Chapter 11: Twilight Town
A/N: Only one chapter left, and then it's on to the next story! I hope you're all looking forward to it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku, I just own Taiyouko.
Enjoy!
/
As Riku and Taiyouko were walking though the castle, they heard Ansem's voice speak out.
"Riku…Riku…."
Riku stopped walking and looked around.
"Who's there?"
Taiyouko looked around as well.
If they could hear Ansem's voice, then that meant he was near.
" I know you can feel it…"Ansem said.
"The grip that I have on your heart"
Riku grabbed his chest.
"You have let in the darkness, Riku. That means very soon your heart shall become an all consuming darkness"
Riku glared.
"I'm not like that now!" he said.
"Yes, you are"
Riku suddenly felt his body go rigid.
"Riku?" Taiyouko asked.
"What's wrong?"
Riku tried to move his body, but he found it to be impossible.
"Can't move!" he said.
Darkness started to seep from his body.
"The deeper the darkness runs inside you, the stronger I become" Ansem said.
"Controlling you is effortless"
Taiyouko panicked and whipped out her bow and arrow.
She aimed it at Riku's chest.
"Hang on, Riku. This will only hurt a sec" she said.
She was about to fire off her arrow, but King Mickey interfered at the last second.
He went into Riku's heart and released him from Ansem's control.
Ansem growled.
"Must you interfere again?"
Riku fell back to the ground while Taiyouko checked to see if he was alright.
"Phew! Sure glad I made it in time! That outta keep Ansem busy for a while"
They both looked up to see that King Mickey was before him.
However, this time he was physically here instead of just an illusion.
Riku was flabbergasted.
King Mickey walked over towards them.
"Sorry I couldn't come here sooner, you two" he said.
Riku didn't say anything as he looked at him.
"Your Majesty, is that you?" he asked.
Taiyouko was surprised as well.
She didn't expect to see him here so soon.
Riku slowly went up to him and touched his face.
Mickey chuckled.
"That tickles!" He cried.
Riku let go of his face and stepped back a bit.
He couldn't believe that the King was really here.
He chuckled slightly.
"This time, you're not an illusion" he said.
"I'm so glad that you could make it here"
He suddenly fell on his butt in sheer shock.
Taiyouko knelt next to him while King Mickey panicked.
Riku waved them off.
"I'm ok. Don't worry" he said.
"I guess I'm relieved. I've-I've been alone for so long that having people around is…is a little overwhelming"
Taiyouko just giggled as she helped him up.
She looked at the King.
"But how did you make it here?" she asked.
"I thought it was too far"
"I found a card to help me" Mickey said.
He held up a card.
"I needed a way outta the realm of darkness, and then suddenly, this card appeared right in front of me. When I picked it up, I could see Riku's heart beyond the darkness. That's what let me find you two"
He handed the card to Riku.
"I guess the card thought its place was to be with you"
Riku took the card from him.
"Maybe you're right" he said.
Taiyouko pointed towards the door.
"Then what are we waiting for?" she asked.
"If we have a card, then let's use it!"
Riku chucked at her hyperness.
She pulled then towards the door and bounced on her feet as she waited for Riku to activate the card.
When the card glowed, the doors opened to lead them to another memory based world.
/
When they made it through the door, they found themselves in Twilight Town.
Taiyouko thought it was a lovely looking town with all of the buildings together and the little shops.
But what amazed her the most was the sunset that filled the sky.
"How beautiful" she breathed.
Riku looked around the area.
He had never been to this place before in the past.
The worlds that he had been to before were worlds that he remembered.
But this place was new.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"What is this place?"
He suddenly realized that King Mickey wasn't with them.
"Your Majesty?" he called out.
Taiyouko noticed that he was gone too.
"I guess he didn't go through the door" she said.
A portal opened up in front of them and had Ansem come out.
"You must battle me all alone" he said.
"Against my dark powers!"
Riku pulled out his Soul Eater while Taiyouko pulled out her bow.
They both pointed it to Ansem and prepared to fight.
They looked at him for a moment and realized that this wasn't Ansem.
His aura wasn't as dark as the real one.
They both lowered their weapons.
"What's this?" 'Ansem' said.
"Are you giving up? Finally ready to surrender to your fate?"
Taiyouko wore a know it all grin.
