Title- Bright New Dawn

Summary- Riku's first mission for the Organization- to recruit three powerful characters to the black-coats' cause, aided by Axel. But their enemies, both outside the Organization and inside, have different plans…

Disclaimer- I do not hold the rights to either Square or Disney. If I did, Kingdom Hearts- Chain of Memories would come out in Britain much sooner.

Rating- PG-13

Spoilers- Huge ones for Chain of Memories. You've been warned.

Bright New Dawn

Chapter One- Twilight and Mist

The markets of Twilight Town were, as usual, loud and busy. To be heard, you had to shout, thus making the person next to you shout louder to be heard over you. Mixed in with this miasma of noise was the cluck and baa of frightened animals, the laughter of children chasing each other through the narrow, winding streets that led off from the marketplace, and the peals of the bell that overlooked the train station. It was a town tradition by now, and anyone who tried to change the system so the casual shopper could actually be heard would probably be accused of not being in the spirit of things.

Riku wandered down the steep road that led to the marketplace, the bottom of his cloak already pitted and dusty from the coarse gravel. He had been walking for days now, refreshing the red-bandaged man's instructions in the back of his mind.

'The train station of Twilight Town. You have seen it in Sora's memories- now, see it for yourself. Give the operator the password, and he will admit you and Mickey.'

'And what's the password?'

His mouth, the only part of his body that was visible, twisted into a smile. 'If you are a true member of the Organization, you will know.'

'Great. Just wonderful,' he said to Mickey, who looked up at him. 'Like me putting on this coat gave me some new powers of deduction. The only powers this coat's given me so far is the ability to trip over the hem and look like an idiot.'

'Hey,' Mickey replied, his own coat equally dusty, 'that only happened twice, and I was the only fella who saw.'

They walked into the marketplace. The bickering died almost immediately as people began to notice them, silence rippling throughout the crowd until, soon, the square was so quiet that the crunch of the dark-coated pair's boots on the ground was the only noise. Riku turned to Mickey, who shrugged his shoulders.

A trio of children, one just old enough to walk, ran giggling through the marketplace and into the path that had opened to let Riku and Mickey through. Coming to a halt, both of the older boys disappeared into the crowd as fast as they could, while the younger one couldn't keep up, skidding and falling over. Riku moved forward, reaching out to help him up. 'Are you okay?'

The child scrambled backwards from Riku's hand, an expression of terror on his face. Confused, Riku stepped forward to keep up with him.

'Keep away from me!' the young boy shouted.

As the child disappeared into the mass of people, Riku got up, looking around at hundreds of people avoiding his gaze. At the back of the crowd, a baby whimpered in its mother's arms.

What have you got yourself into here, Riku? he thought bitterly, walking towards the steps of the train station, with Mickey at his side.

'So. Larxene and Marluxia are dead, as per your instructions.'

Axel smiled. 'I just like following orders.'

The grey-haired man turned from the window, his wintry eyes bright and angry. 'And precisely which part of your orders told you to eliminate three of your other comrades, as well?'

'You told me to kill anyone whose loyalty to the Organization was suspect. I just uncovered more plots than you were expecting.'

'Did you ever pause to consider that there may have been a more appropriate time to act on your suspicions?'

'Well, yes. Then I decided I was completely right, and went ahead.'

The older man's eyes sparked at Axel's insolence. 'Well, in your haste to terminate two of the founding members of the Organization, you seem to have overlooked the most important part of your instructions.' He threw a folder on to the table. 'Sora still lives.'

Axel shrugged. 'I did all I could.'

'No, Axel, you didn't. You attacked him when he was at full strength, and fled when the battle turned against you.'

Axel walked around the table. 'That's slander, Ixion.'

Ixion stepped forward, meeting Axel eye-to-eye. 'I don't know what agenda you're advancing, Axel, but leaving a sworn enemy of the Organization alive will not improve your standing with us.'

'Really?' Axel replied. 'Why don't you ask the Superior?'

Not a muscle twitched in Ixion's face, but the sudden flicker of energy between his fingers told Axel that he'd had the desired result.

