Chapter 3: Phantasms and Shadows
The next morning, the sun shone bright through the star shaped window above Riku's bed. It's rays gently extended across his sleeping features. His silvery-violet hair lay spread out behind him, with strands and locks spilling into his face. Riku's eyes remained closed as he slowly awoke, his eyes twitching ever so slightly behind closed lids as the light teased his vision. Morning already? Riku rolled over onto his back and yawned widely behind his hand, raising them both to his face to rub the sleep out of his blue green eyes. He blinked twice before peering over to the window.
A warm breeze rustled through his room and the sounds of birds serenading the world with a morning tune could be heard surrounding the tower. With a sigh and reluctance to get out of bed, because the pillow was so soft and the blankets cuddly and warm, Riku pushed back the covers and sat up in bed, stretching his defined arms into the air above him and wondered absentmindedly if he should eventually get some new clothes. The tightness of his yellow sleeveless was more apparent than ever once he stretched, and he didn't want to walk around being uncomfortable. Besides, he wouldn't be able to wear these forever. He yawned once more, making to get out of bed, but before he could even stand up, there was a knock on his door.
"Come on in," Riku called, his voice still sounding drawn with sleep. The door flung open and in walked King Mickey holding a tray of food.
"Good morning, Riku! I brought you some breakfast. There's eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice here for you," Mickey quipped as he sat the tray of food on the desk table across from Riku's bed.
The smell of bacon filled his senses, and for once, this was a scent that Riku could tolerate. His stomach rumbled loudly, having not eaten anything since yesterday morning, and his mouth watered from the smell and sight of the food. "Hey, thanks Mickey," he thanked the King gratefully, making his way over to the desk and sitting down to eat.
"Make sure you eat every last bite. You need to keep up your strength. We have a long journey ahead of us, you know?" Mickey insisted, and Riku nodded at the King through a mouthful of bacon and eggs, savoring every single bit of flavor. Within moments, he cleared his tray and downed the orange juice, feeling much more refreshed, but wishing he had somewhere to take a long, hot shower. Perhaps when they arrived in Twilight Town, he'd be able to do just that at the mansion. As Riku stood to grab his shoes, so he could get ready for the day, Mickey chuckled. "I'm sorry, Riku, but I couldn't help but notice your clothes."
"Huh?" Riku's head jerked up and he stood, looking down at himself and joined the King in his laughter. "Haha, yeah. I noticed last night. Pants are a bit short, and shirt is just a bit too tight," he added, tugging on the collar of his sleeveless top.
"Well you definitely have grown a few inches or so," Mickey stopped laughing and smiled up at Riku. "We'll need to get you something a bit more fitting so you can move around more comfortably. I'll go let Yen Sid know. He should be able to help you out with that."
"Oh, no. No it's not necessary. I'm sure I can find something on my own later," Riku began protesting, but Mickey had already walked out of the silver haired youth's room, leaving him there with a hand raised in attempt to stop the King. A very uncomfortable sensation rose in Riku as he flopped back down on the bed. What was Mickey going to do exactly? Ask to borrow some munny so Riku could purchase himself something new? No, absolutely not. He did not like the idea of being indebted to anyone financially. He rose from the bed and began making his way to the door to hopefully stop the King from asking, when the door opened once more and Mickey, followed by Yen Sid walked in.
The old sorcerer chuckled, seemingly amused. "Ah, yes. I see what you mean, Mickey. A growing boy needs clothes that will fit him comfortably if he is to battle. Come, Riku. I can help you with that issue."
Grudgingly, Riku, alongside Mickey, followed Yen Sid out of his room, down the hall and back into the Master's study. Instead of stopping at his desk, he approached the double doors that were just to the left of his desk and opened them up. "Flora, Fauna, Merriweather? I was hoping you ladies could assist this young gentleman. His name is Riku. He is a friend of King Mickey's, and he is in need of some new, more fitting garments."
