Dyingoffeels: Yep. Riku Replica has finally entered the story. There is still more time to develop friendships with Namine and the replica. She's definitely gonna warm to the replica more than Riku of course. She kind of has friends with Axel and Tenebrae but... I kinda live for the angst that I'm writing right now. Don't worry, Shaylex will get friendship soon.

Shairo: I love Dark Riku Replica and things are going to get interesting between him and Shaylex, starting with this chapter. And we are starting to see the friendship between Riku and Shaylex shatter. Will it be repaired? Who knows. And yes, it will be interesting when Shaylex realizes the whole betrayal scheme and Axel might try to eliminate her based on what's happened in the story so far. We'll see.

A/N: Hey guys. Shaylex here back with another chapter. Be prepared for a lot of angst which I do not apologize for.


Shaylex lay on the bed in the room that she had been assigned at Castle Oblivion. She decided to go and lie down for a while after her recent confrontation with Riku. If she had a heart, she would be conflicted. She cared about Riku. They were friends. The first friend she made when she arrived on the islands. And yet, he betrayed her, left her alone in the realm of darkness while he made it out safely. Okay, he had the whole shit storm with Maleficent and Ansem but at least he still left her alone in the realm of darkness. And he was now trying to make up for the mistakes he made, the promise he broke to her. "It's not enough." She said softly as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She began to dream. Of her and Riku on the island. The two of them were laughing, spending time together, with Sora and Kairi. But, then, the picture, the figures she was hanging out with, changed. Riku was replaced with Keval, Kairi with Cetus and Sora with a guy with short red hair and wearing a gold mask. She watched as the four of them hung out by a fountain, chatting and goofing off. Shaylex watched at what could be her younger self, laughing and smiling with these people. Then, the younger version of her faded and the three others turned to her.

"Why didn't you find us, Ash?" Keval said

"You were meant to keep your promise to us," Cetus added.

"Why did you abandon us?" The other boy asked. Shaylex looked at them confused.

"I forgot. I have no memories." She said but the three friends took a step closer to her and then, more people joined them. The girl with the two-toned pink and lilac hair, a guy with strawberry blonde hair and glasses. The girl with long hair in pigtails, half white and half black. A guy with pink hair wearing a hat, A boy with ginger hair and a boy just as tall as Keval with dark brown, curly hair.

"You were our friend Ashley. Why did you run away?" They all said in unison as they took another step towards her.

"I tried to find you. I did. You left me alone." Shaylex said unexpectedly. She placed her hands over her mouth. Did she say that? What was happening? She took a step backward and bumped into something, she turned around to see Riku, Sora, and Kairi there, all with the same expressions on their faces.

"You left us, Ashley. Abandoned us for the organization." The three of them said.

"You're not worthy of a heart." Another voice was heard. Shaylex turned her head to see Tenebrae standing there. His red eyes staring into her soul. "Call yourself a friend? You're nothing like us. You'll never get your heart back." He added. Shaylex felt her eyes stung. Who were these people with Keval and Cetus? Why were they taunting her like she was in the wrong?

"You abandoned me. I didn't ask for this. I never asked to lose my memories or my heart. You've got to believe me." Shaylex shouted as she crouched down as the crowd grew closer until they formed a circle around her. Each one of them taunting her, laughing at her.

"Keyblade wielder. She's not worthy to use such a powerful tool." "No heart, not worth anyone's tears." "A good for nothing Nobody." "Call yourself a friend do you?" "You were never our friend." "You'll never get your heart back." All these voices kept saying over and over again. Shaylex screamed out as she woke up and sat up abruptly. She was sweating profusely. Her breathing rapid. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her room. She tried to take deep breaths but the intensity of the dream was still with her.

"Bad dream?" A voice spoke to her. Shaylex's eyes darted to the door to see Riku standing there. No, the Riku Replica. Shaylex swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah." She managed to stutter out as she pulled her legs up to her chest as she closed her eyes to try and calm down. She heard the replica's feet moved into the room and she felt the bed dip as he sat on it and placed a hand on her leg.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He said softly. Shaylex opened her eyes and looked at him. Her eyes stung but no tears fell still.

"I don't know. I'm confused." She said softly.

"Over what?" The Replica asked.

"I saw faces in my dreams. Faces of people that might be from my past. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tenebrae..." Shaylex explained as she finally felt herself calm down. "I'm conflicted Replica." She added looking into Replica's aquamarine eyes.

"Conflicted how?" He asked gently.

"You have Riku's memories, correct?" Shaylex asked.

