The Grey
"(Huff) I think we're safe here." King Mickey sighed out in exhaustion to Riku as they finally got a break from the Heartless. Ever since king Mickey and Sora had closed the Door from both sides, he and Riku had been battling through the Heartless to the path. Going further into the darkness, searching for another way out. The Heartless just kept on coming and coming at them, until they had made their way to a Dark Meridian. Where the Heartless could not seem to touch the grey sands as the dark ocean's waves brushed along the shore, clashing with the dark horizon. "Phew, we can rest a bit."
"..." It was so strange. For a place void of color and life it was silently peaceful. Almost tranquil compared to the dreary atmosphere that Riku was coming to know the Dark Realm for. There was no trees, not even dead ones, for Riku to try and light a fire with. Their only companions in their resting spot was the thin mist; the calming glow of the moon in the distance; and rocks, which would most likely become their pillows. Riku would even guess that there were no fishes in that dark ocean, a chilling thought in itself for someone who grew up on an island. But then again... they didn't have to eat in this Realm...
"You should rest, Riku." King Mickey advised, drawing Riku out of his sight seeing. "I'll take the first watch."
"!" As much as taking a rest sounded appealing to Riku, he couldn't impose on the king. "No, your majesty, you should take the first rest. You need the rest more than I do."
"Oh c'mon now, we've both fought just as hard as the other and we've both walked the same amount of distance as each other." King Mickey reasoned with Riku. "But you're still a growing boy. You need your rest."
"Heh, I'm hardly going to be doing any 'growing' while we're in this realm." Riku pointed out in twisted humor, doing quotation marks with his fingers on the word growing to emphasize the point.
"Heh-ha! I guess you're right!" King Mickey dryly laughed in response, still mentally exhausted from their previous fighting. "(Sigh) Boy... I don't even know how long we've been in here so far."
"It can't be too long." Riku tried to reason out, flopping down into the sand, leaning against a rock as he rested his left elbow on his bent knee while looking over at the ocean. "Sora and the others haven't found us yet."
"?" That was a weird form of logic, king Mickey couldn't help but tilt his head to the side down at Riku from his rock that he sat on. "What makes you say that?"
"Sora may be a slacker, and he tends to take a long time getting the job done due to his procrastination and distraction. But in the end, he always sees the task through, no matter how long it takes." Riku explained, a smirk growing along his face as he thought about his friend on the other side. "Sora and the others are looking for us. And when Sora's on the job, when he makes a promise, he sees it through no matter what it takes. You can count on him."
"Hm," king Mickey smiled and nodded in approval.
"Although, prepare for a long wait in the long run." Riku grinned out, getting a laugh out of king Mickey as well as himself.
"We're safe here, Riku." King Mickey insisted after his laughing fits had calmed to a stop. "Get some sleep."
"... Fine." Riku sighed out, giving in to the king's caring concern. "But you have to get some sleep too. Don't stay up too late and let me sleep in."
"A-ha! Okay."
"..." With little to no effort, Riku's eyelids gave in to the soothing lulls of the darkness as they slowly closed to a slumber.
"..." King Mickey watched for a second, to make sure he was sleeping and not faking sleep due to sheer stubbornness. But once he realized Riku was out for the count, he turned his gaze to the ocean, listening to the quiet waves.
As he was finally left alone with his thoughts, he took this tranquil time to think. He didn't want to alarm Riku earlier but their situation was getting worse. They have been traveling inside the Realm of Darkness for who knows how long; Riku has been holding himself back for awhile now and it's making him unable to pull out his own Keyblade; and the darkness inside him has been growing stronger in his core as he leaves it locked up to fester. In his efforts to hide away his darkness, Riku had been draining his energy out, and tiring his heart. It was no wonder he was so tired, the poor kid had been wasting more energy on his inner fears than on the Heartless. If things didn't change soon, Riku could do some serious damage to his body, and his heart.
"I thought I felt the presence of others along these shores."
"!" King Mickey shot up in alarm at the sound of another voice, drawing his Keyblade to action as he turned towards the sound.
"I didn't expect to find another person here. Let alone someone I would recognize." Said the stranger, walking towards them through the sand only to stop at a safe distance. "I could recall your voice, king Mickey."
"!" That's when king Mickey's eyes widen in recognition as well. Now that attention was drawn to voices, he could identify the owner of that voice as well. Even if the face that use to accompany it was concealed now. King Mickey jolted a little back in surprise, pointing a finger at the new presence. "Oh! It's you!"
"It's been a long time, your majesty." The stranger politely said, calmly crossing his arms behind his back as he gave a small bow in greeting. The man was as casual as if he had greeted king Mickey yesterday as the days before that.
"I'll say! Like over 9 years to be exact!" King Mickey corrected, still a little in shock at someone else being in this realm. "What are you doing here?"
"I was banished here, by traitors and scoundrels that have destroyed my world and my work." His voice was calm, but there was a hint of bitterness hidden inside them.
"Golly! How did you survive down here for so long? The darkness should have tittered away with your mind and memory through time."
"The darkness eats at your memory, slowly consuming your mind. It is my hatred and bitterness that has kept me whole so far."
"..." That was not a good answer, let alone one king Mickey was hoping to hear. "Still, it's good to see you right now, Ansem. The worlds could really use you right now."
"Hm, it's DiZ now." 'DiZ' corrected. "I haven't gone by 'that' name in a long time. Who is the boy with you?"
"?!" King Mickey looked behind himself for a second, noticing DiZ looking over to the left of him down at Riku. "Oh! You mean Riku?"
"I don't recall ever meeting this 'Riku'."
"That's because he's part of the new generation of Keyblade masters." King Mickey answered, until he faltered. "Or at least he should be. He's having a hard time making peace with himself to even call out his Keyblade."
"..." DiZ walked passed king Mickey, standing in front of the sleeping boy to give him a closer look. As he looked down at Riku with his one revealed eye, he could sense something about Riku that most wouldn't have picked up so easily. "He has been tampering with the darkness."
"!" King Mickey's eyes widen in shock. "How did you-"
"Darkness has a scent to it that lingers long after the user ceased using its power." DiZ explained, answering king Mickey's question before he could even finish it. He had no time to waste on idle chatter, although he had all the time in the world, his time was still precious to him. "Although the light still beats strong in this boy's heart. There is an evil darkness inside his body that's threatening to get out."
"You mean Ansem?"
"?" In his defense, it was a little confusing. DiZ couldn't tell if king Mickey was talking about him.
"The Seeker of Darkness."
"?" He has been in this darkness for over 9 years, of course the name, even with an accompanying title, wouldn't ring a bell.
"Ansem the Heartless."
"Hm," still didn't ring a bell but it did make more sense. "So this boy was tampering with the powers of darkness beyond his control and got himself possessed by something of an even greater darkness."
"Yes... Riku had lost his body to Ansem; but in the end, his heart had won over his darkness. And in time, with the help of the other Keyblade wielder, Riku was able to get his body back."
"So now this boy is seeking repentance for going astray to the darkness and thus punishing himself for his own actions."
"Hmm, it does seem that way, yeah."
"He will never get far with such self-loathing attitude. He's only holding himself back and setting himself up to fall to darkness again."
"But what can we do?" King Mickey asked, hoping that if anyone had the answer it was Ansem- uh, DiZ.
"..." He thought about it for a second, before he gave out his answer. "He must face his darkness, or else he will continued to hide and run away from them, and himself. We must flush out the 'Ansem' hiding inside him, to force Riku to take charge of the situation. In a way, the boy will have to go through a rebirthing of sorts."
