Two of the darknesses down. Just eleven more to go. These guys are going to be so busy…
Oh, and in regard to "ReMind"… I started this fic way before that DLC was released. I started before they were even talking about it. And to be fair, at least chunks of it can't possibly happen due to the changes I've already made (like Vexen replacing Xion as one of the darknesses). So my plan is to pick and choose different elements from "ReMind" that I think will work well with what I already have planned and alter anything that doesn't fit. I seriously doubt any of you will have a problem with that.
He didn't have to go far down the pathways of the worn and dusty maze. A few minor twists and turns and Sora stumbled right into the middle of another battle. Across the open chamber, King Mickey leapt and dodged the vicious attacks from the Nobodies. Sora saw him holding off Xemnas, Marluxia, Larxene, and Luxord all on his own.
Sora knew better than to underestimate the king.
"Your Majesty!" he shouted.
King Mickey glanced over as Sora joined him. The boy summoned his own Keyblade as the king called his name in return. But that was all that he had time to say.
Xemnas rose above the battlefield, arms spread wide. He sent out thorny vines of nothingness to enclose the area. Apparently, he didn't want anyone else joining in.
Like Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, it quickly became obvious that Xemnas wasn't putting his full effort into the fight. Sora was forced to dodge and block the Nobody's blades of glowing red nothingness. He slashed and stabbed at the Keybearer. But Sora knew that Xemnas was capable of far worse. He remembered the hundreds of lasers that surrounded and fired down on him and Riku. Xemnas was toying with them.
The others were trying harder. Larxene and Marluxia made the entire battlefield a death trap. One flashing across like lightning and the other practically a spinning blade of destruction. Only Luxord was more subtle with his cards.
And while the burns were healing and harder to spot on the pair of them, the damage to Larxene's hair was easier to spot in the brief seconds between her strikes. Lea certainly made a lasting impression on them.
"Mickey! Sora!"
Glancing back during a momentary break as he used an air slide to slip between combatants, Sora saw Riku and his replica on the far side of Xemnas's barrier. Sora really wished that he'd asked more questions because he wanted to know where he came from and why the replica's heart had been inside Riku before. But it seemed more important at that moment to let the two of them talk. Besides, the explanations would take more time than they could spare.
He could still feel the strength of his friends wrapped around his heart, steady and strong. But Sora knew that Roxas, Xion, and Ventus could only last so long. He couldn't afford to squander the time that they were giving him.
"More companions? How quaint," said Xemnas. "Perhaps it is time to even the playing field and match your greater numbers with more powerful strength. And if anyone deserves that power, it should be a member of the Organization that has never betrayed me."
He held up his hand and drew back in the barrier of thorny vines made of nothingness. He twisted it, a shapeless mass of potential. Then Xemnas sent it into Luxord, making him stiffen as he was filled with power. Xemnas added more of it into him, manipulating the inherent nothingness that composed all Nobodies. Luxord slumped, gasping as he slowly raised his hands.
Xemnas gave a short chuckle as the other Nobody tried to handle the exhilarating rush of strength. Then he disappeared from sight, abandoning them completely.
"Xemnas!" shouted Riku, he and the replica running over to join the others now that the barrier was gone.
Laughing as he stepped forward, Luxord held up a card and said, "Exactly what I needed." He twisted the card between his fingers before flashing an entire deck. "Two of a kind, a king of hearts, and an ace? Not what I'd call a winning hand. Perhaps you'd like to shuffle things around a bit."
The playing cards glowed red briefly before Luxord flung the entire deck all around him. The cards instantly grew to the size of a sturdy door and encircled the dusty battlefield. Then, holding a final card in his hand, Luxord threw it at them.
"Sora!" shouted King Mickey, "look out!"
