"You can't…do this!" The replica struggled to speak as his neck was being crushed by the man in the coat with a sinister smile on his face.

Jiminy was still passed out lain on the floor of a completely white room, one that recognized as it was the same one he was warped in. Namine sat down next to a boy whose name he could no longer recall, she was working her magic, drawing something in her book as he could feel his mind grow fuzzy.

"Use the replica as a guide Namine, once he loses his will to fight there will be no longer any traces of the key bearer within their hearts."

"But…" Namine hesitated for a moment, "what if he needs those memories?" She asked fearfully.

But Marluxia simply smirked in amusement as the replica continued to struggle.

"It will be easier to reconstruct the key bearer from a clean slate, rather than one whose heart still lingers."

The replicas eyes widened, "You can't- ugh!" He was suddenly struck down by Marluxia's sythe. As he heard the man speak his heart grew enraged in defiance, yet he was too weak to move.

"You're merely a replica, you can't want anything." Just as the replica tried to reach out towards who he knew were his most important people, his body gave in and he passed out.

Riku floated within a realm of blinding light, he closed his eyes as he couldn't handle such bright ferocity. Part of him wished to fall back into the familiarity of darkness. Back to the place where even though the memories hurt, they still had the lingering presence of his closest friends.

"You can't fade," A voice called out, with it came that familiar scent, the same one that lingered on Vexen that he came across before. " there's no power that can defeat you-not the light, not the dark. So don't run from the light-and don't fear the darkness. Because both will make you stronger." The image of Kairi appeared before him, her hands were held behind her back as she smiled brightly at him.

Make me stronger? Darkness too?

"Yeah. Strength that's yours. The darkness inside your heart-it's vast and it's deep...but if you can truly stare into it and never try to look away, you won't be afraid of anything again."

"All this time I've tried to push the darkness away-"

"You've gotta just remember to be brave. Know that the darkness is there and don't give in. If you do that, you will gain strength-the kind that's unlike any other. You'll be able to escape the deepest darkness…"

"..and I'll be able to see through the brightest light."

"Follow the darkness. It'll show you the way to your friends."

"Can I face them?" He asked a familiar face reflected in his mind. One he couldn't identify. But thinking about that person, made his heart ache.

"You don't want to?" Kairi's image wavered as for a moment he saw someone else reflected.

Riku couldn't help but smirk, "You know I do."

Kairi nodded with a content smile on her face, disappearing as the darkness began to seep through the light.

"And I will! With my strength- My dark strength!"

In his hand appeared his dark weapon, Soul Eater, as he slashed through the light and was released the void he was trapped in. As he escaped, he cut through the illusion planted before him, turning as he saw Zexion fall to the ground, heavily wounded to the point where he could no longer keep his illusion.

"Im...possible." He rasped trying to pick himself up.

"You reek of darkness, even the light can't block the smell," Riku remarked, glaring in a silent fury that this person had the audacity to try and deceive him. He wasn't sure where this rage came from, something within his heart screaming out something that his mind couldn't identify. "You never even realized how strong the stench was until it led me right to you."

"This is absurd…" Zexion grumbled as he tried to stand, summoning his Lexion in hand. "Then I shall make you see... your hopes are nothing-nothing but a mere illusion!"

Riku brandished his weapon as the island began to break, as before him stood a powerful foe.

…

…..

Zexion fell to the ground once more after Riku had dealt a critical blow. The darkness began to claim him as he began to fade. "After all your protests, you're still like us, on the side of darkness."

Riku walked towards his fallen enemy. "I know who I am."

"When did this happen? You were always terrified of the dark before-" He was silenced as Riku stood before him, looking up towards his child who no longer held back.

"It's because I stopped lying to myself. Unlike you, darkness is part of me just as light. No matter how much the darkness pulls me back to it's depths I'll always find my way back to the light." Riku said as Zexion disappeared alongside his illusions. All that remained was him standing in a familiar place.

Even though he was left alone he felt a sort of relief. As though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "The King...Kairi...they protected me…" Even though his was alone, he could still feel the familiarity of his friends from within. A feeling that he smiled at as he clutched his heart.

Within a realm completely covered in darkness, the only source of light came from what appeared to be a ball of light within the distance. He couldn't be fooled, as this place was only part of his memories, his darkest moments; yet, he couldn't place when exactly he'd stood along these shores. Momentarily, he looked outward to the dark ocean, noticed a charm among the sand. He narrowed his eyes for a moment as there was a gleam against the shores. He picked up a crown charm necklace, shining within the darkness due to the reflection of the light in the distance.

"This is..." He murmured, recognizing the shape of it from his childhood. A charm to protect. But before he could pick it up it was washed away by the currents.

...

"Riku!" A voice called, one that was all too familiar.

"Your majesty?!"

"Phew, good thing I could find you."

Riku looked around, "Where are you?" Just before him appeared a door of light, one that radiated a warm light. Instinctively he walked forward towards it, escaping the dark realm.

Namine looked up towards the boy in the pod. He gave her a reassuring smile to try and combat her despair.

" Don't look so sad. I'll be alright." He tried to say happily but knew that what little he had left was slipping.

Naminé looked away from a moment, ridden with guilt as she knew the boys bonds had begun to fade, that she was apart of this.

"Naminé," he suddenly said trying to grab her attentions. " once we find each other again no matter what, it'll be on the outside world."

"Huh?" She turned towards him in shock.

"Because we won't be in this imprisoned in this castle anymore, we'll be able to see other worlds together." He said sincerely hoping, even though the odds were against them.

" But I…have nowhere else to go…"

"You can come with me, we can go back home together!" He said happily with a bright smile that made her feel something deep down.

"But, those memories, of you and me on the islands...they're not real." She said grasping her hands together, as subconsciously she still treasured those important memories.

"It doesn't matter," the boy said, "even if they're not real, we can make more that are real. All of us, together," he said referring to himself, Naminé, and his friend he'd met in the castle. "and on that say we'll have you to thank for it." The boy said placing his hand against the pod, feeling his strength fade as he could fully feel the temptation of slumber pull him down.

"But... I-" she tried to refute what he was saying, that there was no way they could escape Marluxia. She glanced back towards the relica for a moment, his body broken from the effects of Marluxias attack.

" Promise me… Naminé."

She looked back to the boy, her chest filled with a warm, sad sensation as she pressed her hand against the pod as well, still looking up to the boy whose eyes slowly closed, falling into slumber.

Quickly, she knelt down to Jiminy side, taking out his journal, to ensure that even though they all would forget, one memory would still remain.