Okay, I'm back. Yay, finally.

Sorry, I had life happen. Guess who graduated college? This guy! Woohoo! Now time to become a full-time fanfiction writer…wait, hold on…Okay, that's not a real thing. Well, I say we MAKE IT a real thing, am I right?

In all seriousness, it's crazy to think that I've been writing these silly stories for as long as I have. All through high school and now all through college…and to think that we still have so much to get through in this little AU. It's gonna continue to be a fun ride.

Now let's completely ignore the Kingdom Hearts IV-shaped elephant in the room and continue.

Chapter XIII - Deceit Uncovered

"How long are we going to sit here and do nothing?"

DiZ was ignoring his words, as per usual. He was typing in some information on the computer, the other monitors displaying graphics of Sora, the pod, and images of various Twilight Town locations.

Riku didn't like to admit it, but he was growing restless. The longer they let Kirux galavant around with the Nobodies and keep Sora from regaining his memories, the worse it was for them. Not to mention whatever the Organization had been plotting for Sora's Nobody.

He knew just as much as DiZ knew: they needed Kirux. Without him, they were better off declaring Sora a lost cause and letting Organization XIII get their way.

And even yet, DiZ seemed content with this. He made that clear with his response, "I assumed this was all part of your plan."

"As if yours would have been any better."

"We will regain Sora's memories with or without Kirux. If I remember correctly, you wanted him to get involved, to have someone on the "inside"."

"Yeah, and what would you have done? Had me kill him?"

"As I said, we will regain the memories with or without him. If that means that you must eliminate him, then you'll do what you'll need to do."

"Then why haven't you by now?"

"I'm honoring our agreement to try your plan, and look at how far it's gotten us. Have you seen the boy since you showed him the pod?"

Riku looked away and didn't answer.

He knew DiZ was right, this was his idea. And he hadn't seen Kirux since that time they had captured him. Riku had told Kirux to think things over, and well…Kirux sure seemed to be taking his time.

"So, you're just gonna put this all on me? You know, I haven't heard any other ideas from you in these last few weeks."

"Allow me to repeat myself: I am honoring our agreement. We are following your plan. However, if you want something to be done, you already know what needs to be done."

"I'm not gonna kill Kirux to save time for you. Besides, you know as much as I do that without him, it'll be near impossible to get those memories back."

DiZ finally turned back to face him, "Then face it. That boy will never come to us willingly as long as he's with those Nobodies. He has two options: learn the truth and help us or be eliminated. And now, his fate rests in your hands, Riku…"

…

It took Riku a lot of restraint to not move forward and punch DiZ in the face, but they already had enough problems. A fight between the two of them would only make things worse.

And as much as Riku hated it, DiZ was right. Kirux was, at least for now, firmly on the Organization's side. If they wanted any hope of getting his help, they would have to do…something. Anything.

So, Riku decided to take action.

"I'm heading out," he said as he put the hood on over his head, "Don't expect me back for at least the next few days."

"And where will you be going?"

"Anywhere. I'll go to some world, make myself known, and try and draw him out. Maybe he'll listen to me, maybe he'll try to kill me. We'll find out what happens."

"And if Kirux eliminates you?"

Riku stopped, turned back to DiZ, and answered, "Then find King Mickey. He's strong enough to get the rest of the memories."

With that, Riku left the basement and soon the mansion altogether. If DiZ wanted action, then he was going to take action.

Now, it was up to Kirux and how he would react.

Play: Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

"Maaan. I'm still working off all of that ice cream from our vacation day."

"Seriously? It's been a month, dude. How much did you eat?"

"Looking back…maybe a bit too much. But I sure did fund the vacation the woman running the ice cream stand is going to take next."

That made Kirux and Xion laugh as the two of them, along with Roxas, walked to the Grey Area. Saïx was in his usual position, and Axel was standing by the couches and chairs on the right side. He smiled and approached the trio when they entered.

"Nice of you three to show up. Was beginning to think you all had decided to sleep through your missions for the day."

"Says the one that spent his whole vacation day in bed."

Despite the snickering from Roxas and Xion, Axel took it in stride and proudly stated, "And I do not regret it for a second. Better than stuffing my face with ice cream or boring old training."

"I wouldn't say it was…boring…" Xion responded, averting her eyes from the group.

Kirux knew immediately what she was talking about, and he also averted his eyes.

He still hadn't talked to Axel about what had happened on their vacation day, and he didn't know how to bring it up, to be honest.

"Hey, Axel. I've been having these weird feelings when I'm around Xion, even though I'm technically not supposed to have feelings. Can you explain it all to me?"