Out of nowhere, three, little old ladies that appeared to be like witches at first glance, swooped down in front of Yen Sid, causing Riku to jump back slightly in surprise. They were all dressed the same, with pointy hats, and poofy dresses, but one was wearing pink, another was wearing blue, while the tallest one of the group was wearing green. On their backs were delicate, fluttering wings. Riku then realized that they were fairies of the likes that which he had never before laid eyes on. The blue one approached him swiftly as Yen Sid turned on his heel and walked out of the door. "Do your best now, ladies."
"Hello, Riku! I'm Merriweather," the little fairy in blue greeted the boy.
"I'm Fauna," said the fairy in red.
"And I'm Flora," the fairy in green tacked on.
The shorter, chubbier fairy dressed in blue, the younger of the three as her hair was of deep ebony, while the other two had greying hair, flew a small circle around Riku who attempted to follow her movements by inclining his head, but found she was just too fast. She swooped down behind him and then back in front of his face once more. "Oh no no no, this will never do!" the fiesty fairy in blue insisted, wiggling her chubby body back and forth stubbornly.
"Look at these clothes! They're just too small for the boy," the tall fairy dressed in green was now behind a very bewildered Riku, pushing him into the center of the room, while the other two fairies flew in front of him and grabbed his hands, pulling him forward. Riku made noises of protest, but the fairies just ignored him, chattering loudly as they dragged him to the middle where they all three flew in a circle surrounding him.
"Is this really necessary?" Riku questioned as he stumbled into the spot where the fairies had settled him, but the three good ladies ignored him and he just held his hands up, shrugging in the process, unsure of what they had planned for him.
They each held in their hands a long, thin wooden wand, shimmering and sparkling with magic as they flew in a slow circle around Riku, sizing him up. "Yes, yes. I think this will be a good idea. Yes, mmhmm... Alright then, dears! Let's get to work!" the older fairy dressed in pink, whom seemed to be the leader of the three, flew upward above Riku and pointed her wand down toward him.
"A dash of this and that and...!" the fairy in green pointed her wand toward Riku and shot a stream of magic at him. It smacked him the chest, and he excepted to feel something painful, but oddly enough it felt warm and almost ticklish. He was too stupified to really notice the sensation as he stared down at his clothes which were now all green. They hadn't changed in size or style at all.
"Oh no, absolutely not! Blue!" the fairy in blue was next to point her wand at Riku, and shot another jet of magic at him changing his clothes to blue. Some arguing began ensuing between the three good fairies, with each taking turns shooting magic at Riku, and they were getting nowhere. Finally, the fairy in pink was the next to send her magic aiming toward Riku, which yet again, slammed him in the chest, and much to Riku's horror, all of his clothes were now various shades of pink. If Sora caught him looking like this, he'd never live it down.
"Okay, okay! Seriously, that's enough!" Riku shouted, his aquamarine eyes widened, clearly mortified at the idea of being caught in such a girly color. "Change it back right now! There's no way in... no way I'm going to be caught dead in something like this!" He wanted to at least leave the tower with some of his dignity in tact. The three fairies all stepped back with a small gasp at Riku's outburst, but then laughed amongst one another, clearly embarrassed, and recovering from the raise in Riku's voice.
"Alright then, dears. No more quibbling," Fauna scolded them gently. "Together now." The three good fairies raised their wands, waving them in a decorative fashion and then all three of them pointed the tips toward Riku and he was hit with a vibrant flash of magic and light.
He squeezed his eyes closed from the vividness of the light and when the brightness had dispersed, he looked down to see himself wearing a whole new style of clothing than that of his old island attire. A pair of fitted, baggy blue jeans sat loosely on his hips, held up by a black, leather studded belt. There was a black, zip-up sleeveless shirt with a tall collar. It zipped from both the top and the bottom, along with a white, vest that was left unzipped. It was decked out in yellow on the collar with yellow and blue striping near the bottom. On his feet where a pair of white and gray tennis shoes with orange shoelaces, and he realized his feet didn't feel squished anymore.
