Chapter 2- Together, yet apart
Elsewhere, in a secluded, darkened room of the castle, stood a solitary figure, resting his chin on his hand in thought. This figure was dressed in a black cloak, with black gloves and boots. His most striking feature was steel grey-blue hair that was short at the back and longer on the front, with his bangs draping over the right side of his face. Then, black smoke suddenly appeared, and as quickly as it did, it disappeared, revealing a tall, burly man dressed in a similar black cloak, with short auburn hair that was slicked back into odd, messy spikes and blue eyes.
The steel-blue haired individual was brought out of his contemplation by his companion's arrival. He then spoke in an empty voice "Don't I even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?" he asked. As he spoke, a third individual in a black cloak with long platinum blond hair, with two bangs framing his face and bright green eyes appeared from the same black smoke and approached the steel-blue haired man and asked impatiently "What is going on here, Zexion? I want an explanation" Zexion turned to the new arrival and said "Nice to see you too, Vexen. It's such a shame. The Organization used to be the rope that bound us together" "You're only Number 6! How dare you-" Vexen scathingly remarked, but was interrupted by the third of their tierce "Let it go, Vexen" he said in a stern yet empty voice. Vexen eyed Lexaeus with disdain, but kept quiet all the same.
"Zexion, tell us. What did you detect?" Lexaeus asked. Zexion answered with "Visitors. I picked up three scents in the castle's lowest basement. One of them was Maleficent-" "Don't be absurd" Vexen interrupted. "The witch is gone. She cannot return from the realm of darkness of her own volition" "If you would let me finish" Zexion dryly responded. "The scent belonged not to that of the real Maleficent, but to a very convincing double. But I truly cannot say much beyond that since the double is no more. Our other visitors saw to that" he explained. "And who are they?" Lexaeus asked, curious about the other visitors. "That is where it gets complicated. I am unable to determine the identities of these other visitors, but one of the scents was very similar to that of the Superior's" he added.
"And yet, not exactly the same, is it? This truly piques my curiosity" Vexen added, while Zexion resumed speaking. "As for the third scent, I cannot ascertain as to whom it is, other than, this scent seems to invoke some sense of familiarity" "Familiarity?" Lexaeus asked, his own curiosity being piqued. "That is the best you can elucidate about this visitor, Zexion?" Vexen said, feigning amusement at his colleague's lack of explanation. "Well, the scent of darkness from this third visitor is far less potent than their companion's, but nevertheless, the fact that they are here in Castle Oblivion is reason enough to be concerned. In the meantime, what are we to do?" Zexion asked amongst his colleagues. After a brief pause, Lexaeus simply spoke "We wait. See what develops".
Meanwhile, Sairu and Riku had emerged in the next floor of the castle's basement, Sairu clutching his left arm as they walked. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?" Riku asked in a concerned voice. Sairu turned back to Riku and smiled, answering with "I'll be fine. No worries". Riku nodded to his companion, but then he started sniffing the air for some reason. "What's wrong?" Sairu asked in curiosity. "Do you smell that?" Riku asked. Sairu then sniffed the air, then shook his head. "What's that scent? It's so familiar..." Riku then proceeded to sniff his own arm, then realised what it was, to his horror. "Darkness. It's the smell of darkness. I can't believe this is happening. The darkness even seeped into my skin..." "Don't worry, Riku" The King's voice appeared out of nowhere. "Your Majesty!" Sairu and Riku said, as light blinded them, only to then reveal a transparent mouse dressed in an outfit that reminded Sairu of a certain friend of theirs.
