"Alright - Cognis: if you were an ancient Darkness looking for some old Keyblade, where would you be?"
Riku stood on the dark outskirts of the city, leaned against an old wooden fence along a dirt path. The sounds of insects chirped around him in the night. The bright stars in the sky shined, even against his senses, without even trying.
"How can I possibly answer that?" Cognis replied. "We're individuals, the same as anyone else; I can't predict the actions of another of my kind any more than you can-"
"Can you just guess?"
Cognis sighed. "...Fine. A library - or a museum. Or perhaps that castle in the middle of the city. Anywhere there'd be secret, ancient knowledge that might reference this...Ultima Weapon," Cognis sighed. "I'd say the castle would be our best bet - people in power do like to hoard knowledge to themselves, historically."
"You want us to break into a huge castle...after what we were just involved in on this world?"
"You did say you wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. It was an unfortunate accident. Who better to plead your case to than the highest power in the lands?"
"Breaking into a castle isn't going to convince anyone we're not the bad guys!"
"Yes...that's true. I wouldn't want to go around causing any more undue alarm. We could go to the entrance, then, and wait for their ruler to come to us. Then we could talk...smooth things over. Obviously you're not a redheaded teenage girl. And it was self defense. And...I did spare one life. We'll have a witness to our actions."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. I'm trying to give you a way to fix the- problem I made for you on this world. To make it right."
"...Sure. Why not? If we just try and go to some library or museum, we'll probably be attacked again anyways... It doesn't matter where I go. So why not go to the place where I might be able to...clear this all up?" And admit to my guilt.
"I heard that last part."
"I know you heard it."
"Hmph. Well, if we're going to do this, I think I'm going to need a form that's a little more...palatable to the average person."
"You want me to give you a body again?"
"No - I believe I can reshape my own appearance, to an extent, thank you," Cognis murmured. "This formless darkness can already be molded into a humanoid shape, or a cloud of darkness, or, maybe even other shapes. And from your memories I do know that the Ancient Darkness, now called Vanitas, once took on the appearance of Keyblade Master Ava in order to trick Ventus. If that's possible, then..."
Cognis went quiet, for a long moment or two. Then, suddenly, her dark form rippled. The aura diminished, the solid black human-shaped core twisted and warped, to Riku's senses...and then some- layer of energy or light seemed to wash down over her, from head to toe. After it was finished, it- stayed there like that, glimmering in the dark. Riku couldn't detect her aura of dark flames, and he couldn't even "see" her dark shaped form anymore. What he "saw" now from her was that...new layer, which gave a detailed- appearance. It was still darkness, but it was like...like darkness shaped by magic, or aided by it?
Either way, whatever Riku was "looking" at...he "saw" long hair swaying behind her now, he saw a defined face, he saw glowing orbs of light that were "eyes", and he saw...what looked like a glowing, flowing...dress?
"What did you...do to yourself?" Riku gasped, trying to make sense of it all.
"It looks like you were right, of course: I can use other forms of Dark-based magic," Cognis replied. "An aspect of darkness is the power to create illusions, to a limited extent and degree - I've simply cast one over myself to mask my true form. Or, at least, the true form I even show to the rest of the world...as even that is, itself, just a way of presenting myself to others in a way they can understand."
"Uh...right. So - what do you look like now, exactly?"
"Hm." Cognis's voice hummed, sounding happy and amused. "I've taken on the visage of that physical form you gave me so briefly before, back in Land of Departure - it wasn't a bad look for me."
"Okay. Great. Let's get to this castle, then, and...do this before I actually change my mind, and realize how stupid and crazy your plan really is."
Cognis turned and raised a slender, defined arm - and a dark portal appeared.
Riku hesitated a moment, then walked through it.
He stepped out the other side into a wide open space, he could tell that much by himself - from the echoing footsteps, the sounds of water around him...multiple, distant fountains?
"This is the castle's forecourt," Cognis informed. "The front doors to the palace are ahead."