He leapt forward, deflecting the card with his new Keyblade, Star Cluster. The impact stopped the card in midair, but apparently triggered a trap. A sudden gust of wind grabbed at him, dragging him forward with the strength of a tornado. The spell pulled at King Mickey relentlessly and then at Riku and the replica when they dove to grab him. The card absorbed all three of them and returned to Luxord's hand in the blink of an eye.
"No," yelled Sora.
Sending the giant cards spinning around them with a brief gesture, Luxord said, "Sora, one final game. The rules are simple. All you have to do to win is find me among those cards and strike me down."
He snapped his fingers with a grin. A flash of light and Luxord vanished from sight. Larxene merely rolled her eyes and pushed back her hair, the scorched section refusing to behave properly.
"You and your stupid games," she complained, electricity dancing between her knives.
Tightening his grip on his Keyblade, Sora muttered, "Don't worry. I'll get you guys out."
They'd been close together when the walls went up and divided everyone. Aqua was thankful for that much. She couldn't imagine how worried she would have been if Ventus was separated from her. They might be wandering a maze built of ancient walls that Master Xehanort summoned from the ground, but at least they were together. At least she knew he was safe.
She'd always been protective of him and even Terra. Perhaps sometimes a little too protective, if she was completely honest with herself. But after everything that had happened, after failing to protect him last time led to him slumbering in Sora's heart for over a decade, and spending so long separated from everyone that she cared about, Aqua wanted the reassurance that he was close and safe. She wanted to know without a doubt that she would lose anyone else.
"Do you think that the others are all right?" asked Ventus quietly.
Apparently, he shared her worries about losing people they cared about.
Smiling encouragingly, she said, "I'm sure they're fine. They have all proven themselves to be very capable Keyblade wielders. All we need to worry about is making our way through this maze."
Ventus was a capable Keyblade wielder. So was Terra. And she was a Keyblade master. That didn't keep them safe. Aqua did her best to ignore that thought and the slowly growing shadows. The daylight hours seemed to be passing too quickly.
"Shouldn't we have found something by now?" asked Ventus after a little longer. "We've been walking for a while."
Before she could respond, they turned a corner and the passageway opened up into a large chamber. They cautiously entered the wide and open space. And after they stepped a little closer, Aqua recognized the two waiting figures who had already abandoned their black coats. One was Vanitas and the other—
"Terra!"
Aqua threw her arm up to block Ventus as soon as he shouted their friend's name. She understood the impulse. She truly did. But she really needed him to be more careful. Aqua couldn't explain why, but it felt like something horrible had already happened because of his instinctive need to run to their lost friend.
"Look closely," she urged, keeping her voice firm and strong. "That's not Terra."
Voice low and steady, Ventus said, "Maybe not, but I'm still going to keep calling his name. We have to light his way home."
"Ven…," she said softly as Aqua lowered her arm.
"Hey, guys," shouted Vanitas. "Feeling a little left out here."
The Keyblade wielders both glared at him. Aqua might be starting to question the idea that darkness was always corruptive and dangerous, Riku clearly using it without succumbing somehow, but that didn't mean that she trusted someone made of pure darkness. Especially after all those violent encounters with Vanitas, attacking and mocking her whenever he saw her. And not after his actions led to Ventus shattering his heart and ending up inside Sora for over a decade.
Though Aqua was willing to admit that someone born out of darkness wasn't inherently as bad as someone who purposefully plunged their heart into the deepest shadows like Master Xehanort. The Keyblade master chose to become what he was and betray everything that he was meant to defend. Any crime that Vanitas performed happened because Master Xehanort tore him out of Ventus. It all went back to him.
His expression hard, Ventus said, "Vanitas. You're coming home too."
"Huh?" he said, sounding mildly confused. "But my home is in you." Gesturing as he spoke, Vanitas said, "You know what'll happen, right? I'll just disappear inside of you forever. Don't you have any love at all for your own brother?"
Shaking his head, Ventus said, "We're not brothers. We're the same. Two halves, torn apart and scattered to the winds. I suppose that still makes you my responsibility." He took a small step forward. "And you were eager to join me the last time I saw you. You wanted us to fight and then forge the χ-blade, remember?"
