The Surprise in the Memories
... Day 119 ...
The Forgotten City of the Ancients, Radiant Garden
Sephiroth had wandered around the wastelands of Radiant Garden for some time, after going through that ordeal with Aeris. She had called it going down memory lane; he had called it...troubling. His mind was in a jumble; 30 years of memories had been crammed into his brain in under 3 minutes. But he had felt a connection with some of the memories. Connections that meant that they had to be real. But then again, memories were such an easy thing to Manipulate under the influence of darkness. The memories of what he had done to Cloud was proof of that. But those actions lead to more troubling questions of inner searching of what he truly WAS. Or what he IS. Which were questions he did not want to touch.
But going back to the Manipulation of memories, it would be impossible for Aeris to have pulled such a feat off. She had no influence or affinity over the darkness. And besides, purposely unchaining and alternating chains of memories within a person would require cold calculating, ruthless heartlessness. One would literally be shattering the person's heart and half-hazardly putting it back together, that is if you cared to. But Aeris couldn't do such a feat. She had too much of a soft heart to heartlessly tamper and Manipulate others hearts like that. So the things that she had shown him were more than likely to be real. Or perhaps they were real to her. But he wasn't too sure of anything anymore.
He had walked into the home that was acting as his base of operation in the City of the Ancients. It was empty, but he was not concerned about where the others were at the moment. He was still digesting everything he had learned. He'd been walking all night trying to take it all in and sort his thoughts together. But it wasn't until morning that he wandered his way back to his makeshift home.
The things that Aeris had shown him had made him think about a lot of things... But if he was truly going to contemplate and reanalyze his very being and what made him who he was up to this point he was going to need more proof. He needed something more solid, and he begrudgingly hated to admit this, he'd need something within the Realm of Light to prove that the things Aeris had shown about him had some iota of truth.
"..." Suddenly Sephiroth had the urge to do something he had failed to see the need to do in all these years. He reached into his pocket. Something inside was compelling him to check inside his pants' pocket. Like a playback of a memory. He's never had a need to use his pockets. But if the memories Aeris had shown him were true...it should still be there... "!"
His eyes widened in shock, he was barely able to hold back the gasp. There was a note in there... Its light had long since faded in its time in the darkness with Sephiroth, but the warmth that was infused into it from the heart was still there. From Aeris's heart...
'I have 23 tiny wishes.
But you probably won't remember them all,
so I put them all together into one:
I'd like to spend more time with you.'
"..." Sephiroth analyzed every word of the note, and then read it again. And then a third time just to feel that subtle warmness that word spark inside him with each word he read from the paper.
This was proof. It was small, and barely the size of his palm. But it was enough...
"?" He was drawn out of his thoughts as he felt the darkness pull at the return of Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj from their Dark Corridors. They had been gone for days, and from the looks of things they had just recovered enough from a hard fight that took a day to heal from. "Where have you been?"
"..." The three of them held their heads down and looked away. All of them silent, afraid to answer.
"I asked you a question," Sephiroth said more sternly, taking a few steps closer to them. Making them flinch a little, beyond their control. Still unable to make eye contact with him in fear. Sephiroth asked them again. Expecting an answer. "WHERE have you been?"
"..." Kadaj and Loz still remained silent. Kadaj gritting his teeth and clenching his fists at his side in angry submission to the stronger older male in their group. Loz simply shaking in fear, fighting to hold back the whimpers and the tears. It was Yazoo who spoke up, barely concealing the panicked nervousness in his indifferent eyes.
"We went to fight our little brother."
"W, we wanted to play..." Loz nervously said, speaking up to come to Yazoo aid so he didn't have to stand in the heat alone. Regardless of the way he acted, he was still the big brother out of the three of them, he had to look out for his younger brothers. Even if he had to face the wrath of their older brother to do so.
"I thought I told you not to touch him," Sephiroth said, getting angry. The darkness inside him began to swirl around, choking the room. The three of them began to flinch. "The boy is mine to deal with- !"
