Hidden Truths
Early the next morning, Riku stirred as he woke up. The sun was barely up, though he barely got much sleep after his parents bonded a little more with Twilight around the campfire. Aside from his mother constantly teasing him, they got along pleasantly with Twilight. He didn't know if they noticed how she moved her hands, always keeping them balled in a fist and rarely using her fingers as she "gestured" when she talked. They at least respected her vegetarian diet, though not for the reason they believed. Just having to hide all this from his parents made him worry more and more with each minute that something was going to slip and ruin their good time.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes with a tired groan. Sharing one of the tents with his father, because his mother didn't want any "fooling around" between the two, he wasn't surprised to see Basch's spot was empty. He was an early riser, sometimes barely getting enough recommended sleep, yet still functions normally if he suffered from insomnia. Putting on his boots, Riku stepped out of the tent, seeing the dark, starlit sky slowly change to a faint orange with the sun's ascent. Glancing around their campground, he took a walk through the woods to clear his head. His father was probably getting some more wood for later, or foraging for some edible berries for the group.
"This is insane," Riku mumbled to himself, getting a good distance from the campsite in the foliage. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I've been hiding how I felt about what I did with everyone else. Even Twilight. I think dad knows something's wrong, and if my mom finds out, she's going to tan my hide harder than ever."
"I think you're panicking too much." Riku paused and turned around, finding the Riku Replica leaning against one of the trees. It had been a while since he'd talked to the puppet, though his words of wisdom weren't going to do much good in his situation now. "I didn't really have that great of a relationship with my 'parent', but they won't think differently of you. Just like Twilight believes."
"I have every right to panic this badly," Riku argued. "You have no idea how much guilt I had after being so stupid to trust Maleficent. Even when climbing out of Castle Oblivion, I was struggling to fight back against Ansem's control. I was ruthless to Zexion when I shifted into that form just to defend myself!" The replica glanced down at himself, at the dark uniform Riku's clothes transformed into as he unleashed the power of darkness in the past. "I've had to suffer, struggle to fight back. My clueless naivety dragged me down a dark path, and I could have killed my best friends! If mom and dad knew about that, that I was meant to protect everyone with my Keyblade and not use the power of darkness to harm them, they'd disown me in a heartbeat!"
"...Sora and Kairi know it wasn't your fault," Riku Replica stated.
"There's a huge difference between friends forgiving me and my parents learning their son was more than just a teenage delinquent who picked on his best friend day in and day out!" Riku shouted. "I don't think you understand that they were navy soldiers! They protect people and save lives if a serious threat comes by sea! Heroes!"
"And you're a hero, too," the puppet stated once more.
"But even then, I still feel like I shouldn't be forgiven for making such stupid mistakes like that," Riku grunted bitterly. "They tell me 'not to talk to strangers', 'don't accept anything from strangers'. I listened to their warnings so I don't end up being a troublemaker...but instead, while I was scared and alone on some other world, I ignored them and...trusted that witch..." He clenched his fists, growling at himself over his poor choices, regardless of his fears being alone in an unknown world. "Even if I'm forgiven...even if I try to move on from it and make up for my sins...I don't want to feel like I'm a disappointment to them...They wanted to raise me right, and...I could have turned into something worse if Sora didn't give up on me."
Unamused, Riku Replica let out a sigh. "So it's perfectly fine for you if Sora, Twilight, and the rest of the gang forgive your mistakes, but the world's gonna end if your parents find out the truth?" he asked, moving away from his reclined spot and approached Riku. "I think Twilight's exaggerated panic attacks have really rubbed off on you if you're this insane. Just like trying to take care of Flurry Heart by yourself while doing a whole bunch of errands. One small error of judgement changed that aloof and confident you into a worried, tormented mess of a man. Everyone's got skeletons in their closet."
"I don't want to be a disappointment to everyone again," Riku argued. "Even after all this time, I still can't believe I was the one who passed our Mark of Mastery exam over Sora; the one who's saved more worlds than I ever did. He deserved to be a Keyblade Master, not me."
"...I think you need to have a little chat with Terra considering you two have a lot of similar issues," the replica stated. "You both let your past dictate how people perceived you. That sort of judgement you expect only makes your attempts to reconcile worse and make it believable to you that you can never be redeemed by anyone. Including your family." Standing before Riku, the double pointed at the wielder's chest. "Pushing them away from the weight crushing your chest is only going to make it worse."
"...I can't," Riku muttered.
"If it's about the world order, then screw it. They already know more than they should," Riku Replica stated, making Riku growl at the puppet's "wisdom". "I think they should also know that storm where you three 'mysteriously disappeared' also 'killed' them, and you were actually spending that whole year trying to bring Sora back after the two of you climbed out of Castle Oblivion."
"I'm NOT telling mom or dad that, or what I did or could have done if I kept going down that path!" Riku yelled, smacking the replica's hand away.
"Riku?" Startled, Riku turned around, summoning his Keyblade in self-defense. He froze when the person who called out to him was Basch. Barely phased by his son's defensive stance, holding a burlap sack filled with some berries he scrounged, he waited a moment before speaking again. "...Were you talking to yourself?"
Riku stammered, lowering his arms, then slowly glanced behind him. The replica was gone, irritating him, but he tried not to show it, and failing.
"...Y-Yes?" he answered, dismissing his Keyblade.
"Just venting to yourself, or is there something eating at you that you can't bother to tell your girlfriend about?" Basch questioned. Riku flinched, remaining silent. "Or...there's something you're afraid to tell me or your mother." Riku lowered his head, internally struggling with himself as he couldn't bear to look his father in the eyes. "Judging by your conversation with yourself, I think I hit the nail on the head."
"...It's...complicated, dad," Riku mumbled.
"Because we already know too much and you'll get in more trouble?" Basch asked. Again, Riku went quiet. Walking up to his son, Basch placed a hand on Riku's shoulder. "I think there was a whole lot more that you've been hiding from us for a while. Since that day you and Sora were playing on the island, you've been a little bit too serious as a kid. You strived to one day go off and see the world, always looking up at the night sky like there's another world you wish to see out there. You even wanted to build yourselves a raft to explore the sea with Sora and Kairi. Your mother brushed it off as your adventurous spirit, but when you came back after being gone for over a year, you revealed you were destined for something more than the average life of an islander.
"That day you came home...you were so much different. And I don't mean your appearance or your clothing." Riku remembered that day after he and Sora returned from their final battle against Xemnas, his right hand reaching the grab his left wrist.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi stood at the docks of the mainland after reuniting back on their island. Their home didn't really change all that much in the last year they've been gone. Sora went to check in on his mother, who was probably worried sick about him, with Kairi in tow. Riku walked down the path to his house, far more nervous to face his parents than Sora. Part of him was glad he wasn't going to show up looking like some other man, forced to unleash the darkness lingering within him to take Roxas when he was far stronger than he expected. His hand grasped his bandaged left forearm, still in pain after blocking a powerful blow from Sora's Nobody, even with his Dark Shield raised to lessen the impact.
As he stood at the entrance to his childhood home, Riku gulped anxiously. He ran his right hand over his bangs, his longer hair hanging over his eyes. His folks were going to see a completely different person in the end, and he was afraid to tell them what really happened; what he really did when his home was swallowed by the darkness, and he let the darkness take him and transport him to another world. Steeling his nerves, he took in a deep breath, walked down the small path leading to his house, and hesitantly knocked on the door.
"Coming!" Riku winced, hearing his father's voice. Basch opened the door, and the moment he saw his son, his eyes grew wide in astonishment. "...Riku?"
"...H-Hey, dad," Riku greeted.
"...Faris!" Basch called inside the house.
"What is it, Basch!?" Faris called out. She stood in view of the doorway, gasping when she saw who was standing at their door. Even with his long hair and a completely different outfit, Faris still recognized her teenage son. "Riku...Oh my...Riku!"