"Kind of. They're vague but I understand the past you two have. You liked him. Didn't you." The Replica said

"I don't know. I know I thought there was something there." Shaylex tried to explain. But it was proving difficult without her heart.

"Can I tell you something. Something I learned from the pieces of his memories that I have." The Replica responded. Shaylex nodded.

"What?" She asked the Replica softly.

"He always had a feeling that your heart belonged to someone else. The give away was the necklace he found. He does care about you. But he didn't want to act on potentially pursuing something that would end up with his heart, breaking. I think the clue lies in your memories." He tried to explain.

"But, how can I find out my memories? How can I remember?" Shaylex asked as she sat up more and let her legs drop so that she wasn't hugging her knees anymore.

"That I don't know. Maybe you could ask someone else in this castle to help?" The Replica said as he stood up from the bed and stood in the doorway and waited.

"Maybe," Shaylex said as she got up from the bed. 'But who?' She thought to herself as she headed to the bathroom to try to freshen up. "Why are you here?" She called out to the Replica as she splashed water onto her face.

"I came to collect you. Vexen is going to introduce me to Sora and wants you to be there with me." The Replica explained as Shaylex grabbed her brush and tidied her hair and straightened her cloak.

"I take it he's going to pass you off as the real Riku? Break his heart even more?" Shaylex asked as she emerged from the bathroom. She looked a lot better but her mind was a different story. The Replica nodded. Shaylex smiled. "Well, we can't keep Sora any longer. Let's go." She said as she held out her hand for the Replica to take it. He did and the two of them teleported to Vexen who was waiting.

"Finally. I've been waiting." Vexen growled. Shaylex rolled her eyes at him.

"We're here now. Let's just get on with it. Shall we go to the top?" Shaylex asked. Vexen smiled

"Not quite yet. Let's see how they're getting on first." Vexen explained as he motioned to the monitor. On it, was an image of Axel, leaning against a wall, and then, Larxene appeared, looking worn out. The three of them listened in and waited.

"Whew. Throwing that battle wore me out." Larxene said putting on a dramatic face. Axel just smirked.

"Really? It looked to me like you just plain lost." He quipped back. Shaylex smiled. So, Sora kicked her ass. She was happy. She never liked Larxene, even more now that the two of them were stuck at Castle Oblivion. Axel's comment made Larxene angry. Vexen placed a hand on Shaylex's shoulder and nodded, signaling that it was time for them to head on up.

"How dare you! You don't appreciate the nuances of..." Larxene began to say when Vexen cut her off.

"An ungainly effort." He said as the three of them appeared in the room. The Replica took a few steps backward. Larxene scoffed.

"Vexen. And Shaylex. Just what we need" She said rolling her eyes.

"Nice to see you too Larxene. You look like you need a lie-down. You look like you've been in a fight." Shaylex responded as she turned to look at Namine. Her hands clutching the sketch pad. 'Memories... Namine can rearrange memories. Could she maybe unlock them too?' Shaylex thought to herself as Vexen just smiled and took a step towards Larxene and Axel.

"How could you be so humbled by someone of such limited significance. You shame the Organization." Vexen added. This made Larxene scowl even more. Axel cut into the conversation.

"How can we help you, Vexen? It's not very often that we see you topside." He asked. "And good to see you again Shaylex. How have things faired down below?" He added directing his next question to Shaylex. Shaylex looked at Axel and smiled.

"Things are going well with Riku. He realizes how much he's to blame for the situation I'm in. We might have another puppet for the organization along with Sora if things keep to the plan." Shaylex explained as she took walked towards the glowing orb to see Sora talking about Namine. "I see Sora 'remembers' you then Namine?" She added, turning to the blonde girl sitting in the chair. She nodded slowly. Vexen just rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

"I came to lend you a hand. You obviously believe this Sora has much potential, but I remain unconvinced he is truly worth such coddling, despite what Shaylex has reported to me. I think an experiment would show if he really is of any value to us." Vexen explained. As Larxene began to circle him.

"Well, here we go again. It's just an excuse so you can carry out your little experiments. That's all." Larxene quipped softly.

"I'm a scientist. Experiments are what I do, yes." Vexen responded softly, smiling maniacally as he did so.

"Whatever. You can do what you want. But you know, I think testing Sora is just a cover for testing your valet." Axel explained. Shaylex smiled. Of course, this was a test to see how the Riku Replica would fair against Sora. Vexen sounded very offended by Axel's comment, however.

"Valet? He's the product of pure research!" The academic said as he crossed his arms.

"What he actually is, is a toy," Larxene added on. Shaylex turned to look at the Replica. 'A toy, huh? Poor thing.' She thought as she turned back to the others.

