Kingdom Hearts: (Organization XIII/Riku)

[syvia]

Title: Omission (Part Five)
Author/Artist: Syvia
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Adult language and sex of dubious consent.
Word Count: 7056 (total is 40,000+)
Summary: They think he's the Replica. The longer Riku is stranded in The World that Never Was, the harder it becomes to play along.
Notes: What a long strange journey it has been. :3 At last, I give you the conclusion.

Once again I’d like to thank my betas osmandias and crimsoncookie. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.

Thank you. Love ya! Thank you. XD

Prompt: - Kingdom Hearts, OrganizationXIII/Riku: D/S - They thought he was the Replica.

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four


It turned out he was wrong. Riku woke the next hour to Axel tilting him upward- the scent of a potion beneath his nose. He fumbled for it- drank and felt a tingling at the back of his head. A spot or two on his body also grew faintly warm. Bruises.

"Sleep well, kid."

He thought he mumbled thanks- wasn't sure as he drifted off. Axel didn't respond, but there was the smell of ozone and a fresh stink of Darkness that was a portal opening.

Riku slept the rest of the night.

In the morning he woke just enough to recognize the voice echoing from somewhere beyond his heart.

Pal? I've got a kind of puzzle here.

"Your Majesty?" Riku sat up quickly and looked around, as if he might be there- as an illusion, if nothing else.

I need more Light to open a doorway, he said, and he sounded cheerful as he always was. I know where ya' are, but there just isn't enough to get me inside.

Riku blinked. "How did you get inside Castle Oblivion?" There hadn't been any Light in there either. Well... actually, no- there had been Sora. Here there was Nothing and the Darkness trying to take over, as Darkness always did. Here the only Light was Roxas and Kingdom Hearts. Riku said as much.

In the Castle, I was following your Heart. Now... well, you've been a little Dark lately. There was silence a moment, then his voice came again, still concerned, but happier. I could use Kingdom Hearts, maybe, but I'm trying to get to you, not that. D'you think Roxas would help?

Riku grimaced.

Mickey chuckled softly. Guess that's a no, huh?

"I don't know. I could try and convince him. Maybe if I got him to use magic..."

Maybe... but he sounded reluctant. Riku... have you ever used a dark aura to help you make a portal?

"No," he muttered. "I couldn't- I generated that Darkness for something else. Oh. You don't think it'd work."

Now I don't know for sure, but when you're already using magic for something, it's kinda hard to change your mind in the middle.

Riku sighed again, scrubbing his face with one hand. He'd been able to use his armor the other day because the Darkness he had called had never actually formed the portal. It had been at his command- waiting, malleable.

But don't you worry! I'm around- you're almost free.

He smiled, sent the King a wordless thread of gratitude as their connection drifted to the back of his heart.

***

"I no longer believe you're playing Gin."

Riku turned and Luxord was just... standing there. As if he'd been leaning there as Riku came down the corridor, and walked past him, and kept going. Riku knew he hadn't been there. No portal, no doors opening-

"How did you-" he blinked and Luxord was standing beside him. He had blinked. Each of the Nobodies had control over something in nature- Riku had thought maybe Luxord's affinity was luck, but fate was the future and- "Time?"

The Nobody smiled. "Very good. Walk with me?"

They didn't walk- Luxord set a hand on Riku's shoulder and the Darkness took them somewhere else- a balcony. An open sky and no sight of Kingdom Hearts. That was comforting. A wide, sloping ground with no railing at the edge and no doors out- only the archway against the wall- Riku recognized it as one of the many standing in the Proof. It wasn't glowing. It was an arch of stone, empty and unremarkable.

Riku stepped away, looking around, but mostly to put distance between them. He glanced over his shoulder, turned as Luxord produced a deck of cards from nothing and began shuffling without hands.

"There is a rather quaint betting game," Luxord said, passing his hand over the deck. A card shot from the stack and hovered in front of his forehead, face out. Riku blinked, glanced up and saw a card hovering near his as well. He reached for it and couldn't pull it down.

"You must look at the cards of your opponents and decide, without knowing what you hold, whether you have the better card."

Riku glanced at Luxord's card- a ten of spades, with the gambler's own visage in the center.

"One does best to judge whether or not to fold based on what they know of the opposition and a guess of their own strengths. The best method of winning here is to watch their eyes- if they fold, whom they are looking at when they do so, and what they laid down. One person folds to another and then another- suggesting that their card is lower, or at least, they believe it to be."

