A pang stabbed him in his heart as he caught the young girl, fearing the worst. He heard the pain in her voice as she was cradled within the safety of his arms. "Who...am I? I don't know..."
Tears formed underneath his blindfold as Riku sat there, unable to answer the question. He didn't know, either. To him, she was always Xion. Though...
But, she was gone. There was no use in looking back, now. In order for Sora's sleep to end, Xion had returned to her original self. She was free of the suffering, now. She wouldn't 'feel' the pain of Sora's memories slipping to her any longer. Part of him was glad of this...but his heart still ached. DiZ had warned Riku not to grow attached to Nobodies, but how couldn't you? It had only been a few months, but the hole within his heart was still there. He'd never see her smile, see her cry. The one glance he saw of her when he lifted his blindfold at Beast's Castle had given him only questions. Why did she have the Keyblade? Was it fake?
"Who are you? Why do you have the Keyblade?"
"Why are you dressed like a member of the Organization?"
"So no one disturbs my friend's sleep... This Keyblade you have... It must be a fake!"
Jealousy. He saw that, now. Maleficent had told him that he was the true Keyblade Master, not Sora. So why? Why did Xion have it? The dark Keybearer's fist clenched as he leaned his arm against the wall, staring into blackness within his self-darkened world.
"What gives you the right to say that? You're deceiving, too!"
"You're right. Maybe I'm the one who doesn't exist."
His scent...it was still there. As was evident when he had run into the King in the woods outside the had his appearance once again, though it was still him. Riku was in control...so why was it when his eyes weren't covered that he-?
"Riku."
It wasn't until he heard her quiet voice that he realized the dry heaves coming from his chest. He turned to 'face' Naminé, noting the concern in her tone but unable to concentrate on what she said. He needed to get away for a while, clear his head. "I'm fine, Naminé. I just need some air."
And with that, he walked away, leaving the young witch to stand there helplessly, a faux expression of worry written on her face. Heh. What a laugh. As if she could feel sympathy for him... Even if she could, he didn't deserve it. Maybe there is no turning back...
Riku shook the thought from his head, remembering what the King had said to him before. He had to keep going, putting faith in the light within the darkness. He owed her that, at least.
Before he could reach the doors leading outside, he heard the sound of DiZ's voice from the top of the stair. Well, so much for going out.
"Riku. I need you to find a Roxas of Organization XIII-"
Roxas? Wasn't that one of Xion's friends...Sora's Nobody? Riku's hand clenched upon the door knob before he released it, turning to face who had become a father figure to him. "You understand the necessity of this errand?"
"Yes."
He thought so.
Well, that could have gone better.
Riku winced in pain as DiZ lifted him off the ground, carrying him through a portal back to the mansion. He had sustained several injuries in his battle with Roxas, most of which he deserved. Ribs were cracked, his left forearm shattered, several vertebrae flaring in excruciating pain. It took all he had to keep from screaming as he was placed on a medical cot. I hope... I don't have to use it.
He held back, because he couldn't fall back into that pattern. He couldn't allow himself to fall back into darkness; control no matter the cost. He owed it to himself and those he had betrayed in the past two years. "X- Xi-"
Then the silver-haired teen was in an induced sleep, having his bones mended and his injuries tended to. He wouldn't be able to use his left hand for a while...
I failed...
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord, my soul to keep.
And if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord, my soul to take.
"The power sitting in my heart. The power surpressed by my heart. If I were...to be someone else."
"You're deceiving, too!"
"The power of darkness."
Maybe I don't exist...