"Come over here now, Riku dearie, and take a look in the mirror! Tell us what you think!" Merriweather ushered the boy, placing her hand on his arm and turning him toward a full-lenth mirror that hung on the wall.
Riku studied his reflection in the mirror, and despite the horror of wearing all pink a moment ago, not a single touch of that color was on his new clothes, and he had to hand it to the fairies, they didn't do too bad. He toyed with the zipper on his collar, zipping it down far enough so that it wasn't choking him, while the zipper at the bottom of the shirt was moved up a ways, his navel clearly visible. It didn't look too bad, considering he had a defined, toned torso, and so he left it the way it was.
These clothes were definitely much more comfortable, loose and not quite so restraining as his others had been. He turned toward the fairies and offered them a small smile. "These are really good. Thanks," he expressed his appreciation to the ladies. "I've got to be going now. Thanks again for the clothes," Riku waved to the girls as he left the room, grateful and yet somewhat relieved to be out of their magical clutches. That was quite the ordeal he'd just experienced, and he hoped he'd never have to go through it again.
"Your Majesty, I'm ready to go whenever you are. I just need to stop by my room and grab my coat first," Riku said has re-entered Master Yen Sid's study. Mickey turned toward Riku, nodding his head.
"Gosh! The good fairies sure did a great job on those new clothes of yours, Riku! You look great and much more comfortable!" Mickey enthused as Riku gave a half smile and waved off the mouse's compliments. Too bad he'd have to cover them up with that confining Organization coat again.
He approached his room, giving it another once over, before grabbing his black coat off of the back of the chair where it had lay previously. He slipped the coat on, tugging it over his shoulders and stretching his arms and zipping it up. It's magic instantly covered up Riku's new garments, making them appear black, as well as his new tennis shoes now appeared in the form of black boots. It was both astounding and constricting, but since it hid his presence, it was important he wear it.
Minutes later, Riku, King Mickey and Yen Sid all stood at the base of the tower where a tall, purple train outlined in gold moons and stars, similar to that of Yen Sid's tower, sat on a floating set of glowing tracks. It was only one car, but very long, and there seemed to be no conductor. The front of the train was almost reminiscent to that of Yen Sid's own wizard hat.
"King Mickey, my friend. I wish you the best of luck during your travels to Twilight Town and your journey to help Sora," Yen Sid began as he bid the King goodbye. The two shook hands, exchanging farewells, before Mickey turned to make his way into the train. Riku began following Mickey to climb up into the train, when he felt a large hand rest on his shoulder. Riku gasped, turning his head to look over his shoulder and met Yen Sid's wide-eyed, unnerving expression. "Riku, ahead is a journey fraught with perils of the likes that which you have never experienced. Be well prepared and be on your guard, and do not forget... what I told you."
Riku turned around to face Yen Sid, lowering himself into a respective bow. "I won't. Thank you, Master Yen Sid," the young man told him, despite his doubts he still continued to harbor. Riku boarded the train as he and Mickey waved their goodbyes to powerful sorcerer. The door to the train closed, the whistle blew, and the strange locomotive, powered by no conductor, but magic instead, was off. Riku leaned against the wall of the train, his arms folded over his chest, peering out one of the star shaped windows, watching as the world flew by in a haze of color, mist, dark skies and stars. He wondered exactly how dangerous this journey for them was going to be, as those final words of Yen Sid's echoed within the confines of Riku's mind.
"Your Majesty?" Riku began, deciding to voice his thoughts.
Mickey's head popped up. "What is it, Riku?"
He walked over to the blue, velvet bench where Mickey sat comfortably as the rumble of the train on floating tracks hummed underneath them and took a seat next to the King. "Master Yen Sid told me that this journey was going to be a dangerous one. He said that it'll be something I have never experienced before. What exactly did he mean by that?" Riku asked him nervously, afraid that he already knew the answer to the question.