"You should just learn to be quiet." Vexen snapped back.

"They're just skeptical because they haven't seen him in action Vexen. No need to get so worked up over an experiment." Shaylex said as she crossed her arms and looked at the Academic with a look that spelled. 'Don't blow our cover!' Axel just shook his head and chuckled.

"Anyway... Since you guys came all this way, you're gonna need this." He said as he held up a world card. For Destiny Islands. He gave it to Vexen. "A humble gift to my elder. I hope you use it to put on a very good show for us. And Shaylex as well of course. We're all rooting for you." He added as Vexen smiled as the Replica finally took a step forward to join the group. "That card holds the memories of Sora and Riku's home," Axel added. The Replica spoke up.

"It's just a card. What good is that?" The Replica asked.

"With a little help from Namine, you'll have all the real Riku's memories," Larxene explained.

"No more haziness. It'll be like you are the real thing." Shaylex added as she stepped towards the Replica. "We need to do this if we're to convince Sora you're the real Riku." She added.

"Maybe we can get her to make you forget you're nothing but a fake," Larxene added. "In other words, we'll remake your heart so you can be exactly the same and the real Riku, 'kay?" She explained. True, it was a good idea but was it really worth it? The Replica seemed unconvinced.

"You want to remake my heart?" He asked with a shocked tone in his voice. "The real Riku is a wimp who's afraid of the dark! What do I want with the heart of a loser!?" He angrily asked the group in front of him. Shaylex took his hand and squeezed it softly.

"Any objections, Vexen? After all, you do want to test Sora, don't you?" Larxene asked Vexen. Vexen smiled.

"It must be done." He concluded. Shaylex nodded and held the Replica's hand tighter.

"I'll be by your side the entire time. Don't worry Riku." She said softly to him. But the Replica began to try and struggle out of her grip.

"How can you? Are you betraying me!?" He asked as he looked at both Vexen and Shaylex. Vexen held up the card.

"I told you I would make good use of you, didn't I?" Vexen explained. The Replica took a small step backward, still trying to free his hand from Shaylex's.

"No..." He said softly.

"Relax, kiddo, I don't think it's going to hurt that much!" Larxene said sarcastically. Shaylex rolled her eyes and grabbed the Replica's other hand.

"If you won't trust them. Then trust me. Like I did with you earlier." She said looking into his aquamarine eyes.

"NO!" The Replica shouted and managed to free himself and pushed Shaylex out of the way, she stumbled back and hit the wall. The Replica then summoned his sword "I'll hurt you!" He shouted as he charged at Larxene. But Shaylex watched as she threw him back with a lightning strike. The Replica lay helpless on the ground as Larxene began cackling.

"Stupid little toy! Think you could defeat me? Where would you ever get a thought like that?" The nymph asked sarcastically. Axel walked over to Shaylex and helped her up. She walked over to the Replica, as did Larxene. "But- look on the bright side. Along with everything else in your head, Namine will erase the memory of me knocking you flat. Instead, she will implant the loveliest little memories you could ever hope for! It's no big deal that they're all lies." Larxene explained as the Replica tried to scoot backward and away from her. Shaylex took his hand again.

"Don't worry. It's for the best." She said softly.

"No..." The Replica whispered as Larxene finally advanced. "NOOOOO!" he screamed out as Larxene picked him up and dragged him out of the room, with Vexen and Namine following behind, leaving Axel and Shaylex in the room together.

"So, Sora has been asking about you," Axel said as he leaned against a wall. Shaylex smiled and walked up to him.

"What have you told him?" She asked. Axel shrugged.

"I haven't spoken to him. Larxene's the one who's been dealing with him for the time being. Although, she did mention that you were a bad guy and there's not much he can do to change it." The redhead explained as he looked towards the door. "Poor kid." He muttered. Shaylex nodded in agreement, her hand fiddling with the necklace restlessly. Axel noticed. "Everything okay?" He asked her. Shaylex looked at him and forced a smile.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" She responded as she turned away to look at the glowing orb with the image of Sora making his way through the next card world. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Because it looks as if something's troubling you. Come on, you can tell me. We're friends, right?" Axel said, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Shaylex sighed.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired. It's been a rough couple of days." She responded. Axel chuckled.

"Yeah, it has been. Maybe you should get some rest after this. It can't be easy to see your friends again and for them to finally learn the truth about you." He suggested. Shaylex sighed.

"I don't need rest, Axel. I already tried." She said softly, looking down at her hands.

"What happened?" Axel asked curiously. Shaylex could also detect a small hint of worry in his voice too. She turned around and looked up at him.