Sephiroth's eyes widen in alarm as a clinching feeling inside his chest made him halt in his anger as he looked at the three of them. What use to give him a twisted pleasure at seeing the fear of him in others now made him sick inside seeing it on the three of them. It was only for a moment, but he had seen a flash of them when they were little in that moment. Kadaj had that angry yet self-conscious look in his eyes as his big Lifestream eyes watered in frustration at disappointing others. Yazoo eyes had the same emotionless dull to them but deep inside them was a spark of nervous shame as he looked to the ground. And Loz had openly expressed his fear as the tears freely fell from his eyes through his weak attempt to hold them back with a pouting face. They looked just like they did in the memories. It made Sephiroth flinched back.
"?" They pondered his action, or sudden lack of action, with curiosity.
Their fear of him had suddenly calmed down his darkness. He had actually reeled it back. Something that he hasn't done in a long time. And why? What was making him act differently with these three than how he's been so far. It was because of those confounding memories. They had sparked something inside him that was slowly spreading out of control like a wildfire inside of him. If what Aeris had shown him was true...then these three...are more than just pawns. Let alone his brothers for that matter.
"It doesn't matter," Sephiroth said, suddenly waving off his anger in their eyes. Which was a concerning matter in itself. Sephiroth was usually not one to forgive disobedience. He waved his hand in a gesture as he walked passed them to head to the beds to rest. "Whether you engage your younger brother or not, it makes no difference. I will see his capabilities for myself."
Sephiroth walked out of the room, heading to his bed. He had had a long couple of days. And sleep was sounding so good right now.
"..." Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz stared off in place from where they were frozen at Sephiroth's sudden change of mood and strange choice of words. He had never gotten angry before without giving them some form of punishment until he was appeased. And yet he had suddenly calmed down and pushed back his darkness, which was a feat he never cared to do before, in light of their reaction. And if they didn't know any better they could have sworn in that slight moment of pause he had endearment in his eyes. But that was impossible. Sephiroth was not capable of such emotions. Not the Sephiroth they knew. But he was acting strange. Even his words. Instead of saying 'our' brother like he normally would, he had said 'your' brother...
Radiant Garden
"Hi, Mom."
"Riku! Welcome ho- Oh Dear Hearts, what happened to your eyes?!" Aeris said in aghast as she turned around to greet her son with a smile as he came in, only to startle in maternal alarm at the sight of blindfolds on his eyes. Fearing that a Heartless had gotten a lucky shot on him, maiming him drastically.
"No, Mom, I'm fine." Riku shook his hands at her to negate her raining thoughts. "I just covered my eyes, that's all. I'm training them to see passed the powers of darkness."
"Training them?"
"Yeah. I learned in Beast's Castle that I can see the past the influence of the darkness for what it really is with my eyes closed. It's like my eyelids unveil the darkness to reveal the truth behind it. I'm honing this skill to have a better advantage over the darkness."
"I see..." Aeris sighed in relief, letting go of the breath she was holding with a hand over her heart. "That's good, Riku. You get a better hold over the darkness every day."
"Mom? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Riku. You just worried me there for a bit. My heart felt like it was about to burst, I thought a heartless maimed you blind."
"No, I mean before that. I felt your distress before I even came through the Corridor."
"!" Aeris's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she calmed herself again. But above the shock, was maternal pride. "I see that your Sense over hearts has improved."
"Mom."
"I'm fine, Riku. I just had a little encounter with your father the other day, that's all."
"(Gasp)! Are you okay?!"
"Everything's all right, Riku. He didn't hurt me." Aeris assured him. Making Riku feel at ease, but only a little. "I tried to bring him back from the darkness by connecting with his heart to reveal his memories back to him, both his and mine..."
"Do you...do you think that it worked?"
"To be honest, I don't know. He ran off before I could really tell. But I think that it did... Your father is just confused and rattled by all the memories that flood back to him all at once. He just needs some time to process it all... He must have so many questions..."
"What do you think he'll do next?"
"Only he really knows the answer to that. Anything can happen now that the darkness over his memories has lifted. But don't you worry...I'll take care of him. You just concentrate on bettering yourself and helping your friends."
"Right... Okay, Mom."
"Good. But before that. Do you have some time to spare, Riku?"
"I was planning on heading back to Beast's Castle to help out with the Heartless and to train for a while. But I've got some time before I head there. Why, is something wrong?"
"No. I just think it's about time I've told you Everything about our family's past. All the way back to your grandparents."
... Day 135 ...
