Chapter Text
Riku frowned as he entered the world, not quite understanding how a world as beautiful as this could be torn apart and turned into Hollow Bastion.
“Are you sure this is it Your Majes--” Riku cut off.
Mickey and Aqua were no longer there.
“What the-- Aqua?! Your Majesty!”
“You must fight me all alone.”
Riku gasped and turned back around, finding Ansem in front of him, no longer contained within his heart. Gritting his teeth, he summoned his blade.
Wait a moment...
Something was off. While there was darkness on the man in front of him, it was... different. Not the same darkness that radiated from the recesses of his own heart. “You’re not Xehanort’s heartless.”
The fake Ansem’s eyes widened for a moment before he transformed, turning into a different man, his face covered in strange wrappings. “How did you know?”
“Your darkness. It’s not the same. Not as deep.” Riku pressed a hand to his chest. “I’ll know the real one when he’s in front of me.”
“Hmm.” The man nodded, “I am DiZ. Please forgive the attempt at trickery. I wanted to see how you would react.”
“Well, now you know. What do you want from me?”
“For you to make a choice.” Diz pointed to the road ahead. “There’s a girl you must find in the library of the castle. Her name is Namine. Find her, listen to what she has to say, then you must make your choice.”
“And what if I don’t?” Riku asked, half because he was actually curious and half out of the instinct arrogance that comes with being a teenager.
To his surprise, DiZ only laughed, “I suppose that not making a choice at all is an option, however, I sense that option only leads to ruin.” With that, he disappeared.
“Great more riddles,” Riku groaned, then smacked his own forehead, “I should have asked him where Aqua and Mickey were!”
It was too late to do that now though, so instead, he turned to walk towards the castle, finding it very different to the one he lived in briefly after...
Well... after ...
As he was walking up the front steps though, he found himself greeted by someone else. And for a second, he thought that the entity from the mirror had followed him.
The person by the front gates was exactly like him in every respect, except the other boy was wearing that darkness suit that Riku detested. It was sort of like looking in that mirror from the dark realm, but not. There was no scowl or grimace on this other Riku's face. Just a stare down that left Riku feeling like he was being sized up.
“Who are you supposed to be?” Riku asked, nearly summoning Soul Eater, but deciding to wait and see if this other Riku posed a threat.
The other one scoffed, “Clearly a better-looking version of you. What do you think?”
Riku glared. “I don’t know, but I am tired of riddles. Are you just some monster made to try and confuse me or what?”
The other Riku shrugged, “Monster. Not the word I’d use. Try ‘Replica.’” He turned and summoned his blade, another mirror image, this time of Soul Eater. “I’m a fake, a phony. Just something that they created to use and throw away. I’m definitely not real, like you. But I could be. If I defeat you, there will only be one Riku left.”
“What?!” Riku summoned his blade. “I don’t know who you’re trying to fool. But there’s only one me.”
“Heh. I fooled one of your best friends for a while. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to get Sora on board as well.”
Riku gritted his teeth. There was no way he was letting some imposter trick Sora for who knows what reason! “Try it and I’ll destroy you!”
“I’d like to see you try.” With that, the Replica attacked. Riku quickly brought his blade up to defend, retaliating with a single strike that sent the other across the entryway.
Riku had to dodge the dark firaga that was launched at him, rolling under it and barely feeling the heat as his back. He quickly dodged another attack, and swung his blade again, landing several strikes before the Replica retaliated.
As they fought around the field, Riku kept a lookout for those strange cards, wondering if they’d work the same now that Mickey and Aqua were physically in the castle. He spotted on, and quickly held it up, hoping for a heal of some kind.
“Huh? Riku?” It was only Aqua who came through this time. “Why are there two--”
“No time to explain,” Riku shouted, hurrying close, “I’m the real one, he’s not!” He pointed at the Replica who was sprinting in, ready to attack.
“Right!” Aqua shouted, firing off a few blizzard spells that managed to stun the other boy before she faded away.
Riku landed a few more blows, each time feeling the dark power in him growing. That was fine, it was his power and he could own up to it and use it. After a final blow, it was strong enough and Riku shifted, also changing into the darkness suit.
