Chapter 3: Dialectic Drill

Eiko rubbed her wrists where the metal had dug into her flesh. They were stiff and somewhat unresponsive to her efforts. She watched Vexen wind up the chain with the manacles and place them beside the locked door, then she looked around at the room where he'd brought her.

It was a tower just outside the Horned King's castle, well-anchored and nearly covered with thorn branches. The single room at the top was solid, bare, and lacking a roof. The clouds above seemed to writhe as they thundered ominously and a stark wind whistled around them.

"I wish to study your eidolons," the Nobody said, turning away from her leisurely. "I have never come across a creature like yourself and wish to record everything I can learn."

"Fat chance," she sneered, aiming a kick at him from behind.

Vexen's hand shot out and she staggered to keep her balance as he held her shoe so stiffly that she couldn't take it back. "That is a way you can find yourself injured very quickly." His voice was calm, then he gave a twist and Eiko was promptly lying on the stone floor trying not to cry out from the pain. A few seconds later he released her, almost as though bored. "You will summon an eidolon for me. If you refuse, we will fight until you agree. Is that understood?"

"Bite me."

Way to the Dawn appeared in a flash and she swung the Keyblade at him only to meet the solid barrier of his blue shield, Frozen Pride. The Nobody's laughter echoed briefly in the roofless tower room.

"So that's your choice, is it? I feel I will quite enjoy this."

Although she had fought alongside her friends in the past, her abilities had been mostly healing arts and summoning. She only used physical attacks when it was absolutely necessary, which meant that her present struggle could easily be described as a one-sided trouncing.

No matter how she attacked, Vexen's shield blocked her so perfectly that she grew tired long before he did. And the moment she tried to get her wind back, he attacked with either a spear of ice or the shield itself.

The second time she was soundly defeated Eiko felt that she could hardly move, but she somehow got to her knees. Suddenly a gloved hand seized her left arm and yanked it at a painful angle, forcing her to bend backward.

"What makes you keep up this charade?" the Nobody wondered, giving a deft twist to her elbow. She could hardly move without pain slicing through her arm but she refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her sob.

"Because you're trying to hurt me… You live in the darkness, and you torture me as if it's a game, and you treat me like I'm not human and—and you're ugly!" she shouted.

The Nobody threw back his head and laughed, releasing her in the process. Eiko bristled at the insult even as she rubbed her arm. Her grievances were worth so little to him.

"Girl, do you truly have such a narrow view of the world? Darkness and light are equals. You cannot have one without the other. Love and hatred, ugliness and beauty, good and evil, joy and sadness. They are dependent on the existence of the other."

"So where does torturing me until I do what you want fit into this grand scheme of yours?" she said acidly.

"It is a matter of equality. If you do not volunteer what I desire, I shall give you the incentive. Once you do, I will stop."

"It's wrong— E-Everything you're doing is wrong."

"Ah, another one: right and wrong. How can you say something is wrong if it is required in the natural world? Is night or day wrong? Summer or winter? Such beliefs are only a matter of opinion."

"No they're not," she screamed. "I know the difference. I know when something is wrong and I know evil in a person can be overcome. I've seen it."

"But can you show me a single person in the universe that has not done something wrong?"

Eiko was silent.

"I thought as much. There isn't one, and that is because we are all made of Light and Darkness equally. You remove the Light – the person is consumed by Darkness. You remove the Darkness – the person is burnt away by the Light."

"That's not true…" the summoner said, though more weakly.

"And another: there cannot be truth without lies—"

"Shut up! I don't want to listen anymore—leave me alone—I know you're wrong—I-I know it!"

As though her outburst was a sort of victory, Vexen smiled. After deflecting several more of her unskilled blows, he said, "Show me your power and not only will I let you go, but I'll take you to your beloved Riku. Or at least what's left of him."

Eiko gasped without meaning to. "What do you mean? Is he dead?"

"The Darkness is drawing him in. He has no way to fight it and slowly it will begin changing him. It starts with a slight pain in the eyes, then extends to a twinge in the chest anytime light is too bright. Soon he'll be covering his eyes, finding that the rest of his senses work so much better, especially in the darkness. After that…"

The Nobody trailed off, casting a secretive look at Eiko. Her eyes widened and she struggled up again.

"What do you mean 'after that'? What will happen to him?"

"Who can say? I'm only a scientist. I theorize. All I know is that he can't balance on the edge of a knife forever. Sooner or later he will slip, and he hasn't been leaning toward the Light. Don't you agree?"

"How should I know? I hardly knew the guy."

"But you felt it, didn't you? His cloak hides him from those aligned with Darkness. You, on the other hand…you have spells of healing running through your veins. You could not help noticing the strange shadow always lurking in the folds of his shroud."

The summoner focused on her memory, trying to remember what that strange feeling had been when she stared too long at his cloak, blacker than gloom. Yes…it was true…

There was the clink of little rocks rubbing together and she looked up. Vexen stood tauntingly holding up her stolen pouch with the summoning stones inside.

"All you have to do is agree to summon for me."

The only thing running through her mind was the fact that this man was taking advantage of her weakness. As the last inhabitant of Madain Sari, Eiko had grown up with a stubborn streak that took over whenever she was backed into a corner. More than once it had saved her, especially when everything looked hopeless during the battles alongside her friends. If she allowed this Nobody to exploit her…

"No!"

She called her Keyblade to hand once more and struck out, but with hardly any effort Vexen parried the blow with his ice spear. Not wasting a second, the shield slammed into her full-on. Way to the Dawn vanished in a flurry of faint sparkles as Eiko was crushed between Frozen Pride and the unyielding wall. Gasping desperately for air, she felt a dull snap deep inside her chest then was suddenly released.

