Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 5

"Roxas."

He turned to face the Superior, waiting for orders. His missions since he had gained the second Keyblade had been harder than normal, testing his abilities obviously. Was he being sent out again already? His body may be stronger than it had been as a Somebody but even then it wasn't indestructible and his ribs were still healing, even with magical help.

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Xemnas stared at the blank teenager before him. He had seen the two Keyblades that were wielded as a pair and their presence troubled him. He stared into dull blue eyes, searching for any sign, and yet he remained utterly placid, obediently waiting for orders. Surely, even emotionless, if he had any memories then they would be affecting him in ways he could not hide. And there was always the chance he would not remain without a Heart…but so long as he believed it impossible to have one he should dismiss any emotion as simply the memory of once having it.

Still…perhaps he did need a stronger test. Axel had been sent to deal with the traitors, he would send the boy to Vexen's team as he was positive they remained loyal, if only for their science. They could use him to test the Princess and report on his actions. Axel had befriended Roxas so his reports could not be fully trusted when it came to his behaviour.

"You will report to Vexen in Castle Oblivion and obey his orders, understand?"

"Yes Sir."

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"So you sailed out to look for Pinocchio..." Donald started.

"...and Monstro swallowed you!" and Goofy finished.

"Yes, but I found my son. I would do anything for my Pinocchio," Geppetto smiled.

"But now you can't get out, can you? Being stuck in the belly of a whale is awful," Kairi shook her head.

"Not if Pinocchio and I are together. That makes everything a little bit better. There's nothing better than being reunited with someone you care about.

"Yeah... I know what you mean." Sora…she would see him again, Riku too. She would get both of them back, and they would help Sora find his Heart, somehow.

"I don't care if I'm trapped here, so long as I have Pinocchio. He's such a good boy."

"Well, he still tells fibs. But with a little help from me..." Jiminy added.

"Oh, Jiminy, you worry too much," Geppetto laughed.

Kairi smiled but then frowned, looking around. "Speaking of Pinocchio... Where is he?"

"He was here a minute ago. Where's he gone this time?" Donald groaned.

"I expect he's off exploring. That boy has been poking around just about everywhere inside this monster. He won't tell me why it's so important. I tell him it's dangerous, but he won't listen."

"That boy's a handful! Kairi, if you don't mind..." Jiminy looked at her and she nodded.

We'll help you find him. C'mon, guys, let's get going!" the really weird thing was, this was not her memory so how…Sora, because her Heart had been in his…were they reliving his memories too?

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Axel had not expected the Superior to order Sora to the Castle, he just hoped the kid could keep the act up when so close to the people he wanted to see. He'd have to find a way to sneak him into one of the memory rooms without anyone knowing. Looked like he'd be asking Naminé again…Riku first since no one was playing with his memory yet, plus it would let Sora see he truly was alive. He may be unable to feel guilt over what he had done, but it had still impacted his mind and thoughts.

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"Don't I even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?" Ienzo asked as Lexaeus joined him, but before the other could say anything Vexen appeared in the room.

"What is going on here, Zexion? I want an explanation," he demanded.

"Nice to see you too, Vexen. It's such a shame. The Organization used to be the rope that bound us together."

"You're only number 6! How dare you-"

"Let it go, Vexen," Lexaeus thankfully cut him off, the two staring angrily at each other, it was very convincing. "Zexion, tell us. What did you detect?" he asked calmly and more politely.

"Visitors," he told them. "I picked up two scents in the castle's lowest basement. One

of them was Maleficent."

"Don't be absurd," Vexen scoffed. "The witch is gone. She cannot return from the Realm of Darkness of her own volition."

"If you would let me finish..." he stared at him until Vexen waved a hand. "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."

"And who is it?" Lexaeus asked in concern. Someone able to take out even a copy of Maleficent could be at least a minimal threat.

"I do not know for sure... But the scent was very similar to that of the Superior," he admitted, though he had his suspicions.

"And yet, not exactly the same, was it?" Vexen pressed, and he nodded. "This truly piques my curiosity."

"Now…what to do?"

We wait, see what develops," Lexaeus answered.

"Not quite, I just received word that number 13 is being sent to us for testing against the girl. We are to make detailed reports on every nuance of his reactions and behaviour while he is here," Vexen told them.

Zexion frowned, why do all that…unless… "Does the Superior suspect his memory is returning?" it had been quite easy to work out just who he had once been after all. "The Princess is here?"

"He didn't say. As for the Princess, she arrived earlier. Marluxia is already using Naminé's unique powers to meddle with Kairi's heart."

"Without even bothering to consult us," Zexion frowned.

"It seems he desperately wants the Keyblade master for himself- What a foolish plan, indeed. Kairi's is not such an interesting existence," Vexen obviously wasn't impressed.