"You're not the true Ansem" she said.
'Ansem' looked taken aback.
"You're scent is different" Riku added.
"The Ansem in my heart smells darker. The odor is more foul. But your scent just isn't that. It's not darkness. It's something else"
He grinned.
"I finally understand" he said.
"You're the one who guided me when it started. You came to be pretending to be Ansem. You gave me the card-to make me face the darkness"
'Ansem' chuckled.
"That is correct" he said.
He stood perfectly still in front of them and revealed who he really was.
In his place, a man wearing a tribal like outfit with red bandages covering his entire face but his mouth and one eye stood in front of them.
Taiyouko gasped when she saw him.
Her eyes grew hard as she growled.
"You" she hissed.
The man looked at her unsurprised.
"I'm glad to see that you haven't changed all of these years…Taiyouko"
Taiyouko didn't say anything.
She just curled her hands into fists.
Riku sweat dropped at the sight.
"She seems to know ever body that we've run into" he thought.
The man looked at Riku.
"Diz, or so I am known" he said.
"You-I've watched you all along"
Riku raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" he asked.
"Who are you? And what do you want from me?"
"For you to choose" Diz said.
"Choose?" Riku asked.
"You are a special entity" Diz explained.
"You exist between light and the dark. You stand in the twilight. You are to meet Namine, then choose"
"Namine?" Riku asked.
"Who's that?" Taiyouko added.
"You will know soon" Diz said.
He disappeared in a sphere of light and left them.
Riku looked at Taiyouko.
She still had a bitter look on her face.
"I take it you knew that guy as well?"
She nodded.
"Out of all the people that I've seen in this castle, I wished that he was the one who perished with my world"
She started walking and looked at Riku.
"Let's go find this Namine" she said.
"She must know what's going on"
Riku nodded and followed her.
They started their search for Namine.
/
Like all of the worlds that they've been to, Twilight Town was crawling with heartless.
"I'm starting to get tired of this" Taiyouko said.
Riku nodded as he put his Soul Eater away.
"I'm starting to get sick of this" he said.
Taiyouko patted him on the shoulder.
"It should all be over soon" she said.
"I can feel it"
They continued walking throughout the town until they reached the woods.
They went deep into the trees and reached a clearing.
They were surprised to see a mansion standing out here in the woods.
"You don't see that everyday" Taiyouko said.
"Maybe this is where Namine is?" Riku suggested.
Taiyouko shrugged.
"There's only one way to find out"
They were about to go through the gates, but someone stopped them.
"Hold it"
They turned around to see the Riku Replica standing before them.
He walked up to them and sneered.
"Hmph. You've changed" he said to Riku.
"Your own darkness-it doesn't frighten you anymore"
"How can you tell?" Riku asked.
The replica smirked darkly.
"Because I'm you" he said.
Riku glared at him.
"No. I'M me" he retorted.
The replica scoffed.
"I'm me' he says" he replied.
"Must be nice being real. A fake like me could never get away with saying that"
He looked at the ground.
"That's right, I'm a phony, a fake!" he cried.
"The way I look, the way I feel, everything I remember! And even this newfound power!"
Darkness seeped from his body.
The replica gripped his hands tightly.
"Even that Hikari girl found out I was a fake" he said.
That took Riku off guard.
This creep was near Hikari?
The replica just chuckled harshly.
"Even after everything I put her through" he said.
"Even when I made her think I cared only about Namine, even when I made her cry, she still didn't give up on me and searched through the truth. It sickens me that she prefers the real thing over the fake"
He looked at Riku.
"What makes you so much better than me?"
After hearing the mention of Hikari crying, Riku's blood boiled.
After seeing her cry once before, he had wished to never see that sight again.
He promised that he would always protect her and keep her smiling.
The thought of her crying over the thought of him not loving him just set him off.
How dare this replica try to impersonate him and break his sweetheart's heart?
He was going to pay.
The replica just glared at him.
"I thought by finding some new strength, I could finally be someone-someone who is not you!" he said.
"But…nothing changes…I'm still just empty! Everything about me is borrowed. As long as you're around, I'll never be more than a shadow!"
He pulled out his Soul Eater.
Taiyouko was about to summon her bow, but Riku grabbed her arm.
He had murder written in his eyes.
"He's mine" he growled to her.
