"the more I look back the more I realize that without him, I would never I become the woman I am today. my life doesn't mean much, not as much as his did. he was my rival, and my friend.

all my life I knew what would happen, I, like many others was training to wield the mighty blade, called the keyblade. it was under my training I met him, back then he was just a scrawl of a boy, a runt and a weakling in my eyes. even though he was strong, strong enough to impress our master, I saw no strength in him. for years I and Markus trained to become masters and all that time I saw nothing but a rival in him I needed to squash. maybe I didn't like him because Markus never retaliated back in anger, always collected and strong, always seems to be thinking and acting the right place and time. while I always just did everything with my heart, it was- is filled with a fire so strong that anyone trying to extinguish it would get badly burned. Master chose me because of this fire in my heart, for my inner fire made me fearless and a true warrior.
and I did become a true warrior, I was the one becoming a master first, for I knew what I wanted and wouldn't stop at nothing to get it.

Markus in the other hand, he only became master after two years after me. he didn't seemed to mind though, he spend most of his time tinkling with his small inventions. making him look quite harmless when he sits and play with his small machines.
the only time Markus will show how fearsome he can be in combat that if someone is dumb enough to hurt any his love ones.
and anyone dumb enough doing that would be lucky walking away.

Everything changed, one day.
Markus left to see his family and when I saw him again. Markus was no longer the kid I remembered. he was in rage, out of control and broken. somehow, Markus have lost his sight, left his whole world in eternal darkness.
in that instant he lost his sight, his whole future was thrown out of the window. he could no longer build on his small inventions or fight with the keyblade. his title as master meant nothing, for no one would see him as one when he couldn't barely walk around without hitting something.
as I watched him, found myself pitying him. for more or less grown up with him, I knew how much this was hurting him.
first, he didn't want anyone around, honestly I wasn't sure I wanted to be around him either, and still, as time passed, we both found ourselves enjoying each other company, our childhood rivalry dissolved into friendship and we agreed that we would both take the next step of mastery in sign of our friendship.

taking the next step is not a walk in the park, it is really difficult creating a Keeper, only the True Masters have done it.
our Master wasn't one, and admitted that he probably never could become one, for becoming one. you have to realize who you truly are, know your strengths as much as your flaws and not many people like knowing you are far from perfect and your biggest flaw is what makes you a person.
I saw what Master meant and would have stopped the training if not for Markus.
he helped me getting my Keeper.

my Keeper, my manifestation heart is a fearsome Harpy Eagle, bearing my favorite gemstone; the ruby and wielding the fire that burns in my heart.
seeing it appear before me was the happiest, yet somehow also my saddest moment in my entire life. it is very hard to explain, but not all likes to realize who they truly are, and I am one of them. for my Keeper not only showed my strength, but also my greatest weakness.

Markus got his Keeper as well, it was an Kangaroo, a kinda peaceful yet headstrong warrior, just like him. it had bright color plates on its head and back, moving of the sounds it makes.
ever since Markus and I began our training, he began using the sounds as his new eyes. his world might be in eternal darkness, but in that darkness, there was a world of sounds, sounds only he could truly understand.
and his Keeper showed it by taking that as its element. I was happy for him, but not all were.
for Markus's Keeper revealed that Markus has fallen to the Darkness. and everyone who has so far is bad news.
Markus struggled with the other True Masters because of this, for they couldn't see that his darkness was merely a part of him and wasn't evil.
only I understood that, for I could feel a great light in him as well.

the news hit me as a brick wall.
. it happed so suddenly, one day we were training together, the next I hear from Junsui that he is gone- destroyed by the darkness along with his Keeper.
I refused to believe it, found it as a horrible joke but after searching for him and only found of my beloved friend's keyblade and his Keeper's broken token.
it took me long to realize it, and when I finally that Markus is death. I cried like never before.
even today, my heart still ache and all I want: is to find Markus killer and make him burn.
unfortunately I can feel my broken heart's rage is making it weak.
soon, I will be gone, but I hope I can take Markus killer with me before I fall.

if someone ever find this, don't give me any pity or wonder who I am. instead, remember my friend. for Markus showed me that Darkness is not such a bad thing as many believe. true it can be bad, but if you are more darkness than light or just control it better, then don't feel bad. it is just who you are.
Markus was darkness, but he never turned away from the light, and when he looked at the darkness, he never blinked, he kept on looking. and only a few has the ability doing that.
I was wrong about him as a child, he was stronger than anyone I have ever met.

