Fans: GOOD!
Sora53: Well, not all.
Fans: DARN YOU!
Corita: I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!
Joe: Why?
Corita: Because...something GOOD HAPPENS! I LOVE YOU, AXEL! -hugs Axel-
Axel: What do you want from me?-
Disclaimer: I don't own KH or CoM. I own Corita, and that's getting REALLY old.
"You sure seem carefree about this." Riku commented as the two walked up the hallway.
Corita sighed. "I'm probably just in denial. Odds are I'll be sobbing about it in 20 minutes. What about you? Are you sure you're the real Riku?"
"I'm pretty positive." Riku said softly. "So, what happened to you? Did you just randomly appear in Castle Oblivion?"
"Hmm...yeah, pretty much. Just kinda woke up here."
"That's weird...what's been going on? You know, after we closed that oversized door?"
"Fighting the darkness in my heart and defeating the dark beings from my memory in the castle, all the while fending off Ansem and that stupid replica of me. You?"
"Nothing important..."
Corita eyed Riku carefully. After seeing two Rikus at once, she was still a little skeptical. After all, if they both thought they were the real Riku, either one could be real, right? On the other hand, the real Riku wouldn't attack her...unless Naminé'd
gotten to him...
"Riku, have you heard of someone named Naminé?"
"Huh?" Riku said, startled by the sudden question. "No, why?"
"Just wondering. I guess you are real, after all."
"NOW you realize I'm real. Thanks."
"Well, here's how I figure it. From what I know about Naminé..."
"Who IS this Naminé person?"
"Be quiet; I'm ranting. Naminé's been messing with my brother's memories so the cult of robed people can get their paws on him."
"Cult of robed people?"
"I'm still ranting. I don't know why they want him, but they've been messing with his memories so he'd be more obsessed with finding Naminé so he'd stay in the castle. Naminé's been messing with Sora, Donald, AND Goofy's memories, but she couldn't affect me because I'm a Princess of Heart. So, instead, they had Naminé make Sora, Donald, and Goofy forget me so they'd abandon me...that way, they'd have a clearer shot at getting Sora without me dragging him down with the truth."
"...you're going to be sobbing in about 5 minutes, aren't you?"
"Probably. Anyway, that crazy scientist Vexen MUST'VE created a replica of you, because I remember him and other members of their cult taking about one of Vexen's other experiments. Not to mention there were two of you here a few minutes ago. Anyway, he wanted to do an experiment on me because of my pure heart, and the others let him because there would be no other use for me anyway. So he steeped my heart in darkness, and I found you, and now I'm ranting and I'm about to fall over from lack of oxygen."
After this, Corita truly came close to falling over; she probably would've if Riku hadn't caught her shoulder.
"So, all that means that you believe that I'm the real Riku?" He asked hopefully.
"Naminé screwed up Sora's memories, so she probably helped create that stupid replica's memories, too. So, she probably made the replica think he was real to keep Sora in the castle."
"Thank goodness." He said with a smile. Corita looked at him with a confused look.
"What's wrong?"
"I've been alone for a long time. I've gone through a lot of worlds, fighting the darkness and fighting Ansem."
"Ansem? I thought we killed him!"
"You may have, but Ansem's shadow nests within my heart." Riku said moodily. "I've been trying to fight the darkness in my heart, and it would be a lot easier if he didn't keep trying to drag me back into it."
"All alone? That's rough..." Corita said sympathetically, putting her hand on his shoulder. Then it hit her.
"ALONE! WHAT HAPPENED TO KING MICKEY?"
Riku flinched as Corita yelled in his face, and then she gave a small smile.
"Sorry. I'm a little stressed out right now."
"I got that." Riku grumbled. "We got separated when we closed the door...but he's here with me."
"In your heart?"
"Yeah..."
"And now you're fighting the darkness." Corita stated.
"Yep."
"Well, we'd better get going. We're not going to fight the darkness, find King Mickey, and drag Sora back home by just standing here."
"What's the matter, Sora?" Goofy asked kindly. They'd been walking through the world that Jiminy had dubbed 'Twilight Town' for some time, and Sora had led them to a large mansion-like building. They stood outside the huge gate, gazing up at the giant building in awe.