"That hasn't happened for me yet, Ventus. You know what we've done to fill our numbers. Various members traveling from the past as hearts? Ring any bells?" Raising his Keyblade and pointing it at them, he continued, "Besides, I'm not sure we can join together properly anyway. It would certainly take more effort now. After all, can you be quite certain that after you shattered your heart, that you put yourself back together exactly like you were before? That we'd fit together the way that we're meant to? Or would I have to tear and rip away at both of us to return?" Vanitas shook his head the smallest amount. "No. It can't just be us anymore. It'll take all seven lights and thirteen darknesses to do the job now. And once I help forge the χ-blade here, I will return to the past for our destined encounter."
"With no memory of any of this," reminded Ventus. "And it still ends with me shattering both of our hearts. I only survived because of Sora. As for you…"
Lowering his weapon with a sharp jerk, Vanitas said, "If that is what it takes to fulfill my purpose, then so be it."
"If you don't care what happens to you," said Ventus, his voice growing into a shout, "then go back to where you came from! Return to the past and be done with it."
His tone low and dangerous, he said, "Hmm… Make me."
"If it is darkness that you're looking for, Ventus," said Not-Terra, sending a shiver up Aqua's spine, "then I have more than enough to go around."
Vanitas turned his head briefly. Even with his helmet, he was obviously annoyed by the interruption. Aqua didn't care. Her attention turned towards the person wearing Terra's face. She summoned Stormfall to her hand and pointed it at him.
"Stop," she snapped. "Quit using our friend for your games."
Smirking, Not-Terra said, "A Keyblade master wielding your key in anger?" Mockery filled every word. "Shameful."
What would Master Eraqus say if he saw you now?
He didn't even have to say the words for Aqua to hear the implications. She could feel Not-Terra's taunting and the brief feeling of shame washing over her. That wasn't how her master would expect her to behave.
Not just the danger of uncontrolled anger and rage leading towards darkness, though she knew Master Eraqus's thoughts on that. She wasn't ready to take the same step that Riku did. She knew that she couldn't wield darkness without falling to it and being corrupted again. She couldn't risk letting it sink into her again.
But it was more than that. Anger would only lead to her making sloppy mistakes. And that could get her killed. Or Ventus.
She slowly lowered her weapon to the ready position, taking a deep breath. She would not let him push her into impulsiveness. She wouldn't let him be the one in control here.
"We have unfinished business," she said, calm and even. "I fell into darkness and for ten years I wandered through the dark realm. Now… I'm finally here." Aqua closed her eyes, taking another slow breath. "And I want only one thing, with all my heart."
She opened her eyes. She focused on the silver-white hair and the yellow eyes. The pieces that didn't belong to her friend.
"Xehanort… I'm casting you out of Terra forever."
With that firm declaration, Aqua swung her Keyblade back up. Then she charged forward, Ventus keeping pace. The ringing clang of metal and the jarring sting up her arm from the first impact of weapons felt very satisfying. But not as satisfying as when she twisted around Not-Terra and sent a Blizzaga at his back.
Finding Luxord among his large ring of giant playing cards before he ran out of time in each "round" was tricky enough. But trying to play the Nobody's game was a lot harder when Sora needed to dodge lightning bolts, razor-sharp petals, and various blades. Larxene and Marluxia refused to hold off just because Luxord wanted to be creative with the fight.
But Sora had a keen eye. Useful for spotting hidden items and enemies across dozens of worlds. And even a flash of movement in his peripheral was enough warning when he needed to dodge. He could also spot the small twitch of the cards that would reveal Luxord's location.
He could only get in a few hits at a time. After that, Luxord would disappear among his cards again. But the short and quick combos worked better than a spell at wearing him down. And while he wasn't opposed to striking the other two when they got too close, his main focus was on taking out Luxord and getting his friends back first. Sora whittled away at the Nobody while trying to avoid getting stabbed or sliced open.
