Chapter 15: Symphony of Sorcery- Riku's Side
A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to update this story. With everything going on, and with work being crazier now that the holidays are almost here, I'm lucky if I'm able to stay up to write anything lol. However, even though things have been bad lately, that won't keep me away from this story. I want you all to see Hikari and Riku's journey to the end!
So, let's get towards the end of Riku's side of the exam before things get crazy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my Oc's.
Enjoy!
/
Yen Sid's tower was very tense. No one said a word as they stood around the Wizard's study. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts as what was happening weighed heavily on their minds.
Donald and Goofy were worried about Sora and Hikari, Mickey was wondering about Axel's task and Taiyouko was dealing with a personal problem. Ever since leaving Disney Castle, the voice in the back of her mind would talk to her. Every word it spoke was filled with malicious taunts.
'What's the matter, Taiyouko? You seem lost"
Taiyouko dug her fingers into her arm. Every time the voice spoke it was as if she was losing a part of herself.
"It seems like your friends are in a nasty situation" the voice continued.
"I would be able to fix this. I would make it so that none of this ever happened"
'" Go away. You're not getting out" Taiyouko fired back.
The voice just cackled, sending shivers down the young mother's spine.
"You poor, naïve child. Do you honestly think you're able to trap me here forever?"
"I have for the last decade. I'm sure another will do the trick"
"Nothing lasts forever, child. All things must end over TIME"
Taiyouko felt as if someone was clawing its way from the back of her head. The top of her hair slowly starting to turn white. Everything stopped and reverted back to normal when Mickey placed a hand over Taiyouko's arm.
"You okay?"
Taiyouko gave the King a weak smile and hid her hand that was shaking.
"I'm fine, just…nervous about what's going on" she lied.
Mickey sadly looked at the floor.
"I hear ya. I'm worried about Axel. I'm wondering if it was a bad idea to let him go along with his idea"
"Have faith, Mickey" Yen Sid said.
"Merlin and the three good fairies are aiding him in a place that's more…temporally flexible. My hope is that he can at least learn how to wield it. He certainly has fire, so I suppose it depends now on how strongly it burns"
"Still doesn't explain why Tsukiko had to go with him" Donald said.
"I think I heard Axel tell her he needed her for something serious" Goofy replied.
"She looked pretty shocked by what he asked her"
"What did he say?"
"Don't know. He was being secretive about it"
Taiyouko ignored their conversation and turned to Yen Sid.
"What about Sora, Riku and Hikari?"
Yen Sid closed his eyes to ward off the headache he already had from this situation.
"If we are running on the assumption Xehanort knew what we were planning, then he still would need to have been there- back in the very place and time when the Destiny Islands were lost to darkness. Otherwise those three would have been beyond his reach"
Mickey went up to the desk.
"Do you really think it's possible Xehanort could have planned things that far in advance?" he asked.
Yen Sid shook his head.
"No, as a matter of fact, I do not"
Goofy rubbed his head in thought. The next thing he would ask would lead to a horrific realization.
"What if he did the same thing as Sora did and he jumped through time?"
Yen Sid shook his head again.
"For that to work, a version of himself would have had to exist at both the source and destination. Not even Xehanort can transport his whole body across vast reaches of time"
Both Mickey and Taiyouko paled as they looked at each other. A certain silver haired boy came to their minds.
"Oh no" Taiyouko whispered.
Mickey gulped and looked at Yen Sid.
"Xehanort did give up his body…it was a version of him that was possessing Riku"
Yen Sid's eyes bugged out as he sprang from his seat.
"It cannot be! Could he be that cunning…possess that kind of foresight?"
Taiyouko bit her lip thinking Xehanort had outside help.
"Or maybe someone helped him"
Mickey decided to act. Enough was enough.
"I'm going to find those three. This exam had become too dangerous and we need to get them out of there before Xehanort catches them"
"How? You cannot enter the world of a dream" Yen Sid pointed out.
"Where will you go?"
"We don't need to" Taiyouko pointed out.
"If Xehanort really is behind this, then they won't stay in the dream worlds forever. Eventually, they're gonna reappear somewhere that we can go reach them. And Hikari has her necklace that I made her. It acts as a portal for me so if she's wearing it, I can reach them"
She looked at Mickey. If he was going to track her daughter, she was going with.
