A/N: And now we're back in Sora, Kairi, and Riku's point of view. Sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chapter, but this needs to be taken care of.
Also, remember that the Sora in this is not my headcanon, or any canon for that matter, Sora. I don't think he's this much of an idiot.
Special thanks to Xelac for help with the parody, as usual.
Oh, and thanks for all of the reviews so far! It means a lot!
The World That Never Was. Riku really didn't want to be here. Awful, awful memories that he didn't want to remember played in his head: mostly when he had to turn into Ansem to defeat Roxas. One of the most painful experiences of his life, but it was over. Sora had saved Roxas and Xion, the people he'd had to hurt, and he was rid of Ansem. He didn't have to think about it.
"Whatever it is has to be here!" Sora said confidently.
"Sora, we don't even know if this is connected to the Organization yet," Riku said, staring up at the huge skyscraper, which brought back more memories of his fight with Roxas. On a difficulty scale of one to ten, that battle was ranked eleven. Where was that anti-Nobody or whatever he was now, anyway? Hopefully back with his friends somewhere better than here.
"But you saw a Dancer Nobody, right?" Sora asked.
"I think so, but I'm not positive."
Everything except Memory's Skyscraper was in ruins. The other buildings had been cut in half or were in the process of crumbling, and the streets had giant cracks running through them.
All kinds of Nobodies were also running through the streets in a state of utter panic. At a table that sat outside the shattered window of what used to be a restaurant, a cloaked man sat sipping a cup of tea.
"Looking for something?" Sora, Kairi, and Riku turned at the British-sounding voice. Of course, none of them had ever heard of Britain or ever been to Earth at all, but they could recognize the accent.
"Hey!" Kairi shouted angrily. "I know you! You fought Sora and wouldn't let the rest of us help!"
The man chuckles and threw back his hood. "So I did. I suppose by now formalities are in order. My name is Luxord."
Riku thought he was rather gentlemanly for a villain, especially when he held out a black-gloved hand for him to shake. He awkwardly accepted the gesture.
"I'm Riku, and that's Sora and Kairi." He pointed to the other two, who were staring at him.
"Riku, he's in Organization XIII!" Sora said. "You don't just shake hands with bad guys!"
"Organization XIII? No, that is no more." Luxord waved a hand at all the ruined buildings. "What was once our realm is now a dilapidated ruin. What I once thought was a noble order searching for our lost purpose was only a petty scheme for power. The lesser Nobodies see this and have gone mad without their masters. Only Axel's Assassins and my Gamblers have remained calm, as well as Demyx's Dancers, for some reason."
"Dancers? I think that was the kind of Nobody I saw on the island," Riku said. "Who is Demyx?"
"Sora should know, he was the one to take his piece." Luxord sipped from his black teacup, ignoring a Berserker that chopped down a light post, nearly crushing him but landing just barely behind his chair.
"Take his piece?" Kairi asked. "Oh. You mean kill him." Way to be blunt about it, Riku thought.
"Sora did do a lot of that." Riku turned to his friend who still looked angry about talking to Luxord. "What Organization member would control Dancers?"
"I killed an annoying one once," Sora huffed, arms folded. "The wimp kept shouting 'dance water dance!'" He said this in a mocking tone, "and summoning some stupid water clones."
"Like those?" Luxord pointed to a group of them as they started to rock out on their water instruments.
"Let me at 'em!" Kairi yelled, jumping forward and summoning her keyblade, but Riku held her back with one arm.
"Wait, let's see what we're up against first. It doesn't look like they've noticed us yet."
Eight Dancers gathered around the water clones in a circle and began to, well, dance. The other Nobodies stopped running all over the place and smashing stuff, pouring in from all over the city to investigate the music. Soon the space in front of Memory's Skyscraper was filled with dancing Nobodies. It was quite an interesting sight to see.
"It seems Demyx's pawns have started something," Luxord said, not very surprised.
"Well we're gonna finish whatever it is!" Sora yelled. "Right, Kairi? Kairi?"
"YAAAHHHH!" She had already broken away from Riku and charged at the Nobodies.
When did she become the impulsive one? Riku wondered, rushing to get her back. There were way too many Nobodies for anyone to take on alone, except maybe in the way Axel had before he had died. The way that had caused him to die, more importantly.
"You can't run into a battle like that," he said. "You'd be killed in seconds." Kairi just pouted, crossing her arms and muttering about how she never got to do anything fun.
