Chapter 128: The Breaking Point

"Riku!" Namine gasped.

Riku ignored her. He clutched himself tightly, breathing heavily, trying to ignore the pain. He didn't know he could do that. It was kind of cool? Definitely useful. Now if only he could remember how he did it so he could do it again.

He shook his head, though, pushing it aside. Anger boiled in his gut.

Would it be too much to ask for just five more minutes of peace? He'd only been back in Castle Oblivion for ten seconds, and already he was forced straight into the battle. This was literally the worst. (Maybe he should have stayed in Hollow Bastion... No, no, they needed him here.)

The darkness roiled under his skin, but it didn't flow out from him again. Riku thought about trying to make it, but… no. It was probably for the best. He should use it for something a little less reckless and a lot more productive, like—

There.

Riku took a step forward, summoning darkness to his left hand (a familiar action), largely just for show. He snarled at 37.

"Would it kill you," he asked, voice thin and trembling with anger, "to just leave me alone?"

37 considered him… uneasily. He definitely did not look up for a fight now. Good.

"Well, what are you suggesting we do? Leave?" 37 demanded.

"You want to stay here?" Riku replied, pouring a little more darkness into what he held at his fingertips, letting it flare up in a menacing display of power.

37 flinched slightly.

"Technically, sir," a Lexaeus Replica said. "They were warned about the ambush. This isn't necessarily our fault. Maybe it would be best to—"

Riku threw the darkness he held at the Lexaeus Replica, cutting the sentence short. The Lexaeus Replica staggered back, clutching his chest. Riku's lips drew into a smirk, and before he really thought about it, he threw another—larger—blast of darkness at the Lexaeus.

"Riku!" Namine gasped, horrified.

Riku took the darkness and twisted. The Lexaeus Replica cried out in pain, and then faded, then and there. Dead.

"Need any more incentive to leave?" Riku asked, turning to 37.

About half of the others involved with the ambush opened dark corridors and left. 37 stayed put. Riku glared and summoned more darkness to his fingertips. 37 eyed it warily, but still did nothing.

Riku threw the darkness at him. The darkness seemed to grow as it neared 37, becoming not only larger but also nastier and deadly looking. 37 quickly opened a dark corridor before it could hit him. Riku's eyes went wide with anger, and he quickly reached out and somehow caught the darkness as if by an invisible force. With a flick of his hand, it dissipated, leaving the air corrupted behind it.

"What was that…?" Namine said, sounding a lot surprised, and maybe a little bit worried.

Riku threw a glance at her—a cocky sort of what's-your-problem? look. "Darkness," he explained, simply. The complete expression of shock and confusion on her face was hard to look at, though. He suddenly felt guilty. He quickly turned away.

"Darkness is my weapon," he said. It felt too much like he was justifying himself. "I should use it – I was programmed to, after all."

"But you didn't have to…" Namine began. She shook her head, then let out a (frustrated?) sigh. "Why didn't you attack 37, first?" she asked. There was almost something disapproving in her tone, and it made Riku's stomach churn. "If… if you were going to make a point of what you could do, why not make him the example?"

"I was aiming for him," Riku said, trying to play it casual. "I missed."

He started scanning the room, making sure every threat was gone. Lucky for him, his eyes fixed firmly on a certain someone who definitely shouldn't still be here.

He made his way over to her, jumping over the couch that was in his way rather than go around it. His eyes were narrowed with determination and anger.

"I thought—" His voice was firm now, daring her to argue with him. "—that I told you all to leave."

"Well, I-" The Larxene Replica looked a bit nervous. "I'm… here to help you." She wouldn't quite look him in the eye, and she kept turning away from him. She almost looked like she was regretting something.

These were mannerisms that he wasn't used to seeing on a Larxene…

His eyes narrowed even further.

The Larxene took a deep breath, summoning her resolve, and then looked directly at him, making eye contact this time.

"I'm Q," she said, calmly. "And I-"

"What makes you think I'd want your help?" Riku interrupted, rather plainly.

"That was rude!" Amaryllis protested.

Riku ignored him.

The Larxene—Q—bit her lip.

She was silent for a long while. Finally: "Listen, I understand why you're hesitant to trust me. I get it. But would you just… hear me out?"

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Riku, c'mon," Namine said, quietly, grabbing his hand. "Just listen to what she has to say. What harm's it going to do? We can throw her out when she's done."

"I suppose I should be offended, but it wasn't like I planned on staying here…" Q muttered. She sighed. "Is that a yes then? You'll listen?"

Riku stared a second: was she asking for his permission? He tried not to think about how weird that was. "Alright, fine. Make it quick," he told her, pulling up a chair.

