Yay! New chapter is ready. Mind you, this one is all about filling in some blanks and stuff. You will find that this truly is a turning point for this fan fiction, especially with the chapters that are to follow. Oh yes, I have plans… big plans. Also, I plan on finishing Chapter 9 tomorrow, which means another quick update. So, without further ago, let us begin the next chapter of Dual Destinies…

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Chapter 8: Within the Shadows

Deep in the shadows, Riku pondered over the strange letter he had received earlier. The message itself was written in a way that was illegible, sounding like pure drabble. Then again, King Mickey himself had said that the message had to be looked at from a ‘different direction’. What that meant, he had no idea, but either way, it had to be the key to understanding the meaning. Totally and completely irritated by this, Riku decided to take another look at the message. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out the tattered slip of paper, narrowing his eyes at the gibberish.

Elituf si ti

Sruo eb lliw straeh modgnik

Straeh sesealer edalbyek eht

Sseltraeh syals ti emit yreve

Su gnipleh ylno era saxor dna aros

Pu evig

IIIX noitazinagro -

From the looks of it, the message itself was written in some kind of code. What was notable about the whole thing is that the “IIIX” at the very bottom was clearly visible. When read backwards… it was “XIII”... So, at least that was a heads up. Still, Riku was rather puzzled by the message. At least this was a clue. Another direction… he thought to himself, I wonder… Quickly, he skimmed over the letter a second time, taking note of each word. Something was… strange about it. “IIIX Noitazinagro”… If the “IIIX” read backwards was “XIII”, then perhaps the rest of the message was the same.

For a third time, Riku looked over the contents of the letter. However, this time, he did not read it forwards. No, after the little bit at the bottom, and the ‘other direction’, he was certain that the whole letter… was written backwards! Really, it made perfect sense. What a better way to throw someone off than to use backwards code? Actually, the sixteen year old felt rather stupid that he hadn’t taken notice of this before. Things were starting to clear up, as the message had finally been deciphered.

It is futile

Kingdom Hearts will be ours

The Keyblade releases hearts

Every time it slays heartless

Sora and Roxas are only helping us

Give up

- Organization XIII

Knowing the meaning of the message, Riku threw the slip of paper towards the ground and stomped on it. The sound of paper being rumpled echoed through the dark alley before him. Fury coursed through his very being at the mere thought of the Org mocking him so. They claimed that everything had been futile, but, in truth, the silver haired boy just couldn’t let himself believe such a notion. With Sora and his nobody out there, he felt that there was nothing to lose.

“I can’t believe it…” he grumbled as the note became a wad of wrinkles. “The Organization sends some lousy message that’s just MOCKING me? Hmph. What a waste of time.” Agitated as he was, Riku said no more on the matter. Instead, he simply trudged off, quietly thinking to himself. The dark city that he had found himself in was rather monotone in color. Each of the buildings was black in color, with only the lights from within illuminating the area. Little light shone forth in this dismal plain besides those from the building, and the moon above that was shaped like an incomplete heart. There was little noise, spare Riku’s footsteps along the paved ground.

For the next few minutes, Riku went about uninterrupted. During this time, he pondered over his best friend, namely Sora. Despite knowing that the Keybearer was alright, there was still this odd feeling that he could end up in quite a bit of danger. In fact, without Roxas, Sora had a far better chance of ending up in the Organization’s clutches. However, Riku knew better than to hunt the nobody down and force fuse. Unlike DiZ, he still had sympathy.

The prolonged silence came to a close soon enough. As soon as Riku made it to Memory’s Skyscraper, he stopped dead in his tracks. This place, just like the rest of the city was dark and dismal, with no sign of any life. Looking around, he found that nobody had been following him… or at least, that’s what he thought. A slight tapping sound beamed from behind, meaning that… something – or someone, was heading his way. This assumption was proven correct just seconds later when an all too familiar voice echoed through the abyss.

