So it begins! Hope everyone enjoys reading as much as I enjoy writing it!
I know there are a few parts that may seem a little vague, but fear not! All will be explained in time. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I...don't...own Riku...or Kingdom Hearts... -_-
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"DiZ, why don't you have him help?" A calm voice echoed around the gardens of the run-down mansion. Both the cloaked man and young silver haired boy looked around.
"Of course. Should have known they wouldn't have made it all the way here without your assistance." The cloaked figure, known as DiZ said as he tried to find the source.
"He wants to help his friend, just as you need him revived. Your end goal is ultimately the same." The voice said, in a very logical, lazy tone. "I will have one of my apprentices return to the mansion."
"Don't decide things on your own, witch." Diz grumbled and turned back to face the teen. He seemed to barely be standing.
"You should have him rest. Riku was in Castle Oblivion longer than Sora. It's a miracle his mind wasn't completely shattered." The calm voice said. Riku was indeed conscious but he didn't seem able to completely comprehend what was going on anymore. The poor boy had been awake since entering the castle, which was in fact many days ago. He had fought and ran over nearly every inch of the basements and lower levels of the castle, all while enduring having his mind and heart torn between light and dark and facing the Seeker of Darkness. DiZ sighed and shook his head in exasperation. A laugh came from the voice, echoing from the skies.
"Rest today. You all need it. For tomorrow, your real trials will begin."
DiZ glanced up at the sky and narrowed his eye. After a moment, he sighed, nodded and walked towards the boy. As he wrapped an arm around the boy to guide him into the mansion a small portal opened in the shadows, and a hooded figure stepped through. It watched as the two made their way into the building, a few moments later the infamous King Mickey came running through the garden and followed after them.
"I still have many things coming in for you to do…But please, do what you can to help them. That boy has a long way to go, and Sora must be revived." The voice from earlier spoke, but it was softer, quieter, so only the hooded being could here. The petite person smiled and looked on with curious, bright hazel eyes.
"Of course, Witch Thera."
Riku groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His mind felt like molasses as he tried to remember where he was. He winced when the bright warm light of the sun began to rise over the windowsill and past the curtain, blinding him. A sharp pain passed through his head and he let out another groan, rolling onto his side away from the bright.
Slowly, he began piecing together what he could. There was a castle…a King was there…a goofy, smiling boy he felt he should know very, very well… He was fighting…who was it again? He rubbed at his eyes in frustration at how spotty his memory was. He vaguely recalled a girl with blonde hair and a sad familiar smile.
"Awake already? That's some resolve you must have." A light amused voice broke through his thoughts and he turned back to the open window, where the voice came from. A girl looking to be around his age was leaning against the window sill, watching him with a smile on her lips. Her eyes were shielded by an amethyst hood.
His eyes widened when a black hooded figure took her place for an instant. He sat up straight in shock, as he stared at the figure he felt memories begin flooding back to him. "Sora!" he threw back the covers and tried to stand, only to fall back onto the bed when his legs refused to support him.
"You shouldn't be getting up yet. It's only been a few hours since you arrived." The girl's voice broke through his panic and he turned back around with a glare. The black cloaked figure was gone now and only the girl remained, still leaning on the sill with a smile. "You really should just lay back down."
"Yeah right, like that's going to happen." He said and tried to stand again. He heard a giggle behind him but didn't bother turning around again.
"If you insist on getting up… you should at least put on some clothes." Riku blinked a few times and looked down, discovering he only had his boxers on. He felt his eye twitch and his face heat up when he heard more giggles and quickly looked around the room. His now clean clothes were folded neatly atop the nightstand by his bed. He glared at the innocent garments before grabbing his pants and shoving them on. He barely managed to keep his balance when he stood to pull them up over his hips.
"You could've said something sooner." He said and weakly shrugged into his vest.
"How was I to know you were going to try and get up? Normal people who've gone through what you have wouldn't be stupid enough to get up yet." She replied with that same light tone of voice. That carefree attitude that seemed so similar to a certain spikey haired idiot was starting to tick him off a little. He narrowed his bleary eyes on the stubborn straps on his vest. After fumbling with them for another moment he just gave up.
He winced and stood, determined not to fall this time. And he succeeded…sort of. He leaned heavily on the night table before moving towards the door.
