Thank you to my lovely reviewers: Jupiter-Lightning, Shidou, Pantharya, Endings Matter Most, Legendary Chimera, and, er, KattJealous, LOL. You guys are the greatest. :D This is really different from my usual stuff, so the feedback is greatly appreciated! Without further ado:

Chapter 2: Zexion

Zexion stared placidly at the chore wheel tacked up outside his kitchen's door. Vexen was gone, and now Lexaeus, too, which meant the chores would have to be redistributed again, this time entirely to Zexion himself. He supposed that communication could be crossed out since he had no one left to communicate with, but he really disliked scrubbing toilets, and besides, all of the patrolling wouldn't leave much time for cooking or cleaning or washing dishes. In any case, after this fiasco, the Superior would most likely never let anyone live at Castle Oblivion ever again. Seemed like a shame to waste such a nice chore wheel, though, and it had taken him more than two hours to make it. But maybe in hindsight, instead of 'Greet People Properly,' this month's goal should have been 'Don't Get Killed'? Oh, but Vexen got so upset about the younger Nobodies ignoring him.

With a sigh, Zexion nibbled his bottom lip and thumbed his chin, both silly unconscious habits that had carried over from Somebody to Nobody. He needed to decide what to do next. What would Ienzo have done? Ienzo was kind of a dumb kid, but at least he always knew what to do in a crisis. Or at the very least, the best way to get back at someone. Yes, by now Ienzo would have concocted a devious plan to get revenge on Marluxia in the most painful way imaginable. Unfortunately, the spark that made him him had fallen by the wayside somewhere in the transformation process, and all that was left was a hollow shell, Zexion, gazing at his fallen comrades' names and wondering vaguely if he should be feeling more sad. Ienzo would have been sad. Maybe he should say a few words?

"I'm sorry this happened," he said blandly. No emotion at all. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I mean, I'm really sorry. You were good partners- you shouldn't have faded away like that." Zexion still wasn't feeling sad, but there was more conviction in his voice than before. "Don't worry, I'll go pee in Marluxia's flower bed for you." The stupid chore wheel had more emotion than he did. He'd meant those last words, though, in spirit if not literally. Number 11 had it coming. Zexion was all set to make him believe he was a pretty prancing pony for the rest of his unnatural not-life, but then, Marluxia would probably like that, so, back to the drawing board. Besides, there was the problem of Sora.

Marluxia had turned the Keyblade master much too easily, but Zexion could tell that something upstairs was unsettled. Larxene was gone along with Vexen and Lexaeus. As far as he could tell, Marluxia was still up there, and he had no idea what Axel was doing. All he knew was that as long as Marluxia was alive, he'd be trying to use Sora to take over the Organization. He was the type to have about a million meticulous fallback plans for literally any scenario, so he wasn't going to give up easily. But he needed to be stopped. That was certain. And Zexion alone couldn't stand up to Marluxia and Sora, let alone Axel, the wildcard. He was going to need help. And he knew exactly where to find it.

If Marluxia got a Keyblade bearer, then Zexion was just going to have to get one of his own.

Preparations wouldn't be necessary- he just needed to meet up with Riku wherever he was in the castle's basement. If he couldn't get him to succumb to the darkness, he would kill him and figure out something else. Simple as that. Zexion delicately sniffed the air to find where Riku was, waved open a portal, and walked inside.

Stepping into someone else's memories was always a jarring experience. Zexion appeared on an island, with white sand and crystal clear water. Tall palm trees, along with a few other types of tree he'd never seen before, swished easily to and fro in the gentle breeze, and the sun beat down, enough to feel good but not enough to be stifling. The place was, in a word, paradise. This was Riku's home? Then why had he been so desperate to leave? Emotions were truly fickle little beasts.