Q sighed. "Let's see…" she said, mainly to herself. "I've already warned you about the ambush—not that it went well, since I got here late. Uhm… they're planning to focus on kidnapping Namine instead of—"

"We know," Riku interrupted. He yawned. "Gee, lousy information, horrible timing-" he turned to 2. "We sure this isn't just a trap?"

"She seems trustworthy," he said. "And if it's any consolation, she hates 37."

"I do not!" Q argued. "I mean, I'm not entirely fond of him, and I think he's completely weird, but it's L that I have issues with."

Riku raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Q burst out laughing. "You think anyone on our side actually likes her? She's been a pain in all of our butts since she and 37 got together! I can't name a single Replica – especially not out of the Larxenes – who doesn't hate her in some way, shape, or form. She gets all these stupid privileges just because of 37 – uck! She makes me sick!"

She was practically yelling at this point, and Riku relaxed a little. This was Larxene behavior he was used to dealing with.

Toby quietly crept over to stand next to Q, glancing up nervously at her as he did so. It took Q a moment to notice him. She paused, mid-rant, and then stared at him for a bit before asking:

"What are you doing?"

"Safety precaution," he said, quietly. "Just in case your lightning gets out of control or something." He laughed, nervously. "We wouldn't want any stray lightning, would we?"

She continued to stare, confused.

Toby shrugged.

"His idea," he explained nodding in Joseph's direction.

Joseph gave a big thumbs-up.

Q stared a moment more, then rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just how are you going to keep my lightning under control?"

"Simple. You just pass everything to me." He said this like it were the most obvious thing in the Worlds.

"And you'll be able to hold onto it?"

"Should be able to. It's not usually lightning I have trouble with."

Riku raised his eyebrows about all this. Apparently, Joseph had told Toby to do this to avoid any stray lightning. So, obviously, Joseph was worried that the lightning would be an issue.

Good. Now we don't have to worry about it, a voice in the back of Riku's head said, but Riku shushed it. Q had gone back to her rant, finding the issue with Toby settled, and the rant was actually beginning to sound important.

"I doubt she even actually cares about him! She's probably just pretending for the power it grants her! She makes me so sick!"

A small bolt of lightning lashed out, which Toby quickly caught and absorbed into himself.

"Sorry," Q said.

"No worries," Toby assured her.

"So… L only got together with 37 so that she could, through him, manipulate the Program?" 2 asked.

"Yup," Q replied. "Or at least, I assume so, anyway."

"How do you know?" Riku asked. This still, sort of, smelled like a trap to him. It was almost all too convenient. Then again… he wouldn't put it past L (or any Larxene, for that matter) to do something like that.

Still…

"Remember G?" Q asked.

"Not anything about her that I assume is relevant for the conversation, no," 2 said.

Namine shook her head.

"Nope," Riku said, glaring. What did this have to do with anything?

"You killed her," Q said – it was directed at Riku.

"Yeah. Doesn't mean I remember her in particular."

"Shoved a blade through her gut."

"Doesn't help."

"She was the one that first decided that it would be a good idea to go after Namine instead of the Program," Q explained.

"Ah! That helps!"

Q was silent for a moment. "See…" she said, finally, slowly. "Me, G, and L used to be friends, a while back. G told us about her idea – kidnapping Namine – and then complained that none of the good ideas were ever used. Mind you, she thought good ideas only came from Larxene Replicas, for the most part, and it's no wonder the ideas aren't used. I mean, no one really listens to the Larxene Replicas. No one trusts us."

"With good reason," Riku said, coldly.

Q glared, but bit her lip.

Clearly, this meant enough to her that she'd avoid acknowledging that she was being insulted.

All the more reason to believe it was a trap.

"Anyway, L joked that if we wanted our ideas to be used, we should make someone in charge – well, 37, since he's the only person in charge besides Saix – fall madly in love with one of us so that he'd do whatever we told him to."

Silence.

"That's…" Joseph began, but couldn't find the words.

"Low and cruel and sick, even for a Larxene!" Namine said, then quickly added: "No offense!"

Q shook her head, dismissing it. "None taken. It's one thing to joke about that stuff, but to actually go through with it." She shuddered. "I still can't believe L did it."

"So… you're sure that L does not actually care about 37?" 2 asked.

"No," Q admitted, begrudgingly. "I confronted her about it, and she didn't confirm any love for him, but…" She grimaced. "She didn't deny any love for him, either. And we may not be friends any more, but L still can't lie to me."

"So you… don't know," Amaryllis said.

"No."

"What are you suggesting with all this?" Joseph asked. "We tell 37 that his girlfriend doesn't care about him and hope he's too heartbroken to bother us anymore?"