Riku breathed, extending his senses...
The castle, he found now, was full of magic. There were- hot spots, throughout it, and little clusters and groups of...things, and...the walls themselves almost had a faint glow to them, letting him perceive them solidly on his own. And the magic in the air, the flowing energies around him, filling the space between him and the castle...it told him how far he was from it, after a fashion. They met, those magicks, melding and colliding into each other...
He thought he had a pretty good idea of his surroundings now. But, just to be sure, he asked Cognis to do her thing, and keep an eye out for obstacles.
Striding forward slowly and carefully, he made his way to what Cognis said was the middle of the courtyard - and a place with no obstacles in any direction for a good two dozen feet or so.
"Alright, we're here. Now what?" Riku muttered.
"We need to get their attention, that's what."
"Cognis-"
"I'm not going to hurt anyone - you can do it yourself, if you'd like," she spoke quickly, reassuring.
"Do what?" Riku questioned.
Cognis made a little noise of...amusement, that was- probably almost...cute?
Aqua strode through the halls of her palace - wandering aimlessly, honestly. Her wanderings saw her to the entrance hall of her castle, her steps echoing.
It was probably something of a holdover from her time in the Realm of Darkness; better to just walk, and walk, and keep walking, than to just sit and wait...and worry.
Doing something was always better than doing nothing - it had been essential, in that place...
She felt a little guilty about leaving that new, little...version of Kairi with Natsumi - like she'd left Izalla with her, too. Not that Natsumi seemed to mind: in fact, the woman had seemed delighted to take on the task of...babysitting them both. Even so, Aqua couldn't help the feelings gnawing at her Heart.
Being a princess, and now a queen...she was definitely already starting to feel fed up with just sitting around, holding meetings and conversations, instead of actually going out on her own two feet to do something productive! Something real and tangible. All of this was just...words and minds, and waiting.
She was even still waiting for her personal advisor to return with the right documents needed to officially adopt Izalla. She wanted to get it done and signed as soon as possible - to make sure no one could try to contest it. But...
Suddenly, one of her guards came bursting out of a side door into the entrance hall.
"Your Majesty - we need to get you deeper inside the castle."
"Why?" Aqua said, tensed. "Has something happened?"
"It's just outside - a silver-haired boy and a girl - they've been firing off magic spells, demanding to see you!"
"What? A silver-haired boy...? This boy, is he wearing some kind of blindfold over his eyes?"
"Er- yes, Your Majesty? Do you- know the boy?"
"I do - and if he is who I think he is, he's not a threat to any of us," Aqua stated, hurrying forward. "I'll talk to him; I want everyone else to stay back!"
"But, Your Majesty-"
"Am I or am I not your queen?" Aqua snapped, rounding back on the man.
"...I'll see your command relayed, My Queen."
"Good."
Aqua strode over to the large, double doors that led out into the courtyard, and she pushed them wide open. She stood there for a moment, as she suddenly remembered her new body parts...but then she remembered that Riku wouldn't be able to see her.
She strode forward into the stone courtyard, passing statues and going around a large fountain - and spotted the boy.
He stood in the middle of the courtyard - encased in a shimmering dark crystal barrier dome - with a...girl of silver hair standing next to him? Yes, the guard had mentioned someone else with Riku, that was right...but who...?
The girl looked about the same age as Riku - with dark blue eyes and voluminous hair, long fluffy bangs framing her face and hanging over her eyes. She was barefooted, wearing a simple, long silver dress with straps and no sleeves. Seeing them side by side, it was immediately apparent to Aqua that they shared similar facial features - did Riku have a sister this whole time? Or had he not known? Or..
"You've got to be kidding me..." Aqua said, exasperated.
"Huh...? A-Aqua?!" Riku gasped, startling. "It's actually you? What in the world-"
"I think I should be asking you the same question," Aqua interjected. "What are you doing here? Ven and the others didn't mention you were here too. And who's this girl with you? And why does she look so much like you? Don't tell me she's your Nobody...or another Replica!"