"You really shouldn't be doing that…"
"Don't care." He responded without missing a beat. His hands gripped the wall as he slowly got to the door. With his back to her, he missed her grin soften into a small hopeful smile and her turning to look at the window.
"It's finally dawn..." A soft breeze blew against his back and rustled his hair. He paused when he noted the scent of magic and slowly turned to glance over his shoulder. The curtains swayed with the breeze, but there was no one there. The mysterious girl was gone.
'Was she really there to begin with?' After the events at the Castle and how spotty his memory was, he still felt as though his mind were unraveling. His legs shook and he groaned as pain shot from his left side where he knew a dark bruise was growing bigger all the way down his leg. 'Damnit …Sora…Kairi….' He had work to do, otherwise he'd never get to see them again…
He took a deep breath and continued out of the room, intent on finding answers.
Riku sighed, closing his eyes as Mickey fretted around him. He hadn't been counting on this. While the character DiZ sat in a large chair on the other side of the table Mickey was running in and out of the library, bringing him any potions he could find in the crumbling building. Riku leaned his head on one of his hands and submitted himself to the attention while DiZ filled him in on why he was so banged up.
Holograms were set out on the large table, showing an image of the girl responsible for his and Sora's state, as well as all those connected through Sora. It showed images of creatures he was all too familiar with as well as ones never seen before- nobodies. He felt like he was getting a crash course in recent events. His memories from the time he spent in the castle were falling back into place with each new thing DiZ mentioned. As they did, he couldn't believe he had such difficulty remembering.
He tapped the closest one that showed a black hooded figure absent-mindedly. The exact same cloak that was draped over the back of his chair, and that Mickey was currently wearing. Speaking of which…
Mickey nudged at him when he brought a potion back to make sure he was paying attention. Perhaps he was better off just sleeping a little longer. There was a knock on the library's door and DiZ finally stopped talking.
"It seems my last guest has arrived." He stood and slowly walked around the table towards the door.
"Someone else is coming?" Riku asked and looked to Mickey, who looked up at him just as confused and shrugged. They both turned back to the door just as DiZ opened it.
"Thank you for coming. I appreciate any help the Witch can offer." He said and stood to the side.
"Thank you for having me."
Riku's eyes widened and he tried to stand up, forgetting that his legs currently refused to work and almost fell over. He hissed and leaned against the table as Mickey turned to look at him with a worried frown.
"Riku! Why'd ya do that? You shouldn't be movin around so much." He said while scrambling to try another healing spell. Riku didn't respond, he was staring at the figure who just passed through the door and was now looking back at him.
"You-" It was the girl that was in his room earlier. At least seeing her here now meant he wasn't going crazy…yet. Her parted lips closed and turned into a smile. She lifted a hand and pulled her hood off, allowing a cascade of auburn hair to tumble out over her shoulder. Bright, big hazel eyes met his.
"My name is Melody. It's nice to meet you." She said, ignoring his stupefied expression. "I hope we can all work well together in the future." She tilted her head to the side and smiled at the two. Her voice was as soft and light as it had been earlier, she didn't seem phased at all. Somehow the way she spoke though made it seem practiced, as if she had said it many times before.
"It's nice to meet you Melody, I'm Mickey! And this is Riku." Mickey replied and waved to Riku. Riku glanced down at the mouse and then back up at Melody and nodded once in greeting. Melody giggled and knelt, reaching out to shake the King's hand with both of hers.
"King Mickey, what an honor!" She spoke earnestly and with slight awe. "I've heard so much about you! You're quite the busy King, aren't you?" She added with a small laugh.
Mickey rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he responded with a smile. DiZ walked back over to his chair while the two became acquainted. Riku eased back into his own chair, watching the two. She asked something about the King's travels and Mickey got quite animated about it, though Riku failed to hear what the question was. He stared intently at the girl as she listened, apparently enraptured by the mouse's words.
Absently he noticed the charm holding the mass of dark hair in its ponytail was a small multi-colored wayfinder, decorated with blue beads. The charm reminded him of days spent on a small island, in what seemed like such a small, small world. He frowned at the memory.
When he refocused on her face, Melody was looking straight at him. Her soft eyes met his sharp turquoise ones and he felt like he couldn't look away. What was up with this girl? Hanging around his room, disappearing and then reappearing here out of the blue. And her warm presence seemed to fill any empty space in the room, nearly smothering him. He stared right back at her, not wanting to be the first to back down.