"Riku!" The shout came from a smaller island, at the end of a bridge. Zexion teleported up immediately- that was where his target would be waiting. Sure enough, Riku was there, enthralled by the illusions from his memories, a younger version of the Keyblade master and a girl that Zexion took to be Naminé's Other, both shouting for him to come over. Riku ran towards them eagerly, his face betraying his excitement at being reunited with his best friends. And Zexion was about to take them away. He supposed he should be feeling guilty, or possibly ashamed, but he couldn't feel anything at all. Ienzo would never have done this. But then, Ienzo was dead.

"You won't be able to see anyone," he shouted easily from a seat he'd chosen up in a tree. Riku stopped running and searched frantically for the source of the sound, using his eyes instead of his ears, like a true amateur. "Actually… I should say you're not qualified to see anyone. You don't deserve to see your friends."

"Who are you?" Riku shouted, still unable to see him. "Are you one of them?" Hard to believe that such a small boy had managed to kill Lexaeus. Zexion smiled coldly and hopped to the ground. He could smell Riku's fear and uncertainty- this egg would be easy to crack.

"Take a look inside, at your true self," he whispered. "You hated being an islander, cut off from other worlds. So you opened the Door, and you destroyed the islands. You destroyed them. And now, you belong to the darkness." As he spoke, Zexion bent down and picked up a good-sized stick. Close enough to a Keyblade, and he worked better with props. When he opened his mouth again, Sora's voice rang out.

"We lost our islands because of you!" he shouted, brandishing the stick to point directly at Riku's heart. Riku gasped at the illusion and stumbled backwards.

"Sora! Wait, I-"

"You're just a pawn of the darkness," Zexion snarled. Poor Riku looked like he was about to break down in tears, but there was no stopping now. He swung the Key-stick high above his head. "It's time to face the light!"

Riku screamed and fell to his knees, completely imprisoned by Zexion's illusion. Nothing was actually hurting him, of course, but it was only a matter of time before the darkness inside reacted to the light in his imagination. He believed he was dying, so he'd use any means to save himself. At least, that was the idea. If it failed, Zexion would just kill him with his lexicon while he was stunned. Really, it was a win-win situation. Zexion preferred to have the odds stacked in his favor.

But if Riku succumbed to the darkness, what then? Zexion wasn't entirely sure how it would work. From what he knew, before, Riku had never lost his heart- it hadn't been necessary. Maleficent had simply preyed on his insecurities and played him like a fiddle, all the way up until the Superior's Heartless had taken Riku as a host and turned on her. Finally, Riku's heart and body had been reunited inside Kingdom Hearts. Such a thing was completely unheard of. Yes, this Riku was quite the enigma. But Zexion's main question was, after Riku opened himself to the darkness, would he be dealing with Riku himself, the Superior's Heartless, or some combination thereof? He supposed he'd never know until it actually happened, so he pressed harder on the illusion in Riku's mind.

Riku writhed on the ground, consumed by the light in his imagination. Zexion considered him carefully, completely unmoved by the boy's shrieks of pain. He was young- too young to be a hero. Probably about Ienzo's age. Little Ienzo had begun working for Ansem the Wise at the tender age of 13, and then allowed his heart to be taken away when he was only 15. Nobodies were of course ageless, but biologically speaking, Zexion was the youngest member of the Organization, or had been, anyway, before Number 13 showed up and stole his thunder.

"The darkness," Riku whispered, finally. Zexion leaned down to hear him better- he needed to know what the kid was thinking. "The darkness… is not my enemy."

"That's right, Riku," said Zexion quietly. "Recognize the position you're in." Come on, accept the darkness. Come help me fight Sora and Marluxia.

"My enemy is not darkness," Riku repeated, limbs relaxing as he slowly came to. That meant the darkness was winning. Only a little longer, now. With a sudden burst of dark energy, Riku's clothes changed from his island attire to the uniform of the Heartless he'd worn while working for Maleficent. Zexion didn't really understand the spandex-and-skirt look, but hey, if Riku would help him, he could wear whatever he wanted. Hopefully the change of clothes was symbolic of what was happening inside his heart. The same had happened to Ienzo, once, when he became Zexion, and awakened with his trademark Organization coat.

