Chapter 5 (1/2)
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Riku ran.
As he did, he realised he remembered the town he was running through was familiar. He’d come here just once with Maleficent.
Traverse Town. A town of meetings—he’d met Sora again here in this town. It was a lively town, always full of people.
Riku stopped, staring at a small window from which light poured out.
Here, that time—I saw Sora smiling. Sora, laughing with his new companions—I don’t really want to remember it.
But, Riku’s heart held nothing but regret.
That time, why did I…
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The boy stood in front of a little house made of brick. The area around the house was dim, and light poured from the window.
Inside was Sora.
The boy stared at the scene.
“Behold. Just as I said, no? You were getting desperate searching for him, but he certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to simply find new friends,” came a woman’s—Maleficent’s—voice from behind.
I couldn’t move, just staring at the scene in the little window. I could see Sora smiling with his companions. Sora smiling, even though he hadn’t found Kairi. Sora smiling with people other than us. But, I was angry—I was lonely—I was sad—
“You see, that child’s new friends are more important to him than you are.”
Really? Maybe that was true. Maybe Sora had already forgotten about me. To Sora, I was—I? I was—who was I, again?
“However, there’s nothing to worry about. Forget about that child, and come with me. I’ll find what you desire—Riku.”
That’s right. I’m Riku. I’m Sora and Kairi’s friend, and—no… there was someone else, one other friend. Who was it, again? I can’t remember…
The dimness slowly deepened blacker and blacker—and the boy was wrapped in darkness.
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Naminé sat on the beach, drawing a picture. The boy, Sora and Kairi smiled out from her sketchbook.
“You’re not in here, Naminé?” the boy said, peering into the sketchbook.
“I’m—I can’t see my own face, you see.”
“Oh.”
The boy thought that was rather lonely. It must have been because she couldn’t actually see herself smiling alongside us, but I guess that couldn’t be helped.
“Well then, how about I draw you?”
“Huh?”
The boy took Naminé’s crayon into his hand and started to draw.
Naminé and my own smiling faces. We were always laughing together. We were happy—the two of us.
“There we go, how’s this?”
The boy showed Naminé the sketchbook, where he’d drawn both of their smiling faces. It wasn’t as good as Naminé’s picture, but Naminé smiled gently.
“Thanks, Riku.”
The sound of waves is gentle, thought the boy, and in that brief moment a roar resounded.
“Huh…?”
The boy turned, and the ground under his feet suddenly changed from a beach to a cliff—and a huge beast was leaping at him.
The boy dodged desperately, and cut out at the beast with the blade in his hand. The beast gave a great cry and collapsed.
“Stop, Riku!”
Sora’s shout echoed around them.
The boy slowly turned.
“Sora, you’re late. I was waiting for you. We’ve always competed over one thing or another. You over things that belong to me, me over things that belong to you. We’ve always been rivals,” the boy said casually, looking down at Sora.
That’s right—we’ve always fought over things with each other. Fought to take things from each other.
“What are you trying to say, Riku?”
Sora’s words made the boy smile a little, and—he wished.
I’m strong. I protect—Naminé and Kairi. I protect this world.
“The Keyblade will tell us. Who the true hero is!”
The boy thrust out his right hand. In that instant, Sora’s Keyblade vibrated as if being pulled by a great force, and it turned into light and disappeared. And then, the boy was gripping the s.h.i.+ning Keyblade in his own right hand.
“You can’t save Kairi. Only the true hero, who can open the secret door and change the world, can wield the Keyblade.”
The boy thrust the Keyblade towards the sky. In that instant, darkness spread from the centre of the Keyblade, and the world span.
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The boy ran, out of breath, questioning himself.
The Keyblade that should have been mine went back to Sora again. Does that mean I’m weaker than Sora? Or, was there another reason? We’ve always been rivals. I always won. Apart from that—apart from Kairi. I guess I’m no match for Sora after all—
“Those possessing truly strong hearts can have the Keyblade,” a quiet voice said to the boy’s back.
“Who’s there?!”
He span around to find a man in a black hood standing there.
“If you do not strengthen your heart, then the Keyblade will not choose you.”
“Are you saying my heart is weaker than his!”
“In that instant, it was.”
The boy looked down, mortified, and the hooded man moved closer to him.
