Chapter 11- Looming dawn
After his discussion with Naminé about how to face Ansem and his darkness, Riku continued on to return to the castle beyond the door. Once he emerged, he was greeted by both the King and, to his relief, a smiling Sairu. Once Riku fully emerged from the door as it closed behind him, the King said "Gosh, I guess you decided not to go to sleep" "How'd you know that?" Riku asked, puzzled. "We heard it from DiZ" King Mickey replied, as he turned to address the mysterious man who stood off at the side of the room, turning to face Riku. "Do you know him?" Riku asked. "Well, I'm not sure. Got a feeling that I've met him... somewhere..." "You're not the only one, Your Majesty. I have that same feeling too" Sairu added as well, eyeing DiZ curiously. "How are you feeling, Sairu?" Riku asked, curious as to how his friend seemed to have become his old self again.
"Never better, thanks to Naminé" Sairu said cheerily, as he pumped the air to show he was alright. "Naminé, you say?" Riku asked, his curiosity growing at hearing that. "I'll explain later. We need to continue on, don't we?" Sairu said dismissively. Riku nodded, content with the idea that Sairu was OK now. With that, the trio approached DiZ, Riku asking "Hey. Who are you?" DiZ cryptically responded "I could be nobody or anybody. It is up to you whether you choose to believe in me or not" "Boy, you really like pushing decisions on other people" Riku replied in an annoyed voice. "And you have pushed away slumber making the choice to face Ansem" DiZ added. "Do you think I'm reckless?" Riku asked curiously. "You have chosen your own path" DiZ again cryptically answered. "Are you supporting me? Or are you abandoning me?" Riku asked in an interrogative tone. "That will be your choice as well" DiZ replied. He then approached the three friends before him, and produced a large black bundle, which upon closer inspection, were revealed to be black cloaks, which Sairu recognised as the Organization's attire. "Hold on. Why are you giving us these cloaks?" Sairu asked, confused as to why they would wear the same clothing as individuals who were their enemies. Riku picked one up, and looked it over curiously.
"What's this?" Riku asked, to which DiZ explained "The Organization will pursue you all. Like a pack of hunting dogs, they will sneak up on you if they sense your presence. However- this cloak that is worn by Nobodies will render their eyes and their noses useless" He then turned to look at the King, stating in what Sairu believed to be a joke as he continued his explanation "The ears, not so... They wear this to give themselves protection from being devoured by darkness. Is it clear? Even the Organization cannot rule the darkness " "Doesn't matter" Riku stated determinedly. "I won't run from the darkness" Once Riku finished speaking, DiZ produced a card and threw it to Riku who caught it effortlessly. "The card will draw out your heart's darkness. Finish your business with Ansem" DiZ said, as he stepped aside to allow them passage. "Come on, let's go" Riku said, looking to both Sairu and King Mickey, who each nodded in return, and the trio continued forward, with DiZ watching them go. Once they emerged in the next room, Riku approached the door first of the trio.
Riku then produced the card from his pocket, looking at it concerned. "He said this card will draw Ansem out..." Riku said. "Don't worry! We can defeat him together" King Mickey said confidently. "That's right. It's our job to help you after all, being your friends" Sairu added, sounding confident himself. Yet Riku's somewhat downhearted demeanour didn't change. "Sorry... I've got to face him alone" he said flatly. "But why?!" the King said, sounding horrified. "Riku, we just said we're going to stop him together. Is this a matter of pride or something?" Sairu asked, sounding distraught himself. "There's no point in doing this if I can't do it on my own. So to answer your question, Sairu, no. It's not a matter of pride. But I do need a favour" he said, which silenced the King and Sairu at once. "If Ansem is the victor, he's going to enslave me. If that happens, use your powers to destr-" "Of course! We'll be right there to save ya!" the King interrupted, but Riku continued. "Huh? No, that's not it" he said bashfully "I want you to destr-" "No way!" the King interrupted with a wagging finger. "No matter what happens, Sairu and I are gonna be right there to help ya. We promise you that" prompting Sairu to give Riku a stern nod of the head, proving the King's words true for himself. "Unless... you don't believe we'll come through for ya..." the king added. "I choose to believe in you- always, Your Majesty, Sairu" Riku said in a calm and content voice. "And we in you. You're not gonna lose, I know it" the King replied, proving his faith in Riku. "Yeah. There's no way Ansem is going to control you again. And if he does, you'll have me to answer to" Sairu quipped teasingly, giving a cocky smirk afterwards, which earned him a chuckle from Riku. "Thanks, you guys" Riku said gratefully, glad in the knowledge his friends have such faith in him.
