Corita: -.- Stupid Sora53.
Naminé: Don't worry, Corita! Everything'll fall into place eventually.
Joe:...or maybe not.
Sora53: No, everything will. If I leave my crazed fans hanging...I think they'll attack O.o
Fans: Maybe not attack...just chase. GET HER!
Sora53: No! I refuse to be chased away again!
Everyone: -gasp- ---
Disclaimer: -.- Me dun own KH or CoM. Me only own Corita. -points to Corita- See her? That ficcy character over there? Yeah.
Riku didn't know what to say. He looked down at himself, then back up at Corita. Corita's gaze had softened somewhat, and she slowly took a step forward.
"Corita..." Riku said slowly, but Corita stopped moving towards him and held up her hand to silence him.
"Don't." Corita said solemnly. "It's your choice...it's not like I can change your mind for you."
Riku smiled and nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem." Corita said, grinning. "Besides, no matter what your choices, I have to go with you. I made a promise."
"A promise?" Riku asked, surprised.
"You don't remember?" Corita asked with a smile. "That night...when you saved me. I promised that if you were ever in danger, I'd save you."
"Me? In danger? How am I in danger?" Riku asked.
"You still have Ansem stalking you."
"...Oh, that."
"What, what IS he?" Zexion roared as he kneeled in pain in the lowest basement of Castle Oblivion. "No one's ever worn the darkness the way he does...It's IMPOSSIBLE!"
As Zexion yelled to the empty room, Axel appeared behind him. Zexion heard him approaching, and whipped around.
"Ahh! Riku?" Zexion roared as he saw the person standing next to Axel.
Riku crossed his arms and glared at Zexion, and Axel's eyes flashed dangerously in Zexion's direction.
Zexion smiled. "Yes, of course...Vexen's replica...good thinking, Axel! We can use him to defeat the real Riku."
Axel didn't respond to Zexion. He looked down at the Riku replica with a wide grin.
"Say, Riku." Axel said. "It must be hard now that you know you're not real. I bet you'd LIKE to be real."
"Yeah." the Riku replica said as he moved towards Zexion.
"Well, you can. All you need is strength that the real Riku doesn't have." Axel said as he moved forward with Riku. "Get that, and you can be a new person, your OWN person. Not Riku, not anybody else. You won't be someone else's copy. You'll be you."
"Axel! What are you talking about?" Zexion cried.
Axel pointed to Zexion, still looking down at Riku. "You know," Axel said, "I bet he's as good a place to start as any."
"Axel! Have you lost your mind!" Zexion roared in fear.
"Sorry, Zexy." Axel said solemnly. "Saving you doesn't seem half as entertaining as observing Sora, Riku, and Vexie's failed experiment."
Riku moved slowly towards Zexion. Zexion's eyes opened wide in fear as the Riku replica came closer.
"No...stop!"
Riku, who had returned to his normal appearance, was walking up the next hallway in Castle Oblivion with Corita in silence. They'd left the Destiny Islands with hardly as much stalling as when they'd entered.
Suddenly, Riku stopped. Corita was about a foot ahead of him now, and she turned around to see what he was doing.
"Riku, what's wrong?" Corita asked.
"Shh..." Riku whispered. Corita listened to the still air in the castle hallway, and then she heard it.
"Riku...Riku..."
"Who is that?" Corita cried, leaping back behind Riku.
"I know that voice..." Riku said quietly.
" know you can feel it, Riku —" The voice said. The voice was growing louder, more clear as it spoke. "the grip I have on your heart. You've let the darkness in. And all-consuming darkness is what your heart shall become!"
"No! I'm not like that anymore!" Riku roared.
"I think you are..."
Riku was backing up slowly, moving back to where Corita stood 5 feet away. Before he reached her, however, he was suddenly lifted into the air.
"Riku...why are you floating?" Corita asked, dazed.
"I...I can't move!" Riku cried.
"The deeper the darkness runs in you, the stronger I become. Controlling your body is an effortless task."
Riku was floating in the air, Corita was watching in with fear, and Ansem's voice was growing louder as he spoke. Then, an energy ball floated down from the ceiling again, down to Riku. It circled around him, and Ansem's voice said angrily, "Graah... You, interfering again!"
Riku began to descend to the floor, and Corita ran over to him. The energy ball floated to the floor, and Ansem's voice faded away.
"Golly, I'm glad I made it in time!" A different voice said. This one was much friendlier than Ansem's. "That should keep Ansem tied up for a while!"
In a bright flash of light, the energy ball had taken a different form. The person who'd protected Riku appeared, and he stepped towards the two.
"Sorry I couldn't make it sooner, Riku." He said lightly.
"Your Majesty, it's you!" Riku cried joyfully. He lept away from Corita, who was watching the two closely.
"You betcha!"
"So, this is what King Mickey looks like close-up." Corita said, grinning. "Last time I saw you, you were closing the door to darkness with my hard-headed brother."