Mickey was still talking and Melody closed her eyes, smiling at Riku before turning her full attention back to the small King. Riku just blinked and stared at her in confusion.
So what the hell was that?
Several hours later Riku was back in his room, sitting on his bed with a scowl firmly etched into his features. He was not happy- not in the slightest. If he didn't know any better he'd swear he had just been assigned a babysitter.
DiZ was currently in the process of having Sora and the others moved to the mansion. Namine had already made the move and was preparing things for when they finally got Sora there. Riku wasn't that great with magic, and while he was certainly more tech-savvy than Sora, he was no technician. He couldn't really help with the move. The mansion was located in a world in a seemingly forgotten corner of the vast reaches of space, heartless were few and far between. The barrier erected around the castle was more than enough to keep out what few problems arose so they didn't need him there defending the grounds.
DiZ and Mickey had concluded that the best way Riku could help would be to divert the attentions of the Organization as well as any heartless during the transition. Whether it was interfering with their plans or simply taking a chunk out of their lesser members; if it turned their eyes away from the mansion's world- Twilight Town, it should be done. This was fine with Riku. Fighting was one of the few things he was good at and if it helped his best friend, he would do anything.
Even if it meant allowing a strange tiny girl full of smiles to be his backup. That didn't mean he had to happy about it though. And they had asked her to keep him out of trouble! Right in front of him- no subtlety whatsoever! He had practically fallen out of his chair when they asked her. And then when she had answered so seriously that she would, he felt like an anvil was dropped on his head. Any protests he had fell on deaf ears after that. He felt like a three-year-old again!
He sighed and fell over on his bed. He hadn't done much in the few hours he'd been awake but he felt like he'd just run three marathons in a row. Mickey had found him many potions, but some wounds were just too deep to heal with a plain old potion. Unfortunately magic was difficult to control in this world and it was sparsely used, if at all. If he wanted a higher grade healant, he'd have to go into the town beyond the woods. That just wasn't possible for him right now. His legs wouldn't last that long.
"Yikes, you look horrible." And there was that carefree voice again.
"Thanks 'cus I feel like a barrel of rainbows." Riku grumbled sarcastically without moving. He heard Melody giggle and move towards his bed. "Aren't you supposed to knock before entering someone else's room?" He said, he felt the foot of the bed dip and could only assume she had sat down.
"Oh, is that how it works?" She asked innocently. Riku groaned- little demon girl.
"Go away." He didn't want this strange girl around anymore, she was making his head hurt. Melody furrowed her brow and frowned at his back.
"You don't really like me, do you?" She said softly. Riku rolled his eyes, not that Melody could see.
"I don't know you enough to form any opinion of you. As far as I'm concerned, you're just an acquaintance of DiZ." He said with a tone of finality and closed his eyes. He tried focusing on his breathing and slowing it down so she would think he was falling asleep.
"Oh…ok…" Melody replied, eyeing him closely. "I'll just talk to you later then…" she tried, but Riku didn't respond. She pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and moved to the door. She glanced over her shoulder once more before closing the door and leaving him to rest in peace.
"Melody! Wait up a sec!" Melody stopped and turned, looking back to see the small King running out of the front doors towards her. She smiled, though it didn't really meet her eyes as he came up to her. "Please just give Riku some time. He doesn't really warm up to others right away." Melody's eyes widened before softening as the King defended his friend. "He's had it pretty rough lately, he just…doesn't really know how to trust people anymore. But he's a good guy once you get to know him."
She knelt down so she could face him properly. "You're a really good friend to him. Thank you so much your Majesty." Her hazel eyes shown with appreciation. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She stood and turned back to the gate. She took a few steps and paused, turning to look over her shoulder. "After all, this is only the beginning!" She smiled and jogged past the gate, heading towards town with one goal in mind.
Melody hummed as she walked around the market of Twilight Town. Her hazel eyes scanned each item at the shop she was currently at. When she didn't see the particular item she was on the hunt for she thanked the owner and moved on to the next shop.
Someone at an accessory shop called out to her, trying to entice her with a necklace of some kind. Melody glanced at the pretty accessory but politely declined and continued on to another specialty shop. She stopped with the crowd as the tram came lazily around the corner. She watched herself in the trams windows as it passed.