"That's right. You're one of us." Riku slowly opened a single blue-green eye, and stared up at him from his position on the ground.

Before Zexion could react, Riku summoned his Keyblade and lunged, giving Zexion barely a moment to call his lexicon and block. Riku's Souleater was strong enough to actually slice the cover. If the boy were at full strength, Zexion would almost certainly be dead. He dodged a second blow by teleporting- the blade swished easily through a cloud of darkness, knocking Riku off balance. Zexion reappeared back on top of the tree from before. Riku decided to back off his assault, instead glaring up at him. He was panting and noticeably exhausted- evidently, he had still not recovered fully from Zexion's illusion.

"Who are you?" he asked flatly. Not having spoken with Riku that much, Zexion wasn't sure if this was normal Riku or darkness-infused Riku. He still had the upper hand in the situation, damaged lexicon notwithstanding, so he figured he'd assume the best. Even if it were still normal Riku, the boy wasn't stupid, and maybe now that he'd been somewhat incapacitated he'd be more open to Zexion's offer.

"My name is Zexion. Your power can help our Organization," he answered succinctly.

"Why should I?" Well, that was a question he hadn't prepared an answer to. So, he went with the standard villain response.

"We have something you want."

"And what is that, exactly?" Riku was standing up a little straighter, now. He was recovering much too quickly. Zexion racked his brain. The Organization had resources and contacts on a hundred different worlds- they must have something Riku would want. What did Riku want, more than anything? Zexion remembered the look on his face when he thought he was meeting his friends. That was it!

"Your friends," he smiled. "The Keyblade bearer is in this very castle, as we speak."

"Sora?" Riku said sharply. "Sora's here?" He narrowed his eyes in thought, then shook his head. "I just saw him… but… I thought he was a dream."

"Yes, he's here, inside this castle. He's just a little… tied up at the moment. But I can take you to him." Now that he had Riku's full attention, Zexion felt comfortable enough to disband his weapon for the time being. The poor book needed some time to repair itself, after all.

"What about Kairi?" Riku lowered his own weapon as well, but didn't go so far as to let it go.

"She is safe, on your islands." Riku immediately swung his head around to look for her. Zexion's smile widened. Apparently, he'd found a weakness. Small wonder Maleficent had been able to control him so easily. "These islands aren't actually here- they are simply an image called forth by your memories. Your Kairi is safe and sound, on the real Destiny Islands. We can give you the power to protect her, as well."

"I told Sora to do that," Riku said, scowling. "Why is he here?" Apparently, he trusted Zexion enough to ask him for answers. That was a start. Zexion was doing quite well, if he did say so himself.

"Well," he began. He had to choose his words carefully. "He was travelling with his friends Goofy and Donald-" at these words, Riku ground his teeth- "searching for a way back to your islands, when he received a call for help. He dropped everything to answer it. He had no choice. He's a hero, you see. Not like us." Riku shook his head angrily.

"He was supposed to be taking care of Kairi," he muttered. "He promised." Zexion cocked his head. He could see it now, the fear and the insecurity, attacking Riku's heart, rendering it vulnerable to the darkness. Nobodies had no hearts, and thus, belonged neither in the darkness nor the light. Zexion supposed that when the time came, when he finally regained his heart, he'd have to choose. For now, it didn't concern him. He had to stop Marluxia.

"Like I said, he's in this castle, right now. You can ask him about it yourself. Shall I take you to him?" Zexion curved his lips upward into the slightest of smirks, and extended a gloved hand.

At least half of the dialogue in here is taken directly from the manga, LOL. Or at least, the fanlation of the manga that I read. Bonus points to anyone who can pick out the reference to my favoritest tv show! :D

Next chapter: Naminé