"I had... well... I'm not sure how to explain it. A nightmare, maybe." She tried to explain. Axel's eyes widened as he placed both hands on her shoulders gently.

"A nightmare?" He asked. Shaylex nodded.

"Yeah. And it's got me thinking. About my past. I want to understand it. I want to remember. But... I don't know how." She explained as she looked back at the monitor to see Sora, making quick work of the card world.

"Hmmm. I'm afraid I can't help you there. I wish that I could. These nightmares... they contain clues to your past then?" Axel asked, prying for more information.

"Yes," Shaylex responded. Axel snapped his fingers after thinking for a couple of minutes.

"Then ask Namine, she has power over memories. She might be able to help you." He said with a smile on his face as if he's just won an amazing prize. Shaylex looked down at the floor.

"I thought about that but... what if she can't?" She said softly. Axel crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall again.

"Then you'll have to find another way. I'm sure you'll eventually remember your past, one way or another." He finally said. It seemed that he couldn't come up with another clever idea. Shaylex looked up at him.

"Thanks, Axel," Shaylex said smiling at him. He smiled back. They heard the door open and Namine walked back in and sat in her chair. She looked very downcast. She heard more footsteps as she saw Larxene and Vexen reenter the room, with the replica following behind. He was looking down at the floor. The three of them stopped and the replica looked up and saw Shaylex. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Ashley?" He asked Shaylex. She shook her head.

"I'm Shaylex now, Riku. But we're still friends. You kept me safe, you kept your promise, remember." She said softly as she took her hand and placed it in his. Riku nodded.

"Yeah, I did. And we're here to protect Namine... right?" He said looking over to Namine. Shaylex nodded.

"Yes. But Sora's in the castle. He's going to try and take Namine away from us." She explained as she looked over to Namine.

"I won't let that happen. I made a promise to Namine all those years ago that I would protect her. Just like I did with you. I won't fail you guys again." He said. Shaylex realized that his clothes had changed back into Riku's regular clothes. Shaylex smiled and squeezed Riku's hand gently.

"I'm glad to hear it Riku. Shall we go and see Sora then?" She asked. The Replica nodded and the two of them teleported to the next floor and waited for Sora to finish the card world in the previous room. Shaylex let go of the Replica's hand and stepped back. "Don't worry Riku. I'm going to stay back for a bit. But I'll be close by." She said to reassure him. The Replica nodded and Shaylex concealed herself and waited for Sora to enter. She didn't have to wait long as the doors opened and Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked through into the room. Sora immediately saw Riku, who began walking towards him.

"You're... Riku?! What are you doing here?" Sora asked. The replica Riku scoffed.

"Not happy to see me? Lemme know if I'm getting in the way... ya know, of something that's more important." The Replica Riku responded sarcastically. He was acting just like Riku. Sora looked confused.

"Huh? I didn't mean that..." He began to say when the Replica cut him off.

"Hmph. Spare the excuses. I bet that you had forgotten about me. About us!" He said as he motioned to Shaylex as she unconcealed herself and stood next to Riku.

"Are you crazy? C'mon. I came all this way looking for the two of you! Ashley, what happened to you. I've been trying to find an answer but no one's giving them to me."

"I explained everything earlier Sora. When the islands were destroyed. I lost my heart. I changed. And the only person who stayed by my side was Riku. He helped me. Stuck by me, just like he had promised. Unlike you Sora." Shaylex responded as she took the Replica's hand. Sora shook his head. Riku scoffed.

"And now you're not looking for us anymore, right? Now it's only Namine that you're looking for. You don't care about us. Just like you never cared... at all about her feelings." Riku added pointing to Sora.

"Namine's..." Sora said softly. Riku scoffed.

"Hmph. I knew it. Never even gave it a thought, did you? Just cuz you want to see Namine... Sorry... It doesn't go both ways. Tell ya the truth, Namine doesn't even want to look at your face." He explained pointing at Sora.

"Why not?" Sora asked.

"He really doesn't know. I may not have known her when you guys were growing up. But I've been getting close to her and I've learned some interesting truths about you Sora." Shaylex said. True, this didn't actually happen. But she knew that they had to stick to the plan for Sora to become a willing pawn for the organization. She didn't want to lose her life here. Riku looked away.

"You should ask your memories... Why Namine disappeared from the islands." Riku stated as he looked back at Sora. "Remember that... and you'll know." He added as Sora looked down at the floor.