“Well, if it isn’t the squirt… didn’t expect to see you here, kiddo,” snickered an all too familiar red head. Yep, standing right behind Riku was none other than the Flurry of the Dancing Flames, namely, Axel. There was no mistaking the hot headed nobody, from his spiky red locks to that typical smirk. His eyes gleamed with amusement, as he stood, gazing upon Riku with false interest. How typical of number VIII.

Instantly, Riku whirled around, coming face to face with Axel. Of all the people he would have expected to bump into in this dump, why did it have to be him? From his cocky attitude to the constant “Got it memorized?”, Axel wasn’t exactly the choice nobody to deal with. Oh well, it wasn’t like he was the most dangerous member around. Heck, most of the time, he was more playful than the other members, albeit a tad annoying at times. Of course, that didn’t really matter much to Riku. Said sixteen year old was more focused on WHY Axel was out and about with no real reason.

“Axel…” Riku growled, quickly summoning the Soul Eater. Clearly, the silver haired teenager wasn’t very pleased at the appearance at the fiery nobody. In fact, he was in a ready position just in case the hot head tried to pull any fast ones. After all, one could never be too careful when dealing with mister pyromaniac.

Simply shaking his head, Axel responded, “Tsk, tsk. Where are your manners?” A wide grin spread across his face, as the nobody watched Riku become infuriated.

“Since when do you care about manners?” snapped the darkness consumed teenager. “You’re with the Organization for crying out loud! All that matters to you is getting a heart.” Narrowing his eyes, Riku was quite tempted to charge head first at Axel and give him a nice stab where his heart would be… that is, if he were human. Of course, being the sarcastic twat that he was, Axel didn’t look even slightly intimidated. Instead, he just continued snickering at Riku’s arrogance.

When Riku continued to tense up, Axel simply added, “Was, kid, was. I’m not with Organization XIII now. Got it memorized?” The look on Sora’s pal’s face at that exact moment could easily be considered priceless. First, he still looked as if he were nearly a heartless, and second, he was trying SO hard to look serious that he was actually twitching. Axel was scarcely able to avoid dying of laughter at this sight.

“Why should I trust you?” Riku gawked, now squatting with his weapon clutched ever so tightly in his firm grasp. “For all I know,” he added, “you could be trying to one up me.”

“Could be,” teased the flame headed nobody. “Maybe I AM trying to trick ya. But, really, do you think I’d be that clever?”

That was it. Readying his weapon, Riku shouted, “Well I guess there’s only one way to find out!” At full speed, the he charged head on in Axel’s direction, ready to lash at him with his dangerous sword. Even though he had no visible pupils in his current state, one could easily tell by the look in his eyes that Riku was determined.

Right as Riku was nearly towards Axel, the fiery red head vanished in a flash, causing the silver haired teen to plummet face forward to the ground. Irritated as he was, Riku was still quick to his feet, picking up his sword, eyes out for Axel. It was only when he heard the shrill sound of laughter from behind that he about faced, only to be hit by one of Axel’s chakrams. CHING! The razor sharp blades of the flying disk were quick to cut into Riku’s side. Bits of his cloak were torn, and an open wound was revealed.

“Too slow, kiddo!” shouted Axel, warping once again.

Taking no time to tend to his wound, the silver haired teenager simply darted around, keeping his eyes out for Axel. Although the nobody wasn’t visible, Riku could still hear him snickering at his own attempts to fight back. A few seconds passed before, suddenly, there was a “whoosh” sound. Now was Riku’s chance. Closing his eyes ever so tightly and concentrating deeply on the dark energy coursing within, the teenager prepared to unleash a powerful assault.

An obscure, purplish glow began to consume Riku. His body slowly began to float in mid air. Suddenly, an immense amount of dark energy was released from within Riku. At a rapid speed, this aura was unleashed upon the immediate area. This rush of energy expanded to a point where it would be neigh impossible for Axel to evade this little tactic. WHAM! Just as expected, Axel fell to the ground, blasted by the massive dark aura. At the same time, Riku landed safely and made another charge in Axel’s direction.

