Notes: The sense of smell played an active part in KH: CoM. Frequently the characters claimed to be able to smell darkness within a character. Just a heads up in case the mention of it seemed odd.
Thanks to: my friends for helping beta-read and edit!

The Path Chosen
Step 3 – a world without you
By RubyD

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“No way!” Tidus said, determined. He reared up, ready to throw the smooth stone in his hand. “This will go ten!”

He threw it – it flew across the water’s surface but sank on the fourth skip.

“All right!” cried Selphie as Wakka shook his head at them.

They crowded the sands near the dock, where rocks were plenty, trying to see who could skip stones the furthest. The two boys had done well, but Selphie beat them both with a rock that had skipped seven times.

“Hey, Kairi!” She waved at the redhead walking down the shoreline towards them.

“Wanna have a toss?” Wakka welcomed her with a boyish salute.

Kairi tilted her head, looking distracted. “I don’t know…”

“Oh, come on, it’s fun! Here, watch…” Selphie leaned on her back foot, twisting her waist just right so it would power the throw, and her face scrunched up as she shouted her favorite battle cry, “Booyaka!”

“Five…six… seven…” Tidus counted. It disappeared on the eighth skip, to Selphie’s delight. “That’s not right. How is this happening, Wakka?”

“Gotta try harder!”

“What d’ya say, Kairi?” Selphie grinned brightly as she tossed a flattened stone to her friend. “It’ll be a change from just staring at the waves all day.”

Kairi caught it and looked down at the smooth oval in her hand, considering. “…Why not?” she said, and stepped up to shore. She hadn’t played this game in a long time, but the stance was familiar, and so was the pause of her arm before whipping forward to send the rock flying.

“Wow!” She heard Tidus shout. “That was amazing!”

But she didn’t pay attention to the final count. As the momentum died and it slipped into the water one last time she only knew that, no matter how far she threw it, it would never go far enough.

-

The nights in Twilight Town were never completely dark, nor the days completely bright. The world was caught between light and dark - lost and abandoned things found their way into the town, bringing with them a growing sense of darkness. Even the noontime sun failed to bring more brilliant colors to the ever-amber haze, and instead left the world in a literal twilight.

Right now, however, Riku found himself standing in a clean blue ocean, and under a sky that was blacker than night. He looked up at it with a frown on his lips. There were no stars or gentle clouds, like a hole had been gouged over the world, leaving barely a memory of the crisp blue heavens.

The sky was simply gone.

How that was possible, he had no idea, and not knowing scared him. Riku stood there for a long time, trying to calm himself by listening to the gentle waves lapping at his ankles. But darkness laid thicker and thicker in his senses until silence enveloped him – making him deaf, cold, and blind. The void above was both oppressing and mockingly welcoming, and he struggled as he felt his feet leaving the shore behind to fall upwards into the endless darkness. Something like laughter echoed in his ears… and he woke.

He stared at the hotel ceiling, panting. Perhaps a remnant from the dream, or perhaps a sign of something else, but the scent of the dark lingered with him like sickening perfume. He thought he had long lost the fear of it, but after a week of the strange dreams Riku began to seek out the daylight more and more.

On this day he felt particularly disturbed by the dreams, and needed to get out – to do something. Quietly, so not to wake the sleeper on the other bed, he put on the new slacks and vest he bought not long ago. Without a glance back, he walked out of the shared room he and King Mickey had rented and found that the light outside was dim, but warm.

Riku thought that a quick walk would clear the hollow feeling in his chest, yet hours later he hadn't stopped.

He walked on, going through new neighborhoods for the first time, all brick and cobblestone. People passed him like a colorless blur, the daily murmur and shuffle of feet punctuated by a ringing doorbell, or the rolling of skateboards, or the sharp tone of a name being called.

"Riku! I’m not dreaming this time, right?"

He could remember the words, but not the voice – that had faded, days ago. It bothered him. How long until even that was gone? Because, once upon a time, there had been a third person with him and Kairi on Destiny Island. That person, he was sure, had journeyed to other worlds too, but with all his strength could not recall a face. Even the King looked puzzled when asked about it.

It was someone Riku wanted to see again. Maybe, then, the missing gaps would be filled and he'd realize, oh yeah, I remember you – how could I ever forget?

Without that person – and Riku was sure of this, too – the… key… in keeping his own precarious balance between light and dark… would be lost.

It is not the darkness you fear, he heard a deep voice say, but what lies within it.

"Ansem," Riku hissed under his breath, and stopped in his tracks. He turned around with his heart beating as fast as a soldier's drum, almost expecting that tall shadow to haunt his steps, but there was nothing at all.

Even for a sandlot, lined with posters, this side of town seemed emptier than most, but probably because school hadn't let out yet. Yet here, in a part of town he had never been to before, the scent of darkness lingered stronger than ever.