'Because you never really got our little loyalty exercise cleared by him, did you?' Axel continued, turning away from Ixion. 'I'm still not sure how much he knows about it. Of course, if you'd like to share all the details with him…'

There was silence for a few seconds. 'The fact remains, Axel,' Ixion said, his voice calmer than before, 'that you have created three empty positions in the Organization.'

'I'll find replacements, Ixion,' the red-haired man replied, turning to leave. 'Don't you worry.'

Ixion glared at his retreating back. 'That's not the point.'

'I'm making it the point, boss,' Axel said, grinning over his shoulder. 'See you around.'

He closed the door.

'Headquarters, is it?'

An elderly man with thinning brown hair and a seen-it-all-before expression looked expectantly at Riku from behind his desk. The train operator was the only person Riku had met in Twilight Town so far that didn't go quiet and try not to meet his looks. He wasn't sure whether that was less disconcerting, or more.

'Um, yeah.'

The man was quiet for a few seconds, obviously expecting Riku to continue his sentence. When nothing else was forthcoming, he said patiently, 'You have to give the password. Otherwise you could just be some guy playing dress-up.'

Dammit…

Riku thought for a second. What would they use as a password? It's got to be something that you'd only know if you were a member of the Organization. Something…

And, suddenly, the answer came to him.

'Oblivion,' he replied.

The elderly man nodded. 'Come this way.' He got up, with Riku and Mickey following behind him. Walking to a faded green door, he selected a key from the dozens at his belt and, muttering, crammed it into the lock. He turned the handle, and the door swung open with a loud, obnoxious creak.

Riku walked forward onto what turned out to be a train platform. Old, rusty rails ran into the distance above a rough gravel path. Scattered around the platform were wooden benches that looked like they'd be slightly less comfortable to sit on than the ground.

The operator walked into an old-fashioned ticket office across from the doorway. 'I'll need payment, as well.'

'Do you want it in munny?' Mickey called.

He reacted, apparently only just noticing the diminutive king. 'Normally, yes, but you're travelling on a special train. Payment's got to be something valuable to you- I know you black-coated guys got enough munny to buy this town five times over, so I'll need something different.'

Riku sighed. When did everything get so complicated? Digging into the pocket of his coat, his hand closed on a flat, cold shape. He took the card out of his coat, displaying it to the operator.

'Will this do?'

The elderly man looked up. 'What is it?'

'A lot of my memories are in this card,' Riku replied, remembering the feel of salt air on his face as he spoke. 'This allowed me to see my friends again before I came here. It's worth a lot to me.'

He handed it to the operator, who looked over his glasses. 'Destiny Islands? Never heard of it… but it feels like it's important to you. Okay, I'll take that as payment. And you, little guy?'

Mickey withdrew a small wooden object from his coat. 'My seal. You see a letter with that on, you know it's from me.'

The operator laughed. 'So, you're important enough to have your own seal, then… alright, I'll bite. Get on board.'

'On board what?' Riku asked testily, indicating the empty platform. 'Thin air?'

'You really are clueless, aren't you?' the elderly man replied. 'Go over there, where you're pointing. Go to the other side of the platform.'

Feeling uncomfortably like he was being tested, Riku walked over to the gap between the platforms. Swinging his legs over the side, he dropped down-

only for his head to collide with the train, making a resounding clang.

'What the hell was that?' Riku shouted, moving his hand in front of him. Nothing but thin air, as far as he could see… but he could feel a cool metal surface with his fingers. 'Are you telling me we're meant to get on an invisible train?'

The man laughed. 'I thought you guys were all about secrecy?'

'Yeah, well, I'm new.' Rubbing his head, Riku got up. 'How do we get on this thing, then?'

'There should be a handle right about where your head is. Turn it.'

Riku reached up, feeling blindly, until his hand felt a raised area on the side of the train. Moving his hand further down it, he found the handle. Pulling down on it, he heard a clunk from inside the train, and the door swung open.

This had the effect of creating what, to the casual observer, would look like a portal hovering a couple of feet off the ground. It led to a soft wooden cabin illuminated by candles, with a table and several chairs in the centre, as well as what looked to Riku to be a well-stocked drinks cabinet. Despite himself, Riku was impressed.

'Get on board,' the operator said, indicating the train. 'It'll set off once you close the door. Oh, yeah. Don't slam it, 'cause you guys have to pay for the upkeep of your own trains just like everyone else.'

