Chapter 9--Changed
A/N: Hi, it's me again. Miss me? Hey, sorry the update took so long, but I had to rewrite this chapter until I got it right. Well, you know, as right as it's going to get. Which I suppose isn't very, but that's not the point here. Originally, it sucked, but I think it's improved a lot. Mrr, I suppose I still need to write the scene where Mizu meets Namine, right? Or, I could leave you all in the dark about that until Riku meets her himself, and give y'all one helluva shocker or something! Mew, that sounds like more fun, I think I'll do that. Er, I just made a kitty noise again, didn't I? -sweatdrop-
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"Riku, I presume?" asked a man with long, light brown hair and a very pointed face that made him look vaguely like a weasel in Riku's opinion.
"Who are you?" Riku asked, immediatelly on his guard. "Are you with Ansem?"
"You are half correct," the man said. "Let's just say it's not the Ansem you know. He is Ansem and he is not - which is to say he's nobody."
"Nobody, huh?" Riku asked. "Sorry, but riddles aren't my thing. Try making some sense."
"He belongs to neither the light nor the dark," the strange man replied, "but walks the twilight between. As do I. And for that matter - "
Riku tensed and couldn't quite hold back a snarl, knowing instinctively what this man was going to say next. When Riku's hand darted to the hilt of his Soul Eater, the man laughed, a condescending smirk on his overly-pointed face.
"Ha ha, that's right," the man said contemptuously. "We have much in common."
"Maybe we do," Riku said, then tensed and did his level best not to snarl too much. "But so waht? Is that an invitation to join your club? Yeah, there's darkness inside me, just like you said. But darkness is my enemy! And you are, too, for making everything around here reek of it!"
"Oh ho, so it's a fight you want," the man mocked, feigning surprise. He grinned and pulled out his weapons, settling into a defensive position. "Very well - a fight you shall get!"
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"I really hate leaving him in the dark like that."
"He should be used to being in the dark, Mizu."
"Knock it off, Axel, I'm serious."
"So am I."
Axel crossed his arms and leveled an unreadable look at the young woman across from him. He had known her almost a year ago when she arrived practically on the doorstep of Castle Oblivion, half-dead and with no recollection of her past. The only way anyone knew her name was because it was inscribed on the sheath of one of her knives, which had been confiscated for security purposes and never returned. When she regained conciousness, she had been incredibly quiet, almost as if she were caught in a permanent daydream, and took to wandering around the halls, watching everything that went on. Axel and Larxene were the only ones who knew of her initially, but eventually Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen discovered her. Between the five of them, they somehow managed to keep her out of sight of the higher-ups in the Organization until she was healthy and fit enough to leave and survive. While they didn't have hearts, Axel, Larxene, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen still managed to care for her well-being. She had been a remarkable young girl, quiet, and seemed to have a calming effect on the five.
Now, though, she was almost a completely different person. She was loud, rambunctious, and unpredictable. She showed an attitude that was so far removed from the sweet little girl she had been previously that Axel was forced to wonder if she was the same person. Something about her had changed. She had a self-confidence that was frightening, and a strong sense of loyalty. Almost the exact opposite of the Mizu he had known.
"You know," Axel said, breaking the intense silence that had stretched between them, "you've really changed, kid."
"No," Mizu said, looking off down the hall and avoiding Axel's gaze, "I haven't changed. I've regained myself."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Axel asked, his curiosity piqued. Mizu had always been an odd kid, but this behavior was so far beyond just plain odd that it was bordering on disturbing.
"I remember who I am now, Axel," Mizu admitted softly, sounding more like the girl Axel had known. "The person you knew from a year ago was just a fabrication, nothing more. She was someone to use my body while I remained hidden, protecting myself. The nickname I gained on the Islands was not far from the truth. Then, I really was nothing more than a shadow of my true self. Insubstantial, and incomplete. I remember everything of my former life, and of who I truly am. I am a warrior for the light; I battle against the darkness. I go where I am needed, a mercenary, performing whatever duties I may be required to do. And yet, I walk such a fine line between light and darkness, I am actually standing on both sides of it. One foot bathed in light, the other steeped in darkness." She closed her eyes and dropped her head down onto her chest, sighing.
"Who are you, really?" Axel asked. "I knew you a year ago, and compared to what you are now... Well, there is no comparison. Are you that quiet little girl that somehow managed to bring out the good in us, or are you this 'mercenary' you claim you are?"
"Truthfully," Mizu said, opening her eyes and staring down the hall again, "I'm neither. I am a murderer, a thief, a terrorist. And yet, I am a warrior for the light. I go where I am needed, fighting back the darkness everywhere I go. I keep others from falling into darkness when I can, and I am often forced to destroy those I have failed. Riku, so far, is the only exception. He... It doesn't matter. Who or what I am has no relevance to this mission."
"Which one?" Axel asked. Mizu looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "I know about the mission Mickey has you on. Don't worry," he said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture when the panic in her eyes intensified, "I'm the only one who knows. And I promise, I won't do anything to jeapordize it. In fact, it works quite nicely with mine."
"Alright," Mizu said with a sigh, relaxing. "I trust you, Axel. What do you need me to do?"
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"Ha ha ha," Vexen laughed, seemingly unscathed. "This battle has made it clear. The darkness coursing through you is a tremendous power. All you needed was the right provocation."
"Great," Riku snarled, completely out of breath even though he had beaten Vexen soundly. "So this was a trick?"
"Precisely," Vexen confirmed mockingly. "Your fiery reaction provided exactly the data I needed. You have my thanks, Riku!"
With that, Vexen offered a mocking wave in farewell, and vanished right before Riku's eyes. Riku leapt forward, hoping to catch the man and ask him a few (dozen) questions, with his sword if necessary, but he didn't make it in time.
"Get back here!" he yelled. "Data for what? Just what is going on around here?" The last was said in a whisper, his head hanging as despair began to sink in. Then he remembered his promise to Mickey and Mizu, and his resolve hardened. He had promised not to give up, and he was going to stick to that promise! He pulled out the world cards he had yet to use, and stared at the one on top. Never Land. A world every kid knew of, where you never grew up. Riku wished that were true, that there was somewhere he could go that he could hold on to the childhood that was rapidly slipping through his fingers. Then he remembered something Mizu had told him once.
"I was never really a child. I killed people - dozens of them! - by the time I was six. I envy you, actually. You got to be a kid. I've never had that luxury."
Suddenly, his lot in life didn't seem so bad. Compared to the life Mizu had led, he had it pretty easy. All he had to do was avoid falling into darkness. That seemed pretty easy all of a sudden. Just keep fighting, keep beating back the darkness within himself, and outside himself, too. He'd managed to do that so far, right?
Right?
Riku passed throught the next two worlds, unable to answer that question.