Taiyouko nodded in understanding.
This was a battle for honor.
Riku pulled out his Soul Eater as well.
The two of them faced off for a second before clashing with each other.
Even thought they fought the same way, they both held different purposes with their fighting.
The Replica wanted to finally be someone and not a fake.
The real Riku wanted to restore his honor and make him pay for causing Hikari to cry.
He was her knight and he swore to himself that he would defeat anyone who would cause her pain.
Whether it be physical or mental pain.
Just thinking about her made this fight even greater.
Hikari was everything to her.
He never thought that she would love him out of everyone on the islands.
Even when he became a pawn of the darkness, it just made her more determine to save him and confess her love.
No other girl would do that for their crush.
"Hikari" he thought.
"No matter what happens, I will always protect you! I'll protect your smile, your happiness, your dreams, your light. I will protect it all, for you always have and always will be…my princess"
He pierced his Soul Eater right into the Replica's chest.
He went down for the count and lay flat on his back.
Darkness seeped out of his wound and spread out across the ground.
The replica chuckled weakly as he looked up at the sky.
"So…it's over" he said.
"Hmph. Death doesn't frighten me. Good riddance to a phony life. My heart was never real. I'm sure what I'm feeling now is probably all fake"
Riku looked at the replica as he faded.
"What are you feeling?" he asked.
The replica just watched as dark particles floated up in the sky.
"What happens when a fake dies-one like me?" he asked.
"Where will my heart go? Does it disappear?"
"It'll go somewhere" Riku said.
True, he couldn't forgive what he did to Hikari, but he felt bad that he had to vanish this way.
No one deserved this fate, not even a fake.
"Maybe to the same place as mine"
The Replica chuckled weakly.
"A faithful replica until the very end" he said.
"That's…ok"
With that, he faded into dark particles and floated up to the sky.
Riku watched as they disappeared.
Taiyouko placed her hand on his shoulder.
"You did the right thing" she said.
Riku looked at the ground.
"Then why do I feel bad?" he asked.
"It's only natural" Taiyouko replied.
"You are only human. The heart is such a mysterious thing. It makes us feel things that we don't wish to feel"
Riku looked at her.
"I guess you're right" he said.
Taiyouko gave him a small grin.
"Come on. Let's go meet Namine"
They both slowly went into the mansion to meet the witch.
/
They entered a completely white room with a pod standing in the middle.
Namine was watching Sora as he slept.
She held onto Hikari's drawing to her chest.
When she heard footsteps, she turned to see her expected guests.
She slowly walked up to them.
"Are you Namine?" Taiyouko asked gently.
Namine nodded.
"Yes" she said.
Riku instantly recognized her voice.
It was the same one that he heard on the islands.
She was the one who took Hikari's appearance.
"I see…that was you…" he said.
Namine looked confused.
"Huh?"
Riku shook his head.
"Forget it. It's nothing" he said.
Namine motioned for them to follow her.
"Please…come this way"
As they were walking, Riku noticed that Sora was sleeping in the pod.
Riku ran up to the pod.
"Sora!" he cried.
He looked at Namine.
"What have you done to Sora?"
Namine backed away slightly.
"Nothing" she said.
"He's just asleep. To get his memory back. Hikari is the same"
She told them about what happened to them during their stay in the castle.
"So they choose o forget about this castle…and get their old memories back?" Taiyouko asked.
Namine nodded.
She bit her lip as she looked at the sorceress.
She was the most important person to Hikari.
The same person that she made her forget.
This was so painful.
She looked at Riku.
"You have a choice to make, too" she said.
Riku looked at the pod.
"Why me too?" he asked.
"No one's messed with my memories"
"It's not your memories" Namine explained.
"It's your darkness. In your heart there is darkness, and in that darkness is Ansem. He may be at bay for now-but eventually he'll wake, and he will take over you just like he did before. But I have powers you can use. With my powers, I can put a tight lock on your heart. That way, Ansem could never come out from inside you"
Riku placed a hand on his chest.
That sounded like a good idea, but….
"What happens to me if I let you do that?" he asked.
"Will I forget everything like Sora and Hikari?"
Namine didn't say anything.
Riku slowly nodded.
"I'll have to" he said.
"The darkness in you will be sealed tight just like your memory" Namine said.