She rushed over to the door and caught Riku in a tight embrace, startling him. His father even snapped out of his daze and held both his wife and son, both of them relieved to see Riku return. Riku didn't expect such a tearful reunion from his folks. It only made explaining what truly happened to him, to them, all the more stressful. The rest of the night, his parents didn't want to leave his side, even though he was still exhausted from the clash against Xemnas and the remaining members of Organization XIII in the fallen World that Never Was. They asked where he'd been, what he was doing all that time, even noticed his bandaged hand and his sore side after taking that one hit for Sora after surviving that barrage of lasers. His answers were vague, delaying expressing the truth, and he wasn't in that much pain despite his wincing.
The next morning, he told them everything that happened, omitting his power of darkness. He might get himself in a bit of trouble for revealing the Keyblade, the Heartless, and the existence of other worlds beyond theirs, but they had a right to know after worrying them half to death. He was glad they didn't remember the storm that took Destiny Island, or that it took their hearts and everyone else they knew. It was a lot for them to take in, but they never expected their son to basically take after them, keeping peace in all sorts of worlds as a super soldier far more advanced than the military training they've taken.
After reflecting on what happened, hanging out on the island at their usual spot and discovering the letter sent to them by Mickey about what they discovered, Sora was all in on furthering their training as Key Bearers. Riku couldn't say no, mostly because he still needed to prove himself as a bearer after all the mistakes he's made. Before they left their home via Gummi ship, Riku spent another day with his parents, informing them of what came up after his year-long "training".
Faris stuck her tongue out as she used some scissors to give her son a long-needed haircut. "There we are," she said after a few more snips. "You look much more handsome with shorter hair. And you don't look like a ragged mess to whoever your instructor is. Different type of military, but there are some principles that are the same. Cleanliness being one of them."
Riku let out a sigh, looking through a small mirror reflecting his older, shorter hairstyle. "I didn't have much time to cut my own hair," he argued.
"You had your bangs covering your eyes! How are you supposed to defend yourself when your hair's constantly in your vision!?" Faris exclaimed, scolding him.
"I grew my hair out a bit when I was younger," Basch pointed out.
"But you kept yours tied in a ponytail, so it's not a hindrance in combat," Faris said, sticking her tongue out at her husband.
Basch rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his mug. Riku stood up and removed the cloth covering himself during his haircut, grimacing slightly with a grunt as he clutched his bruised side.
"Perhaps you should rest and recuperate for a few more days," Basch advised.
"Ngh. It's...nothing," Riku assured. "I've taken worse blows."
"From what!? A truck!?" Faris exclaimed. "You don't even look like you're in condition to walk around, let alone fight...whatever you called these dangerous monsters with your 'job'!"
"I'll live," Riku grumbled.
"You should be in bed resting! If your father and I were out at sea and collapsed from exhaustion keeping a battleship in pristine condition, our CO will order us to go on a mandatory leave of absence!" Faris added.
"What my mentor just discovered was important," Riku said. "I'm needed, no ifs, ands, or buts. Even if I'm hurt."
Faris grunted, grabbing Riku's left arm, making him wince as he muffled his own pained grunt. "If these injuries are serious, I do not want you killing yourself for nothing. Even recruited soldiers in the battlefield have a worth," she scolded.
"I've gotten used to all this for a while. What I do is much more dangerous than you think," Riku argued. He yanked his arm away, grimacing as he weakly flexed his wrist. "If the Heartless appear here, you and dad wouldn't stand a chance. You can't hurt them unless you have a weapon like mine...I need to be stronger so I can...protect everyone..."
Faris grew frustrated, but unlike Basch, she didn't notice there was more to what their son was explaining than he was letting on. Since Riku's return, he'd noticed how distant he seemed from them, his own parents, and the injuries he came home with were more than just a small sprain or a bruise. As much as he wanted to know what his son had gone through, he wasn't going to risk pressuring him and have him push them away from him.
Placing his mug down on the table, Basch stood up and stood beside Faris, draping his arm over her shoulder. "We don't want you to push yourself too hard," he said. "You've always proven your might against Sora with those sparring sessions of yours, but don't go too in over your head."
"Basch?" Faris uttered.
"If you get overwhelmed, there's no shame in retreating to get your second wind," Basch advised. "Don't be afraid of losing. There's always that chance you can jump back and claim your victory. Even through the worst of circumstances."
Riku's lips frowned slightly, barely noticed by Faris, but Basch caught that slight twitch. "...Ok," Riku mumbled. "...I better get going. Sora's...probably going to taunt me for being late."
He was about to turn to leave, only for Faris to grab his right wrist, turned him around, and hugged him. "...You've grown up so fast," she mumbled. "You've made me worry sick for a year...Just promise me you'll let us know you're alright. Even by letter if you have to."
Riku hesitated, caught off guard by another affectionate embrace from his mother. He hugged her back with his good arm, mumbling he'll try to contact them to assuage their worries. Faris finally let go as Basch approached his son, giving him a light pat on his right arm with a confident grin, silently assuring Riku they had full faith in his capabilities as a warrior in training. Riku gave Basch a slight nod, and now freed from a proper farewell from his family, he made his way back to the island to join up with Sora and reconvene with Master Yen Sid.
"We saw such a prideful, boastful little boy who believed he could take on the world, and proved his bite was just as big as his bark," Basch said. "Now, you've been a bit broody. Barely pronounce any of your triumphs against your best friend and whatever competitions you two get yourselves caught up in. And I don't think all of that stems from your girlfriend reigning you in to keep you from being the little troublemaker you were."
Riku sighed, his left hand's fingers clenching as he removed his right hand from his wrist. "...You sure your post as a naval soldier wasn't in psychiatry?"
"Wasn't even my major while studying," Basch said. "I just know how to read people and judge if there's something they've been hiding." Riku grimaced, but he remained silent. Basch let out a sigh, not out of disappointment. "...Your mother wasn't all that honest with me when she said I was her first love after we were both on leave."
"Huh?" Riku uttered. "What...does that have to do with...?"
The man smirked as he walked forward, stepping past his son. "Let's just say, if things were different, I wouldn't be here. And Sora could have wound up being your brother instead."
Riku was confused at first, but then grew shocked, quickly turning around to watch Basch turn and look over his shoulder. "W-Wait, what are you...? D-Did...Did mom...WHAT!?"
"I didn't think it odd at first, but it was obvious when we heard the unfortunate news about Kaito and his seamates in that storm," Basch explained. "Sora and Manami weren't the only ones devastated by the loss. She felt ashamed having kept something like that a secret when she found the motivation to tell me her 'first' romantic interest. I actually found it a little amusing that Kaito has the kind of charisma to infatuate someone as stubborn as your mother."
Riku groaned, feeling sick to his stomach, and also mortified about something he DIDN'T want to know about any of his parents. "Jeeze...And I thought Twilight liking Sora before she met me sounded insane."
Basch chuckled at the little bit of information. "Like father, like son. Sora definitely inherited all of Kaito's genes, then."
"Ok, can we stop talking about that!?" Riku begged.
Basch's grin faded, turning around to face Riku with his arms crossed. "The point is I know there's something bugging you, but if you're not ready to tell us, I'm not going to force it out of you," he said.
"I'm fine, dad," Riku assured with a huff.