More water clones appeared, melting into the crowd as the clones playing the music increased the volume, blasting the melody of "This is Halloween". The Dancers began to make some weird noise that sounded like hissing and screeching.
"What's going on now?" Riku asked.
"They are singing in the language of the lesser Nobodies," Luxord explained. "I shall translate for you."
…
"Dusks and Dragoons, all Nobodies, hear our song, we'll ever say 'please!' Join with us we'll have some fun, spreading music to everyone," the Dancers sang in one loud chorus while they danced around in front of the skyscraper.
"We are Nobodies!" They chanted, and the other Nobodies echoed.
"We'll be unstoppable together!" The Dancers cheered.
"We are Nobodies! We are Nobodies!"
The Creepers chimed in, "We'll be strong, like we were not so long ago." Their form of dancing looked rather like spastic flailing and stomping around, which was probably all they could manage with their awkward limbs. Though, there were a few Creepers that seemed to be breakdancing remarkably well.
The Dusks flew into the air and sang, "It's our world, all Nobodies sing!"
"This our song of Nobodies!"
The dancers took lead of the song again, leaping on top of the sturdy Berserker Nobodies. "We are the ones who will build Kingdom Hearts!"
"Wait how will music help our ultimate goal?" The other Nobodies asked in reply as the Berserkers shook the Dancers off. A few were unfortunate enough to be bashed into extra-nonexistence. The other Dancers regrouped and danced in front of the crowd again.
"We can make a keybearer do our bidding, killing Heartless and being forced to sing!"
"We are Nobodies! We are Nobodies!"
"Nobodies, Nobodies, Nobodies, Nobodies!"
"In this world, we call home!" The Dusks sang in what sounded like a falsetto to Luxord.
"We'll band together and sing our song!" All the Nobodies cheered together, apparently excited at the idea.
The Sorcerers floated above the others. "In this world, no more chaos now."
Creepers jumped about and accidently smacked the Gamblers with their feet-hands. "All Nobodies wait for our new leader!"
"Coming quickly the new and better lord, he won't go and sacrifice you for nothing!" The Dancers boomed over the noise of the other Nobodies.
"We are Nobodies!"
Dragoons took to the air and amused the others with their acrobatics. "Fly around,"
"Shoot at things!" The Snipers stole the spotlight by shooting out what windows remained in the nearby skyscrapers.
"We're all unique, and that's just fine!" The Dancers chanted, "Sing it once, sing it twice,"
"Take a chance and roll the dice!" The Gamblers chimed in, tossing their dice into the air.
"We'll raise our moon back into the night!"
"All Nobodies dance, all Nobodies sing!" Louder and louder the song grew, with the Dancers singing loudest of all.
"We are all Nobodies!"
"We are superior to the Heartless!" The Dusks tried to look important.
"We survived the blackest darkness!" The Creepers just tried to not look like the lowest of underlings.
Together they cheered, none of the classes of Nobodies mocking the others.
"We are united with one purpose!"
"But Axel's our master, he's been good to us," the Assassins sang, unsure where their loyalties should lie. Axel himself had changed loyalties so many times that they couldn't keep up.
"He doesn't need your help, don't put up a fuss!"
"We are Nobodies! We are Nobodies!"
"Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies!"
The chant was overpowering; the Dancers backed the Assassins up against Memory's Skyscraper.
"Skeptic traitors everywhere, you get to choose but we dare, you to come make history, with your fellow Nobodies!"
The Assassins backed down. "Fine we'll come, we want our hearts too."
"All Nobodies cheer, let us dance and sing! Lord Demyx will lead us through all the worlds, and dance through the night, make us whole and great again!"
"We are Nobodies!"
"All Nobodies sing!" The Dusks again tried to take the spotlight by flying around, but the Dancers were gesturing to the front doors of the skyscraper.
"Won't you please make way for your awesome overlord?"
Demyx appeared out of a dark corridor, wearing an Organization coat modified to have a black cape attached to it. That wasn't the oddest thing, though – he was standing on a platform held up by four Dancers.
"Lord Demyx is King of Water Clones, everyone hail, he'll be our king now, too!"
Demyx high-fived and waved at the Nobodies that were now swarming him and chanting even louder.
"We are Nobodies! We are Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies! Nobodies!"
"In this world, we call home, everyone hail to our Lord Demyx," the Creepers sang quietly in the moment before all the Nobodies together burst out in a booming chorus.
"Dance! Dance! Dance, water dance! Dance! Dance! Dance, water dance! Dance! Dance, water dance, water dance, whee!"
