Kingdom Hearts
Not Just A Puppet
By Saddened Naminé
Part II
Payback
Naminé sighed, sitting in her wall-facing chair as she stared down at her closed sketchbook. What was wrong with her? Why did most of the people in the Organization hate her so? Was it really just because she had magical powers? No, it couldn't be… Considering that everybody else has them, too.
She opened her sketchbook up to a blank page; her golden rose pencil appeared in her hand with a small rush of sparkles. She put the pencil lead to the paper, drawing out the image in her head. Her eyes were half-closed, and she didn't even know what her fingers were sketching.
There was a loud clang sound heard behind her. She snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head, seeing nothing. She was confused for a moment, turning her head back to the book. Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd just drawn.
It was the Guillotine Square in Halloween Town, with Riku in a Halloween outfit that made him look almost like Dracula. He still looked cool in this picture, but she was surprised that she'd draw, or even think of drawing such a thing! Maybe it was because she wanted so badly to leave this Castle Oblivion, and also because she missed Replica Riku so much.
It'd only been two hours since he left, but she was all ready feeling lonely. Why couldn't Marluxia send her with him? Or maybe send somebody else so that she could spend more time with Riku? Well, it's too late to be asking these questions since Riku's all ready gone.
There was another loud sound as if something dropped behind her. She quickly closed her sketchbook, standing up and placing it on her seat. She walked toward the large doors that lead out of the pearl white room, hiding around its side as she peeked into the hall.
Her bright blue eyes grew wide at what she saw; Axel was holding one of the other Unknowns by their neck and held them two feet from the ground. His emerald green eyes shined devilishly as he heard the choked breaths of the person he was attempting murder on.
"How does it feel, Zexion…? To be in the same place I put Lexaeus only but a day ago…"
Naminé quietly gasped upon hearing this. Axel was just blaming the death of Lexaeus on her so he could stay in the trusted area of the Organization! One thing puzzled her, however. Why would he go after Zexion and not her after purposely warning her? Unless Zexion found out that Axel killed Lexaeus and was going to tell Marluxia and the Superior!
The blonde-haired girl put her finger to her lips, biting it in an attempt not to scream or say anything. She had to stay hidden lest she end up in the same place as Zexion right now. She turned around and scurried back off to her chair, picking up her sketchbook and looking through the pages. She stopped on the 17th page to look at the picture of Riku she'd drawn that morning of him with his SoulEater Keyblade.
Oh, how she wished he were here… Then the two of them could go after Axel and reveal to everyone that he's the one slowly, one-by-one, killing everyone. Only question now is… Would they believe her? They all ready thought she was the one who killed Lexaeus, so what would stop them from believing Axel's lie that she killed Zexion, too?
Naminé began to bite on her finger again as she thought, it was then that she heard a soft heap drop to the floor. She knew exactly what it was the minute she heard it…
It had been Zexion's dead body.
She whimpered at the thought of the man dead on the white floor, trying to keep her tears from falling. Lexaeus and Zexion were dead, and everyone was blaming it all on her. She closed her eyes tightly, whispering to herself just barely above a whisper.
"… Riku…"
Replica Riku sighed as he exited the Item Shop in Traverse Town, looking around the town from where he stood. There were two trees on either side of the huge door that lead to the entrance/exit of that world, and there were many people standing around and walking about.
'All of them have lost their own worlds, no doubt…' he thought carelessly, a brown paper bag held under his arm.
He felt something small and wet fall onto his shoulder. Looking up, Replica Riku watched as many more drops of water fell from the sky in a rain shower. He blinked once, and then looked back to the front of him as he remembered something that Naminé had told him once.
If you ever see it start to rain, Riku, please remember that it symbolizes sadness. Know that someone, somewhere is feeling very sad, or maybe is in trouble and needs your help.
Thunder could be heard in the distance, bringing another memory to him.
Thunderstorms? Oh, that means that there is Impending Danger. Something bad will happen in the near future.
