Whew, it's been a while! I never thought I would be one of those neglecting my authorly duties... But it's because the internet went haywire, not because I lost interest in writing. Sadly, I forgot a lot of KH:CoM stuff, including what Zexion and Laxaeus looked like! Terrible, isn't it? I haven't the heart to replay. But still, I had to add Zexion! Just what sort of power does he have anyway? Did he die or what?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts/ Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Resemblance to any other fanfic is purely coincidental. So no one try to sue me or anything of the sort!

Day 9

Although Larxene and I might've been maintaining a cold war, she still always showed some sign telling me that she hadn't forgotten the grudge she had against me. For instance, when I passed her in the hallway, she shot me a nasty look.

I returned an arrogant smirk that I knew would infuriate her more, simply because I wasn't scared of her anymore. Since the last incident, she no longer had any power over me. I wondered why I had ever been afraid of her in the first pkace.

Larxene said in a poisonous tone as a response to my taunt, "Still playing hero, Riku? I thought that even you would've figured out the truth by now." Her voice was irritatingly proud, still clearly telling me that she was superior.

Ugh. There she went talking about 'the Truth' again.

So what if I didn't know what nonsense she was talking about? Fight fire with fire, that was my new philosophy. When I was right beside her, I said just loudly enough for her to hear, "Still sore I see, you ugly old hag."

Larxene face grew stormy in an instant. She was so predictable... "What did you call me, punk?"

"I called you an ugly," I enjoyed watching her expression. "Old," Larxene looked positively murderous now. "Hag." It was common knowledge that insulting her 'beauty' was sure to send her into a blind rage. Good thing I was more than prepared.

Yep, even we grown-ups do fight.

Snarling, Larxene flew at me. I batted her off like she was an annoying pest (which she was) There's nothing like a fight to kick the day off, so I took part enthusiastically.

It was surprising– to her especially– that I did win this bout while she had to flee with her tail between her legs. Guess she didn't expect me to have made this much improvement in my fighting skills within such a short time. From here on out, it was an uphill struggle for her.

Someone as weak as Larxene really shouldn't have the right to lose her temper so easily. It must be hard to be dethroned by a newbie. Life's tough. But to give her a little credit, it wasn't exactly an easy fight.

Grimacing, I plucked the three needles embedded in my right arm out. The electric shock charged in them had long since been released into my body, and it had hurt. I flung the needles to the ground contemptuously.

This win made it one vs. zero.

It was enough to make my day, but unfortunately, that day was also the one that I had my first meeting with Zexion, and it was not something to rejoice over.

My triumphant grin was quickly wiped clean off my face as I saw him enter the training room where I was currently in. The moment he entered, a wave of icy dark aura passed through me. The scent was unmistakable; he was a wielder of the dark arts.

Yet, it was slightly different... Similar, but not exactly the same.

Zexion's powers have always been a mystery. Even now, I don't completely understand it. Is it elemental, or not? It seems that everyone has his or her own opinion on that. But I'm not so interested in that.

Haven't you ever wondered what Zexion was really like? I'm pretty sure that what you see is only a small fraction of his true self. Maybe you see him as silent and calculating, and you wouldn't be wrong. Except, he was all that and more. Guileful, wily, shrew, cunning, crafty... All were words to describe that intelligence hidden behind his eyes.

That wasn't surprising, considering that his kind always had some sort of shield around them.

What was surprising was that he actually made an effort to seek me out. Don't get me wrong though, I seriously don't think that he was trying to be my friend.

When I first met him, his shiny hair hung down and covered a full half of his face, giving him a very nonchalant look. He probably never looked directly at anyone. Did it unnerve the people who met him? To have that chilly anti-aura coming from him and have him stand there completely unreadable?

At first glance, Zexion didn't come across to me as particularly strong physically. Mentally though... I took one look at him and was sure that he was far more than he let on. I could tell from his powerful aura and, more obviously, from the slightly arrogant manner that he carried himself.

I wouldn't say that he was full of himself... Just very aware of his own strengths. And also acutely aware of everything else around him. Besides, an agent with his status was definitely entitled the right to swagger around like he owned the place.

"You are the replica, aren't you?" he asked without any particular emotion. At first, I looked towards him in surprise as I stopped practicing. I hadn't heard him approach the room at all, only realizing that he was there once he was actually inside.

True, he could hide his aura well, but I could still smell that strange anti-power that came from within him. And that was saying something. I tried not to make it too obvious that I was probing his aura, though I suspected that he already knew what I was trying to do.