And like the first two, something eventually gave way.
Darkness erupted out of Luxord like a pillar, spewing towards the sky before dying gradually away. The cards in his hands tumbled to the ground as Luxord gasped, staggering to one knee. Nothingness streamed off him. Sora knew what that meant. He'd seen it several times by now. The Nobody was fading away.
The large circle of cards moved in, forming a sturdy barrier to keep Larxene and Marluxia out. Apparently Luxord wanted this final conversation to remain private and uninterrupted.
Meeting Sora's gaze and keeping his voice firm, Luxord said, "You were born for these sorts of games."
Pulling out a final card, Luxord threw it with practiced ease. Sora caught it in his hand automatically. Only after he realized what happened did he actually look at what he was holding.
"What's this?"
Sounding worn out, Luxord said, "A wild card. You've earned it." Breathing heavily and his head bowed, he continued, "Hang on to it. Could turn the tables."
Sora briefly wondered if Luxord knew what the Keybearer had already done. Or if he at least suspected. Luxord always seemed a bit more aware and insightful. That was Sora's impression of him, based on admittedly limited experience.
But if Luxord knew what Sora had sacrificed and what price that he would eventually pay, there would be no straight answer.
"Play ya again someday," said Sora kindly, "when we're just guys."
A hopeful wish, but one that he suspected would never come true. But it was better to hang onto that hope. It was better not to give up.
Luxord chuckled quietly as he raised his head. He didn't seem to mind the fragmenting nothingness coming off him or his imminent destruction. He was ready to be recompleted.
"I should like that very much, Sora."
With those final quiet words, Luxord dissolved away. One small playing card lingered long enough to release King Mickey, Riku, and his replica. Then it disintegrated alongside the protective wall of giant cards.
But Sora couldn't spare a moment of relief. The very moment that the defensive circle broke, Larxene dashed in and forced him to raise his Keyblade to protect himself. She slashed rapidly at him, her knives almost as fast as her Thunder spells. Her vicious assault continued uninterrupted for several seconds until a dark figure slammed into her and knocked Larxene away.
Rolling to her feet, Larxene's eyes widened as she saw who hit her. Riku's replica glared at her, the broken weapon in his hand never wavering as he held it overhead.
"I thought the brat was on our side," she snapped.
"Wrong one," said the replica. "I'm not traveling through time. I'm not from the past. I'm the one that belongs here and now." He continued to glare at the two Nobodies. "I remember you. I remember Castle Oblivion and how you treated Naminé."
Twisting the scythe in his hands, Marluxia said, "I see. You're the replica that Vexen was testing. Even after all this time, you're still clinging to a promise that is as fake as you are."
"That tinker toy? I thought she broke him," asked Larxene with a laugh. "And he's still trying to play hero for the little witch. She really made a mess of him. It's pathetic." Electricity crackled between her knives. "I mean, you do know that half of your memories are Riku's instead and the other half are fakes that never happened, right? None of those memories are actually yours. Vexen just whipped you up in a lab as a science project."
"That was a long time ago. I've forged my own path now," he said. The replica held the broken weapon above him the same way that Riku always held his sword and later his Keyblade. "The memories of the Destiny Islands and that life might be false. But I remember Castle Oblivion. Those memories are real and mine. No one else's. And I don't need that promise to be real in order to protect Naminé from people who hurt and used her for their own purposes."
Once again, Sora seriously regretted never cornering Riku, King Mickey, or Lea and forcing them to give a thorough and in-depth explanation of what happened at Castle Oblivion. He was missing a lot of context and background information. And he was getting seriously frustrated by it.
Giving a sharp grin, Larxene said, "Fine. If the puppet wants to play, I don't mind breaking you properly this time."