Replica Riku's senses came back to him by the ending of that memory. He sprinted off toward the World Exit Door, pushing them open as he ran down the invisible road back toward the Castle Oblivion.
'Don't worry, Naminé, I'm coming…'
Naminé took her pencil into her hand, opening her sketchbook up to a random picture, and began to immediately act like she was actually working on it.
The Enigmatic Man appeared behind her, staring down by her side at what she was drawing. His hood covered over his face so she couldn't tell out of the corner of her eye if he was satisfied or anything like that.
"What may I ask is this?"
The blonde tilted her head in confusion at him, but then she looked down at the sketch. Her eyes widened; it was that picture of Halloween Town and Riku in a Vampire outfit. She gulped, slowly looking back up at the hooded Unknown.
"Umm… A drawing…?"
The Enigmatic Man was not amused; he took a step backward, away from her. Naminé couldn't tell what he was about to do, so like any curious teen, she turned her head slightly to steal a glance.
The Unknown was now holding onto his two red Light sabers, and his hood seemed to be staring straight at her. The man jumped high over her and turned in midair so he stood a yard or two away, facing her.
Naminé gasped as the Enigmatic Man rushed forward in an attempt to slice her into three pieces. However, there was the sound of a door opening. He lowered his attack and merely cut off the two front legs of the chair.
The girl fell forward, the chairs back on her back. Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at the clean white floor that was about a foot and a half away from her face.
"Naminé…?" a voice asked.
She looked up right away, seeing Replica Riku standing there in the doorway. He was dripping wet and panting as if he'd just run a marathon.
"What are you doing here, Boy? Didn't Larxene tell you to go to Traverse Town and gather some items?" the Enigmatic Man hissed, now facing the Replica.
Riku scoffed, throwing the brown bag at him, "Mission accomplished… I can stay here with Naminé now."
The hooded Unknown caught the bag, turning around and walking through the wall as an exit. He didn't seem happy.
Naminé stared at Replica Riku with a teary-eyed relief, "R-Riku… You came…"
Replica Riku ran to her side, bending down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Naminé… What happened here? What did the Enigmatic Man do to you?"
The blonde-haired girl tried to answer, but it only brought on more tears. She buried her face in her hands and leaned into Riku's shoulder, sobbing.
"Huh? Naminé, please tell what's wrong." He asked again.
He now felt a new emotion come to him; he was worried about her. What could have happened to make her cry so? He wrapped his arms around her, hugging in an attempt to comfort her.
Naminé couldn't stop her crying, not for long enough to answer, at least. Eventually she pulled away from him, still sniffling. She would then take a deep breath before speaking in an almost choked voice.
"The Enigmatic Man… Tr-Tried to kill me," she smiled sadly, "I'm so glad… That you came when you did."
"I am, too, Naminé," he agreed, pulling her back into an embrace, "I am, too…"
A man with long, dirty blonde hair stood hidden in a corner, watching Naminé and Replica Riku with a disgusted look on his face.
"What is this? Is my Replica developing feelings for Marluxia's Witch?"
"It sure looks that way, doesn't it, Vexen?" another Unknown asked.
The girlie man jumped, looking to his right to see a girl with lightning blonde hair staring at the young teens. She was smirking.
"Larxene! When'd you get here?"
"A second ago, Vexie… Are you losing your touch? You used to be able to tell when I was coming from a mile away…"
Vexen folded his arms, turning around so that his back was facing the Lightning Lady.
"Hmph! You just love teasing me, don't you?"
"Hah… You barely found out right this second? Oh my, you are losing it…" Larxene replied, smirking.
"Enough about that!" the scientist exclaimed, turning back around and pointing at Naminé and Replica Riku, "My pet project is hitting on the Marluxia's Witch! How could this have happened? I created him so that he had no emotions whatsoever!"
Larxene folded her arms in thought, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them and looking to him.
"He is a person though, right? Can he learn things?"
"Well, of course! My Replica wouldn't have been a success if I didn't install a learning capability!" Vexen answered proudly, smiling to himself at the memory of his successful project.