"You'll stop remembering the darkness. You'll go back to how you were"
She smiled gently at him.
"Riku, please choose"
Riku thought about it for a moment.
What would be the right choice?
He looked at Taiyouko.
Whatever he chose, it would affect her as well.
She gently smiled at him.
"I'll go with whatever you decide" she said.
"After all, we're in this together"
Riku smiled at her.
It was nice to know that there was someone who had his back.
He looked at Sora's pod.
"He doesn't even looked worried" he said.
"Will I sleep like that, too?"
"Yes" Namine said.
Riku smirked.
"Figure" he said.
"Sora always did as he pleased. Whatever we'd be doing together, he's find a way to slack off. Even trying to leave the islands-I did all the work on the raft by myself"
He just looked determined.
"That's it" he said.
"When this slacker wakes up, I'll tell him off. I told him to take care of Kairi and to protect Hikari for me while I was away, and here he is taking a nap!"
He looked at Namine.
"But I can't chew him out like he deserves-if I've been asleep"
Namine smiled.
Taiyouko did as well, knowing his answer.
Riku held his chest.
"I don't need my heart locked" he said.
"I'm ready-I'm gonna fight Ansem"
"But what if his darkness overtakes you?" Namine asked.
"If that happens, then the darkness will show me the way" Riku said.
Namine nodded.
"Yes…that's true"
Riku smirked.
"Why do I get the feeling that you knew what I was going to say?" he asked.
"I didn't know" Namine said.
"I hoped. I wanted you to face the darkness, because you're the one who can"
Riku smirked.
"So that's the reason-that's why you came to my rescue inside that light…in the form of Hikari"
Namine looked surprised.
"When'd you know?"
Riku shrugged.
"I knew when I met you" he said.
"You and Hikari share the same light. However, you and Kairi share the same smell"
Taiyouko looked at Namine.
"Namine…if Sora is here, then does that mean Hikari is here as well?"
Namine nodded.
"Yes, she's in the next room" she said.
"Would you like to see her?"
Taiyouko nodded.
"I want to see how my daughter is doing"
She turned to Riku.
"Who about you, Riku? I'm sure you want to see if she's ok"
Riku blushed a little, but nodded.
He really wanted to see her.
Even if she was sleeping.
Namine lead them to where Hikari's pod was.
/
Hikari was fast asleep as she floated within her pod.
Taiyouko touched the glassy surface of the pod.
She wore a sad smile on her face as she looked at her daughter sleeping.
"She was so cute when she slept as a child" she said.
"And she still is"
Namine looked at the ground.
"I'm very sorry" she said.
"I didn't mean to make her forget about you, but Marluxia…he said if I didn't, then I would-"
Taiyouko just placed her hands on her shoulders.
"It's ok" she said gently.
"I never blamed you for it. If you were forced to, then there was nothing that could be done"
Namine wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Thank you"
Taiyouko smiled at that.
She looked at Riku, who was simply staring at Hikari.
He looked lost in thought as he watched her sleeping.
She patted him on the shoulder.
"I'll give you a minute alone with her" she said.
Riku looked grateful for that.
She and Namine left the room while Riku was alone with his sweetheart.
He smiled as he looked at her.
He was finally with her again.
Even if she was sleeping now, it felt good to have her close by.
He placed his hand on the pod as a way to be closer to her.
"Hey, Hikari" he said softly.
"I hope you're dreaming about something nice"
"I hope you're dreaming about me"
He placed his hand on her good luck charm.
"I've been taking care of your good luck charm. I even became good friends with your mom"
He smiled slightly.
"I'll have to admit, she can be a little crazy at times, but she's a great companion. I promise that I won't let anything happen to her"
His hand slid from the pod and fell back to his side.
His grin faltered a bit.
"I don't know how long you'll be asleep" he said.
"But don't worry. I'll look after you. You've always been there for me in the past, so now it's my turn to do the same for you. I'll protect you"
He gripped her charm tightly.
"No matter what happens, I'll always be your knight. I swear I will protect you always. You're my one and only princess"
He smiled at her.
"So sweet dreams. And…I love you. Always"
With that, he blew her a kiss and left the room to face Ansem once and for all.
/
A/N: Only one chapter left! Will Riku be able to defeat Ansem?
You'll just have to review to find out.
Ja ne
