The Eleventh Hour

By Lynx (of Organization VI)

Rating: Uh, T for Teen, I guess.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters; they belong to Disney and Squeenix, respectively. No money's being made, le cry.

Summary: For Riku, his future was the same as his past.

Notes: Basically, a much more lengthy expansion on a drabble I wrote a month or so back. A lot of the ideas, theories and reasoning I need to credit Rebmakash for, because she's the smart one and thinks up all the cool stuff. I just add a lot of words onto it.

There will be KH2 SPOILERS APLENTY in this fic, so be warned.

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Chapter Six – THE SIXTH HOUR

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TICK

I can't leave my friends. I just can't.

Riku was starting to wonder if he really meant it.

Upon returning to Radiant Garden, they had spent the last five days trying to piece together Vexen's notes. But none of them were really scientists, and there was no one on that world that really met the criteria, either. Riku could understand why: the few elders that had survived the destruction of their world were suspicious of anything steeped too heavily in science. All of the other world inhabitants were too young for such knowledge, and had no one to teach them. The only ones who were able to even operate the computer were the Restoration Committee, and they were mostly helped along by Tron being so user-friendly.

And after days of interpretation and debating, they had still turned up very little. Most of the notes they found were about the process of constructing his replica, or comments on Marluxia's experiments. The most they found on memories was in relation to the heart. Memories are the support of the heart; its chains. Without them, the heart collapses. With only a select few left intact, the heart is weak and susceptible to influence by darkness.

"This is all stuff we already know!" Sora groaned for the umpteenth time on their latest session. Five days later, Riku could tell Sora was about ready to throw in the towel. He never had been one for long study periods.

The strain was getting to all of them. "Sora, we're just gonna waste energy if we keep complaining. We need to keep at it," Kairi said, sounding exasperated.

Sora slumped back down into his seat, and the Radiant Garden library seemed to sigh with them. He continued, "I mean, we already know what's causing our memories to disappear, we just need a way to fix it."

"It's because of me," Riku said dully. Always because of me.

"Riku..." Kairi sounded like she was about to chide him, but her voice softened to sympathy. As much as Sora completely denied the Chasers, Riku knew how he really felt. We're running out of time.

The creak of opening library doors interrupted their silence. Aerith rushed in, looking much more worried than usual. "Sora, it's Chip and Dale. You and Donald and Goofy need to come to the gummi terminal right away."

"Did somebody else disappear?" Donald blurted out.

Sora stared at his friend with an expression of shocked exasperation. "Donald!"

The duck, realizing what he'd let slip, clamped his hands over his beak. Riku glanced between the two before suddenly getting to his feet. "What do you mean, 'somebody else disappear'?"

The others exchanged nervous looks. "Riku, we..."

His voice rose. "People have been disappearing and you didn't tell me?"

Kairi said, "Riku, we didn't want you to worry. We weren't sure what it meant—"

"It means that time paradox is erasing everything! It means I'm destroying all the worlds!" he yelled.

His friends tried to argue, but found nothing to say. Aerith spoke up again. "In any case, Sora, you'd better get over to the terminal."

Sora gave him an apologetic glance before heading out of the library. The rest sent him similar looks before following him out. He exhaled, trying to unclench his fist and calm himself. Kairi's right. Getting pointlessly angry won't help. Let's just figure this out. He straightened himself, and headed after them.

------

A brisk trip across the castle grounds brought them to the gummi terminal, where they could communicate with the gummi engineers back at Disney Castle. Cid was waiting for them, as he usually spent his time arguing with the two chipmunks. As they entered, he tossed aside his headset and brought the conversation up on the viewscreen, shaking his head. "Darn squirrels've been jabberin' my ear off for the last ten minutes! I can't get 'em to calm down!"

"For the last time, they're not squirrels!" Donald yelled. Sora, however, turned his attention to the two chipmunks on the viewscreen.

"Sora, it's horrible!"

"It's terrible! It's catastrophic!"

"But what is it?" Sora insisted.

Chip pointed at the interspace map between him and Dale, still hopping up and down. "It's Halloween Town! We were checking the maps this morning, and it's gone!"

Riku felt his heart still at the news. Sora just lurched forward, his eyes wide. "Gone? What do you mean, it's gone?"