It had taken Aeris the entire day to tell Riku everything about their family. She had gone all the way back to Sephiroth's and her parents and how they had come to meet; how the two of them and Ifalna had been taken captive by Shinra Corp's Science Department; how the two of them escape and rebuilt their lives in Radiant Garden; how Sephiroth had fallen into darkness; and, everything up to when Radiant Garden had fallen into the Realm of Darkness. It would have been easier if she had shown Riku the same way she had shown Sephiroth, but...there were things in their past that Aeris didn't want Riku to see. It wouldn't be as traumatizing if she just told him, just shocking, seeing with his own eyes would have given some of the darker parts a more solidified horror. Aside from the process of 'how' Riku and his brothers came to be, Aeris had told him everything. Even about his grandmother, Jenova. As much as she was nervous about revealing the Dark Cetra's existence to Riku young mind, she felt that he had more of a right to know about Both sides of his family.
It was a lot for Riku to sink in. He had spent the night in his room and he still couldn't fully wrap his head around everything he had just learned. It did explain a lot, and he was grateful that his mother had finally opened everything up to him in the confidence that he no longer needed to be coddled and hidden from the truth. But still, it was hard to take it all in... It was strange seeing his father for more than just a monster, but as a victim as well. It was unnerving for him to have the hatred and despise that he held for his father slip away out of his hands. He couldn't say that he really like the guy, but he could honestly say that he no longer hated him with his every being.
Training at Beast's Castle really helped him sort out his racing thoughts. Beast was naturally a loner during fights when it came to Riku, so he mostly left Riku to his space to sort his things out, which Riku had appreciated. With Sora and Kiari, Riku knew that they would be hovering over him until he told them what was going on in the same situation, even if he didn't want to talk about it. He knew that they always meant well, but sometimes you just had to handle your problems with your own hands. Not be coddled by others, that just made it hard for you to grow on your own. It was times like these that it was great to have a silent friendly presence by your side while you fought your own battles. Never truly alone, but not being held by the hand and lead down the path of someone else's choosing.
And so he spent his days like this, fighting the Heartless with his blindfold on and contemplating his thoughts. He spent some time and rested in the woods surrounding the Castle, taking care of the Heartless rising up from out there so they wouldn't overtake the Castle. But also, he didn't feel comfortable staying at the Castle after all the things he had done to Beast and subsequently Belle, regardless of how Belle and the rest of the residents of the Castle insisted that he stayed there. It was dangerous out there in the surrounding woods and they worried about him. But he kept assuring them that he was fine out and that it was a great way for him to keep up with his training. He had always come back at night to help them with their Heartless popups, so it did keep assuring them that he was all right. Even Beast would subtly feel relief that he was okay when he would show up the next night, even if he would never openly show Riku.
So he would camp out in the woods, taking care of the Heartless, then head over to the Castle to take care of the Heartless there at night before heading back into the woods again. This was starting to become his routine now. When suddenly, on this day, things took a different turn than the norm.
Riku smelt something that reeked of darkness; however, whatever it is was different than the Heartless. In fact, whatever or whoever it was were dispatching the Heartless in the area. He tried Sensing a heart, but it appeared that these intruders didn't have a heart. If Riku was being honest, their scent reminded him of back in his time in Castle Oblivion. So if the feeling he was getting inside his heart was true then...these guys were probably Nobodies from Organization XIII.
Silently breaking away from Beast, so as not to start a commotion, he pulled up his coat's hood and followed the smell of darkness. All the way down the cellar-basement to the Castle's Courtyard.
And that's where Riku found him. A bulky man in one of the black coats, sporting long black dreadlocks tied up in a ponytail along with sideburns. His chin was strong, and his blue eyes were steely. He had a presence about him that told Riku not to underestimate him. His scent was also similar to the guys that Riku had bumped into from Castle Oblivion. Meaning that he was probably one of the Nobodies from Organization XIII.
"Who are you?" Xaldin asked sternly, hiding the surprise he felt at being caught under his stone face. He scouting Beast's Castle to learn more about Beast, he was not expecting this foreign company.
"I can ask you the same thing. For what purpose does Organization XIII have on this World?" Riku countered, getting into a defensive stance with Soul Eater.
"Hm, so you know of us?" Xaldin said, not answering Riku's question nor getting into a defensive stance as well to counteract Riku. He just turned all the way around to face Riku under the pale Moon and starlight of the Castle's Courtyard. "It would seem that the Organization has an imposter- one that wears our coat."