"I feel kind of funny." Sora explained. "I know I've never been here, but it's starting to feel really familiar."
"You must've been here before, then." Donald said grumpily.
"That's just it. I never have." Sora said.
"Maybe it's like with Naminé. You forgot other stuff, so now you remember this place."
"No...it's different." Sora said, crossing his arms and gazing at the ground in thought. "With Naminé, the memories sort of came drifting back. But here, everything just feels familiar, even with no memories."
"Does it now?" asked Vexen's voice. Turning away from the giant gate that guarded the mansion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy witnessed Vexen appearing before them.
"A question, then, Sora..." Vexen said softly. "Which is more real to you: your memories of Naminé, or the familiarity you feel here?"
"Naminé, of course!" Sora said angrily. "Anything I feel here is some stupid trick of yours!"
Vexen looked down at Sora with amusement in his eyes. "The memory's wiles are cruel. In its silence, we forget. And in its perversion, it binds our hearts firmly."
"I don't have time for riddles!" Sora growled, clenching his fists.
"Then remember what I said earlier. The other side of your heart knows this place. Yes, the other side remembers."
"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know this place!" Sora yelled.
Vexen watched him in silence for a few moments, deep in thought. "If you remain bound by the chains of memory, and refuse to believe your heart...then you may as well throw your heart away. You're no Keyblade master, no master of anything — just a slave to twisted memories. Just like my Riku. You're not fit to exist."
"YOUR Riku?" Sora said furiously. He grabbed his Keyblade, preparing to fight. Next to him, Donald and Goofy also readied their weapons. "You're so full of it! YOU'RE the one who changed Riku, aren't you? Every word you've said is a lie! I'd never throw away my heart! I'm gonna take you down and save Riku and Naminé. THAT's what's in my heart!"
"Wonderland!" Corita said merrily as she skipped through the forest ahead of Riku. Riku was watching her with a funny gleam in his eye.
"You seem so happy to be here." He said, amused.
"You aren't?" Corita asked. "I remember this place, everything about it! I never thought I'd be so happy to be lost in this stupid forest!"
"Haha...Corita, I really missed you."
"What?" Corita asked, nearly hitting a tree as she stopped skipping.
"I missed your optimistic attitide." Riku explained.
"Ha. me, optimistic?"
"You're not worried, either." Riku said, walking ahead of her.
"W-w-worried? Why would I be worried?" Corita asked nervously.
"You saw what the darkness did to me." Riku explained. "Now, that same darkness rests in your heart."
"W-w-what?" Corita stuttered. She stared at Riku's back, and Riku kept walking after a moment.
"THANKS FOR FREAKING ME OUT, RIKU!" Corita roared as she ran towards him. "Grr...why couldn't Vexen've just cut me in half instead?"
"It's quiet. Too quiet." Corita muttered as they walked into the large room with the table, stove, and other various objects.
"Of course it is. There's no one else here." Riku said gruffly as he moved towards the middle of the room.
"No one else here? Why?" Corita asked, stunned. Riku sighed.
"Hmm...let me see if I can remember what he told me..."
"What who told you?"
"That's not important." Riku said sharply, and Corita went silent, realizing she'd touched another nerve.
"Okay, what was it? Oh yeah...'Your heart only knows how to throw things away. It's empty, like that room. Like your memories. That's why no one is in the castle with you. Your heart is hollow except for the darkness you couldn't quite shake off.'"
"What?" Corita asked. "Who'd say that to you? Wait, forget it, I didn't mention that. So, since this world is from your memory, but you abandoned everything except darkness, there's no one else here?"
"Well, there's always someone...or something."
"What's always here?" Corita questioned.
"Something like that." Riku said cooly, pointing to the ceiling, where the Trickmaster Heartless was making its appearance in
Riku's memory.
"Urrgh... Such strength, even at the mercy of your memory..." Vexen moaned as he kneeled on the ground. He was to the right of the giant gate, and about 20 feet away, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood next to the gate, weapons still in hand. "You ARE dangerous! You must be exterminated!" Vexen roared.
"Whatever!" Sora said angrily. "Just put Riku back the way he was!"