"Is there a way for you to do that?"
"Of course. But not here." DiZ flatly said, making king Mickey deflate for a little until he continued on. "There is a place, between both realms, that can be the key to unlocking Riku's held back potential. And it can also be the key to getting us out of this place."
"Wait. If you knew about this place being another way out, why are you still here?"
"Because you will need a Keyblade in order to reach this place. Something of which I do not possess. However, with your assistance, we can leave for our destination the moment you are ready."
"... Will there be any consequences from this? Possibly danger?"
"Of sorts. You will need to travel on alone to make sure the place isn't hostilely occupied. Leave Riku and his darkness to me. I will see to it that his darkness gets under control."
"!" He was not fully on board with this idea. "I can't just up and leave Riku on his own! I don't abandon friends!"
"You're not abandoning him, just merely supervising him from a distance. You will still need to give him support when the darkness becomes too much for him and his will begins to break, but there are battles which need to be fought alone. And this is one of them for Riku."
"..."
"Will you be able to allow him the chance to conquer his darkness, majesty?"
"..." He was reluctant, but Riku really needed this. And they all needed to get out of there. Why not get two birds with one stone? "All right. When do we start?"
"Right now, if you're ready." DiZ answered with a grin, reaching over to king Mickey's grip over his Keyblade and helping him point. "Just wish with your heart for the door between worlds to open. A door that leads to not the darkness, nor the light, but to oblivion..."
*** Radiant Garden ***
The reconstruction of Radiant Garden's capital city had been going smoothly, slow but smoothly. It was hard making progress with the houses while fighting off the Heartless. Being the epicenter to the great Keyhole, their world was still swarming with Heartless, no longer the big ones but still almost an endless amount of the weaker ones. Cloud was now helping out with Leon and the others with fighting off the Heartless while Cid was building up the city's defenses. Aeris mostly help out with Urban development, plant growth, and town's moral; but she still would go out there and fight.
There had been no signs of Sephiroth on their world since all of its origin hearts had returned and the world's keyhole had been shut off from the other worlds again. But she knew he was there, she could sense him. What reasons he decided not to reveal himself were his own, and she knew nothing about them. All she knew was that things were finally starting to turn around.
"Woo! Operation: Radiant Garden Restoration is progressing in full swing!" Yuffie cheered as she burst through the door of their base of meeting with Leon in tow. Cid was busy looking over the large computer in the room while working on a box of take-out food, paying Yuffie no mind. But Aeris had turned and greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome back." She greeted to them. "How were the Heartless?"
"(Sigh) Their presence here is terrible. It's like an endless number of them just keep coming from the castle, no matter how many we take down."
"Hm, it's a pity Sora isn't here. He could have handle all of them no problem with that Keyblade of his." Aeris chuckled to herself. "He could be bandaged up and walking on crutches afterwards and would still keep fighting. Jumping up and down on his good leg and all, waving around crutches angrily in his slugger persistence."
"..."
"?" The blank looks on their faces had made her come down from her chuckle fit. "Guys?"
"Who on earth is Sora?"
"?!" Aeris's eyes widened in alarm at Yuffie's words.
"Is he a friend of yours or something?" Cid pondered aloud, wondering when Aeris had the time to meet with people they didn't even know, and they practically knew the whole town.
"(Chuckle) Alright guys, quit messing around. You know who Sora is." She nervously laughed. This must be a joke, 'cause they got her good.
"Aeris. We're not joking." Leon said, there was no hint of teasing on his face.
"!" By her heart, he wasn't joking. "Come on, everyone, how could you forget Sora and the others? They're the reason why we won Radiant Garden back from the Heartless."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Aeris." Yuffie said, waving her off.
"You have to remember. Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been traveling the worlds, fighting Heartless and sealing keyholes with the Keyblade to protect the worlds from the Heartless." Aeris then began to get frantic, pointing between Leon and Yuffie before pointing at Cid as she went through her memories. "You two helped trained and battled with Sora to help get him ready for the battle he would have to face against the Heartless. You helped upgrade their Gummi ship so they could make the journey. I helped guide them on the right path, giving them the answers when they needed it."
"Uhh..."
"You have to remember. We fought so long together that we had become friends inside our hearts!" Aeris insisted, beginning to plead as the confused looks on their faces began to turn into pity. "What's wrong with you guys?!"
"!" They were alarmed. Aeris had never shouted before. This must be really upsetting her.
"He was helping to find my son. He- !" She halted in her rant as a headache was trying to come over her, causing her to grip her head in surprise at its sudden appearance.
She had felt this headache make its appearance before, but she had shooed it away, just like she was going to do again. But this headache was so much different than any of the 'other' headaches she had felt throughout her life. This one... had a pull to it. Almost as if 'something' was trying to take a piece of her mind away, or 'someone'...
That's when it hit her. Of course it was someone, this headache had a feel to it. Almost dainty, like small fingertips on the surface of her mind, most likely the culprit was a girl. The others didn't have a strong sense like she did, so most likely they couldn't feel it. She had probably already taken what she wanted from the others. But what exactly was it that she was after? What could she possibly want from inside their mind-
That's it! Their memories! Everything was fine about the others except for their sudden simultaneous memory-loss of Sora. Somebody was trying to take their memories. Or more on detailed note, somebody was messing with their memories of Sora exactly. But why? Why were they only messing with the memories dealing with Sora? On an alarming note, why were they trying to make them forget him?
"Aeris...? You okay...?" Yuffie called out to her in concern, drawing Aeris back from all of her inner pondering.
"..." Wherever Sora was, he had gotten himself into trouble again. "It's nothing, Yuffie... I think I'll call it a day early... My head is killing me..."
"Okay. Do you want me to get you some water, or an ice pack?" Yuffie asked, worrying about the mental state of her friend after her emotional outburst.
"No, no. I just need to rest. I'm sorry, but don't bother me for a while, guys." Aeris quickly said as she made it up stairs in their base to the emergency spare rooms. Crashing on the bed of the nearest room, she covered her eyes with the back of her hand and confronted her mental intruder. Whoever they were, they were strong. But they were no match for a Cetra. Pretty soon, Aeris had them pushed out of her mind, and had given them a light lash back. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but... You're a hundred years too early before you can step up to me."
She tried tracking them down, using the invisible bonds that were starting to fade from their last attempt of trying to alter her memories. But as she followed the trail back to its owner, she was alarmed to find that her assailant had no heart. It was not possible... such sentient beings should not be able to existent in such a realm. It almost reminded her about one of Ansem the Wise's reports. Perhaps what she was feeling wasn't 'really' existing, almost like the 'anti-' existence of a person.
Aeris could not get a sense of the assailant due to their lack of a heart. However, she was able to pin-point the area between realms and look around the place, finding Sora and the others in the process. But that's when she began to worry about them being so close to the assailant. If whoever she was had tried messing with her memories from a realm away, what would she do to Sora and the others from so close? She could destroy their memories if she wanted to.
"..." Sora needed some help. "Looks like I'm going heart searching..."
She had stretched her connection from her heart out of her body and far out to the ends of the realm. Bordering onto the silver line between the Realm of the Light and the Realm of the Darkness. From there, her heart had rushed into this strange castle that had a choking feeling to it. Something about this place was eating on her mental barriers, it was probably her assailant. They must have been strong to have such a massive range of influence. But there was no time for this, she had to find Sora. Her heart was drawn to the little fragment it had left behind inside of Sora and the others, using it to hone in on Sora in what appeared to be a make-shift Traverse Town created from Sora's own memories.