Narrowing his eyes, the nobody hissed, “Not so fast, kid… BURN!!!” FWAM! A massive flurry of fire came forth, ready to singe Riku’s very being. Even from afar, the intense heat from the fire was vicious and unwelcoming. This was a terrific comeback for Axel, who was still somewhat winded from Riku’s surprise maneuver.

Eyeing the rapidly advancing flames, Riku swiftly made a dodge roll to the side. He was quite fortunate that he moved at that exact moment, as he narrowly missed being barbeque ‘twerp’. Instead, the inferno blazed past him and scorched the outer wall of the nearest building. With relief, he heaved a heavy sigh before focusing on the fight. Already, Axel was back on his feet, his Chakrams in hand. The only difference was that he was crouching down, eyeing Riku very carefully. A twisted smirk spread across his face.

Something was up. Just from looking at him, Riku could tell that Axel was getting ready for another swift comeback. The only thing he could do was rush forward and hope to hit him. After all, he didn’t want to waste energy in the midst of a quarrel. So, there he went, once again rushing head on at Axel, his Soul Eater out at the ready. At that same exact moment, Axel took a leap forward. Both beings clashed. Chakram met sword, darkness met fire. In truth, the two of them were equally matched.

Each of them had such timing that neither was able to evade the other. While Axel got stabbed in the gut by Riku’s soul eater, Riku was diced by Axel’s chakrams. When the burning embers wrapped their smoldering tendrils around Riku’s chest area, the darkness caused severe damage to Axel. The mere fact that the two had made their moves with that precise timing is the very reason why, a few seconds after the clash, they both found themselves lying on the ground.

“Ok, ok,” groaned Axel as he pushed himself back to his feet, “I think we’ve BOTH had enough. Got it memorized?” Judging by the exhausted and rather annoyed expression on his visage, number VIII was actually being serious for once. Then again, after being thrashed the way he had been, one would probably get tuckered out anyway. “So, do you want my help or not? I’ve got places to go, kid, so hurry up.”

Rubbing his burnt cloak, Riku responded, saying, “Fine… I guess I could use a head’s up. But, just know that I still don’t trust you. Got it?”

“Memorized,” Axel snickered. “Anyway, I saw that you were reading some lame note from Organization XIII. I figured that I could probably be more useful than that so called threat.” When Riku simply nodded, the red head continued. “So, you probably got the whole ‘Whoo! Sora gets to do what he ALWAYS has done, just so we can be whole!’ thing by now. Thing is, kid, there’s more to it than that. I may not know much, since I left and all, but one thing’s certain: they’re after Sora… As for why, I couldn’t care less. It’s Roxas who’s important to me. Still, just thought I’d let ya know.”

Riku took a moment to absorb all of this information. From what Axel said, things were a lot worse than they appeared. The whole destroying heartless thing was nothing new, obviously, but it was the possibility that they were after his own best friend that worried the sixteen year old. Who knew what they were planning? Just from the mere thought, worry began to envelope the teenager. “So,” he pondered, “that means Sora’s risking being caught? Great… Just great!”

“Yeah, well, knowing Sora, he’ll be fine,” Axel replied with a shrug. “What’s the worst that could happen to him, anyway? I mean, if the Organization needs him so badly, he’s sure to come out of this alive.”

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The World that Never Was

In the midst of the Castle of Organization XIII, there was quite a bit of clutter. Each and every member stood in the entry, ready to greet the returning members. Everyone from Xemnas down to Demyx were ready to give their so called greetings. Even the oh so irate Zexion was there, muttering to himself while clutching tightly onto his chest for whatever reason. All the while, the four returning nobodies made their way through the hall.

“Whoo! Hiya! How’s it going? Remember ME?!” squealed Demyx, jumping up and down with an eerily happy expression beaming on his face. Clearly he was incredibly hyper, and that lone fact didn’t exactly appeal to the other members. Actually, because of this irritating behavior, the self acclaimed musician received a piercing glare from the others, Larxene in particular.