"It just disappeared off the map! We tried gettin' in contact with them through the Halloween Town terminal, but there's no answer," Dale squeaked.

"But that can't be! We locked that world. There haven't been Heartless there in years!" Sora's shock wilted down into sadness. "Jack...Sally...all my friends..."

Any attempts to calm himself immediately crumbled into nothing. Riku squeezed his eyes shut until they hurt, and stormed out of the terminal to the adjoining gummi hangar. He didn't want to hear Chip and Dale's frantic warnings, or Cid's grumblings, or Donald and Goofy cheering up Sora. Not when he knew who was to blame for this. This is on your hands. Your hands. Your hands.

He reached those hands up and clenched at his hair, that stupid hair that was turning white and sticking up in all the wrong places like Xehanort's hair. That wrong hair that was framing his face too narrow; his voice too deep now for mere coincidence. He felt like he was going mad. Not him, no, anything but him, I can't become him all over again...

"Riku."

He looked up to see Kairi standing there, her deep blue eyes worried. Whether it was for the disappearing world or him or both, he wasn't sure. He realized that he was panting, and that his hair was mussed from where he'd pulled it. "I don't want to be Xehanort," he said weakly.

"You won't, just—"

Sora stepped out of the terminal to join Kairi, and somehow seeing them both was too much for him. He turned and strode across the hangar platform, back into the lush gardens that ringed the town's perimeter. He could hear Sora and Kairi's footsteps following him, and tried to speed up. But the gardens always seemed to make travelers slow down, and he eventually stopped by a waterfall pool, where his friends caught up with him.

"Listen, Riku!" Sora said, almost gasping for breath. "We'll find a way to bring Halloween Town back. And everyone that's disappeared. If we did it once, we can do it again."

Riku responded without turning around. "Yeah. As soon as I leave, everything should go back to normal."

Kairi began, "You won't leave, Riku! We'll find another way—"

"What other way?" Riku interrupted her, now facing them. "We've gone through Vexen's notes for almost a week. By the time we get around to figuring out what to do, all of the worlds will be gone. And then what next? Will this world disappear, too? We don't have time to think of other solutions! We could be gone in the blink of an eye!"

Kairi's voice was starting to match Riku's desperate yelling. "Do you just expect to leave and for us to live out the rest of our lives without you?"

Riku wanted to grab her up and shake her; her and Sora both. He could feel the despair churning in his insides, turning to darkness. "I expect you to live. What if you disappear? What if Donald or Goofy disappear? What if all of us walk back to that hangar right now and discover the King is just gone? I couldn't live with myself!" He could taste the darkness now. "I can never live with myself."

The anger spread to Sora as well. "How could you want to leave us alone and become Xehanort? Just because some Chasers say you have no choice?"

With that, the darkness in him found voice, and he almost grabbed Sora. "You think I want this? You think I want to become the one person I hate the most? You think I want to just waltz off and turn into my own worst enemy just so I can destroy myself over and over and over?"

Riku realized he'd gone too far, as Sora and Kairi were backing away from him, eyes wide. But it was not for the reason he thought. "R-Riku...your eyes!"

He stopped, and touched carefully at his face. Suddenly panicked, he spun around and stared into his reflection in the waterfall.

No. Oh no.

His once-green eyes were now a brilliant orange.

TOCK

Xehanort couldn't help but be surprised. He scolded himself for staring, but did so anyway. After all, the people all looked the same in Radiant Garden, and had always looked the same. No one had ever seen a person that looked more like a giant mouse than a human.

So he felt almost intimidated when the visitor caught his eye, and walked over to him. His master followed, looking excited for the first time in months.

"Xehanort, this is His Majesty, King Mickey. Your Majesty, my first apprentice, Xehanort," Ansem introduced them.

The King extended a large, gloved hand. "Nice to meet you, Xehanort!"

"The pleasure's all mine, Your Majesty." He took the offered hand and shook. The handshake was warm and friendly, and felt like something he wasn't supposed to remember. "I trust you're enjoying your stay in Radiant Garden?"

"Gosh, yes, it's beautiful!" the King replied. His voice was oddly high in a way that seemed perfect for talking to children. It almost made his own smile genuine.