“So,” the Replica muttered as they locked blades. “You’ve accepted it then?”
“My darkness is my strength,” Riku argued, “I’m not gonna run from it anymore.”
“Then how are you gonna face them?!” the Replica asked as he rolled to the side, unlocking his blade and taking a swipe at Riku’s legs.
Riku went down hard, and just barely managed to dodge the next attack. “The same way I always do.” He quickly gathered his strength going in for one last blow, “Take that!”
The strike landed hard on the other bow, sending him flying across the field and into a wall, where he slumped over.
Riku walked over cautiously, picking up a Mickey card on the way, in case he needed back up. “You want some more?”
The Replica took a deep, if shuddering breath, before breaking out into a weak chuckle. “Nah. I got the answer I needed. I thought... well... I thought that maybe if you weren’t strong enough, I’d have to take over. But it really has to be you.” He glanced up, then tried to get off the floor, stumbling a little.
Riku frowned, feeling the darkness subside and his form return to normal. He watched as the other boy’s outfit shifted as well, into the same exact clothes Riku was wearing. “Did you have to copy everything?”
“Not exactly my choice.” The other boy laughed again, though this time it ended in a deep cough that caused the boy to flinch and groan.
Riku tilted his head, a bit confused. Weren’t they just fighting? But now the boy seemed so at ease, almost sadly resigned, that Riku couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the only potion he had on him. “Here.”
The replica blinked in confusion, then hesitantly took the bottle, as if Riku would take it away at any moment. “Thank you?”
“I...” Riku trailed off, not sure how to explain himself. “I guess you can’t give me answers if you go dying on me.”
The Replica nearly spat out the potion in response to that, and he covered his mouth in an effort to refrain from doing so. Once he managed to choke it down, he laughed a little. “Yeah. I suppose that’s true. What would you like to know?”
“Who are you? And how do you know Kairi and Sora? And why did you want to fight me?”
“Well, do you want the short version or the long version?”
Riku crossed his arms, “I want whatever version that makes sense .”
“Ahh, Well...”
Riku listened as the replica told of what had been happening in the castle while he had been climbing stairs, his eyes growing wider and wider. “Kairi did what?! On her own?!”
“Well, she has Donald and Goofy with her,” The replica reassured him.
“Yeah, but if it’s anything like having Mickey and Aqua with me--” He held up the Mickey card, “It’s not exactly the same.”
“Hmm, true...” The Replica shrugged. “Anyway, I wanted to check something with you, and I figured the best way to do that was to fight you.”
“What did you want to check?”
“If you were still scared of the darkness.” The Replica shrugged. “I overheard Vexen talking about it. That’s why they couldn’t just use you for their plan. They needed someone who was willing to use it more willingly.” He held out his hand, summoning his Soul Eater just as easily as Riku had done. “Plus, you were in the dark realm, apparently, so not exactly accessible at the time.”
“Okay, but why did you need to check if I was scared of the darkness?”
“Because you can’t face Sora if you still are. He wouldn’t like it if you were trying to hide part of who you are.” The Replica turned to glare at him, and Riku found himself a little taken aback. At least now he knew that he was intimidating when he glared. “Sora loves you. All of you. Not just the light parts.”
“Huh?” Now Riku really did blush, feeling his face heat up a few degrees. “How-- did he-- No, he does--” He cut himself off when the Replica’s hand shot up to silence him.
“Look, I already told you. I have all of Sora’s memories of you. All of them. Including the one where he woke up from his sleep thing to find you hovering over him to protect him.” The other Riku rolled his eyes, “Honestly, he may not have realized it at the time, but that is definitely an act of true love if there was ever one.”
“I-- that--” That was what woke Sora up?! Riku sacrificing himself? “There’s no--”
“Of course,” the Replica shrugged. “What did you think it was?”
“I--uh-- a delayed reaction?”
“To what?”
“Kairi’s kiss?”
The replica blinked for a moment, then began to laugh, his shoulders shaking as he doubled over.