Once the small group had made their way past the over enthusiastic Demyx, they came to an abrupt pause. Silently, the other seven members gave the formerly dead nobodies some space. The initial reactions from the foursome were very different. First there was Vexen, who was rather intent on taking quiet observations of the rest of the Org. His eyes froze directly on Zex in much fascination, while the Cloaked Schemer continued gripping at himself. Then there was Lexaeus, the Silent Hero. Instead of being fascinated with everything, the brawny fifth member of the Organization remained ever calm, not very interested in the current situation.

Marluxia and Larxene both wore devilish smirks, eyeing the other members with psychotic pleasure. Obviously, they were enjoying their ‘humble return’, at least, as much as a nobody COULD enjoy things. Either way, the two traitors would likely end up being troublesome. Anyway, with the whole Organization, or at least those who hadn’t left, gathered together, Xemnas stepped forth, a dull expression painted on his face. Upon making it to the center of the group, he announced, “Fellow members, it is a great privilege of ours to have our formerly eliminated members return. If it weren’t for the efforts of Saïx, a loyal member, no doubt, we would still be a faint memory of what this Organization once was. Therefore, please take the time to welcome Vexen, Marluxia, Lexaeus, and Larxene with open arms.”

Well, Demyx was obviously ‘open’ to the returning Org members. In fact, he ran up to each of them and started blabbing nonstop. Then again, that was just the Demyx way… especially when he was hyper. Xaldin and the other senior members, however, didn’t share such open feelings with Marluxia and the others. Instead, they simply kept to themselves, not bothering with even the slightest greetings. Zexion in particular kept passing snide glances at the former traitors, all while gripping at his gut.

“I must say that I am truly fascinated,” said Vexen out of nowhere. “Zexion, I must ask, why on earth are you clutching at your abdominal region like so? It’s highly unnerving.” There was an odd glint in the Chilly Academic’s eye as he said this. It was as if he were speculating something out of the ordinary, and let’s just say that the whole notion wasn’t exactly comforting.

Shaking his head, Zexion retorted, “My, Vexen… for someone of such a high intellect, I thought you’d realize this by now… I was mauled by that wretched replica you made and, even though I survived… I still have the scars from said encounter… simple enough.” This little explanation seemed easy enough. However, Vexen still had an unsure expression on his visage as he turned away from the Cloaked Schemer in mild disgust.

“Now, now, Vexen, Zexion…” intruded a certain Silent Hero. “There’s no need to bother on such a minor subject. We don’t want Organization XIII to fall into shambles again, especially now that we lack numbers VIII and XIII. Besides, there’s a more important matter to attend to: obtaining Kingdom Hearts.” Quietly, Zexion and Vexen both forced nods, leaving Lexaeus as content as a nobody could get.

“Yes, yes,” sighed Zex, crossing his arms, “becoming whole is a top priority, which is why I do believe that a status report is of utmost importance, am I right, my Superior?” His eyes narrowed, as he took a quick glance at a slip of paper.

Attentively, Xemnas nodded in agreement. “That is correct, Zexion,” he explained. “I do believe that a report is in order… starting with Demyx.” With said statement said and done, all eyes turned to the Melodious Nocturne. Of course, being a total wuss, Demyx simply backed up, shaking nervously. Doing so, however, wasn’t a bright idea, as it only worsened his situation. It took pure persuasion from the Superior to make him say a single word. “Demyx… do give us information on your progress… for your own sake.”

“Ok, fine…” squeaked the ninth member of the Organization. “So, yeah, I didn’t do so well with Roxas. But, hey, it’s not my fault! He beat my giant nobody thing… Anyway, so to make up for it, I had to go to some happy little zoo called the Pride Lands. So, I sent some heartless there, etc… nothing major to report. But, if I get my butt bitten by another hyena I swear…they’ll pay.” Still a little skittish, Demyx managed to just barely smile, though he was still a little freaked out by the constant staring.

