Chapter 24
"The best thing you can do for your friend now is have faith in his strength. It hasn't failed him before..."
Images flashed before Sora's eyes, some familiar, many he'd never seen before. He saw Riku, no, a specter of Riku standing between Ansem Seeker of Darkness and his friends, shouting something inaudible. Then he was standing in the stark white halls of Castle Oblivion, facing Ansem in battle and coming out victorious. He then stood in the wake of Memory's Skyscraper in The World that Never Was, losing to Roxas in a moment of weakness, only to emerge victorious after giving up his appearance to instead bear the visage of Ansem, though his Heart remained intact and uncorrupted.
"Just how much has he been through while I wasn't around?" Sora asked, looking on in shock as Riku fought a black Nightmare in the presence of his own sleeping form in the World that Never was.
"I don't think any of us know for sure... though he often admitted he would give up his own life if it would protect you." Yen Sid materialized in Sora's dream, standing before him. "Sora, why would you disregard his sacrifice like that?"
"I couldn't bear it..." Sora hung his head in shame. "I was beginning to think he wouldn't suffer so much if I wasn't around to cause him pain."
Yen Sid looked at him intently and shook his head. "No, I think his suffering would've increased tenfold if you were gone. He loves you, Sora, more than life itself, that's why he's prepared to die to protect you. I think the heartbreak alone would kill him if he lost you..."
"But he's gone now..." Sora said in despair.
"You can still save him, Sora. I think if you defeat Xehanort's main body, his Heart would die in each vessel as well. It reminds me so much of your and Riku's connection. You depend so much on each other, and I imagine each of Xehanort's vessels must rely on the main body to function in a similar way..."
"I hope you're right..." Sora said, lifting his head, his resolve strengthened. "So I might as well go and see if it's possible. I hope I can still save him..."
"Just have faith in the strength of his Heart. Riku has a strong will, someone like him would not be snuffed out so easily..."
XXXXXXXX
"How did I end up here?" Riku asked himself.
He had been travelling between worlds for days on end, not spending too much time in any one place as memories of Sora would haunt him and ultimately drive him to move on, and now he found himself wandering aimlessly through a world he'd never seen before. The land was full of rocky terrain, and no life seemed to flourish here. Everything was dark, cold, and eerily silent, a dead landscape littered with thousands upon thousands of...
"Keyblades..." Riku exclaimed. "These were people's Keyblades!"
He had to quickly jump behind a formation after several Dark Corridors opened at various parts of the landscape, black-clad people emerging from them and congregating near a particularly tall rock formation. Looking up, a chill of pure hatred crawled down Riku's spine as he beheld the man who was responsible for everything he and his friends had to endure in these past years.
At the peak of the formation stood Xehanort, even from the distance Riku could see his charismatic behavior. It disgusted him, how someone so warped could move and act with such confidence.
"The time has come." Xehanort began, his voice echoing across the desolate landscape. "Today is the day where the tyranny of Light is put to an end, and a true balance is restored. The day where Kingdom Hearts and it's counterpart- the X-blade are able to coexist once more!"
"Your ambition ends here, Xehanort!" A familiar voice exclaimed, followed closely by Roxas running into the clearing, the others close behind him. He looked furious, and Riku's heart ached with understanding. Xehanort's ambition had hurt Roxas pretty severely too. He wasn't even supposed to exist, only coming into being because Sora had become a Heartless.
Roxas ceased to exist after he returned to Sora with his memories, and Riku briefly wondered how he was alive and standing there with the other warriors of Light. Riku guessed his hunch about Sora awakening Ven was right- he must have revived Roxas in the process.
"Roxas... Aqua... Ventus... Kairi... Mickey... Lea... Donald and Goofy?" Riku's heart sank as he noticed Sora's absence from the group.
The old man began to laugh at Roxas' display of aggression.
"Such an adorable display! But do you honestly think that a group of children have a chance against the 13 seekers of Darkness?"
"SHUT UP!" Roxas roared and charged at the group. And so the battle began, each of the warriors of Light engaged with one or more of the warriors of Darkness.
Riku quietly sneaked around the battle, intending to try and take out some of the seekers of Darkness from the back, where they wouldn't notice him.
He never made it that far, instead painfully bumping into another person. As Riku looked up at the face of his newest obstacle, annoyance quickly turned to complete terror. The right side of his chest throbbed with pain and horrible memories of being violated in various ways chased themselves around his mind.
"No! It can't be! You're supposed to be dead!" He exclaimed as he looked into the face of Xigbar.
End of Chapter 24
A.N. Just thought I'd point out that it is not in fact Xigbar, but Braig that Riku has just encountered, and Braig will make that quite clear shortly, but for now, Riku has no idea. What plan does Braig have for Riku- will Riku be able to end this rivalry once and for all?