Though I now had another ally on my side, my interventions that had brought both Axel and Demyx to my side had consequences again. Maleficent did not show up and neither did Saïx's Heartless. As a result, there was no way for us to enter the realm of Darkness however briefly through Maleficent, and thus we were cut off from Riku.
On the other hand, while I knew every Heartless slain would only add to Kingdom Hearts, I also knew it most likely wouldn't make any difference in the slightest whether I tried to find other ways or not – that, and I also knew that even if I used something other than a Keyblade, because I owned them any Heartless would still yield a heart that could be harvested.
The issue of Riku was solved for me however. Leon and Cloud emerged from the Great Maw, following someone in a black coat with their respective blades pointed at him warily. With the hood up it would have been difficult at best to identify him, but Riku had the hood down, revealing his appearance as Ansem.
"You can put those down," I told his escort. "He isn't Ansem."
"He looks like Ansem," Leon pointed out, not relenting.
"His name is Riku, and he looks like Ansem because he hosted Ansem for a time, and needed his power. But he's on our side, so put it down."
Riku breathed a little easier with their blades put away, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small red-covered book.
"Here," he said. "You gave me this right before you closed the Door to Darkness."
I glanced into it, realizing it was the copy of the original journal, completely intact with nothing missing.
"See Jiminy?" I said, handing it to him. "I told you it'd be kept safe, didn't I?" Jiminy took it off me almost eagerly, taking out the second journal and checking things between the two. "Did you happen to run into the King in your travels?" I asked Riku.
"Of course. We had an interesting discussion about you, actually. Or we tried, anyway. He wouldn't say much, something about a secret you asked him to keep."
So Riku did not know – not yet, anyway.
"Maybe sometime I'll get around to telling you about it. Now, are you coming with me or not?"
"I've got better things to do than go blundering around like you do," he teased. "Here. I'm meant to give you these, though I can't see why." He took out a small box, and handed it to us. "Don't go getting in trouble again, will you?" Riku asked me with a sly grin, then disappeared into a corridor of his own.
"Are you sure that was Riku?" Axel asked me. "Only I went on a mission once with Roxas to track him down, and he was definitely shorter."
"Weren't you paying attention?" Demyx said. "He looks different because of Ansem. What's in the box, Sora?"
"A photo and several bars of ice cream," I answered, then opened it to confirm it. The photo was, of course, of Roxas while in the simulated Twilight Town with Hayner's gang. There were enough bars of ice cream to pass around all of us, even Leon and Cloud, with one left over. "Give it to Scrooge in town," I told Leon. "Maybe he'll figure out how to make it again."
But Leon shook his head, "He already did while you were off in that computer world. Keep it with you for now – you might find someone to give it to yet."
The others started on their own ice creams as Cloud led Leon back into town.
"Not gonna try yours?" Axel asked me. "Roxas loved them, you know."
"I know," I answered absently. Sea-salt ice cream. Do you know how hard it is for you to get any without having to make your own? I had a fair feeling that this would likely be the only one I'd get to have for a long while.
Go on back into town, Roxas told me. You can get to the Cavern of Remembrance now, and the Garden of Assemblage within. Don't forget your ice cream, he added as I started back toward Hollow Bastion.
I did have my ice cream along the way, and I can honestly say Roxas isn't the only one that loves them. Given half the chance to, I sometimes think I'd move to Hollow Bastion just for the ice cream. I don't think anyone could not like it.
Back at the damaged remains of the Postern, Roxas directed us through a new tunnel that had been uncovered which lead to the Cavern of Remembrance. Normally, it's recommended to be a high level before you come here, but Roxas distractedly assured me we'd be fine, and to stop bothering him because he was working on something again.
Most of the entrance area was deserted, just being made of a dull and dark purple rock. Moving on from there into what seemed to be some kind of mine saw things get more troublesome though, with many Heartless, none of which appear outside the Cavern of Remembrance, and all of them tough customers. I borrowed Roxas's Samurais to help take them on, but even then it was still touchy at times.
We would have had to fly around this area to get to the exit, but there were a number of flying carpets that were suspiciously similar to the one seen in Agrabah, making it much easier for us all to get around on a carpet each. These carpets also helped us get around the mineshafts that connected the various areas without needing to make use of the High Jump and other abilities granted by my Drive forms.