"It wouldn't work," Riku interrupted. Everyone turned to him. He swallowed, regretting saying anything. He couldn't back out, though. "He loves her too much. I- I've seen the look he gets, around her. And he- he loves her. Anything short of L breaking his heart herself won't make a difference, and there's a possibility that even that won't do anything." He swallowed again, trying to get rid of the tightness in his throat. "He'd still love her. And blinded by his love and guided by his hurt-" He shuddered, unable to go on. "We don't want to face the man he might become."

There was a part in the back of his heart yammering to be released. Riku shoved it aside, angrily. He'd abandoned that part of him long ago.

He took a deep breath, and then said, trying to laugh the matter off: "Besides, it's our word against hers. Who's he going to believe?"

Namine was giving him an odd look, but he did his best to ignore her. Joseph was giving him an odd look, too, but it was certainly less worried than Namine's look was. Toby wasn't looking at him. He couldn't read the look on 2's face, and Amaryllis was too far away for him to care about. Q seemed to be ignoring him; considering what he had just said.

"You're right," Q said. "When it really comes down to it, it's not going to be 37 that's the problem. It'll be L. 37 doesn't care about Namine. He's only trying to kidnap her because L thinks Rewriting her is a good idea."

"And what do you think?" Riku asked.

"About what?" Q replied. "Rewriting Namine? I think it'd work – not that I like the idea, or anything, but… I think it'd work. Especially considering some of the things that L's discussed…"

"Like what?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't," Namine whispered. "I have enough nightmares about being Rewritten already…"

Riku turned to her. She caught his eye, then shook her head, to assure him that it was nothing. He didn't believe it, but he didn't think now was the time to be arguing the matter. He wasn't going to let his guard down with a Larxene in the room.

I don't like this, he thought.

Q had continued ranting again – wait, she and 2 and Amaryllis were discussing something. Riku didn't really care what, though.

This has got to be a trap, or something.

Larxene doesn't give away this much information unless there's something to gain from it. And it's just too convenient. I mean, a Larxene shows up – who was friends with L – and claims that L doesn't actually care about 37.

That's just…

That can't be right.

There is something wrong here.

First, she claims to come to warn us about the ambush, which if I recall correctly I had to get rid of. Then the only information she gives us to gain our trust is something we already knew. Since that, she's done nothing but talk about L, and how are we supposed to know that what she says is true?

We aren't.

This is probably some stupid trick she and L cooked up…

"It's a trap," he said, interrupting whatever they were talking about.

They all turned to him.

"What?" Q asked, sounding confused and a bit angry.

"It's a trap, and I am not falling for it," Riku repeated, firmly.

"It is not a trap!"

Toby scrambled to catch the lightning that accompanied this shout. It wasn't a lot of lightning, but enough to tell Riku that Q was upset. Probably just because he had caught on to what she was doing.

"Riku," Namine said, calmly. "How is this a trap?"

Riku glanced around. Everyone was regarding him with expressions that implied they were thinking along those lines. "Have none of you noticed just how convenient this all is?" he demanded. "A Larxene Replica who just so happens to be friends with L shows up and gives us all this vital information that, supposedly, is going to help us."

They all considered this.

"He has a point," Joseph said, looking at Q. "It is a bit convenient."

Q sighed. "Look, I know what it looks like. But I swear, this isn't a trick!"

"And why should we trust you?" Riku asked, glaring.

"Why shouldn't we?" Namine asked.

"She's a Larxene, and that's reason enough!" Riku replied, voice rising slightly. How could they all be so stupid to think this was a good idea?

"Not all Larxenes are unreasonable, though," Amaryllis said.

Riku scoffed. "Yeah. And the moment you start believing that is the moment one of them trips you from behind and you get hurt."

No one argued that.

Amaryllis looked like he might've wanted to, though.

Riku frowned at this, but his attention was quickly drawn back to Q.

"Riku, listen," she said, and she was surprisingly calm as she did so. He tensed. He had never known Larxene to be calm, and decided very quickly that he did not like it. "I get it. I understand perfectly why you don't want to trust me, and that's fine, but if you'd just listen for a second—"

In fact, he hated it. Why wouldn't she scream or laugh or do something he was used to Larxene doing?

"I think I've done enough listening to you!" he shouted.

He shouldn't have been shouting; it'd only make matters worse. But this calm understanding she was giving him made him want to do anything to get her to just shout back.

"I bet L sent you here," he added.

That did it.

"L? Are you serious!? You obviously weren't listening to what I said five seconds ago – I suggested killing her!"

Q at least seemed frustrated and quite annoyed now, though it looked like she was trying to contain it.

