Red Renegade 777, thank you for the lovely review. I don't mind either or if my readers leave me a review or not, but they are greatly appreciated when they do. And you really put some time and thought into it, which put a little smile on my face, I can't help but put the same energy into responding back. As for your earlier statement, yes, I admit, 358/2 was my 2nd least favorite Kingdom Hearts- however, still beating RE: Coded by a looonnggg shot. 358/2 story was so confusing during my playthrough, it took me forever to realize what Xion really was that it was just a big ball of frustration. And as for RE: Coded
...
I don't even want to talk about it. All I'm going to say is that it was just a big filler game used to keep the fans interested during the game's long dry spell and didn't serve any real purpose to the storyline. It was a waste of my time, I'm not even going to include it in my storyline, or any of Remix game contents. Fun Fact, I used the contents from my saves from the original PlayStation 2 and GameBoy games to make the storyline for KH1, KH2, and Chain of Memories to keep the plot clean as possible. As for the relationship between Riku and Xion, I was trying to build a friendship that was a fusion between the emotions of Riku wanting to build a friendship with Xion to get a chance to know her and also a hint of remorse for the Replica of himself that he had to destroy and didn't have a chance to get to know and his wish for things not to repeat. I hope I explained myself well enough, I wanted to say more but don't want this message to go on to the point of monologuing. Anyway, I made this chapter just a little shorter, I'll finish this up in the next chapter, promise. Thank you again for the lovely review. I'll keep doing my best in future chapters.
All the Pieces Coming Together
…. Day 299 …
Riku had followed the trail of the Dark Corridor used to take Xion back to Organization XIII using a Copy spell. Adjusting his Corridor to a further distance so that he wasn't slab-dab in the middle of enemy territory. From the safety of afar, he had opened a Dark Corridor to a world forever covered in night with a giant heart for a moon as its only light that shines over an night life city. From an outside perspective the city looked empty, but with the Sense, Riku could see that the city below was filled with Neo Heartless inhabitance.
The stench of Darkness was strong here, a perfect cover for the inhabitants of the Castle buried in the heart of the city. Or that is what Riku would have said if anyone on this world had a heart. The silence of hearts here made his discovery irrefutable.
He had found it. He had found Organizations XIII hideout.
The Castle that Never Was
This was great!
…
But bad at the same time.
Sure, he found out the location of the enemy, making future plans of attack feasible. But that also meant that Xion was back in their clutches. What was he going to do? He wasn't going to fool himself into thinking that he could storm their castle of base by himself. The chances of him getting captured himself or worse would be pretty high. Asking for King Mickey to assist would only do more harm to the cause than good, DiZ would probably not even lift a finger for this, and his mother was out of the question. He wouldn't endanger himself or others for a near impossible rescue mission.
But not all hope was lost. He had found their location, and now he can observe their actions and in-and-outs without much trouble. And Xion and Roxas couldn't be held up in there forever. Eventually they'll have to come out for missions. Whether it worked for Riku's favor to capture them or to observe their actions, all Riku could do now was wait...and watch...
… Day 300 ...
Twilight Town
Riku had returned to Twilight to report to DiZ and Naminé his findings. Amazed and pleased with Riku finding the location to Organization XIII's whereabout, they all began discussions on their next course of actions on how the Organization would be dealt with. Before they could even cut into the heart of their plan-of-action, Naminé felt a disturbance in Sora's memory flow. No...not a disturbance, a complete halt. She approached his pod in alarm.
"Oh no..." gasped Naminé.
"What has happened?" Approached DiZ, joining her side, leaving no room on anything else but an answer.
"It's Sora... His memory has stopped."
"Stopped?"
"Unless something is done, he'll never wake from his slumber."
"Then so be it. The gloves must come off."
"!" Naminé turned to DiZ in alarm. "But...what'll happen to..."
"Those Nobodies had no business existing in the first place-as you know fully well, Naminé."
"Yes..."
"..." Riku had an idea what DiZ was eventually going to ask of him. Riku walked out of there before he could hear more, knowing that he was only delaying the inevitable. DiZ will eventually ask him to 'take off the gloves'. He really hoped DiZ wouldn't ask it...
… Day 321 ...
The Castle that Never Was
Riku had returned to the world of the Nobodies after the discussion with DiZ and Naminé, scouting out the Organization and their activity.
Scouting...didn't seem like the right choice of word. He had been their for days, 21 if he were to be exact. At this point this was a Stakeout. Riku had barely moved from his point, recording and keeping track of the Organization members' in-and-outs. Watching them from his Lookout Point only to return to a close by cave for shelter that would cover his trail and not alert them to his campfire. His diet of quick meals and takeout was atrocious and his lack of sleep was appalling. If his mother found out about his recent habits she would be furious. But it will all be worth it with all the data he has collected.
