Chapter 3- Familiar faces
After clearing the card world of Neverland, Riku and Sairu were returned to the castle floor, where they were greeted by a strange sight: an oval of black smoke erupted from the ground, and once it disappeared, a figure stood in its place: a platinum blonde-haired man with bright green eyes, dressed in only a black cloak, with gloves and boots. Once his eyes fell on Riku before him, he then turned his gaze over to Sairu, who seemed to recognise him, and in turn, he was familiar with Sairu.
After looking him over, Vexen turned his gaze to Riku again and spoke "I take it you're Riku" he spoke rather formally. "Are you with Ansem?" Riku demanded. "You are half correct. Let us say he is not the Ansem with which you are familiar. He is Ansem, and he is not Ansem. Perhaps a 'Nobody' best conveys the idea" Riku stood there, ready to draw his sword in case of a struggle. Then Sairu spoke up before Riku responded "You... You're... Even, aren't you?" Vexen then directed his attention on Sairu and answered "Much like your friend here, you are also half correct. I was indeed Even, but now, I am Vexen, the chief scientist of the Organization. I am only half the man I once was, or perhaps I'm even more than before" chuckling at the end in a teasing manner.
Sairu was not buying this answer. "It was a simple yes or no question. Are you or are you not Even?" he asked in an angry tone of voice. Vexen then gave Sairu a disgruntled expression and said "Must I repeat myself? I am certain that I provided an adequate answer... Sairu". This took Riku and Sairu by surprise: so he knew who they both were, but how did he know? "So, you remember who I am" Sairu said, being the only words he could muster. "Indeed. Zexion has been attempting to decipher the identity of the two visitors, but now, here is the proof" "Riddles were never my thing. Try again" Riku spoke up, looking back at Vexen. "Well, where did we leave off? He belongs to neither the light nor the dark but walks the twilight between" Vexen explained which served to baffle the two friends, leaving Vexen to chuckle at their confusion.
"Catching on now? Oh yes. You both also stand in between the light and darkness. It appears we have much in common" Riku clutched his chest as he absorbed what Vexen was saying. "Maybe..." Riku then said "Like you said, there really is darkness left inside of me. But so what?" he exclaimed, summoning his sword and exclaimed "Darkness is my enemy! And so are you for reeking of that awful smell!" With that, Sairu stood at Riku's side with his own sword in hand. "Oh ho! So it's a fight you want. Very good- I shall take you on!" And the same as before, everything went white as Sairu transformed into a card, leaving Riku to battle Vexen himself.
Soon, once Sairu was returned to his regular form, he noticed Riku attempting to futilely break through Vexen's shield, evoking humour from the Chilly Academic. "I find, coursing through you, there is a darkness of formidable power growing! Well worth the trouble of aggravating you. All this excitement has provided me with invaluable data." He exclaimed in mock glee, which served to enlighten Riku. As they broke apart, Vexen gives his many thanks to Riku, and bids farewell, retreating into more of that dark smoke. "Tch...It was a trick all along" he said spitefully. Sairu then approached Riku and asked "Are you alright, Riku?"
Riku then turned to Sairu and answered, dejectedly "I'm fine. Can't believe he wound me up for data collection. Anyway, you called him Even before. Do you know who that guy was?" His question was hardly unexpected; Sairu knew Riku was bound to ask that in the moment of their respite. Nevertheless, Sairu explained "When I was a kid, living in Hollow Bastion, before it was consumed by the darkness, Even was a renowned scientist, who directly served under our ruler. His research proved invaluable more than once, hence his reputation. However, I knew him more personally, because he served as my friend's ward in a way" "A ward? You mean, your friend was wealthy?" Riku asked in curiosity.
"Well, no, more like an assistant. Ienzo and I were both orphans, though Ienzo had been taken in by our ruler and adopted as his son. Even was tasked with keeping a watch on him as he studied or left the castle to come play with Kairi and I" Sairu finished, leaving Riku to understand it himself. "I see. Well, if it's alright for me to ask, was Kairi an orphan like you guys?" Sairu blinked as he heard the question and then answered "No, Kairi was raised by her grandma. She was a sweet old woman, and she was fond of her granddaughter's friendship with us. In a way, it was like she became our grandmother as well" Sairu said, smiling at the once distant memory.
"Kairi is lucky to have such a good friend as you, but unlucky that she wound up apart from you for nearly ten years" Riku said, happy in the knowledge that Kairi had a good life before arriving at the islands. "Thanks, Riku. That means a lot. Well, what do you say we keep moving? I get the feeling there's even more to do up ahead now that we know Ansem isn't the only problem here" Sairu said. "Yeah, let's go" Riku answered and the two friends carried on to the next card world: Traverse Town.
Zexion was now well and truly frustrated. When it came to discovering the identity of intruders or visitors, he had next to no problem to figuring it out, but this was starting to aggravate him, which was surprising. His reverie came to an end as he noticed Lexaeus approaching. "Is there something troubling you, Zexion?" he asked in a vacant voice. "The identity of Riku's companion is still unknown to me. Never before have I been so clueless as to who this individual is. Furthermore, this feeling of familiarity is beginning to get on my last nerve" he said in a seemingly angry voice.
"Fret not. Vexen encountered Riku and his companion and engaged them in battle. He survived the fight, and is now using the collected data to work on his Replica. Once he is completed, Vexen should disclose the identity in due time. Until then, we must be patient" Lexaeus finished, attempting to reassure Zexion. Thankfully, his efforts bore fruit as Zexion's posture relaxed. "Yes, I suppose you are right" "What's happening with Sora?" Lexaeus asked, changing the subject entirely.
