Shairo: I'm glad you liked the introduction to CO. The conversation will be interesting with Riku and Shaylex and I cannot wait for them to finally meet again. She gets along well with everyone on the team but she will be spending most of her time down in the basement with team Zexion, Lexaeus and Vexen. And there will be some very interesting scenes between Shaylex and Namine in the future.
Dyingoffeels: Thank you for the feedback. I like that you realized that most of the people sent to CO were considered traitors to the organization. You'll have to find out if Shaylex survives or not. And Shaylex is pretty stubborn when it comes to her friends. She knows deep down that her friends would accept her but because of Xemnas, Saïx and the organization telling her otherwise, it's getting to her head as she has spent more time with them than her actual friends. I appreciate the feedback though.
A/N: Hey Guys. Happy New Year! And welcome to my new followers. Apologies for being slow with chapters. I came down with a horrific cold after Christmas and with work, I had very little energy to do anything else. But here we are, part 2 of many at Castle Oblivion.
Shaylex began to pace her little room, wondering who had just appeared in Castle Oblivion in the lowest part of the basement. The presence felt familiar like it was someone she had interacted with recently. They had created a card world to explore, and from that world, she felt another presence appear and disappear shortly afterward. She had to talk to the others about this. She returned to the viewing room where it was just Zexion. Lexaeus and Vexen were probably somewhere else. It had been a couple of hours since she left to ponder the new presences. "Hey Zexion." She said as she appeared. Zexion nodded. It seemed he was deep in thought. Lexaeus soon appeared afterward. He seemed troubled too. He didn't even say anything.
"Don't I even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?" Zexion asked sarcastically.
"Since when does Lexaeus say hello?" Shaylex explained. Lexaeus just grumbled. Vexen appeared pretty much straight away.
"What's going on, Zexion? I want an explanation!" Vexen asked sternly. He didn't sound too happy. It sounded as if Zexion had called for them. He must have felt the presences too. Zexion remained calm and responded.
"Nice to see you too, Vexen. It's such a shame. The Organization used to be the rope that bound ya together." He said so casually. Shaylex had to her smile as Vexen looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel in his head.
"You're only number 6! How dare you..." Vexen began to say but Lexaeus cut him off.
"Let it go, Vexen." He said so slowly. The two of them stared at each other for a while. Shaylex cleared her throat and looked at Zexion.
"What is it Zexion?" She asked. He had detected the two new presences in the castle.
"Zexion, tell us. Who did you detect?" Lexaeus asked. Zexion looked down and placed a hand on his chin.
"Visitors. I picked up two scents in the castle's lower basement. One of the them was Maleficent..." Zexion began to explain before Vexen interrupted.
"Don't be absurd. The witch is gone. She cannot return from the Realm of Darkness of her own volition." Vexen cut him off. Shaylex was intrigued. Maleficent was here in the castle. Zexion held yo his hand.
"If you would let me finish... The scent belonged not to the real Maleficent, but to a very convincing double. But I truly cannot say much beyond that since the double is no more. Our other visitor saw to that." Zexion explained. Shaylex though. Two presences. One was a copy of Maleficent, probably created by the world card the other person activated. But that would mean, someone who knew Maleficent was down in the basement, someone who might have been close to her.
"And who is it?" Lexaeus asked.
"I don't know for sure... But the scent was very similar to that of the Superior." Zexion explained. Shaylex wondered. Xemnas or someone who resembled Xemnas was here in the castle and fought a copy of Maleficent, and won.
"And yet, not exactly the same, was it?" Vexen asked. Zexion nodded. Vexen smiled as he placed a hand on his chin. "This truly piques my curiosity." He muttered. Shaylex nodded.
"I think it does for all of us. Zexion, how long before you can get an idea of who it is that's here?" Shaylex asked.
"It'll take a while. But... What to do when we find out their identity?" Zexion asked. Lexaeus bowed his head.