Following the mines, we came to a fair sized cavern where we were attacked by waves of Nobodies, though Dusks and Samurais were conspicuously absent. Several Nobodies we hadn't encountered yet, such as the Sorcerer and Gambler Nobodies were there though, giving us a little trouble handling them until they too were figured out.
It doesn't sound like it took long to get through all that, but believe me it did. We were all relieved when we reached the Garden of Assemblage, with a route freshly opened that went directly to the restoration site, giving easy access again.
The Garden of Assemblage is a large, round and white room that at first appears to have nothing in it until the computer is accessed, and even that computer doesn't really do anything except store data.
On accessing it though, the outside walls of the room gained a multitude of doors, like those seen in Proof of Existence in the Organization's castle. There were thirteen doors, each one with a number engraved into the frame, and two other doors separate from the main ones. Neither had any number on them.
The numbered ones corresponded to the thirteen Nobodies of the Organization. The doors for Axel, Demyx and Roxas all held glowing green portals, perhaps to signify that they were on my side now.
Blue doors, the computer told us, were accessible data-battles with the corresponding members. The available ones belonged to Larxene, Marluxia, Zexion, Lexaeus, Vexen, Xaldin, and interestingly Xemnas, though just as curiously not Xigbar. Xemnas I could understand; I had defeated him once before even if it hadn't been expected. But Xigbar? I was certain I'd seen him destroyed on my first return to Hollow Bastion after waking up. Surely his should have been open?
Xigbar's door and the remaining doors for Saïx and Luxord were red, showing I could not yet access them, as was one of the two separate doors. The other door without a number was blue.
I briefly explained to the others what this place was. It was Axel that pointed out that if we wanted to go against him or Demyx, they'd have to stay behind so there wouldn't be two of them – the real and data ones. It was either that or potentially get confused and attack the wrong one.
Go into the unmarked door, Roxas told me. Probably best to go by yourself. There's someone I want you to meet.
Goofy protested that I shouldn't leave them behind, but I insisted I'd be fine, then passed through the door. For a moment I thought I'd just walked into a room so blandly grey that I couldn't even see the edges of the room, but then the air shimmered and became the top of Twilight Town's clock tower.
Just ahead of me, seated on the ledge just above the clock itself, was someone wearing the Organization's black coat, reminiscent of Roxas's own one. The hood was pushed back though, showing the untidy mess of dark brown hair that I recognised as my own – not my own while I was Sora, his isn't untidy, just spiky. This was how my real hair looked, and that meant this had to be Xion.
"I know you're there," Xion told me, sounding exactly like me. "You might as well join me."
"Are you really... here?" I had to ask as I took a seat to his right – the same side Roxas would have sat on, I realized absently.
"Trust you to ask a question like that," he laughed. "No, I'm not here. This is just a data-based projection. All that's left of me really, since Roxas had no choice but to destroy me. And when he did that..."
"Everyone forgot about you, because you were made from memories."
"Exactly. When Roxas found out I'd be forgotten when we clashed, he found this place and created this so I'd get a chance to meet you. Somehow he persuaded Naminé to help keep the last remnants of me from fading away so I'd be a bit more than just a simulation of me."
"I guess he wanted us to meet each other then. He was pretty insistent I come here."
"Roxas told me a lot about you. I always wondered what you'd think of me if we ever met."
"It's hard to say without knowing what you went through, you know."
"I know. Unfortunately, even I don't have all my memories. Naminé was only able to save a small amount of them. Roxas might know, but you'll have to persuade him to tell you. The Organization knew he had the ability to see things that had happened somewhere else, but he absolutely refused to use it for anyone except himself, me and Axel. He and Xemnas used to have loud arguments about that," he laughed again. "Some nights we never got any sleep at all, even if they argued up at the Altar of Naught."
"He sounds just as stubborn as me."
"You forgot to mention meddlesome. He changed one or two things too. When Naminé put you to sleep, Roxas was in the middle of a fight in Agrabah, and Xigbar held off the Heartless until he could bring Roxas back. Roxas grudgingly admitted he owed Xigbar a favour, and told him something about what would happen later on."
"Do you know what?"
"No. I never got to hear what happened, and Roxas wouldn't talk about it. He said he felt guilty enough for telling him, but he did owe Xigbar a favour, and he wasn't going to try and get out of it."
"I wonder if it's related to Xigbar's door outside. I thought I'd destroyed him, but his door is still red, suggesting he isn't."
"I wouldn't know. Now, I've got my own request for you, Liam."