Suddenly, I realized that I was still holding Soul Eater in a rather threatening way. Quickly, I dispelled it. I knew to be cautious around a new Organization member. Each one had their own pet peeves and who knew what would make them explode?

Yeah, definitely better to be safe than sorry. But... "Replica?" I asked as I remembered what he had called me. In my confusion, the words escaped before I could think better of it.

As far as I knew, people had never called me that. It had always been simply 'Riku'. And, the meaning of the word was even more disturbing– Fake. What did he mean by that? Was it a new form of insult?

Zexion paused as he seemed to realize his error. He shook his head slowly and said in a slight drawl, "My mistake. I thought you were someone else." Walking up to me, he seemed to take in every detail of my being. "I just had to come see who the newcomer was..."

"Well... I'm Riku," I replied, trying to extend the first hand, in case he chose to take it. It wasn't often that I went out of my way to be friendly, but for him... I suspected that my efforts were necessary.

He didn't look directly at me, but at least he did give a satisfactory answer. "Zexion." I committed the name to memory, storing it away for later use. Then abruptly, he broke out of whatever dreamy state he had been in and commented, appearing genuinely interested, "You are good with the sword, I hear. My colleagues say you're quite talented."

I wondered what other stuff they said about me. "Not too shabby," I confirmed proudly. I had been the best on the Destiny Islands after all, even better than Sora. "What about you?"

Zexion smiled slowly, and when I say slowly, I really mean slowly. You could practically see the joyless smile spread in a perfectly controlled manner. Smiles aren't supposed to be so precise... That's why it creeped me out.

But at least, unlike Axel and many of the others, he didn't give those bellowing laughs. It was a welcome relief, like he was someone who didn't have an over-inflated ego for a change. He said in reply, "I don't have any one chosen weapon. Typically, I take on the form of the enemy and use their skills. It's far more effective."

A chill ran down my spine. He said it so easily and simply. So that was what his power did. No wonder it was so hard to detect exactly what it was– it shifted constantly to mold itself to the opponent's strength.

Like I said, it was something like an anti-aura, if that makes any sense. No doubt, his strength was an exceptional and unique gift.

Zexion appeared to have read my mind. "Would you like a demonstration? I know that you desire to become stronger, little darkling... A worthy cause." He watched me closely, "You'll learn something."

I didn't hesitate for a second, mainly because he had called me a darkling. I was not minion of the dark! "All right. Let's go, you and me, one on one." But even as I summoned Soul Eater again, I couldn't deny that I was nervous. I had never been challenged to a fight right after meeting someone.

Zexion wasted no time. In that one moment where I was stunned to see his body shift shape to become a perfect model of me, not to mention my sword too, he charged forward.

How was I supposed to fight myself? It was like fighting against a mirror image, an even stronger version of myself. Normally, I could count on my powers of darkness to save me, but against him... The skills that I were so proud of must have been only elementary spells, because I felt that his were far more advanced. It was almost like he had had years of experience beyond mine.

Zexion was surely a master of the dark powers. Suddenly I realized that I was way out of my league, but it was too late to back out. I had been doomed from the start.

Throughout the duel, I was forced to guard again and again as his fluid sword movements rained down upon me. Was it just my skill that Zexion copied, or was he also a sword master? As sweat formed on my skin, I stole a glance at him. His– My– blue eyes were still as cold as ever.

He knew that I couldn't possibly guard forever. It was that knowledge that made him strong and confident.

I really admired his unbreakable icy calm, because I couldn't possibly duplicate it. I'm a person with too many emotions to make myself void of them for too long. It was too high a price to pay, sacrificing human feelings for power. But more often than not, keeping a cool head is way better than charging in recklessly.

Without thinking, I yelled angrily and jumping, swung Soul Eater down, attempting to throw my whole body weight into the force of the blow. Even Zexion couldn't possibly deflect that sort of strength easily.

To my shock, he brought his own sword up in a defensive position to guard his face, with one hand! My blow descended, but instead of Zexion taking the damage, I did. He blocked me as though I were only using a toy sword.

Quickly, I broke away from him, stumbling from the unsuccessful strike. I saw nothing but a blur, but I could've sworn that I saw Zexion's sword move...

As its name sort of suggests, Soul Eater doesn't necessarily need to rend flesh if the wielder so chooses. Instead, it can bypass the skin, severely damaging the inner organs without so much as causing the enemy to spill blood.

For the first time, I got to experience that unpleasant sensation. I understood now. He had hit me after all.

