One Wrong Turn Turned Right

Author's Note: CoM Story Arc. I do not own anything but Blaster.

Chapter 34: Castle of Hollow Bastion

"Wait a second," Blaster said as they entered the "room." He had followed Riku in.

"This is Maleficent's castle," Riku said.

"I was just about to say that," Blaster replied.

"How did I…" Riku began, but quickly corrected himself, "…WE end up HERE?"

"I honestly don't know," Blaster said, unable to figure out how they ended up there.

"Someone must have brought us here while we were sleeping," Riku suggested. "But who?"

"What you see is not real," a voice said. Blaster immediately recognized it as the voice of the figure in the previous room. "It's the world of your memory."

"My memory?" Riku asked.

"No wonder why I haven't seen anybody yet," Blaster said.

"The things you remember of Maleficent's castle from your time there," The Voice said. "Those memories became a card, and that card made this world. The things you see…you have seen them before, haven't you?"

"Yeah…So what now?" Riku asked. "Am I supposed to learn something here? Maybe run into someone I know?"

"Besides me, of course," Blaster said. Riku turned to Blaster and nodded

"Ordinarily…yes," The voice replied. "You would meet the people in your memories."

"Ordinarily?" Riku asked. He suddenly got angry. "Hey, I'm asking you a question!" No response. "Fine, but it'd better be you I run across next, Voice. I'm sick of talking to thin air."

"I do that all the time," Blaster said.

As if on cue, the heartless appeared. Blaster summoned his Thirteen Order Crystal Keyblade in seconds. Riku had also summoned a Keyblade, which was the exact same one he used against Sora the first time: Soul Eater. The two made quick work out of the batches of Heartless as they streamed in from everywhere. In some rooms, they came in greater numbers, others, they were scattered about (Via Room Synthesis from the game). Blaster ended up finding a room that was almost unlike the others. The only thing that was different about it was the nice sign on the back of the door: An etching that read "Riku wuz here."

"Riku!" Blaster called. Riku, who was attempting another door, ran over and looked into the room. "Something tells me this one was yours."

"It's just like he said," Riku said, after ogling at the room. "Everything is just how I remember it. Even this room…" Riku trailed off, looking at the room, which seemed to be a bedroom.

"It must be nice being back in your old bedroom," the Voice said. "Think of all the memories…"

"You again," Riku said suddenly. He got angry quickly.

"Easy," Blaster advised.

"Sorry," Riku said, "but these memories I could do without. Maleficent gave me this room"

"So she did," The Voice said. "And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything." The Voice paused. "But, at least they gave you a nice room."

"Shut up," Riku demanded. The Voice didn't say another word. Silence rang through the air for about a minute.

"For a witch, it's nice to know that she was kind enough to give you a room," Blaster muttered.

"Shut up," Riku said, a little calmer than to the voice. "You were given a space ship."

"Yeah," Blaster replied as Riku walked away. "I had to earn it through various and death-defying missions. I'm still paying off the first month's rent!"

"Can we just keep going?" Riku asked, trying the door he was on.

Blaster kept his mouth shut and followed Riku. Doors, Heartless, and lots of flying cards were all that was happening as the duo traveled through the corridors. Blaster and Riku ended up facing off against a few Wyvern Heartless, one of which was Silver in color.

"Leiden," Blaster suddenly said.

"What?" Riku asked, curious to the name.

"Leiden," Blaster repeated. "The Silver Wyvern. He's the one with the poisonous claws."

"Ah," Riku said. "This figment of my memory nearly killed me. But I'm ready with the antidote. But, I'd rather not use it."

Blaster heard a slight noise in the wind, which sounded like flapping wings. It was behind them. Riku heard it too, but it was Blaster who grabbed the collar of his shirt and dropped him to the ground. Blaster looked up in time to see a sapphire wyvern swoop out of the air and tackle Leiden. A sapphire wyvern with an arrow-tipped tail spike, and a darker blue area on its muzzle.

"Okari?" Blaster said, standing up. She turned around to acknowledge him, then went back to fighting with Leiden. Blaster then realized that, had he not pulled Riku down with him, she would have clothes-lined him.

The battle was over seconds later. Leiden escaped, but the other three were destroyed quickly. Okari turned around.

I'm BACK! Okari growled. She then roared triumphantly.

"Hello, Okari," Blaster said as soon as she had stopped roaring.

"How do you know her name, let alone Leiden's?" Riku asked.

"I met up with her after your first attack on Sora," Blaster said. "After he retrieved his Keyblade from you."

Riku! Okari roared, tackling Riku and licking him.

"Blaster," Riku said as Okari got off him. "Is there any reason why this one didn't attack me with anything other than a lick-fest?"

"I think she missed you," Blaster replied. The sapphire wyvern nodded in agreement.

"Figment of my memory?" Riku asked. Okari growled angrily.

You better watch what you say, Okari warned. I am not the figment of anyone's memory. I'm the real deal.

Riku looked at Blaster.

"Translation?" Riku asked.

"She's a little upset you called her a fake," Blaster replied. Another growl.

"Sorry," Riku apologized. "Does she want to tag along?"

Okari's eyes lit up.

"I take that as a yes," Blaster said.

And so, Okari tagged along. The simple heartless were destroyed by Okari's powerful claws and jaws when they appeared. Riku kept entering rooms expecting to see people but was unable to find any.

"No one here either," Riku said after looking into another room. "There's nothing but Heartless in this castle."

Blaster coughed.

"Present company excluded, of course," Blaster said, more to Okari than Riku.

"Voice!" Riku called. "I know you're watching. So explain this! Where are the people from my memories?" There was silence. "Answer me!"

"Are you sure you want so see them?" The Voice asked.

Where's that voice coming from? Okari asked.

"I have no idea," Blaster replied.

"Of course I do," Riku replied, ignoring Okari and Blaster.

"But you cast them aside," the Voice responed. "To reach the outside world, you passed through the door to darkness. Behind you, you left family, friends, home…everything…all in the pursuit of darkness."

"But I cast that aside too!" Riku retorted.

"Then what do you have to show for it?" the Voice asked.

"Again, present company excluded," Blaster said.

"First your home, then the dark," the Voice continued, ignoring Blaster. "Your heart only knows how to throw things away. It's empty, like that room. Like your memories. That's why no one is in the castle with you. Present company excluded. Your heart is hollow except for the darkness you couldn't quite shake off."

"You're full of it!" Riku shouted. "I rejected the darkness."

The Voice laughed.

"Did you really, now?" the Voice asked.

"This is getting ridiculous," Blaster said. "There is nothing here but heartless and us."

More rooms and Heartless kept the trio on their toes. Shuriken reappeared, but Okari took him out before he even got a word out. Room after room held heartless, until Riku came to the Cathedral, where everyone looking at one certain individual. A certain woman in a black robe, a horned headdress, and a staff with an emerald orb at the top.

"Maleficent," Blaster said flatly. "The witch returns."

Scattered updates are to come as I will soon have limited updating chances. I just LOVE breaks. Oh well. Again, special thanks to ShadowRebirth37 for the use of Okari, Leiden, and Shuriken. Read and Review (comments are welcome). Flames will be douced by Demyx.

"Present company excluded"