It took several moments before he was able to stand up straight again, wiping some tears of joy from under his eyes and nearly bursting into giggles again when he saw the look on Riku’s face, what the silver-haired boy could only imagine was a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. “Oh man. No wonder she wants to slap you. You really are dense.”
“Shut up,” Riku grumbled, looking away. “Whatever. Did you get your answer?”
“Yeah.” The replica turned. “Kairi wanted you to know though. That after all this is over, you and Sora have to talk about this.” He pointed to his heart, though Riku got the feeling that he meant the memories inside of it and all that came with them. “She’s not gonna like it if you try to ignore it again.”
“Got it,” Riku huffed.
The Replica turned back to grin shyly then pointed towards the doorway. “C’mon. I’ll take you to Namine. She can explain further.”
Riku hesitated, still not quite trusting his double, but in the end, he decided to follow. The Replica seemed sincere, and it wasn’t like Riku wasn’t already heading in this direction anyway.
As soon as the Replica opened the door to what should have been the castle library, Riku realized that they must have been transported to yet another part of the strange white corridor building. The entire room was a bright white color, with three occupied chairs in the center of it.
“Ven!”
Riku was shocked at Aqua’s shout and watched as she ran past him to the blonde clearly sleeping in the middle chair.
For just a moment, Riku thought the blonde looked a bit familiar, but that thought was completely wiped out when he realized who was sleeping in the other two chairs. “Sora! Kairi!” He ran to the brunet first, quickly checking to make sure that he was actually sleeping, then turned to glare at the Replica, finding the other silver-haired boy standing next to a pale blonde girl. “What did you do?!”
“Nothing!” The blonde hurried to reassure him, waving her hands. “He’s just sleeping. They both are. I promise.”
“The castle is keeping them stabilized,” Aqua explained, her hand still buried in Ven’s hair, smoothing it down only for it to spring right back up, much like Sora’s own spikes. “Though, Ven is asleep because his heart is. I’m not sure about Sora and Kairi.”
“It’s a bit of a long story and it is my fault. I’m so sorry, Riku. But I’m the one who took Sora’s memories of you. It was an accident at first, but then I couldn’t control it, and they all slipped away.” The girl looked away, clearly ashamed.
“But they’re all safe,” The replica pointed at his chest. “They’re right here, and I’ll protect them.”
“At least until I can fix it.” The blonde finished, “Both of them. I can fix everything, I just need time.”
Riku sighed, turning back to Sora and running a gentle finger down the brunet’s face. He was so peaceful when he slept like nothing was wrong in the world. He even had a goofy grin on his face. Riku had to grin at the sight. Then he turned back to the girl, “You’re Namine, right?”
“Yes.”
“Someone told me I had to find you. And that I had to make a choice.”
“Oh, well...” Namine shrugged, clutching her wrist in one hand in front of her, a near opposite of what Kairi did when the redhead was nervous. “It was just an idea I had. I have power over memories in people’s hearts and I can suppress or rearrange them. If you want, I can lock the Ansem in your heart away forever. It’ll be a tight lock, one he’ll never get out of.”
“And you’ll do that by suppressing my memory?” Riku thought on it, “But that would mean--”
“You would have to forget everything after you left the islands,” Namine explained. “It would work, and you’d go back to who you were before but--”
“No thanks,” Riku said quickly. “I don’t need my heart locked. I can face Ansem my own way. Besides,” He huffed out a grin, turning to look at Sora, then at Kairi. “These two... always dozing off whenever the important work had to be done, whether it was a class project or working on the raft.”
“According to Sora’s memories,” The replica huffed, “You weren’t that much better.”
Riku’s grin widened, but he ignored the statement. “Anyway, the point is that someone has to be awake to make sure these two get back to work as soon as they wake up. Besides, someone told me that I had to have a talk with Sora and I can’t do that if I’ve forgotten, can I?”
Based on Namine’s smile and the Replica’s half grin, as well as Aqua and Mickey’s knowing looks, he figured he had said the right thing. He turned back to Sora, taking a small chance and kissing him on the forehead. “I’ll be back when you wake up. I promise.” He whispered the words so softly, he thought for sure none but himself would hear them. But, in sleep, Sora’s goofy grin widened, and Riku knew he heard the words. Then he backed away, “Okay, I’m ready...”