With those thoughts in his head, Riku approached the door, more determined than ever to face Ansem once and for all. Once he activated the card and entered the door beyond, emerging in a corridor, summoning his weapon and shouting out to Ansem "Ansem! Where are you? Show yourself!" After his shout, an evil chuckle echoed throughout the corridor, confirming Ansem heard him, yet did not make a physical appearance, though he addressed Riku confidently "Why in such a hurry? I'll be here at the very heart of darkness... Watching you plunge into the same darkness- inside of you" At this, Ansem's voice fell silent and Riku continued on his way, determination guiding his every stride.
Meanwhile, in the room before, Sairu had decided to try on the cloak that DiZ had supplied them with. It surprisingly fit perfectly, but was uncomfortable in wearing similar, if not the same clothing as Zexion had before his demise, so he removed it shortly after. As he did so, something fell to the floor: as he turned around to see what it was, he noticed the King bend over and pick it up. Sairu realised that it was the scroll his father had written for him, the one he hadn't read. "Sairu, I take it this belongs to you" the king said and offered the scroll to him, which Sairu gratefully accepted. "Thank you, Your Majesty" Sairu said also with gratefulness. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is that scroll anyway?" King Mickey asked puzzlingly. At this, Sairu gave a sad smile and replied "I can't honestly say for sure, but it was written to me by my father, so I know whatever it has to say, it must be important" "Your father? Where is he now?" King Mickey asked, his curiosity growing by the second.
"I don't know. You see, my parents weren't able to look after me after I was born. But I was unable to find out why, as Leon doesn't know anything about them. But hopefully, this scroll will answer my questions about my origins" Sairu explained, which evoked a look of sadness from King Mickey. "I'm sorry. I... I had no idea" But Sairu simply shook his head and said "It's not a problem, really. But I was also told that there is someone who can help fill the gaps that this scroll may not. From what Leon told me, he is the only one who can help me with it" Hearing this, the King was curious as to who this individual was, and was about to ask this man's identity, until a thought occurred to him, as he looked at the pendant around Sairu. "Sairu, where did you get that pendant?" King Mickey asked, having recognised the shape somewhere, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Well... I can't really say for sure. I've had it as long as I can remember, just like the Lunablade" Sairu answered truthfully. "Lunablade?" "Yeah, this" Sairu answered, gesturing to his sword on his back. "Oh, I see... but a funny name for a sword" King Mickey said inquisitively. "I got the idea from my brother's weapon, the gunblade. I used that motif to give my sword its given name. And it's not just a sword: to me, it's as precious as my life or indeed my friends" Why's that?" the King asked. "I suppose because it represents the Moon, and how it shines down on us in the darkest nights. The light within darkness... the light that guides travellers, and keeps the terrors at bay. That is what this sword means to me" he finished with a smile, though it soon turned into a frown.