"Then there you go, you Blockhead… And you call yourself a Scientist?" she teased, shaking her head.
"Huh? What did you find out that I didn't?"
"He's learning how to feel, Einstein…"
Vexen jumped at that realization, turning around and running off to his dark little corner. He took out his notepad and began to draw and write strange things in it as he tried to come up with something or other.
Larxene sighed, walking out of the room while mumbling what sounded like, "What an idiotic asshole…"
Naminé sighed, getting up from the floor. Replica Riku had gone off somewhere, so she was left alone there in the room. She looked down at her broken chair, close to tears once again. How could the Enigmatic Man do that to her? Especially if she has the protection of Marluxia's Word on her side! Could Axel have hired him in any way to harm her? It sounded like an idea he'd have, so it was possible.
She walked out of the room; the sketchbook was under her arm and her pencil was placed behind her ear. Wandering about the Castle, she came to a room she'd never noticed before. The door was open by a crack, and music came out from the inside. Naminé walked to the side and peered in through the crack, smiling gently at what she saw.
Replica Riku sat in the room at the large instrument known as the Grand Piano. His fingers lightly pressed on each key to create a soft melodic sound of musical song. His eyes were half-closed and his face was unreadable, just like always.
The song seemed familiar to Naminé, like she'd heard it before or something like it. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to listen in harder. Was Replica Riku singing?
Replica Riku didn't notice her at all, so he continued playing the piano and singing to himself softly. Naminé could faintly make out the words he sang.
"Oh, Naminé… Do not be afraid; always I'll protect you so you will not fade. Always I'll protect you so you will not fade." He sang quietly as the song went on, "Naminé… You'll find a way… We'll find a way to leave. Trust me now, I'll help you out of here…"
Naminé smiled gently as she realized that he'd written a song to her. She slowly pushed open the door; it creaked.
Replica Riku immediately stopped, turning toward the door with a small blush on his cheeks.
"N-Naminé! D-Did you hear that?"
He was feeling so embarrassed right now; he really hoped she didn't hear his song. Unfortunate for him, she did.
Although, Naminé didn't want to embarrass him any further, so she just smiled and asked.
"Hear what?"
Replica Riku sighed in relief, looking back up at her with an emotionless grin.
"Nothing…" he replied, "What are you doing here?"
The blonde-haired girl shrugged, holding her sketchbook behind her back with both hands. She walked closer into the room until she was right beside him.
"Nothing really… I was just bored, so I came looking for you." She smiled that sweet smile of hers, "And look! I found you!"
Riku let a short chuckle escape his mouth as he looked back down at the piano keys, trying to hide his reddened face.
"So then… You just came wandering about, looking for me?" he asked, his grin changing into a frown, "What would've happened if one of the other Unknowns had found you on your way here?"
Naminé shrugged, "They would've scolded me for leaving that room, but I don't care, I just really needed to find you."
The platinum-haired teen looked up at her with a look that she'd been longing to see for a very long time; the emotion of surprise with the accompaniment of clear sea green eyes. Smiling, she sat down beside him on the piano bench and held her sketchbook in her lap as she stared him in the face
"Riku… You look so perfect right now… I wish you would always have that look in your eyes…"
Replica Riku cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of his tomato red blush. He looked away from her before looking back at her with a real smile.
"Hey, how about we get out of here and go back to that room of yours…? I can help you fix your chair, if you want."
Naminé closed her eyes for a moment as if thinking, but she was actually just giggling, "I'd like that…"
Axel would watch as the two teens left the Piano Room on the 12th Floor of Castle Oblivion. His arms were folded as he leaned against the wall in the shadows, emerald hues almost glowing. His knowing smirk would tell anyone who saw it that he had a plan.
He disappeared into the blackness of the hall, somehow reappearing in the Basement Floor of the Castle. He opened the door from the stairs to a very large room that had many strange things inside of it.
There were many tables with glass containers on top of them; the containers were filled with colored fluid that Axel thought he shouldn't get too close to unless necessary. His eyes would scan the room until they found what he was looking for; Vexen.