"Put him back?" Vexen asked softly, standing up slightly. "Fool of a boy! Even now you understand nothing. The Riku you speak of has but one fate — to sink into the emptiness of darkness. And you will share that fate, Sora!" Vexen cried, causing Sora to release his grip on the Keyblade slightly. "If you continue to seek the girl Naminé, the shackles will tighten... You'll lose your heart and become Marluxia's pawn!"
"Marluxia? Who's that, and what do they have to do with Nami—"
It happened in a split second. Sora was questioning Vexen, when a loud slicing noice rang through the air. Vexen grunted and fell forward, falling to his knees. Walking up behind him, grabbing one of his rings out of the air, was Axel.
"Axel!" Sora cried as the red-haired figure moved towards Vexen.
"Hey, Sora." Axel said cheerfully. "Sorry to cut in right when he was getting to the juicy bits."
"Axel...wh...why...?" Vexen groaned.
"You sure love to talk." Axel said. "It's about time you shut up — forever."
"No...don't...don't do it!"
"We're nobodies, Vexen." Axel said softly. "We've got no one to be — but we still 'are.' So look on the bright side. You're
off the hook. Now you can be nothing instead of just being nobody."
"M-mercy, Axel! I don't want to...go yet..."
"Don't worry about it. I'll watch your new experiment for you." Axel said, stealing a glance at Sora, who was watching in horror. "By the way...NOW you can tell me I don't respect my elders."
Axel's ring sliced through Vexen one last time, and Vexen fell to the ground. Instead of lingering there, however, his body vanished, dissolving into nothingness. Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched in shock, and Axel stood with an emotionless expression.
"What the... What ARE you people?" Sora asked, stunned.
"Wish I knew the answer to that myself." Axel said simply, and then he vanished.
Having defeated the Trickmaster, Riku and Corita had left the empty barren Wonderland, reaching the next floor's hall. However, something seemed different...
"Something seems different..." Corita remarked. Riku nodded.
"Yeah. One of the robed people's scents is gone."
"Oh, is that how it works?" Corita asked. Riku nodded.
"Yeah. I'm surprised you noticed. Can you tell who it was?"
"No. Everything just seems different..."
"Well, it was that scientist, Vexen."
"Vexen! He's gone?" Corita cried.
"Yeah. Good riddance. Look at it this way: at least you don't have to ever see him again."
"Nice work, Axel. Good riddance to that blabbermouth." Larxene praised as Axel appeared in the room.
"Marluxia, you used Vexen to test Sora's strength, right?" Axel asked.
"Not just Sora's. Yours too, Axel." Larxene commented. "We weren't sure if you had it in you to take out a fellow member of the Organization. Well, I guess you did. You can join the big leagues now. With the three of us, taking over the Organization will be child's play."
"I see." Axel muttered, crossing his arms. "And that's where Sora comes in, right?"
"Exactly. He wants to see Naminé, so we give him what he wants."
"Rejoice, Naminé." Marluxia said, turning to the young blond-haired girl. "The hero you've longed for is nearly here."
Naminé remained silent as she hung her head, but after a few moments she whispered, "I'm... I'm very happy."
"Are you, now?" Larxene asked, raising one eyebrow. "Well, in your fits of uncontrollable happiness, try not to do anything to hurt Sora's feelings. Are we clear?"
"Yes."
"All you need do is layer the memories, one by one, and bring his heart closer." Marluxia explained, and he vanished from the room. Larxene vanished soon after, and Naminé sighed.
"Sora... Even if you come for me — what then?"
Riku Fangirls: We love Riku...we love Riku...
Corita: Whoot! Axel killed Vexen!
Sora: I thought this fanfic was rated G!
Sora53: Well, it happens in the game.
Fans: YAY DESTRUCTION!
Sora53: I think I'm weird. When he was killed in the game, I was cracking up for about an hour. It amused me that someone people had been trying to figure out who he was, what role he played, or even his NAME gets killed 10 minutes after you meet him.
Riku Fangirls: Corita...come join the darkness like Riku did...
Corita: O.o I'm fighting the darkness with Riku!
Naminé: Muahaha...Corita plus darkness equals INTERESTING PLOT TWISTS LATER!
Everyone: O.o-