"Yet... I failed to achieve what I set out to do: protect those closest to me and find my best friend to bring him home. Because I was too weak, that Replica of Riku stole what remained of Ienzo: his Nobody. Now he's gone, and I can't help but blame myself for what happened. If only I had been stronger..." Sairu said sadly as his mood slowly lowered into depression, until... "Sairu. Didn't you say before that Naminé helped you get over this burden you placed yourself in?" At this, Sairu's mind trailed back to his encounter with Naminé in that strange world: "Believe me, Sairu. Ienzo may be gone, physically, but he exists forever, inside your heart. That's where he will stay, now and forever" As his mind replayed what she said to him, Sairu remembered he was only blaming himself for something he could not control, and a gentle smile adorned his face once more. "That's right... Ienzo's Nobody saved me because he still saw me as his friend. I did not influence that decision. I had almost forgotten... Thank you, Your Majesty "Aw shucks, Sairu. You don't have to call me that. We're pals ourselves, you know" the King said embarrassedly. Sairu chuckled and replied "Understood, Mickey"
Elsewhere, Riku had arrived at a wide open room, after traversing the labyrinth of the castle. Once he emerged in the room, he called out to Ansem "I smell you, Ansem. Show yourself" Heeding his words, Ansem appeared before his very eyes, confidence shimmering in his golden eyes, yet they bore a look of confusion as well. He then said accusingly "I have watched you fight. I know your strength. Your skill with darkness has grown. It has become more mature. And yet, why... Why do you accept the darkness- but still refuse me? You know you and I are similar. We both follow where the darkness leads. Indeed, we are the same, so why? Does some part of your heart still have a fear of the dark?" "That's not it" Riku answered "The truth is..." and he summoned his weapon, Soul Eater, stating spitefully "I just can't stand your foul stench" "You are a fool. You should know my powers well by now" Ansem said warningly. "Yeah, I know. Or did you forget? I used all the power you had to give- and Sora still beat me. I'm not at all impressed with your powers!" Riku stated matter-of-factly, which earned him a dark glare from Ansem.
"Very well. In that case-" he soon began amassing darkness, and released its tremendous power, bellowing "you shall sink into the abyss!" As the darkness engulfed the pair of them, Riku had to shield himself. Once he opened his eyes, their surroundings had changed: they seemed to be in the place where the Door to Darkness once stood before it was sealed by the King and Sora. To his horror, a fist flew towards him, but Riku thankfully dodged the attack. Overhead, Riku noticed Ansem floating above, and as he folded his arms, confidence apparent on his features, his dark guardian appeared behind him, and the fated battle between the hero and Seeker of Darkness raged.
The two destined adversaries fought with no restraint, matching one another move for move. Each attack they unleashed had the strength of a rampaging elephant; only one of equal fortitude was capable of halting the other's advances. It was simply an exchange of darkness against darkness, but neither Ansem nor Riku deterred in the slightest. Soon, Ansem sent his shadowy counterpart into the ground, randomly erupting from the ground, prompting Riku to go on the evasive. After several failed attempts at striking Riku, the dark guardian then unleashed an almighty explosion which Riku was unable to dodge in time, and was sent flying to the far end of the battleground, heavily injured. Seeing this, Ansem gave a triumphant laugh and silently ordered his guardian to charge at him.
'It's over... I couldn't stop him... after all my... efforts' Riku thought, defeated. Then, to his surprise, illusions of Sairu and King Mickey appeared before his eyes, reiterating the words they said before he took off on his own: "You're not gonna lose, we know it" "Yeah. There's no way Ansem is going to control you again. And if he does, you'll have to answer to me" As quickly as they appeared, the apparitions disappeared. At this, Riku remembered what he was fighting for, not just to free himself from Ansem's torments, but to protect his friends. Riku slowly rose to his feet, and his body was shrouded in darkness, acting as a shield against the guardian that was fast approaching them. The guardian was sent flying away from where Riku stood to his master once more, who looked on dumbfounded. As the darkness disappeared, Riku stood, in his dark attire, his injuries apparent, but ignored them all the same. Then, to his horror, Ansem saw Sairu and King Mickey, or at least images of them, standing alongside Riku. Then, the three stood back to back, weapons raised to the sky, unleashing a huge sphere of light that also coalesced and pulsated with dark energy as well, and the sphere expanded: the Twilit Heavens technique. The force of the technique blinded everything, and critically injured the Seeker of Darkness. Once the light faded, Riku and Ansem stood in the room of Castle Oblivion they stood in previously, both drained of their strength.