"Naminé's powers are being used to shuffle his memories as we speak. Marluxia may well succeed in getting his puppet. Sora would be a valuable asset to the Organization... but, Marluxia and Larxene's actions, they-leave me quite uneasy" Zexion explained. Lexaeus interjected, saying "And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking..." sounding concerned as well. "Vexen should take care of this. His Replica is soon to be completed, after all" Zexion replied. "But Vexen despises Marluxia. Think of the mess it would make" Lexaeus argued. "So we must tell him" Zexion said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "Isn't it better that Vexen clean up the mess than leave it to us?"
After clearing Traverse Town, Sairu and Riku were then greeted with a shocking sight. "Huh!? What are you supposed to be?" Riku said in surprise. As the figure approached, he simply answered mockingly "Surprised? I guess you should be" The figure is then revealed to be a doppelganger of Riku. Sairu, for a second, thought he was hallucinating, but as Riku saw it as well, it was clearly not a hallucination. "After all, I look just like you. I'll tell you what I am. I'm an exact Replica of you that Vexen made with your data" the Replica stated. "So you're a fake me" Riku retaliated.
"Not a 'fake'!" the Replica exclaimed. "I don't care if you're real! You're not better! We share the same body and the same talents. But there is one easy way to tell us apart, though!" he said as he raised an accusing finger at Riku. "And what's that, then?" Sairu asked. The Replica ignored him, but continued to explain spitefully, "Unlike you, I fear nothing" This insulted Riku who then asked "Are you calling me a coward?" Riku asked in response. "You're afraid of the dark! The darkness inside you still frightens you, no matter what you say" Riku was left unable to answer, so the Replica confidently remarked "But I'M different. I embrace the darkness. I can make it do whatever I want" and his attire changed into that which Riku typically wore when he utilised the darkness in battle.
Sensing a battle, Sairu drew his sword just as the Replica drew his own blade. "So, I can wipe the floor with you" and the Replica stood in a battle stance. At this, Riku was ready to battle, and Sairu became a card to aid Riku. Alongside the card of King Mickey and Sairu, Riku's strength grew to combine his strength in an all-powerful attack: Radiant Circle. With their backs to each other, the tierce unleashed a barrage of light and dark energy strikes that homed in on the Replica, dealing critical damage to their foe. Once Sairu and King Mickey left the field, Riku landed the finishing blow and defeated his doppelganger.
"Hey, Fake. I thought I heard you say you were going to wipe the floor with me" Riku confidently declared as he smirked, while Sairu nodded in agreement. "Hmph... Don't forget, I'm still new. I'll get stronger and stronger. The next time we fight, you're finished!" The Replica simply retorted. "Then let's fight now!" Sairu exclaimed as he ran at the Replica, only to be repelled by a shield of darkness, sending him flying back. The Replica couldn't help but laugh at the blatant display of idiocy on Sairu's part, and spoke to Riku "It's nice having darkness on my side. You are SO missing out. How can you be scared of something that can be so thrilling?" he questioned, but Riku defiantly said "Enough!"
The Replica, however, was not dissuaded from Riku's outburst. "Hmph. So now the coward is playing tough. So long, Real Thing. Hope you don't miss me" The Replica said before taking his leave. "Come back!" Riku exclaimed, but the Replica was long gone. "Tch... No way. I'm not a coward..." and he soon bolted after him. "Riku, wait up!" Sairu shouted as he rose to his feet and caught up with him on the next floor.
Back in the darker room of the castle, Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion stood around one another, when the Replica appeared before them, confidence oozing from his very being. "So how was the real thing?" Vexen asked amusedly. "He's spineless. In no time at all, I'll be better than him" The Replica spoke with arrogance in his voice. "In the meantime, would you be interested in meeting another who's considered a hero?" Vexen asked, feigning curiosity. "You mean Sora. I hear he's somewhere in the castle. You want me to take care of him?" the Replica asked, intrigue evident in his features. "We'll see... Yes... I intend to make good use of you" Vexen commented cryptically. "No worries. The real Riku was nothing, nor that other boy. Sora won't be either. They're no match for me" The Replica commented as he took his leave, with Vexen in tow via dark corridor.
After Vexen and the Replica's leaving, Zexion was frustrated that Vexen never divulged the identity of Riku's companion in the conversation they shared beforehand. "Once again, I am needlessly frustrated with the identity of an individual who will most likely perish at the hands of our cohorts! Why does it infuriate me so?" Zexion declared angrily. "Calm yourself, Zexion. Follow me" Lexaeus said and beckoned his comrade to follow into another room, identical to the one before, but with what seemed to be a giant crystal ball in the centre of the room. "Why did I not consider this before?" Zexion said frustratingly. "Because you like to challenge yourself" Lexaeus teasingly remarked, with a small smile evident on his rugged face. Zexion gave him a dry look, and approached the crystal ball, which activated when he was within arm's reach of it. After the clouds in the crystal ball cleared, it revealed two boys running side by side: one was dressed in yellow and blue attire with silver hair, whilst the other wore a jade green shirt, blue jeans, black and white trainers and a white sword strapped to his back and darkish red hair.
Then, the angle changed, revealing their faces. Zexion recognised the silver-haired boy as Riku, but when he saw the other boy's face, he was suddenly struck with unimaginable shock as he immediately recognised the face: that of his one-time best friend, Sairu Leonhart, whom he hadn't seen for the good part of ten years. "Sairu..." Zexion whispered in his shock, as he realized it was indeed him. "Well, this is indeed a surprise" Lexaeus remarked a he gazed at the images in the crystal ball. "Sairu Leonhart... he was always trouble" But Zexion appeared not to have heard him, staring at the images with disbelieving eyes before he tore them away from the crystal ball, still reeling from the shock, but deep down, though he couldn't really call it a feeling, he suddenly felt lighter.