"Well, we're going to be dealing with the Organization, I'm sure, but in terms of danger, I'm not exactly sure how much. I mean, we've battled some of the Organization before back at Castle Oblivion successfully," Mickey replied thoughtfully.
Riku sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. Maybe it was better late than never to tell the King what Yen Sid had said to him last night. His words had been bothering him since he'd went to bed that night. "Yen Sid came to my room last night to talk to me about some things," he began. Might as well tell him instead of keeping it from him. Knowing Mickey, he'd eventually figure it out anyway.
The King's attention was fully on Riku now. "What sort of things?"
Riku rubbed a hand nervously through his locks of silvery hair. "Like, he said he could sense the darkness within me, and how strong it is, but that he could also sense light. He told me that if I didn't have light in me, then I wouldn't feel the way I do now." He chose to leave out the words Yen Sid had spoken when it came to his friends, about how Riku shouldn't shut them out. That wasn't something he was exactly ready to discuss yet, because he was still having doubts and unsure of what to do when it came to his friends.
"Well, how do you feel Riku?" Mickey questioned, and Riku squeezed his eyes shut.
"It doesn't really matter how I feel. What matters is, that Yen Sid could see right through me. He said that I should believe in myself, and learn to accept my darkness, but the last time I accepted my darkness, well you know what happened." Riku dropped his head into his hands, rubbing them hard across his face as though trying to iron it out.
"Riku," Mickey began placing a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "I don't think the context in which Master Yen Sid spoke was for you to accept darkness the way you did back at the island, but that you should learn to accept that your darkness is a part of you. Once you do that, then you'll be able to take on anything."
"I told Yen Sid that it's not so easy to just accept my darkness as a part of me, Mickey. It's constantly weighing me down. I'm so drained by it. At least once every day in some form, it's back and it's tormenting me. It's hard to deal with and difficult to accept. I do not want to give in to the darkness again," he added persistently, staring hard at the floor.
Mickey sighed sadly as he let go of Riku's arm. "I'm sorry, Riku. I wish there were some way I could help you."
"It's alright, your Majesty. Just you being here is help enough," he lifted his head to give the King a smile, to which Mickey returned. The two fell silent as the train continued it's journey on the floating tracks, and before long, Riku found himself drifting off to sleep, leaning against the wall, the humming of the train lulling him to sleep once more.
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Riku's head jerked upward as the sound of laughter filled his ears. Had he been sleeping this whole time? The sounds of ocean waves, singing seagulls mixed in with laughter, and the scent of the salty sea permeated his senses. The sun had risen high in the sky, and it's rays were shining down over the ocean's waves, giving the low current a shimmering look. He was seated comfortably on the paopu tree, one of his favorite places to sit on the island. He enjoyed the smell of the ocean as the breeze flew off of it, the feel of the sand underneath his feet, and the sound of the wind rustling the leaves in the palm trees comforted him and he drew his knee upward, rubbing at his sleepy eyes.
"Riku!" came a familiar voice rushing near him.
"Hmm? Sora!?" he turned to peer over his shoulder to see a boy clad in red and black, with brown, unkempt spiky hair and yellow clown shoes running in his direction. Closely behind him was a red haired girl laughing loudly, dressed in purple and white. "Kairi too!? How did I get back here?" the blue-green eyed boy wondered aloud.
"Hey, Riku! You're always calling me the lazy bum yet you're just sitting here with your butt planted to a tree! C'mon! Let's race! I'll meet you down at the beach if you can catch me!" Sora yelled, before he turned sharp on his heel and zoomed off, leaving Riku standing there thoroughly shocked.
He was almost positive his island had been swallowed by darkness, but maybe that had all been just a dream? Unsure of what was transpiring, Riku shook his locks of silvery violet and took a leap off the side of the tree, landing on his feet in the sand, cat-like before racing to catch up with Sora, a large smile on his face. He hadn't felt this good in so long! He actually felt happy. Genuinely happy. The feel of the ocean's spray caressed his skin as he caught up with his friend.