The dirty-haired scientist stood over one of the tables with his hair tied up into a high ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way of his experiment, non-prescription glasses on his face. He really didn't need them; they just made him feel smart.
Axel approached him, seeing that Vexen hadn't realized he was there. Smirking, the flame-haired Unknown stood directly behind Vexen, leaning over to whisper into his ear.
"Boo."
The Scientist jumped up with a yelp of fear, turning around quickly with a hand over his heart. His neon green eyes went wide in surprise at the sight of Axel right in front of him. However, it was also this fact that calmed him down somewhat. He took a deep breath in relief.
"Oh… Axel, it's just you…"
"Just me? Who were you expecting, Larxene?" Axel asked, folding his arms with an amused smirk on his face.
"Actually, yes… That girl just doesn't know when to give up! She keeps coming into my lab and trying to find out my new ideas! And what's worse… I tell her!" Vexen explained, sighing as he took off his unneeded glasses, "Silly thing is that she seems to get annoyed with my telling her… She tries so hard to get it out of me, only to be irritated by what she wanted me to say!"
"Yes… Women are quite strange creatures…"
"I'll say! You should have seen what Marluxia's witch had done to my pet Replica! She's ruining my perfect piece of work!"
"Is she, now… How would you say she's 'ruining' your little puppet?"
Vexen leaned back toward the table, shrugging, "She's taking advantage of his learning capability and is forcing him to learn how to feel! It's because of this problem that he's developing feelings for the girl! It's Driving Me Mad!"
If Vexen were not so obsessed with his hair, he probably would have pulled the majority out of his head while saying this. Although, he did tear many of his most valuable notes out of his little notepad. Upon realizing this, he swiftly gathered them all up and whined.
"Oh! Now why did I go and do something like that…?"
Axel turned around and headed for the door. He had all the information he needed, now all he needed was to set his plan into play. Whether or not he would be able to pull this off, he knew he'd have to do it some time!
Naminé happily sat down in her new chair, testing to see if it would break under her weight. Surprisingly, it didn't. She squealed in excitement, jumping up to her feet and hugging Replica Riku tightly in thanks.
"Thank you so much, Riku!"
Replica Riku laughed a bit, trying to keep himself from falling backwards and wind up with the both of them on the floor. Somehow, it didn't seem like a very bad idea. Be it his own thought, or one the Original Riku would have, it mattered not, for it was he who had Naminé, not the other Riku.
Naminé smiled, pulling away from him and giving him a small wink. That was enough to make him blush up a storm! She would giggle at that before a surprised look suddenly appeared on her face as she fell down to her knees.
The Replica bent down beside her immediately, putting his hands on her shoulders. He tried to bring her back up straight, but his hands went right through her as the girl began to become transparent. His eyes were wide as he stared in fear at her.
"What is this manner of sorcery?"
The blonde-haired girl looked up at him; a sad smile was on her face as she began to speak.
"I-It's all right… I just… have to go… for now…"
Replica Riku shook his head as droplets of developing tears began to cloud his vision, "No… Naminé, please… Don't leave…"
"I'll be right back…" Naminé declared as she reached out a hand to his face, her finger lightly brushing away the one tear that escaped down his cheek, "… I promise…"
After saying this, she would slowly fade away completely until there was nothing there at all. Replica Riku stared at this spot for a very long time, still shocked that things were going so well for them, and she just disappeared before his eyes! How could he let this happen…? Is this what the real Riku would have done?
He got up from the clean white floor, fists clenched tightly. He looked up at the ceiling, knowing that nobody was around. Replica Riku spoke aloud,
"I'm sorry, Naminé… But I must leave the Castle for the time being… I may not be here when you return, but I'll be back nonetheless."
He held a hand out to his side; the SoulEater Key appeared in his grasp. Turning around to walk down the hall toward the entrance/exit to the Castle Oblivion, he looked over his shoulder back into the room that he and Naminé had always been confined in. A small smile spread across his lips as he exited the large building.