The walls were tall, thick, and sturdy. Walls meant to withstand the test of time and any outside force. And they weren't new walls, even if Master Xehanort had just raised them a short time ago. No, these were worn and eroded away. By wind and by time. These walls had been built long ago before they sank below the ground, buried by the dust of hundreds or even thousands of years.
Probably thousands of years. The Keyblades that had been stabbed into the ground were rusty and dull by time as well. The evidence was clear. They'd been left in the dirt for a long time. They'd been left there long enough for the weapons to lose their shine, turning into lifeless and empty relics of a distant battle.
First the walls were worn away by the elements and buried deep. Then some time later, the first Keyblade War was fought and the Keyblade wielders had fallen, leaving their weapons behind. And those Keyblades were left to rust away undisturbed until Master Xehanort created his stone maze.
Of course, another possibility was that the Keyblade War destroyed the city completely. Demolishing everything until it was a wasteland. Then the Keybearers could have fallen in battle and left behind their weapons. But the walls didn't look damaged by fighting. Just worn away by erosion. It seemed far more likely that the city was abandoned long before the battle instead.
But was it originally meant to be a maze? Xion could see carved patterns and designs, even if they'd been worn away by the ages. Would someone go to so much trouble to make a stone maze look attractive? Or were these walls originally part of an ancient city, with real buildings and such, that were rearranged when Master Xehanort pulled them up?
Xion knew what she was doing. She knew that she was mentally doing reconnaissance like she and Roxas used to do back in Organization XIII. Studying her surroundings for clues and useful information, as if she would be writing up a report to submit later about a new world. It was something familiar and easy to do. She didn't even have to sneak around or battle Heartless between observations. The familiar and simple task felt oddly reassuring.
They'd managed to stay close when the walls went up. She, Roxas, Kairi, and Lea. They were almost split up, but Roxas managed to dodge roll closer in time. But it was just the four of them and the rest of the guardians were somewhere else in the maze. They'd been walking for a while, following the twists and turns. But she hadn't seen anyone else for a while.
Not their friends. And not the real Organization.
Xion knew that she should put away her Keyblade—
Replica Kingdom Key
—but something about the whole situation felt wrong. She felt like they were in danger and she just couldn't see it yet.
There were no branching paths. No alternate ways to go. The maze didn't feel like a maze. It felt like a twisting and turning hallway leading to a single location.
It felt like someone was herding them into a trap.
And judging by how quiet everyone was acting and how guarded they remained as they walked, the others felt something wrong too. Their eyes were continuously scanning the high walls, as if one of the Organization would drop down and attack them without warning at any moment. Kairi's hand kept opening and closing, as if she wanted to summon her Keyblade too. She wasn't as used to fighting as much as the others and yet her instincts were pushing her to be ready. The younger Keyblade wielders had formed a loose triangle around Lea, but he seemed on edge too. She didn't doubt that at the first hint of trouble, fire would be flying.
Something would happen soon. She could feel it. Xion didn't know what it would be, but it would be bad. And she had a feeling that none of them would like it, regardless of how prepared they were for whatever was going to happen.
It felt strange to be on the side with the greater numbers for once. After having hundreds of Heartless continuously thrown at him, it was a nice change. Two Nobodies against the four of them. And all four of them were turning out to work extremely well together. Riku and his replica ended up mirroring each other a lot and King Mickey had experience working alongside the newest Keyblade master in a variety of ways. And Sora could fit himself into almost any dynamic in a short span of time. It was how he'd fought together with his various friends across dozens of worlds. He'd always been quick to adapt. But it did make him miss having Donald and Goofy with him.
He hoped that they were all right. It still felt wrong leaving them behind.
But with Riku and his replica focusing on Larxene for the moment, Sora and King Mickey tried a light-based combo attack against Marluxia. The king had a talent for Light spells. And when that combo sent the Nobody staggering, Sora took advantage of the created opening to press the attack. A series of sharp strikes, ducking beneath another swing of the scythe, and a quick combo before moving close for a finishing move. Then something gave way.