Sora and the others had been discussing something with Leon and the gang when she had finally caught up to him. It was ire looking down at yourself. Even if it was a fragmented memory of her, it was still like an out of body experience. Which it wouldn't be for long if she had any hopes of helping Sora while she could. The people of this castle must have already sensed her presence, the choking feeling in the place was starting to get stronger.
'...' She had taken control of her fragment and forced it to turn around and go back to Sora.
'What's up?' Sora asked in confusion as he turned around to see that Aeris didn't go off with the others. Donald and Goofy had continued walking, too far ahead to notice that Sora had stopped and turned around.
'I don't have all the answers. But I had to tell you something.' She had no idea what this mysterious assailants purpose was at trying to attack Sora's memories, but she still had to warn him. To the best of her ability, reaching out between the realms to his heart was extraneous, especially when someone was trying to block her. 'Your memories created this town, right?'
'That's what the guy who gave me the card said.'
So there was more than one involved in this...
'If that's true, then this town is just a figment of your mind... and so are we.'
'But... you can't be a figment! You're standing right here. The town is here, too!' Sora huffed, beginning to panic as she was saying that his friends weren't real. This place felt so close to the warm place in his heart, and yet it was not. And that's what scared him.
'But I'm not really me. I don't remember the things I should. And I sense things I shouldn't.' Aeris said, calling out her own figment's inability to remember things that made her who she was or 'what' she was. 'Sora, beware your memories. In the journey to come, you'll be faced with more illusions. Sometimes the shadow of your memory will deceive you, try to lead you astray.'
'So, uh... what exactly does that mean?'
He's not really getting it. But she couldn't give away anymore without blowing her cover to him, or to the possible others involved in this for that matter.
'I'm sorry. I'm just another illusion.' She said as an excuse. 'The truth is out of my reach.'
'Don't say stuff like that. It's depressing...' Sora said, getting crestfallen to hear Aeris think about herself like that, even if she was a figment of his own memories. She was still the sweet, caring Aeris that he knew.
'...' She felt bad being so blunt with him about this. He was still a young boy, not ready for the mental attacks that his still developing mind was not fully prepared for, he should not have to go through all this. And yet he was, which is why she was trying to warn him. Her time was running out. She was getting exhausted. 'Stay strong, Sora. Don't let the illusions distract you from what's truly important.'
'... Okay.' With that, she closed her eyes and let go of the fragment. Fading back to her own heart as Sora turned at the call of Donald.
She had done all she could for Sora, the rest was up to him.
"..." And now to try and help her other lost boy... "Time for my nap..."
. . .
"Oh, there you are. I was almost afraid that you would never fall asleep." Aeris chuckled as she met up with Riku in their dreamworld.
"Mom." Riku said, ecstatic to see her as they floated in the light, but grey blankness. "It's good to see you. You're a sight for sore eyes. It's been awhile."
"I'll say. It's been 24 days since the Door had been locked. It's been 20 days since I've last spoken to you."
"... Well that answers king Mickey's earlier question." Riku sighed out in sarcasm, trying to make light of their situation. Looking around, the sudden change of blank light grey was irritating his 'nocturnal' eyes. "Ugh, why is this place so empty? You'd think the grass and tree would have returned by now."
"... You must be mistaken, Riku. The dreamworld that you're thinking of is gone."
"?!" His childhood dreamworld is gone. "What do you mean?"
"Riku... (Sigh) You destroyed that place a long time ago. It can never come back."
"!" So then... the cracks and shatters of the dreamworld that had increase as his temper and jealousy took over him had shattered their dreamworld apart? Had he broken something that was so precious and good to him? He didn't want it to go.
"The dreamworld back then was a space created by my own heart which you shared a connection with." Aeris explained before gesturing to the blank emptiness that was all around them. "This place was created through your heart of which 'I' shared a connection with. It is as blank as 'you' make it to be."
"So then... did I break your heart when I broke that dreamworld?" Riku pitifully asked, of which Aeris gave a straight answer.
"In a way, yes."
"!" His heart nearly stopped and shattered.
"What you broke was a connection that we had together. It felt awful. I died a little inside at that moment and every time I felt inside my heart and you weren't there."
"..." He bowed his head, unable to look at her. He was ashamed of himself. Riku felt like a horrible person. What kind of a person would hurt their own mother? A heartless monster that's what.
"Were you expecting me to sugarcoat it, try to hide the truth from you for your own sake?" Aeris asked over to him with a tilted head as she noticed how depressed he had gotten. "I had tried that before and you had run off to find the truth for yourself."
"!" She was calling out his past mistakes on him. His heart crumbles as he felt like his faults were about to be thrown back at him by one of the people he cared most about.
"It was my fault trying to conceal things from you to try and keep you safe. In reality I just caged you, like you said I was." Aeris sighed out guiltily. She shook her head until her eyes opened up to the sky in acceptance before she brought her gaze back down to him. "But no. That was not the way. I may not like it, but... you are old enough now. You were ready to hear the truth long ago. I was the one that wasn't ready to see you grow up."
"Mom..."
"I'm sorry, Riku. If I had been honest with you sooner, maybe you wouldn't have gone to the darkness."
"No, mom, that wasn't your fault. I'm the one that decided to give in to the darkness."
"See. You're old enough to admit your mistakes and own up to them. I should have trusted you with these things more."
"Mom."
"But maybe... these things happen for a reason. If things didn't run their course as they did, then maybe none of you would have come so far as you did."
"..."
"I think... you were meant to have the power over darkness."
"What?" Riku gasped out in appall at her notion. "How can you say that? After all the damage this power has caused..."
"It's not the power itself that is evil. It's how you use it that depends on if it's evil."
"That doesn't make any sense. Evil is evil, and darkness is darkness. There is no middle in between them, and there is no light or good in the darkness."
"That's not true." Aeris disagreed with a shaking head before pointing at him. "You and king Mickey are in the darkness and you both are good people."
"..."
"Believe what I say, Riku. Not all things are purely good or evil. There is grey in these worlds."
"But I don't want to be grey. I want to be in the light again. I want my heart to shine with the light once more. I want the darkness out of my body and ridden from my past for good." Riku said as he embraced himself, shivering a little as if he could feel the darkness crawling inside him.
"..." Aeris had felt pity for her son, but she could no longer cuddle him like she use to. He was older now, as he had proven, and was ready for the harsh worlds. She had to toughen him up to get him ready for them. "You can't change the past, Riku, nor should it be forgotten. We need the past to understand and learn from our mistakes. It is a necessary reminder so we don't end up letting it happen again."
"..."
"You'll see. In time you will come to understand that all things happen for a reason, whether we understand them or not. And usually, it all turns out for the better in the long run."
"(Sigh) I find that last part hard to believe."
"Well, you still have a long way yet. You're still growing although you have grown so much. You are still learning so much; it's still a long way that you have to go. But you'll get there. I know you can."
"..." He couldn't help but smile as he took in a deep breath to try and hold back his tears. "Thanks."
"Oh but I do wish you would do something about this boring place." His mother teased out, trying to lighten up the mood as she changed the subject. "You could add a few things to this place to make it more homely. Your mind is a powerful thing that can add what ever you want to this place. But be careful, Riku. Don't over exert yourself trying to fill up this place. Fill up only what little space you need. This place can go on forever, and trying to fill and comprehend it could possibly fry your mind."
"I... I don't know how to do that." Riku nervously said, not knowing how he could bring things into being in this blank canvas of a void.