Several other cards sprung up- life-sized, and Riku stepped back at the sight of the Organization, large as life in two dimensions- and smaller cards hovered before the larger. They shifted on their edges, from side to side, looking at the other cards. Riku glanced at the small cards and didn't know what he was seeing- smaller versions of the relevant member- but the small card at Saix' forehead was no language he recognized. The print at the corner of Xaldin's, whatever it said, was so small that it could not be read. There was nothing at all at the corner of Xemnas' card- where the life-sized card bore a decorative number I.

"But it is quite easy to bluff in this matter- for all may agree to lay down their cards in difference to another and make that player believe they hold the winning card- when in reality, the number is not so high," Luxord continued.

As one, the human-sized cards turned in his direction- flat and glossy eyes staring at him. Then, as one, the small cards fell, turning end over end as they fluttered to the ground. Axel remained in the game, then his card turned slowly from side to side, looking at the others- only then did his small card drop. Roxas stayed oblivious to all, small card up, focused on Riku.

Riku pressed his lips tight together. He understood. Whatever the reason- all the Organization either believed or had agreed to pretend he was the Replica. All but Roxas- who had never believed it.

"All of them?"

"Some play the game without a true understanding of it." Luxord snapped his fingers and Riku caught the card as it fluttered past his eyes.

He looked at himself in glossy miniature- his armor reflecting light as he tilted the card back and forth. A stylized 'J' adorned the upper left and lower right corners.

"Everyone can see your card..." Riku murmured.

"Yes," Luxord mused, "and even an experienced gambler may lose to the house... when the dealer stacks the deck."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Luxord's eyes were a very pale blue, Riku noticed as they fixed upon him and stared, unblinking, for several moments.

"I admire a well-played game, whatever the outcome." He palmed the cards and they disappeared. "But I prefer to win."

***

He walked out of the portal and into the Proof of Existence, mind whirling.

They knew. Well, some of them knew. In a way, that was comforting. On the other hand, Axel had played him, and he'd been playing flunky to the Darkness again. It pissed him off. He hadn't acted in accordance with his heart since he'd been here- pretending to be something he wasn't and taking part in a role he had no wish to play.

When he thought about it, he wasn't at all surprised his heart had grown dim.

The King had found him in Castle Oblivion when he fought- when he did what his heart commanded. Every time he'd listened to Maleficent, every time he'd let the Darkness into his heart- every time he'd done what others expected rather than do what he thought was right... he could remember wanting to find Sora- to stick with him and find a way to help Kairi together, like they had in the past. He couldn't remember why he hadn't, although he could guess.

I'm tired of sinking. Tired of doing what I'm told. Riku started to grin. It was time to listen to his heart.

Time to misbehave.

He turned and stood upon the crossed Keyblades, reached out and put a hand on the glowing blue shimmer of energy. It pulled at him and he stepped forward- his foot came down on glass.

The floor was many shades of grey, black, white, interlocking to create some kind of pattern. There were no walls, no doors but the archway- just a large round platform beneath absolute darkness. There was no wind. They had to be inside somehow. Just how big was the castle? The glass was lit from within, and cast irregular shadows over Riku's limbs as he looked around. He located the Key of Destiny, standing on the other side of the platform. Roxas turned, moved as if he would draw his weapons. Riku didn't advance, and Roxas, seeing no threat, stood down.

"Saix has an 'Addled Impasse', Demyx has a 'Hall of Empty Melodies', and Luxord's got 'Havoc's Divide'. What do you call this?"

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "The Tower of Light's Diffusion."

Riku smirked. "Yeah. Figures. Who comes up with these names anyway? Xemnas?"

The Key of Destiny raised his eyebrows briefly, crossed his arms over his chest and blinked. "You're different today."

"Yeah," Riku pursed his lips. "I haven't been lying to you- but I didn't come straight out and tell you the truth either."

Roxas didn't answer. Riku sighed, smiled briefly at something that told him the expression passing over the blond's face was agreement.

"His name is Sora."

Roxas went still at that. His jaw didn't fall, and his hands didn't clench into fists, but his eyes grew very, very wide. He looked almost vulnerable... a trick of the light, surely.

"Two months ago, he went into Castle Oblivion and the Organization screwed with his memory. I can't tell you much about him," and Riku grimaced, hating it for his own sake- his and Kairi's, as well as the failure to Roxas, "because there's someone trying to fix it, and whatever she's doing has made me forget things. What I do know is that he's your Heart, and he's my friend, and the Organization wants to keep you two from meeting."

