aros." To that, the darkness' eyes closed, making golden slits of happiness on its face, hugging her from behind. She laughed. "He's a very huggy person."
The fake nodded. "…I can see that."
She smiled, crossing her legs. "So, we have an Evil Shadow, a Heartless Princess That Shouldn't Be… what's your story?"
The replica crossed his arms and huffed. "Clone."
The girl's mouth turned into an 'o'. "Ohhh…"
"Yeah…"
The girl, having made up her mind about something, cleared her throat and stood up, brushing off her green clothes. The fake thought about it; did either of her others ever wear green? It seemed such a color would only work for her…
"Hey, you there, buddy?"
He blinked for a moment, seeing a black hand being waved in front of his face. He smiled to the dark creature and nodded, whose eyes creased up in mutual feeling. The girl continued.
"Well, right now there's nobody in Traverse Town 'cept us, since the worlds are all back to normal…" She smiled at him. "You wanna come with us?"
The replica's eyes widened. "R …Really?"
"Yes, really, silly! Oh, but…" she brought a finger to her lips. "…Do you have a name?"
The copy looked away. "Er… no."
She nodded, seemingly expecting the answer. She started to circle him, looking him over, before finally palming her fist with a smile. "Luke."
"Huh?"
"Luke." She repeated, hands triumphantly on her hips. "That's your name from now on."
For a moment, the world was spinning. He… he had a name? Yes, he did… he was his own person now, with his own life… and a band of misfits like him to help him every step of the way.
And then he smiled.
"I like that."
She grabbed his hand, and the copy felt a warmth within him he hadn't known existed. At once, the Heartless was at her side.
She looked to the sky. "Let's go home, guys."
And as the no-longer-replica smiled, doing his best to catch up with his new racing friends, he played that word over and over in his mind.
Home.
Home home home.
It felt good to be home