"What are you doing here?" Riku asked more sternly, his grip on Soul Eater tightening. "And why are you taking out the Heartless?"
"But it would seem that you do not fully comprehend what our ultimate goal is."
"Then enlighten me. Is there some gain at disposing the Heartless? Is this part of the Organization's goal?"
"Whether you understand the answers to these questions or not is of no consequence to me. You are an imposter brandishing our coat, a loose end." Xaldin said, finally summoning his lances, Lindworm. Holding two in his hands while the other swirled around him in his wind. "And I will dispose of this mistake."
"!" Riku immediately began to parry as Xaldin charged at him. Having to block with his blade quickly as Xaldin's lances swirled at him with strong winds. Eventually, Riku pushed enough of the lances back to create an opening which he jumped in to go head on with Xaldin. "Ggah! Back off!"
"Hmph!" Xaldin grunted as he was pushed back, using his winds to make him float in the air. "Not bad."
"Heh, I wish I could say the same for you."
"Hmph, arrogant brat." Was all Xaldin said before he dived after Riku. Come at him with more force in his lances. Xaldin would lash at Riku with the lances in his hands only to thrust the lances he had in the air at him soon after.
"Ggh! Darkness!" Riku rolled out of the way of the lances, launching a Dark Thundaga that did some heavy damage on the wind user. Testing is knowledge of elemental affinities and weakness, he tried concentrating a Quake spell in his Soul Eater as he impaled it in the ground. "Terra!"
"!" Xaldin's eyes widened in alarm and surprise as the blade in Riku's hand had created a crater around him and had uplifted the outer group in sharp fractures. Doing more damage than Xaldin had expected it would as it pierced him through his protective winds. It would seem that Riku was right, this enemy's Wind attribute did indeed make him weak to Earth-type Magic. Realizing that he was at a disadvantage with this opponent by himself, Xaldin had decided to retreat. "Hm, you are strong. But this isn't over. I will report this."
"!" Before Riku could halt him, Xaldin had already retreated back into a Dark Corridor that he summoned up. Leaving the World of Beast's Castle and Riku with no leads to follow. "Tch, crap."
... Day 149 ...
With the hopes that the mysterious member of Organization XIII, or at least one of its other members, would show up again Riku had stayed longer in the World of Beast's Castle. Waiting.
For days nothing but Heartless had shown up. The Organization seemingly staying low for a while until they possibly have come up with a plan to deal with Riku. The member he had fought before had called him 'imposter'. It was more than likely the Organization would send one of its members to take out this 'imposter'. All he had to do now was wait for them to come to him.
But it seems that they had left him waiting for a while. It was nearly two weeks before a member of the Organization had finally shown up. Riku was beginning to get really impatient waiting. Aside from the imminent Organization XIII attack that would be coming after him soon, Riku was growing concern about the downing health of Beast and Belle's World. The Heartless' numbers and power were beginning to rise up with each passing day as the anxiety and worries of the residents in the Castle began to rise. Whether it be for the concern over the Master of the Castle or the Spell cast upon the Castle time limit dwindling down didn't make a difference, it was all feeding the power of the Heartless. And if nothing was done about it soon the Castle would be overrun. But it would seem that Riku didn't have long to worry about that today. The member from Organization XIII had finally come for him.
Riku had met them at the Castle's Gate Bridge, not wanting to trouble the residence of Beast's Castle with this impending fight. However, whom they had sent to deal with him was not what he was expecting.
She was...small. And young too, almost the same age as Riku. Maybe even a year younger if Riku had to guess. She wore her black coat's hood up so he couldn't see her face. But her voice was soft, almost as if she wasn't made to fight. But Riku knew that appearances can be deceiving, he would not let his guard down or underestimate her.
"So, you're with Organization XIII?"
"And you are the imposter parading around as one of us." She stretched out an arm, summoning a Keyblade to her hand. Much to Riku's surprise, only for it to turn into confusion as he Sensed no real light coming from the Keyblade. It held no power to it. But she was wielding it as if it did. And she could still probably clobber him with it even if her Keyblade had no power over hearts. "I've been tasked with the mission to deal with you."
"By that, you mean 'dispose of me', right?"
"That's is correct." She said to run at Riku. "Ahhh!"