"They're not going to be happy you're talking about this."

"Yeah," Riku said. "I know. I just don't give a shit anymore. I've never actually worked for them."

"You aren't the Replica."

"No, I'm not. I'm Riku." He smiled as he said it. It felt good. It felt really good to admit that.

"Can you... tell me where he is?"

Riku grimaced again, shook his head. "I can't. I don't know where he is. But," he said to the resigned expression that stole over Roxas' face, "you said he was calling you. Help me get out of here. I'll leave," he raised his hands, palms up, toward the blond, "and that feeling will come back. I'll even help you find him, if you want."

Roxas closed his eyes, bowed his head slightly before speaking to the ground, "It's not that easy."

"You'll never get answers here," Riku murmured, letting his arms fall. He saw a sliver of blue- but Roxas didn't look up, and he didn't speak. "...But you already know that."

They stood there. Riku wasn't exactly surprised. Roxas was young. He only knew the Organization.

"Fine," Riku said. "If you ever want to be whole, find Naminé." He turned and headed for the arch.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to give Xemnas my resignation."

"You know that's suicide, right?"

Riku smirked, and it was in his voice, "Axel said there was only one door out of this world. He was wrong."

The arch closed- the power that allowed transportation vanished, leaving him trapped in the room.

"I'm not gonna let you kill yourself."

Riku stopped walking, as there was no longer a door, and put his hands on his hips.

"I'm not going to kill myself."

"You think Xemnas won't?"

"Won't what? Kill himself?" Riku tossed a smile over his shoulder. "That'd be convenient."

He caught the incredulous look on Roxas' face just before it turned to something that seemed like rage. The surprise looked so much like a memory of Sora that Riku's heart clenched. He had to leave.

"I won't let you."

Riku turned, raised an eyebrow. "How exactly are you going to stop me?" He kept his tone light, treated the situation like it was funny instead of painful. Roxas stared at him with a child's frustration. The air hummed- the sound of metal ringing over stone were the Keyblades being drawn. Riku continued to smirk, lowered his hands to his sides, ready to draw if needed. "Yeah, killing me will definitely keep me from killing myself."

"I don't have to kill you," Roxas murmured. "The others will think of some way to keep you here- all I have to do is beat you down until you can't fight."

He couldn't hold the grin, didn't try. "Do you even know why you want me to stay?"

Roxas gritted his teeth and kept his blades at the ready. "All I have are things that belonged to Him. I might not understand it, but I feel... I feel about you. I don't have to understand it to not want to give it up."

"Now you know how Axel feels about us," Riku said. Roxas looked confused. Riku sighed and shook his head. "You can't make me stay by fighting me."

"He shouldn't have to." They both turned to watch Axel step out of a portal. He was smiling. “You owe him."

Roxas glanced from one of them to the other, still ready to fight. Axel stared at Riku.

"You remember yet?" The portal disappeared and he paced forward, arms crossed over his chest. "You know," he said, pointedly, "that whole messy business in Hollow Bastion; your partner, tall, dark and monologue-prone making a sword that unlocks people's hearts."

Riku felt, heard, his heart pounding like a drum beneath his ribs. He did remember- watching slack-mouthed and pleading over and over that it wasn't really happening. He'd wanted Kairi back- wanted her heart to go back to her and see her wake up. He'd been angry at Sora, but he'd never wanted-

"Ya see, Roxas," Axel said, still watching Riku, "Sora came to Hollow Bastion to save their little friend, one Kairi. She'd lost her heart- it was hiding in Sora and couldn't get out. Riku gave him a key and told him to save her- open himself up and set it free. So Sora takes the key and does it. Along comes Naminé, along comes Roxas," he jerked his chin in Riku's direction, "and you're responsible."

Riku flinched. Yes. Yes he was responsible. Ansem had made the key, but Riku's hands had offered it.

"Along comes Roxas- with no heart, no memories- just the emptiness of being Nobody."

Riku saw Axel approach through a filter of shock. He took one step, another, moving slowly forward. Riku watched him and thought it might be a good idea to back away. His body didn't seem to be paying attention.