"We wait... See what develops." He explained. Everyone agreed and Shaylex sat on the floor and began to think about it. Who could have been in contact with someone like Xemnas and has a personal connection to Maleficent? She knew the presence. It was familiar. They had a warm, but troubled heart, as if it conflicted with the darkness. Shaylex widened her eyes at her sudden realization. Riku, Riku was here in the Castle's lower basement. Shaylex waited, she felt Riku's presence make his way through another card world as well as Sora go through two more. She wondered how Riku could have made it into the castle's lower basement. She had heard from Axel about Sora and Riku closing a door to darkness and defeating Ansem. But Riku was trapped on the other side, in the realm of darkness. So how did he manage to escape? Was it her? Or perhaps Sora that brought him here? Shaylex pondered a little further until Zexion spoke up.
"I have identified the scent. It is, Riku!" Zexion
"I knew it." Shaylex
"You figured it out too." Zexion
"The scent was familiar as if I had met them before. And what you said about Maleficent, there was only one person I knew who had a close bond to that witch." Shaylex
"Riku, you say? Has he emerged from the realm of darkness?" Vexen asked curiously. Shaylex was just as curious s to how Riku managed to escape the Realm and appear in Castle Oblivion.
"His existence, it was once doubled in the darkness," Zexion explained. SHaylex knew what that meant.
"Ansem," She muttered under her breath so that no one heard her. Shaylex could never forget the look on Ansem's face when he overpowered Riku's body and controlled him.
"Fascinating, that's why you mistook him for the Superior. The dark power given to Riku facilitated his escape from its realm." Vexen responded.
"What I want to know is why he appeared here in Castle Oblivion?" Zexion asked
"Isn't it obvious?" Shaylex spoke up.
"You?" Zexion asked. Shaylex nodded.
"It's even more simple than that. His existence resonates not just with you Shaylex, but that of another hero." Vexen added. Shaylex knew who Vexen was referring too.
"Sora," Shaylex said. Vexen nodded in agreement.
"Sora? Of course, he's here in the castle too." Zexion said, only registering what Vexen and Shaylex were talking about.
"Yes. Marluxia is already using Namine's unique powers to meddle with Sora's heart." Vexen explained. Zexion scoffed.
"Without bothering time consult us about his plan?" Zexion said. It sounded like Marluxia had other plans for Sora than she originally realized. Were Larxene and Axel in on the plan too?
"It seems he desperately wants the keyblade master to himself. What a foolish plan indeed. Sora's is not such an interesting existence. The entity that holds true value..." Vexen began to say when Shaylex cut him off as she knew what he was going to say next.
"Is Riku?" She asked. Vexen nodded
"Yes. Riku, the hero of darkness." Vexen declared. Shaylex placed a hand on her chin and began to think.
"He's afraid of the darkness. That I can sense. After what happened to him, he won't open up to it so easily." Shaylex explained. She saw his descent into darkness and his eventual resistance to Ansem. She was pretty sure he wouldn't want to give himself over to the darkness again. Not without the right persuasion.
"But, that's where we have you, Shaylex," Vexen responded, pointing at her. Shaylex pointed to herself too.
"Me?" She asked. She wasn't sure if Riku would be happy to see her after their last encounter at Hollow Bastion, where he raised his weapon to her and she retaliated by showing her keyblade and then telling him that she didn't have a heart. She still listened to Vexen's plan.
"You can help us convince Riku to give in to that darkness. Join our cause. We could use that darkness to our advantage!" Vexen explained. Shaylex thought about it. She did want to get Riku back for turning on her, back in Hollow Bastion. And it might be fun to mess with him, show him what kind of person she became, thanks to him.
"Okay then." She said shrugging off her organization coat. She was wearing a yellow tank top and blue shorts underneath. "Let's go and say hi to Riku." She added. Vexen smiled and they waited for Riku to complete the next card world. They felt him finish and exit the room. Vexen nodded to Shaylex and he teleported to Riku. Shaylex teleported too but concealed herself so that she would remain out of sight until the time was right.
"Huh?" Riku asked as Vexen appeared in front of him.
"I take it you're Riku?" Vexen asked him. Riku looked angry. He probably had some walls up, to defend himself emotionally.
"Are you with Ansem?" Riku asked. Just as Shayex suspected. He's scared of being controlled by that psycho again.
"You are half correct. Let us say that he is not the Ansem with which you are familiar with. He is Ansem and he is not Ansem. Perhaps a 'Nobody' beat conveys the idea." Vexen said. Shaylex rolled her eyes. Vexen always loved riddles.
"Riddles were never my thing, try again," Riku responded quite harshly.