"!" Her fighting style threw him off guard for a moment. For some reason, it reminded him of Sora's. She had a Brawler's slugger style to her moves, no real honed technique just raw experience. However, it would not help her against Riku. He had been training himself for years, not to mention intense training he has been put through for months now. It was like he was being put up against a newborn, she didn't stand a chance. Riku didn't even use his influence over the darkness during this fight, it didn't seem like it would have been fair. He didn't even use Magic as she had constantly cast Fire at him.
"Ggh... I have to keep going!" She just kept pushing herself. But Riku would have to put an end to it before she got herself hurt. Seriously hurting a young lady would have done some major damage to his conscious as a gentleman. It was already bad enough that he was already fighting her. Even on Destiny Island, he tried his best to avoid fighting Kairi or Selphie; or, doing anything that might get them seriously hurt- challenge wise or playing. It wasn't that he was discriminating against their gender, it was just in his nature. They were kinder and softer than the other guys back on the Islands and he wanted to protect them, and that extended to all females. His mother and pops had raised him to be a gentleman. He wouldn't be able to face them again if he had ever hurt a girl over too much roughhousing. And unfortunately, this fight was putting the same strain on him. Especially when he delivered the blow that had knocked the Keyblade out of her hands. "(Heavy breathing)..."
She was exhausted from the fight and brought to her knees. Unable to hold herself up anymore from the strain, she collapsed onto the ground. During the fight, Riku's hood had fallen down to reveal his face but he didn't care to pull it back up again. Turning back around to face her. He approached the collapsed Organization XIII member, getting down on one knee beside her as he pulled back her hood. Sliding his blindfold up to reveal one eye so he could see her face. The sight of her made his eyes widen in shock.
"(Gasp)!" He got on his feet again and stepped back from her. She struggled to get back up again. "Your face..."
She looked just like Kairi. But... there was no way she could be her. Kairi was safe back on Destiny Islands, and this Kairi copy had black hair instead of red. There's no way she could have been Kairi's Nobody, Naminé was that. Whomever this person is was something else, and he intended to get to the bottom of this.
"Who are you really?" Riku interrogated, composing himself again. "And why do you have a Keyblade?"
The Organization member sat up on her hands, unable to rise to her feet in exhaustion, pulling her hood back over her before she looked up at Riku.
"Tell me first... why are you dressed as one of us."
"..." Riku looked at her for a sec more, before turning to walk over to her Keybalde. She followed his movement under her hood, clutching her sore side as she supported her weight with one arm. "To make sure my best friend...sleeps in peace."
"?"
"I don't know who you're supposed to be. But...you can't fight fire with sparks. This Keyblade, it's a sham-" Riku continued, picking up her Keyblade to admire in his hands as he got a better analysis of it up close. Tossing it back to her side after judging it for what it truly is, "worthless."
"(Gasp)! My Keyblade is not a sham! What gives you the right to say that?" She burst out in offense at his words. Grabbing her Keyblade and charging at him in anger. "Ahh!"
"..." But Riku just swirled out of her way, using the acceleration from it to land a side fist in her back to incapacitate her to the ground again. She was so small he had to kneel down to even reach her back so as not to land the hit on her head. She stayed down in her exhaustion, trying to catch her breath. He rose to his feet again and turned to look at her. "Find a new crowd. Trust me. Those guys are bad news."
"..." Feeling like she's had enough, he turned back to the woods surrounding the Castle and walked away. Until her voice suddenly calling to him halted his steps. "Why? You're the real sham."
"..." Her words actually stung him a little, especially when she was wearing Kairi's face under that hood. But even so, her words rang with some truth to it, and he would take the comment and move on. "Fair enough. You could say I am...the biggest nobody of them all."
And then Riku left her alone. She cried out her frustration as she stayed down. He could hear her from the woods, it was like a wounded animal, and it tore at his heart inside. Because he was the one that wounded her. Even if it was for her own good, he still did it.
... Day 150 ...
Riku stared off into the woods from his spot on top of the Castle's Roof under the starlight, still contemplating on what he had seen the other night. He reached out his hand in the night air, remembering the feel of that girl's Keyblade. How it just felt like a shiny Club in his hands and not a Key to hearts like its name said it should be. She had fought hard with it, but there was no substances. He felt bad at how she seemed hurt by him calling her Keyblade worthless, she had really taken his words to heart. Which was ironic since as a Nobody she didn't have a heart. Regardless, it was not his intent to hurt her like that.