"If it's alright with you Mickey, I'm tagging along. We'll be able to reach them faster with my magic"
Mickey nodded in understanding.
"That's probably the safest way. We can't afford to waste time finding them"
"We're coming too!" Donald and Goofy cried.
Mickey gave his friends a sad smile.
"Aw, fellas, you're my best pals. But this time, I need to do this with Taiyouko" he said.
"The dangers are greater than before. If something were to happen to Sora or any of us-why, you'll be the only ones left to keep the worlds safe"
Donald and Goofy slumped forward sadly. They didn't want their King facing any dangers alone, but they knew he had a point.
"I don't know if this will help but I sense Riku's presence in the realm between" Yen Sid said.
"What about Sora and Hikari?" Mickey asked.
Yen Sid closed his eyes as he tried to sense them.
"I'm afraid I'm not able to locate Sora. Hikari on the other hand is tricky. One minute I can sense her and the next she's gone. It's as if she keeps jumping between realms"
That's all they needed to know.
"As long as we're able to find one of them, it'll lead us to the other two" Taiyouko said.
"We'll find them. We promise to bring them back safe" Mickey promised.
They both ran out of the room to go find their missing companions.
"Let us pray that it is not too late" Yen Sid said.
/
Riku clung to Sunny's neck as the ram sprinted. The Dream Eater was desperately trying to follow Hikari's presence, but it was quickly disappearing.
Riku still couldn't wrap his head at the thought that Hikari was in his version of the dream worlds.
"Joshua said we weren't able to cross each other's dreams. There's no way this is possible"
Then he remembered what Hikari said before he followed her.
We're not dreaming!
He had a sinking feeling that he wasn't in Yen Sid's exam for quite a while. Some things just didn't add up while he traveled worlds. Not only that but Ansem and that strange boy kept popping out of nowhere.
When Sunny arrived at their next location, it further proved that Riku wasn't in the dream worlds anymore. Standing before him was none other than Yen Sid's tower.
"He must have caught on that something was up and brought us back"
He looked at Sunny and realized if he really was back in the realm of light, then his Dream Eater wouldn't be here.
'Something's not right"
Running towards the tower, he hoped he would be able to find clues.
"Hikari? Are you here?"
He opened the door to be greeted to the sight of water spilling from upstairs.
"I wonder if Yen Sid is doing something"
Jumping on Sunny's back, he had the ram jump through the waterfall that kept going down the stairs. When they reached Yen Sid's study, Riku noticed the water was coming from the other side of the door.
Thinking something was wrong, he summoned his Keyblade and slowly opened the door.
"Master Yen Sid? Mickey?"
Mickey was in the room alright, but it wasn't the Mickey that he knew. This Mickey wore a red robe and had Yen Sid's hat on, something the real Mickey wouldn't do.
"This must be the dream version of him"
He slowly walked towards Mickey and noticed that the mouse was sound asleep. That wouldn't be odd except for the fact that Mickey was casting spells while he slept. That would explain where all the water came from. A music stand stood behind Mickey. A dark magical energy seemed to be coming from it. The magic was so strong, it latched onto Mickey and controlled him as he slept.
Riku slowly went over to the music stand and figured out what was going on.
"It's this musical score. It has him trapped"
Wanting to save his friend, he raised his Keyblade over his head with the intent of smashing the cursed object.
"You won't be able to defeat that darkness with brute force"
Riku jumped when he heard Mickey's voice. Thinking he was awake, he turned to him but was puzzled when he saw the mouse was still asleep.
"I'm trapped within that musical scores spell. This is the only way I can communicate I'm afraid" Mickey said in Riku's head.
"I'm Mickey. Who are you?"
Riku really didn't know how he was supposed to respond to someone who was talking in his head.
"Riku. If brute force won't work, tell me what will?"
"Do ya really mean you're gonna try and help me?"
Riku smiled. No matter what form Mickey was in, he always seemed to make Riku smile.
"Of course,"
"Gosh, Riku, something tells me you and I are gonna be good friends and we'll help each other out a lot someday"
Another musical stand appeared next to the corrupted one.