"Uh...no, she's not-" Riku started, then he stopped. "Her name's Cognis, alright? And she's a friend. And a - don't freak out on us - a...Darkness. Like...like Vanitas, I guess. Sort of. But Cognis is-"
It took Aqua a moment to process the boy's words. But once she had- "WHAT?!"
Riku flinched, stepping back, even inside his barrier dome. Then he breathed out, straightening up. "Just listen, okay?" he said firmly. "You know there's nothing more to darkness than what we carry with us - or what someone else brings into our Hearts with them," he continued. "And Cognis isn't even just darkness - she's a person all her own. She's got feelings and thoughts! And she's good! She's saved people from Nightmares, done real good in the worlds. Side by side with me. Just like me and Terra have done with darkness - the way you yourself have. You know it's not that simple. Darkness doesn't mean evil."
"Riku, if that girl is like Vanitas-"
"Back at Land of Departure, a few days back, we met your Master, you know. And even he agreed to give her a chance!" Riku exclaimed.
"What...?" Aqua froze, then she burst out laughing, in high peals. "You couldn't possibly have convinced him to-!"
"We didn't - Terra did," Riku interrupted. "It took a while, and...a bit of a fight, I think, but he did. And if that guy can give Cognis a chance here, I know you can, too. Why would we be here at all, like this, to- to admit...if we didn't feel guilty about it? If there wasn't any remorse? She didn't want to do what she did - but it was self-defense! And she's still sorry about having to do it at all. She's not just- darkness - she's a person first. Like anybody is. She's not Vanitas, okay? Even Ven knows that, and accepts her!"
"What...?" Aqua said, blinking now. "Riku, what are you talking about? What did that girl do...?"
Riku shook his head, raising a hand to run it through his hair. "Look, some dozen odd guys in black robes attacked us earlier, out of nowhere, and- they knocked me out, first thing, and Cognis...she did what she had to to keep me safe. We're pretty sure they were looking for the Darkness inside Kairi's body - uh, you wouldn't know about that-"
"I do know, actually - I met Ven, Sora and Terra not two hours ago," Aqua stated.
"Oh...well, then - yeah. Those guys were looking for her, and they found us - and...they attacked us. So we- defended ourselves. Cognis protected me...the only way she knew how."
Aqua stood silently, looking away from the boy. Looking around her, instead. On the edges of the courtyard - she saw the Serene Rose members laying in wait, observing. Hearing all of this... She refocused, staring at the boy's face now. The earnestness, the emotion... She looked to the girl. Into dark blue eyes blinking back at her. Lips forming a thin, twisted frown. "Do you really feel sorry over what you did - Cognis?" she spoke out.
The...girl's face fell. Her head nodded, that voluminous, shiny silver hair swaying. "Yes..." her voice came softly. "I acted because I thought I had no other choice - to protect Riku. But, even he showed me there were alternatives. If I'd known that beforehand, I would have taken them. I regret having to take those people's lives...though I do feel compelled to point out that I did give them the chance to back down. And I did spare the life of the one who listened to me. That should be proof enough of my intentions, Master Aqua. And my feelings..."
Aqua gazed into the girl's face now, into those eyes. She looked away, to Riku, instead again. "...What is it- that you want to do now? Why are you here?" she asked.
"We just wanted to clear things up - explain ourselves to whoever was in charge of that whole- misunderstanding?" Riku sighed. "And...we want to find the Darkness that actually needs stopping. The one those guys were really after. The one that has Kairi's body. If we could find them, maybe I could- do something good for Kairi, get her body back for her."
Aqua eyed the boy - and the girl - for a minute of silence. Thinking hard. She raised a hand to her chest, and breathed. "...I know you've always just wanted to do good in the worlds, Riku - and if I can believe that even the Master has somehow found it in him to give this- Cognis girl a chance...then I guess I have to do the same." She hesitated. She paused. "We shouldn't...judge people by appearance, or- species..." she murmured out, looking away. "I know a little of what that's like lately, and it's not pretty - it doesn't feel good. It's..."