From what he'd seen so far, Xion was allowed to leave the castle after the day he had returned for scouting, but it would seem that she was under constant supervision. The other members would come and go for scouting purposes to the other worlds, from what he could Sense they weren't taking any action against the Heartless of the worlds they visited but observed. After some time, Roxas would be sent out to collect hearts from the Heartless of pre-scouted worlds- or Xion if their was more than one scouted out world.
On day 2 and 3 of his Stakeout, he observed as Roxas made his way to Neverland and had close dealings with Hook and active encounters with Tink. Seems that Roxas wasn't as held by a tight leash with the Organization as Xion was. Riku didn't know if he should be concerned by these discoveries or take some course of action. But as he observed Roxas going out of his way to rescue Tink from Hook and even help free Hook from his Darkness of greed that was taking ahold of him, he allowed things to run their course. Roxas appeared to only have the objective of collecting Heartless, but he had helped the world of Neverland and its occupants in the long run, whether by intentional or by unintentional chains of action. But he had also learned that Pete was the one enticing the Darkness in Hook's heart with those fake maps so as to build an army of Heartless. For what purpose he had yet to know. It would seem that he would have to keep an eye on this Pete in the future. But lucky for him, Pete was terrible at hiding his trail.
From what it seemed, the Organization was doing a good thing by clearing the worlds of their Heartless and showed signs of comradery whenever they would team up. But Riku knew that there was more to their actions then that. Regardless of their assumedly noble actions, they were still collecting hearts from Heartless. For what purpose, Riku had yet to find out. And if Riku's eyes weren't deceiving him, that heart-shaped moon of theirs was getting bigger. Was that where the collected hearts were going? Is that why it shined so bright? Was this what was luring all the Neo Heartless to this world? A Venus Flytrap for Heartless of sorts. What was the purpose of all this? And Roxas along with Xion were starting to receive Sora's memories now. And from the looks of it, they were starting to pick up Sora's...behavior- or habits if you will- as well. What does this mean?
Riku was finding answers to one question only to be halted by two more. The whole pursuit was almost maddening. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep... And the living off of coffee and energy drinks...
...
Maybe a little nap wouldn't kill him. Just for a little bit to get his energy back up...and stop the shakes.
Riku had entered the dreamworld again, its expanse of space still barren and empty from the last time he was here.
"Well, this is an unexpected surprise. It's been a long time since we've last spoken through the dreamworld, Riku." Aeris lightly giggle to herself as she twirled a lily in her fingers, most likely from her garden.
"!" Her presence was most welcomed but caught him off guard. "Mother? What are you doing here?"
"You tell me, you're the one who called me here." It was actually late, and Aeris had heard the call of Riku's heart in the distance just as she was about to fall asleep.
"I did? I must have done it unconsciously, sorry. I guess I have been rather lonely these past few days."
"Then why not come visit me, what on earth are you doing, Sweetie?"
"I've just been scouting out Organization XIII. I found their location 3 weeks ago."
"Wait, so you haven't moved from your spot since then?" Aeris said in alarm.
"No, not really...I moved around, somewhat." Riku denied to quickly shut down their worry, only to mumble out the last part. But she still heard him. Technically he did follow after the Organization members at times during missions to scout them, but that was hardly moving since he keep his distance and moved very little to keep inconspicuous. Enough for him to stretch his legs, but not enough to be considered a proper exercise.
"Riku that's terrible!" Aeris huffed before rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "You've been under isolation for 3 weeks with no active interactions with others. Most would have gone insane after two weeks of that, you're lucky you only feel loneliness. No wonder you subconsciously called out to me."
"!" Riku had his hands up in front of him in defense, he didn't know how to handle the situation. He has never seen his mother so angry with him before.
"(Sigh) Have you at least been taking care of yourself? Have you been keeping your mind active? Kept up with your homework?"
"Uhh, no...I've been occupied... I'll catch up with that later, I promise." Riku nervously answered in honesty. "But I have been training in my free time, so my body's active."
"Have you at least been eating well? Getting enough sleep?" Aeris asked before noticing the answer to her question. "Are those rings under your eyes? You haven't been getting enough sleep, have you?!"
"Uhh…" Suddenly the memory of all the empty ramen cups littering his camp sight, along with the cans of coffee ran through his mind.
"My Light, I can see your hands shaking! You look like you've been living off of Coffee and Energy Drinks! Your state of health is unacceptable, Riku!" Riku was still a growing boy, at this rate he was going to stunt his growth if this continued.