"Wow, and I even gave you a head start!" Riku laughed as Sora protested with an indignant "Hey!" Riku's laughter mingled along with Kairi's and soon Sora's, before the three of them were all running in a line together laughing alongside each other. The laughter was abruptly cut off by a shrill scream. Riku whirled around in horror to see a massive vortex of swirling darkness appearing above Kairi's head. It was lifiting her off of her feet now, and expanding slowly across the ever darkening sky.
"SORA! RIKU! HELP ME!" Kairi cried out as Sora made a daring leap, grabbing onto Kairi's hand.
"KAIRI! DON'T LET GO!" Riku heard Sora's panicked tones, but the girl was being lifted by her feet now and slowly being dragged into the vortex of darkness.
"NO! KAIRI! SORA!" Riku yelled as he raced towards his friends, and now Sora was being lifted off of the ground, his grip still tight on Kairi's hand. "HOLD ON! I'LL GET YOU DOWN!" Riku lept in to the air in much the same manner Sora had and grabbed ahold of his friend's wrist with both of his hands, his feet planted firmly on the ground. Riku found it strange that he was not being pulled into the fearful vortex above them along with his friends, but gravity seemed to have a firm grasp on his feet. "PLEASE DON'T!" He could feel his grip loosening on Sora's wrist as the power of the vortex pulled his friends away from harder than ever.
Riku lost grip with one of his hands on Sora's wrist, but his other hand still had a firm hold. Sora's fingers were gripped around Riku's wrist as well, while he tried to focus on holding onto Kairi, and Riku felt his heart nearly leap out of his throat as Sora lost grip on Kairi and she disappeared, screaming into the swirls of darkness above them. "Don't you dare let go!" Riku warned Sora, the backs of his eyes beginning to tingle and burn with oncoming tears. He'd already lost Kairi, and if he could help from it, he was not going to lose Sora too. "Sora, hold on!"
Sora gave Riku what appeared to be a sad, almost apologetic expression as his wrist began sliding more out of Riku's grasp. Their fingertips grabbed hold of one another firmly. "I'm sorry, Riku. I'll find Kairi. We'll see each other again. I promise," Sora assured his friend and gave Riku his signature, goofy grin.
Riku just shook his head in denial. "No..."
Their fingers lost grip, and Sora went tumbling upward, head over heels, disappearing into the vortex. Riku stood alone on the island, no longer able to see his friends as the darkness above swallowed them. He threw his head back, hands clenched into fists hard at his sides, screaming an anguish. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Riku tried to leap into the vortex after his friends, but to no avail. The vortex rose itself above the ground even higher, and he watched in horror as pieces of the island began breaking and being lifted into the vortex in the same manner that Sora and Kairi had been. Riku then remembered the door inside of the secret place, the cave he and his friends had played in as children, and took off running away from the flashing, menacing vortex of darkness. If the darkness in the sky wouldn't take him to his friends, then perhaps the door would if he could find a way to open it.
"What's wrong, Riku? I thought this is what you wanted?" a deep, echoing voice resounded in the silver haired youth's head.
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Riku shouted at the voice, doing his best to ignore it. He ran, dodging pieces of the island, chunks of land, trees and wood flew past him violently, branches and leaves slamming into him every so often as he raced toward the cave, but Riku paid it no mind.
"Riku... You accepted darkness as a part of you. You allowed the darkness in your heart. You are the one who put your friends' lives in danger. You brought the darkness to the island. You are the only one who was able to do so, and now that you have, why do you shun the darkness?" Riku quickly recognized the horrible voice as Ansem's, the man who had possessed him and stolen his body to accomplish his own dark deeds.