"Thank you, Master Aqua - I appreciate that," Cognis said, in heartfelt tones.
Tones Aqua...thought she wanted to try to believe. Riku was right: it wasn't that simple. Her mind went to Scarlet, to the choice she'd made in regards to the woman - to her oldest friend, with such a complicated past and now, present. A dark and tangled mess. And would Riku really just...make up a whole, insane claim of visiting the Master, and convincing him to actually give this girl a chance instead of striking her down...? It was ludicrous - impossible. One Aqua could easily verify by asking Ven and Sora, and Terra, himself.
"Y-yes, well..." Aqua drew herself up, stepping forward. "If you want to catch up to Terra and the others, I can point you in the right direction. There's an old ruin, a hundred miles to the south-east - that's where they were headed." She turned and pointed with an arm - then flushed as she remembered Riku was, still, of course, blind.
The- girl- Cognis, followed her gesture, however, and nodded. She gave a small smile. "Thank you. We'll-"
"Yes - thank you," a new, familiar voice came.
Aqua turned - and saw someone familiar step out from behind a large statue in a shimmering of darkness. It was Kairi, but...her eyes were a deep purple, and her scars that adorned her face were exuding dark energy, like cracks in her very being. She was also wearing an outfit way too familiar to Aqua: it looked like Vanitas's suit (or, the one she herself had taken on during battles, when she'd experimented with drawing on darkness the way Terra and Riku did).
Aqua closed her fist and made to summon her Keyblade - before she remembered she didn't have it anymore.
Riku conjured her weapon, her Rainfell, and turned to face the new Darkness.
Cognis turned, too, sharply, her face showing great surprise.
The Darkness in Kairi's body smiled at them and spread her arms. Dark energy exploded off of her in all directions, causing Aqua to raise an arm and brace herself-
When she lowered it again...the Darkness was gone.
Aqua turned to Riku and- Cognis. "Go!" she said urgently.
"Okay!" Riku said, nodding, as Cognis raised up a hand to create a dark corridor inside of their defensive barrier dome. The boy stopped before entering it. "We won't let you down, Aqua - Cognis will prove herself to you, too. I know she will."
Aqua couldn't find a proper response to that, by the time boy had gone...and the girl with him.
The dark crystal of the barrier dome fell apart, sparkling on the stone ground.
She looked around her, and she gave a deep and heavy sigh.
Had she just made a terrible mistake again?
Or was what her Heart was telling her...right?
At least, she mused, she had something to do now.
She had to investigate this...Riku incident.
And she had to verify the claim that this Darkness named "Cognis" had actually shown someone mercy.
If these things could be proven true...Aqua would be willing to believe them.
Kairi helped the frail, dirty girl up the long, cold stairs, supporting her with magical strength (and a boat-load of determination).
Luxu walked behind them, quiet still.
Kairi was glad the girl could at least walk a little (even if she still wasn't talking). She guided the girl down the hallway, stopping in front of the open door to the bedroom of messy dresses and makeup accessories. "Do you want to rest in here for a bit, or-" she started to ask.
But the girl shook her head furiously, causing Kairi to go silent.
Kairi nodded. "Okay. What about the living room, then? Or...outside? How long has it been since you saw the stars?"
The girl turned her head, her face close to Kairi's. She opened her mouth, swallowing visibly - then she closed it.
"Well, let's try the sofa for now," Kairi decided, starting to walk again. She helped the girl through the house, into the cozy little living room, and carefully lay her down on the blue sofa. She straightened up after brushing the girl's hair out of her face gently, and turned to look at Luxu.
Luxu gazed back at her, frowning. Then he shook his head and sighed.
"What?" Kairi said, challenging.