"I- I'm sorry, Mom."
"You are going to leave immediately and stretch your legs on other worlds. And while you're at it, getting yourself a proper meal!" Aeris commanded.
"But Mom, I-"
"No buts! Get moving, young man. And if I find out that you've been living on a diet of ramen, so help me, I'll- I'll-" Aeris began to stutter in her rage, her voice still soft but so miss-leading to her anger. She's rarely ever gotten angry and had no idea what to do with that energy. "I'll drag you back by the ear, take you home, and deal with this situation myself!"
"!" Her threat was alarming but he couldn't really call it a threat. "Mom, you wouldn't?! Could you even do that?"
"The Darkness is NOT the only way to travel through worlds, Riku! I can come to you in a cocoon of Light that will shoot down at your location like a comet! And believe me, it's going to be loud! Everyone will see it coming and watch as I drag you home by the ear!"
"(Gasp)! No, Mom, you can't draw attention to yourself on this world, it's dangerous!" Not to mention probably embarrassing. The Organization would probably let him go in their fits of laughter and snickers as he dragged off by his 'Mommy'.
"Then you better get going, young man. Don't make me come and get you." Aeris stated as her last warning.
"Okay, okay, I'm going, promise. But, if you don't mind, Mom- can I sleep for just a bit longer?"
"(Sigh)…" How could she stay mad at that guilty, honest face. The smile returned to her face as she gently embrace him. Riku slowly beginning to relax as well as his head rested on her shoulder. "Alright, sweetie. I know you really need it right now. But please, Riku...don't make me worry so much."
"Sorry Mom..."
… Day 322 ...
Beast's Castle
Riku had decided to pay the residence of Beast's Castle a visit. It had been a while, and if he were being honest, it looks like they could use some help. The number of Heartless on their world went down, sure. But he could Sense a dread in their hearts that was steadily rising. If this were to keep up the residence would draw in the Heartless, increasing the population once again, and thus endanger themselves. Riku needed to find out what's wrong and see if he could fix it.
Opening up a Dark Corridor to the East Wing hall, he decided the pay a visit to the one person who new everything about the castle. If anyone was keeping an update to the state of the castle, it was him.
"Oh, good heavens!" Jumped Cogsworth, startled by Riku's sudden appearance.
"Cogsworth, it's me."
"Oh, (Sigh), it's just you, Riku." Sighed Cogsworth, placing a 'hand' over his glass door. "I was afraid you were someone else."
"Hm? I didn't know you had other guest."
"Pfft, hardly." Cogsworth huffed in irritation, crossing his arm as his face scrunched. "More like a rough scallion that's been causing nothing but trouble around the castle."
"Huh? What do you mean? Have they harmed anyone?" Riku asked with increasing concern.
"No, no, nothing of the sort." Cogsworth waved off the concern to ease Riku's worry. "The stranger has been spotted around the castle by the others. He hasn't harmed anyone and would just as quickly disappear as soon as he arrives. However, I believe he's been antagonizing the master. With what? I don't know. But, whatever it is, it's been putting the master out of sorts for days."
"..." That Is concerning. "Do you think he's still in the castle?"
"I'm not sure, but the possibility still remains. I must continue to sweep the castle for signs of this intruder at once! If you want to know more, you must go ask the master."
"That's probably a good idea." Riku nodded in agreement, walking down the hall to make his way to the West Wing before turning to wave to Cogsworth. "Good luck, Cogsworth."
"Yes, yes, of course. Same to you." Cogsworth waved back at him before continuing his patrols along the hall.
Riku had settled on walking to the West Wing. Based off of what he's heard so far, he figured that Beast would be more welcoming to a normal visit than a surprise pop in. Besides, the walk over to Beast's room wasn't too bad, he had to clear some Heartless out of the way but that was no trouble. However, the number of Heartless was indeed beginning to rise again. Mostly due to the troubled state of the residence's hearts, he needed to find out what was wrong with Beast.
Knocking on Beast's door, he waited until he heard a growl of confirmation to let himself in. The room was in as much disarray as he remembered it, the only difference was that Beast's heart was in just as much disarray as well. He was pacing around the room, only acknowledging Riku's presence for a second, his heart reeking of doubt and anxiety.
"Beast, what has been troubling you?"
"(Mumble), A stranger spotted in the castle. (Grumble), A man in a black coat with black hair causing trouble, coming and going as he please. Is he a friend of yours?"
"No, I can assure you that he is no friend of mine, or yours." From the sound of things one of the member of Organization XIII has taken an interest in Beast. For what reason? He could not say. But whatever they were, they were not good.