Xehanort straightened up so that he was speaking to his teacher again. "Master Ansem, if you can, I'd like to go over the results of my latest experiment with you—"

"Not now, Xehanort," Ansem replied. "The King and I have a lot of matters we need to discuss."

He strained to keep the smile on his face. "Yes. Of course. I'm sure there's much to talk about between you two."

"See ya around!" the King waved, and followed his master down to the main office. They certainly looked like an odd pair: one short with bright clothes and round ears, and the other tall and distinguished in his scarf and robes.

He sighed and shook his head. Perhaps this new visitor will still be beneficial to me.

------

But one week later, it didn't seem that way. His notes hadn't been looked at, and he was getting antsy with new proposals and ideas. We could try infusing darkness into more living subjects. We could find volunteers for it. We could investigate the darkness from beyond that door to the heart. Maybe the King's world has a heart, too. Maybe all the worlds out there have hearts. And maybe there's a heart to encompass all the worlds. If we could just investigate, we would know!

He paced along the carpeted hallway, his mind rushing with thoughts. The other apprentices were out still testing how the King's gummi ship worked, but he couldn't focus on that. He was tired of being left out of the loop on so many new developments.

Straightening his collar, he knocked on his master's door and then entered with a slight bow. As he did, the King turned to face him. Without asking if he was interrupting, he began. "Master Ansem, regarding the experiment I presented the other day...with your permission, I'd like to proceed—"

His master suddenly stood, slamming his hand on the wide oak table. "I forbid it! Forget this talk of doors, and the heart of all worlds. That place must not be defiled!"

Despite the uncharacteristic outburst, he still persisted. "But, Master Ansem! I've been thinking..."

Ansem cut him short with just a shake of his head. "Xehanort, those thoughts are best forgotten."

Xehanort made a move as if to protest, but then he felt the King's eyes on him. At first he thought he was just embarrassed to be shot down in the presence of their unusual guest. But there was more to it...he felt this King knew him and all his secrets, that something vital was being withheld from him. He hated the feeling.

Bowing curtly, he turned and stepped back into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

Once outside, he let the fury in him leak through. He clenched his fists and grabbed at his collar as if to tear it off. Something cold and deep burned inside him, fueling his limbs, making his mind race.

Must not be defiled? Does he take me to be some dirt-handed common man? To spoil his prize? The gall of him! After all I've done!

His feet commanded movement, and he stormed down the hall, growing angrier with every step. The rational part of him kept trying to chastise the rage that burned, saying that it wasn't justified. But it still persisted: I hate him! I hate him and his King! He tears me down! He holds me back! He hinders me because he fears me! He fears what I can do! And I hate him for it!

The rational part finally poked a hole in his mantra. But why do you hate him?

It came to him, and he repeated Ansem's words aloud. "Those thoughts are best forgotten."

That was it. His master had told him to forget. Just the word alone seemed to sting in the back of his throat. It was why he had worked so hard under his tutelage. He had forgotten his life; he had no past and no future. So there was only this study, this darkness in his heart to lead him to his memories. Ansem promised me we would discover my past together. And now he tells me to forget all over again?

He felt betrayed. Months, nearly years spent together had been undone by a visitor from another world. Or had Ansem always been harboring these doubts, and finally spoke his mind? Had he been betrayed since the beginning?

He wasn't sure, but he did know one thing: he would not be swayed by such words anymore. Ansem forbids it? Then I won't use his authority. I'll use my authority. I'll continue the experiments without him.

The scowl on his face twisted into a smile. There must always come a day where the student surpassed the teacher, after all.

Xehanort redirected the rage seething in his heart towards much more productive means. He knew he didn't need Ansem's guidance anymore, but he would not get very far without assistance, either.

His strides took him to the castle balcony, and he stepped outside, squinting in the sun. Below, the King's gummi ship was parked on the grass, bright red and yellow against soft green. The other five apprentices were seated around the ship, taking a break from their studies. It was exhaustive trying to reverse-engineer new technology.

Yes. These five will listen. They respected him, admired him, maybe even feared him as Ansem the Wise did. But he could use their fear to his advantage. And best of all, they would not be useless. Ansem only took the best and the brightest up for apprenticeship.

Smiling even more, he turned and walked back into the hallway. He would have to prepare very carefully if they were to be as loyal as he wanted.

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