Long, dark auburn hair was pulled into a messy ponytail that was a little to the left of her head. The wayfinder charm that she had worked on for so many years danced between the loose curling locks. Several stubborn strands fell over her shoulder and framed a heart-shaped face along with her bangs. Vibrant hazel eyes, currently with a bit more green than usual, stared back at her. Her petite frame was clad in her usual uniform with the Witch's insignia on the shirt and pouch attached to her belt. The lilac and gray colors, accented with turquoise that made up the uniform complimented her lightly tanned skin nice enough. But… even to her, she looked a little sad and worn.
The train passed and people began walking again, pulling the girl out of the self-criticizing spiral she was about to fall down.
She had honestly been really excited when she'd first been asked to partner with Riku. After years of traveling and working alone, Melody was so happy to finally have someone with her. But…it looked like her new partner would rather be going solo.
There was a small chirp from her hood as she walked up the hill to the next shop. She blinked and looked over her shoulder with a small smile. "Hey there, Valifor. Did you have a good nap?" She asked, scratching the small strange creature that climbed onto her shoulder. He was still a young wind spirit, looking mostly like a cat. However, it had red and gold feathers lining its ears and tail, and its wings were just starting to grow in, feathers lining his front legs. The creature yawned and chirped again, nuzzling her cheek as they walked and settled against her neck.
She sighed, the smile fading again. "It looks like we're still not wanted, little guy." The little creature mewed sadly before purring and nuzzling her cheek in comfort. She paused and glanced through the next shop's items, and asked the shopkeeper about the type of item she was after. A moment later she looked down and walked away. After a few steps up the hill to the next shop she groaned and rubbed her head in frustration.
"Uhhhhg! Why doesn't anyone have it!" She half yelled, causing a few people passing by to give her weird looks. "I gotta find something!"
Valifor mewed and nudged at her to get her attention. He hopped off her shoulder and stretched out his winged limbs, gliding over to a window ledge. He pawed at a poster and turned back to her, his big dark gold eyes watching her. Melody raised an eyebrow and walked over.
"What'd you find Valifor?" She asked curiously and read over the poster. Her lips turned up into a big smile and her eyes glittered with excitement. "This is it Valifor! This is what we're looking for!" A small tournament was currently being held in the sandlot, to promote some larger Fighting-Struggle something -or-other that was coming up in a few months. But that wasn't what was important. What was important was the first-place prize. Her eyes burned with determination. And no matter what, she was getting that prize.
Riku sighed and rolled over in his sleep. However he rolled onto the large, now very painful bruise on his side. His eyes snapped opened and he hissed, moving onto his back. He panted a few times as the pain slowly spread over his chest and stomach before ebbing away into a dull throb.
The room was dark now, the only light came from the waning moon shining through the thin curtains. He felt comfortable in the silent, cool space, which made him frown a little. Despite not wanting to be ruled by it anymore, it seemed he was still more comfortable in dark places than light ones. He looked away from the moon and noticed something new sitting on his nightstand.
It was a flask, the body of it about the size of an apple. A soft blue green liquid glowed while small star shaped objects floating within gave off a warm amber hue. A silver label faced forward, the elegant words interrupting the glow. Riku reached for it, wincing as his muscles protested at being stretched out so much. He let out a sigh and pulled it close to his face. His turquoise eyes squinted in the dark before widening as he read what it said.
He slowly sat up in shock and looked at it again, making sure he read it right. It was an elixir, but not just any old elixir. It was a specially crafted elixir that was mixed with a Curaga spell and brewed with star seeds, which were as rare as paopu fruits. These seeds increased the body's natural ability to heal and mental functions (which made one's magic stronger and easier to pick up). These brews were only made by the finest crafters, usually from their best ingredients. He had only heard about them once from Mickey, which was a few days ago when they were resting in the castle.
"Go ahead, Riku! Drink up!" Speak of the mouse. Riku looked up at the door where Mickey had just entered from. Riku glanced down at the bottle, then back up at his friend.
"Are you sure? This stuff is hard to come by, shouldn't you save it?" He asked, not wanting to waste such a rarity. Mickey smiled and nodded.
"We got it just for you! So be sure to drink every last drop, ok?" Mickey said reassuringly and placed his hands on the bed. Riku nodded and uncorked the flask before bringing it to his lips.