"Sorry, Riku. You will have to comprehend and get a feel for your own mind. I can't give you the answers for this one."
"Hm, I guess I'll just have to find my own way."
"That's right. You're nearly halfway there now." Aeris chuckled with a smile before holding her hands behind her back. "It has been long since I have seen you. How have you been?"
"There's nothing much to say. Me and king Mickey have been wandering through the Realm of Darkness, fighting our way through until we've finally found a safe place to rest. We've found no luck in finding another way out of this place, but we're still searching and we keep hoping."
"I'll be thinking of you wherever you are." Aeris said to him in the hopes of keeping his spirits up. "We may be far apart, but our hearts shall always be one."
"One piece with mine that will always be together." Riku finished for her in agreement. "And there is nothing that could tear them apart."
"Hm, that's right." Aeris smiled in approval. It looks like Riku was getting better; he wasn't beating himself up like he use to. And he seemed much more humble than he was before. But there was still something that was stopping him from becoming the true potential of the young man he aught to be. He was holding himself back as if he were afraid of himself. She had hoped that king Mickey would be able to do something about that before it hurts Riku in the long run. With her limited time with Riku, there was only so much she could do.
"Hey, Mom... about Destiny Islands... is it still there?" Riku nervously asked, afraid of what her answer would be as he was unable to look her in the eye as he gripped his arm.
"Hm, yes Riku. Everything has returned exactly the way it was." She calmly answered to him. "All the hearts lost have returned to the place they once were."
"(Sigh) That's... good." Riku said in relief, it had felt like a weight on his chest had been lifted.
"Kairi has made it safely back on the island, where she is returning back to school and waiting for you two knuckleheads to come home."
"And Sora...?"
"..."
"Mom...?"
"I'm sorry, Riku, but... I don't know where Sora is."
"!"
"I cannot sense his heart in neither the Realm of Light, nor in the Realm of Darkness."
"Are you saying that he's dead?!"
"No. But... It's hard for me to explain." Aeris tried to put it into words, but it was hard to do because even she couldn't fully understand it. "He's in a place between the realms. A place that doesn't exist and yet it does."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"I know that."
"Is he... is he going to be alright."
"I don't know. Wherever he is, he's gotten himself into some trouble again."
"But Donald and Goofy are with him, right?"
"Yup, so they're all in trouble 'together'." Aeris said in slight sarcasm.
"Great." Riku groaned out. "At least you're alright."
"Well... actually..." Aeris nervously spat out, scratching the side of her cheek with her finger.
"What's wrong?" Riku got into attention as he sat up in alarm that something might be wrong with his mother.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Aeris instantly assured to him, making his ease up a bit. "It's just that somebody, or something, has been trying to mess with my memories."
"What?"
"They've already messed with the others' memories. They seem to have forgotten all about Sora."
"How...? How could that be...?"
"I don't know, dear. And it worries me. I think this might have something to do with where Sora and the others are right now. You'd best be careful, Riku. Whomever this is has been messing with memories dealing around Sora, which means that they will most likely come after yours soon enough. Hold on to your memories, whatever you do, make sure that you don't lose them. Sora is counting on you to remember him in your heart so he doesn't forget himself. Even if the rest of us have forgotten about him, he will always stay alive and strong in the place inside your heart."
"Hm, all right. Thanks for the warning."
"Good." Aeris nodded with a smile at his compliance. "Well that's a promise, Riku-"
"!" Riku's eyes widen in alarm as his mother was being jolted back into the void, pulled away from him. "Mom!"
"It's okay, Riku!" Aeris shouted back to him in assurance as she felt his heart begin to panic. "You're just waking up!"
"Waking up?" But it only felt like he had been sleeping for a little bit. He began to feel himself being pulled back too. "!"
"!" Riku had suddenly jolted awake, confused with his surrounds as he suddenly had woken up into a grey void. He was floating on his back in an endless void like in his dream, almost making him believe that he was still asleep, only for him to realize that this place was a darker grey than the light grey of his dreamworld. He was still half-asleep as he looked around. "Where am I..."
"Stay asleep."
"!" He was certainly awake now at the appearance of a stranger's voice as he shot upright, making him look around. "Who's there?!"
"You should remain asleep." Riku looked all around himself but still could not pin-point where the voice was coming from. "Here, between light and dark."
"Between... what?" None of this was making sense? How did he even get here? Last he checked he was with- "(Gasp)! The king! Where's the king?! Together we closed the door to darkness. After that-"
"You came drifting here by yourself." The voice answered for him. "You did not have the strength to overcome the darkness. Or... maybe you were close to it."
"Hmph. As if I'm some kind of demon." Riku huffed at the voice, angered by its condescending accusation. Riku could practically hear the smirk on the voice's face at his remark, almost as if it had found his anger humorous.
"Turn from the light. Shut your eyes." The voice offered to Riku. "Here blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But..."
"?!" Riku flinched with an eye closed as a bright light burst into existence in front of him, only to fade away to reveal a card. "What's this?"
"It is a door to the truth." The voice explained as the card floated around Riku. "Take it and your sleep ends, as you take the first step toward the truth."
"?"
"But know this: The truth will bring you pain. Will you still go?" The voice warned Riku as the card circled around him to halt in front of him. "There is no return to the security of sleep."
"..." Riku thought it over for a moment, closing his eyes as he wagered his options. But in the end, there was only one way forward. Opening his eyes again, he reached out to take the card into his hand. Smirking up at wherever the voice was in acceptance of its challenge. "This seemed like a boring place to take a nap anyway."
"That was very well said, Riku." The voice praised at him.
"!" Riku flinched back again with his eyes closed as the card began to shine again. Its bright light engulfing him, only to have taken him to somewhere else as the light faded away. Riku looked around to see that he was in a sterile white room of what was most likely a castle. Plain columns stood tall at its corners; subtle carving decorated its ceiling; reflection-less mirrors decorated its walls; and a white marble floor lead to a small uplift of steps that held a cream door. The place was so bland Riku almost thought that he was still caught inside the grey if the place wasn't so blindingly white. Whomever lived in this place most likely had poor taste or had an extreme case of OCD. No longer paying any mind to the place's overly blinding white, he looked down at his card, noticing that it had a picture of Hollow Bastion Castle on it. "A door to the truth, huh..."
Walking up to the door, Riku had used the card to open it. Going into its blinding light without hesitation. Once the light had disappeared he was surprised to a halt that the door didn't lead to another closed room of the castle, but to the outside pathway of Hollow Bastion Castle.
"This is Hollow Bastion!" Riku said aloud in surprise, gripping his elbow as his other hand cupped his chin as he contemplated to himself how in the world he had gotten there.
"What you see is not real. It's the world of your memory." The voice had returned, answering to Riku his unsolved question. Its sudden appearance had Riku looking around, trying to find the source of the voice, but to no avail.
"My memory?"
"The things you remember from your time at Maleficent's castle became a card, and that card made this world." The voice explained. "You've seen everything here before, haven't you?"
"Yeah..." Although he wasn't too proud of the memories he had about this place... Looking up to the sky, Riku hoped that the voice wasn't going to use the memories of this place to lash back at him. "So what now? Am I going to learn something? Maybe meet someone?"
"You would meet the people in your memories. Ordinarily."
Why did the voice pause at that last part?
"What does that mean?" Riku demanded but the voice had gone silent. "Hey! I'm asking you a question!"
Still no reply.
"Fine." Riku huffed out, sighing in acceptance that he would get no further answer from the mysterious voice. "But it had better be you I run across next, Voice."