Despite him wanting to understand it at this point, Kirux would wait. At least a little bit longer. It would be better to not have the distraction on his mind.

Besides, they had had multiple other training sessions together since then, so surely it was just a one-time thing, right? That's what Kirux wanted to believe.

…

Without any further discussion, they all approached Saïx for their missions for the day.

"If you're going to come in late every day, then why bother coming in at all?"

Axel replied wittily, "Well which would you rather we do? Not complete our missions at all or complete them late? At least if it's the latter, we're still getting them done."

Saïx shot him a look before turning his attention to the rest of the group, "An imposter (among us?) has been spotted. I will be sending one of you to eliminate him."

All four of them were stunned to hear this, but none more than Kirux.

"Riku? Did they find Riku? Oh-ho-ho, it's gonna feel nice when I get my hands on him this time."

Immediately, he stepped forward, "Send me. I can handle him. Besides, I've got some unfinished business with that guy."

Despite this, Saïx shook his head, "No. Your connection to the suspect makes you too vulnerable. Xion, you will be going."

Kirux's mood soured, "What?!"

Xion was just as surprised as he was, and questioned Saïx's decision, "You're sure about this? Do you really want me to do it?"

"Are you saying that you can't?"

"No! I can!"

"Then there will be no further questions. The imposter was last spotted at Beasts' Castle. Roxas and Kirux, I need you both to investigate a new world. Axel, you'll be tracking and gathering intel on a large Heartless in Agrabah. Depart soon. Dismissed."

Saïx walked away from them all, leaving them to take in his words.

…

When he was gone, Kirux ran up and punched the glass while yelling, "DAMN IT!"

Axel was quick to react, as Roxas and Xion looked shocked at Kirux's anger, "Hey, calm down!"

"It should be me…he knows that."

"Kirux, I'm sure he has a good reason for,"

"You don't get it, guys! When was the last time any of you ran into your human selves, huh? This is personal, and he knows that."

"Thus why he didn't send you and chose Xion. Do you think he'd change his mind if he saw the way you were acting now? Besides, we don't even know if it's who you think!"

"Yeah, because there are so many people outside of this group wearing our coat…"

Despite this though, Kirux knew that Axel was right.

That doesn't mean he agreed with Saïx's decision still. Don't get him wrong, Kirux fully trusted Xion to handle Riku if need be.

But Riku was his Somebody, his human self that still managed to live after Kirux's creation. This was his mission and Saïx was keeping him from it because he was "too vulnerable"? What a load of you-know-what.

…

Kirux took a deep breath, turned around, and slumped back against the glass.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"You don't need to apologize," Xion said, "I get it."

"Are you gonna be alright, man?" Roxas asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. We should all head out soon."

Axel agreed and said as much, "Xion, be careful with that imposter guy. Roxas and Kirux, take care of that new world. You know the drill by now."

"Yeah, we've got it. See you later, Axel."

With that, Axel disappeared into a dark corridor, just as Roxas had his own for Kirux and him.

Kirux stood from his spot on the wall but walked up to Xion before going towards the corridor.

"We'll get this done as fast as we can. Once we're done, I'll come to help you."

Xion looked surprised, but gave him a nod, "Okay. I'll see you then."

Kirux then walked into the dark corridor with Roxas, off to their mission.

"Just wait, Riku. When I'm done and if Xion can hold you off, I'm coming for you…"

Stop: Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

The wind was howling that night.

He stood just above the gate to Beasts' Castle, watching and waiting.

Soon, the Organization was going to send someone to find him. He was hoping for Kirux, but they could send anyone, so Riku had to be prepared for anyone.

And although he was fairly confident in his abilities, it had been a while since he had had a proper fight. The one he had against Kirux was more of a beatdown by Riku, and he knew it.

Maybe this time he would put up more of a fight.

…

…

…

Eventually, Riku noticed a dark corridor appear at the far end of the bridge, followed by a dark-coated figure exiting.

A member of Organization XIII had finally arrived.

…

Xion had just emerged from the corridor at Beasts' Castle, where the imposter was supposedly spotted. She figured the bridge would be the best place to start, as she could search the whole castle after checking here and the main courtyard.

"Okay…Saïx said that guy would be here…"

In her mind, she was still questioning why Saïx chose her to do this. Not that she wasn't confident that she should be able to do this, but it was well-known that she wasn't the greatest fighter in the Organization, although she could hold her own.

Regardless, she had her mission, and she was going to do it to the best of her abilities.

…

Just as she reached the middle of the bridge, a voice called out from above.

