"Poor thing."

"It's the fate of a Nobody."

Something about that didn't sit right with Riku who still possessed the appearance of Ansem the Seeker of Darkness. What would Sora do, he thought to himself.

As the days passed, Riku felt his guilty conscience weighing on him. They were playing with Roxas's emotions.

His life, his friends, his memories...

They were all fake.

It reminded Riku of an old rival at Castle Oblivion. How badly he wanted to reach out and save him. Tell him he was more than a fake. It didn't have to end like that. It can't end like that again.

"DiZ, do you remember the other Riku at Castle Oblivion?"

"You mean the cheap replica they made by stealing my research?"

Riku winced as he fiddled with the munny pouch he swiped from Roxas.

"Why now?" DiZ scoffed. "I hope you're not thinking of using one on Roxas. Not when we're so close to repairing Sora's memories."

How did he know? Was he that obvious? Of course, Sora would have suggested something like this. Maybe his friend was rubbing off on him.

"If there was a chance, would it not benefit us to have another keyblade wielder? Especially one familiar with the inner workings of the Organization?"

DiZ paused to think.

"He's just a Nobody with only a fraction of Sora's power. It would be better if he never existed."

Naminé hunched in the corner, trying to pretend she couldn't hear their conversation. And that was about as much as Riku could take. Nobody or not, Sora and Kairi were his best friends, and so was Roxas and Naminé by extension. In terms of power, Roxas certainly wasn't weak and put up a good fight back in the Realm of Darkness. The only way Riku was able to win was by giving into Ansem, something he loathed more than anything. But he'd do it a thousand times over if it meant keeping them safe. After all, it was his fault their island got destroyed.

"I'm going to their headquarters to find another replica."

DiZ cackled with laughter but soon realized he was being serious. DiZ couldn't help but admire Riku's resolve. It made him nostalgic for the times spent with a certain round-eared friend, fearless in the face of danger.

"Well, if you're that determined to try, hurry back before Sora wakes up. Otherwise, we'll start the process without you."

Riku handed the pouch to Naminé, who was still sketching in her notebook. He quickly summoned a dark portal to the Castle That Never Was and stepped through, knowing the risk he was taking. DiZ paid no mind as he watched Axel and Roxas duke it out inside the Data Mansion, nearly engulfing it in flames.

"Naminé!" DiZ impatiently shouted. "What's taking so long? At this rate, the whole Data World will burn down. Can't you work any faster?"

Naminé remained silent, much to his dismay. Just a little more, she thought, frantically scribbling in her notebook to buy Riku time.

Using the power of Darkness, Riku was able to temporarily disguise himself as Xemnas, the Nobody counterpart to his Heartless form. He took care to remain undiscovered, but luckily no one was around. He had no time to ponder the implications and continued calmly but cautiously. As he wandered through the empty labyrinth, Riku spotted Axel limping through a dark portal presumably from his battle in the Data World. Time was running out.

Riku approached Axel, who was trying to hide his wounds from his supposed superior.

"Axel, do you know if Vexen created any more replicas we could use? This is of utmost importance."

"Yeah..." Axel groaned. "There's one left... but... it's not finished." After catching his breath, he led Riku to the room that held the faulty replica. Axel kept glancing at Xemnas as they walked through the halls. He seemed anxious. Strange. They shouldn't be able to feel. Upon arrival, Riku rushed to opened the door.

"Excellent. I'll take it from h-"

But before Riku could finish, a flaming Chakram zipped past his head, puncturing the wall. Riku spun around, but Axel lunged forward with a second Chakram and pinned him to the wall, catching Riku off guard. The Chakram was just an inch from his throat.

"I recognize that scent. You're not the superior."

"It's... for... Roxas..." Riku croaked.

This comment stunned an already fatigued Axel, and Riku was able to land a kick on Axel's bruised ribcage. Axel collapsed and groaned as he clutched his stomach, unable to fight back.

"If I don't hurry back, I won't be able to save him." Riku said, towering over Axel who stared at him in disbelief. Despite this, Axel felt a small glimmer of hope that his dear friend could somehow return. Riku dropped his disguise as Xemnas and slowly lifted the replica, taking care not to damage it.

"If you're lying-" Axel coughed as he bent over in pain. Riku understood what he was trying to say and gave him a reassuring nod, summoning a dark portal and taking the replica with him.

Axel managed to make it back to his room in one piece. Trying to fight Riku by himself was a stupid move, but what else was he supposed to do? He was usually the cleanup guy for whatever mess the other members made, but as he lay down, eager to rest his weary muscles, something seemed off. What were these emotions? Nobodies weren't supposed to have hearts, and by extension, they couldn't feel. But before he could finish that thought, darkness surrounded him and he gasped as a hand tightly gripped his mouth, leaving him unable to scream.

Riku rushed through the dark portal, placing the replica in the machine much to the surprise of DiZ.

"A deal's a deal."