Sairu and Riku were overjoyed to see a friendly face for a while, but were surprised to see they could see through him. "What happened?" Sairu said. "We can see... right through you" Riku said. King Mickey then proceeded to look himself over, saying to the two "Funny, huh? I can only send a bit of my power to this place. That's why I've got a request for you both" "Request? For us both?" Riku asked, turning to Sairu. "Listen, Riku" Mickey said "Just because darkness holds you, don't let go of who you are. You've got to fight the darkness inside you! It won't be easy to do, I know. But please don't forget. Even in the darkest darkness, there's always a little bit of light" "Light within darkness" Riku said knowingly before the King continued. "You and I have seen it. The far, welcoming light inside the door to darkness... The light of Kingdom Hearts- it will show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's a request from my heart" "Okay... I'll do my best" Riku said, while smiling.
"Trust me. I'll try to find a way to reach you guys. And Sairu" the King said, turning to their other companion "Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked politely. "Promise me that you will be there for Riku if the darkness overwhelms him, and I'm unable to help. The light you hold is strong. Use it well, and stand by Riku wherever he goes. That is my heart's request for you" King Mickey explained. "Well, it goes without saying, but I'll do my best" Sairu said confidently. "Good to know" the King said as he smiled and turned to Riku, holding a transparent hand out to Riku "I'll get there, I promise" and Riku reached to shake on it, but his hand grabbed nothing. "You're an illusion..." Riku said. "Don't worry. We shook hands in our hearts, remember? We're connected, us three" "Guess we are" Sairu remarked and Riku nodded in agreement before the King disappeared.
With that, Riku turned to Sairu and asked "You ready to keep going?" he asked, smiling to his friend. Sairu returned it with his own smile, and replied, teasingly "No way I'm letting you go on your own. You wouldn't last five minutes without me" "Oh, is that a challenge?" Riku replied jokingly in return. "Heh heh... Yeah. Let's get going" Sairu light-heartedly remarked, and with that, the two proceeded to the next of the card worlds, which Riku chose as Neverland.
Back with Zexion, Lexaeus and Vexen, the former stood in silence, with Vexen pacing up and down the room, as Zexion continued in his efforts in discovering the identities of the two visitors, until realization struck him. "I have identified one of the scents. It is... Riku" he spoke as he lowered his hands. Vexen ceased pacing and turned to Zexion "Riku? Has he emerged from the realm of darkness?" he asked quizzically. Zexion then decided to clarify, explaining "His existence- it was once doubled in the darkness" "Fascinating... That's why you mistook him for the Superior. The dark power given to Riku facilitated his escape from its realm" Vexen said, sounding interested.
"What I want to know is why he appeared here in Castle Oblivion" Zexion queried aloud. "That's really quite simple. His heart resonates with that of another hero" Vexen explained. "Sora is in the castle?" Zexion asked, sounding intrigued. "He arrived earlier. Marluxia is already using Naminé's unique powers to meddle with Sora's heart" was Vexen's reply. "Without even bothering to consult us" Zexion dryly commented. "It seems he desperately wants the Keyblade master for himself- what a foolish plan, indeed. Sora's is not such an interesting existence. The entity that holds true value- is Riku, the hero of darkness" Vexen said.
With that, Lexaeus turned his attention to the indigo-haired boy at his left and spoke for the first time this whole conversation "What of the other scent you detected before? Judging from your lack of explanation on this matter, I can surmise you still haven't discovered his identity." Zexion turned to face Lexaeus with a feigned expression of dejection. "Sadly, you are correct. This other traveller alongside Riku must also bear some connection to the Keyblade master, Sora" Zexion theorised aloud. "An interesting theory, but the probability of such an event is extremely low" Vexen added. "If the odour of darkness around him was more potent, I would have more success in this venture to know who it is. The only thing I can detect from this other individual is the same nagging feeling of familiarity" Zexion said.
"Hmm... Then we should confront Riku and this traveller to discover his identity. Considering Riku's fascinating existence, it would be more appropriate to confront Riku and find out his companion's identity" Vexen proposed. Zexion and Lexaeus eyed him with suspicion, but they did not dispute the matter, other than Zexion commenting "Do as you wish". Vexen simply smirked at his permission to collect something invaluable from Riku.