“Here.” Namine held out a card, “If you’re ready to face him, you’ll need this to draw him out.”
Riku looked at it, finding it another world card with a picture of a strange castle on it, with towers sticking out every which way. He pocketed it, then turned to Aqua and Mickey. “Can I talk to you guys a second?”
Mickey offered out a sound of agreement, while Aqua ran a hand one last time through Ven’s hair and then followed them to a corner of the room.
“Look, if... if this doesn't go the way I hope. If Ansem takes me over, I want you guys to dest--”
“Of course!” Mickey interrupted, “We’ll be right there to back you up.”
“What?” Riku shook his head, “No! I need you guys to destr--”
“Riku,” Aqua interrupted gently, her expression said. “Someone else tried to get me to make that promise once. I couldn’t keep it. I won’t. So please don’t ask me to do that again.”
“I--” Riku looked away from her face. “I--” He just couldn’t risk it though. If Ansem took control of his body again, what would he do to Sora and Kairi?
“I will promise, that I’ll do my best to save you if you need help.” Aqua offered out her hand, “No matter what. Unless you don’t believe me?”
“Same here!” Mickey offered up a grin, “Gosh, Riku, we won’t abandon you that easily.”
Riku blinked then let out an embarrassed grin. “I-- Okay. I choose to believe in you guys.”
“We believe in you too.” Aqua shook his hand. “You’re going to win Riku. I just know it!”
Teal eyes glanced away towards the door ahead. “Okay. See you on the other side then.”
He waved at them, then spared one last look for Sora and Kairi, as well as Namine who grinned back. The Replica was leaning against the wall of the room, and he offered a small wave back.
Then Riku held up the card, watching it glow for a moment before opening the door.
Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. Things with Xehanort’s Heartless never were. Room after room filled with heartless that Riku had to defeat before moving on. A literal maze of corridors and doors. He used the opportunity to grow more comfortable with his darkness, trying to use it without letting it control him. The more he did that, the more he realizes that the darkness was just an extension of himself.
Sora loves you. All of you. Not just the light parts.
If Sora could love him just as he was, Riku supposed that he had no other choice than to love himself as well. All aspects of himself.
He just hoped it would be enough to face Ansem.
Finally, he entered what had to be the last room, and as soon as he stepped foot inside, the aura in the space changed. Became darker.
“Ansem. I know you’re here. I can sense you,” Riku huffed and summoned his blade. “Show yourself!”
The dark energy came together, expanding and growing for a bit till Ansem emerged. “So, you’ve truly accepted the darkness in you. This will only make my power over you stronger.”
“No,” Riku answered defiantly, “My power is my own. You may be part of my heart, but it’s still my heart. You can’t just come in and take over. My heart belongs to me!”
The man momentarily looked stunned before a confident smile appeared. “Very well then. We’ll see if your still so confident after I show you what true darkness can be!”
Riku flinched as the darkness that had been emanating from the man exploded outwards, covering the whole room and drifting over him in a wave of energy. Teal eyes squeezed shut, trying to just breathe through it. Once he felt the overwhelming energy dissipate, he took a deep breath and lowered his arms, blinking his eyes open.
The arena was nothing like when he had fought Lexaeus. It was much darker, pitch black, with Ansem at the other end. An arena perfectly suited for dark figures.
Though... Riku clenched his fist. It would be perfect for him too. He had control over his powers, and he could utilize this arena just as well as Ansem could.
Then Ansem summoned this...thing. It was some kind of monstrous heartless that trailed behind the man. The thing fought more than the man himself, taking swipes at Riku when he got too close and even acting as a shield so the boy couldn’t land a hit.
It was more than frustrating. Xehanort’s heartless didn’t do any of the actual fighting himself, just let the monster do it for him.
As Riku dodged yet another attack, for some reason, something Aqua had said in the realm of darkness came back to him:
“Terra said that Xehanort was a part of him.”