"It never goes away- we're hollow like it's not right- like we can remember some huge knife carving in and scooping pieces out. We know it's wrong and the edges hurt where we got cut open. We get into situations and our heads tell us we should react but we don't have the hearts for it." Another step, and soon Axel would be close enough to touch him- grab his arm and keep him standing there- take him over to Roxas- make him repay the debt. Whatever it was, Riku knew he wouldn't be able to fight it. He'd do whatever they wanted.

Axel was still going. "You did that to him-"

"And Xehanort did it to the rest of you!" Riku shouted. He couldn't do it. Maybe Axel was right- he probably did owe Roxas- owed Naminé- he owed everyone on Destiny Isles and probably hundreds of people on dozens of Worlds all over.

He owed them. But he wouldn't work for the Organization. He couldn't atone for having done wrong by doing more wrong.

"He's the cause of all this," Riku was still shouting, "and you work for his Nobody! I already played puppet to his Heartless- I'm not going to sign on with the other half."

"Riku-"

"You shut up!" he half-screamed, panicked and unable to stop. Axel looked unsteady, his rhythm broken. Riku needed him to get further off-balance. "You played me. You played the Nobodies in Castle Oblivion, you're probably playing him," he flung a hand in Roxas' direction, "and everyone else in the Organization. I'm not surprised that you sold me out to Xemnas, but you don't get to manipulate me anymore!"

The redhead's eyes widened- in surprise? A good act, or perhaps Axel hadn't told his Superior anything about Riku. If that was the case, then Xemnas was playing Axel. Riku wondered.

"I-"

"Replica."

Riku flinched. Axel's head snapped to the side and every trace of emotion- manufactured or 'real', drained away. When Riku turned to look at Saix, Roxas was also staring at him, Keyblades slightly lowered, as if he knew they shouldn't be out, but didn't want to dispel them. Saix had focused on him, a question in the arch of his brow. Riku wondered when he had gotten there. How much had he heard?

Saix continued to look at Roxas but spoke to Riku. "The Superior will speak with you now."

Abruptly his heart weighed twice as much. He might have been afraid, but Riku was pissed off and annoyed with himself for it. Everything he'd said was true. He wasn't surprised. But maybe he wished he'd rejected Axel's deal at the outset.

Riku turned and walked up to Saix. Roxas and Axel watched, and let him go. They didn't say anything- and Riku didn't want to think about what could be said- what might sabotage this. He was sure there had to be something. That was the way his luck ran. Something to make Saix decide, no, he didn't actually have to see Xemnas after all. The Diviner gestured to the archway, glancing over his shoulder at Roxas. Riku didn't turn back, kept walking. The arch opened and he walked through it, listening to Saix' footsteps.

He emerged in the Proof and stepped down from the placard. Saix was just behind him, face composed as it ever was. He raised an arm and pointed. Riku turned and walked up the aisle, up a staircase through a door in the back. It led outside and he could feel the pulse of Kingdom Hearts against his body. Ansem was a small, silent observer deep in his heart. It was easier to concentrate, and he knew who deserved thanks for that.

They walked up the stairs.

For a second time Riku found himself in the highest point of the Castle. Xemnas stood where he had before- Saix held position behind him, remaining by the stairs. Xemnas didn't turn, and Saix didn't speak.

"How long have you known?" Riku asked.

"The Heart is a fascinating thing," Xemnas mused. "Whatever the state of the body- one's Heart will give an accurate span of years. No matter how youthful or worn, one can measure the age of a person by the age of their Heart."

"You didn't answer my question," he pointed out.

Xemnas chuckled. "Xigbar knew. After your examination."

The whole damn time he'd been here. "How d'you measure the age of someone's Heart?"

"Given the wealth of experience, an accounting of one's power, and considering possible traumas, one measures the essence of the heart and multiplies it by the rate of palpations."

Riku's brow furrowed as he listened, tried to make sense of it, and eventually pulled a meaning from his long-winded explanation. His jaw went slack with disbelief.

"... He took my pulse?"

"Essentially."

Riku almost facepalmed. Almost.

"Why did he pretend to think I was the Replica?"

Xemnas turned, that unsettling smile parted his face.

Riku offered a response before the Nobody could make one- "Once a scientist, always a scientist?"

"Indeed." Then he approached.

Riku took an involuntary step backward- right into Saix. The Diviner had a hand between Riku's shoulder blades. He tried to shift away and it tightened, clenching in the vest. He was made to watch as Xemnas moved toward him, and looked so much like Ansem.

"What do you want?" he asked- trying to stall.