"I've been waiting for you."

Xion looked up and saw a man jump down from above the main gate, landing only a few feet in front of her. Much like Saïx had said, he wore their very coat. The man immediately removed his hood, revealing his very much Kirux-esque face, only with longer, silver hair, and a blindfold over his eyes.

"Wow. He does look just like Kirux."

The man before her (Kirux had said his name was Riku) looked Xion up and down, "You don't look like Kirux. Did he get cold feet?"

"He did not. I was sent here."

"A girl, huh? Wasn't expecting that."

Xion flinched but didn't back down.

"I have been sent here to eliminate you," she responded to him, summoning her Keyblade to her hand and pointing it at Riku, "And I intend to do so."

Riku didn't focus on her words, just on the blade she held in front of him.

"A Keyblade…? Wait, is this…no, it can't be. Sora's Nobody wouldn't be a girl, right?"

He decided to ask this mystery girl, "You're a Keyblade wielder?"

"Why? You scared?"

"No…but I should be."

…

A small mass of energy started to form in Riku's right hand, which eventually turned into a sword, the same that Kirux wielded. Xion took a step back but kept her Keyblade pointed toward him.

"You say you were sent here to kill me, and I understand why they'd want me gone. Unfortunately for you…"

Riku spun his blade around his hand a few times before settling into his fighting stance, "I cannot allow you to do that."

"Well, here we go."

When Xion prepared herself, she gave herself a quick pep talk in her head, "You've got this, Xion. You didn't spend that time training with Kirux for nothing. Time to put that work to use."

Play: The Force in You - Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

Riku attacked Xion first, quickly dashing forward and slashing at her. She quickly got her Keybalde up to block the attack, pushing back and knocking him slightly off-balance. She then tried to stab him, which he spun to dodge and knock her Keyblade away from him.

Xion went on the attack, going after Riku with a long series of attempted strikes and slashes, all of which he either deflected or dodged. She eventually made him jump back, but he followed that up by shooting a blast of dark fire at her.

She was able to block the attack, but the shock of it coming from him was what got to her.

"So that's where Kirux got it from." Was what she thought after she had blocked the blast, but she wasn't able to think for long, as Riku immediately fired off three more at her.

She blocked two of them, but the last one hit her in the stomach, blasting her backward. She, luckily, was able to land on her feet, but the pain in her abdomen area was immense, and she pressed her left hand to it.

Riku had looked blank-faced the entire fight thus far, and it was no different when he spoke to her from afar.

…

"I've gotta give you some credit. You're putting up way more of a fight than Kirux did the last time I saw him."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Riku stood up straight, letting his guard down for a moment, "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Didn't tell me what? Did you do something to him?"

"Only what I'm doing right now. Defending myself."

Xion missed that statement, as her mind was racing.

"What is he saying? Did he and Kirux fight at some point? Is he…hold on. When Kirux went missing, he came back with all of those injuries. He said it was from a large Heartless he had to fight, but his injuries said otherwise. Did he get all of those injuries…from this guy? And if he did, why didn't Kirux tell me? Did he lie?"

"Thought you could trust your friend, huh?"

She was knocked out of her trance by Riku's taunt, and he continued, "Have to wonder what else he's hiding from you. Can't be sure if he's really your friend now, can you?"

Xion shook her head, "Shut up! What would you know?!"

Riku said nothing.

…

"I'm ending this."

She pointed her Keyblade at Riku, charging up a simple Fire spell, but as it continued to grow, she wouldn't release it. Riku remained prepared, but the fireball just kept growing.

Finally, she released it into the air above them, and the massive orb of fire rested itself above the bridge. Right after, it began shooting smaller fireballs down toward Riku, honing in on his position.

Riku did his best to avoid the attack, both using his sword to swat fireballs away or to dodge them entirely. However, one fireball did manage to hit him in the arm. It burned but wasn't anything too serious.

He didn't have much time to process that attack before Xion pounced on him, attempting to strike from above. He managed to block the attack but had to deal with a flurry of oncoming strikes from Xion. What he had said had had its intended effect, which was to tick her off enough to make her lower her guard. Now, all Riku had to do was wait for an opening.

It came when Xion attempted another strike from above, but made one costly error: she was holding her Keyblade with only one hand.

With a quick strike to her wrist, Riku was able to knock her Keyblade from her hand, sending it sky-high. Xion stumbled backward and earned a swift kick straight to the gut that sent her back even further.

She had landed on her knees but was unable to get back up after that kick.

Riku had won, and she had failed.