"No. You're not." Father and son had a stare off, one trying to help understand what the other's problem was while the other was being defiant and continuing to hide his dark secrets. After a minute of silence, Basch's gaze softened as he let out a sigh. He walked back toward Riku, standing before him, and placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Riku, I'm not trying to upset you or ruin what's supposed to be a fun outing for all of us, as well as knowing Twilight a little more. Your mom and I just want to be sure that you're ok and nothing's wrong. We can help you if whatever's on your mind is this serious. But don't push us away if it's meant to keep us safe from whatever may come after us." Riku frowned, dropping his gaze downward. Even if his father gave him assurance that whatever he says won't affect them, it wasn't enough to convince him. "Son...what aren't you telling us?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Riku spotted the replica standing at his father's side, silently ushering him to just come out and tell him. Staring at the uniform he wore, reminded of the horrible things he's done to Sora, and for letting Maleficent and Ansem control him for their own personal gains. He really didn't want to hear what his parents had to say about his poor choices; his lies. And if not the darkness he sought to gain power and almost lost to it, there was Twilight's secret. Would they be accepting of their relationship if they knew she was actually an alicorn, another creature that was far from human, or would they reel in disgust? His parents already put such high expectations on him after learning he was a Key Bearer and followed in their footsteps protecting the peace, and he didn't want to make that crumble if he told them the truth.
Riku slowly moved his father's hands off of him, his gaze averted from the man he looked up to for guidance, giving Basch an idea that he wasn't ready to really talk. "...It's confidential," he answered vaguely. "I told you and mom too much already. But it's nothing for you two to worry about."
Riku Replica let out an annoyed sigh before disappearing into the recesses of his heart. Riku stepped around his father and return to the camp, no doubt his mother and girlfriend would be waking up anytime soon.
"How confidential?" Basch asked, making Riku stop. "To protect the world order? Or is it personal?"
Riku frowned, his shoulders slumping slightly as he took in a deep breath. "...Both."
Hearing nothing but a concerned hum from his father, Riku continued walking, hearing Basch following behind him a few yards. He knew he was going to regret it in the future, but Riku thought it was really for the best his parents don't know about his darkness.
"Up and at 'em, bookworm!" Twilight grumbled, squinting her eyes open from Faris' wakeup call. She was already up and motivated, strapping on her boots, then opened the flap to their tent, shining the light inside and blinding Twilight. "Day's already being wasted, and you're still slumbering like a hibernating sloth."
"What time is it?" Twilight groaned.
"Obviously sunrise," Faris stated snidely with a smirk. "You live with a military family, you rise early just like them."
She stepped outside, leaving Twilight irritated as she sat up, her hair a ragged mess. "I thought I was done waking up this early when training with Aqua," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she tiredly got herself up and motivated. She grabbed her boots and slid them on, grumbling slightly as she fumbled her fingers around the laces to tighten them. "Grgh. Wish I...had magic to tie these...stupid..." After a bit of a struggle, she finally tied her laces, then got up and exited the tent to greet the morning sun. Faris was down by the stream, filling some canteens with fresh water. "Ugh. I'm really not a morning pony..."
Faris finished filling up the canteens, taking a swig of hers with a sigh. "Can't beat the taste of natural running water." She stood up, carrying the canteens back to the tents. As she looked out toward the forest, she spotted Riku returning to the campsite. "Atta boy! Up already and hunted down some food for the lovely women of the tribe!"
Riku sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just went for a walk," he said.
Faris frowned, blowing a raspberry in disappointment. "Good example to provide for your dear old mother and the girl you're dating."
"I think Riku does more than enough to help 'provide' for me," Twilight insisted.
"You know, I am curious to know just how much it pays to be what you two do," Faris pondered aloud. "Hopefully more than a military stipend does. Raising a baby ain't cheap."
Twilight blanched, staring at the woman in shock and bafflement. "I thought you didn't approve of Riku and I sleeping together! You're expecting us to have a baby!?"
"Are YOU expecting one?" Faris asked curiously.
"NO!" Twilight shrieked. "I'm far too busy to even think about that! And definitely not before Riku and I get married!"
"...Good answer," Faris said with a cheeky grin, relishing the flustered, dumbfounded look on Twilight's face. As she looked at Riku, expecting him to be incredibly flustered and ready to blow up on her, Faris was perturbed by his silence and distant gaze. "Riku? You alright? I expected you to get annoyed...You not feeling well?"
"...I didn't sleep well," he mumbled.
"What, were you on watch for those Heartless things?" Faris questioned. Riku said nothing, unaware of what was troubling him. Twilight knew, however, and when she saw Basch come back to the camp a few moments after Riku had and was busy checking their provisions, occasionally glancing over at them. Faris came over to Riku, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead to gauge his temperature. "No fever. You don't look ill. Maybe a little sleep deprived. Maybe a little ginseng might relax your nerves. And maybe tolerate my teasing."
"Ginseng?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Don't tell me a little bookworm like you doesn't know what kind of plant that is," Faris scoffed playfully.
"I know what it is and what it does when consumed," Twilight grumbled. "I just didn't know this forest had herbs like that growing in the wild."
"It's not poisonous. Hell, I go out and grab a few whenever I need something to help me unwind," Faris said. "Brew some up in a tea, and he'll be zonked out like a baby." Patting Riku's head, she stood up and went over to the girls' tent, grabbing her pouch and began to head off into another section of the woods. "Be back in a few. And Basch, since Riku failed to find food, you have to provide dinner!"
"Way ahead of you, dear," Basch called out. "But no meat. Twilight's vegetarian, remember?"
"Ah, crud. Slipped my mind," Faris grumbled, blowing a strand of her hair out of her face. "I'll see if I can rustle up some safe greens for a mixed salad as well."
She soon disappeared in the forest for the ginseng and whatever plants out there they could safely consume. With Faris gone and Basch preoccupied with his tools, Twilight grasped Riku's hand, feeling him squeeze hers tightly.
"What happened?" she asked, subtly glancing over at Basch. "...Did you tell your dad?"
"...No," Riku admitted. "...I couldn't do it...But he knows something's bothering me. He's always got some way of knowing if mom or I were hiding something we were afraid to tell him."
"Did he seem upset that you're hiding this from them?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know," Riku sighed. He glanced back at his dad, their eyes meeting, but the wielder turned away, gulping anxiously. "I just know he's going to be upset with me. Mom definitely will."
"Well, when you do tell them, I'll be right beside you," Twilight reassured.
As grateful as he was for her support, Riku still didn't confident telling his folks the truth.
Faris strolled through the woods like her own personal backyard. Whenever she was restless at home when on leave, she went outside on a little trek to sate her urges for excitement if Basch on active duty. Pulling out a small knife in a holster hidden under her shirt, she twirled the sharp blade between her fingers, humming a small tune as she enjoyed the bounty nature gave.
"There should be some fresh ginseng growing this season," she uttered to herself. Faris reached a small grove with a few different types of flora scattered around, including a little patch of ginseng roots near some of the trees. "Ahh. There's me treasure. All for the plunderin'." She giggled to herself, her adventurous side coming out as she pretended to be a pirate who found a treasure chest filled with gold and jewels. Kneeling down, she used her knife to cut a few good roots. "I wonder which worlds Riku's been to. Perhaps there's a world that's filled with nothing but water? Vast seas with islands meant to explore and hunt down the richest pirates' treasures?
"Oh, he is so lucky if he has!" While distracted with her vocal thoughts and foraging the roots, she didn't hear a pair of footsteps approaching the grove, stopping in the shadows of the grove, staring at her with a smirk. "What if there sea monsters? Or...sea dragons. Yeah. Sea dragons. We'd tame them, and they'd help steer our ship if the winds die down, or fend off other beasts of the deep. I would name mine...Syldra. My loyal sea friend Syldra."
"Sounds like a fantasy a little kid would make up." Gasping, Faris quickly got to her feet and turned around, startled to hear her son's voice.
Under the shade of the early morning sun, she couldn't tell who was standing there, but from the silhouette and the sound of his voice, she let out a frustrated sigh. "Riku, for goodness sake. Don't sneak up on me like that! I was going to toss my knife right at you!" she scolded.
"You would have missed," he said.