Thankfully Xemnas paused, but Riku could feel Ansem's heart- as if it leaned against his ribcage, pulling him forward, and this must have been something like what Roxas felt. The weight of the heart compelled him to move- to bring it closer to its other half.

"I believe you already know, or have guessed."

"I'd rather hear you say it," Riku answered. He shifted his weight and felt Saix' fingers twist. "But if you're offering me a job, don't bother."

Xemnas smiled, came even closer, and Saix' hands were on his shoulders then, keeping him in place, and Xemnas cupped a hand at the back of his head. Riku tried his best to dissolve against Saix' chest as the other hand slid over his stomach- crept beneath his shirt. Damnit. Here he'd thought it couldn't get any worse than Axel or Xigbar. He was pinned between them, cold leather pressing against his skin- Ansem's heart and his own beating a discordant staccato inside his chest. Riku turned his face away.

"I feel him there within you. Not quite what I am, regardless of emotion. Diminished in the time away, but that would not be a deterrent. Safe within Darkness, my Heart could grow powerful once again. Power and conquest- and as he perpetuated the Darkness, we would have a Keyblade Master to clean up the Heartless. You could be powerful," Xemnas murmured. "Use the Darkness. Embrace it. Let it rise within you and command the Heartless. Create and deploy them for us."

Riku tried to ask what he would get out of that deal and couldn't manage the words. He couldn't move away from the press of their bodies but he was thankful for Kairi- Riku suspected she was the only reason he could think enough to refuse. Ansem's heart would have pushed at him, emboldened by the moon and his Other and Riku trapped in the center of it all.

He shook his head.

Then he went limp- and as Saix tried to hold him up, Riku lashed out with his Keyblade, fell, rolled across the ground and came up running. He ran further from the stairs, but it put distance between him and the Nobodies. He held the Souleater between them, and his arm shook, but his mind was his own.

Saix moved forward, his gaze strangely intent. The gold of his eyes seemed to shine, almost burn, in their sockets, and the color- the color matched the moon. His claymore was drawn and he approached Riku, teeth bared. Xemnas put an arm in his path and for one moment, Riku was sure Saix wanted to rip it off.

The moment passed- leather creaked between his fingers and he kneaded the handle of his blade. Xemnas lowered his arm and Saix remained where he was.

"Perhaps," the Nobodies' Superior was speaking yet again, "we will assist you in some manner. Remove my Heart from your body in a fashion that leaves you alive. The Keyblade is quite useful to us, Riku."

He couldn't trust them, but he didn't care about that. He knew then- right then- that he couldn't do it. Not only could he not work for the Organization, he couldn't let Ansem out. The Heartless trapped inside him had destroyed worlds and conquered people without a host- he could do it again. He could, would destroy worlds, cast them into Darkness. The Organization would cheer him on.

Riku couldn't let that happen- not when he could keep the monster imprisoned simply by enduring a little mental discomfort- a smaller amount now than he'd dealt with before.

He owed the Islands that much.

"No."

Xemnas tilted his head to the side. He pursed his lips, as if seeing Riku differently in that moment, adding something to the formula that made him what he was.

Riku flinched at the sound rolling from Saix' throat. The Diviner was actually growling.

Xemnas smirked. "You may or may not be familiar with the practice of Operant Conditioning. It is a process in which the test subject is put through a series of sessions, and in some fashion, punished for unfavorable behaviors. In turn, it is rewarded for behaviors which are useful. Scientists have found that, even in the case of human subjects, the response is quite involuntary. It may take time- quite a bit of repetition, but eventually the subject will become so intent upon avoiding punishment that they perform the desired behavior without prompting. It is, after all, instinct to alleviate pain."

He might have been terrified, but anger kept finding its way in. Riku clenched his jaw.

"Once a scientist."

Xemnas smiled. "Let us call this 'session one'."

Saix took that as his cue and stepped forward. Riku bent slightly at the knees, called his armor and took comfort in the warmth of it.

This is going to hurt... this is going to hurt...

He raised the Keyblade.

In every other sparring match they'd had, Saix had stalked forward, taking his time, and, once in range, struck fast. Struck fast and hard- swinging the claymore as if it were hollow- or insubstantial as moonbeams.

It was amazing how hard insubstantial things could hit.