"Nothing..." Luxu said quietly. He held up his hands as she opened her mouth. "And I mean it. Look, I get it: you're always going to be you, and you're always going to do what your little Heart wants of you. That's just who you are - plain and simple. And I told you before...I admire that. I respect it. I do. I'm just...I'm still trying here, okay? Rome wasn't built in a day - give me some time to change my spots, alright? Old habits, and all..."
Kairi sighed. She nodded. She smiled at him. "Okay. You're right - I can't expect you to really change overnight. But I can see...that you are trying. So, thank you."
"Yeah...Sooooo, why don't I help out a bit here and just..." Luxu raised a hand to the girl on the sofa, and magic water flowed out to her. It formed into a watery tendril that caressed at her face - clearing away dirt and grime with magical efficiency.
Kairi watched closely, relaxing again.
After a minute, Luxu let his hand fall and his magic fade. The girl looked a lot better now - at least, her face did. It was almost completely cleared up.
Those differently colored eyes blinked away at the dripping water, and her head turned as she locked eyes with Kairi. "W-why...?" came a high, cracking voice - as the girl suddenly spoke for the first time.
Kairi stepped forward quickly, dropping to her knees in front of the sofa. "Hm? Why what?"" she said softly.
"Why...are you helping me...?" the girl spoke again, slow and halting. "I don't- deserve it..."
"Of course you deserve it," Kairi refuted. "You obviously needed it. I couldn't just walk away and act like I never found you down there, could I?"
The girl's eyes closed. "You should have..."
"Why do you think that?" Kairi asked quietly.
"I'm evil...and dangerous..." the girl quavered. "All I ever do...is bring death- and destruction. You should have left me alone. Everyone needs to just...leave me alone..."
Kairi shook her head. She reached out slowly, and she touched the girl's face. She stroked at her hair. "I don't believe that," she said firmly. "Did your parents tell you that? The women from the photos - right?"
"Don't touch me!" the girl suddenly exclaimed, shrinking back on the sofa - away from Kairi's hand. Her pale face went paler, her eyes wide. "I'm just going to hurt you!"
Kairi drew her hand back, placing it on her chest. "Okay - I won't touch you again - I'm sorry. But I don't really believe that last part. Besides, how could you even hurt me...when you're hurt so badly yourself?"
"You shouldn't have found me. No one should find me. But they keep finding me..." The girl was talking to herself now, clearly not even seeing Kairi anymore, or listening to her. Then the girl blinked, and suddenly she was looking Kairi in the face again, aware and present. Her shaking pale lips formed a frown. "How- are you here, and not down there...? You're a Heart...and he's-" She looked to Luxu, her voice catching. She swallowed, blinking fresh tears down her face now.
"Wait, you know I'm a Heart...?" Kairi said, staring at the girl.
"It doesn't make sense..." the girl murmured. "You can't be a Heart and be here. No one ever comes here - no one ever sees me..."
"Well, I am a Heart, and I am here," Kairi said, sitting back and brushing at her hair. "As for the how...well, I'm a Keyblade wielder. We both are. See?" She raised her hand slowly, and summoned Destiny's Embrace in a flash of light and flower petals.
The girl instantly froze, mid-sentence. Her eyes fluttered, and then locked onto the Keyblade.
She was so still, Kairi could have mistaken her for a statue. It reminded her of Xion, almost...It was almost like this girl suddenly wasn't even-
"You came here from the outside, not the inside, didn't you? You used the Power of Waking, didn't you?"
Kairi froze now, too. "W-what? You know about-"
The girl blinked, and suddenly her face was awash with horror. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
"H-hey, no, it's okay!" Kairi said, frantic now. Alarmed, really! "Shhh - I know, World Order and all that stuff - but it's okay! You can talk about it with me-" She reached out to touch the girl's arm, hoping to comfort her, to calm her.
The girl stopped her panicked apologizing, jerking back from her again. "Don't!" she cried - wailed. "You're- you're not worthy of touching me...I don't want to hurt you!"