"...Right. You probably have much better reflexes than a naval soldier," Faris mumbled to herself. She knelt down and picked up the roots she cut. "I guess you were interested in gathering a few roots for later use?" "Riku" said nothing, silently eyeing her curiously. "...Or are you upset with me for picking on you in front of your girlfriend?" More silence. Faris started to feel guilty given the silent treatment. Sighing, she put the ginseng in her pouch. "Look, Riku, if you think I'm going too far, you know you can just tell me. I just want to make sure you're not going to do something stupid that'll get you in a whole lot of trouble. That aloof, wild child I raised has already become a man with so much responsibility, and found someone he cares about to spend the rest of his life with. I'm probably just being that kind of overbearing mother who refuses to admit their child is grown up and wants to coddle them. Or, in my case, constantly pick on you."
"Hmm...I see," "Riku" said. "You sound as insecure as him. Who would have thought someone like you were his mother."
Baffled, Faris stared at her son. "'Insecure as...?' What the hell are you-?" He slowly stepped out of the shadows and showed himself. As he revealed himself, Faris' eyes widened in shock. Despite the odd black coat he wore, the voice matched the very face of her son, but this Riku looked a few years younger, sported the spiked down hairstyle he'd had for years, and the look in his eyes held a much more menacing presence. "...What the...? Riku?"
"Well, you're half right," Dark Riku said. "I am Riku, but someone he could have been...if he kept the darkness in his heart." Rising from the ground, Shadows surrounded Faris. Startled, Faris flicked her knife and held it backhanded in self-defense. She heard about what the Heartless looked like from Riku, but they were not how she expected them to look. Looking back at the Riku impersonating her son, she was still confused by what he meant with his statement. Dark Riku chuckled at her expression and shook his head. "So he never told you. And yet you're his mother. Perhaps all that teasing you did to him made him lose any kind of trust he had for you."
"What is going on?" Faris mumbled. "Who the hell are you!?"
Riku smirked. "...Your son," he answered vaguely. Growling, Faris reached her other hand behind her, quickly pulling out her service pistol concealed under her shirt. She took aim and fired a couple shots at the fake, but Dark Riku shot his hand up, summoning Soul Eater, slicing through each bullet faster than the speed of their velocity. Her breath hitched, barely seeing him move as she blinked, unharmed and watching the bullets getting split and striking two separate trees behind him. She knew she was outmatched by Riku, but if this imposter was supposed to be him in equal strength and skill, she was in way over her head. "Heh. No hesitation to shoot someone who looks a lot like your kid."
"You're not Riku," Faris mumbled, unsure what to do as she glanced at the Shadows slowly creeping up on her.
Twilight munched on the wild berries and nuts Basch found during his early morning foraging. The trio sat in silence, Riku keeping his gaze averted from his father's. She wondered if she should try to say something for him, try to let Basch down gently before revealing the worst side of his son that came out years ago. As she was about to try her luck, the silence was interrupted by the sound of gunshots out in the forest.
"W-What the hay was that?" Twilight uttered, never hearing such a menacing sound that was similar to a cannon's, but not as explosive.
"A gunshot?" Basch questioned. "There's no hunting allowed around here until next month. But...it sounded like a pistol..."
"Mom's also out in that direction..." Riku's eyes widened, dreading his mother must have run into something dangerous to use her gun in self-defense. But with no dangerous predators around these woods, there could only be one type of threat that rivals any natural predator. "Oh no. Mom!"
Riku sprinted off, summoning his Keyblade and hurried to his mother's rescue. Twilight hurried after him and summoned Harmony to help him, Basch running after them as he brought along his wood cutting ax. They could hear more gunfire, a few more shots before they stopped, and as Riku got closer, he could hear his mother grunting and shouting. Approaching the grove, he skid to a halt, growling angrily as he saw his mother being pinned down by Shadows, her gun and knife scattered away from her, and standing with their back turned to him was Dark Riku.
"Not him again," Twilight growled as she and Riku were ready to fight the Organization doppelganger.
When Basch caught up, he stumbled to a halt, stunned by the sight of a second Riku slowly turning around to face them, but the dark smirk and menacing gaze in the younger "teen's" eyes was not his real son's. "What in the hell?"
Suddenly, something latched onto his ax, taking it and Basch sailing off to the side. He grunted as something grabbed him, yanking his ax from his grip, spat it out, then leapt over to slam the man onto the ground beside his wife. Riku and Twilight gasped, watching the invisible silhouette that took Basch unveil itself to be a Stealth Sneak, though its scaly skin was black instead of green.
"Dad!" Riku called out, then snarled as he glared at the person who he used to be. "Let my parents go!"
"And ruin the family get-together?" Dark Riku asked. "I'm just adding a little more excitement in this gathering of yours."
"How'd you even know we were out here?" Twilight questioned.
"He's obviously been spying on us," Riku grunted.
"You know, Riku, your mother told me quite a sad detail about how she always messed with you," Dark Riku said. "She may have done it with good intentions to 'guide you' on the right path, but it didn't really help much a few years ago, did it?"
"Shut up," Riku growled.
"Now now, don't be rude to your mother after she gave me quite an endearing heart to heart with her 'son'," Dark Riku smirked, taunting the wielder.
"If you want me, leave everyone else out of this and just come after me," Riku said.
"As much as I want to, you know just as well as I do that we're both very important for what's to come," Dark Riku stated.
"R-Riku, just kick this runt's ass," Faris grunted.
Twilight was ready for another round with Dark Riku after he managed to outmatch her. However, she heard a feral growling sound, the same sound the Stealth Sneaks make. She turned around, only to get sucker punched by another one that was stealthily hiding behind them.
"Twilight!" Riku called out, only for a third Stealth Sneak to jump down on top of him. Pinned down, the impact caused his memory ornament to fly out from his pocket, bouncing and rolling toward Dark Riku. Twilight tried to get back up, but the second Stealth Sneak that struck her revealed itself and pinned her down as well, hissing menacingly at the transformed alicorn. The third one removed its own camouflage as well, keeping Riku held down as he struggled to free himself, watching Dark Riku pick up the ornament and eyed it curiously. "D-Damn you. You guys just can't face us yourselves? Bunch of cowards!"
"Hmph. Cowards, eh?" Dark Riku questioned. "You're one to talk. Need I remind you how I came to be? Because I think your parents have the right to know."
"W-What...are you talking about?" Faris questioned.
Basch grunted, his struggles beneath the Stealth Sneak on top of him slowing to a halt as he gazed at his son and the teenager pretending to be him. "Your boy is not as innocent as you think he is," Dark Riku said, turning around to face Faris and Basch, holding the orb out in his hand. "There's a lot more to his past that he's eluded from telling you. And for good reason." Snapping his fingers, he ordered the Stealth Sneak holding Riku to bring him closer. As the Heartless stopped behind him, Dark Riku held the ornament up to Riku's chest, which started to glow, forcefully revealing memories of the past back to when Riku first met and turned to using the full power of darkness. "Your son's not as heroic as he claimed. See for yourself."
The memory started when Riku ran into the hall inside the abandoned castle that lies in the canyons outside of Radiant Garden, the same castle Maleficent used as her base along with the rest of the villains to unleash the Door to Darkness. He was just beaten by Sora, even after he took back the Kingdom Keyblade that was supposed to be his, and his loss made him desperate and angry.
"Why? It was mine," Riku panted, slowing down and catching his breath.
"Know this. The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade." From the deep, menacing voice that came from Seeker of Darkness Ansem, Faris and Basch watched their son in the past turn to face the brown-cloaked figure, noting the dark aura that lingered around him.
"Who the hell is that?" Faris mumbled.
"What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?" Riku questioned, insulted.
"For that instant, it was," Ansem said. His response made Riku wilt, still battered by his defeat and feeling humiliated. "However, you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the Door to Darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow ever stronger."
"No...Not this," Riku uttered, watching the shocked expressions on his parents' face. If trusting in Maleficent was bad enough, trusting someone like Ansem and what he did to him was by far the worst Dark Riku showed them. "Anything but this..."
"...What should I do?" Past Riku asked, feeling desperate as he asked a random stranger teeming with darkness for advice, appalling his mother.