Riku knew he was in trouble when Saix moved with twice the speed of their sparring matches. Riku lunged out of the way and still felt force and power strike his back. He rolled to his feet and kept moving, and he had no idea what he was seeing. Where Saix' claymore hit the ground, shockwaves tore across marble in all directions before dispersing. He'd never fought this way before- Saix was...

"You fight Saix somewhere with direct moonlight-"

The Luna Diviner. Does things for the Superior. Not once had anyone said anything about him being a berserker. Riku swore as another shockwave caught him across the calves- and his armor kept it from doing much damage. He turned to run directly at the Nobody before he could get any less confident about the situation. Saix was fast- and Riku hadn't done so well in practice.

He dodged partly by sound and partly the feel of the air moving- and he got hit with wave after wave from the claymore touching down, but not the blade itself. He tried to hit Saix- didn't sacrifice himself for the chance. A shockwave caught him in the chest. Riku felt his feet leave the ground- then his back hit it. He tried to get up and something helped him- caught him in the back and lifted him into the air- again, and again.

When Riku hit the ground a second time his feet were cold.

He got up- feeling every bruise- fast enough to get some distance between them. He raised his sword.

Saix stood, spun the claymore, and charged.

He ran- slid- out of the shockwave range when Saix brought the claymore down. Riku spared a glance and saw the blade had been left- or... there were two. Saix held one- another remained stuck in the marble floor. Riku lunged for it, thinking it would be a very bad idea for Saix to begin using two weapons. His hand brushed the edge and jerked away as it thrummed against his palm. It disappeared.

Then he was running again- just ahead of the shockwaves- keeping Saix in his sight, watching for him to drop another- maybe he could use it. He glanced at Saix- threw himself to the floor when the peculiar humming and fuzzy red light invaded his peripheral vision.

How in the hell had he forgotten about Xemnas?

The Organization's Superior remained where he was- guarding the exit- when Riku retreated. He had two opponents here- he couldn't lose track of either. Riku pulled Darkness from the sky above them, concentrating as he kept moving- watching.

He slowed- jerked to the side. Chips of marble struck his ankles and were ignored in favor of the full brunt of the weapon's shockwave. Riku screamed, slashed upward and released the spell- Darkness curved in an arch from the edge of his blade to break upon Saix' chest. It forced the Diviner back a step, and Riku seized the claymore left behind.

It was like grabbing an electrical line, but it didn't hurt. His heart raced and his arm was growing numb- the rage of thousands of hearts beat upon his palm and up his arm- Riku looked around- spun in the air as he realized he was literally standing in air. He needed a target.

Saix was pacing like an animal, staring at him. Riku aimed for him- desired to go in that direction, and the claymore took him there. He glided toward Saix-

was intercepted.

The claymore had a target and Riku could only shout his rage as the shadowy black and white tendrils fell to the repeated tumbling of his borrowed blade.

When it faded from his hands, Xemnas was smiling, and Saix was on him.

The first blow caught him in the chest, laying him flat. Riku didn't see Saix this time either- the claymore cast him into the air, blow after blow striking his unarmored body.

Saix followed him upward and Riku heard something crunching- breaking- and it was going to hurt when the adrenaline finally wore off. The claymore threw him higher and higher and he wondered if Saix was using the blades- Riku wasn't sure it mattered.

He made a sound when he hit the floor- a broken, strangled exhalation of air. He didn't have the strength to scream. Riku scraped his fingers against marble, lay there, and hurt. Worse than his fight with Lexaeus and he boggled at the thought of it- the Silent Hero had been larger- his weapon heavier. Riku tried to shift his weight- moved his arm and his left leg- and cried out when he tried deliberately to move the others. Something was broken. It felt like a knife had been sewn into the center of his leg and someone was twisting it, shooting pain from knee to ankle.

His chest heaved, and he remembered breaking his arm- he'd been a big boy, eight years old. Too big to cry. It hurt too much for dignity. He hadn't screamed, but each breath was a sob, and pain was more than enough incentive for tears. His vision wavered as they crawled from his eyes and across his face, over his earlobes. That tiny sensation oriented him even as he couldn't separate the other injuries from each other- they combined and formed a single, greater sense of agony.

But he had to move.

The arm that wasn't broken brushed against something small and sharp imbedded in his shirt. Demyx' potion. It was the only reason he was still conscious.

"The conclusion of session one, I think."

Riku heard Xemnas walking toward him and struggled to stand- called the Souleater to his good hand and scraped the point across the floor, using it as a crutch.