"Hold on there a moment," Roxas said, finally appearing nearby. "Did you forget what I told you when I finished this?" he asked Xion.
"You took your sweet time," Xion replied critically.
"I had to figure out how to appear. It's not the same as the Absent Silhouette areas are."
"You mean you didn't doze off again?"
"Hey!"
We had to laugh at that, then Xion turned back to me. "Anyway, our request," he said.
"Our? A moment ago it was just yours," I said.
"Yeah, well, I thought Roxas wasn't going to show up." Xion stood up, walking out onto the empty air just as he probably had when starting to fight Roxas, and Roxas followed him. Each of them called on a Keyblade. Xion held Oathkeeper, and Roxas of course held my Fatal Crest.
"You gotta be kidding me," I said. "You want me to take you both on? That's not fair!"
"What's wrong, Liam?" Xion grinned. "Afraid you won't be able to beat both your Nobody and your Replica?"
"Nah, he's just afraid it'll be too easy," Roxas smirked. "After all, he did take out Ansem pretty much entirely by himself."
"Come on, play fair," I insisted. "This was why you suggested the others stay behind, wasn't it? So you two could team up."
"That's right. And once you've entered one of these, no one else can come in until you win – or lose."
"One way or the other, you gotta defeat at least me," Xion added. "So whatcha say, Liam? Gonna give it a try?"
"I can't believe I'm doing this," I muttered to myself, stepping out onto the same unseen platform they were stood on. Part way out, it gave way, almost making me drop down if he hadn't managed to catch an edge and haul myself back up.
"Oh, did I forget to mention there's a few holes in the floor?" Xion asked innocently.
"Now you're just asking for trouble," I replied, bringing Fenrir into my hand. With Roxas fighting on Xion's side and the others outside, I had no Drive forms I could tall on. This would have to be done by Keyblade and magic.
I sent a series of Fire spells at the two of them straight away, then headed first for Roxas, figuring that as he was still technically a part of me, he'd be able to predict my tactics better. While he weaved through the fireballs to avoid harm, I closed on him and landed the first blow solidly on his back, then used Blizzard to hold him still while I turned quickly to block Xion's Oathkeeper aimed at my head.
Xion used tactics that I would have come up with myself, so there was little progress made by either of us while we fought. Our Keyblades never once touched anything but each other as he and I almost mirrored each other's attacks, seeing our own ideas forming in each other and deftly handling them almost as quickly as they came up.
Once Roxas got free of my Blizzard spell though, I retreated away from both of them, keeping careful watch on them. I noticed that where Roxas had been frozen, there were a few lines shimmering in the air – my Blizzard magic had revealed part of the floor.
As I almost stumbled into another invisible hole, I realized this knowledge would be invaluable at preventing me from falling through – but on the other hand would also do the same for them, assuming they didn't remember where the holes were themselves.
I took that chance though, this time sending a blanket of Blizzards toward them, aimed slightly downward so they'd reveal a considerable part of the floor, leaving a large area revealed with a slippery icy sheen over it. Fire melts ice and water conducts electricity... a new plan began to form. No doubt they would pick up on it if I was too obvious about it though, so I made some show of being disappointed in the results of the Blizzard blanket.
Roxas edged around the frozen area, but Xion did exactly what I would have, and slid across it instead, jumping just before he reached the edge to keep his momentum for a powerful downward attack. I kept near an as yet unrevealed hole I'd almost fallen through, then at the last minute I jumped clear. Oathkeeper flew from Xion's hand as he scrambled for the edge.
With Xion distracted, I charged Roxas. He was expecting this and tried to use the same trick I'd used on Xion, but I anticipated this and slowed before I reached him, making a feint for a higher strike that came sharply downwards as soon as he raised Fatal Crest to block it. I caught him solidly on the side, which left him open for further attacks – a second low blow caused his knees to buckle, and a downward strike on his unprotected back sent him to the floor with a grunt.
While he was down, I seized Fatal Crest from him.
"Good luck, Xion!" he called to her. "You're gonna need it now!" Then he disappeared again, allowing me to take up two Keyblades again, but I doubted he'd let me borrow his power against Xion.
Taking Fatal Crest from Roxas had been a distraction and a trap though, concealing from me that Xion had pulled himself back up, retrieved Oathkeeper, and was right behind me. As soon as I straightened up from retrieving Fatal Crest, I was hit hard from behind, sending me tumbling and both my Keyblades flying from my hands. I quickly scrambled to my feet, trying to summon them back to me only to find that didn't work here.