Stop: The Force in You - Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

Quick cut to Halloween Town, the new world that Kirux and Roxas had been sent to investigate. They had been preparing to leave after a strange encounter with the locals that involved bombs being thrown into their faces, and while Kirux was able to dodge it this last time, Roxas had gotten his second face full of explosives that day, much to Kirux's amusement.

Roxas had just summoned a dark corridor when Kirux stepped away, lifting his hand to summon his own.

"You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

"Where are you headed?"

"Beasts' Castle."

"Are you seriously going over there? Xion is fine, she can handle it."

"I know she can, but it's like I said earlier Rox. This is personal, and I need to be there. I'm going. Don't wait for me."

With that, Kirux summoned his dark corridor and entered, heading for Beasts' Castle and hoping he wasn't too late.

…

…

…

Meanwhile, Xion's Keyblade came flying back down, impaling itself into the stone of the bridge. Xion had collapsed to the ground from her injuries, while Riku just stared.

Eventually, he sighed, dismissing his sword while whispering to himself "Some Keyblade wielder…"

He approached Xion, walking up and crouching down next to her.

"Now to see who you really are…"

He grabbed her hood and removed it enough so he could see her face, then lifted his blindfold to look at her.

What he saw, who he saw, shocked him to his core.

"No…it can't be…"

Play: Riku's Theme - Kingdom Hearts II

He immediately jumped back, slowly backing away from this girl as she rose back up.

"Your face…" was all he could muster, "Who are you really? And why do you have a Keyblade?"

Xion slid her hood back to its original position and responded, "Tell me first why you are dressed as one of us."

Riku turned away from her and walked back to the girl's Keyblade, which remained ingrained in the ground.

"To make sure my best friend sleeps in peace."

He grabbed the Keyblade and pulled it out, taking a moment to look it over.

Identical to every detail. No doubt.

This was Sora's Keyblade. Well, it was Sora's Keyblade, and now it "belonged" to whoever, or whatever, this girl was.

"I don't know who you are or what you're supposed to be, but I can tell a copycat when I see one."

"Huh?"

Riku shook his head, "This Keyblade? Nothing but a sham."

He tossed it aside with a "Worthless", as it landed back in front of Xion.

…

"My Keyblade…a sham? But…"

Her fists clenched and started shaking with anger.

"My Keyblade is not a sham…What gives you the right to say something like that?!"

Riku didn't respond, so she grabbed her Keyblade and ran at him once again, despite her weakened state.

Needless to say, it didn't go any better than the rest of the fight had.

Riku was quick to duck down and dodge her attack, before spinning around and hitting her in her side, the side she had been hit with magic and kicked at by now.

Xion collapsed once again, with her Keyblade fading away from her hand. She heard Riku stand and turn back towards her.

"You should find a new crowd. Trust me, those guys are bad news. For everyone, including your friend."

…

It was then Riku saw a dark corridor appear by the castle gate, and watched as Kirux exited.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Why don't you ask him what really happened when he went missing? I'm sure he'll explain it for real this time."

Riku then went to leave, just as Kirux had started running over with sword in hand.

He heard Kirux yell "Wait!", but by the time he had reached Xion, Riku was already gone through his corridor.

Kirux stopped, threw his sword on the ground, and yelled "Fuck!" right where he stood.

He had him. Riku was right there, and Kirux had been too slow.

…

Kirux had been so caught up with Riku that he didn't hear Xion slowly raise herself to her feet. He immediately turned back to help, putting his arms out towards her.

"Hey, are you okay-,"

Before he could even touch her, she shoved him back, keeping her eyes away from his.

"Don't touch me." Was all she could let out, her voice low and weak.

"Xion?" He reached out again, another shove.

"I said…don't touch me!"

"I just wanna help-,"

"To help me? Fine, if you want to help so bad, then start with this."

She looked up and met his eyes, and he could see it. The pain, the hurt, the tears. He didn't expect to see tears, but they were there.

"Tell me…what really happened to you when you went missing? It wasn't a Heartless that did all of that stuff to you, was it?"

…

Kirux didn't answer her, he just stared back in shock.

How did she know? Did she know? Who had…

Then, it clicked.

Riku.

"Xion, I…I'm sorry, it was…"

"It was what, Ki? A mistake? No, lying to your friends, lying to me. That's not a mistake, Kirux. That's a choice."

She walked away from him, leaving through a dark corridor.

He stood there, still trying to process what had happened.

"That bastard…he told her…"

As mad as Kirux wanted to be right now, there wasn't much he could do about it. So, he just summoned a corridor and returned home.

But he vowed that he would make Riku pay, once he got another shot.