"Did I... Did I do something? Is it my fault?" Sora asked softly. As he looked at both Shaylex and Riku. "Riku, Ashley." She said as darkness enveloped the Replica and he changed into his dark outfit. Shaylex smiled.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You're not needed here." She said as she summoned her keyblade and held it by her side.

"Go home, Sora. I'll care for Namine." Riku declared as he summoned his sword. "Anyone who goes near her... goes through me!" He shouted as he jumped to stroke Sora which he quickly blocked.

"What's... What's wrong with you guys? We're supposed to be friends!" Sora managed to say while he kept the block up. Shaylex scoffed.

"Friends. Friends don't abandon each other and go off on adventures with new ones." Shaylex said angrily.

"Please, Sora. Since when have you ever cared about us?" The Replica added on, smiling. "Namine's not the only who's sick of looking at you. So are we!" He declared, using his free hand to motion both himself and Shaylex. As he jumped backward, flipping as he did.

"Riku! Ashley! Stop it!" Sora shouted. But Shaylex just scoffed and teleported away, leaving the Replica Riku and Sora to fight. She teleported back into the room to see Namine was all on her own. She looked around to double-check. This was now or never. She walked up to her.

"Namine." She said softly. The platinum blonde girl looked up from her sketch pad. Shaylex noticed that the drawing was of Sora, Riku, and Namine on the island. "You're making him forget Kairi, aren't you?" She asked. Namine nodded.

"I have to make him forget slowly or else the replacement memories of me won't work," Namine explained as she looked down at her sketch pad.

"But why? Why are you doing this?" Shaylex asked. There had to be a logical reason why she was doing this to Sora.

"Because..." Namine began to say but she couldn't finish her sentence. She looked away. Shaylex sighed.

"Fair enough. I won't push the reason but you've got to think about the impact it's having in Sora." Shaylex explained. "Even if those memories are gone, they'll still be there, buried under all the lies." She added. "Besides. That's not why I wanted to talk to you." She said standing up. "You have power over memories. Correct?" She asked. Namine nodded.

"Technically power over Sora's memories and those connected to him," Namine explained.

"So, you can see my memories, right?" Shaylex asked softly as a hand clutched the necklace.

"You have a connection to Sora, so yes." The blonder Nobody responded.

"What about my memories that are locked away. The ones that I can't remember. Can you see those... and... can you help me to remember?" Shaylex asked as she laced her hands together nervously as she waited for an answer. Namine looked down at the sketch pad and closed her eyes.

"It's difficult. For some reason. I can't trace your locked memories. It's as if the links are almost... non-existent." Namine explained. Shaylex looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean, non-existent?" She asked. Namine sighed.

"I can sense them. But... it's hard to explain." She said as she flipped the page of her pad to a blank one.

"Then try. They're my memories. I have a right to know." Shaylex said, her voice slightly raised. Namine sighed and began to draw something.

"For some reason, your memories are not a part of you. But are a part of another. Someone with a close connection to you. I can't see who as they're shrouded in powerful darkness. Their life is tied to another. Something stronger. But some of those memories have broken free. You've already seen them." Namine said as she drew a figure but a majority of it was surrounded by darkness. From what Shaylex could make out, there were antennae, and they had yellow eyes, but humanoid features and maybe, human clothing. She also knew the memories Namine was talking about. The ones she saw in the Great Bayou.

"Then, how can I unlock the others? How can I remember?" She asked Namine, kneeling again. Namine finished her sketch and looked at it.

"Until this other connection is gone... there's nothing you can do. I'm afraid." She said softly. Shaylex wanted to scream, to hit something, or someone, but she stopped herself. She was expecting this answer from Namine. She would just have to find this connection and try to get her memories back. But at least she had some reassurance on the memories she had seen. They were real. Keval and Cetus and the others... really were her friends at one stage. Then what happened to them? What happened for them to be separated. And why did she lose her memories? She looked at Namine and smiled.

"Thank you, Namine. Even if it wasn't the answer I hoped for." She said. Namine looked at and smiled. Genuinely smiled and that's when Shaylex saw it. 'Kairi?!'


A/N: Phew. What a chapter eh? At least there was some soft content at the end, right? Right? I'm excited to continue the ReChain storyline even more now. Also. If you haven't yet, please checkout Knightmare1618's, Kale Thunderhorse Lampkin's, bloodroseknight's and pretty_dandelion's stories as they are also part of the Light Protectors group. So thank you again for all of my followers for all the love and for reading my story. Thank you for the reviews! It really means a lot that you guys are being drawn in by the story that started as a small idea about a year ago now. I hope you all have a great day, morning, afternoon, evening, night wherever you are in the world and I'll see you all in the next chapter.