That thought was so absurd that Riku suddenly wanted to see how much it would take to actually make her pissed.

"No, five seconds ago, I was yelling at you," he said.

She stared at him in disbelief. "You know what I meant!"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I don't want any part of your stupid revenge."

"I never said I wanted revenge!"

"Hah! So you are working with L!"

"What!?" Q screamed, and Toby had to catch another bolt of lightning. "No, you idiot! If we get rid of L, 37'd be too busy moping to do anything! I mean, you couldn't kill her, because then he'd want revenge, but if we figure out a way to make Saix do it—"

"I don't care!" Riku shouted back. "This is all just a trick, anyway!"

"It is not a trick!"

Q was practically bristling with electricity now, and Riku faltered. Maybe he should stop antagonizing her…

Relax, he told himself. Toby's got the lightning under control.

And, sure enough, Toby was pulling all the lightning into himself with ease. He had no trouble catching the stray lightning bolts that tried to get away. He seemed completely cool about it, too.

"It's no wonder you can't get along with anyone!" Q laughed, bitterly. "You refuse to listen to anyone, and what little you do listen to you just warp so it means what it want it to!"

"That's not true," Riku argued.

"Of course not!" The sarcasm was obvious. "Then tell me just how exactly, this is a trap?"

"I'm wondering that, too," 2 said. "She has not said anything that would imply that this is a trap. Yes, I see how this entire situation as whole might lead you to believe that, but I do not think that Q is entirely untrustworthy."

"Thanks," Q said. Then she frowned. "What do you mean, entirely?"

Under normal circumstances, this probably would not have been enough cause for anger to produce any amount of lightning, but Q was only calming herself down, and one small lightning bolt slipped out. Toby caught it, no problem, but… something went wrong.

It was like he'd tried to hold too much. Unable to contain all that energy any longer, it shot out of him.

It bounced off the ground.

It hit Riku square in the chest.

The force of the blow knocked Riku out of his chair, and he rolled across the ground, before finally stopping flat on his face. The world stopped, for him. Everything stopped. He knew nothing but the pain—excruciating, sharp, flooding every inch of his senses.

He grit his teeth and tried to think, tried to remind himself that it was fine, he was fine, this was now, and the real Larxene was dead, and—

It didn't matter.

Memories played back at him like a broken record.

"No!" he screamed. "Please, stop!"

"You know the consequences of stepping out of line," Larxene sneered, charging up another lightning bolt—

It wasn't like another actually hit him, but it didn't matter. Fire flooded his veins again, and Riku heaved himself partially off the ground—on his knees, forehead still pressed to the floor, clutching at his stomach. He breathed heavily through his nostrils, biting his tongue to keep himself from crying out.

But the pain was too much and the memories swirled too dizzily and it wasn't fair it wasn't fair, he didn't deserve this, he didn't—

"I didn't DO anything!" he screamed. "I didn't do anything I didn't—I'M SORRY OKAY THERE I SAID IT ARE YOU HAPPY I'M SORRY."

He curled himself up tighter, amazed when the pain actually started to ebb away. That was… wrong. That had never made her stop before, so why now? Why…?

Abruptly he realized it was deathly silent. Larxene was not laughing, not taunting, not saying anything even though he'd given her perfect reason to—

Because, of course, he realized. She wasn't even here.

Reality snapped back into place around him.

Riku remained exactly where he was, shuddering and gasping for air. He prayed desperately that he hadn't actually shouted that. (He had, though. And he knew it.) Of all the stupid, frustrating, embarrassing things to slip into. He hated it he hated it (but what was he supposed to do, when this terrible thing boiled constantly under his skin, when he could still hear her laughter ringing in his ears?)

Riku remained very still, because if he didn't move he didn't have to face it, for just a few more moments. Shame and embarrassment flooded him. He felt certain he'd be sick.

He prayed instead that no one would ask—a stupid hope—that he wouldn't have to explain. The last thing he wanted to do was explain.

"Riku…?" Namine's voice was tentative. She rested a hand on his shoulder.

He jerked violently away from her, heart in his throat and—it was just Namine, and he was being stupid, why was he like this?!

Joseph stepped forward then, hovering worriedly. "Riku I'm sorry this was my stupid idea please don't take it out on—"

"I'm fine," Riku snapped, squeezing his eyes shut so he didn't have to look at anyone, didn't have to think about it. Why was it so hard to breathe?

"Riku, please—" Namine's voice was sharp, terrified, and that made a spike of guilt go through his chest.

He didn't want to worry her, but he couldn't do this, he couldn't do this.

"I'm fine," he said again.

And he ran.