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Sora emerged from the Corridor into a place just as white as the other Castle, for a second wondering if he'd actually left before Vexen appeared.

"Well, you're here on time at least, good. Come with me," he ordered, and Sora followed him.

He honestly didn't know what to do, were they going to make him fight Kairi? How could he face her in a fight as if she was a stranger? He'd have to dual wield otherwise she would recognise his Keyblade even if he looked different. It would be interesting to see how well she could fight with a Keyblade after so little time though, but also hard to avoid wounding her too badly. He went over his memories, trying to find any of sparring with her….and found nothing. He remembered her being hurt at other times and apparently that should make him feel bad which meant he should avoid hurting her. But how could he do that if ordered to fight her? It seemed that existing without emotions was just as complicated as living with them. Perhaps the part of him that was a Heartless was having an easier time?

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Something smells...funny... What's that scent? It's so familiar...Riku froze, gasping in horrified shock. "Darkness. It's the smell of Darkness. I can't believe this is happening. The Darkness even seeped into my skin..." he whispered, feeling sick.

"Don't worry, Riku," a familiar voice called, and he felt a surge of relief at not being alone.

"Your Majesty!" he called, watching as a sphere of light floated down, turning into King Mickey, but….he was transparent. Still, Riku couldn't help returning his smile. "What happened? I can see...right through you."

"Funny, huh? I can only send a bit of my power to this place. That's why I've got a request for ya."

"Request?" he asked, suddenly wary, was he sure this was the King?

"Listen, Riku. Just because Darkness holds you, don't let go of who you are. You've got to fight the Darkness inside you! It won't be easy to do, I know. But please don't forget. Even in the darkest Darkness, there's always a little bit of Light."

"Light within Darkness..." he whispered….yeah, that was the King.

"You and I have seen it. The far welcoming light inside the Door to Darkness... The Light of Kingdom Hearts-it will show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the Light. That's a request from my Heart," Mickey pleaded.

"Okay... I'll do my best," it was all he could promise, because with Sora dead…he knew he had lost a lot of his Light.

"Trust me. I'll try to find a way to reach you. I'll get there, I promise." Mickey reached out his hand and Riku tried to shake it, but his hand passed right through Mickey's.

"You're an illusion..." he murmured sadly. He just needed to see a friend, in the flesh, or he might go mad with grief and solitude soon.

"Don't worry. We shook hands in our Hearts, remember? We're connected, you and me."

"Guess we are."

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"I remember!" She exclaimed as they walked down the hall, startling the others.

"Huh?
"

"There was another girl!" She grinned.

"What? A girl? Where?" Goofy looked around in confusion.

"No, no, I mean on the islands where I used to live. Besides Sora and Riku, we had another friend. I wasn't the only girl in the group. The four of us played together all the time," she explained.

"Kairi... Seems to me that's the first time you've mentioned her. And Sora never mentioned any girl but you either."

"Yeah...I guess I forgot all about her. I think...she just suddenly went away when I was still really little," she frowned, did that make sense? It must have been soon after her own arrival that the other girl left…

"What do you think made you remember that now?" Donald asked, and she shrugged.

"I'm not sure. But it's been coming back in pieces as we go through the castle."

"Gawrsh, do ya remember her name?"

"I don't remember. I feel kinda dumb," she laughed nervously, trying not to think of Sora too much when she said it because it hurt too much. "We said we weren't going forget our friends, and well now... I can't even remember her name."

"Kairi…"

"Aww, you shouldn't be worryin', none! If it's been coming back to you in pieces... You're sure to remember her name just like everything else!"

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Vexen paced back and forth across the room, seemingly ignoring their newest member but actually keeping an eye on the boy who leant against a nearby wall.

Zexion was thinking over everything he had learnt and eventually blinked. "I have identified the scent. It is Riku."

"Riku, you say? Has he emerged from the Realm of Darkness?" Vexen asked, all senses trained on Roxas but the boy didn't react to the name, just tilting his head slightly as he listened.

"His existence-it was once doubled in the darkness."

"Fascinating... That's why you mistook him for the Superior. The dark power given to Riku facilitated his escape from its realm."

"What I want to know is why he appeared here in Castle Oblivion," Zexion crossed his arms.

"Who is Riku?" Roxas spoke up, voice utterly devoid of emotion. Even Vexen found it creepy how little the kid tried to pretend like the rest of them did.

"An intriguing scientific possibility," Vexen informed him. If he had any part of his Somebody's memory, it either wasn't to do with Riku – unlikely as the reports said they had been best friends for life, or he was the best actor ever. "His body once hosted the Superior's Heartless. As to his presence, that's really quite simple. His existence resonates with that of another hero." He waited but Roxas gave no reaction.