Darkness erupted up in a towering column, lasting only a moment or two. The pink-and-green scythe clattered to the ground before dissolving into petals. Those petals immediately drifted away in the breeze. Gone without a trace.
Marluxia collapsed to his knees with a quiet grunt of pain. He could only stare at his hands as nothing peeled off them.
"Oh…," said Marluxia, sounding quietly surprised and yet pleased. "So, now it all comes back to me."
Sora vaguely realized that the king had moved to support the others against Larxene, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Even if it wasn't true death, it felt wrong to turn his back on what was happening. No one deserved to disappear alone. Staying to bear witness felt like the least that he could do. He watched Marluxia press a hand to his head with a soft sound. One that he didn't expect from the Nobody.
Curious and hopeful, Sora asked, "Hey, is that a real laugh?"
Marluxia looked up. His expression seemed oddly open and stunned by something. Like he didn't expect to laugh like that. Or maybe he was surprised by whatever caused his quiet laughter.
"Yes… My heart," he said softly, touching his chest, "is remembering how to feel."
His heart. The small budding heart that Nobodies could regrow if given a chance. Not the dark one that Xehanort placed in all thirteen of them. Marluxia could feel his own heart now.
"Really? That's good," said Sora, feeling quietly satisfied.
"And now, I am on the cusp of reclaiming my identity…" Marluxia smiled tiredly. "My purpose for being…" The nothingness pulled off in larger fragments, his time running out. "Thanks to you, Sora."
And with those quiet words, Marluxia dissolved away. Free of Xehanort's heart and his influence. Soon to be recompleted and whole once more. Maybe he would be a better person when he returned. Sora could only hope.
The replica knew that he wasn't as strong, as fast, or as tough as the others. Physically, he was still a fifteen-year-old version of Riku. And while still durable and sturdy, the broken weapon in his hand was shorter than what he typically used to fight and didn't have the power in it that a proper Keyblade would. He was at a disadvantage in every way.
But he remembered Larxene's cruel nature. He remembered how the Organization used Naminé, leaving her too cowed and timid to make her own decisions for so long. He knew that they'd preyed on her loneliness and fear. He knew that she forced the quiet girl to use her abilities in ways that she knew were wrong. On Sora and on himself. And even if Larxene didn't do everything alone, she'd hurt Naminé enough that he couldn't let it slide.
And if he was perfectly honest with himself, Larxene did enough stuff towards him too that the replica rather liked the idea of having a hand in her defeat. He may not remember it happening and only heard about it later from Naminé, but Larxene was the one who suggested rewriting his memories to match Riku's in the first place.
But the replica knew that of the four of them, he was weakest link. He was the most vulnerable and easiest target. He knew that. And Larxene could see it too. He knew she could.
She was hard to hit, moving too fast and casting down Thundaga-level spells across wide areas. Driving them away and giving her room to dash around to slice at them. Larxene was putting everything that she could into her attacks. Her slashes were almost frantic. Because she knew that she'd been backed into a corner with no possible escape and with only her speed and ruthlessness to protect her.
The replica knew he was the weak link and he knew that she was desperate. Desperate and angry, wanting to take at least someone down with her. But he wasn't ready when Larxene managed to flash up, around and behind. Then her foot slammed into his back.
He crashed and tumbled across the ground, his weapon bouncing briefly before disappearing. As he tried to regain his breath, he heard her laugh before the king forced her to dodge. His hands tightened briefly into fists as he pushed himself to his knees. He heard the others fighting Larxene, trying to bring the speedy and vicious Nobody to a halt. He waited like a coiled spring, listening to them. Waiting until she—
There.
He threw himself to his feet, already swinging even as he summoned the weapon to his hand. The strike connected low. Hitting the back of her legs and sending her crashing down. He followed through with the motion, twisting the weapon around for the rest of the three-hit combo. Only when she rolled away did he notice that the weapon in his hand felt different than a moment before. Heavier and longer.