Mickey looked away from Riku, who was poking him in the ear, and looked up at Corita. "So, you're Corita? Nice to meet ya!"
"The pleasure is mine." Corita said with a smile.
"You can just call me Micke— Riku, what are you doing?" Mickey asked curiously.
"Poking you in the ear." Riku said simply. "Just making sure you're real this time."
"Yup! No illusions!" Mickey said with a huge grin. "I promised I'd come, didn't I?"
"How did you get here, Your Majesty? I thought you were really far away." Riku said.
"This card showed me the way." Mickey said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shimmering card. I was lookin' for the way out of the realm of darkness, and then this card came along. As soon as I picked it up, it showed me your heart, waaay out beyond the darkness. And that's how I tracked you down. I guess the card thought it belonged with you."
"Maybe you're right." Riku said, taking the card from Mickey.
"Of course he's right!" Corita said cheerfully. "He's the king!"
"You sound like Goofy." Mickey chuckled.
"Corita! Show some more respect for His Majesty!" Riku said loudly.
"Cool down, Riku. Do you mind, Your Majesty?" Corita asked humbly.
"No, of course not. You can both just call me Mickey." He said.
"Alright, Mickey." Riku said akwardly. "I should use that card you gave me."
"Riku's a bit humble." Corita whispered to Mickey.
Riku wheeled around. "I'm not humble! I'm...respectful of my superiors!"
At this, Mickey and Corita burst out into laughter. Face glowing bright red, Riku turned on the spot and marched up to the door to the next world.
"Wait for us!" Corita cried and, still laughing, ran up the steps with Mickey to reach Riku.
"What the? Where are we now?" Riku wondered aloud as the light that had surrounded him as he teleported into the next world faded. Your Maj...Mickey, do you know where we are?"
Riku turned around, expecting to see Corita and Mickey (probably snickering about him being 'respectful of his superiors'), but only Corita stood there (with a dazed look on her face.
"Corita? Have you seen Mickey?"
"No..." She said, dizzy. "But I feel like I did when we came down from my secret place on the Destiny Islands...like I've been hit in the head with a few dozen coconuts..."
"Do you know where we are?"
"Hmm...I'll tell you as soon as everything stops spinning."
"His Majesty is not here." Said a cold voice behind them. Riku spun around as fast as he could, nearly knocking poor Corita over in the process, who was rubbing her head and trying to get everything into focus. The area flashed a bright white, and someone appeared before Riku and Corita.
"Oh, look..." Corita said, still dazed. "It's Ansem."
"Nice observation there, Corita." Riku whispered to her.
"Huh...everything's...twilight..." She said, spinning around.
Riku watched her for a moment in pity, then realized who was behind him. He spun around to face Ansem, who was grinning at him.
"You must battle me and the darkness alone!"
"Hey..." Corita said, moving towards the two. "He's not alone...as long as I'm here!"
Riku grimaced. Corita having another dizzy attack wasn't exactly his plan when he was facing Ansem. Riku drew his sword and prepared to fight, and for a few moments he stood still, holding his sword above his head. Then, he lowered it.
"You're not Ansem." Riku said slowly.
Ansem's face contorted with shock, and then it turned to a sly smile.
"You...with you, it's not darkness I smell, it's...something else." Riku said slowly. "I know...You're the one who guided me when this all started. You pretended to be Ansem and gave me the card, to make me face the darkness."
Ansem nodded, and smiled again. "Correct"
In another bright flash, the one who'd appeared as Ansem moments before had changed shape. Riku watched in awe as another man appeared in front of him.
"Call me DiZ — it's as good a name as any. I've been watching you all along."
"Why? Who are you really? Why have you been watching me?" Riku questioned.
DiZ looked at Riku serenly. "I want you to chose."
"Choose?"
"You are special. You exist between light and dark. You stand in the twilight. I want you to meet Naminé, then choose."
"Naminé? Who's that?"
"You'll just have to meet her and find out." DiZ replied calmly.
In a final bright flash, DiZ vanished.
"Wait!" Riku cried, but it was no use. DiZ was gone. Corita walked up to Riku, a frown on her face.
"Riku...something's wrong with me."
"What?" He asked, tearing his mind away from his and DiZ's conversation for a moment. "What's wrong?"
Joe: OH NO! WHAT'S WRONG WITH CORITA!
Corita: Maybe it's the fact that I'm getting dizzy from walking.
Sora: Corita, I told you to cut down on the caffinated soda and candy bars!
Corita: -sob- they're just so good!
Naminé: -holds up contract- you can't have them. It's in your contract.
Corita: grr...-blasts contract into oblivion-
Riku Fangirls: Go Riku, go Riku...
Sora53: -throws candy bars at them- QUIET!
Riku Fangirls: Hey, we wanted grape lollipops!
Sora53: -.- -throws cherry lollipops at the fangirls-
Riku Fangirls: NO! SIGN OF SORA! NOOOOO! -melts---
