Hello Readers! I'm sorry to report that I will need more time to finish the story. However I can tell you that today I will be updating 5 chapters. I took a lot of time to edit them, so it should be a smooth and enjoyable read! Please Review!

The Prince and the Pauper

~Chapter Twenty Four~

Two plans, one failure

"Zexion, I'm so glad you found me!" Riku cheered. Sora smiled, he was relieved the Prince was going home. Though he had to admit he hated to see him go.

"Yes, I have…" he eyed him and grabbed his arm, "We must hurry," he preformed with great acting skills. Getting the Prince on that carriage and convincing him one last time would all he'd need to do to finish his job.

"Why?" Riku asked, as he started to pull gently away.

"I don't have time to explain. We must go to the royal mines first," he said as he got in the carriage. Riku raised his eyebrow, smiled to Sora but regardless of his gut feelings to run, got in the carriage.

Riku stared out the window only to see a glimpse of a small set of eyes, but after a while he ignored it. He figured he was seeing things. The carriage, rushing quickly through the forest, bumped around continually. Riku couldn't figure out what was so important. Wasn't him going home more important? Everyone thinks he's dead or run away. What could be so important…? 'Did he find more gold? Did he find more gold deep inside the cave? But… if he did why not just tell my mother after taking me home? Why not…'

Zexion pulled the carriage to a stop, he looked at Riku and grinned, "Come with me," he said getting off.

Riku, biting his lip with curiousness quickly jumped off and ran to Zexion, "Wait, explain what's going on, I demand it."

Zexion, with no emotion on his face, tilted his head. He brushed pass Riku and continued to the cave. Riku narrowed his eyes, annoyed and astonished. 'He pushed by me?' Riku, red with anger, grabbed Zexion's shoulder, turned him around and gave him a final command, "You will answer me!"

Zexion, grinning, then laughing, he slapped him away, "You are such a fool," he faced the cave and called attention to someone inside.

Riku, on the ground, rubbed his lip, he was annoyed and was getting more than furious, he grounded his teeth pushed himself off the ground with some much speed he was blinded, he went to punch Zexion when everything, everything in his body, stopped. He was thrown back, a good ten or fifteen feet and he landed against a tree. He felt his body gasp violently for air. His brain tried to recall what happened, and nothing came to mind. There was a laugh, from a group, that stood in front of him.

Riku looked up, he widened his eyes, confused, afraid and mostly foolish. It all finally made sense. 'That's why the royal guards didn't find me… that's how the kidnappers got in… that's why Zexion disappeared after my father died… and maybe… maybe… he killed my father himself… or maybe the other guys… but they're all in this together but what do they have to gain?'

Zexion stepped forward, "I'm sure you remember these gentlemen, Axel, Laxaeus, and of course Demyx."

Riku, with hardly any strength to speak questioned, "Why… what can… you gain? The Keyblade probably doesn't… even… exist…"

Zexion, frowning, "It really doesn't matter what I gain, you won't be alive to see it fulfilled."

Laxaeus went to pick up his weapon, the metal object that hit Riku earlier, and as Axel and Demyx carried him away Riku felt sick to his stomach. All his efforts of escape at Disney Castle failed horribly. Mickey's bold move was for naught.

"Don't worry about hurting him, he's not of too much use to us anymore," Zexion said, with that the others paused in confusion, "I have found information that would have made life easier if we had known earlier, so as of now he's of no use, so if you just so happen to break a bone it wouldn't matter. Just don't kill him… yet."

Riku, lifting his head, 'What did he mean by that? And… they're really going to kill me?'

Axel chuckled, "It seems we can act out our revenge," he said, "My good prince, I owe you a good punch in the stomach for setting us up like that in Disney Castle," he looked at the door that was the final stop in the cave. "But I guess leaving you to die is more fun," he unlocked the door and tossed the limp and tired Riku into the room.

Riku, hurt and weak, could hear something or someone coming toward him as if crawling. But he was too weak to let his eyes focus in the dark room. "See ya later," Axel waved as Demyx played a few notes that was much like a funeral song.

With that Riku could hear the door close and all he could think about was his kingdom and everything was dead or rather going to die. Who knows what they really wanted other than the Keyblades but it was clear that it was an important part of the plan. Whatever the reason Riku just wanted to go home… and he wanted this to all be over. He wanted to go home. He'd rather be buried under thousands of gifts before going through this nightmare again. Anything would have been better than this. 'Anything…'

"Are you alright?" a sweet voice asked him.

Riku sat up, "I guess," he said, pulling himself together once he realized a girl was with him in the dark, "I can't believe this…"

The female, sighed, "I agree…"

Riku turned toward the voice, it was too dark for him to see and he waited, listening to her voice. "I'm sorry they did this to you."

"I am too… I just… I don't see why I did what I did, because of me…"

"Don't worry about it… really…" Riku wasn't exactly sure who he was talking to but he was sure it was Namine, her voice like bells and her kindness inhuman. He sighed, "Well, have you been able to find your way out?"

"No… I'm not sure if there is a way out… I tried to look but I couldn't see well enough," she moved, sitting up one could guess and she stared at the door. "I want to go home too," she cried, "I had a home… a castle and I ran away because every person I knew wanted me to live a certain way, act a certain way and everything…"

Riku, biting his lip reached out to touch her, and realizing this wasn't Namine wrapped his arms around her, "I'll find a way out of here."