"(Growl) I thought as much. He had the audacity to intrude into my chambers. He dared to speak such poisons to me." Beast's temper began to rise as he growled out the last part.
"What did he say to you, Beast?"
"No... I won't believe it. He must have been lying." Beast said, barely acknowledging Riku's question as he continued his pacing, slowly walking over towards the rose in the glass cover on the table. "Belle, betray me? He said she would take everything from me. That's not possible. (Roar) I trust her!"
Beast's slammed his fist on the table in rage.
"Don't let his words distress you so much. You've known Belle for so long, you know she would never do that. Don't take such words from a stranger close to heart."
"(Rumble) I know, you're right. It's just..." Beast's voice softened with a rumble as he calmed down again. But now instead of rage he was filled with doubt.
"..." This was not good, the seeds of doubt have already taken root inside Beast's heart. If this continued at this rate, Beast's doubt will grow into paranoia. He'll soon began to trust no one. Starting with Belle, then the residence of the castle, continuing on until he trusts no one at all. His heart will be filled with bitterness, closed off in anxiety, drawing in the darkness. His closure will draw rise in the concern and apprehension of the others, thus luring in the Heartless. He'll probably lose his heart to darkness and possibly...lose his world to the darkness again as well. This could not happen, Riku would not let such a thing happen again.
Whoever has been filling Beast's heart with doubts has made a fine mess for Riku to clean. He was starting to wish he had paid more attention to the other Organization members actions instead of focusing on Roxas and Xion. Now he had no idea which of the other members it was that is causing trouble at Beast's Castle. Beast had said that the man had black hair, so that lowered his options down to two at least, not counting the one member he has not seen yet whom was likely the Leader. Well, whomever they were, they were more than likely not coming back for a while. The job they had set out to do was done. Now all that was left was to leave it alone to let it feaster and grow.
However, there was still a possibility that they may come back. And with the power to come and go as they please at any random moment, Riku was not going to leave his choice to chance. He will stay for a while to make sure that this guy doesn't come back. And if he does, Riku was going to catch him. No matter what, he couldn't leave the situation alone, he had to help fix it. But now he had to be careful, his apprehension was starting to build up as well, and it didn't help much that he had left the door open behind him so anyone wondering the hallway could hear them...
… Day 326 ...
Riku has stayed in Beast's Castle for a few days and there was still no sign of the Organization 'stranger'. He had been on guard for days, patrolling all the Wings, there was no way he could've missed them. Unless his earlier theory was right, the stranger wouldn't be coming back for some time, the damage was already done. Beast's mood was slowly getting worse and worse with each passing day. Belle was troubled and didn't know what to do, her worry for Beast growing and growing with each day as well.
But knowing her heart, she was a strong and brave young woman. She would not give up so easy. Gathering everyone in the Living area around the fireplace, she decided to discuss the situation with everyone to see if they could find a solution with combined ideas. Together, she was sure that they could all come up with something. Riku was a little surprised that he would be included in this little powwow, but he was glad to help in any way he could. Besides, Mrs. Potts tea was always a lovely treat... along with the Cook's treats.
"(Sigh) I don't know what to do. He just isn't himself lately." Sighed out Belle as she looked down at her cup of tea. "I wish there was some way we can help him."
"Oh, if the master could only get his smile back. He'll never bring his spirit up as he is." Mrs. Potts sighed out too with worry. Chip not too far from her side, leaning into her for comfort.
"!" Belle's eyes lighted up like a lightbulb. Mrs. Potts words gave her a wonderful idea. "I know! We should throw Beast a party. That ought to cheer him up."
"That's a great idea, Mademoiselle!" Lumiere cheered in agreement, jumping around. "We should throw him a party, a grand one at that!"
"Ooo, a Ball does sound nice." Mrs. Potts said in excitement. "It's been so long since we've had use of the Ballroom, I can hardly wait."
"Now, now, don't get too excited. Preparing for a Ball takes a lot of time for planning and preparation." Cogsworth pointed out, calming their excitement before they got their hopes up too high, just in case it doesn't work or if the master turns them down.
"It'll be alright, Cogsworth. As long as we work together there's nothing we can't do, no matter how long it takes. We'll get Beast back to his normal self again, I'm certain of it." Belle said encouragingly. Her hope rising the hopes in their hearts as well, cancelling out the worries in their hearts.
"..." Riku was amazed at how quickly Belle's influence could snuff out the darkness growing inside the castle. So this was the power of a Princess of Heart. Powerful thing indeed. If things continued on this path, then this world will be alright.