"Well," the Organization's Superior stood over him, watching. "Perhaps not. Saix?"

Riku sucked in a breath and heard- and felt- the claymore fall again. The cry of pain which followed the sound of splintering bones didn't sound like him. His limbs didn't feel as if they belonged to him as they collapsed. Saix rolling him onto his back didn't register after all the damage Riku had already taken. He couldn't feel his hands- there was a barely-noticeable prickle of something... sharp... on his skin. It pierced cloth but lightly, or maybe he just couldn't feel enough to realize it had broken skin and muscle and now there was blood dripping from his limbs- he tasted blood in his mouth, smelled it, but he didn't know how badly he was bleeding.

The prickling intensified and he was lifted- his head bent backwards painfully before a thin band of whatever-it-was rose to cradle it. He got the impression of thinness- cold, like bendable metal. The cold was welcome- the sense that he was laying on razorblades was not.

Xemnas laid a hand on his face. He winced and it only hurt more.

"You will always be given a chance to submit, Riku."

The seam of the gloves pressed into his cheek as fingertips stroked downward- it felt like a steel brush rubbing torn skin.

"Accept my offering- your wounds will be healed and this event need never be repeated."

He hurt. Even as he knew he wouldn't die- they weren't ready for that yet- he wanted to. But... it was only his body. He could fight this. Maybe he was beaten now- that didn't mean he would be the next time. He could learn- he could become better than Saix and defeat him.

But they wouldn't let him win.

Xemnas would interfere, or someone else. He could do this again and again- until he was a stronger, more effective weapon, and his heart was so Dark that even if Ansem couldn't manipulate him, Riku would become his own type of monster.

He could accept. Agree to work for the Organization and continue to search for a way out- undermine them from within. His aching body wanted him to say yes. Yes, he would be Xemnas' lackey. Yes, he would submit to the Darkness and its power. Yes, he wanted to stop hurting.

But it was only his body. He'd followed it long enough.

"No."

Xemnas leaned forward- he hadn't heard, or was giving Riku another chance.

"No."

"This course of action is most unwise," Xemnas breathed into his ear.

"No." He smiled. It hurt like hell, but he did it, and tears of pain spilled down his cheeks as Xemnas pressed a thumb beneath Riku's jaw, tilting his head back.

"No," he hissed as the fingers tightened, as his jaw throbbed. "No!"

Light.

He gasped at the brightness- his sudden blindness and the wave of power- warmth flooding into his chest almost countered the pain of his reintroduction to the floor.

Riku tried not to move- felt the tears sliding across his face and smiled.

He heard the ring of a Keyblade on metal and nothing-forged weapons.

Then he didn't hear anything.

***

It occurred to Riku as he woke, that this was familiar. He had fought to exhaustion before, and used the portals to escape from a battle to a relatively safe place. Waking after such a ride was both difficult and disorienting- sounds came back first, then a vague sense of pain and a throbbing headache. Eventually he could see again, and feel his limbs. Then he felt as if he were going to be sick, and had to lie there, still, until the weakness and the nausea passed.

This was familiar, but not quite the same.

He felt odd... floaty, like he was back in Darkness. He didn’t hurt, really, but he couldn’t feel his limbs. The aftereffects of a spell maybe... or an Elixir. He didn’t know how bad his injuries had been- bad enough that he couldn’t walk, didn’t want to move. Now... he tried to move his fingers. It didn’t hurt, and he knew they were moving, but he couldn’t quite feel them- knew by the yield and texture that he was lying on something soft. He opened his eyes and it was dark- and his eyelashes brushed something. When he moved his head, cloth moved with him.

Small, cool fingers brushed his skin and replaced it.

Riku opened his mouth- licked his slightly dry lips- and breathed in. He smiled.

“Naminé.”

“Welcome back.”

A hand slipped into his, pressed his palm lightly. He tightened his fingers as much as he could and remembered doing it before.

“King Mickey found me,” Riku murmured.

“Yes.”

“Is he still here?”

“He’ll be back. He said he would find us something to eat.”

Yeah... he could eat. The more his body woke up, the more he felt normal, if fuzzy-headed. He actually felt hungry. The fingertips returned, twitching locks of hair from his forehead. He started to remember that too- Naminé shared Kairi’s urge to maintain physical contact, although Kairi took it as her right, while Naminé moved slowly, making sure of her welcome. He started to remember a lot of things.