As soon as Xemnas gave his approval, the music loving nobody quickly slunk into the back of the group. Clearly he was not one who enjoyed having to speak to the rest of the Organization… especially since they were all so uptight. Of course, that’s what happens when you’re one of the few goof balls in organization XIII. Anyway, turning his attention from Demyx, the Superior faced Xaldin, number IV in the Org.

Clearing his throat, the Whirlwind Lancer began, “My report is one of success. Using a select group of heartless, I was able to cause wreckage in China. Much like the swarms in Hollow Bastion and the Pride Lands, this one will keep the Keybearer occupied. Of course, once he is in our clutches, things will be even greater.” There was an eerie look to number IV’s face as he said those cold, emotionless words. For whatever the reason, it appeared that Sora would amount to much more than a heartless slaying teenager.

Moving on, the other members went on about their reports. Luxord brought up the subject on how he was faring in Halloween Town, and how the power suppressed within meager Christmas gifts was quite interesting. Then there was Xigbar and his little charade at Port Royal. He had mentioned strange medallions that had been cursed and how idiotic the whole idea was. This whole time, Zexion appeared to be taking notes for whatever reason. Lastly, Saïx gave a brief explanation of his efforts in the Underworld, but other than that, there was little left when it came to status reports.

“It appears that all is well,” Xemnas exclaimed, keeping a dull look plastered upon his face. “However, there is still much to do and little time. Be grateful, though, as with the return of our members, all shall not go astray. Already they have been assigned to their own worlds. Zexion, Larxene, and Marluxia shall be attending to a certain Castle outside of a small French village. In due time, I shall have assignments for Vexen and Lexaeus as well. First thing’s first, though. Sora, as useful as he is, needs some adjustments… therefore; if possible, I would like him brought here at once.” Saying nothing more, the Superior turned away from the group and headed back towards his chambers. A majority of the other members went their own ways as well, leaving Saïx and the returning nobodies on their own.

“I suppose it is in my best interest that I examine Maleficent and her overweight companion…” explained the Lunar Diviner with a quiet sigh. “Vexen, you may return to your former room… the same may be said for Lexaeus as well. As for you three,” he turned towards numbers VI, XI, and XII with a stern expression, “I am certain the Superior expects results. Be sure to avoid any shenanigans. Am I clear, Zexion?” Growling, the Cloaked Schemer nodded his head, eyes narrow. Behind him, Marluxia and Larxene snickered amongst themselves. As there was no point in further advancing this conversation, Saïx simply headed towards his own dark portal.

“Well then…” grumbled Zex, rolling his eyes in annoyance, “I suppose it’s in our best interest if we head towards our destination… Though, keep in mind that I have been put in charge of you two, and therefore, I expect no games… Understood?”

“I am surprised, Zexion,” gasped the Graceful Assassin. “Why on earth would I defy the Superior’s orders?” After said statement, the two traitors simply gave VI these weird, falsely innocent stares. A strange glint shone in their eyes as the duo continued to give that ‘puppy dog’ expression. Yep, something told the Cloaked Schemer that this was going to be a long mission.

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“So, tell me again why you can’t just find Sora and give him a little warning…”

Both Axel and Riku had been engaging in conversation for the last few minutes. The whole subject number VIII had brought up about Sora possibly being captured by the Organization was the main point of discussion. Clearly there was more to Organization XIII than what met the eye. Whatever they wanted with Sora, it was bound to be gruesome, to say the least. Either way, Riku in turn wasn’t very comfortable with this notion. On the contrary, he was worried sick about his best friend.