*** Author's Notes ***
Timeline for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 and this story... continued: On Day 299 Roxas asks around about Xion's whereabouts in the castle, even Xemnas. He even asks about Sora which Xemnas answers that Sora is the connection between Roxas and Xion (and Xion is the 'key' that Sora had formed). Afterward, Roxas goes on his mission in Neverland. On Day 300 Roxas goes to Neverland again, it's night again as well. Hook and Smee have captured Tinker Bell. She has nothing to do with his mission but Roxas helps her anyway, rescuing her from her lantern prison. He was about to leave after helping her, but Tinkerbell insisted that he look into the shredded map pieces. Roxas agrees to investigate the marked spot so Tinker Bell helps him by sprinkling him with Pixie Dust to fly again. Investigating the marked spots, he finds out that the Heartless are showing up because of Hook- not the wooden chests- and goes to Hook and Smee to see the proof. His target pops up, Phantomtail, so he decides to take care of that instead and leaves the question as to 'why are Heartless showing up because of Hook' for another day. Pete shows up after Roxas leaves. He's using Hook's greed to attract the Heartless but his plans keep getting ruined if they keep getting destroyed. At the end of the day Roxas, Axel, and Xion sit quietly together in Twilight Town, with no ice cream.
On Day 301 Roxas goes back to Neverland, it's dawn there. He's near Skull Island. Tinker Bell is there and immediately helps him fly. She wants him to go there too, in doing so, Roxas runs into Hook and Smee again still digging for treasure. They actually find treasure, causing Hook's greed to overflow more than ever. This causes the chest to reveal its true Heartless form. Pete reveals himself to Roxas and his part in all this too, upset that Roxas was the one defeating his Heartless. Apparently, he wanted them for his private army. Roxas ends up having to take care of the Heartless, Ruler of the Sky, which crashes into Hook's ship after defeat (much to Tinker Bell's humor). Pete retreats after his Heartless' defeat. At the end of the day, Roxas sits alone.
Day 302 Roxas goes to Halloween Town, supposedly to help Xigbar but he ends up having to track him down. Heartless are overrunning the place. Xigbar decides to reveal himself by giving Roxas a hand with a Carrier Ghost Heartless from above in the graveyard. They track down a giant Heartless, Snowy Crystals, turns out to be the wrong one. Xigbar ends up saving Roxas by pushing him out of the way of an attack from the real target, Chill Ripper. Day 303 and 304 Roxas just goes to Beast's Castle and Wonderland before the time-jump from Day 305 to 321.
Memories are coming back to Roxas on Day 321. Memories of Sora's first arrival to Hallow Bastion when he loses the Keyblade. He doesn't understand them but they make him sad. Roxas goes to Agrabah with Xion for that day's mission. They stumble upon the world's Keyhole and Xion remembers the place, it does a number on her head. She starts to see the similarities between Roxas and Sora. They end up fighting a large Heartless, Spiked Crawler, Xion starts suddenly using muscle memory of Sora's moves. Roxas seems exhausted after the fight far more than usual. At this point, Roxas is still mad at Axel for the way he brought Xion back but she defends Axel, saying she wouldn't be there if Axel hadn't had done it, that Axel is still Roxas's best friend. Things wouldn't be the same without all three of them. Later, Xion confronts Axel to ask if something is wrong with Roxas. His Keyblade wears him out more than usual and that she was starting to fight the same way he does. Axel tells her she knows Roxas better than him, she should ask herself that question. He's a little cruel about her being a Replica, a puppet whose original purpose was to duplicate Roxas's power. If he's getting weaker, she's getting stronger. Which means, she's borrowing a little more than she ought to be. She asks him what she should do and he tells her, he wouldn't know. She's not a puppet in his book, she's his best friend. She also asks about Sora which Xigbar is listening in on.
Day 322 Xigbar reports in what he's heard to Xemnas and Saïx. They only need one of the Keyblade wielders. Whether Xion destroys Roxas, or vice verse, Sora's powers will be theirs. Meanwhile, Roxas goes to Beast's Castle to search for Xaldin and defeat a Blitz Spear Heartless. Turns out Xaldin has been planting the seeds of doubt in Beast's heart about Belle. Day 323 Roxas and Xigbar go to Olympus Coliseum to defeat a Scorching Sphere Heartless. Day 324 Roxas goes to Wonderland. Day 325 Roxas and Luxord go to Neverland. Day 326 Roxas goes to Halloween Town to defeat three Windstorm Heartless. The calm before the storm is slowly coming to an end... And that is where this chapter has ended. The rest of the story will continue onto the next chapter.