Chapter 3: Traverse Town: Riku's Side
A/N: We're on Riku's side! Wonder if his part of the exam is gonna be as crazy as Hikari's? One thing is for certain is that these exams are not to be taken lightly. Also, how has everyone been enjoying KH3? Was it worth the wait or everything you expected it to be? I've been enjoying it immensely and I keep crying at certain parts because of the nostalgia lol. Anyway, let's get on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I just own my Oc's.
Enjoy!
/
When Riku woke up he realized he wasn't in Yen Sid's study anymore but rather the Third District of Traverse Town.
'What in the world is going on? Why am I in Traverse Town?'
The other thing he realized was that neither Sora or Hikari were with him, which meant he was all alone.
"Sora! Hikari! Where are you?" he called out.
Sadly, he got no response from either of the two. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to process everything that had happened all the while trying to keep calm over the fact that his best friend and girlfriend were missing.
"I remember we were in Yen Sid's study…and then everything went black.
He looked at the district, slowly putting the pieces together.
"So…this must be one of the sleeping worlds" he realized.
"So, it's started"
He closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. This was not how he wanted the exams to start. He thought that since the three of them were taking it together, they would be testing together as well.
Clearly Yen Sid had other plans in mind.
"Wow! Where's your portal?"
Riku jumped at the voice and looked around for the owner of it. When he finally found the person, he narrowed his eyes slightly. Sitting on top of the fountain was a boy his age who wore a mysterious smirk.
"It takes something special to jump between places without one" he said.
Riku put his guard up, getting a strange vibe from this boy. What did he mean by portals? And where did he come from?
"Who are you?" he asked.
The boy smiled, feeling pleased he was putting Riku on edge.
"My name is Joshua"
Riku ignored the introduction and got to the heart of the matter.
"What do you mean by 'portal'?" he asked.
Joshua raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head.
"Are we just skipping past the part where you tell me your name?" he taunted.
Riku sighed in annoyance but complied to be polite. He had a feeling Joshua wouldn't tell him anything until he did so.
"It's Riku"
Joshua smiled and waved his hand mockingly.
"Hello, Riku" he teased.
"Portals are like gateways that link up our worlds. Apparently, the world you and I are standing in right now-well, there are three copies of it. It's been sort of cut into pieces. Portals are what let folks like us cross between them"
Riku pondered this over, trying to understand what Joshua was saying.
"There are multiple versions of this world?" he asked.
Joshua simply shrugged.
"The world is as many things as people need it to be" he explained.
"The concept that we all live in the same world-that's just in our heads. Surely you knew that?"
When he saw Riku still looked confused, he decided to show him an example.
"Tell you what, Riku. I've got a little errand for you"
Riku spun on his heel and started to walk away. He didn't have time for Joshua's riddles, nor did he care to hear them. He needed to find Sora and Hikari, so they could take their Mark of Mastery exams.
"Sorry. I don't trust you" he said.
And it was true. After everything he went through, he always stayed cautious of new people. There were only a handful of people he trusted, and this Joshua kid wasn't one of them.
Joshua laughed as he jumped off the fountain.
"Aw, at least hear me out!" he called out.
"I'm looking for a girl named Rhyme. She's the key to the portal. And on the other side, who knows who we'll find? Maybe even your friends?"
That stopped Riku in his tracks. Looking over his shoulder, he wondered how Joshua knew about his best friend and girlfriend.
"You know Sora and Hikari? " He asked.
Joshua wore a mysterious smirk.
"Now I have your attention" he said.
He strode over to Riku, putting his hands in his pockets.
"But, unfortunately, I don't know where they are. If they're not on this version of the world, I can only assume they have to be on one of the others. Simple logic"
Riku sighed. He should have known it would have been too easy to find Sora and Hikari. Looking at Joshua, he studied him closely. He didn't trust the guy, but he could tell that he was telling the truth about knowing where Sora and Hikari were.
He knew he would probably regret this later, but he decided to help him. If it meant he could see Hikari again, he wouldn't let this opportunity pass.
"You wanna find Rhyme? You got it" he said.
Joshua nodded in understanding.
"Very well then, let's go"
The two left the district in search of Rhyme and in Riku's case for Sora and Hikari.
/
Sure, enough when they entered the Second District, they were bombarded with Nightmares. Riku took care of them with ease but was surprised that they never attacked Joshua. It was as if the Dream Eaters tried to stay away from him as much as possible.
"Joshua, how come they never attack you?" Riku asked when it was safe again.