"Inside this music is a sound idea-something powerful enough to dispel the darkness. Can ya find it?"
Riku nodded.
"I'll try. Leave it to me"
He jumped on Sunny's back and dove into the musical score in hopes of finding a Sound Idea.
/
A nice autumn looking forest was what greeted Riku when he entered the music sheet. It really was a beautiful sight.
"I wonder if Hikari saw this. I bet she would love it since we live on an island"
Talking about Hikari made his heart twist slightly. He had hoped that he would have found her. After following her from the previous world, it was almost as if she disappeared again.
"Hikari where are you?" he wondered.
He shouldn't have been too worried about being separated from her. After all, they were separated during their last two adventures. He wasn't so worried those times but this time, he had a gut feeling that he needed to worry.
"When we were separated, I wasn't worried because she had Sora to keep her safe before. But now…she's all by herself. She doesn't have anyone to watch her back or make sure she's okay"
He gripped Hikari's necklace. It seemed like whenever he touched it, he felt like he could sense her.
"Hikari…are you safe? Are you okay?"
He had hoped that by taking this exam, it would make him stronger, so he was able to protect Hikari better. But lately, he was starting to feel like it wasn't worth it. What was the point of getting stronger when his source of strength wasn't there with him?
Looking up towards the skies, he hoped that wherever Hikari was, she was safe.
"I'll find you, Hikari. Just hang in there"
He continued further into the forest in search of the sound idea. The sooner he found it, the sooner he could get back to finding his girlfriend.
/
The autumn scenery quickly gave way to a wintery one. As Riku and Sunny stepped out of the forest they were greeted to a field of snow.
'Islanders do not do well in the cold' he thought.
Sunny was kind enough to let him sit on her back as she carefully trotted through the snow. There was nothing to see in the snowy field. It seemed not even the Nightmares could handle the cold weather. As Riku started to wonder if there was anything out here, he spotted something glowing up ahead.
"Is that…"
He jumped off Sunny and ran towards the glowing object. Sure, enough it was the Sound Idea that Mickey had mentioned before.
"Perfect! Now I just need to give this to Mickey, and I can figure out where Hikari is on this world"
As he picked up the music sheet, a dark portal opened behind him. A hand reached out and yanked him in, taking him away from the snowy scenery.
Appearing in what looked like an underground cavern of sort, Riku saw Young Xehanort standing a little ways from him.
Knowing the brat was up to no good, he summoned his Keyblade.
"You waiting for me?"
Young Xehanort had the nerve to smile a Riku as if he didn't take him seriously.
"The boy chosen by the Keyblade-Riku. It was yours first wasn't it?" he asked.
"But you succumbed to the darkness you could not control, and your prize-the Keyblade-passed on to Sora instead. Your mistakes always end up being other's problems"
Riku gripped his Keyblade tightly. He didn't need to be reminded about his mistakes from this brat.
"Maybe so. But I'm here to change all of that"
Young Xehanort just smirked and started to walk around Riku.
"Once again you performed predictably, although on a grander scale than I imagined"
Riku followed Young Xehanort with his eyes. He was up to something and he couldn't let his guard down.
"If you're feeling so chatty, let's skip to where you reveal what this is all about"
Young Xehanort stopped his walking and looked Riku dead in the eye.
"I don't know how you did it, but you really have found a way to trap darkness inside your heart. And a boy who's immune to darkness is of no use to us"
Riku couldn't help but smirk. It seemed thanks to him accepting the darkness in his heart, he ruined Young Xehanort's plans.
"Well, there's some good news"
He thought he would piss the boy off, but the exact opposite happened. Instead, Young Xehanort had nasty grin spread across his face as if he was enjoying something Riku didn't know about.
"Ah, but where there's good news, there is bad news to follow" he taunted.
"What are you talking about" Riku asked.
Young Xehanort dug something from his pocket and pulled out Hikari's red ribbon.
"Does this look familiar?"
Riku's blood ran cold. That ribbon was familiar alright. It was the one he gave Hikari when they were kids.
"Where did you get that?!" he said shakily.
Young Xehanort seemed to ignore him and studied the ribbon in his hands.