Kairi let her hand drop, backing away quickly. "I'm sorry - my mistake. I just wanted you to know it's okay. You don't have to be afraid of anything."
The girl breathed in and out shakily, screwing up her face and sinking down onto the sofa again. She finally seemed to be calming down, and on her own, too. After a minute or so, she opened her eyes and looked to Kairi. "You're not worthy of touching me..." she whispered.
Kairi tilted her head at the girl in pure confusion. Mostly because, well, usually when someone said something like that, it was said with arrogance - it was snoody, haughty. But the way this girl said it...it was like a warning. It was spoken with sadness, with fear. Kairi swallowed, letting her Keyblade vanish, and setting her hands together in her lap. "Why?" she said simply, quietly. "Why am I not worthy of that?"
"Because of my curse...I don't want it to consume you..."
"Okay. Well, I won't touch you, then," Kairi said, nodding. "Listen, do you feel like you're ready to tell me your name now? Please?"
The other girl hesitated for a long time. She looked confused. Then she nodded back. "My name's...Ozma?"
"Ozma." Kairi beamed. "Okay. It's nice to meet you, Ozma."
The girl blinked at her, still looking confused. "I..."
"Alright," Luxu spoke loudly. "Kairi, kid, can I see you outside for a minute? Please?"
Kairi turned and looked up at the man. Into his face. A serious, grave face. She sighed, standing. She glanced at the girl - Ozma. "I'll be back in just a second, okay?" she said brightly, flashing a smile.
The girl gave a slow nod, then tilted her head back and shut her eyes.
Kairi followed Luxu out the front door of the house, out onto the top of the grassy, high hilltop.
"What?" Kairi said immediately.
Luxu stopped a few feet away, then turned back to face her. He pushed his fingers through his hair, letting out a breath. "Tell me you realize that that girl was practically screaming at you not to trust her - or come within a mile's radius of her. Tell me that there were some serious alarm bells ringing in that little head of yours, at least."
Kairi gazed at him, silent. Then she nodded. "I'm not stupid, okay? I know. I heard everything she said - and even my Heart's telling me that not all of it is just low self-esteem issues or...abusive reinforcements. She knows we're not even from here, she knows about the Power of Waking, she knows I'm just a Heart right now. That's too much for some...average, random girl to just know. Especially a girl...born from a dream. I know there's something more going on here...but I'm still not willing to let that be an excuse to just start treating her like she's- hostile. If she is some kind of danger, or a threat...I'll react to it when it happens appropriately. If we have to fight, we'll fight. But until then...innocent until proven guilty, right?"
Luxu sighed, nodding as well. "Right. Sure. But if things go tits up here-"
"Really?" Kairi interjected, rolling her eyes.
Luxu paused. He gave an almost sheepish grin. He shrugged. Then he got serious again. "Look, I'm not saying start treating her like the spawn of Satan or whatever - I'm just saying...maybe we should start asking some questions here? Get to the bottom of this, before it blows up in our faces."
"Okay - agreed - but it's not going to be like an interrogation or something," Kairi said.
"Hey, I didn't say interrogate her...I just said ask a few pointed questions," Luxu replied, raising his hands.
"Well, alright. I will. Since you're the stronger one here, why don't you just watch my back - in case anything terrible does happen," Kairi told him.
"Gotcha. Then we've got a plan."
Kairi nodded, and turned to stride back for the front door. Luxu's voice came again, stopping her.
"You know what else is weird that I've noticed about this world?"
"What?" Kairi said, looking over a shoulder.
Luxu raised an arm, gesturing grandly around himself. "Where are all the Nightmares? A girl locked up in a deep, dark basement like this, injured, and clearly sporting some pretty bad self-image issues...and not a single dark monster was drawn to her - or has spawned from her thus far? She's primo material for them, but there's nobody home but her..."
Kairi felt a chill go down her spine, as she glanced around, herself, now.
It was true.
Where were all the Nightmares?
Kairi guessed she did have a few questions for this girl, Ozma, after all.