Joshua looked at him as they continued walking.
"'They' being Dream Eaters?" he clarified.
"They won't go after you unless you're a dreamer. Which is funny, because I've got plenty of dreams"
Riku found it off but didn't say anything.
"But they're definitely attacking me" he said.
"So…you think I'm a dreamer?"
Joshua nodded, acting like it was obvious.
"Every human is a dreamer. I had a friend once who said he never dreamed of anything, but it turned out that his were the most powerful dreams of all. You sort of remind me of him" he said.
"Why don't we give your dreams shape?"
Riku thought about it and decided to give it a try. Yen Sid said they would help him with this exam so why let that pass?
Closing his eyes, he thought of the strongest dreams he harbored deep within his heart. His desire to be by Hikari's side and keep her safe were his biggest dreams. His second was having the strength to overcome the obstacles he would have to face soon. Both went hand in hand. His desire to protect what was most precious to him and have the help he needed to protect everything he held dear.
The dreams took form and sprang from his heart, taking shape. When Riku opened his eyes, he was greeted to the sight of a red and black Pegaslick and a white, yellow and orange Yoggy Ram.
Riku smiled at them, seeing they symbolized the two people who the most precious to him.
Joshua was impressed with Riku's Dream Eaters but wasn't surprised. He had a strong heart so of course he would have strong Dream Eaters.
"In this world, they take form as Dream Eaters, which can become great allies" he said.
Riku looked at his new comrades, glad he would have some help with this exam.
"I gotchu now, Joshua!"
The moment was ruined when a punked out looking boy appeared on the upper level of the district and glared at Joshua.
"Once I take you down, yo, me and Rhyme is goin' back where we belong!"
Joshua held the bridge of his nose, clearly not up for this boy's antics.
"Beat. How many times do we have to go over this?" he sighed.
"You've been tricked-by that rouge in the black coat"
That caught Riku's attention right away. There was only one group of people who would wear black coats.
"Black coats? But that's- "
"I'm telling you you've made a friend in our enemy" Joshua chided Beat.
Beat shook his head.
"Just can it, aight?" he snapped.
"Your inverse psychiatry ain't gonna work! Let's go, Dream Eaters!"
He summoned his Dream Eaters, clearly showing he meant business. Joshua sighed as he shook his head.
"Not again" he groaned.
Riku deiced to take matters into his own hands. It was obvious this Beat guy wasn't going to back down and Joshua didn't have any Dream Eaters that could help him fight.
With his new Dream Eaters as his side, he took care of Beat's within minutes, clearly showing that the punk was full of hot air.
Beat just sat on the ground in defeat and pouted.
"You know what? Forget it. This is stale, yo"
Joshua just laughed as he walked up to him.
"Playing the tough guy 24/7? I'd be worn out too" he teased.
Beat placed his head in his hands, clearly bent out of shape over something.
"I just…wanna protect the one person who matters most" he said.
Riku felt a tug at his heart when he heard that. His hand went to Hikari's necklace, giving it a squeeze.
"I know the feeling" he said quietly.
His vision suddenly became blurry as his body swayed unsteadily.
"Why am I suddenly…so sleepy?"
His body gave out while his mind succumbed to slumber. His dreams were filled with warnings Yen Sid had told them before the exams began.
/
'Long ago, in the age of fairy tales, the world was filled with light-a gift, many believed, from an unseen power known as 'Kingdom Hearts'"
Riku and Hikari listened intently, knowing this story all too well since Taiyouko told them this story many times. The fact that Yen Sid was telling it meant that this was no fairy tale.
"You see, Kingdom Hearts was protected by its counterpart, the 'X-blade', so that none could ever lay a hand on its mysteries" Yen Sid said.
"But in time, the world was overrun by legions who wanted the light all for themselves, and the first shadows were cast upon the land. These warriors crafted 'Keyblades' in the image of the original 'X-blade' and waged a great war over Kingdom Hearts. We call this the 'Keyblade War"
Hikari bit her lip, seeing images of an empty field surrounded by forgotten Keyblades. She could only imagine how many lives were lost in that battle.
"Though the war extinguished all light from the world- "
"The darkness could not reach the light inside the hearts of children" Hikari finished.
Her mother had told her that story so many times, she remembered each line of it.
Yen Sid nodded gravely.