"It's really quite simple," Ansem stated as he approached Riku. "Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being become darkness itself."
Immediately following Ansem's advice, Riku closed his eyes, letting a dark green flame envelop his body as Ansem's form disappeared and merged with Riku's. "W-What...?" Faris shuddered, watching her son's clothes slowly change into the dark black and red uniform that enhanced his dark prowess, but what stood before them was not the defeated teenager who was whooped by Sora and his new friends.
Holding a much more sinister air, his eyes opened as the process was completed, his heart filled with Ansem's darkness and being under his complete control. Chuckling, Ansem-Riku walked into the grand chapel, where the keyhole leading to the world's heart was waiting to be opened by Maleficent. At the entrance, the possessed teen glanced at the six princesses they had kidnapped from their worlds, trapped inside capsules in a comatose state, where their pure hearts were needed to open the keyhole and spill an endless darkness upon the world. His hand radiated with darkness, raising it up and attracting the pure hearts from each of the princesses. They converged around him, surrounded by his dark aura, then merged to transform into the dark black and red Keyblade of Heart. Grinning, he swung the cursed Keyblade to test its weight, then dismissed it as he went upstairs to have a little chat with Maleficent, and to Basch and Faris' horror, seeing the heartless, comatose body of Kairi laying on the opposite side of the dreadful gate billowing with darkness.
"He let a man who held tremendous dark wisdom into his heart, and let the darkness take full control," Dark Riku said, ending the memory, but there was so much more to show them. Dark Riku placed the ornament in Riku's hand, making him grunt and leer at the smug grin on his double's face. "Why not fill in the rest yourself? After all, you've been hiding how much you craved the darkness long ago."
"You should have just stayed dead," Riku growled.
"...Fine. If you don't care about your parents' lives, I'm sure they can be made into a decent part of our Heartless army." Riku grimaced, watching the first Stealth Sneak bring its claws over his father's heart, and the Shadows pinning down his mother were ready to sink their claws in hers.
"NO!" Riku shouted. Dark Riku raised his hand, halting the Heartless, waiting for Riku to do as he commanded of him. Riku struggled, but he lowered his head, lifting his hand holding his ornament as high as he could while in the clutches of the Stealth Sneak. "...I...I didn't want either of you to know...but I...did so much worse...before I trusted him."
So Riku showed his mother and father everything. Starting with their home being destroyed, he already sensed the storm was on its way and made his way to the island he played with Riku and Kairi at. Waiting on the small island with the paopu fruit tree, he told Sora that the door has opened when he went to find him and Kairi. After confusing his friend with what awaits them, as Riku held his hand out to Sora, darkness formed around him, showing no fear as he, and eventually Sora, were soon engulfed by the powerful aura. Sora tried to reach out to Riku, but the darkness swallowed them. When Riku came to, he found himself stranded at the entrance to the castle of what was formerly named Hollow Bastion.
There were moments where Riku was seen interacting with Maleficent and her fellow villainous cohorts with their grand scheme. When Maleficent spoke to him after reuniting with Sora, Faris and Basch were shocked to see their son actually believing the witch over his own best friend, showing disdain and jealousy over how much fun he had traveling with Donald and Goofy. Despite his mother's warnings never to trust in a stranger he'd never met or knew, all common sense of those warnings were nonexistent, especially after being warped to some other world and having no clue where he was or who to trust. The worst of it came to what he did, mocking Sora and no longer showing any sign of trust toward the boy he grew up with and played with almost on a daily basis.
Though Sora freed him from Ansem's control after they witnessed what Ansem had done using his body for his own means, in Castle Oblivion, they watched their son climbing up the long and exhaustive floors to escape after he sealed himself within the Door to Darkness to save the worlds with his best friend. They watched him using his Dark Mode to fight back and triumph his foes, but slowly begin to lose control over his free will as Ansem came back to wrest back control once again. Despite his struggles, Riku still fought back, refusing to back down, and though he came out victorious, Ansem's presence was still in his heart. Donning the black coat DiZ, the real Ansem, gave him to hide his presence from the first Organization XIII and conceal the darkness that threatened to take hold of him again, the whole year he'd been gone was also brought to light, another white lie that held a much darker truth.
His eyes now covered by a black blindfold, Riku wandered aimlessly throughout the worlds, using the power of darkness he could control to travel through each world, all to find and put back the pieces of Sora's memories back together with Namine's power. The clouded memories involving Xion had come back to him now that she was remembered again, being hunted by her as the Organization discovered his presence wearing their outfits and causing trouble for their plans. Under the hood when Riku first looked at Xion with his eyes as he moved the blindfold for a moment, they could see Sora's face beneath the hood. Though he had insulted her for being a puppet, he did have a small talk with her after they were sure he wouldn't be spotted by the other Nobodies in the Organization, prompting Xion to have the idea to revolt against the Organization. That long year he said to his parents that was all about training, though he had gotten stronger in that time since then, he was still an inexperienced wielder, his Soul Eater transforming into a Keyblade he called Way to the Dawn.
Riku's confrontation with Roxas in the dark city of The World That Never Was then explained one of his injuries, primarily his left hand. Watching the Nobody fight off Shadows and Neo Shadows atop the skyscraper just outside the Organization's palace, the two fought them off as Roxas flung Oblivion toward him as he ran up the side of the building, and he dropped down to catch it, destroying the last of the Heartless before fighting each other. Riku clearly had the advantage and would have won, but Roxas was able to retaliate and push Riku on the defensive. And Basch saw how Riku's left forearm was badly injured when Roxas rushed him, swung his Keyblades, and while Riku dodged the first swing, he was too slow to avoid the second, where he blocked it with his left arm, getting shoved back and injuring it badly. The injured hand was the least of their concerns when he and Faris watched Riku take off the blindfold, unleash his darkness, and turn back into the Heartless Ansem, using his power to subdue and squeeze Roxas to unconsciousness.
Throughout the whole ordeal, trapped in the body of the Heartless who took control of him before, Riku was still able to keep his self control this time. He kept in the background, sometimes keeping an eye on Sora, subtly hinting to what he needed to do next while keeping his identity from being revealed. The battle against the Organization in the castle reunited the trio of friends, Kairi immediately able to tell the man who came to her aid along with Namine was actually Riku. Sora was so relieved to be reunited with his best friend, despite how much Riku had hurt him, Sora had fallen to his knees, holding his hand and shedding tears. Faris and Basch questioned how Riku turned back to normal until they found Ansem the Wise using his device to destroy the Nobodies' replica of Kingdom Hearts created from the hearts released by the Heartless. The explosion of light turned Riku back to normal, no longer bearing any control of the darkness, and fought alongside Sora to take down Xemnas and destroy the Organization once and for all. The battle was long and arduous, leaving Sora and Riku exhausted, but they succeeded, though they saw what exactly got him so badly injured when he returned home after, blocking a blow for Sora and getting struck hard in the side, suffering a repeat incident against a dual-wielding opponent.
Riku ended it there, showing his parents what he'd wanted to tell them, but had no choice with Dark Riku threatening them. Faris and Basch were still processing the events that transpired in Riku's life in that year. Riku could tell they were silently judging him, unable to believe their son had gone down such a dark path.
"...I screwed up," Riku mumbled. "I caused trouble, I used the power of darkness...I even sided with villains from other worlds...I didn't even start officially training as a Key Bearer until we got the letter summoning me and Sora." He dropped the ornament, hanging his head in shame. "...You two expected so much of me, and I nearly made things worse. I'm sorry."
"...Riku," Faris uttered.
"So that's what was upsetting you," Basch said.
"Doesn't it feel good to finally get that off your chest?" Dark Riku asked, making Riku growl in disdain.