However, while they were down, neither were out either. "Insolent brat!" Ansem bellowed scathingly, blasting a sphere of dark energy towards Riku. Riku managed to block the attack, and made it dissipate altogether. "Ansem!" Riku exclaimedin retaliation, and ran full pelt, his blade at his side as he unleashed an almighty swing, and truly defeated the dark entity. As he stood on one knee, Soul Eater held out in front with both hands, Riku flatly declared "This is the end!" "This... is hardly... the end..." Ansem struggled to refute, enduring the mortal wound he was inflicted by. "Your darkness- I gave it... all to you... " As he raised his hands defiantly in the air, he painfully retorted "My dark shadow...lingers... Someday... Someday... I will return!" he exclaimed as his being exploded into darkness, seemingly attempting one final time to trap Riku in the dark abyss. As the darkness enveloped, Riku weakly said aloud "Sora... Kairi..." Shortly after, two lights appeared: two golden spheres of light that floated towards his weak form, before taking form as Sairu and King Mickey. "Gosh, Riku, we know you wanted to do this alone..." "But you don't mind a little HELP now, do you?" Sairu finished, as they draped Riku over them, and floated away through the darkness.
Soon, the trio emerged from the dark depths at the entrance to Castle Oblivion, walking towards the exit together. Though, Riku walked at a slower pace than his two friends. "So, you two... What happens now? Are you both goin' home?" the King asked Sairu and Riku, as they both seemed lost in thought. Riku was the first of the two to answer: "I can't go home- not yet. It's still here. It's really faint, but I can sense him. So I think his darkness may still have a hold on me" "Your darkness belongs to you. Just the same way your light does" "Mickey's right, Riku" Sairu added reassuringly "And even if he is still in there, you can stop him again. You have the strength to do so" Sairu finished with a satisfied smile. Mickey nodded in Sairu's direction and then turned to Riku, saying "Up till now, I thought darkness was something that should never exist. Then I spent time with you and changed my mind. The road you chose- I didn't know. Light and dark, back to back. With you, I think they might meet in a way nobody's seen before. Wonder where that road leads. I'd like to see myself" The King then raised a hand to Riku, as Sairu joined him, raising his own hand "We'd like to walk the road with ya" At this, Riku could only chuckle and the three of them joined hands, much like Sairu once did with Sora, Donald and Goofy the day they met.
"Your Majesty, I'm really flattered... I don't know what to say" Riku said bashfully. "Gosh, Riku. You know you don't have to call me that now. We're pals" King Mickey added cheerily. "Fair enough... Mickey" Riku said, accepting defeat. As the three released their hands, Sairu then gave them a sad look. "Sorry to say, but despite what Mickey said about walking the same road, I can't" "Why not?" Riku asked puzzlingly. "I have to go off on my own... to find someone who can tell me the truth about my past. So I won't be going home just yet either" "It's about that scroll your dad left you, right?" King Mickey asked. Sairu nodded, and said "That's right. My brother told me only one person can give me the answers I seek" "If that's so, then I guess we'd better wish you luck" Riku said, and offered Sairu his hand, which Sairu gratefully shook in return. "I'll come back once I find my answers. We've got to take care of Sora until he wakes up" Sairu said with a smile across his face. "Yeah... We do" Riku said jovially, as Sairu turned to shake the King's hand now. "Who is this person you have to see, by the way?" the King asked curiously. "His name is... Master Yen Sid" Sairu humbly answered, as he turned to leave and draped the black cloak DiZ gave them over himself, as a corridor of darkness appeared and Sairu stepped into it. At hearing that name, King Mickey knew Master Yen Sid would help Sairu.
Sometime later, in an open meadow in the middle of night, Riku and King Mickey were walking side by side, both dressed in the black cloaks as they arrived at a cross in the road, where DiZ stood ahead of them, having seemingly been waiting for them. As they approached him, Riku suspiciously asked DiZ "What are you making me choose now?" "Between the road to light..." DiZ said, gesturing to the path on his left "... and the road to darkness" now gesturing to the path on his right. Without even taking the time to think it over, Riku answered "Neither suits me" and he walked forward, the King standing where he stood, watching Riku surprisingly, as he walked past DiZ saying "I'm taking the middle road" At this, DiZ closed his eye and retorted "Do you mean the twilight to nightfall?" At this, Riku stopped in his tracks, and turned back to DiZ, saying calmly "No. It's the road to dawn".