With a deep breath he tilted the flask, swallowing the warm, sweet liquid. He shivered as he felt the heat spread across his body as the concoction slowly slid down his achy throat. His body felt like it grew lighter and as the last few drops touched his tongue he could already feel the pain ebbing from his side and strength returning to his arms and legs. He let out a sigh as he felt his energy level rise.
"Thanks a lot Mickey. I know these things aren't easy to come by." Riku said. He noted some deep scratches on his right arm already stitched up and now fading away. Guess he wouldn't be stuck here as long as he thought.
"You should thank Melody, she's the one that went out to find it." He said with a glint in his eye as he saw surprise cross the teen's face.
"What? She did? How?" He asked in shock.
"Apparently there was a small tournament goin' on in town today and first prize was a free request from this world's only moogle." Riku's eyes widened and he looked down at the bottle. Even if she had won a request, it must have taken a lot of persuading to get the little moogle to part with star seeds for free.
His grip tightened on the bottle. He thought back to how cold he'd been to her that afternoon and winced. Riku wasn't normally that mean to people, aside from when he became possessed by the darkness. His eyes drooped a little. "Why would she do this?"
Mickey looked at him for a long moment before turning his gaze to the door. He appeared to be thinking over what to say.
"I think it's just part of who she is. I've seen her once before, and heard about her through my old master, but today was the first time we met face to face." He started. "She seems like the type of person that helps people in need, no matter who they are or how they treat her. But I guess you don't get to be an apprentice to the Celestial Witch for being anything less." Riku looked at Mickey with confusion.
"Celestial Witch?"
Mickey looked a little distant. "The Witch that watches over the passages between worlds, time and space. It's actually thanks to her that we have the Gummi ships and that people in my world have learned to utilize light to keep the darkness there in check." He continued on, looking thoughtful. "It's impossible for the witch to leave her home world though. That's why she has apprentices that she sends out when people begin abusing their powers and knowledge. It's all about keeping the worlds in balance." He paused and Riku didn't know how to respond. He couldn't believe someone with so much power actually existed. "It must get lonely, goin to all those worlds by yourself."
Riku blinked and turned away from the bottle still in his hands to look over at the king. Mickey turned to look at Riku with a smile. "I think you should apologize, ok Riku?"
Riku nodded in reluctant agreement. Mickey backed up as Riku swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. There was no pain, no wincing. He could barely believe he had so much trouble that morning. His body felt so light, moving with ease.
He was, without a doubt, now indebted to this girl.
He and Mickey both looked around the entire mansion then, in search of Melody. They met back up between the base of the staircases.
"Did you find anything?" Mickey asked, jogging up to Riku. Riku shook his head and looked down in thought. That only left the garden in front and the basement, which was currently off limits.
"Why don't you go ask DiZ if he saw Melody anywhere near the basement? I'll go check in the front." Mickey nodded and ran off to find the mansion's master while Riku turned towards the front doors. He ever so gently pushed on one of the doors that looked like they could fall off at the slightest gust of wind.
The front gardens at one time must have been quite beautiful. Remnants of statues lined the path to the large gate, which was currently shut tight. The paths were overgrown by moss, and ivy climbed the walls, twisting around branches and broken bits of marble and brick. From the path, he glanced between the statues and bushes until he finally saw a purple clad person leaning over the arm of a bench underneath one of the only trees within the walls.
"Jeez, are you really this hopeless?" He said, shaking his head as he walked up to her. Melody had her arms crossed on the arm of the bench, pillowing her head. Some stray strands of dark auburn hair fell across her neck and face. He caught site of something red on her cheek and leaned down. He cautiously swept the wavy strands from her face to see what it was.
A thin scratch starting under her left eye ran down over cheek, ending just below her lip. In the pale light of the moon he could also see some dirt on her forehead and chin. Now he felt a little worse. He knew without having to ask that she received those injuries from acquiring that elixir for him. Riku stared at her peaceful form for a moment before sighing.
'Please, don't wake up.' he thought, not wanting to think about what she may do if she did now. Riku moved an arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. After making sure her head was leaning on his shoulder he picked her up, vaguely surprised at how easy it was. They were about the same height, so he had been expecting her to weigh more, but his arms and back didn't feel strained at all. Maybe that also had something to do with that elixir…
He maneuvered back through the bushes to the broken path and headed up to the mansion. After hearing the resounding thud of the doors closing behind him, Riku paused. A thought came to mind as he looked at the double staircase. 'Where's her room again?'