“We’re in the basement, aren’t we?” He could reach up and touch the blindfold- and he did. He remembered the reason for it and let it be. This room was bright- brighter than the Castle that Never Was- so bright that the walls disappeared. The only thing visible once the door closed at your back was....

“That’s right. You always want to come down here first, and it’s safest while you get better.”

He squeezed her hand a bit. “Naminé, do you know what happened?”

“Yes. The King fought Xemnas and Saix. He drove them away from you and brought you back through the portal. He world-hopped a little before he came here, gave you a few potions and left. Do you want another one?”

Riku shook his head. He was fine for now- still getting back sensation. He ached a little, but it felt like a good workout. It reminded him.

“They’re gonna come after me.”

Naminé wrapped both her hands around Riku’s and held it tightly. “Yes.”

“Axel said the only reason they couldn’t find you was that they weren’t looking.” Riku waited for Naminé to speak, and she didn’t. He didn’t like that answer. “Was he trying to scare me?”

“Yes... but he was telling the truth. Some of the Organization are good at tracking people down.”

“That’s okay,” Riku said. He was smiling, and a slight laugh escaped him at the confused sound from Naminé’s lips. “I won’t make it easy for them, and I don’t have to go back with them just because they find me.”

Riku tried to sit up, managed it with a little help, and dropped the blindfold from behind his hand. He still cupped it over his eyes, shielding them somewhat, but letting the light in- letting his eyes get used to it. He still hadn’t opened them.

“Axel said,” he grinned, tugging playfully on Naminé’s arm, “that nobody leaves the Organization.”

She giggled suddenly- a short, musical burst of sound. “You aren’t Nobody.”

Riku laughed. It was tired, and a little broken, but grew stronger as Naminé joined in. She helped him to stand and move away from the blankets he’d been sleeping on. When he moved, the pressure against the sole of his foot was different- and rubber squeaked against the floor. Riku opened his eyes- closed them again at the painful intensity of the light. He could feel Naminé looking at him.

“Do they fit?” she asked. “I got them while the King was healing you... I had to guess the size.”

He wondered where she’d gotten them, but didn’t ask. “Yeah. They fit.” Riku put his hand lightly on her shoulder. “Thanks.” His voice was thick. He tried to think of better words and came up empty.

“You’re welcome.” But maybe she understood.

They were silent a while, and Riku could open his eyes, bit by bit. “I hope the King gets back with that food,” he muttered. Riku had a lot to tell him.

Naminé smiled briefly.

“We’re...” Riku sighed, let his hand fall away from her shoulder and moved slowly, testing his body- still the ache, but nothing else wrong. “We’re not in the best situation, Naminé.”

She didn’t chuckle, even though they both knew it was an understatement. “I know.”

“I think we should talk about some things... the Organization,” he paused, “and... my Replica.”

She was smiling at him, tremulously, and he said more without thinking.

“Whatever you want to tell me.”

Naminé pressed her fingers together, making an upside-down pyramid. “You know- there are no small victories against the Organization.” Her lips twisted into something that wanted to be a smile, but couldn’t rise against old pain. “But they’re almost always hollow.”

Riku moved forward- and he still didn’t want to know what she’d been through. He knew it was his fault. It wasn’t for Kairi- but he knew she would have wanted him to. It wasn’t for himself, even though he could have used one so many times the past week. He did it because he knew the same pain Naminé felt- and even if she couldn’t feel it like he did, she needed one.

He hugged her.

Naminé went still for a moment, then hugged back.

They stayed that way for a while- Riku letting go only when she pulled away. Naminé smiled at him, turned and gazed at the pod- then back at Riku. He looked up.

It wasn’t the light that made his eyes water.

“Hey, Sora,” he murmured. Riku took a step forward, then another. He kept moving, eyes fixed on the sleeping boy, until he could rest a hand on one translucent fold of metal.

“I met someone a while ago,” he muttered. “Wanted to hear what you were like. I couldn’t remember... but I’m trying to... it’s easier here.” It was easier. He could see, dimly, those sunny mornings on white sand, running and yelling. Three children. Riku, and Kairi... and Sora.

“I think you’d like him....” Riku cleared his throat when it turned thick again, ignored the blurring in his vision. “I think... you like everyone.”

He stared at that peaceful face, hoped it wouldn’t be long before the eyes opened, the voice spoke, and the rest of his heart was back where it belonged.

“He looks a lot like you.”

***

fin~

Thank you for reading!