Fatal Crest was closer, though seemed to be tilting slightly in the air as if on another unseen edge. The relatively safer Fenrir Keyblade was in the middle of the ice patch, far from the various holes the ice revealed, but Xion was between me and it.
Though I suspected it wouldn't have any effect on him, I attempted to use Stop magic on him. Xion did not stop, but did slow down. I paused to consider this, then remembered – back when I'd gone against Riku in front of the Final Keyhole, Sora had modified my Stop spell to act as Slow if the Stop would have no effect.
So with Xion slowed and temporarily no threat to me, I ran for Fatal Crest, freezing the floor next to it with a string of Blizzard magic, then I dived onto the frozen floor to slide past Fatal Crest, snatching it up as I slid past on that cold ice and rolling back to my feed as the ice ended.
The slowing of Xion had worn off and he was after me again, ensuring he remained between me and Fenrir. I sent Fire at him, which he countered with Blizzard. That in turn I countered with Thunder, Xion countering with Reflect and following up with Magnet, drawing me in closer to him. I negated the effect with Gravity, using the visual effect of it as a cover so I could get around Xion to reach Fenrir.
Xion was ready for this though and had moved accordingly and we were once again battling Keyblade to Keyblade. This time though I had a new plan. As I struck out to block his attacks and try to make my own, I slowly started to circle around to one side until I was between him and Fenrir, then I began to retreat, appearing to give up ground until I judged I was close to the edge of the ice. I ducked under one strike he made turning and diving onto the ice again, pushing at the ice with Fatal Crest to direct myself around the holes to reach Fenrir and then safely off the other side of the ice.
Now Xion and I were on opposite sides of the ice. Every time he moved one way around it, I mirrored the movement, keeping us opposite. He seemed wary about stepping onto the ice, perhaps because he suspected my original idea concerning it. Finally he appeared to give in and started to make his way over it, looking more and more confident as I made no response until he was a fair ways onto it.
Then I melted it with a barrage of Fire, concluding with Thunder directed into the water. Xion called me a few names that are probably best not repeated here, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. He used his own Fire magic to make the water become steam that concealed his movements for a short time, but just as he'd anticipated my subterfuge with Gravity, I did the same here, moving clear of the cloud of steam as soon as he raised it.
When he emerged he headed back for me, but this time I had two Keyblades to his one. This time I drove him back and started to land a few more blows on him than on Oathkeeper. Xion used his own Stop to slow me down to get around and behind me to get in a few blows before the slow effect wore off.
I got around this simply by pretending to be slowed after the spell had worn off, then suddenly turning around to take him by surprise. Xion stepped back and fell through a hole, missing grabbing the edge.
I dismissed both Keyblades and grabbed his arm before he fell any further.
"Can I give you a hand?" I asked casually as he dismissed Oathkeeper and took hold of my own arm tightly.
"Just get me up," he told me. "You know fully well I'm afraid of heights, just like you."
"Actually, I'm fine with them – I just don't like seeing how far I have to fall."
"And I am sort of hanging far above the ground here, so will you get me back up!"
I pulled him up and back to the safety of the platform, then guided him back to the clock tower's visibly solid floor.
"So, what do you think of me?" I asked him. "All you expected of me?"
Xion nodded, "Definitely. That was a close fight, huh?"
"If I hadn't beaten Roxas first, I think the two of you would have gotten me good."
"You certainly kept us thinking, that's for sure. Come by again sometime and we'll have a rematch. Until then, you take this with you." He pulled out Kairi's good luck charm from one of my pockets and held it in both hands. When he removed one of them, the chain was reattached to it, making it the keychain for Oathkeeper, restored at last.
"Thanks, Xion."
"I'm not done yet. This is from both Roxas and me," he told me, then put both hands on my shoulders and concentrated. My clothes blurred slightly, then cleared to show them how they'd originally been before I'd picked up the new clothes from Yen Sid, though adjusted so they weren't too small any more. When he removed his hands, they restored to their original appearance.
"Limit form," I said, recognising it.
"That's right. Now even if you're fighting alongside Roxas in those Absent Silhouette battles, you'll have a Drive form to call on."
"Any more little gifts you've got to give me?"
"Nah, I'm out for now. Maybe if you stop by again later I'll have come up with something else though. Go on," he said, pointing to the door back outside again. "Your friends are all waiting for you."