"Are you ready to comply?" he asked once more.

Eiko lay flat on the floor, only thinking how nice and cool the stones were against her sweaty face, and not caring that little whimpers issued from her mouth with every painful breath. When she realized he was sneering at her, she pulled herself together enough to give an answer in the form of a venomous glare.

Vexen gave an exasperated snort. "Is it some misguided sense of hereditary arrogance or are you simply that stubborn?" Not waiting to hear her answer, he shook his head and continued, "Regretful. I was hoping this would be over by the time I had to leave. The Organization expects a report of my most recent studies."

The realization that she would soon be with the Inhibitor again struck her and she grasped for her magic. A Curaga spell ballooned out, healing all her physical wounds including three cracked ribs and several cuts and bruises…but the effort and the energy it required forced her into a faint.

Vexen gave an irritated noise as he realized he would have to carry her back to the cell. Picking her up by the back of her belt, he was careful to place the manacles on her wrists before heading down the stairs.

%*%

The swampy smell of the bayou outside the city barely made a dent on the city-smells of New Orleans. Nattering people, vehicles, and the brass bands flooded the atmosphere so thickly that Riku could hardly think. For the first time he truly felt blind in the middle of all this noise and barely able to sense where people were so that he didn't crash into them.

He made it into the lee of a building and leaned against it, heaving a sigh of relief. The celebration at Notre Dame was tame compared to this. There didn't even seem to be a semblance of order in all the movement out there.

"Not from 'round these parts, are ya?" a voice slithered into his ear.

Riku started and turned toward the person who had crept up beside him. Strange that he hadn't noticed him before. "I'm visiting the area, yes."

The man was tall and thin, his face narrow and hawk-like. He tipped his top hat and busied himself shuffling a pack of Tarot cards, then plucked one out with a chuckle. "I might just be able to help, if you know what I mean."

Riku turned away, unimpressed by the man. "Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested."

"The Shadow Man doesn't 'sell'. He deals. Why not step into my office and take a look at what I have to offer? C'mon, what could it hurt?"

The Keyblade-wielder considered his options. This person might be able to tell him if Aerith or Yuffie were in the area. He slowly followed as the man beckoned him warmly onward. They walked through a series of alleys and entered a building filled with the odds and ends of a magician. At the farthest end was a table beneath yawning drapes and lit by a red glow.

Riku paused in the entrance, feeling an odd impulse drawing him in. He resisted it, wondering at this strangeness he'd never encountered before.

"Don't be frightened of an old place like this, boy," the Shadow Man laughed. "Seems to me you need a little help gettin' in the front door."

Although the thin man was standing a few feet away, Riku distinctly felt a shove and then the door closed behind him.

"None of us here stand on ceremony. Why don't you take that blinder off and we'll talk business…"

Again though no hands touched him, something untied his blindfold and disappeared with it. Riku blinked, but when the light in the place did not hurt his eyes he began staring about. For the first time he was able to see the Shadow Man, but was more wary than ever. Something here wasn't right.

Before he could put his finger on the oddity, his 'host' seized him by the hand and pulled him over to the table. A second later he had presented the young man with a row of Tarot cards.

"All you need is three, my boy."

Despite his misgivings, Riku chose and the trio was laid before him. The first was turned over and the magician chuckled when he saw a pair of very young boys fighting with wooden swords, then the image melted into the symbol of Heartless.

"It seems your past is intertwined with that of your best friend, but it was broken when you chose to follow the path of Darkness."

The second card flipped over and Riku recognized King Mickey's map of the worlds, in the center of which was the shadow of a young woman with her hands outstretched as though lost.

"So now you're lookin' for a girl."

"Two, actually," he corrected.

"Hmm… Accordin' to my reading, you may be searchin' for two, but you're only lookin' for one."

Riku thought about Kairi and shook his head. "I can never have her."

"Who said you couldn't? That's where I come in." He stood up and gave a jazzy twirl, stopping to point dramatically at the final card.

"I chose to give her up. She doesn't want me and I want her happiness more than anything."

"Hmm…" the Shadow Man raised his eyebrows. "Why don't you take a look at the back of the second before you decide."

Riku picked up the card and turned it over, expecting to see the symbol that had just been there, but instead he stared at the picture of a girl—not Kairi. It couldn't be anyone but Eiko, but her face was tear-streaked and she looked frightened. A pair of manacles chained her to a wall and behind her was a figure in a black cloak.

"The Organization," he cried, leaping up. "How did they—? I have to go save her!"

"Hey, now, what's the rush? I have the answer to all your problems right here in my hand."

Riku turned back and saw him holding up the card whose picture he hadn't seen yet. Again there was that odd tugging sensation and he returned to the table. The Shadow Man grinned as he handed it over.

It was an image of himself standing over Eiko protectively, his body wrapped in an aura that pulsed with power even in the two-dimensional picture.

"Not only would my gift be able to save your little darlin', but you'd be able to attract her eye. Even if she doesn't fancy you, the powers you'd have would be like nectar to a butterfly. She'd be unable to resist."

"How easy is this?"

"All I need is your agreement and we have a deal," the man said.

He extended his hand. Riku's eyes fell once again on the picture of Eiko's frightened face. Then he reached forward…

You may recognize the style of argumentation that Marluxia uses against Riku which is very like what Vexen uses here with Eiko. I wanted their experiences to be paralleled, but don't worry! It won't be as open-ended as it was last time. The answers do exist...we just have to look for them.

~Janika~