Chapter 19

Ansem stared boredly down at the quiet yet composed figure standing before him. The boy was small for his age, the top of his head barely reaching Ansem's chest. Messy brown spikes made him appear taller, but he knew it was just a trick of the eyes.

"You understand why you're here, right?" Ansem asked.

"Yes. You're the only one that understands my need for power..." The boy replied in a soft, emotionless voice.

"That is correct. Power is the only way you can get your revenge... I can give you that. I feel your pain, your rage. What happened to you is too cruel for words."

"I'm all that's left..." The boy said, a spark of anger crossing his eyes.

"Yes. The rest of your friends were killed off. It was a brutal endeavor based on all accounts. Yet to make matters worse for you, their attackers went on to craft replicas of all your friends, to constantly remind you of what you must now live without."

"They're all a farce. They're not my real friends!"

"So you know what you need to do?" Ansem said.

"They all must die!" The boy said as he looked up, a cold, cruel smile on his face.

"Yes." Ansem affirmed, an equally cold smile forming on his own face. "And I will make it so you have the strength needed to carry out the deed. Come closer..."

The boy walked to where Ansem sat, to immediately be shrouded in the black and purple aura of Darkness. It absorbed into the boy's body yet did not alter his appearance in any way. The boy looked up when all was completed, shaking with anticipation.

"I can feel it, this feeling- it's like I can do anything now!"

"Yes! And now you are ready. Go, do what you must!" The boy turned and fled from the room at Ansem's dismissal. Another person walked into the room in the boy's wake, an old man with a cunning demeanor. A look of recognition and confusion crossed the mans face as he saw the boy, but he quickly regained composure.

"Was that... Sora?" The old man asked.

"Just one of the replicas." Ansem replied in his usual cold voice. "The seventh one of him in particular. So what may I ask brings you here, Master Xehanort?"

"You should very well know. I came because I heard no news from you for the past three weeks. What have you been up to?"

"Following orders. It's proving to be more of a challenge than any of us would have thought. The boy's stubborn, but at least I have been able to glean valuable data from his memories. You just saw one of the results leave this chamber."

"So this is part of your plan, isn't it. A replica army." Master Xehanort said.

"Yes. I was able to gather enough data to create 7 copies of 7 distinct individuals. It should be enough to keep the army of Light busy until the plan comes to completion."

"Clever, confusing the army of Light like that. They'd never be able to know friend from foe." Master Xehanort smiled. "Now, back to the matter of the plan. Just how far do you think it is from completion?"

XXXXXXXX

The boy sobbed bitterly as Maleficent tended to him, making sure he had not dislocated his shoulders from the way Ansem had him hanging, applying salve to the ugly welt on his stomach and bleeding wounds on his wrists, caused by the restraints. She wished she had been lying to him when she revealed that Sora was gone, but she had seen it happen firsthand- struck down by that blond-haired Nobody who deserted Organization XIII.

Maleficent was pretty sure the boy would cry himself to sleep, as it wasn't the first time she had seen him do so. Riku had always been emotionally unstable when it came to Sora, and Maleficent frequently acknowledged that the boy's friendship with Riku was a double-edged sword- Sora could be a great source of strength to him, or could tear his Heart to shreds. And now he was gone for good. There would be no coming back, not like last time.

A very irate Ansem had sent Maleficent to Traverse Town, informing her that Riku had ran off without permission again and would most likely be found in that location. She knew the man secretly cursed himself for telling the boy about that world, as Riku began to make a habit of disappearing to that world in hope of finding the lost friends he constantly spoke of.

She could see the air of relief around the boy when she finally spotted him, and was initially happy for him, knowing he had most likely found one of them. The happiness quickly turned to dismay when she saw the Heartless attack, with not Riku, but this strange boy as the victor. She had seen it, and she knew he had as well. Riku's friend was none other than that pesky Keyblade wielder they had been trying so hard to defeat! And he had the King's duo of cronies in tow.

The boy tried to convince Riku to come with them, but he was already gone by that point, unable to absorb the shock that his friend was the one they hunted and in need of a quiet place to clear his mind. Maleficent could see him, leaning against the wall in a hidden corner of the district, a confused expression on his face, mingled with something she couldn't place so easily. And she could also see the other boy. His behavior astounded her as soon as his friend vanished. He didn't look for him or even shout his name, but just shrugged and walked off, like he didn't even care.

She could remember how startled the boy was when she made herself known to him, he had let out a yelp and jumped back as soon as she appeared, as though expecting punishment. Instead she just stood there with him, watching the other boy through a window.

"You see? While you toiled away looking for him, he just went and replaced you with some new friends..."

Ansem wasn't as understanding. The boy was suspended in midair and subjected to a brutal beating the moment Ansem saw him. That was when Maleficent truly saw how much the day's events had affected him. This was not the first time Riku had been beaten for insubordination, but this was the first time he didn't bother to hold back his cries. He let out a sharp outcry as each lash landed, shredding his clothing and leaving bloody welts on his back. Of course, Ansem was being more brutal than usual this time, which probably accounted for some of the boy's reactions, but Riku didn't like to reveal the slightest hint of suffering or weakness to them. It was like he had lost the will to rebel.

"Don't you think you're taking this too far? What good is he to us maimed or dead?" Maleficent exclaimed in panic as one lash caused blood to splatter on the walls.

"Shut up!" Ansem shrieked in response.

Ansem didn't relent until a puddle of blood had formed under Riku's limp body. The boy was still conscious, a forlorn look on his face. He had lost the strength to cry out or struggle halfway through the ordeal, yet Ansem purposefully fed him just enough mana to keep him awake through it. Maleficent ran forward and caught the boy the instant Ansem called off the magic binding him.

"Come on, let's get you out of here..." Maleficent said, trying to keep her voice emotionless, as she lifted the boy and carried him from the room, not caring that his blood was soaking into her robes while she did so.

"Why are you doing this?" Riku asked in a weak, hoarse voice as Maleficent lowered him so he lay face down on the bed.

"Even I know how far is too far. I'm dreadfully sorry, child." Maleficent answered, trying to assess the shredded skin on Riku's back. It took an evil even she couldn't comprehend to mutilate someone in punishment for simply finding a friend.

"Why did he have to do this?" Tears had formed at the corner of the boy's eyes.

"Save your strength...We both know Ansem doesn't need a reason... the sadist..."

"No..." Riku said. "Sora... why did he abandon us like this?"

"Hush, don't pay that boy any thought..." She honestly didn't know what force had driven the boy to act in that manner. Had the forces of Light brainwashed him into ignoring his friends? It would probably be for the best, since that boy was the one they sought to destroy. The sooner Riku forgot about him, the less it would hurt him when they finally finished the boy off.

She was wrong, she knew that now. Killing Sora would cause Riku the kind of heartbreak one would never recover from, the sort that completely snuffed out a persons Heart. He was probably already dying.

End of Chapter 19.