Better that than the other possible characters he could come across related to his memories of this place. Seeing as their conversation was over, Riku ran off to proceed further into the world. A card had come down, under the title of Key of Beginnings, as he made his way out of the first Unknown Room and into the next.
Although this place didn't really hold that much good memories, it was still special to Riku, since it was the first world he had come to once he had left the islands. Surprisingly everything he did in this place was related to cards; special cards needed by level of power to open the doors and add effects to the next room; even cards needed to attack Heartless. He had found it strange that every swing of his Soul Eater had to rely on the cards to determine strength or level of power, even more strange that the Heartless had to do the same. Strangely he had started out with his own set number of cards, and they would keep increasing as the Heartless would occasionally drop him some more. It was almost like a third party was controlling the events of their actions, but that was just him getting use to this place's rules and limitation. He was starting to get the hang of it as he went further into the world.
Finally he had come to a room where he would need the Key of Beginnings card to open the door. What he wasn't expecting was for the door to lead him to a place in the castle that was familiar to him, and yet didn't make sense being there based on his memory of the castle's structure. But even so, the place still looked the same. Down to the bookshelves in the right corner, to his bed in the far right and the writing desk on the far left.
"Everything IS just how I remember it. Even this room..." Riku commented aloud to no one in particular.
"It must be nice being back in your old bedroom. Think of all the memories..."
"You again." Oh so 'now' the voice decided to come back. "Sorry, but these memories I could do without. Maleficent gave me this room."
"So she did." The voice said, almost mockingly. "And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered."
"..." The voice was starting to hit low.
"You cast away your home, your friends, everything... But at least they gave you a nice room."
"Stop talking!" Riku didn't want to hear this. He ran.
Another card had fallen into his possession as he rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him as he slid down its strong frame, overwhelmed by the truth and guilt that was thrown at him. Looking at the card that had fallen to his feet, he read it to be a Key to Guidance card. A heart shape on it, revealing it to be a guidance to the heart, most likely his. Picking it up, he got back up on his feet and continued on to the other path that he didn't take in vouch for this path. The only thing he could do now was keep moving forward.
The doors had soon lead him to inside the castle, as the Key to Guidance card had lead him to the Entrance Hall. Strangely the only other presences that he bumped into in this place were the Heartless. And his only company in this awful place was a condescending voice that would show up whenever it wanted to.
"No one here, either..." He sighed out as he looked around in the room. "There's nothing but Heartless in this castle."
Jumping down, he went to the center of the room. Having enough of playing these games.
"Voice!" Riku shouted up into the Hall. "I know you're watching- so explain this! Where are the people from my memories?"
He was expecting the princesses of heart to be here, heck even Sora made his short appearance here, along with Kairi.
"Do you want to see them?"
What kind of a redundant question was that?
"Of course I do." He wouldn't have asked if he didn't.
"But you cast them aside." The voice pointed out.
"What?"
"You dreamt of the outside world, and you passed through the door to darkness." The voice said, throwing his own actions back at him. "Behind you, you left family, friends, home- everything- all in pursuit of darkness."
"But I cast that aside, too!" Riku countered at the voice.
"And what do you have to show for it?" The voice retort back, stabbing at Riku's heart as he realized inside his own mind that he had nothing to show for it. "First your home, then the dark. Your heart only knows how to cast away. It's empty- like that room. Like your memories. That's why you don't meet anyone. Your heart is hollow- except for the residual darkness."
"Your wrong! I rejected the darkness!" Riku insisted.
"Ha ha ha... Did you really, now?" The voice mocked at Riku, not believing his words at all.
Riku ran off, he couldn't come up with a retort back at the mocking voice because its words weren't false, he didn't want to hear this anymore. He didn't want to face the truth. All of his actions, he didn't want this, he had just wanted to see other worlds. He had never wanted all this to happen. He didn't truly know how damaging the darkness could truly be. And worst of all... he knew that he still had the darkness inside of him. And apparently the voice knew this too.
As he left the room a knew card had fallen into his possession, the Key to Truth. It would lead him to the room that holds the truth in this world. But what he feared most was that he wouldn't like the truth he would have to face, if he had to base it off the other rooms he had just run away from.
It didn't take him long until the Key of Truth had come into play. He had used the key card to open the door which lead to the castle's chapel. At the end of the room, Maleficent was waiting for him.
"I knew you would return, Riku." She smirked wickedly at him as he stopped at a safe distance from her.
"Maleficent! You're alive?!" But he had seen Sora defeat her.
"You haven't been paying attention. I am but a figment of your memory." She lectured at him. It was kinda strange that the fragment of his memories knew that they were fragments, such awareness was uncanning.
"Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you." Riku sneered.
"But of course. After all, your heart is steeped in darkness. You can only see those who exist in that same darkness..."
"No..." He refused to believe that.
"Be grateful you have someone to keep you company. Your heart is empty." Maleficent retorted in half-baked reasoning. "Were it not for the darkness it contains, you would be completely alone."
"That's sounding pretty good right about now." Riku retorted back. He would rather be stuck alone in this place than with this deceiving witch.
"Come, now. You once turned to me to sate your hunger for darkness."
"..." He had turned to her for help as he was thrown into the vulnerable worlds and she took advantage of his naivety and trust. He never hungered for the darkness, she made him hunger for it.
"You want me here." She reasoned out. "Who but I can grant you the darkness you long for?"
"There was a time I did want you around. I surrendered my heart to the dark." Riku admitted, accepting his past actions. "But never again. You and your darkness have nothing to offer."
He walked passed her, paying her no mind as he tried to make his way to the next room.
"All I did was lose myself... Empty myself!" He said to her to get his last two cents in before he left the room, turning back around to face her. "I'm finished with all that. If I'm stuck seeing people like you, people of the dark... I'll take you out one by one."
Maleficent simply walked away from him as she shot him her clever retort back.
"Then you mustn't forget to destroy yourself last." Smirking to herself as she halted in her steps. "For, like me, you are one of the dark."
"That's fine with me. I turned to darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It's like I'm my own enemy. And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just makes it worse! Enough talk, Maleficent."
"So you hate the darkness enough to fight it." She concluded from his words as she turned back around to face him. "Oh, the agony you must feel!"
"?"
"Then let me end your pain, Riku- end it forever..." Maleficent finalized as she engulfed herself in dark flames. "With the wondrous power of darkness!"
She had turned into a dragon.
Remembering her fight from her previous match, the first thing Riku went for was to strike at her head. It was the only vulnerable place she had, but it was also one of the hardest spots to reach. Riku had to keep on jumping up to slash around her jaws while also avoiding her fiery breath and her sharp claws. The allotted time it took for him to jump up and hit her gave her enough time to counter and break his attacks- or cards to be more accurate. But it would seem that luck was on his side when a card with a green symbol of a mouse fell into the arena and into his possession. Taking a chance, he used the card. Which turned out to be a good choice since the card brought out a floating lift that brought him to Maleficent's head level. Making it easier for Riku to strike at her, and helped eventually take her down. Once she was defeated a booster card of her dragon form had fallen into his possession, a small reward for taking down one of his past demons.
Rushing out of the chapel into the next door, Riku climbed up the ladder in the next room, and went out the open door which lead to the exit of the world and on to the next floor of the castle. Apparently, Riku must have been in the lowest basement of the castle, because the only direction he could seem to go was up. There was no downward direction on the previous floor, nor any outer exit, his only option to go was up. It didn't seem like there was an outer exit on this floor either, but now at least he had an option to go back down if he wanted to. But his only choice in proceeding was to continue going upward, and that was exactly what he was going to do. And on the bright side, this floor now actually had large square potted plants. Although the plants looked like they were painted white, it was still a slightly better choice of decorum.