"You satisfied making me feel like crap?" Riku questioned. "Even though I hurt a lot of people, I fought to make up for my mistakes. Those memories still haunt me, and I'm actually lucky to have someone like Sora and Kairi forgive me after what I've done to them. Twilight looks past that. Hell, I even agreed to look after her niece for her when her brother and sister-in-law needed a break taking care of their baby. I was in over my head taking care of a baby, but when you went and took her and tried to manipulate her with my face and my voice, I am not going to let you do the exact same thing to my own parents."
"Showing them the truth and watching them hate you is just a bonus," Dark Riku said, then aimed Soul Eater at Riku's heart. "There are far too many lights for the coming war no thanks to the additional apprentices you and the others appear to be teaching. You're supposed to be kept alive...but I think it's fair snuffing out one light until we get the seven that are necessary for Xehanort's plans." While mocking Riku, Twilight stirred as she regained consciousness, glancing up and glaring at the darker double of her lover. "I still owe you for the beating you gave me after you managed to survive getting swallowed by the Demon Tower."
Throwing away all sense of secrecy in the face of a serious threat, Twilight summoned the Keyblade of Magic in her hand, her body flashing brightly as she reverted back to her pony form. The sudden change startled the Stealth Sneak holding her down, its shifting chameleon eyes glancing down at the alicorn, but she teleported out of its grasp, reappearing above it, and recalling Harmony, she dove down and sliced the Heartless through its abdomen. Its body split in half before its heart was freed, alerting the other Heartless as she stood on her hooves, Formchanging the Keyblade of Magic to its wand form, powering her magical spells as she glared at Dark Riku.
"And I still owe you for hurting my coltfriend and threatening my niece!" Twilight shouted.
Stunned, Basch and Faris stared at Twilight, the girl Riku introduced was now a small, purple equine with wings and a horn. Launching her spell into the air, she cast a strong Magneja spell, sucking away the Shadows on top of Faris and obliterating them in the magnetic force. It even began to lift the remaining two Stealth Sneaks and Dark Riku off the ground slightly, stunning him seeing her wielding two Keyblades and was far stronger than the last time they fought. Twilight zipped forward, ramming into the Heartless pinning Basch down, sending it crashing into the forest, bounding off of it to blast the other holding Riku in the face with Firaja. It shrieked as it was burned, the flames barely touching Riku as she cast a barrier around him to keep it from accidentally harming him. When it let go of him, Riku summoned his Keyblade back in his hand and sliced the Stealth Sneak's stomach before blasting it back with a Firaga spell of his own.
Slamming his sword into the ground, Dark Riku shot his hand up and launched a Dark Firage into the Magneja spell, making it explode and bringing his feet back to the ground. "Two Keyblades?" he uttered, baffled.
"You shouldn't be all that surprised," Twilight said. The Stealth Sneak she knocked back shot out of the trees, letting out a screech and dropped down over the alicorn. She thrust Harmony up with Magic's wand form swirling and floating at the end of her Keyblade, unleashing a Thundaja spell over her, shocking the Stealth Sneak. It screeched and twitched violently, struck in its vulnerable abdomen and fell toward her. In a swift flurry of slashes, she destroyed the second Stealth Sneak without so much as a flinch, glaring at Dark Riku as the heart from the massive Heartless floated up into the sky. "I'm not as weak as I was when you dared to kidnap Flurry Heart from Riku. Instead of boasting how strong you think you are and using Heartless as your shield, you should have used that time to train for the next Keyblade War."
Dark Riku pulled his blade from the ground, uttering an amused chuckle. "We know your friends also have Keyblades of their own. I didn't expect dual wielding them was starting to become common: first was the disgraceful puppet Xion, then Roxas, Sora, and now you." He raised Soul Eater, shifting into Riku's former stance in the past as he smirked at the alicorn. "It'll make no difference when the time comes."
"Then maybe we'll snuff out you and leave the rest of your Organization outnumbered," Riku said, getting behind him to pincer his darker persona with Twilight. "You will not win. Not back then, and certainly not now."
Even though Dark Riku was outnumbered two-to-one, he shifted his gaze toward Faris and Basch, the couple getting up and making sure they were unharmed. "Hmm...Things will definitely go in our favor this time."
Swiftly thrusting his left hand in Riku's parents' direction, he unleashed another Dark Firaga at them. Riku grunted, his parents hearing and watching the darkness-fueled fireball hurtling toward them. Riku was about to move, but Twilight quickly cast Aeroja around Basch and Faris, the powerful gale winds protecting them while shifting the enemy spell's direction skyward in in the spiral in the magic tornado, which exploded as it was launched into the sky.
"Enough putting everyone else in harm's way!" Twilight exclaimed. "That's the last time you're going to use someone else as your meat shield to make a cowardly escape!" She flew toward Dark Riku, but the double laughed, a portal of darkness already appearing around him, quickly disappearing as Twilight just missed tackling him. "Agh! Until I get my hooves on that-!"
At her side, she froze when she heard the third Stealth Sneak utter a growl, its body invisible and snuck up on her. It tried to punch her, but Riku leapt in, summoning a barrier with his left hand, blocking the blow, then shattered the barrier as a counterattack, making it stagger back. Giving it no chance to retaliate or flee for another sneak attack, he lunged forward, spiral slashing through it with an aura of darkness around his Keyblade, then returned back for another with an aura of light. The clashing powers shattered its invisible spell, making it screech in pain as it reared up. With a yell, he leapt and stabbed his Keyblade into the Stealth Sneak's emblem, then followed up by unleashing a light from the tip of his blade piercing its chest, causing it to writhe and screech from the agonizing light as it vanished out of existence, releasing its heart to join its two brethren.
After making sure there were no other Heartless around lying in wait, Riku relaxed and looked back at Twilight. "You good?"
"No. I wanted to thrash that faker for traumatizing Flurry Heart and nearly getting you killed," Twilight grumbled.
"Maybe you'll get your chance when we face the Organization," he muttered. With things settled down, there was still an unnerving tension. Glancing at his parents, Basch and Faris were dumbstruck, the Aeroja spell protecting them already died down, staring at the two. Mostly at Twilight, no longer disguised as a human. He grimaced, looking down at Twilight, who realized she revealed her true self as well with a sheepish grin. "...I...guess there's a lot more explaining we need to do."
"...Yes...A lot more!" Faris exclaimed, snapping out of her shock and leered at her son.
When they returned to their camp, Riku and Twilight explained everything else they had hidden from Basch and Faris. Riku's anxiety escalated, even though he tried to remain calm, unable to look his parents in the eye. He may have showed what he did from Destiny Island being destroyed by the darkness to his return after destroying Xemnas, but what happened after was far more than his parents had expected. Most of his years were spent living in Equestria, still training himself as a Keyblade Master, and the girl he'd been talking about was actually an alien equine from a distant world who had as much sentience as a normal human being, but with magic, colorful fur, big eyes, and to top it all off, she was also considered royalty. Just from seeing the world Equestria was, along with seeing what Twilight's niece looked like along with her family and all their friends, Faris stared wide-eyed, still processing everything, while Basch listened with odd, curious interest.
After a long-winded talk, Riku and Twilight waited in silence, gauging how the couple would react to all this information. "...So...Twilight Sparkle is actually...a pony," Faris mumbled. "...A pony princess..."
"Yeah...It's...not weird, is it?" Riku asked nervously.
"'Weird'? After being held hostage by someone who looks just like you and almost got killed by those Heartless things, I don't know what's supposed to be 'weird' about what happened today!" Faris shouted, making her son wince.
"Faris, calm down," Basch sternly said.
"Calm down!? What's there to be calm about!?" she exclaimed. "If everything we saw was true, then our son turned into a monster! And that darkness you said you were fighting against, you USED it and let it in your heart!? Of all the stupid, reckless things you have ever done, this is the dumbest and selfish thing you've ever done, Riku!"
"He's not the only one who let darkness worm their way into their heart when dealt with something so stressful," Twilight argued. "I had when I grew jealous of Kairi when I had feelings for Sora. I didn't even know the first thing about friendships or pursuing a relationship with somepony. Maleficent may have influenced the darkness of my jealousy, but I grew desperate in that moment and wanted Sora all to myself without any sense of thought or anyone else's feelings but my own."