With a raised eyebrow, he disappeared back into the ticket office. Riku shrugged, and clambered on board. Mickey, who had been watching the whole thing and trying not to laugh, jumped from the platform into the cabin.

He slid the train door closed, and the pair disappeared from sight.

'Word's been getting around, Axel. Apparently Ixion is none too happy about your behaviour.'

Axel offered a glass of clear liquid to the raven-haired woman sitting in his chair. 'I'm not surprised. I think I was supposed to bow more, and call him 'sir.''

'He prefers 'our great leader', I think.' The woman sat, sipping her drink. 'So, what are you going to do?'

Axel scowled. 'There's a limit to how much I can push Ixion, unfortunately. I said I'd find three guys- or girls, sorry- capable of succeeding Zexion, Lexaeus and Vexen, so that's what I've got to do.'

He got up, pacing around the room. 'Which wouldn't be so much of a problem, seeing as Lexaeus was dumb as a stump and Zexion was the biggest wuss I've ever met, except they also have to have rejected both light and darkness. Kind of rare, you know. It's either got to be shells strong enough to survive the forcible removal of their heart, or people who've just been screwed over by both.'

'Wait,' the woman said, as something occurred to her, 'we have five vacant posts. So why do you only have to recruit three people?'

'Oh, you didn't hear?' Axel said, stopping his pacing. 'The Superior has recruited two, personally, from Castle Oblivion.'

'Are they powerful?'

'One of them is a mouse.'

She raised an eyebrow. 'Interesting.'

Axel sat down again. 'The other one is Riku. You remember Riku, don't you, Beatrix?'

'I think you told me about him a few weeks ago,' she replied. 'The failed Keyblade Master, am I correct?'

'Well, yes,' Axel said, waving a hand, 'but he's become a lot more than that recently. He killed Lexaeus and rejected both the darkness and the light. Dealt with Vexen's little experiment, as well, which meant one more loose thread I didn't have to tie up.' He grinned. 'I've become quite fond of the kid. He keeps doing my work for me.'

Beatrix took another sip from her glass. 'When can we expect them to arrive?'

'The Superior sent them to Twilight Town, so they'll probably turn up in a few days. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on staying around to welcome them.'

'And why is that?' she asked, looking shrewdly at Axel. 'What are you planning?'

Axel chuckled, refilling his glass.

'So, why'd you quit?'

Mickey looked over at Riku. 'Huh?'

'You were a king, weren't you? Seems like a pretty cushy life to me. Personal guard, your own castle, concubines…' He laughed. 'Did you have concubines?'

'No, I didn't!' Mickey replied, affronted. 'I was married.'

'Really?' Riku smiled. 'Good for you. Is she still…'

'Yeah, far as I know, she's still livin' happily in the castle. Probably steamin' mad at me, but hey, she's a smart girl. She can run the place on her own.'

'Why'd you quit, then?' Riku asked. 'Doesn't seem like the kind of thing you walk away from if you get a choice.'

Mickey paused. 'All sorts of reasons, really. There was some stuff I'd read about the Heartless made it clear that sittin' in your castle with your feet up wasn't the appropriate thing to do. I knew who was behind it, which was more than Leon or any of the others did, so…'

Riku looked at Mickey, surprised. 'You knew Ansem? How?'

'I met him once, back when he was king of Hollow Bastion. He talked all sorts of stuff out of me- gummi blocks, the walls between worlds, the Keyblade, all that. 'Course, it was only after that I discovered the experiments he'd been doin' on those poor souls.' Mickey gazed into the distance. 'Had to get out of there before he found out I'd rumbled him.'

'Right.' Riku nodded. 'But why so suddenly?'

''Cause I knew that if I told Donald and Goofy I was goin', they'd want to tag along, and I needed them to help out your friend.' Mickey dropped down from his seat. 'They've done okay by him, haven't they?'

'You'd betray your king?'

'Not on your life!' the dog-man replied, raising his shield. 'But I'm not gonna betray Sora either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together!'

He called over to the other person, standing on Riku's right. 'See ya later, Donald! Could you tell the king I'm really sorry?'