"Why do you shun the darkness?" The voice asked as the cream doors closed behind Riku, making him slow down to a halt in his steps.
"Hmph. Come on, I know you heard me- every word I said to Maleficent." Riku hated having to repeat himself, and he was in no mood to humor the mysterious voice.
"Darkness is your weapon. It is time you learned you must accept it."
"What do you mean?"
"Stop resisting. Accept the darkness. You have no choice..." The voice insisted, revealing itself from a dark pool from the floor to be Ansem the Seeker of Darkness. "... if you are to serve me again!"
"I thought it was you... Ansem." Riku wasn't too surprised, the voice kinda sounded like Ansem anyway. However, this Ansem felt... a little different.
"Oh. You don't seem surprised."
"All you have been talking about is the darkness." Riku pointed out, annoyed with the redundant conversation but would rather have that than having to address the strange suspicions he had about this Ansem. "I can only assume you wanna pull me back in... so you can play puppet master."
"Clever boy." Ansem smirked back at Riku with a hand to his heart before holding it outward to Riku in offer. "I knew you'd be the one to most appropriately serve me. And now, surrender to me again-"
"You're crazy!" Riku instantly rejected his offer, pulling out his Soul Eater. "Not a chance!"
He charged at Ansem, only for Ansem to push him back with the force of his darkness. Riku hit the floor, having a hard time getting back up from the force of the blow.
"Did you really think you could do me harm? A weakling like you couldn't even defeat Sora- and you had darkness on your side." Ansem mocked at him.
"Excuse me... for being weak..." Riku shot back at him as he sat up on the floor.
"You are weak. You need darkness. Surrender." Ansem said as he approached Riku. "Bow to darkness. Bow to me."
"That's not gonna happen!" Riku stubbornly proclaimed from his spot on the floor. Ansem stopped right in front of him.
"Only the darkness can offer to you all of the strength that you will need."
"You're wrong!"
"!" A new presence had made its way onto the scene in the form of a light that circled around Riku. "That voice... Your Majesty?!"
"That's right!" The light said as it stopped right in front of Riku. "Remember Riku, you're not alone."
"!" The light had made its way into Riku's heart. Leaving him with a warm feeling as he pressed a hand over his heart. "..."
"Listen close." King Mickey insisted. "The light'll never give up on you. You'll always find it, even in the deepest darkness!"
"I got it." Riku assured to the voice of king Mickey as he got back up on his feet to face Ansem. "I won't lose to darkness. Not today."
"You think that feeble little light can save you from the darkness that I command?" Ansem chuckled in taunt, finding the notion even laughable. "You shall feel my dark powers- in your bones!"
"Give me all you've got. I'll give it right back!" Riku taunted back, proving his point as he continued to break Ansem's attacks.
Ansem's fighting style had been the same as before, down to his Heartless Guardian. However... he wasn't going all out like he usually would, burying his opponents in the full power of the darkness. In fact, it felt like Ansem was holding back... it almost felt like he was training Riku.
"Not giving up yet?" Ansem had ceased from bombarding Riku with his attacks, giving Riku a break. "How much of this can you take, I wonder?"
"I'm just going along until YOU give up."
They headbutted a little as Ansem gave him an opportunity to get a feel for Dual System carding an opponent; making Riku rush through his cards in order to break all of Ansem's card in time before Ansem broke his. It was hard at first, he was moving too slow. But with a little adapting he got the hang of it.
"Out of my way!" Riku shot into the air and crashed down hard around Ansem in a Sleight with the blast from his successful card breaking. As if seeing that Riku had learned enough, Ansem had ended the fight, crossing his arms as his Heartless Guardian faded away. He didn't look like he was going to fight anymore, but Riku wasn't going to let his guard down. "What, that all you got?"
"It seems to me that you are intent on resisting the darkness. All right. Then see it for yourself." Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a card which Riku recognized to be similar to the one that had opened the door to Hollow Bastion.
"Huh?"
"This is a card crafted from your memory." Ansem explained. "Advance through the world it creates and soon you will understand... Chasing after light is not the way. It will not give you distance from the darkness. There is no running from the darkness."
"Don't worry, I'm not running." Riku countered with a smirk, accepting the silent challenge as he held out his hand for the card. "Give it. I'll enter the world and in the end, if I haven't given in to the darkness... Then I win."
Ansem only smirked, tossing the card at Riku who caught it at the same speeding skill.
"I have one more gift for you." Ansem offered with no exceptions. With the wave of a hand and the twirl of a wrist he had pulled the darkness out of hiding in Riku's heart.
"Wha-" Riku gasped in alarm as he felt the choking cold pull of the darkness inside him, making him grip at his heart. "What'd you do?!"
"I simply tempered the darkness that yet remains in your heart."
"You'd still think that I'd rely on darkness?" Riku grunted, still in slight pain.
"To use it or not is your choice." He crossed his arm as the dark portal started to take him away again. "I'll be waiting, Riku... for you to sense it and yield to the darkness in your heart!"
"Tst," Riku hated the idea that the darkness was still inside him, and that Ansem was the one to pull the rest of it out to 'help him' of all things. He didn't want this help, nor did he want Ansem's. But with no real choice in the matter, he continued to move forward onto the next floor, out of the Exit Hall. But as he continued on to the next floor, something had caught his nose. "Something smells... funny..."
It was really starting to bug him, as he looked around he could not pick up its aroma in the room.
"What's that scent? It's so familiar..." Riku couldn't put his finger on it, and was about to cup his chin with his hand as he thought but stopped as his hand came close to his face. Only to realized that the scent was coming him. "(Gasp). Darkness. It's the smell of darkness."
He felt disgusted with himself as he looked down at his hands. The darkness that Ansem had unlocked within him had spread, only to realize that the scent had already seeped into his bones.
"I can't believe this is happening. The darkness even seeped into my skin..." Would he... would he never be able to dwell among the light again...?
"Don't worry, Riku."
"!" Riku looked up at the sound of the voice to see that the light of king Mickey had come down into the room again. "Your Majesty!"
His light shined and brightened into the whole room, until it faded to reveal king Mickey. His armor had returned from its tattered condition in the Realm of Darkness. Riku was happy to see him, even smiled back as king Mickey smiled at him. But he seemed... transparent.
"What happened?" Riku said in concerned alarm. "I can see... right through you."
"Funny, huh?" King Mickey laughed a little as he took a good look at himself as well before looking back up at Riku. "I can only send a little bit of my power to this place. That's why I've got a request for ya."
"Request?"
"Listen, Riku. Just because darkness holds you, don't let go of who you are." King Mickey said with determination. "You've got to fight the darkness inside you! It won't be easy to do, I know. But please don't forget. Even in the darkest darkness, there's always a little bit of light."
"Light within darkness..." Riku said in realization as a lightbulb had hit him.
"You and I have seen it." King Mickey seconded. "The far, welcoming light inside the door to darkness... The light of Kingdom Hearts- it will show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's a request from my heart."
"Okay..." Such an honest request, with genuine caring without any benefit to king Mickey's well-being at all. A selfless request for Riku's benefit alone, how could Riku possibly refuse such a pure hearted request? "I'll do my best."
"Trust me. I'l try to find a way to reach you. I'll get there, I promise." He held out his hand for Riku to shake in promise. Riku had reached out to take his and, only for his hand to go through king Mickey's.