Demyx fist-pumped the air and did a weird version of the full-length Caramelldansen, after which the Nobodies cheered.
…
"So my Gamblers have become turncoats as well." Luxord sighed. "Pitiful."
"Well, uh, now we know what's going on," Riku said, still watching Demyx and the other Nobodies dance. "Kind of, anyway."
"Whatever! I'm gonna kill that guy!" Sora yelled, cutting through Dusks and Creepers before Riku could stop him. Demyx stopped dancing in shock while the Dancers carrying the platform relaxed a little, not having to try as hard to support him.
"That's the keybearer who killed me! Get him, minions!" He said in what was probably supposed to be an evil voice. Not seeming offended by the phrasing, Dancers and every other kind of Nobody swarmed Sora and drowned him in a writhing blob of non-existent arms, legs, and tentacles. Mary Nobodies were lost in the skirmish, but when the mass cleared Sora was bound with a tendril, squirming on the ground.
"SORA!" Kairi screamed, struggling against Riku's firm grip, but he held on. It was a miracle he'd held on to one of his friends and that Demyx hadn't heard her outburst. He was too busy gloating over an easy victory.
"There's nothing we can do! If he'd just think for once before charging into things…" He trailed off, thinking furiously if there was any way to stage a rescue, but he couldn't come up with a solution.
"We have to do something!" Kairi pleaded.
"I know! But I'm not going to get us kidnapped, too!" Riku yelled.
"It seems we have a dilemma," Luxord said, sounding amused as the Dancers threw Sora into a dark corridor, heedless of Kairi's cries.
"We? You're going to help us?" Riku asked.
"Have I not already helped you?"
"Come on, they're leaving!" Demyx and all the Nobodies disappeared without a trace, Kairi breaking loose and running into the middle of the street a moment too late. "He's gone…" She muttered. Before, it had always been the other way around. It hurt so much to know how Sora must've felt.
"He's only doing what any Nobody would do, with a bit of Demyx flair," Luxord said, taking a sip of tea.
"Our best friend just got kidnapped, and you're going to justify him?" Riku asked with less pain in his voice than he felt. Sora could take care of himself, he told himself. He'd bragged about saving the universe so many times Riku thought he'd punch his friend in the face if he boasted one more time, but every time there'd been someone there to help him. "You're a Nobody too, aren't you? Why are you even talking to us?"
"I am no longer a Nobody, but I understand how they 'feel.' And why not speak with you? Do you not want my help in finding your friend?" If Luxord had a heart, then why didn't Demyx? He assumed all the other previously-dead Nobodies did now. At least, he knew Luxord did, and Aqua had said that Axel had one, too.
"YES!" Kairi nearly tackled him, clutching at the end of his coat. Luxord just stared at her in confusion. "We want your help! Please!
"Err… yes, I shall help you. Somewhat," Luxord said. "Because I have control over time, I have knowledge that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. But also because of this, I had to sign a contract with Tetsuya Nomura and the authoress of this fanfiction- I apologize for the injury, That One Guy."
Is this guy crazy? Riku wondered, looking around for 'That One Guy.' To his surprise someone randomly appeared, hit Luxord with a brick that bounced off of his head harmlessly, and disappeared again.
Riku decided to ignore it. "Contract?" He asked.
Luxord nodded. "So I won't give too much useful information. That would ruin the entire plot."
"Well that's just great," Riku muttered.
"I may still tell you what you seek, in the form of a riddle."
Riku sighed. Couldn't anything be easy?
"Tell us!" Kairi begged.
"Begging isn't very lady-like, you know," Luxord said, and Kairi huffed. "Here is the riddle: Covered by the substance Demyx enjoys, the birthplace of fangirls and fanboys, disbelieving in magic for wanting fact, anything special is what this world lacks."
Kairi sniffed, wiping away a tear. "I thought adventures were about beating stuff up, not about solving riddles and getting your friends kidnapped."
"What do you think happened on our last adventures?" Riku asked.
"Can't you make it any easier?" Kairi complained, ignoring Riku.
"It pains me enough to make it this simple, but I thought I should give you something close to your skill level."
"Thank you, Luxord," Riku said, tapping the piece of silver armor on his shoulder, a gift from Aqua. Kairi followed by hitting her pink armor piece, and they both threw their keyblades into the air. They leapt onto the gliders that flew back and were off to find their next world.
I think we're going to need some help with this, Riku thought. I think I understand the riddle, but where is the origin of fangirls?
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Surprised? Confused? Completely hate it? Review!