'We'll tell him together!' the duck shouted, abandoning Riku to stand with Sora.

'I don't think Sora could have asked for two more loyal friends,' Riku replied, half-smiling at the memory.

'We've got word from the border. The train has passed into our world, with both of the new recruits on board.' The young, bald man waited to hear Ixion's reply.

'When are they expected to arrive?'

He glanced at the note he'd been given. 'They're on the Twilight Town line, so… about ten minutes. Do you want me to meet them at the station, or…'

'I'll need you to familiarise them with the castle as soon as possible, Abraxas, so you should probably greet them. Just don't allow Axel to be the first one of us that they talk to.'

Abraxas nodded, and turned away. At the doorway, he turned back. 'Ixion, pardon me if it isn't my place, but why don't you trust Axel? You asked him to prove his worth to the Organization by eliminating the rebel faction in Castle Oblivion, and he's done so spectacularly, if perhaps a little over-enthusiastically.'

'I still have doubts about him,' Ixion replied. 'Even if every casualty of Castle Oblivion was disloyal to the Superior, which I highly doubt, he seems to regard his brethren in the Organization with… amusement, if not disdain. His new assignment should teach him to only eliminate fellow members of the Organization as a last resort.'

'And if not?'

Ixion turned to Abraxas, smiling in a way that the younger man found unsettling. 'Then Castle Oblivion will have claimed the lives of everyone sent there.'

The train drew to a halt. Riku could see nothing but mist out of the windows. 'Do you know where we are?'

Mickey shook his head. 'No idea what world we're in. Guess this is the Organization's headquarters.'

'Guess so.' Riku pulled down on the lever, opening the door.

Through the blanket of fog, Riku could make out a vague shape in the distance. It's some kind of building. That's got to be their headquarters.

He stepped out of the carriage. The ground underneath was a deep purple, and it felt dry and hard underfoot. He heard Mickey drop from the train, and turned to him. 'Purple rock? Who designed this place?'

'Hey, beats me.'

Riku stepped forward, seeing a definite path in the mist ahead. 'You see that?'

'Probably leads to where we need to go,' Mickey replied.

An amused voice came from somewhere above them. 'Funnily enough, that actually leads to a thousand-foot drop. Extra insurance against people who aren't supposed to be here.'

Riku whirled around. 'Who's there?'

'But,' the voice continued, 'you are supposed to be here, so, hilarious as it would be, I'm not going to sit here and watch you throw yourself off a mountain.' The black-coated man dropped from the roof of the train. 'You're Riku, you're Mickey. I'm Axel. Follow me.'

Riku's hand disappeared into his coat, gripping the hilt of his weapon. 'My experiences with you people haven't been good, so you'll pardon me if I'm a little sceptical. One of you disguised yourself as my best friend and tried to drive me mad, one set a clone of myself to kill me, and the other one just smacked me around Castle Oblivion for five minutes straight. So why should I trust you any more?'

'Well, you're one of us now,' Axel replied, 'so if you're going to hold grudges against the Organization you're going to have to hate and despise yourself.' He grinned. 'But you were probably planning on that anyway, so…'

Mickey stepped between the two. 'Hey, there, we don't want any unpleasantness. Axel, where are you headed?'

The red-haired man indicated the castle in the distance. 'The Organization headquarters. The path that leads there is off to the right a bit, so follow me or I'll leave you in the fog.' He began to walk. 'Make your mind up.'

Mickey moved forward. 'Come on, Riku. It's not like he's gonna hurt us when his boss sent us here.' He looked back, beamed at Riku, and followed the path upwards.

Riku sighed, and followed Axel into the mist.

Author's Notes-

Riku is my favourite Kingdom Hearts character. Axel is my favourite Kingdom Hearts- Chain of Memories character. You see where the idea for this fic came from?

Just so you know, Sora probably won't be appearing in this, except in flashback form. Those who've played Chain of Memories know why. Since I'm determined not to spoil the entire game in this one chapter, I won't say why.

Those who read this chapter before the tenth of February (all three of you) may notice that Ixion and Axel's conversation's been completely changed, as well as a few bits of dialogue here and there. I now have a plot for this fic, which is why it needed to be altered. Yeah, I have a plot. Fear me.

Thanks for reading, y'all.