If that was true and Ansem was Xehanort’s heartless, then... what happened to Terra?
The monster struck again, swiping across Riku’s back and the silver-haired boy let out a grunt of pain. Damn that hurt. He rolled, feeling the darkness growing inside and soon it was strong enough he could access it. The power didn’t quite make the pain go away, but the energy it gave him did make it slightly less noticeable. He then quickly dodged out of the monster’s reach and struck at Ansem’s unprotected back. “Take that!”
Ansem let out a growl and retaliated with a strike of his own, a dark energy beam that connected with Soul Eater knocked it from Riku’s hand. The second strike landed across his chest and sent him flying into one of the barriers of the arena. He let out a cry of pain and slumped to the ground.
Ansem took his time stalking towards him, and Riku blearily opened his eyes, finding a card bouncing up and down. Aqua...
“I promise that I’ll do my best to save you if you need help.”
Riku frowned, picking it up and tucking it away, saving it for the perfect moment. Then he rolled out of the way, just as Ansem took another swipe at him, and rolled over to his blade picking it up. His limbs ached, but he thought he had a few more minutes with the darkness power before it vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Riku rushed at Ansem, taking quick decisive strikes that were too fast for the strange guardian monster to block. Then on the last strike, he hit the ground, sending out a shockwave of those strange rocks that he had used against the first robed man. They managed to hit Ansem and separate him from his guardian.
Riku used that chance to summon Aqua, who looked confused for only a moment before firing two blizzards at the guardian.
It ended up being the best move. As soon as she appeared on the field, both Ansem and the guardian froze in shock.
“Aqua?” Ansem whispered, but it wasn’t the man’s voice. It was the other voice Riku had been hearing every once in a while.
Aqua faded away before she could reply and Riku took the chance to attack while Ansem was still distracted, landing a final blow that sent the man flying out of the arena, which slowly dissipated.
“It’s over,” Riku muttered, blade still outstretched.
Ansem gasped for air but did seem to be disappearing. “It’s hardly over. You won’t ever be rid of me. Not as long as you wield darkness.” With those words, the man faded away.
Riku let out a sigh, letting the darkness still clinging to him drift off. He placed a hand over his heart, thinking back to those last moments. Ansem saying Aqua’s name, and the thought that Terra had been overshadowed by Xehanort. Terra must have still been in there. Still fighting to see his friends again.
“It’s okay Terra,” Riku murmured quietly. “We’ll find a way to get your body back. Aqua and I. And Mickey too.”
He took another deep breath to steady himself. He had really done it. Managed to push Ansem back to the furthest corners of his heart. He was still there... but maybe that was for the best. If Terra was there as well, they would need access to him later to restore him.
Riku hoped it would all work out in the end.
He stepped back out the door.
Aqua and Mickey were waiting for him, a huge grin on Mickey’s face, and a slightly smaller, but no less proud grin on Aqua’s. He then spotted movement out of the corner of his eyes and he glanced back to where the strange man from earlier, the one with strips of fabric wrapped around his face, stood leaning against the wall. “Do you two know him?”
“Nope,” Mickey stated, Aqua shaking her head as well. “But it’s strange. I get the feeling that we’ve met before.” The mouse crossed his arms in thought while Riku approached the man.
“Well? Did I make the right choice?”
“Does it feel like the right choice?” The man asked in return.
Riku huffed and crossed his arms, really hating people who asked questions in response to questions. “It feels like the best choice.”
“Then I suppose time will only tell if it was the correct one.” The man stood up straighter and pulled something out from behind him. It looked like the same black coats that the men from earlier had been wearing. “The organization wears these cloaks to move around in the darkness unharmed by it. But it will also dull their senses to others who choose to use the same methods to move around.” He then glanced at Mickey, “I’m afraid that the ears will still be a bit conspicuous.”
Mickey ducked his head, though it really wasn’t his fault.
“Okay and,” Riku raised an eyebrow. “So what?”
“The persons who had taken over this castle were only a fraction of the organization they had come from. The rest of them operate in the shadows. If we are to figure out their full plan and what they wanted with Kairi and Sora, we must also stick to the shadows.” He then stood back a bit. “Of course, the choice lies with you.”