He spared a brief look and realized that he wasn't holding the broken remnant of Riku's previous Keyblade. The entire length had been restored to the weapon, though the colors had shifted. Silver, lavender, pale blue, a light shade of red, and cream. The general shape matched Way to Dawn, the general shape of the bat wing and the softer bird wings mixed together to represent something more balanced. But it seemed like a lighter reflection in comparison. The paler colors reminded him of Castle Oblivion and Naminé. But most of all, it wasn't Riku's hand-me-down weapon. The Keyblade—
Dawn's Reflection
—belonged to the replica and no one else.
"They're just handing Keyblades out to any loser, aren't they?" snarled Larxene.
Glaring back at her, he snapped, "And Xehanort is jamming hearts into any weak vessel he can grab."
And that sent Larxene slashing at him. But now they'd managed to corral her between the four of them, limiting her ability to dodge. Every time she tried moving out of the way of one of them, it brought Larxene in range of the others. Powerful combos and spells beat her down.
The replica didn't get in the final blow. He got in several, especially after his new Keyblade materialized. But he didn't manage to land the last one. Sora knocked her back, followed with a rapid combo, and finished by sending a Firaga towards her.
Darkness shot up like a pillar from her. When it dispersed, Larxene was left standing and breathing shakily. She looked towards her hand. The replica could see the fragmenting pieces of nothingness slowly coming off her.
"Are you kidding?" she snarled.
Gasping, Larxene wrapped her arms around her middle. As if trying to hold herself together. She fell to her knees, still struggling to breathe.
Hopeful and encouraging, Sora said, "You're going to be recompleted."
Still gasping and panting, she snapped in a frustrated tone, "I didn't ask for your garbage opinion."
For a group that spent all their time trying to claim hearts of their own, it was rather ironic that Larxene would be that upset about the prospect of becoming a complete person again. On the other hand, he knew from experience that getting beaten up that badly couldn't be that fun for her. She straightened slightly and glared at him.
"I lost!" snapped Larxene, sounding as if she would be shouting if she had the strength. "To a bunch of losers like you!"
The replica couldn't help bristling slightly. He'd never been fond of insults. Like loser. Or fake. But at least he restrained himself from shouting at her like he once might have.
Then, her voice growing calmer, quieter, and gentler, Larxene said, "But…" She sank back down, relaxing. "Could be worse." Looking towards the sky, she said, "Become that geezer's heart tank? No thanks."
Nothingness tore away from her in fragmenting pieces. A Nobody coming apart, her ending nearly upon them.
"Then why help him?" asked Sora.
Larxene turned her head with a short humph. She remained quiet for a few seconds before finally answering.
"I was really just along for the ride."
"With?"
Eying Sora for a minute, Larxene raised a finger to her lips and said in an almost teasing tone, "My secret."
As she dissolved away, the replica couldn't help wondering if that friendly and playful side at the end were hints of her old self coming through. It felt completely different than any of his past memories of her. But unless her completed self ever sought them out, he might never know.
"Everyone all right?" asked King Mickey.
Quick nods and thumbs up were exchange. Riku cast Curaga and Sora passed out a few hi-potions. Any minor injuries were healed, and their energy was restored. The replica even took a moment to tuck away a hi-potion in his pocket. Better to be prepared. There were still several dangerous foes lurking in the maze.
"Let's get moving and find the others," said Riku.
And yes, Riku's replica does get his own Keyblade. If Sora's Nobody and the replica created from Sora's memories both get to swing around Keyblades (with Roxas ending up with two of them), then it only seems fair for Riku's replica to get one. Especially since Riku essentially gave him his old (damaged) Keyblade. Not quite an intentional Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony, but… Well, still a bit more intentional than what Aqua accidentally did when Kairi touched her Keyblade briefly as a child.
Still, a little amusing that he gets a Keyblade before he even gets a name of his own. But it would definitely be helpful to have one in the middle of all of this.