"And yet Riku, my own son who I tried to raise to be an upstanding young man, believed in that witch over someone he grew up with and played with day in and day out!" Faris argued back. "What common sense did you lose to trust a total stranger over Sora!? Trapped in a new world or not, you don't ever trust someone you barely even know!" Riku hung his head as he was scolded, realizing his mistakes while his mother kept griping on where she went wrong raising him. "Did nothing your father and I ever taught you got through your thick skull!? You get in way over your head, and you turned into...THAT!?"
"...I know," Riku mumbled.
Faris clenched her fists, struggling to contain her emotions, heavily disappointed in Riku, but at the same time, she was terrified of losing him to what he had become years ago. "...Those injuries when you came back home...That man you and Sora fought could have killed you..."
"...Better to have been me than Sora," Riku said, shocking Faris as she choked back a gasp.
"Riku, your past mistakes doesn't warrant your sacrifice to amend for what you did," Basch scolded.
"It was either that or face you two and see how disappointed you are in me for what I did!" Riku exclaimed. The camp was filled with silence once more, Basch and Faris stunned by Riku's fears while Twilight stared at him, concerned as he began to shudder. "...Ansem's darkness tried to take over my heart again in Castle Oblivion...I've been fighting his grasp for those long months while finding and bringing back all of Sora's memories to wake him up. I used the power of darkness to capture Roxas, who held the last of Sora's memories...I didn't want to be found. I couldn't return home..." Lifting his head, his eyes welled with tears as he gazed at his parents. "...How was I supposed to face you after what I had done? After all you've done to raise me? To stomp on your expectations by becoming a villain in that moment and tried to kill my best friend with that kind of power?"
Speechless, Faris lowered her head. Both her and Basch didn't realize just how much they had expected Riku to be like a perfect person from what they taught him and how they raised him. It should have been obvious by his outgoing behavior as a child, but the pressure from those expectations after he went through such a psychological ordeal weighed heavily on him, the guilt of his actions causing him to dread their reactions when they eventually discovered the truth. Basch had that gut feeling from reuniting with his son after a year and his reluctance to explain everything he went through in full detail. Even their chat earlier this morning, Riku's answer to his question as to why he couldn't tell him or Faris was incredibly vague, but the wielder's reactions favored more to his reason being more personal than anything. They didn't understand the power of light or darkness, despite learning just how corruptive darkness can be and could change anyone if they felt desperate to let it in their heart to take revenge for the fear and insecurities within outweighing any rational thought.
Twilight rested her head against Riku's shoulder, providing him the support he needed right now. She felt his arm wrap around her and pulled her closer, holding her tightly as he waited in dread for his parents to immediately disown him. She wanted to speak up, assure Faris and Basch that Riku had more than made up for his actions and was a selfless warrior who would risk his life to save everyone. After several long, agonizing minutes of silence, Faris stood up, slowly walked over to Riku and Twilight, her bright purple bangs concealing her eyes. She kneeled down in front of her son, raising a shaky fist. Riku grimaced, bracing himself for whatever his mother was going to say or do to him. Twilight watched Faris cautiously, scooting slightly away from her and Riku, but if Faris was going to harm her son, she was going to jump in and separate the two.
"...I am disappointed in you, Riku," Faris mumbled. Closing his eyes, Riku waited for the blow, but instead of a hit, he felt Faris' arms wrap around him, embracing him tightly with her face buried in his shoulder. Stunned, Riku didn't know how to react, feeling his mother trembling, sobbing quietly as she held him tighter, one of her hands rising up to hold the back of his head. "...But not as much as how terrified I am to know I could have lost you, too."
"...W-What?" Riku mumbled.
"I can't imagine what was going on in your head when you disappeared," Faris added. "Despite what you did, I'm just...so glad you turned yourself around before it was too late."
Riku was flabbergasted. All this time, he was afraid his parents would want nothing to do with him if they knew about his darkness. He never wanted them to worry about him, having originally planned to be on his own the rest of his life after reawakening his friend. Overwhelmed, he hugged his mother tightly, relieved to have gotten so much of the weight off his chest and his parents still loved him. Even with the reassurance of his friends' forgiveness, Riku had always felt that lingering doubt in the back of his mind that no one would truly forgive him for his past, including his parents. He was glad to have been wrong all this time.
Basch was relieved to hear his son finally come out and tell them the truth. As much as he wanted to know what he had been hiding from them for years, to have to put so much pressure on him to do so would have only pushed their son away and bury the truth deeper until it was impossible to dig back up. Ever since he'd noticed how quiet and solemn he was after being gone for a year, something was definitely weighing heavily in his son's heart, and after all these years between him saving the worlds and fighting Heartless and the Organization, to hear it all finally come out, despite being forced by another evil version of Riku to find pleasure in putting him down and being nothing but a cruel villain, he and Faris understood why he was afraid to tell them.
After Faris and Riku had calmed down enough, Riku explained why Dark Riku exists, and how he came back to life despite that part of him supposed to no longer exist thanks to Sora. It was still hard for them to wrap their head around what Xehanort was able to come up with for his grand design, having Vexen building these vessels and, with time traveling capabilities from a younger version of himself bringing back foes who were already defeated once to form this new Organization XIII felt like an awful space/time paradox plot twist from a B-list movie.
"So, this 'Dark Riku' would have been you if Sora had not given up on bringing you back," Basch paraphrased.
"Yeah. Except that Riku was a replica of myself that the old Organization created in Castle Oblivion," Riku said. "It tried to get rid of me a couple years ago. He put Twilight's niece in harm's way just so he could get me killed."
"And then he tried using us as a meat shield to get to you," Faris grumbled. "The hell does this Organization even want to get rid of you and your friends?"
Riku and Twilight looked at each other, dreading to hear their reactions to what Xehanort had in mind when he gains control of Kingdom Hearts. "...A universal genocide," Twilight answered. As they expected, Basch and Faris were dumbstruck. "We don't really know if that's what he actually wants, but the Keyblade War had taken many lives. Wielders who fought each other, even when they were once friends, leaving the aftermath of the unwinnable war in a world that's left as a graveyard with thousands upon thousands of rusted Keyblades."
"He plans to recreate the Keyblade War, pitting thirteen seeds of darkness with seven seeds of light to forge the X-blade, a powerful Keyblade that can control Kingdom Hearts," Riku added. "The Organization are the seeds of darkness, while we're the light. With so many of us, I think it's obvious out of us who's considered to be the seeds of light he wants. Me being one, as well as Sora."
"Tsk. The worst your father or I have ever dealt with was with arrogant rich brats on their yachts," Faris grunted. "Not a single time have we had to aim a weapon at a criminal or another enemy soldier, and yet you're preparing for a war that will cost you your life."
"I believe he's more capable of protecting himself after seeing him in action against those giant chameleon monsters," Basch said, smirking at Twilight. "Though, Twilight did deal with two of them. You're going to have to improve yourself if you're supposed to be a superior."
Riku grinned and uttered a small laugh. "Perhaps I do. I can't compare to an alicorn Key Bearer like her with such powerful magic and speed."
"I had no idea how to wield a weapon before I learned a master could accidentally grant somepony with potential to become a Key Bearer out of the blue," Twilight chided. "But, I have been improving. And I've been practicing how to dual-wield since that day."
"Two Keyblades, but still an apprentice," Riku teased.
"Then the student will eventually surpass the master," Twilight shot back with a sly smirk. Riku smirked back at her, reaching his hand out and began scratching behind one of her ears. She scrunched her muzzle, stifling a groan as her head subconsciously leaned into his hand. "...S-Stupid...hands."
"Try to surpass me when your biggest weakness is a nice little scritch right back here," Riku teased as Twilight whined, leaning closer to him with her tail flicking back and forth from the delightful scratching sensation.