Melody yawned and stretched, rolling onto her back as she did. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling as her brain tried to recall where she was. She could have sworn she had been sitting on a bench in the garden, enjoying the twilight sky turning more dusk as night approached. Melody slowly sat up and squinted to look around the dark room. This looked like that silver-haired boy's room. She froze and looked around closer with wide, nervous eyes until she spotted said boy.
Riku was sitting on the floor just to the right of the window, leaning against the wall. His head was leaning forward, chin resting against his chest which slowly rose and fell in slumber. She couldn't help smiling a little. So, he really was a nice guy- just a little awkward and socially inept.
The light from the moon glinted off some glass, catching her eye. A familiar empty bottle was sitting on the floor next to him. She was happy to see it was empty this time. She looked back up at the teen, and noted a few goosebumps on his arms. She grabbed the blanket she had been curled up under and quietly stood.
"No wonder you were so banged up." She mumbled and knelt, laying the blanket over his legs. "You need to take better care of yourself…" Just as she was pulling it over his shoulder a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Melody let out a yelp in shock. Riku mumbled something under his breath and raised his head, looking at her with sharp eyes.
"Sorry," Melody whispered as they stared each other down. "I didn't mean to startle you…" Riku stared at her, seeming confused by her presence. "Uhm…Could you let go?" She asked meekly and flexed her fingers a few times. The movement drew his attention and looked down. He seemed surprised as he dropped her hand and rubbed at his eyes.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"You…uhm…Looked cold?" Melody said as though she were asking. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at the blanket.
"Oh…Thanks." Melody stood and immediately backed up. He raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior. Riku stretched out his arms and rubbed his sore neck, choosing not to comment.
"Oh, sure. You're welcome." She said and smiled.
"For this too." Riku added. Melody turned in confusion to see what he was talking about. He was holding up the empty elixir flask and glancing away from her. She giggled when his face began to turn a little pink.
"I'm glad it helped. Although, I don't think it'll have much effect on a stiff neck." She said, noting he rubbed it again.
"It's alright." He said and stood. He glanced at her only briefly before looking out the window. "I'm still grateful…for...the elixir." He awkwardly stumbled over the words, determined not to look at her as he did. Melody beamed, her eyes glowing at how cute he was being.
"I'm guessing you're the one that brought me inside?" She asked, linking her arms behind her back. Riku's eyes drooped a little and he nodded, getting redder. "Thank you. Guess I owe you one now." Riku's eyes snapped open and he turned to look at her as if she were crazy. "I'm sorry I was teasing you yesterday. I should have considered how you were feeling."
She stepped a little closer and held out her right hand. "From now on, let's do our best together, ok?" Riku stared at her outstretched hand and then back up at its owner. Melody kept smiling, hoping she was coming across as reassuring. After what felt like hours, a smirk worked its way over Riku's face. He raised his hand and grasped hers firmly.
He hadn't really apologized. She hadn't explained what her purpose was for following him. They hardly knew anything about one another. But they were going to need each other on this journey. And that's all either of them needed right now.
"They're just children, your Majesty. Do you really have so much faith in them?" The tall man said from the desk in the library. Mickey looked out the large window for a few long moments.
Down below, he could see Melody pulling RIku along as he shrugged on his black coat. She had a playful pout on her lips as she said something to him. Riku shook her off his arm so he could zip up the cloak and responded. His eyes were as calm and cool as ever, but he seemed a little… uneasy, even from here. Mickey tried not to laugh out right; Poor Riku was certainly going to have his hands full with that one.
"I do. They're both pretty stubborn, I don't think they'll accept failure." Mickey responded with confidence. He turned from the window to face DiZ. "Besides Riku already told you, didn't he? What path he'll take?" DiZ rolled his eyes and turned to the papers on his desk.
"That boy has too much darkness in him now. He will fall before he succeeds." DiZ replied with no hesitation.
"It will be hard… But not impossible. He's accepted where he stands now." Mickey said in thought and turned towards the window, where the sun was creeping up to the horizon. "He's chosen. I have no doubt that someday, he'll reach the dawn."