Author's Note: Hey! Forevermagik13 again. Flightfoot asked where this takes place in the "All the Pieces Lie Where They Fell" universe. My answer to this question is sometime after what I have written. I have it generally plotted out, but it's not on paper (computer screen/Word Document) yet. Basically, Vexen is back just like most of the rest of what was once the Organization. However, he doesn't WANT to work for/work with Xehanort anymore but he's forced to. Therefore, he has a lot of motives to be in an alternate universe-besides just seeing how his Riku turned out. That's the short version with all the pertinent information. (Plus, Vexen himself rambles off some more backstory.) I promise I will write up to (and through) that point in "Pieces" soon enough. Summer is coming!
Okay, I am totally going to stop rambling now. I wrote this chapter. More to come soon.
"But you're DEAD!" Riku said, twitching.
"Ah, but I'm not anymore," Vexen responded. Riku was about to give a snarky comment, but Vexen continued before he had the chance. "Obviously, neither are you. I was wondering where all of my replicas had gotten off to, seeing as they've now scattered to the four winds. And with Xigbar killing half a dozen, it's a wonder I have any Originals left. Which is part of the reason as to why I had to start up an entirely new Replica Program at Hollow Bastion…"
As Vexen was rambling, Joseph looked over at Riku and whispered, "He's either rambling or taking notes. And I didn't think anyone could out-talk me!"
"I'm honestly… not surprised," Riku responded.
"So you know him?" Joseph asked.
Riku nodded with a frown. "I was," he began. "One of his… projects."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Joseph whispered.
"It was," Riku said quietly.
Vexen was still rambling on about a couple of his current Replicas; assumedly, one of them was Pi.
Noting the 'I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it' look that Riku now had on his face, Joseph decided (smartly) to change the subject.
"Sheesh he can talk," he mused.
"Yes," Riku said, drawing out the word. When Vexen paused to take a breath, Riku stopped him.
"So, how did you get here?" Riku asked.
"By dark corridor of course!" Vexen responded. "Our universe and this universe are connected by something we like to call the 'Edd interference'."
Riku had stopped listening after the words "our universe."
"Our universe?" he asked, almost laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. "I don't belong there anymore. I live here. I belong here. I may have originated there, but it's not my home. This is my home. It has been for a while now."
Vexen crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought I programmed you better."
Riku frowned. "Oh, you probably did. But then you let Namine rewrite my heart, you traitor."
Ignoring the part where Riku called him a traitor, Vexen said, "Oh right… I forgot that I let Marluxia meddle with you."
Joseph, having actually remained quiet for longer than a sixty-second period of time, spoke up for the first time. "Wait, what does Namine have to do with this?"
Not really wanting to let Vexen know that a Namine existed in this universe, Riku hastily said, "Nothing."
However, Vexen had turned to Joseph. "What would you know of a Namine?"
Joseph gulped. The glare that Riku was giving him was worse than any condescending look 29 gave him. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
"I'll just be going now…" Joseph began, starting to take off.
However, before he could run anywhere, Riku grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Joseph was still scrambling to get away, but Riku held him there without any extra effort.
"You got me into this mess!" Riku seethed.
"And how do you expect me to get you out?" Joseph whined.
Vexen was getting rather irritated. "What does Namine have to do with any of this?" he asked.
"Namine is a replica created from Riku's memories!" Joseph blurted out. "Master Vexen created her as part of Marluxia's plan to overthrow the Organization. She was supposed to be the bait that lured Riku in… and she was gonna be the leverage to keep him working for them… Except, it didn't work out too well…"
"There has yet, to be invented, a way to kill you, that is painful enough," Riku muttered in Joseph's ear. Joseph actually wasn't too fazed. He got death threats all the time.
Vexen had actually pulled out his notebook and started scribbling away notes again.
"Really?" he asked. "And how did this Replicated Namine turn out?"