"You're an illusion..." Riku said, a little disappointed. It almost felt like their promise wasn't real now.
"Don't worry. We shook hands in our hearts, remember?" King Mickey countered his disbelief, building up Riku's hope again. "We're connected, you and me."
"Guess we are." It was good to know that their was another connected in his heart as well. The more the merrier, he would never be alone, no matter where he went. Even as king Mickey's hologram faded away. "..."
Steeling himself for the trails ahead, he used on of the cards to open the next door to the next world. The next place he found himself in was in the world of Agrabah: where the hot sun heated up the sand beneath his feet and the only relief from its burning rays was the cool breeze of the passing wind. There were empty stands full of fruits and rugs, but no sign of the residents or the shop owners. Only Heartless.
This place had been the second world he had gotten the opportunity to visit. And even then, he didn't even get the chance to enjoy it because he was committing mild kidnapping. Oh who was he kidding, it was full blown kidnapping. Princess Jasmine did not consent to his forceful dragging out of the Cave of Wonders with her, nor did she appreciate being taken to Hollow Bastion where Maleficent took her heart from her. Yeah... he did not have any good memories about this place either. And Princess Jasmine certainly didn't have any good memories with 'him'. Perhaps if he was lucky, he would run into Jafar instead.
But at this point the only thing he was running into were the Heartless. And if they had any, he would say that their blood was boiling from the heat because these ones were more blood crazed than the ones in Hollow Bastion. Only this time, he had the occasional king Mickey card to come in and assist him with king Mickey's Holy ability. And if he collected enough cards in a combo, he could assist king Mickey with his Holy attacks as well in a Holy Burst. But the heat was starting to get to him too. He really wished that he had a hat, or a hood for that matter. Sora had the right idea of having a hood on his small jacket, too bad he never really used it.
But he was getting distracted, he had just made it to the door that required the Key of Beginnings without even realizing it. Focusing again, he used the amount of cards needed along with the key card to get the door open, silently bracing himself for whatever he was about to face on the other side.
Turns out he was right. The door had somehow lead him from the city of Agrabah to the molten depths of the Cave of Wonders where Jafar was waiting for him in Genie form. He didn't talk, nor taunt in his usual way, he just started attacking Riku. Oddly enough, it was just the same as when Sora fought him, all he had to do was attack the lamp in Iago's claws to defeat Jafar. All he had to watch out for was the fireballs and laser beams Jafar kept throwing at him and the changing arena levels.
But it wasn't too hard taking him down, Sora had made it look hard in his fight. However, Riku had gotten his Jafar booster card in reward for his victory in no time. The world here was short, hardly that big as Riku had come to the end of the Agrabah world in the next room. Turns out there weren't any lessons here, nor any guilt trips from the voice of Ansem. He went in and got out, much to his relief. Now going up to see what the next floor had in store for him. Using his next world card he was taken to the belly of the viscous, behemoth of a whale, Monstro and given a Key to Beginnings card.
Oddly enough, this place was just like he remember it. Except for with a little more Heartless in it. But he was a little disappointed that he did not bump into Pinocchio or Geppetto for that matter. All of his memories with the two of them weren't so bad. He and Pinocchio had fun playing tag with Sora and the others, and it was great working alongside Sora to help save Pinocchio from that giant Heartless, it only went down hill when he tried to run off with Pinocchio's supposed lost heart body. At this point, Riku would have loved some company other than himself, even the voice's taunting return would be a welcome change from the silence of solitude.
It would have been nice to have a distraction from his own growing worries. Because as he continued to fight through the Heartless and grow stronger with each passing room, the darkness inside him began to grow stronger with him. He could practically smell the darkness inside the castle's walls just as he could sense it; it was becoming second nature to him. And in a way that unnerved him. He could even feel it growing as he defeated the large cage Heartless that he had defeated before with Sora. With the Parasite Cage Heartless' booster card in his hand, he made his way out of the exit of this world, as he had done before. These fragmented memories of the worlds seemed too short, and almost pointless, he failed to see the reason why he even had to go through them. But then again, he 'was' the one that quickly skimmed through them when he actually had the chance to visit and enjoyed them. Missing out on the excitement and friends he could have possibly made while he was there.
When he had gone through the cream doors to the floor's Exiting Hall, he did not expect to be greeted by the appearance of a black, leather robed stranger. He did not recognize the older man with the long blond hair and green eyes, and he was most certain that he never bumped into the man before in his life. So this was most likely not a memory fragment, not to mention he came from a dark portal.
"I take it you're Riku." Also helped proving Riku's case that the guy didn't really know who he was.
"Are you with Ansem?" Riku asked, being on guard. If this wasn't a memory fragment then it was most likely a real person. Or... something else. It was hard to tell; Riku tried to get a feel for his heart, only to find that there wasn't one there. But either way, this man reeked of darkness.
"You are half correct." The man reply, gesturing with his hand as a meter to say that Riku was almost there to the truth but not quite. "Let us say that he is not the Ansem with which you are familiar."
"?" What is that suppose to mean.
"He is Ansem and he is not Ansem." The man went on. "Perhaps a 'Nobody' best conveys the idea."
"Riddles were never my thing. Try again." Was this man trying to say what he 'was' a 'Nobody'? Riku did not have time for these games.
"He belongs to neither the light nor the dark but walks the twilight between." The man continued on, making a little bit more sense. The man chuckled as the words started to click with Riku. "Catching on now? Oh yes, you also stand in between the light and the darkness. It appears we have much in common."
"Maybe... Like you said, there really is darkness left inside of me." Riku sadly admitted, placing a hand over his heart. "But so what? Darkness is my enemy!"
Pulling out his Soul Eater, he wiped away his melancholy and prepared for a fight with this stranger that was most likely looking for one. He could sense it. No... he could smell it.
"And so are you for reeking of that awful smell!"
"Oh ho! So it's a fight you want." The man said toyingly as if he was humoring a pouting child. "Very good- I shall take you on!"
He had pulled out a shield with five spikes on its edges, using it as a weapon and a shield as he summoned ice to attack Riku. Surprised by the sudden attacks of stalagmite ice, he was forced to call upon the power of darkness that was still inside him to save himself. And using his king Mickey cards, they had worked together to spray the room with Holy Burst, holy balls of energy that Riku had coated with a layer of darkness to give them an extra kick. With little effort, the man had went down before Riku's damage health could become a concern. Slipping out of the power of darkness, Riku charged at the man to finish him off, only for the guy to block his Soul Eater with his shield.
"Ha ha! I find, coursing through you, there is a darkness of formidable power growing! Well worth the trouble of aggravating you." The man said in odd excitement. "All this excitement has provided me with invaluable data."
"What..." Was this some sort of game to him?! But Riku didn't have time to contemplate it long as he was pushed back with the shield.
"Many thanks, Riku!" The man said before disappearing once again in a portal of darkness.
"Tst. It was a trick all along." Riku gritted in annoyance that he had fallen for it. If he ever ran into that man again, he would make him pay. But for now, he would take the stairs onto the next floor.
Once there, he had used his next world card to enter the door into the world of Neverland. Perhaps this place would be much larger, and people would be in it. He had spent a lot of time on the Jolly Roger, maybe he would be able to interact with Captain Hook or Mister Smee. Not that they were much good company, they were better than the other members of the Dark Council. Captain Hook played the role of a bad guy, but he wasn't truly evil. Out of all the members of the Dark Council he was the more innocent, and the closest to light than all of them put together.