"No! I never... I never wanted ANY of this! I'm not some kind of demon! I never wanted my home destroyed or my friends taken away from me!" He finally found himself inside of the Secret Place. Here where he, Sora and Kairi had played to their young hearts' content. They spent many hours drawing on the walls, playing games and exploring the cave. He ran to the mysterious door, and began pounding on it, kicking it and slamming into it, while Ansem's voice laughed cruelly in his mind.
"You're wasting your time. You will never make it through the door. You will never see your friends again. Their lives are forfeit."
"W-what? Forfeit? No, they can't... Sora! Kairi! I know you're there, you've gotta be there! Please, please open the door!" Riku's fists pounded on the door, his cries pleading.
"It is useless, Riku. Your voice will not reach them. Your efforts are in vain. They are gone, and you will never see them again. Now, come with me and join me in the realm of darkness. You will no longer be alone."
The realization that his friends were truly gone and not coming back, slammed into Riku like a massive, invisible anvil and sent him to his knees. His head dropped in between his arms, long locks of silvery violet falling against the sides of his face, his fists clenching on the ground. "No, this can't be happening. This can't be real. Sora, Kairi... I'm so sorry." Riku's breath hitched, and for the first time in years since he was a small child, he allowed the tears to come, and come they did. One fell, right after the other, soaking his face, distorting his vision.
"What a pitiful sight. Why allow yourself to suffer and be sad?" a voice resounded from behind Riku, and the teen lept to his feet, whirling around, coming face to face with the one being Riku most hated beyond all comparison. Ansem stood in front of Riku, his expression condescending and mocking, arms folded across his chest as if he were proud of himself. Riku clenched his teeth, attempting to steady his breathing and ease the streams of tears coursing down his face.
"You. It was you all along. YOU are the one who did this to me! YOU TOOK MY FRIENDS AWAY FROM ME! YOU KILLED THEM!" with a turbulent roar, Riku reared one hand back, a brilliant ball in mixture of dark light and razoring sparks appeared in his hand and he launched the ball of dark energy in Ansem's direction, his screams reverberating on the cave walls around him.
Riku woke up violently, the sounds of his own screams filling his ears, intermingled with Mickey's fearful cries.
"Riku! RIKU! You have to stop! It was just a dream!" The mouse's voice sounded closer than ever now, and with a start, Riku realized he had been dreaming. He looked at his hand which was sparking with power and he lept up from the seat, backing away from Mickey, his aquamarine eyes wide with fear and heartbreak. It took him a moment to realize that he had come to and was back in the real world, and that the train had stopped. His eyes were wet, vision still somewhat blurred, and his face damp. Riku realized that he had been crying in his sleep, and a wave of humiliation washed over him.
"I'm sorry. I am so sorry. Don't know what came over me," was all Riku could say, as he turned his back toward the king, dipping his head, attempting to discreetly wipe his face off to regain composure, embarrassed that his friend could see him in such a state. The dream, no, the nightmare had been so real, and the remnants of it seemed to linger as he wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "Wow. Not like me at all."
"There's no need to apologize, Riku," Mickey began soothingly as he approached his friend. "Are you sure you're alright?" Riku could feel the King's eyes practically x-raying him, and so he took a deep breath, raised his head and turned toward the small King to look at him. He gave Mickey a shaky smile.
"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare is all. Whew. Just gotta pull it together. Can't remember the last time I had one of those," Riku feigned a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't help but be embarrassed. He wasn't one to show emotion around anyone, let alone the King himself. Mickey raised one eyebrow warily at Riku, but Riku just continued to smile and looked toward the train door. Riku could see that Mickey knew he was lying, but chose to ignore it. He wasn't fine at all, but there was no time to concern themselves with that. It was time to get it together and focus on getting Sora, Donald and Goofy brought to safety.
"So, are we here then?" Riku inquired, peering out of the window, attempting to change the subject. They were pulled up and stopped outside of what appeared to be a train station.
"Yes, we're here," Mickey replied as the train door opened up, and the two friends exited the train.