Pulling back his hand to look at it again once more as his thoughts ran around his skull, he pulled down his hood to let the night air cool him off. So many questions needed to be answered. Who was that girl? Why was she running around with a fake Keyblade? And with that question came an even bigger one. Where exactly did she come from? As a Nobody, she must have come from an original person with a heart, lost to Heartless leaving nothing behind but a hollow husk of a body. But who's husk was she? Certainly not Kairi's, Naminé was that. Maybe...she was Sora's? But that would be really strange, on a deeper level.
Well, thinking to himself would lead him no closer to a solid conclusion. He needed to find the answer from the source. Someone who had past dealings with Organization XIII. And the only one close enough to fit that bill was Naminé.
Making up his mind, he opened up a Dark Corridor to Twilight Town to confront Naminé about this. Undenounced to him, if he had stayed just a bit longer... he would have bumped into two members of the Organization scouting out Beast's Castle...
Twilight Town
Riku had opened up the Dark Corridor directly in front of the Old Mansion. Not caring to be discrete. He wasn't in a good mood, and he needed answers. Storming through the Front Gate and marching through the Foyer, Naminé silently pitter-pattered her way out of her room with her dainty feet out of her room and down the stairs to meet Riku at his arrival.
"Riku? It's late, what are you doing? What's with all the commotion?" She asked, slightly concerned that his little outburst might have drawn attention to the Mansion. Whether from the Locals or from curious Out Worlders.
"We need to talk."
"Can't this wait until morning?"
"No, I've been sitting with this all day and I need some answers." Riku insisted, taking one step towards her as he looked up at Naminé from her place in the middle of the stairs. "Who is Sora's Nobody?"
"?!"
"Are they part of Organization XIII?"
"Well... I know 'of' Sora's Nobody. But...I never got the chance to meet him." Naminé said rather shyly, placing a hand over where her heart should be as she looked to the side at the floor.
"He? So Sora's Nobody IS a he?"
"W, well yes." She was getting rather nervous at Riku's tone of voice. The members at Castle Oblivion used to get that tone with her, and never meant well. "Riku, what's this all about?"
"It's about that girl I saw the other day. The Organization member that attacked me. The one that looked like Kairi!" Riku answered starting to raise his volume with his temper.
"(Gasp)!" Naminé gasped in shock at this news and also in sub-conscious fright at Riku's anger. "You encountered an Organization member t-that looks like Kairi...?"
"Yeah." He strained his voice down to normal as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Just who is she, Naminé?"
"She's... she's not really a Nobody, Riku..." Naminé nervously struggled to get out, turning her face away from Riku again as she gripped her arm.
"What? Then what is she?!" Riku demanded, refusing to back down even as Naminé flinched at the tone of his voice.
"Do you remember fighting your Riku Replica... back at Castle Oblivion...?"
"No..." Riku gasps out, staggering a step back as her words were starting to click in his head.
"Vexen...had made more than one Replica..."
"No..." Riku began to shake his head. "No, no, no, NO. How? How was he able to get a sample of Kairi to make a Replica of her? Did he get it from you?"
"She's not a Replica of Kairi."
"What?"
"She was made from Sora..."
"!" His eyes widened at that. That kinda explains some things. He was already thinking that she might be related to Sora. And she did have a Keyblade, whether it was a sham or not. But then... "Why? Why would he do that? What was the purpose- Why didn't you tell me this?!"
"!" She took a step back and started to shake. "I, I didn't want to draw attention to her."
"Oh that's REALLY thoughtful of you. That's rather considerate of you while I've been wondering around Worlds searching for pieces of Sora's memories for you while his Replica was WONDERING around TOO!"
"Please, Riku, I was just... I was just trying to protect her."
"From who, Naminé? From Sora, or from ME?"
"No, Riku, it's not like that." Naminé insisted, taking a concerned step forward towards him.
"Then what exactly is this then? You knew about her existence this whole time. You should have told me about this back at Castle Oblivion. You've been hiding things from me. Things that I need to know. Things that YOU and ORGANIZATION XIII did to Sora!"
"!"
"Tch, fine. Keep your secrets." Riku growled, turning his back on Naminé. "As long as you keep your promise to me, I don't care."