"With that light, the world was remade as we know it today, with countless smaller worlds shining like stars in the sky. As for the X-blade, it did not survive the battle. The two elements that created it, one of darkness and one of light shattered into twenty-six pieces; thirteen of light and thirteen of darkness"
Yen Sid closed his eyes, thinking of how Xehanort tried to recreate the X-blade using Ven as a vessel. Just like Lumen, he too was a tool used for his ambitions.
"And as for the source of all light-the one true Kingdom Hearts-it was swallowed by the darkness, never to be seen again. If it remains there, even the brightest world will have its dark corners. After all, light begets darkness, and darkness is drawn to the light. For this reason, some decided to use the Keyblade-a weapon designed to conquer the light-to defend the light instead. These are the first heroes of the Keyblade"
Riku squeezed Hikari's hand tightly. He didn't know what to expect after hearing all of this, but he would never let anything happen to Hikari. He almost lost her thanks to Xehanort and he didn't want that to happen again.
/
Riku groaned when he felt something gently nudged his face. Opening his eyes, he saw his Pegaslick Dream Eater hover near his worriedly. Smiling, he patted its face, showing he was fine.
With some help from the Yoggy Ram, he managed to get back on his feet.
"What happened? Did I fall asleep?"
He looked around to see both Joshua and Beat were gone. He found it a little unsettling that they just vanished when he blacked out, but he had more important things to worry about. He still needed to find Sora and Hikari. Not only that but find out about this rouge in the black coat. If it was someone from the Organization, he needed to find out fast. He didn't want anything to happen to Sora or Hikari.
'I know they can take care of themselves, but I don't want them to get hurt" he thought.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he saw a girl running away from a group of Nightmares.
"Hey, do you mind?" she scoffed as they chased her into the first district.
Riku's Pegaslick quickly followed the girl, wanting to help.
"Hey, come back!" Riku called out.
The Yoggy Ram head butted into Riku's back, shoving him towards the first district. It seemed that it too wanted to help, but it wanted Riku to help as well.
"Alright, I'm going, I'm going" he said.
He was gonna help anyway, but he found it ironic that his Dream Eaters were acting like the people that they were based on.
/
When he reached the first district, he found his Pegaslick protecting the girl from the Nightmares. Rushing over to them, he joined the fray and helped his Dream Eaters get rid of the Nightmares. When the Nightmares were gone, the girl slowly approached him.
"Seriously, thanks. I'm Shiki by the way. How 'bout you?"
Riku took a step back when Shiki came too close. Ever since Hikari became his girlfriend he made sure he wasn't too close around other females. Maybe it was because he wanted to show he was taken…or because he knew Taiyouko would kill him if she found out he was by other girls.
When Shiki tilted her head, waiting for an answer, Riku cleared his throat.
"It's Riku" he said.
Shiki smiled and held her cat plush close.
"Thanks, Riku"
Riku nodded and started walking away.
"Sure" he said, thinking that was that.
Apparently, Shiki thought differently. The girl pouted before she ran after him.
"Hey! That's it? You chat up a girl then just say 'sure' and walk off?"
Riku sighed as he hung his head. He had thought Taiyouko could be annoying when she pouted but Shiki was starting to prove him wrong.
"I'm bad at this, sorry" he said.
"Look, it's not safe here. You should go home"
Shiki placed a hand on her hip in annoyance.
"If it's dangerous, how can you just leave me here?" she pointed out.
"Aren't you my knight in shining armor? Well?"
Riku chuckled a little and held up Hikari's necklace.
"Sorry, I'm already someone's knight and I don't place to relinquish that title"
Shiki sighed while muttering 'figures' under her breath. She soon perked up and started walking ahead.
"Well, what are we waiting for? The sooner you get me home, the sooner I'll be safe"
Riku sighed and hung his head. This was not how he thought his exam was gonna go. Looking at his Dream Eaters, he saw they were waiting for his command.
"Well? What should we do?"
The Pegaslick made a noise before following Shiki. Riku looked at the Yoggy Ram and shrugged.
"Guess that answers that question"
With that, Riku found himself being a bodyguard.
/
Walking with Shiki was…interesting. And by interesting, Riku wondered how someone could talk so fast. It seemed that Shiki didn't like the silence and decided to chat up a storm.
It made Riku realized how thankful he was that he had King Mickey and Taiyouko as traveling partners. They knew when it was good to talk and when they needed a moment to relax and think.
Shiki looked at Riku when she saw that wasn't saying much and pouted. What was it with guys and talking? Surely this guy had something he enjoyed talking about, right? Smirking slightly, she thought of something that would make him talk.