"He belongs to neither the light, nor the dark, but walks the twilight between." Vexen began to explain. Riku gasped at the realization and Vexen laughed at it. "Catching on now? Oh yes, you also stand in between the light and darkness. It appears we have much in common." The academic added, his words had made Riku think as her old friend placed a hand on his heart.
"Maybe... As you said, there really is darkness left inside of me. But so what? Darkness is my enemy!" Riku declared as he summoned his blade and got into his fighting stance. "And so are you for reeking of that awful smell!" He added. Vexen smiled.
"Oh ho! So it's a fight you want? Very good, I shall take you on!" Vexen declared as he summoned his shield and the two of them engaged in combat. They fought for quite a while but Shaylex could see that both of them were getting worn out by the fight, she summoned her keyblade and readied herself. Riku began to slash at Vexen but he kept blocking with his shield. Shaylex knee that was her cue. Vexen laughed. "I find, coursing through you, there is a darkness of formidable power growing. Well worth the trouble of aggravating you. All this excitement has provided me with invaluable data!" Vexen laughed as he raised his shield to block another attack and push Riku to the ground. Shaylex, put on her best-scared face, stepped forward and whacked Vexen round the head with her blade while he was laughing, knocking him to the ground, unconscious. She began to breathe heavily as she looked at Riku.
"R-R-Riku?" She asked as Riku looked up at her.
"Ashley? Is that you?" He asked as he tried to stand up. Shaylex dismissed her keyblade and ran to him.
"Oh, Riku, I'm so glad it's you!" Shaylex said, hugging her old friend. "I didn't think I'd see you again!" She sobbed into his shirt. Riku smiled and hugged back.
"It's good to see you too Ashley. What are you doing here? In this castle?" He asked.
"I was captured by these people in the black coats, they brought me here, I've been a prisoner ever since," Shaylex explained. Riku tightened his hug around her.
"I'm sorry to hear that. But, how did you escape?" He kept asking all these questions. Shaylex was quick to answer
"They've been distracted over the last couple of days. I used that as an opportunity to try to escape, and then I saw you fighting him." Shaylex explained, pointing at Vexen. "I knew that I had to help. I made a promise to you, remember?" Shaylex explained, pointing at the necklace. Riku smiled.
"Yeah, you did. We both did, and I didn't keep to mine. I'm sorry Ashley." Riku said, turning away and standing up.
"It's fine, Riku, it wasn't your fault. You were under Maleficent's control." Shaylex said placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you were trying to protect me too." She added. Riku looked at her.
"Yeah, I guess I was, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I shouldn't have done that, especially to you, you tried to save me, as did Sora. But I was blind to it. I should have listened to you Ashley. I should have gone with you back in Traverse Town." Riku explained, clenching his fists. Shaylex looked away, he was genuinely sorry for the way he acted to her. She sighed and turned back to him.
"It doesn't matter now, we're together again. And we're getting out of here, no matter what!" She said, smiling at him and holding out a hand. Riku looked into her violet eyes, smiled and took her hand.
"Yeah! We'll get out of here, together. And then we'll find Sora and the King!" He said. Shaylex nodded.
"Well, what are we waiting for, let's get out of here!" Shaylex said, walking to the staircase, with Riku following. Shaylex looked back briefly to see Vexen sit up slightly and give her a brief wink. The two friends ascended the staircase in silence. Shaylex wasn't sure how she was going to get Riku to give in to the darkness, she could offer to help him control it. But would he accept, after his speech about darkness being his enemy, learning to control the darkness would be the last thing he wanted. They reached the top of the stairs and began to walk towards the door when Riku let go of her hand and stood still, he looked down. Shaylex turned to face him. "What's wrong, Riku?" She asked. Riku looked at her.
"It's just, the last time I saw you, I raised my blade to you, I almost hurt you, but you blocked it with your keyblade," Riku said. Shaylex nodded and summoned Promise.
"Yeah, I didn't want to as you were my friend, but... I felt like I had no choice." She explained as she dismissed her keyblade again, looking down at the floor.
"I know, it was a foolish move," Riku said quietly. Shaylex looked back up at her silverette friend.