"Such a simple piece of fabric…and yet holds so much power. A bond that ties two souls together…never to be separated"
He did the most unthinkable thing and ripped the ribbon to pieces. Riku felt like his soul left his body as he saw the pieces of ribbon fall to the ground.
"NO!"
He rushed over and grabbed what was left of the first thing he ever gave to Hikari.
Young Xehanort enjoyed watching Riku panic. It always thrilled him seeing the strong go weak.
"I told you back at the beginning I would make your nightmares a reality. What's more nightmarish than the thought of your soulmate being hurt?"
Riku gripped the pieces of ribbon tightly and glared at him.
"What did you do to Hikari?" he growled.
Young Xehanort just turned around and opened a portal.
"Instead of worrying about her, perhaps you should worry about yourself? If you were with her none of this would have happened"
Riku was soon left alone in the cold, dark cavern. As he stared at what remained of Hikari's ribbon, he couldn't help but feel like his heart was in pieces as well. All his fears about this exam came true. Hikari was in danger and he wasn't there to protect her. He failed at his job of being a boyfriend.
Tears landed on the ribbons as Riku felt his heart breaking more.
"Hikari"
/
Back in Yen Sid's study, Riku's sound idea seemed to have worked. Mickey was able to wake up and used a spell to get rid of all the water that appeared while he was dreaming. When he saw Riku appear out of the music sheet, he had the biggest smile on his face.
"You did it! Thanks again, Riku!"
His smile quickly vanished when he saw Riku kneeling on the ground, clutching Hikari's destroyed ribbon to his chest.
'What's the matter?"
Riku bit his lip to stop himself from crying. Crying wasn't going to fix anything, so he had to be strong.
"My girlfriend…she's in danger" was all he managed to say.
Mickey panicked and quickly went over to him.
"Is she okay?"
Riku shook his head. He felt the tears forming.
"I don't know" he managed to say.
"She took this stupid exam by herself and I think she's hurt. She's probably scared out of her mind and is wondering where Sora and I are"
The tears finally fell, and he started to cry.
"I should have been there with her. I should have fought hard to reach her side of the exam so she wouldn't have to do this by herself. Now she's hurt because of that creep and I don't know how to reach her"
He bowed his head and quietly cried. Never before had he felt so helpless. Hikari was in danger and he had no way of finding her. Mickey looked at Riku sadly. Even though he just met him, he felt horrible seeing the boy cry.
Closing his eyes, he placed a hand over his heart and said something softly.
"May your heart be your guiding key"
Riku's crying subsided as he heard what Mickey said.
"Huh?"
Mickey smiled sheepishly as he rubbed his neck.
"Sorry. I just remembered something my master used to tell me. He would always say it before he had to travel somewhere or if someone was lost and needed guidance"
Riku felt Mickey's words sink in. He recalled Yen Sid saying something like that as well before he took the exam.
"May my heard be my guiding key"
Mickey smiled and placed his hand over Riku's.
"If you love her with all your heart, then her heart will guide you to her"
Riku wiped his eyes and gave Mickey a small smile. Even in dream form, the King was watching his back.
"Thanks, Mickey"
"Of course! I said we'd help each other a lot. Now go rescue your princess!"
Riku stood up and went over to Sunny.
"Think your up for one more ride?"
The ram made a noise and motioned for Riku to hop on. The boy did and tried to focus on Hikari. Their hearts were connected. Wherever she was, he would find her.
"Your heart is my map, Hikari. Show me where I need to go to find you"
As if she was reaching out to him, Riku felt Hikari's light within his heart. It acted as guide and showed him where he needed to go.
"Finally!"
Gripping Sunny's neck, he urged the ram to follow the path.
"I'm coming for you, Hikari. Just hang on!"
And with that, Riku's true Mark of Mastery exam had begun.
/
A/N: Uh oh, Young Xehanort did the unthinkable. Whoever messes with Hikari always ends up getting an ass whopping. Glad to see Riku prioritize his girlfriend over becoming a Keyblade Master (take notes Terra!)
Only one world left, and we'll be at the end of this story! Hopefully it won't take forever for me to update lol.
Please review and tell me what you think!
Take care!