"Ansem?" a new voice said, the tone sounding almost insulted. "No, I don't think so. Looking for company, or are you finished talking to yourself?"

Riku turned around again, almost violently, and found himself facing what he and Mickey had been looking for: an Organization member. The teen stared at the shock of red hair crowning the tall man, who was thin and whip-like under the black coat.

"I was trying to decide something," the red-head continued, casually, "whether or not you're that replica Vexen made. Then I thought, why don't I just ask you myself?"

"And you are?" Riku demanded. He summoned his blade in a flash and held the wing-shaped sword in front of him.

"Ah, so it's the real thing, then." A smirk. "You know, I don’t think we were ever introduced. The name's Axel - got it memorized?"

"Why bother, you'll be nothing in ten seconds anyway," he snapped.

"Nothing, huh? Ouch. Did you say that to the others, too? Which by the way, thanks for getting rid of them – the Castle needed a little cleaning."

"You were there?"

"Of course I was there!" Axel laughed. At that, Riku darted forward, but the man jumped back. "Easy there, kid! What, attack first, talk later?"

"Enough small talk," he growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't I just say? I wanted to find something out. Funny... You certainly don't smell like you did in Castle Oblivion – I'd even say you almost smell exactly like one of us."

Riku didn't like being squinted at, or the dead-serious expression on Axel's face. "What?"

"Lose anything, recently?"

"No."

"Say, whatever happened to that friend of yours'?"

"You mean, Mickey?" he said, alarmed. He'd been out for hours – had the Organization gotten to the King while he was stupidly wandering around? Riku didn't even know the way back.

"No, no!" Axel answered, waving his arms. "Not the little king – I meant Hero-boy. Sora."

"Sora?" Riku's blade wavered, startled at the sound of the name. It sounded like a bell through fog - Hello, something inside him seemed to answer.

"Is there an echo? Hmm, I see." He gave another 'hmm' of thought, as if understanding something. "Man, your brain's just as scrambled as he is."

The boy stepped forward. "What? Who! Tell me – who's Sora?"

"Well, never mind. Just forget I ever mentioned it, alright?"

"Wait! Please - " and Riku hated that weak edge to his voice, " - tell me what you know."

"Why should I? Maybe I'll tell you – if you find me, first." Axel gave a kind of signal, a wave of his hand, and suddenly a strange silvery creature seemed to dive in and out of the ground without breaking it – three of them, actually. They surrounded him, staying in position as Riku shifted with unease.

"What…what are these guys?" he asked. "They don't look like Heartless."

"They're nothing like you've ever fought before – that is, they're Nobody."

"'Nobody'? That word again…" Riku had heard it in the past, back at the Castle. Before now, he thought it was just a riddle to confuse him, but it started to dawn on him that it could be a name as well. An important one, just like 'Sora'.

"See ya around…" There was a whoosh of sound, like air being sucked in, and what looked to be a dark, frothing hole appeared behind Axel. The Organization member stepped backwards into it, and the last sight of him was the Cheshire grin fading out before the portal closed.

The three Nobodies sprang to life, attacking with a flurry of spiked limbs. Riku dodged out of the way of one of the creatures, striking the tough skin with the Soul Eater. The blade sliced it, but he had to jump to avoid the second that emerged soundlessly from the ground like a phantom. A third, unseen, slammed into his back and sent him sailing across the sandlot.

Riku shook himself up, ignoring the pain in his side, and instead glared at the approaching Nobodies. They almost had a rhythmic quality to their movements, nearly alive – and indeed felt different from the heart-hungry Heartless.

They surged towards him again, and this time Riku dove into them equally, arching his sword down on the one he had injured earlier. It dissipated, fading like much smoke. The remaining two proved less easy, smashing their limbs – or perhaps wings – against his sword with enough force to make his teeth clack.

You're stronger than this, the dark voice from before spoke up again. Why are you so weak, now?

"Shut up!" he shouted, throwing his weight into an attack. The second one disappeared. The last one succeeded in getting under his feet and striking with its limbs until he staggered to the ground.

Accept my strength and you'll never have to be weak again.

"Yeah, right!" he snarled, and then gasped from the hits. He couldn't concentrate like this.

The Nobody rose into the air, about to descend with another attack, when the familiar glint of metal cut through it from behind. A Keyblade, gold and white.

A Keyblade – this one with a silver blade and yellow grip – pierced through the Shadow behind him. Someone Riku knew said, with a small smirk, "Leave it to who?"

"Riku!" Mickey cried. He ran towards the teen. "You okay! Been lookin' everywhere for you!"

"Yeah," Riku answered, gulping. "You made it just in time."

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To be continued

End notes: Axel and Riku in Chain of Memories never really formally met - Axel was dealing with the Riku Replica all the time.
Thank-you for reading this far! Comments appreciated.