Perhaps they would need to send him to fight one of them to truly test him? Then again, without his Heart, why would he care about harming his old friends?

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Sora felt a hand grab him but didn't struggle at the scent of ash, letting himself be pulled along through the Darkness and into an empty room. "You're lucky I know your scent well enough or you would have been stabbed," he warned as he was released.

"Sorry about that but we can't afford to get caught and there's something important I need to tell you."

"Riku's here," Sora stated, and Axel sighed.

"Fine, you already know."

"I was there when Zexion worked it out. I believe they were testing my reactions."

"That's the only reason to send you here. Kairi knows about you but not that you're here. If they pit you against her though, she'll work it out."

He nodded, even dual wielding, he had a specific style and since they were the only two Keyblade wielders… "Is she healthy?" he asked, and Axel chuckled.

"You're meant to say something like, 'is she okay?'. Sheesh, drop the zombie act."

"Too risky, I can't afford to slip up here."

"Worse comes to worse, I do my job and then report you lost in the cross fire," Axel shrugged slightly. He would…do that for him? Why…friends, they were friends.

"The Superior would not be happy."

"True, but Marluxia killing you would be very believable. So keep away from him while here."

Warning understood.

"I'm working on finding out a good time for you to meet Riku where no one else will know so hang on."

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"Huh?" Riku paused as he found two people waiting for him. Both wore body concealing black cloaks, the shorter was even wearing a hood that completely hid them.

The one with the hood down was the one to speak. "I take it you're Riku."

"Are you with Ansem?" he could smell Darkness but there was also something…

"You are half correct. Let us say that he is not the Ansem with which you are familiar. He is Ansem and he is not Ansem. Perhaps a "Nobody" best conveys the idea."

"Riddles were never my thing. Try again," he growled, tightening his grip on Soul Eater.

"He belongs to neither the Light nor the Dark but walks the twilight between."

Riku gasped at his answered, making the man laugh, though his companion remained silent and still at his side.

"Catching on now? Oh yes, you also stand in between the light and the Darkness. It appears we have much in common."

"Maybe... Like you said, there really is Darkness left inside of me. But so what? Darkness is my enemy!" he got ready to fight. "And so are you for reeking of that awful smell!"

"Oh ho! So it's a fight you want. Very good, Roxas!" he called and his companion stepped up, before suddenly vanishing.

Riku spun, ducking an empty handed blow, only to nearly take a fireball to the face. How could a stranger be so good at dodging him? He fought to keep his own Darkness back as they fought, trying to force him into a purely physical fight since he seemed reliant on magic…then again it could be a girl, the coat hid everything. Still, there was something about the way they moved…He lost the thought when the blond laughed again.

"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. Enough Roxas, time for us to depart."

"What?!" Riku stared as the other….Roxas?...moved back to the others side, still utterly silent.

"Many thanks, Riku!" the blond called as they both vanished.

"Tch... It was a trick all along."

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"Just as we intended," Larxene smirked as they listened to Kairi speak about her 'friend'.

"We'll continue with our plan. Let's see how far this group will go," Axel sounded bored, playing with a card.

"You had your fun on the first floor. So this time, it's my turn." She held her hand out, and he tossed the card to her. She kissed it and giggled, walking over to Axel to touch his face. "I'm not going to just give it to her."

"Don't break her," he warned.

"Well... Do I detect a soft spot? I'm not going to break the toy. I'm not dumb."

"Don't forget. Kairi is the key. We need her if we're going to take over the Organization," he reminded her and she touched his lips. He was kind of tempted to bite.

"I know that you're in on it, too... But keep it under your hood at least until the time is right." She waved goodbye and vanished, never seeing his smirk.

"You would have been wise to have done the same, Larxene." And now he had the perfect chance to check in with Naminé.

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"What's happening to Kairi?" Lexaeus asked.

"Naminé's powers are being used to shuffle her memories as we speak. Marluxia may well succeed in getting his puppet. Kairi would be a valuable asset to the Organization...but Marluxia and Larxene's actions, they…leave me quite uneasy," Zexion admitted as he set some papers aside.

"And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking..."

"The only one who might is Roxas, those two are close, or as close as one can be to someone like Roxas," Zexion shrugged. "Vexen should take care of this. His replica is soon to be completed."

"But Vexen despises Marluxia. Think of the mess it would make," he argued.

"So we must tell him. Isn't it better that Vexen clean up the mess than leave it to us? After all, we have a job to do observing Roxas."

"Do you think there's anything there?"

Zexion considered it. "I would have expected some kind of reaction to learning Riku still lived if there was, and even if he could hide it then, to do so when fighting him? No, I do not think he remembers his best friend and if he does not remember someone who has played such a vital role in his life, I sincerely doubt he remembers anything at all."