"No, we were both angry at what had happened to each other. I wanted to hate you for the way you just gave yourself over to the darkness so recklessly, that you chose to believe Maleficent over me." Shaylex explained as she took a step towards Riku. "But I couldn't, I know that wasn't the real Riku. The Riku I care about, who is my best friend!" She added, smiling at him.
"I know, Ashley, and I'm sorry for that," Riku said, so softly and so sincerely. Shaylex felt a pain in her chest. Was he sorry for the way he treated her? She pushed that thought aside. The mission was important. She had to convince him to give himself over to the darkness willingly.
"I know you are. Look at you now, you managed to escape Maleficent's control and you're here now, fighting the darkness." Shaylex said, closing the distance between them and taking his hands in hers. "I'm proud of you." She added smiling.
"Yeah, I guess. But the darkness is still inside me. I can feel it, I can smell it." Riku explained as he placed a hand on his heart. "I can also smell it on you, but it's even stronger than the last time I saw you." Shaylex's smile vanished and she turned away.
"Yeah, I've still got darkness inside me. But, I've learned to control it. That's why these guys captured me, because of my darkness." She said, quickly coming up with a lie. "They wanted t use me, my darkness and my keyblade for something. I'm not sure what, but I've been refusing. I don't want to turn into a monster." She added, looking at her hands.
"So that's what that guy meant by valuable data. It was a trick all along. To aggravate the darkness within me. To try to use me like they're trying to use you." Riku said quietly. Shaylex turned back to him and nodded.
"But he didn't. You have more control over the darkness than you realize Riku." Shaylex exclaimed, smiling back at him once again.
"You think so?" Riku asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He sounded unsure. Shaylex nodded.
"Yes! You don't have to be afraid of it you know. I could help you. When we get out of this place." Shaylex offered, smiling sincerely at Riku. Riku looked at Shaylex, he was hesitating. Shaylex thought for a second. "How about this. We get out of this place and then you can decide. If you don't want to, I'll understand, and I'll try to not use it myself. I've seen what it can do to someone if it's not under control. I know I don't want to lose control of it" She explained as Riku began to smile again. He nodded and the two of them walked up to the door. Riku was about to open it when he turned to Shaylex.
"I just want to clarify one thing. Back in Hollow Bastion... when I went to attack you and you blocked it. You said something about the keyblade and strength of heart. You remember?" Riku asked. Shaylex looked down at her feet.
"Yeah, I said a lot of things that I regretted that day." She added. She was waiting for this part. She was sure that Riku wouldn't forget her declaration of not having a heart. Riku took a deep breath and calmly spoke.
"You told me that you didn't have a heart." He said. Shaylex could feel his eyes on her, trying to see what kind of reaction Shaylex would give.
"I only said that because I was angry that you tried to attack me when at the time, I was defenseless. If I hadn't summoned my keyblade, who knows what would've happened to me! I wanted you to feel the pain I felt when you abandoned me." Shaylex explained looking up at Riku. Aquamarine eyes stared into violet eyes and Riku then turned away to face the locked door.
"And yet, you still lied to me. I can feel it, Ashley. I can sense that darkness. So don't lie to me. Was Maleficent correct about you not having a heart, to begin with?" Riku asked, his right hand curling into a fist. Shaylex took a step toward him.
"Riku, we've only just found each other again. Let's not fight. We can talk about it once we get out of this place..." Shaylex began to explain when Riku turned back around, summoning Soul Eater and holding it up.
"I want to believe you Ashley, I, really do. But, my heart is telling me otherwise. SO WHAT HAPPENED?!" He shouted at Shaylex. She took a few steps backward and turned her back to face him.
"The day the islands were destroyed." She said quietly, but her tone had changed. Riku gasped. Shaylex began to laugh. "You caught on quite quickly, and it took you what, almost 5 months to figure it out. Although, Maleficent was correct all along. You just didn't want to believe it. So well done Riku, you finally figured it out." Shaylex explained as she turned to face him, her mask was gone and a different smile was there. Riku's eyes widened at the realization of his actions. Shaylex smiled. "Have fun getting out of this castle all in your own." She added and teleported out of the room as Riku called out to her.
A/N: And there we have it, Riku finally knows. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and any feedback is welcome. It helps me to become a better writer. I can't wait for you guys to see the next chapter! I hope you all have a super, fantastic, awesome day, morning, afternoon, evening, night, wherever you are in the world and stay awesome!