Markus was and will be the first Hero of the Darkness, and I want the world to remember his name."

slowly he dropped the small book he accidently found in the mansion. he just found it strange that a small note book was in between all these bigger ones. never would he have thought that this book held the ancient words of a keyblade master and more so it was from the creator of the Harpy eagle Keeper.
his midnight blue eyes went to the small book, thinking of the words of this keyblade master. thinking of this man she wrote about, a man who was darkness, yet still belonged in the light. it sounded very much like Riku, the one he was copied from.
many thought Riku was the first who was darkness, and yet stood in the light, but oh how wrong they all were. there has been one before him, and if not he have found this book. Markus would have been forgotten.
"I won't forget you" he said to the small book. this story somehow made him think about his own life, how his apparently fake life was one tragedy after another, that until Sora and his friends gave him another chance. another chance, just like Markus.

he turned around of the sound of a door, facing his only friend. he smiled weakly and said to her "I know what to call myself"
still smiling as he glanced to the book that told a story of wants to keep close to his heart. he want to let the world know that darkness could be something good as well.

"my name is Marku" he eyes her again "and I'm one of the Heroes of Darkness"

Naminé blinked, then smiled as she saw a peacefulness in the replica's eyes she never has seen before. she realized that he has finally stepped out from Riku's shadow and willing going his own path.
"it suits you" she said, yet have to ask "where did you get the name?"

Marku smiled, showed her the book with: "that's both a sad and heartwarming story" and they both sat down at the table and Marku began reading the book for her.

Author:

this story are very personal for me, for I used several experiance of my own to make this one.

I think the best way for you to truly understand, I have to reveal a little about myself.

for around two- almost three years ago, two of my friends gave me a cat, it was a stray, and yet he was very tame. I chose keeping this pretty big male cat and named him Markus, Marku for short. I loved him very much, even when he did get on my nerves and we sometimes got into "fights"

it was also about that time that I got a tumor behind my right eye, fortunately it was harmless but still it affected my sight, however it was only the next year it got so bad that I needed to get operated several times. unfortunately, Marku couldn't help me on the stress from the operations.

for one day Marku disappeared and I knew something was horrible wrong after a week he was gone and I began getting so worried that I feared the worst. my family didn't really understand why I was so worried, he was just a cat. but he was my cat, and I love him.

... I found him a few weeks later... death at the road... on his way back home from how close he was to my home... I was heartbroken, and even now, writing these words and seeing his body before my eyes still makes my heart ache.

and like before, my family, except my sister didn't understand why I was so hurt of loosing him.

and it couldn't happen in a worse time, as I said before, I was going through several operations for the tumor behind my eye and the constant risk of losing it really weight on my shoulders. and all the talk about it didn't make it better.

I did get a taste of becoming blind, for after one of the oprations, my skin around my eyes got so swollen that I couldn't open my eyes. I thought I had become truly blind when I woke up and couldn't open them, in those few moments, I realized how much I needed my eyes, how important they were to what I did in my daily life. in those few seconds, I thought I never would be able to draw all those images nor stories I so often have stuck in my head. never be able to see the world around me or the worlds movies and books shows us.

fortunately it wasn't pergament, but I was forced to play blind for a week and after that, the talk of the operations my sight became more of a sensitive subject.

only today, my eye is returned back to normal, still the experience of becoming blind and losing Marku have left a huge mark in me.

this very story is a fiction of those two life experience.

and maybe this will also explain why I gave Riku Replica that name, because in my eyes he got a second change like my beloved cat and I hope that if he ever return in kh3, that he never will suffer same fate as my cat, I hope that Riku Replica- that Marku will live and be a sign to me of what good things I got from that short year with that cat.