I gasped in pain, gritting my teeth as I tried not to scream. Zexion had slashed at me, cutting deep into my arm. Soul Eater fell from my grasp and clattered harmlessly on the ground. There was no open wound, no blood, but as I clutched at it, I could very much feel it. So there I was, pathetically cringing and trying to mute the pain.

Without his sword arm, a swordsman is nothing. I was nothing.

The duel was done, and Zexion shifted back to his original form. Dimly, I noticed him watching me. He was frighteningly cold and stoic. Perfect traits in a fighter. I glared at him, heaving from the stress the battle had put my body through.

Zexion turned away from me, face carefully hidden away, and for a moment he even sounded disappointed. "Hn... Amateur. You are far less skilled than I had expected."

"Don't... you dare... mock me!" I spat out. No way would I let anyone just step on me like that! I was just caught off guard... That's all. Struggling, I got to my feet.

Zexion sounded pleased and amused, yet he was entirely serious as he imparted his wisdom to me, "When you are weak, expect to be mocked. Learn your place, young one." Then he finally looked me straight in the eye. Shielded thoughts swam within them. "Not everyone's so kind. You're lucky I'm not your enemy."

I fought the urge to turn away from his predatory gaze. "About that arm... Would you like me to heal it?" He asked, smirking slightly as he gestured towards the arm that I was still cradling. Stupid arrogant...

I scowled. I was never a good loser. "No thanks," I practically spat at him. Besides, my arm would be healed in a matter of a few hours anyway. I did have several powers that allowed myself to mend broken bones, etc. I wasn't that weak.

Silently, Zexion seemed to be calculating something.

"But you don't stand a chance against a real foe. Darkness isn't a toy for children. The way you use it is disgraceful..." I'll always remember how Zexion spoke with utmost disdain. "Learn to wield it properly or else you'll be finished soon enough. When you have mastered your craft come fight me again, I invite you to try."

Emphasis on 'try'.

The way he stated things so plainly was so... so blunt that it stung. I seethed as he walked away, leaving me alone in the empty training room. I staggered towards the wall and leaned on it for support.

I looked up at the ceiling, searching for an answer that wasn't written there. Was it true that you had to earn the right to mock others through gaining strength? It made sense, I guess. If you could beat up anyone who laughed at you, they wouldn't laugh anymore, would they?

Basically, Zexion was telling me that I wasn't strong enough to stop him yet. But was that what I really was – weak?­­ I was dismayed to find that it might have been the truth.

Staring at the sword that I had dropped, I realized that my skills, while impressive on the Destiny Islands, just weren't enough here. Feeling more like the ignorant islander boy than ever, I slumped to the ground.

But after that, I was determined to train even more vigorously and take him up on his challenge. Zexion would pay for humiliating me. Riku– I­ – never let anyone get the best of him for long. Maybe that was how I improved slowly, spending hour after hour practicing and learning new tricks. I just refused to 'learn my place'.

So, I guess that in a weird way this man had taught me a more useful lesson than all my victories combined. But I never knew if he had meant to help me understand, or if he had done it just to humiliate me. Either way, he was right, I had learnt something.

What I didn't get was how one could encounter affect me so much? Then I suddenly understood that mind games were Zexion's claim to fame. It was his field of expertise to toy with my thoughts, to make me question myself.

Yes, Zexion was a mysterious man in more ways than one. But I wouldn't meet him again face to face for a long time. Occasionally, I would hear snatches of conversation about him, or sometimes even between him and someone else, and I learnt more.

Zexion and that other guy, Laxaeus, as far as I knew, were only bystanders while Sora battled his way to Naminé, but they still knew a lot about what was going on. I only caught brief statements, but often I heard something about a replica.

Little did I know that they were talking about me all along. All the things that slipped by me...

Subtle things like that just aren't my strength. Even if someone had come right up to me and said to my face, "Riku, you're not Riku. You're a replica of him born a little more than a week ago. All your memories– ignore them, they're fake. Naminé isn't really your childhood friend, and she was the one who implanted them," it would've been useless.

To that, I would likely have stared for a long while and then burst out laughing, even though all of it was the truth. When someone wakes up in the morning, they don't ask, "How do I know my memories haven't changed? How do I know that I'm the same person as yesterday?"

Why was this chapter so hard to write? Nothing flowed smoothly! And, I couldn't help but make Zexion a semi good guy. Gee, I wanted to make him bad! The only reason I did this as a first person POV is because I didn't know that he had a name–Nisemono! It would be strange to call him 'Replica', so I did it this way to avoid using his name. I publish the first chapter and then I learn that he already has a name!