Akurei-Shinzo: I'm back from camp! Okay, I bet you're all dying to know who this other guy is right? Two Rikus! The plot is thickening! I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other anime/manga featured in this fic except for a few that are mine! Please R&R!
Chapter 13: The Other Me
"I am your past, present, and future," said the boy turning to face him. "Riku…I am you!"
The boy removed his blindfold, and for the first time Riku looked into the eyes of this evil being. Those were his eyes he was staring into, except they were empty of emotion. But still, those were his eyes…
"It… it," stuttered Riku. "It can't be…you're not me! You can't be me!"
"Oh, but I am…" said the Heartless Riku slowly walking towards Riku as he backed away. "You remember me don't you? Of course you do, we are one…"
"NO! You're not me!"
"I am you Riku! Don't deny it! You and I were one when we fought your old friend Sora! Then you betrayed me when you turned on Ansem! Are you going to betray me again?"
"I didn't betray Ansem! He used me!"
"Lair! But I'll give you one last chance, join me, or perish like your friend Sora!"
"Sora? What did you do to him?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Riku gritted his teeth and the Keyblades appeared in his hands. Heartless Riku gave a smirk.
"Oh," he said. "Are you going to fight me?"
Heartless Riku stretched out his hand, Riku felt the Dark Keyblade (the one that looked like the Berserk Fury's Buster Claw) fly out of his hand and into Heartless Riku's. The Dark Riku smirked as he held the Keyblade.
"It's only fitting that the Dark Keyblade belongs to me, now to make sure you stay out of my way…"
Heartless Riku lifted the Dark Keyblade and pointed it towards the ceiling. A dark beam shot forth from the Keyblade and the room began to crumble! Heartless Riku turned and smirked at Riku once more, and then he melted away into the shadows, taking the Keyblade with him!
Riku had more things to worry about then before! Was he really the same as that other boy? Why did that Keyblade leave him? And how was he going to get out of this crumbling room! It all seemed hopeless, then behind him several wires shot out of nowhere and dragging him into the darkness…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zeero was whining and pacing around the entrance to the basement as he and the others waited anxiously for Riku. But the place was collapsing faster than ever, so hope began to fade as well.
"Riku," whined Zeero. "What's taking you so long…"
Then a black shadow streaked past Zeero, causing him to freak out and run into a nearby tree. The shadow landed on the ground and it took the form of a black metallic dragon with ice blue eyes. It opened its chest like a door and the wires around Riku loosened up and let go as he crashed onto the ground.
"Ow…" moaned Riku. He looked up at the black dragon that had just saved him.
"Good job, Shadow," said Daichi as he walked up and petted the dragon.
"Shadow?" asked Riku.
"He's an organoid from Planet Zi, he can fuse with humans and Zoids to boost their power. I was planning on giving him to you so he could help Sieg travel through space," explained Daichi.
"Did you seal the Keyhole?" asked Yami.
"No," answered Riku. "I couldn't find it."
"The Keyhole has yet to reveal itself, so I guess we'll just have to keep on coming back until we find it," said Zeero. "By the way, you seemed depressed, Riku. Is anything wrong?"
"Huh? No, I'm fine…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When they made it back to Shin City a lady on a motorcycle came speeding up towards them.
"Can we help you?" asked Riku.
"Is one of you Yami?" asked the woman.
"Yes," answered Yami.
"Please come back with me to the hospital," said Officer Jenny (noticed her badge) "There's something you should see."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm really sorry, Yami," said Amaya as she lead them into a room with three people in comas.
"Joey! Tristan! Tea!" yelled Yami as he ran towards their bedsides. There were black holes where their hearts were suppose to be…
"Ryuseiu and Hitomi found them lying on the ground," said Amaya sadly. "But they couldn't find you other friend…"
Zeero nodded his head towards the door and they left Yami alone with his friends, who couldn't open their eyes at the moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Dam!" cried Riku as he hit his fist against the wall. He was on the roof of the hospital because he wanted to be alone. Another person he had let down, maybe he wasn't suppose to save everyone. Maybe he was one with the Heartless…
"Would you really destroy people's hearts for your own good?" asked a strangely familiar voice. Riku turned and saw someone standing by the fence around the roof. This guy had with hair, and strangely a pair of cat ears and a tail… Wait a second…
"I know you," said Riku. "Shiro…"
Shiro slowly turned and face Riku, his amber eyes staring at him as if they saw through his heart.
"Would you really let people suffer?"
"Wha…"
"Why are you here? Why are you fighting? What are you fighting for?"
"Why are you asking me all these questions?"
"Who are you, Riku?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"If you don't know who you are, you'll never prevent the incident that is about to happen…"
"Wait! There is something I have to ask you…"
Shiro was surrounded by mist, then the half-demon faded away with the fog. Riku stood alone thinking about what he had just heard. What was Shiro trying to tell him? What was the answer to the riddles hidden within his questions? What did Shiro mean by, the incident?
"What the?"
A loud explosion center of town, it was the Heartless he saw in the demon world. This time it was in a shape of a gigantic bubble and it was heading towards the hospital. It wasn't alone; hundreds of smaller Heartless with it. A crimson phoenix landed on the ground beside him, Ryuseiu (haven't seen him in a while) transformed back into his human form.
"Riku," said Satoru (remember, Ryuseiu is only called that when in his phoenix form. Satoru is his human name). "The Heartless are headed this way! We need you and the others to help! I don't think Hitomi can hold them off much longer!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Riku and Zeero followed the red bird as it flew towards the Heartless; Yami had stayed behind, refusing to leave his friends at the moment. The bubble shot out beams of dark light, it went through the hearts of the people and they fell to the ground, for their hearts were stolen. Riku quickly summoned his Keyblade.
"Riku!" exclaimed Zeero. "Where's your other Keyblade?"
"Uh… it sort of got…stolen…"
"Riku! You need both of your Keyblades to fight off Heartless. They are light and dark! One cannot do anything without the other!"
"So are you saying I can't fight!"
"Well…yes…"
"Riku, so glad you could make it…" said a cold voice. Riku and Zeero looked up to see Heartless Riku standing on top of a building holding the dark Keyblade. Zeero looked at Riku, then Heartless Riku, and then Riku again.
"Wow Riku, I didn't know you could be in two places at once!" said Zeero.
"Idiot!" screeched Heartless Riku. "I'm his dark half!"
"…Oh…run away!"
The fox demon went zooming off, and ran into a garbage can and toppled inside. Riku and Heartless Riku stared at the garbage can that was beginning to roll down the alleyway. Then their gazes returned to one another.
"What do you want?" asked Riku.
"Since you've escaped my trap I guess I'll just have to get rid of you like this…" said Heartless Riku. Chains fastened themselves around Riku, making him unable to move! The gigantic bubble moved towards him slowly. "Now finish him off my precious Heartless!"
The bubble shot a beam of darkness at Riku; Riku could do nothing but stand there, waiting for the end… He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain, but it never came. Instead a piercing cry of a bird was heard, Riku opened his eyes to see a crimson phoenix shielding him from the dark beam. Ryuseiu's eyes darkened and he fell towards the ground, the feathers slowly fell off of the phoenix, turning him back into his human form. Satoru landed on the ground with a thump, a dark hole replacing his heart…
"No!" yelled Riku.
Remember this advice Keybearer. Sometimes to find the light, you must look within the deepest part of the darkness…
Akurei-Shinzo: Oh… Ryuseiu loses his heart! What will happen next? Will Riku ever get his dark Keyblade back? The plot is thickening, so if you want to know more keep reading and keep reviewing!