"Riku wait!" Naminé pleaded to him with an outstretched hand. But Riku had already marched out through a Dark Corridor in a storm of fit. She did not know if she would ever see him again.
He was angry with her, and rightfully so. She did keep Xion's existence from him. Whether it was for selfless reasons to protect someone with a similar fate to her whom just wanted to exist with the life they were given; or for selfish reasons of her own, she did hide these things from Riku. And he had a right to know about things dealing with his sleeping friend with the scattered memories. And she was sorry for that. But...she had to protect Xion from DiZ and the knowledge of her existence's possible compromise to Sora's memory recovery. If she could avoid it, she didn't want Xion to have to disappear. She wished to explain this to Riku and get the chance to apologize to him. However... with the way things turned out. That's not likely to happen now...
... Day 151 ...
Radiant Garden
"What's wrong, Riku? Why so gloom?" Aeris asked down to him from her seat on her couch's arm, combing a comforting hand through Riku's hair as he lied down on the couch.
"..." He was soothed by her hand but still couldn't muster through his frustration to look up at her.
"You've been acting like this since you came home last night. What seems to be bothering you, son?"
"...It's just... Naminé has been hiding some things from me. About Sora..."
"Oh?"
"Yeah... Apparently, Organization XIII had made a Replica of Sora back from our time in Castle Oblivion. And now this Replica has been wondering around the Worlds for the Organization. Probably with Sora's Nobody as well."
"Do you know why the Organization made a Replica of Sora?"
"I don't know. Naminé wouldn't tell me."
"I see... And this troubles you...?"
"Yes..." Riku sighed out as he gathered his thoughts together. The answer he had come to made him calm down his frustration but also gave way to internal anxiety about the future course of action he will probably have to take. "It's just... I already had to destroy my Replica when he tried to end me. He had wanted to become me and surpass me. But in the end, more than anything he wanted to be acknowledged as more than a fake. That's all he really wanted...to exist... And I couldn't give him that. I took that away from him. And I'm afraid I don't have it in me to do it again with Sora's Replica..."
"..."
"She's just... She looks so much like Kairi. It would be like two blows to me than just one."
"Who says anything about you having to destroy her?"
"What?" He found the energy and the drive to turn to her at that answer.
"No one ever takes action without getting their facts together. Only fools and Heartless do that." Aeris explains. "Before deciding what do with the Replica, you should gather some information on her. See what you can find on other Worlds, search on new ones if you have to. The point is, don't rush into things half-hearted. Search for the answers yourself, if you must. You may find another way somewhere else."
"..." Her words did have a lot of sense to them. That's why he always turned back to her for guidance, his mother carried a lot of wisdom behind those Lifestream eyes. "Thanks, Mom. I think I'll do just that."
"Good. But for now, rest here..." She soothed to him, placing a gentle hand on his forehead. "You've been having a lot of hard days lately."
*** Author's Notes ***
Timeline for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 and this story... continued: Axel kept an eye on them, until day 119 when he was sent back to Castle Oblivion for a recon mission for the chamber again. And everything was starting to run smoothly again. That is until day 149 when Roxas visited Halloween Town for the first time; Axel came back from his recon; and, Xion had confronted the impostor that was going around dressed as an Organization member which turned out to be Riku- who knocked her off her feet. On day 150, while Riku is contemplating what he had seen the other day, Xion begs Saïx to give her another chance at Riku. But he says no and calls her a 'mistake that shouldn't have been made'. Roxas goes with Xaldin to Beast's Castle to investigate the residence that day. But at the end of the day, Xion does not show up for ice-cream again. It isn't until the next day when Roxas and Xion tag-team in Twilight Town to take care of their missions together that they actually talk to each other. During their ice cream get-together, Xion unloads her worries and tells Roxas why she was so down. She questions why they're gathering hearts, or why do they even need hearts. She wants answers to who she is or what she was, seeing herself as exceptional like Roxas but not the same. And that is where this chapter has ended. The rest of the story will continue onto the next chapter.
Other notes: All right! Now that was a decent sized chapter! Or at least shorter than the previous ones. If I keep this up at this pace, I'll be done with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 in 5 more chapters and be on my way to Kingdom Heart 2. Ooo, I can't wait! I hope you enjoyed, until the next chapter.