"So, Riku…do you have a girlfriend?"
Riku tripped over his feet and looked at Shiki. The girl giggled when she saw his face blushing.
"Excuse me?" he managed to say.
"You mentioned that you were someone else's knight, so I figured you had a girlfriend. So, do you?" Shiki asked.
Riku turned away as he tried to control the blush on his face. Why did he have to act like an idiot when someone mentioned Hikari?
'Because you love her, that's why' he thought.
Sighing, he decided to amuse her. If he told her about Hikari, then maybe she would leave him alone.
"Yeah, I have a girlfriend and I love her very much. I can't imagine life without her in it"
Shiki giggled, finding it amusing that Riku was getting embarrassed.
"She must be very special then" she said.
Riku smiled and held Hikari's necklace.
"You have no idea"
When they made it to the fifth district, Shiki spotted something up by the greenhouse.
"Over there!" she said as she ran.
Riku panicked a little. She made a big deal about going off on her own and now she decided to run off.
"Hey! We should stick together!" he called out.
Sure, enough he heard Shiki yell out in fear, signaling that she was in trouble.
"Perfect" Riku groaned.
He hurried over to where she went, wondering if she had any common sense.
"You can't expect me to- "he stopped short when he saw that Shiki wasn't around the corner, but rather the rouge in the black coat instead.
Riku felt his blood go cold, realizing that things were about to take an ugly turn.
"How did you get here?" the mysterious figure asked.
Riku glared at him and summoned his Keyblade.
"Who are you?" he ordered.
The mysterious figure ignored him and proceeded to walk towards him.
"By choice or chance?" he taunted.
"You cannot control what you're not aware of. This wakeless sleep with be your prison…to wander forever"
Riku gripped his Keyblade tightly. He didn't know what he was talking about, but he didn't like the sound of it.
"What do you mean?"
"Riku! Don't you listen to that punk!" Beat called out.
He ran over with Shiki in tow.
"Shiki's gonna be fine! She told me whassup"
He glared at the mysterious figure and jabbed a finger at his direction.
"Hoodie here set this whole thing up, yo. He promised to send Shiki back to our world, and you was the cost of travel. Yo, this is seriously one half-baked excuse for a mission. Betchu isn't even a reaper"
Riku turned to the mysterious figure and glared at him.
"All right, who are you?"
The mysterious figure lowered his hood, revealing himself. He smiled darkly at Riku as if he knew something.
"I'm the one who shall make your nightmares become a reality"
With that, he summoned the Hockomonkey Dream Eater and sent it into the greenhouse before disappearing himself.
Shiki looked upset, knowing this was all her doing.
"I'm really sorry, Riku" she said.
Riku gave her a sympathetic look. He couldn't be that mad at her. He once used dark measures to get what he wanted; not knowing of the consequences they would bring. She was just lucky no one got hurt.
"It's alright" he said. He looked at Beat seriously.
"Beat, watch her"
He looked at his two Dream Eaters and gave them a nod.
"Alright you two. Let's go show this Nightmare who's boss"
He quickly ran inside, hoping he could take care of the Nightmare before it got out of hand.
/
Seeing the Hockomonkey in such a tight area showed that Riku was going to have a difficult time defeating it. He tried looking for a weak spot on the Nightmare and sadly found it was only its head. While the rest of the body was protected, the head was left wide open. Go figure.
How was he supposed to attack it without getting hit in the process?
'Come on, Riku, think. What's the best way to defeating this thing?' he thought.
Just then, a projection of Hikari ran past him and faced the Hockomonkey.
"Hikari?!"
Hikari didn't seem to hear him since she summoned her Keyblade to fight. Riku panicked and ran towards her, fearing that she would get hurt if she faced this thing alone.
"Hikari, don't! This thing is too powerful to face alone! I'll take care of- "
He stopped short when his hand went through Hikari's body. Suddenly, he remembered Joshua's words from when he first met him. If Hikari or Sora weren't here, then that meant they were in a different version of Traverse Town.
'So Hikari's here in the greenhouse…but it's within a different Traverse Town'
So, in other words she was fighting this Dream Eater as well. He panicked, thinking she had to fight on her own, but he saw her projection running around, using the greenhouse to help her fight. Looking around the greenhouse, he started to come up with an idea as well to defeat this Dream Eater.
'I don't know if you're trying to give me a hint, Hikari, but I'm following your lead'
Forming a plan, he started to take action. Instead of full on attacking the Nightmare, he started running up the bridge leading to the upper level of the greenhouse. The higher he got meant the better chance he would have at attacking the head.