The girl grinned, she grabbed his arm and hugged it, "I just…"

Riku sighed, "It's going to be ok," he said. Thinking of a way to change the subject he asked her about her home, "So, you're a princess?"

"Yes… but I ran away to keep my freedom intact… and I don't regret leaving, really, but in a situation like this… I don't know if running away was worth it," she said.

"Oh, so what's your name?" Riku asked.

"My name is Sarah," she answered.

Riku skipped a couple of beats, "Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

"When you ran away where did you go?" He had to be sure. He didn't want to believe Sarah was a princess for a moment. It wasn't like Sarah wasn't a popular name. But he needed to be sure.

There was silence for a moment, "Well, I got here and ran into trouble, and after a while I found a place that would hire me, it didn't pay much but I wasn't looking for the best job, I had my own money that I stole from my home land and when I started working I took care of my son and I got an apartment for us. I've been living there ever since."

Riku was amazed, surely Sarah didn't know who she was talking to and it probably didn't matter since she was alone and basically about to die, she held on to Riku tightly.

"So what did you mean by that?" the Leader asked Zexion.

Zexion grinned, "I have learned that whether or not the Prince knows about the Keyblades if he dies whomever rules next will instantly have all information about them apparently this weapon gives its chosen leaders magical awareness of it. But this has a time limit apparently. If we time it right we can have the advisor get married to the queen and he'll get all the information we need."

The Leader, if one could see his face, grinned, "I see, that is very good news, remind me to heavily reward you for your loyal service when this is all over," his radio like voice answered. He walked a few feet toward the cave, "Don't explode the cave until I give the signal, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" there came a large cry from his followers.

"Zexion, expose the fake at the castle, have him imprisoned. Make sure you pin the Prince's death on him."

"Sir," Zexion bowed and was gone.

With his corridors Zexion was at the Castles gates quickly. He looked up the guards gave a command and the doors were opened before him. Behind him followed a few hooded men. The guards remained silent.

Riku grinned at the Princess once more, "I honestly can't wait to marry you…" he said hiding his eyes, "I mean… I never thought I could meet a Princess… that was so…"

Princess Kairi grinned, "I feel the same." She touched the side of his face. He gazed into her eyes and she gazed into his. Their garden was silent and there was no one to interrupt them. They inched closer and suddenly their heard horns, alarming, horns. They paused, looked up to the high tower and realized that something was wrong. They dashed into the throne room, holding hands, worried.

The Queen took her seat at the throne and waited with a concerned face.

After a moment Roxas and Namine walked along side Riku Replica and asked him to come with them for a moment. Princess Kairi nodded and Riku Replica nodded. Pulling Replica to the side they gave him looks of concern.

"What's going on?" Replica asked Roxas.

"We don't know, but did you push it back?"

"Um…"

"You didn't?! You have to push it back before it's too late, the wedding is a few days away," Roxas said. "I haven't even found the prince yet."

Namine sighed, "We can't argue about this now," she said with a concerned face, "but… I wonder what's wrong…"

Replica sighed, he felt that he had let them down. He forgot about their plan to find and save the prince. He forgot and only saw Princess Kairi. He bit his lip and turned and looked at her, her beautiful face, her charm, her elegance, everything was so beautiful and yet out of his reach. They were right, and he knew it. She wasn't for him and he wasn't for her… he could get killed for his form of treason and crime… but there was no way to change it back now except changing places with the real Prince before it was too late. But that would only work if he stopped fooling around and pushed back the wedding as far as he could.

He walked over to Princess Kairi and held her hand in a seldom way. He hid his eyes from her and at that moment lifted his head to a command that broke his concentration.

"Seize him!" Zexion yelled out.

Everyone in the room exclaimed in confusion and surprise.

The Queen at first stared confused, "What? Have you lost your mind?!"

"No, that boy… that boy is not the Prince!"

"What? Yes he is! You don't think I know my own son?" the Queen exclaimed. She rose from her throne, annoyance written all over her face.

Zexion, sighing, putting on a act, "I thought the same thing my Queen but I was at the mines when I found this…" he pulled out a ring, "I found this in the rubble of the mines, and I learned from a friend of mine that his worker had vanished around the same time and that his worker looked exactly like the prince," he looked up to the Queen. "Here, this ring was from the Prince's right hand," he handed her the ring and gazed at it.

"Oh… my…" then she gazed at the Prince… or the boy.

"Without your glasses you can't see that the ring is missing, can you?"

Replica swallowed, "Oh…." He gazed at Princess Kairi, she gazed back, she didn't back away nor did she loosen her grip, instead she held tight, she wasn't going to let go.

"Seize him," Zexion repeated, "Seize him and Roxas, Roxas was the leader of this the whole time," he pointed to Roxas.

"What?! NO!" instantly Replica and Roxas were surround and Replica held on to Kairi's hand. Roxas was tied and was now being forced to kneel. The guards pulled at Replica's hand as hard as they could but their hands held as tightly as they could. But after a good moment a guard came and knife-handed Replica in the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Princess Kairi cried as she saw Replica on the floor. She looked up to Zexion and ran to her room, her love was gone… and probably a killer.