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Sora slipped away from the room, they suspected nothing. Good. Who knew that all he needed for a career in acting was to lose his Heart? It had been difficult to fight Riku, not for any emotional reason, but for practical ones. Riku was skilled with that blade and Sora had been forbidden to call his which had left him with hand to hand and magic. Keeping Riku at bay while remaining uninjured but also not causing Riku serious injury had been hard. At least his ribs were no longer troubling him.

Though, what was a Replica?

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"Things got a little crazy back there, but at least you're okay," Kairi grinned at the other girl, it was nice to meet another Princess without the threat of Ansem.

"I don't mean to be ungrateful, but...was that true, what you said? Are you the thief?" Alice asked her.

Kairi giggled. "Of course not! Why would I steal the queen's memory?"

"Yep, Kairi only said that 'cause she wanted to save," Goofy started but Donald cut him off.

"to show off!"

"Is that right? Well, you saved me all the same. Thank you," Alice smiled at them.

A purple cat's head appeared on a mushroom, with his body appearing on top of his head. He put his head back on his body. "It's the Cheshire Cat!"

"Feeling better after that mad dash, are we? Oh, but you're not out of the woods yet!" the cat told them. A talking cat? Not the weirdest thing they'd seen she guessed. He disappeared and reappeared on a closed flower bud. "The queen's a stickler for justice! She won't forget you till she remembers! She won't stop hounding you till you get her memory back! Did she forget because she remembers? Does she remember that she forgot? Doesn't matter, I suppose."

"I don't know…" Kairi frowned, "I think we should just stay away from her."

"But Kairi, what about Alice? If the queen catches her again, it's off with…well, you know."

"Then I guess we'd better do something about the queen," Kairi agreed, no way was she letting Alice die, but…if this was made from memories then was any of it real?

The Cheshire Cat reappeared on a tree branch. "You should do something. But you don't have to do anything."

"What?" she asked.

"If you can't remember something, it's like it never happened. Likewise, if something never happened, you can't remember it. Try too hard to remember, and your memory might lie to you."

"Lie?" how could her memory lie to her?

"That's all I'll say. The rest is for you to figure out," and with that the cat was gone.

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Vexen smirked as the Replica walked in, keeping an eye on Roxas as well. The boy was as blank as ever and the Replica barely gave him a second glance. Hmm, problems with the memory data or did he truly seem that different to someone who should recognise him. Hair dye did exist after all and while the facial features had shifted, it wasn't that big of a shift. "So, how was the real thing?"

"He's spineless. In no time at all, I'll be better than him," it sneered.

"In the meantime, would you be interested in meeting another who's considered a hero?"

"You mean Kairi. I hear she's somewhere in the castle. You want me to take care of her? Not that she'll be a challenge, where's…" he paused, head tilted slightly. "Huh, guess he wouldn't have been much of a challenge either if he's already dead."

"We'll see... Yes... I intend to make good use of you," Vexen told it, so it knew Sora was dead and that Kairi now held the Keyblade and yet showed no recognition when faced with Roxas.

"No worries," it sneered. "The real Riku was nothing. Kairi won't be, either. They're no match for me." With that it left.

"That was not the boy I fought," Roxas commented.

"No, that was a Replica made from the data I collected while you fought the real thing," he explained. "It's even less real than us Nobodies."

"I see."

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Kairi snapped awake and froze, staring across the hall at the shadows. There was something…she got up and snuck over only to stare at the strange creature. It didn't look like a Heartless and it wasn't attacking.

It had a strange cylindrical head that was a darker shade of grey than the most of the rest of its body. This head had six diagonal slits on the front, three on each side. The majority of its body appeared to be covered in a grey jumpsuit with bell sleeves and a lighter grey seam going down the front. Each sleeve had an emblem printed on them, and only its black hands were visible. The black, featureless, pointed feet of the creature sprouted out from each of the legs of the jumpsuit. There was also a dark grey belt-like pattern that wrapped around its waist, though it didn't seem to have a purpose. It was armed which made her wary, but it didn't move to draw either of the swords resting at its hips. Was it…watching her?

"Hello?" she whispered.

"You seek our liege," the words seemed to be heard with something other than her ears which was strange.

It's liege? "I don't understand."

It collapsed bonelessly, vanishing down the hall and Kairi frowned, what was that about?

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Sora found the room empty and was tempted to go the monitors and have a look, but he resisted, no doubt the room also had surveillance. Instead he sat down and closed his eyes, resting. There was a fake Riku running around, that was very weird. He had only had one message from Axel and that was that Marluxia's plans were going slower than scheduled and Kairi knew about him. The sooner he could leave the Organisation behind, the better.

TBC…