He was half way to the second level when the Hockomonkey slammed its fists into the walkway, preventing Riku from going any further. The Nightmare raised its fists again to crush him, only this time it was blocked by the Yoggy Ram.
The tough spirit blocked the Nightmare's fist it with its horns and pushed it back with defensive magic. Riku patted the Ram's neck in gratitude and looked at the ramp. He tried to figure out how to get to the other side without having the jump over the huge gap.
"There has to be another way to get to the top"
He got his answer when the Pegaslick swooped underneath him, so he ended up sitting on its back before it flew off into the air. Now being higher up, Riku had a clear shot of getting towards the Nightmare's head.
Jumping off the Pegaslick, he slammed his Keyblade into the Hockomonkey's head. The Nightmare dissolved into dark particles as it vanished from the area.
Sighing with relief, Riku looked at his Dream Eater companions.
"I owe you two a lot for helping me. I have a feeling this wouldn't have ended well if you hadn't stepped in"
The Dream Eaters made various noises, showing their happiness. Riku crossed his arms as he thought of something.
"If we're gonna travel together, I suppose I should give you guys some names. It'll be weird if I talk to you or if we're in a fight and I need your help"
He mulled some names in his head for a moment before he found the perfect ones that fitted each Dream Eater perfectly.
"I'll call you Sunny" he said to the Yoggy Ram.
"And your name will be Hika" he told the Pegaslick.
Both Dream Eaters jumped around, happy that they had names finally.
Riku smiled as well, finding their happiness to be contagious. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hikari's projection leaving the greenhouse. It seemed she finished her battle as well.
"Where are you off to now, Hikari?" he asked himself.
He followed his girlfriend's projection, wondering what was happening in her version of Traverse Town.
/
Hikari's projection wasn't the only one Riku saw when he left the greenhouse. He saw Sora's projection as well as Neku and Rhyme's standing next to her. Shiki and beat were reacting in a similar fashion as how Riku did when he first saw Hikari's.
"Hey, what is this?" Shiki asked.
Beat groaned in frustration as he looked at Rhyme's projection.
"This is so messed up, man! She's right here in front of me and…I can't reach her!"
He tried grabbing Rhyme, but his hand simply went through her.
Riku felt Beat's pain all too well. To be close yet so far from the one that was precious to you was a painful thing. He wasn't with Hikari and yet he was at the same time. It was a connection that would never be broken. As long as someone had that connection, they would always find a way to each other again.
"If your hearts are connected, you'll reach her" he said.
He looked over at Sora and Hikari's projections. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to see them right away with these exams, but he hoped that he would see them soon. He was sure that they could handle themselves on their own. They had fought many enemies before, so this should be a walk in the park.
Looking at them, he gave them a soft smile.
"You two be careful with this exam. I can't be there to protect you, so you'll have to stay strong…but then again you've both have always been strong"
He saw Hikari's projection hold her hand up as if trying to reach him. Even if they were far away from each other, their hearts always brought them back together. Smiling, he held his hand up, letting it touch hers. Even if she wasn't there, he felt like she was.
"I'll try to get to you one way or another in the exams." He said. "I promised you that I would never let anything bad happen to you while we took them, and I intend to keep that promise. Until I find you, please stay safe for me"
He looked at Sora's projection. He was sure that his best friend was facing similar obstacles with his exams as well.
"You stay safe as well. I don't doubt your strength, but this is a whole different game we're playing now. Who knows what's gonna happen in these exams. Until I find you guys, stay out of trouble"
With those parting words, he turned to Sunny and Hika.
"Alright, guys. Let's see what this exam has in store for us"
The trio left the Fifth District, knowing that the Mark of Mastery was in full swing. If beings such as that mysterious figure were roaming the Dream Worlds, then it was just as Yen Sid feared.
'I'll make sure these Nightmares won't become a reality" he vowed.
Riku's Mark of Mastery had officially begun.
/
A/N: So Riku's exam has begun! It seems this mysterious figure is gonna give Riku trouble too. I don't like that little warning he gave him though. What could he possibly mean by making Riku's nightmares a reality?
What do you think of Riku's Dream Eaters? You think they fit? I have a feeling if Taiyouko ever found out that Riku thought she resembled a Ram she would beat him. Let's hope she doesn't find out about it lol.
Please tell me what you thought of the chapter!
Take care!