The Riku replica stepped through the portal and took a deep breath as he stepped out of the portal once more. As soon as he stepped out he was greeted in the familiar world and by a figure that was all too familiar to him. "I take it you did as you where commanded?" The Dark One asked him as the replica only wiped himself off.
"The world is being sent into darkness as we speak." The replica replied.
"Well done," the Dark One replied, "How are the keyblade bearers?"
"That Sora, he's a weakling, shocked the keyblade even picked him; same with that princess of heart. Oh but Riku, he is the real one that needs to be thought a lesson." The replica said as he began to crack his knuckles.
"You will be able to get your revenge on your true self in time, but until the others regain their memories, we will not be harming them yet." The Dark One replied.
"And their progress on regaining their memories is…?" The replica asked, making the Dark One snicker under his breath since he was so impatient.
"Regaining memories is not an easy process, but I can tell you one of them is keeping my hopes up." The Dark One replied.
"Good, let's get a move on with regaining their memories then." The replica said as he finished cracking his knuckles and walked out with the Dark One to the other figures.
…
Kairi had just finished wrapping bandages around Riku's, who was now shirtless, wounds, trying to be very careful with them. Riku woke up right when they got to the tower, and his wounds were almost healed by then since the cure effect began to work, but Yen Sid said wrapping them would still be a good idea. "Sora, Kairi, I told you I'm fine." Riku said as Kairi finished wrapping his wounds. Riku then stood up straight while letting out a low groan.
"No you're not," Sora said, "That neoshadow got you good, it would be a good idea for you to rest for a while, until your wounds are fully healed."
Riku only sighed at this before Kairi turned, now facing Yen Sid's desk. "Yen Sid, do you know why Destiny Islands slipped into darkness?" Kairi asked the wizard, who was sitting at his desk, rubbing his fingers through his long grey beard.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't expecting the darkness to return, but I did not think that it would take Destiny Islands into darkness once more." Yen Sid replied.
"You mean you knew the darkness was going to come back?" Riku asked him, holding his hand on his chest as he stood.
"Well remember, the world is made of both light and darkness, you cannot have one without the other, you need both." Yen Sid replied, "I knew it would eventually come back, but I did think it would be on such a large scale."
Sora then looked at Riku, and he then remembered something. "Oh yeah! Riku did you know you have a replica?" Sora asked, but Riku's face only turned to pure horror when he heard the words come out of Sora's mouth.
"The Riku replica? He is alive?" Riku said shocked. "No, that is impossible; I defeated him when we were at Castle Oblivion!"
"Well you better believe it because he said he was," Sora started.
"He was the reason all of us couldn't escape on the gummi ship, because he destroyed it right after the battle he had with Sora." Kairi continued. Riku then put both of his hands to his head and sighed.
"Is he really that bad of news?" Sora asked, immediately regretting his words since he knew it was a stupid question.
"Bad news? Sora he tried to kill me since he knew he was a fake." Riku said. Sora was about to say something after that, but he kept his mouth shut since he believed Riku. "Yen Sid, do you have any idea on how could he have been resurrected?"
Yen Sid only shook his head. "I don't have a clue; the only person I know has resurrected someone was Xehanort himself." Yen Sid replied.
"But Xehanort is long gone, so how could he have been resurrected?" Kairi asked, just as confused as everyone else in the room.
"That is what is puzzling me on this." Yen Sid replied. Riku then looked down at the ground, as if in defeat, along with Sora and Kairi. It was then silent for a few seconds before someone came in the room, slamming the door open.
"Is he hurt?!" The familiar black haired replica exclaimed in her new attire.
"Xion? What are you doing here?" Sora asked, shocked to see her here.
"I was in Twilight Town minding my own business when Namine said she needed to see me as soon as possible so I went to the clock tower where she was and she pointed a star blinking out! I knew what world it was so I left and tried to find your world but I couldn't since it was already consumed by darkness! So I went to Traverse Town since I knew you would end up there and only found Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, Wakka and Selphie and all they told me was that you guys escaped and Riku was hurt! So in case you haven't noticed I freaked out and came here as soon as I could!" Xion rambled. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were relieved by this though, since Xion said she saw Tidus and the others safe in Traverse Town.
Xion then speed walked to Riku's side. "Xion, I'm fine, a neoshadow just scratched me." Riku said. Xion saw the bandages long before that though and only quickly hugged him.
"Don't EVER scare me like that again!" Xion yelled. Riku looked awkward when she hugged him, but then happily hugged her back to comfort her. Sora only laughed at this since this whole time Riku had told him and Kairi things were going slow for them, but this was telling them another side of this story.
"But Xion, how did you get here?" Kairi asked. Xion didn't have a keyblade, so no keyblade rider, and as far as Kairi knew Xion could not drive a gummi ship.
"Well someone had to bring her here." A new voice said that everyone recognized. Everyone then turned to look at the door to see their assumptions where correct.
"Roxas?" Sora and Kairi said in unison.
"The one and only," Roxas joked. "But you do not even want to know what I have been through to get here. The whole time we were in the sky Xion was all like 'Oh no what if Riku is hurt?!' and 'He better not die on me!'"
"Thanks for the embarrassment Roxas," Xion replied, now blushing a light pink under her cheeks.
"No problem." Roxas laughed as Xion sent him a death glare. Sora only laughed at this; Roxas and Xion had only been in here for a mere minute and he could already tell they developed their own hearts, their own personalities.
"I am sorry to interrupt but I do believe we should discuss the sudden return of the darkness?" Yen Sid said. Once the room was quieted down, the continued. "If Destiny Islands has really snuck into darkness that could mean that the other worlds are in danger as well."
"And we can do that right? All we need to do is find out who is responsible and how it happened." Riku said as Xion and he stopped hugging for the moment.
"Correct, but the only problem we haven't have a clue as to whom it could be. Xehanort and his lackeys are gone, which can only mean that a new darkness is on the horizon." Yen Sid continued.
"But who would want to get rid of us? We saved the worlds after all." Sora interrupted.
"That is the question we need to find answers to." Yen Sid continued, "I think our best beat would be if all of you traveled to other worlds once more, to make sure that they are not in danger from the darkness that they were in over a year ago."
"So what you're saying is…" Xion trailed off.
Roxas only smiled. "We need to bring the old team back together." He said happily.
Sora only snickered. "It's about time, I missed you guys," Sora said, referring to Roxas and Xion, "You two and everyone else."
"This finally gives Aqua, Terra, and Ven an excuse to stop restoring the Land of Departure and do something else for a change." Kairi said.
"Now maybe this will be enough to finally get Lea out of the Twilight Town Arcade." Roxas said as Xion laughed at this. It was true, ever since they got home, all Lea had been doing was playing the games in that arcade.
Yen Sid then nodded at the group. "Well then, as keyblade wielders, I give you the mission checking on the worlds, trying to find any that might slip into darkness and save them." Yen Sid said calmly.
"Yes sir!" All five of them exclaimed as they all ran out of the door, ready for the next adventure that would change their lives.
Yes, this will surly be an adventure that will change everything!
And also, just to get this clear, that figure that the Dark One continues to talk to in the first few chapters was not the Riku replica. In fact, the Repliku was acually the "someone that one of them knows dealing with them" the Dark One menconed in chapter 2.
Also! I would LOVE to thank all of you that have reviewed so far! I can not believe this story only has 4 chapters up and it has 32 reviews already. Its really those people that review that make me want to continue writing for the rest of my life :)
So anyway, plz R&R and look out for the next chapter! I know, these first few chapters have been a little boring but that was only to open up the story! The next chapter will be the start of the journy everyone has been waiting for!