Riku frowned, not completely liking the idea. If he continued to live in the shadows, would Ansem take the opportunity to grow stronger and overshadow him again? But what was the point of beating Ansem now if Riku just ran away from the darkness for a second time? Besides, if people were still out there who were after Kairi and Sora-- “I’m in.”
“Me too!” Mickey exclaimed, reaching out to take one of the cloaks.
“Your Majesty?” Riku asked, a little confused.
“Gosh, Riku...” Mickey looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve been stuck so long thinking that light and dark shouldn’t ever mix, that you’ve really surprised me with your choices to walk with both in hand. I’d like to see where that road takes you. Do you mind if I walk with you for a while?”
Riku rubbed the back of his head, surprised that he could impress a King. “Well, I suppose I wouldn’t mind the company.” He shook the King’s hand and nodded, taking the second cloak from DiZ.
The man held out a third cloak for Aqua, who hesitated for a second before taking a step away and shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I can go back to that place. Not for a while. Please don’t think less--”
“You’re not weak for doing what’s best for you.” Riku was quick to reassure her. “I think you’ve deserved a vacation from that place.”
“I--” Aqua huffed out a smile, “Thank you, Riku. I think I’ll stay here and help Namine. This castle was once my home, and as soon as Ventus awakens, I’d like to restore it to how it was. Maybe working together, we’ll be able to figure out how to wake all of them up.” She then pulled her wayfinder out of her pocket.
With a start, Riku realized that he still had Kairi’s. He pulled it out as well. “I’m going to have to give this back to her eventually.”
“For now though,” Aqua grinned, holding her own up so it caught the light of the room. “An unbreakable connection. If you ever need me, just let me know.”
“Right. Same here,” Riku grinned then shrugged the coat on, finding that the magic in it seemed to tighten and loosen right where he needed it to so it fit perfectly. When he glanced down, he found that Mickey’s coat even morphed so the hood had little pockets for the mouse’s ears. “Take care of them?” He asked of Aqua who nodded.
“Of course.” She offered a wave as the three of them, DiZ, Mickey, and Riku walked out the door and into the ever-present night.
“Well, where to?” Riku questioned, but found the two following him looking to him expectantly. Riku huffed and frowned. How did he become the default leader?
“Wait!” A voice called out, one Riku disturbingly recognized as his own. “I’m coming with you!”
“What?” Riku glared at the Replica that had come racing out of the castle. “No way! You have to return those mem--”
“Namine doesn’t need them quite yet. She said that she had to untangle the other links she had put in to replace them first.” The Replica gasped for breath, “Besides. I made a promise.” Curiously he glanced down at his pinky for a moment before continuing. “She said you were pretty stubborn, so I have to come to make sure you stick to your promise.” He glared up at Riku, daring him to argue.
Riku considered it for a moment, then remembered how stubborn he could be and decided to let it go. “Fine. But no putting yourself in danger. You said you’d--”
“I know.” The Replica nodded, then took the cloak offered to him by DiZ. “So, where are we going?”
Riku repressed the groan that nearly came up, instantly regretting letting his twin/not twin join them, then set off down the middle pathway. The one that led neither deeper in the darkness, nor towards the burgeoning sunrise. “It’s the Road to Dawn. C’mon. We gotta keep moving forward.”
Epilogue:
A blonde waits on the familiar clock tower, ice cream in hand, only to be surprised when his friend returned. He offers up a huge grin and eagerly tells the older redhead of the new friend he had made, the shy number XIV, Xion.
In another castle farther away, a man in a black robe sits in a chair talking to the broken pieces of armor, still waiting to find their other friend.
Back at the castle Riku and company had just left, a young woman wanders through the empty corridors, wondering when the day would come when they would once again be filled with the bright sun and warmth of their home. In one of the rooms, a young girl works tirelessly to correct the mistake she had made.
Movements made in shadowed moments, like pieces being set up on a chessboard. Soon all the pieces would awaken and the game would begin.