“However, people can get stronger. You, who has travelled deep into the door, unafraid of darkness—you are brave. If you’re brave enough to charge into even deeper darkness—then your heart will get stronger.”
The boy shook his head slowly. “What do I have to do—”
“Open your heart to the darkness. That’s all you have to do.” The man slowly extended his hand towards the boy, and his body was wrapped in darkness. “Your very heart will become darkness, swallowing everything—”
With the man’s words, the boy felt power inside his body. Power that wouldn’t lose to anyone. The power of darkness.
With the power of darkness—I can’t lose to anyone.
The boy—broke into a run.
<яr>>
The boy was inside the darkness again.
There’s nothing—just pitch darkness. I don’t know which way to go. Darkness that seems like it could swallow existences, voices, hearts, everything.
I’ve been here before…?
The boy tilted his head.
“Riku!”
He heard a voice shouting.
That’s right… My name is Riku…
“Riku!”
The boy listened to the voice in the dark.
Who does that voice belong to, again?
He opened his eyes a crack, and sunlight burst in at him.
So bright…
“Riku!”
Suddenly, Naminé’s face appeared right in front of him.
“Wagh!”
The boy sat up in surprise.
“Don’t scare me like that, Naminé.”
“You were the one who scared me, Riku,” said Naminé. She looked a little sad. “Because, it looked like you were in pain.”
“I was dreaming—some pitch black thing was giving me strength…”
“You’ll definitely get stronger, Riku,” said Naminé, but she still looked sad.
“Sora will get stronger too,” said the boy, but Naminé shook her head.
“No… You’ll definitely be the strongest, Riku. Besides, Sora is… Hey, Riku?”
“What.” The boy stood up, brus.h.i.+ng sand off his pants.
“I… The thing about Sora is… Well, what if I were to say that because of Sora, I’d have to leave these islands…”
“What are you saying, Naminé? There’s no way anything like that would happen,” said the boy, smiling. There’s no way. We’ve always lived happily on these little islands.
“No… I…”
Bit by bit, Naminé’s figure started getting hazier.
“Hey, Naminé?!”
“…I’m sorry, Riku… No… Re… pli…”
“Naminé?!” the boy shouted.
But, the boy’s consciousness was wrapped in darkness once more.
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Naminé stood in front of a huge machine.
There’s not much left to go. Just a few more memories to tinker with—but.
The instant her hand went to touch the panel a voice called out from behind, and Naminé’s shoulders trembled.
“What are you up to? Naminé. You weren’t about to tamper with the fake’s memories as you pleased, were you?” Naminé turned slowly, and the owner of the voice was confirmed. Larxene stood there, a thin smile playing on her lips. “Cat got your tongue?”
Turning her back on Larxene, Naminé looked at the boy’s face, displayed on the monitor.
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———-Conversion at 87%———-
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“Do your best, both of you!” Kairi yelled.
That moment, a huge impact shook his wooden sword.
The boy stopped Sora’s attack, and grinned.
“Is that all you got,” the boy yelled, and sent Sora flying back. Sora tumbled over the sand, and the boy pointed his wooden sword at Sora’s throat.
Sora heaved a sigh and threw both hands up. “…I lost.”
“You have a long way to go, Sora,” said the boy, laughing as he grabbed Sora’s hand and pulled.
Sora laughed, borrowing the boy’s help to stand up. “I won’t lose next time!”
The boy answered Sora with a grin, and threw his wooden sword onto the sand.
He thought of it as a wooden sword, but really it was just a stick that had washed up on the beach. They had never held real swords.
“Ooh-aah, Riku is so strong~,” said Selphie, running over from where she’d been watching the sword fight.
Tidus picked the stick up off the sand. “Me next!”
Sora readied the wooden sword he still held. “Aw yeah! I’m gonna win this one!”
The boy watched over the situation, feeling incredibly happy and at peace.
<яr>>
The boy stood in darkness that went on and on.
“Again…”
I don’t know how many times I’ve stood here in this darkness.
It was this darkness that always left a deep impression amongst the rest of his hazy memories. In them, Kairi and Sora and Naminé also surfaced and faded.
Soon you will awaken.
Hearing a voice coming from somewhere, the boy looked around.
What is your name?