“Axel, look,” sighed the sixteen year old, brushing his bangs out of his face, “I can’t put Sora in danger. I already gave into the darkness, so what’s stopping him from taking over? I may be able to keep myself in control now, but if I sink any deeper…”

Axel simply gave Riku a light shove, snidely replying, “Kid, you worry too much. So you’re all dark and stuff, but really… Do you actually think Sora would care? He’s your friend, man. If anything, he’d want to help. Got it memorized?” Riku simply shrugged. There was still a part of him that was uneasy about everything. Seeing this, Axel added bluntly, “Y’know, he’s been looking for you…”

“I know, I know…” muttered the silver haired teenager in response. “It’s just like I said, though. I may still be me now, at least, a little, but what’s stopping Ansem from taking over? I can still feel him inside my heart. You wouldn’t understand…”

“Hey, don’t go saying that so soon, kiddo. I may not have a real heart, but I know what it’s like to have one. Still, if you insist on being a coward, go ahead. Not my problem.” Before turning around, the red head added one last thing, “I have to admit, though, that you’re pretty worked up even though you barely look any different than normal. Heh, weirdo.” So, without much else to say, the pyrokinetic nobody simple headed off, leaving Riku on his own, as usual. Of course, it would take a lot more than a simple rant from Axel to convince the silver haired teenager, but, hey, it didn’t hurt to try.

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Somewhere…

A cold breeze blew through a seemingly desolate space. Only the light of an incomplete Kingdom Hearts illuminated the vicinity. Along the plain, colorless walls were nothing but aged tarnishes. Deep, agonized breathing echoed within, as a slim, frail figure slouched over a balcony. Simply judging by her twisted horn like appendages atop her head along with the long, narrow fingers and pale skin, the being was none other than Maleficent. Below her was a dark city filled with mere shells of former beings.

“You seem so very weak,” intruded Saïx, appearing out of a dark, pulsating portal. The witch instantly about-faced, a dull expression planted upon her face. “I have come to you strictly on behalf of the Superior,” continued the Lunar Diviner. “He says that he has a job for you, and you will be rewarded if you choose to take on this little proposition.”

“You prattling fools…” snarled the witch, clutching ever so tightly to the balcony before her. Her eyes were like daggers, digging deep into Saïx’s being. However, he was unphased, being a nobody of his stature. “How dare you miscreants detain me? You do not seem to recognize--”

“I know well who you are,” intruded the elf-like nobody. “However, if it were not for myself, you would be lost in the endless abyss… wasting away for eternity.” The look plastered across Saïx’s visage remained ever stern as he faced Maleficent, not an ounce fearful for his well being.

Still defiant, the witch continued to dig deep into the nobody in hopes of phasing him. “I see… very well,” she growled, grimacing all the while, “I suppose I could make a proposal as long as it is beneficial.” Saïx falsely grinned at this last proclamation. It was becoming oh so apparent that the witch was falling into the clutches of the Organization. All was well.

“As we said before, what this Organization wants is quite simple,” answered number VII calmly. “We are well aware of your control over the heartless… therefore; you and your… obese follower are only required to serve us by sending heartless throughout the world. With twice the force, the Keybearer will be unable to resist in helping us with our goal…” he quickly pulled out a tattered piece of paper, “In return, of course… we shall give you whatever you desire… even a realm to reign supreme… Just imagine the sheer power.”

Silently, the Lunar Diviner unraveled the scroll of paper, which just so happened to gleam with an eerie glow. Said nobody then revealed a strange quill and handed it to Maleficent, whose gaze was planted on the strange scroll. Carefully, the clasped the old fashioned pen and began signing at the very bottom of the paper. All the while, Saïx’s face changed from a blank look to an expression of pure, satisfied evil. Soon, Maleficent had signed, and the deal was set in stone, so to speak.

“And so it begins…”

End of Chapter

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AN: Well, as you see, this chapter had several things going on at once. Also, I played around with which Org member went to each world just for fun. That, and their roles in the worlds are slightly different than in the games… all in due time you shall see. Another thing is that Zexion is becoming a semi major character, and in the future you will find that there’s… interesting stuff about him. Of course, I shall not spoil the surprises. Also, the Maleficent scene is minor, and she won’t have many appearances for a while. No chapter preview this time, as I have the file saved at school, but don’t worry; it will be uploaded by tomorrow, anyway. As always, I appreciate reviews. See ya next chapter!