The place was much bigger than the other worlds, he would give it that. But, there was still no one to interact with. He had run into Captain Hook in the Key of Beginnings room but he didn't say anything. They just started fighting on the deck of the Jolly Roger as Riku faced off yet another one of his dark fragments from his memories. Captain Hook was good, had more skill with the blade than Riku expected, most likely due to years of practice. He had Riku on his toes as he would break his attacks and charge at him with combos. Captain Hook had more of a master's style of Fencing while Riku was more of a martial art. Both styles were formidable, but only one could say they had decades of experience. But then again... this was a fragment of his memories and not the real Hook. If this was the real Hook, he'd probably get more of a run for his money.
Even so, both Hooks had a weird fascination of throwing present bombs at people- along with shooting cannon balls. But after knocking a few back at Captain Hook, Riku had gotten him down for the count and got his booster card as a reward. As fun as that fight was, it was short lived, along with this world's floor. Pretty soon Riku found himself nearing the exit in only three more rooms. But there couldn't be much more left, worlds or floors for that matter, he was down to his last world card as he made his way to the floor's Exiting Hall.
Going up to the next floor, he used his last card to open the door to the world of Traverse Town. He had been to this place before; however, this world didn't hold any fond memories. If anything, this is the place where all the trouble had started. Where his jealousy and rage had grown.
But oddly enough, when his head was cooled down, he could really appreciate the place for how calm and glowing it lights were in the night lit sky. The place had a soothing feel to it, almost smooth, even with the Heartless running about. But he was certain for sure he wouldn't bump into anyone he knew here, unless he somehow ran into a memory of Sora. But with the way things were going that was probably unlikely.
Strangely enough, this world was a lot bigger compared to the other worlds- even Neverland- and he hadn't even been to this world much. It was as if this place held an importance in his heart, and not because this was where Sora's and his friendship began to shake, no there was something else... Something that he was missing.
He had gone from room to room, and still could find nothing that could pin-point this feeling he had in his heart. Regrettably he would have to let it go for now, as he had finally come across the door that required the Key to Beginnings. Perhaps the answer he was seeking lied within this door.
But it did not. All that lied in the room was a Guard Armor Heartless. A formidable opponent, but not the answer he was looking for. Frustrated he had taken out the Heartless without much restrain and collected his booster reward card from it. Soon he found himself making his way down the Back Alley Districts to the exit room. But as he was passing the Districts stores and houses, he could have sworn he saw a flash of pink with a long strand of brown pass by through one of the windows. He had halted in his steps, looking to see why that quick image seemed so familiar to him. He had hoped that what he had seen was not a trick of his imagination as he stopped right in front of the window; but then again, this whole place 'was' a creation of his memories. Disappointed that the imagine would not pass by the window again, he let out a large sigh and continued on to the exit. Maybe he was just hoping for the impossible. But who could blame him. She did say once that they had almost met on this world.
Climbing up the ladder in the next room, he just exited the world. Disappointed that once again he would not meet her in this world. But melancholy was replaced by shock and startle as he was greeted by another unexpected appearance on the floor's Exiting Hall.
"Huh?! What are you supposed to be?" How was he suppose to react, he was looking at an exact replica of himself.
"Surprised? I guess you should be." It even sounded like him. "After all I look just like you."
"..." What is this thing?
"I'll tell you what I am. I'm an exact replica of you that Vexen made from your data."
"..." Who on earth was Vexen? Wait. Could that be the guy he fought with a few floors back? He had said that he had gotten valuable data from his fight with Riku. So this must be his result. "So you're a fake me."
"Not a 'fake'!" The replica shouted in offense. "I don't care if you're 'real'! You're not better! We share the same body and the same talents. But there is one easy way to tell us apart, thought!"
"?" Riku quirked an eyebrow, slightly intrigued on what that one way was as the replica of himself was pointing at him confidently.
"Unlike you, I fear nothing."
"Are you calling me a coward?" This replica was tempting his temper.
"You're afraid of the dark!" The replica accused. "The darkness inside you still frightens you, no matter what you say."
"Grr..." He honestly couldn't argue with that.
"But I'M different. I embrace the darkness. I can make it do whatever I want." The replica proclaimed as he went into Dark Mode and pulled out his Soul Eater replica, making Riku go on edge again. "So... I can wipe the floor with you!"
This was so weird fighting with himself. At one point he contemplated if the replica was not him, and he was not the replica. But he knew who he was, it was only a passing thought in the heat of battle to distract him. And unlike the replica he had king Mickey to come and help him, he didn't have to rely on the darkness. Which is why the replica had lost to him.
"Hey, Fake." Riku called out to the replica that was knelling on the ground in exhaustion. "I thought I heard you say you were gonna wipe the floor with me."
"Hmph. Don't forget, I'm still new. I'll get stronger and stronger." He would let Riku have this win, for now. But next time, he would bring Riku to his knees. This he promised to himself as he rose to his feet again. "The next time we fight, you're finished!"
"Then let's fight now!" Why simply talk if you were only threatening, own up to it. Riku rushed his replica, only for his imitation to push him back with the force of darkness that acted as a shield around him. The replica laughed as Riku hit the ground.
"It's nice having darkness on my side." The replica taunted at him as he tried to get back up. "You are SO missing out. How could you be scared of something that can be so thrilling?"
"Enough!"
"Hmph. So now the coward is playing tough." The replica mocked before turning to leave. "So long, Real Thing. Hope you don't miss me."
"Come back!" Riku called out but he was already gone. Leaving him alone once again, and his pride wounded. "Tst. No way. I'm not a coward..."
Riku couldn't understand why, but the replica's words had really gotten to him. And in the end he did end up wiping the floor with Riku. He couldn't stand for such a blow, running up to the next floor, he was hoping to catch up to the replica. Riku looked around, only to see that this floor was empty as well.
"Come out! Show yourself, Fake!" Riku called out into the room. He got a reply, but not from whom he was expecting.
"Fake? Oh, no... That's not exactly the right word." The voice of Ansem taunted at him in lecture. Riku looked around only for Ansem to appear right in front of him, cool and aloof with his arms crossed.
"What are you saying? Isn't he just a copy of me?"
"More like a model." Ansem corrected. "He is an example of what you should try to be."
"!" So what, he should try to be a jerk who's a sore loser?
"He accepts the darkness... Just like you once couldn't help but accept me. But now you are afraid." Ansem proclaimed, throwing the same thing the replica said back at Riku. "Perhaps YOU are the one who is being fake. Fake when you pretend to have no fear."
"When have I been afraid of the dark?" Riku shot back at him. He was never afraid of the dark. HE was the one that plunge into the darkness without any hesitation when...
"Inside of the card-worlds... you grappled desperately with the darkness." Ansem pointed out, calling out his bluff. "Desperation is fear. You fight the darkness because it is what frightens you."
"!" He didn't want to hear this. "Be quiet!"
He pulled out his Soul Eater only to be pushed back again, but this time he was ready and flipped back to land on his feet.
"Stubborn boy." Ansem huffed at Riku, tossing at him some more world cards. "Then continued your fight, if you must. Eventually, you will learn. You cannot resist the darkness."
"..." Riku watched as Ansem faded back into darkness again. 'Seriously, what is wrong with this Ansem? The Ansem I know would usually use force until you submitted to the darkness. This one kinda mellows back and leaves you to your own devices until you learn from the darkness. He didn't even try to fight me this time. In a strange way, this Ansem was trying to help me... in a mocking way, but it wouldn't be Ansem if it wasn't otherwise.'
Well, it looks like he was given more cards to go up on the floors. It seems like he still has a long way to go.