"There is one other thing that needs to be addressed since the elephant's in the room," Faris said. "Or, rather, the pony sitting in the campsite." Riku paused his scratching, both him and Twilight looking at her and Basch. The cat would have eventually gotten out of the bag, and the couple were a little concerned about their opinions on their relationship. Already, Faris seemed to be judging them more than when Twilight was pretending to be a human despite her only teasing her; she was dead serious this time as she crossed her arms, eyeing the alicorn. "Why exactly was she a human?"
Riku stammered while Basch raised a brow, wondering what his wife was going to question them about. "...I...never told you about her world or what she is," Riku said. "Even if I did...I don't know if you two would think I was insane talking about a world full of colorful talking ponies or I made it all up."
"I'm sure after we were just attacked by those Heartless, we would believe any world out there exists that would only be seen as a fantasy to me," Basch said.
"Uh huh," Faris mumbled. "And...you two have been dating for a few years?" she questioned. Riku braced himself, ready for the tirade of his mother questioning why he was going out with someone who was classified as an animal to them. A mystical animal with powerful magic, no less. After several agonizing seconds of silence, Faris leered at Riku, bringing hands down to her hips. "...Is it possible for her to bear your children as a pony or if she uses her magic to turn into a person?"
Baffled, Riku and Twilight gawked at her while Basch facepalmed. "...What!?" Twilight exclaimed.
"I'm just wondering if someone from another world who's another species could wind up getting pregnant by another alien visitor," Faris pondered aloud. "Protection or not, I don't know if it's possible biologically, or through some weird magical incantation or sigil, or an insane mad scientist experiment to put a bun in your oven."
"Y-You're more concerned about Riku getting me pregnant still!?" Twilight shrieked in disbelief. "Not the fact that I'm a pony!?"
"Honestly, to know Riku's found someone, no matter who or what they are, and can put up with his delinquent behavior sounds like a miracle," she reasoned. "And what would the kids look like? Humans? Ponies? Hybrids?"
"M-Mom, for goodness sake!" Riku exclaimed.
"I want to know! One day, I want to be a grandmother, and when you two get settled if you make it through this Keyblade War, which I know you two are capable of surviving, I just want to be sure I can spoil my grandkids rotten whenever you bring them over to visit!" Riku buried his face in his hands, embarrassed, and Twilight was still caught off guard by how their expectations have derailed to something they did not expect.
"Just take it as your mother approving Twilight as she is," Basch sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I hold no judgements either. Although, the idea of what your children will look like...she's not making the image pleasant by her deep-seeded curiosity."
"It's not like they're gonna be little abominations!" Faris argued. "I think it'd be cute if there was a little boy or girl with cute pony ears, or maybe a horse tail!"
"Mom, please...just stop," Riku begged.
Faris continued rambling about the possibilities, to the awkward embarrassment from Riku and Twilight and Basch's slight irritation from the constant questioning. At least there was no ill will between Twilight and Riku's parents with her identity revealed, but despite the weird questions about their privacy, Twilight felt compelled to do some research on how compatible she and Riku are if they decide to want a child in the future.
After a very awkward afternoon in the forest, Riku, Twilight, Basch, and Faris put away all their camping gear, ending their trip a bit earlier than they wanted and returned back to the town. Faris did want a little more excitement, but after what happened with Dark Riku, she had enough until she was called back for active duty. She requested to see Equestria through Riku's memory ornament to see what the world looked like, utterly fascinated by the cartoonish world Twilight resided in, and when he showed off Twilight's niece, she smirked at how goofy he was to Flurry Heart and being the funny uncle to the adorable alicorn baby. She wanted to meet the infant princess herself, but because of the rules protecting the world order, however much is still left to safeguard the several other worlds out there, she could only wish she was allowed to visit Equestria.
Riku and Twilight left Destiny Island once his parents were back home safe and sound. They didn't know if Dark Riku was still lurking around, but they didn't take any chances leaving them be. Thankfully, nothing else went awry, and Riku promised Basch and Faris he would visit as often as he can as long as he wasn't too busy protecting the realm of light. They hoped the next camp outing won't involve so much tension, nor a random attack from the Heartless.
Returning to the Castle of Friendship, they spotted Spike and Freya flying back from their own outing together, landing beside them. "Hey, guys," Spike greeted.
"How'd your camping trip go?" Riku asked.
"...Relaxing," Freya said with a sheepish grin.
"'Relaxing'? I thought this was a good opportunity to teach Spike how to fight like a dragoon," Riku said.
"Uhh...It got a little bit rough," Spike admitted. "Mom had a breakdown after a little sparring, so instead, we just enjoyed nature, and I'll continue my training with you guys while she just relaxes and get back to being a normal dragon. Err, normal for a dragon from her old world, at least."
"Oh. Well, I think you deserve the time to recuperate from what you've been through," Twilight said to Freya.
"Then forgive me if I end up feeling antsy if I get too bored," Freya said. "Even before laying Spike's egg while I was pregnant, I had a hankering for combat, but Estinien had to hold me down and convince me not to do something reckless...He won me over in the end."
"I guess that's one similarity both Equestrias' dragons have in common; stubborn to the bitter end," Riku commented.
Freya and Spike glared at the stallion. "Are not!" they simultaneously complained.
Twilight giggled at their response, both dragons glancing at each other after sharing the same reaction before the they joined in the laughter. "Ok, maybe we're a little stubborn," Spike said.
"Try rivaling Sora's," Riku added.
"So what were you two up to?" Spike asked.
"Riku introduced me to his parents," Twilight answered. Astonished, Spike stared at his surrogate sister, then to Riku, lifting a claw with his jaw hanging open, silently pondering how. "Well, at first, not as pony me; as human me. Except...Heartless attacked. Along with Dark Riku."
"'Dark Riku'?" Freya mumbled. "He has a twin brother?"
"It's a long story," Riku sighed. "Not exactly a great gathering, but, surprisingly, my parents are perfectly fine with Twilight...Except my mom was...aggravating when it came to talking about babies...Specifically, mine and Twilight's."
"...Uh huh," Spike hummed. "...Wait, does that mean you're-?"
"NO!" Riku and Twilight exclaimed.
"Ok! Sheesh, no need to get huffy over a simple question," Spike mumbled.
"Even if I wanted to carry Riku's foals, I can't think about that with the war on the rise and me preparing myself to run Equestria in Princess Celestia and Luna's place," Twilight said.
Doing a double-take, Riku looked at Twilight, stunned. "...R-Really?"
"Yes. Once everything's a little bit at peace, I'm used to running an entire nation, after we get married, and if we try without protection and it doesn't work, I'll research if a spell can make it possible," Twilight stated, making her coltfriend's heart flutter. "Until then, I want to be ready for when I face that stupid fake puppet of you. He's not going to run away from us again."
The alicorn made her way inside the castle, leaving Riku glued to where he stood as he processed Twilight actually wanting to settle down and start a family. "That is so weird how she admitted that without second-guessing herself," Spike remarked. "Guess she's serious. And I'm gonna be a lucky dragon uncle."
"You're already an uncle to the baby princess in the Crystal Empire, 'Pike'," Freya said with a giggle.
"Well, I can be an uncle within walking distance, then," Spike shrugged. He and Freya started to head inside, only to see Riku had not budged since Twilight's descriptive reasoning for delaying their want to have children. Spike walked up to him, waving his hand in his face and snapping his fingers, but the stallion was still lost in a daze. "...Ok. Twilight must have broken him. I think their personalities swapped ever since they started dating."
"Oh dear," Freya sighed.
"Alright, future bro-in-law, let's get inside." Spike grabbed Riku by the sides, picking him up like he was a dog and carried him back inside the castle.
Riku had no idea if his mother's constant teasing wormed the idea into Twilight's head despite her protests, but to one day be a father, he didn't know whether to be scared or excited for when that day comes.
