Kingdom Hearts ~ Different Sides
A 358/2 Days AU in which Riku is the lead of the story. The story will also have lots of focus on Roxas’s perspective during his time in the Organization as he tries to figure out his past.
I was going to originally not have Xion in the story at all, but then I decided that instead I’ll change her story and character to differentiate this AU from the actual game.
Unlike the original mission based structure of Days, this’ll have Riku travelling to the various Disney worlds like any other KH game. Sorry if there are any inconsistencies with the other KH games, feel free to point them out if you spot any.
...
Chapter 1: Departed Memories
A 358/2 Days AU in which Riku is the lead of the story. The story will also have lots of focus on Roxas’s perspective during his time in the Organization as he tries to figure out his past.
I was going to originally not have Xion in the story at all, but then I decided that instead I’ll change her story and character to differentiate this AU from the actual game.
Unlike the original mission based structure of Days, this’ll have Riku travelling to the various Disney worlds like any other KH game. Sorry if there are any inconsistencies with the other KH games, feel free to point them out if you spot any.
...
Chapter 1: Departed Memories
Spoiler Show
RIKU
Who knew that a simple wish to explore the outside world would lead to all of this?
Although Sora had finally defeated “Ansemâ€, the darkness within him still lingered. It still had a hold on him…
Back then, he was a foolish boy who opened his heart to darkness to leave the islands. He even let it be destroyed, until Sora managed to bring it back. Now he was so...vulnerable. And all he wanted was to return home with Sora and Kairi. But he couldn’t, not yet. Not like this.
Kairi was better off without him, honestly. All he did was bring trouble wherever he went, ruining everything due to his own selfish needs.
And there was the case of Sora needing to be brought back.
Sadly it wasn’t a simple case of waiting though. The Organization knew of Sora’s situation, and they had already put their plan into motion.
He entered the immaculate white room where Sora was being kept in his pod. At first glance you would mistake him for an Organization since he’s been wearing their signature black coat. One thing that also set this Riku from the previous one was the fact that he wore a blindfold. It was given to him by King Mickey to help him conceal the darkness within him. Even though Riku consistently felt it eating away at him, maybe others could sense it too…
Obviously, thanks to the blindfold, he couldn’t see. He could only sense people’s presence, and each “feeling†he got from others was a different one. Maybe the heart was like a snowflake, where no two are the same…
He could sense DiZ and Namine in the room, two people Riku had been working with to restore Sora’s memories, and both of which were people he had met in his adventure at Castle Oblivion.
“You summoned me?â€
“I am afraid our plans to bring Sora have...come to a standstill.â€
Riku was shocked at this. Sora...his best friend, the person that he struggled to remember these days.
“What? How’s that even possible?â€
DiZ looked at Namine angrily, disappointed with her failed attempts.
“Go ahead. Tell him what happened,†he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.
Namine stared at the ground, distraught from DiZ’s fury and Riku’s sadness.
“It’s Sora’s memories...they’ve somehow left him completely.â€
“Wait, so that means…â€
There was a moment of silence.
“If Sora doesn’t have his memories, then I can’t alter or rearrange them. And Sora...he’ll be stuck without his memories forever. If I were to wake up him now, he wouldn’t remember anything. In this state, Sora islike a zombie, with no possible memories to regain. An entirely new chain of memories would have to be formed. And DiZ won't have that.â€
“Wait...if he doesn’t have his memories, then how can I still faintly remember Sora?â€
“His memories are not gone completely. They seemed to have leaked into another vessel.â€
“It would seem so. Now there’s not only a witch who manipulates memories, but a thief who steals them. Clearly this must be the work of a Nobody.â€
Riku frowned, angry about Organization XIII, and DiZ's bitterness as he continued to hurt Namine with his scornful words.
“Nobodies have always had a fondness for memories,†DiZ continued. “Without hearts, it’s all they have to maintain any sort of identity.â€
Talking about memories only made DiZ more angry as he remembered what happened with Xehanort.. As much as he tried to hide it, Namine seemed to notice it and backed away a little.
“We have to find the vessel, and quickly…†said Namine.
“Indeed, we must find this thief and eliminate her at once.â€
Riku nodded, his thoughts directed to the mysterious vessel.
“Understood.â€
“You’re able to use the dark corridors to travel between worlds now, correct?â€
“Indeed.â€
Riku didn’t show it, but he was pretty relieved that he didn’t have to ride through to each world in a rocket and that he could just get there effortlessly whenever he needed to.
“In that case, be careful. They can corrupt your heart if it is weak and vulnerable. And with the state of your heart right now, I wouldn't take anymore risks.â€
“Sure, I'll keep that in mind,†said Riku bitterly as he began to walk away.
…
ROXAS
He was not happy. Then again, he wasn’t unhappy either.
He was completely alone ever since the secret mission that Axel had to attend to at Castle Oblivion.
Yet he felt...nothing. That’s what all Nobodies felt right? Then why was he feeling so different than usual when Axel was gone?
During Roxas’s short life, he’s been learning about “feelingsâ€. Nobodies had none, of course, but they pretended to so that they could feel more human, like they actually had a heart. But what even was a heart? It was still unclear to Roxas, even now. All he knew was that he didn’t have one, and that Kingdom Hearts would bring it back to him. Only then, would the emptiness inside him go away. Since day 1, he has learnt this and he had always committed to memory as he proceeded with his daily missions. All of which more and more monotonous and draining than the last.
What set Axel apart from the other members...his presence felt somewhat warm even when it was clearly him faking it. The other members acted as if Roxas was lowly, nothing more than a tool. He could tell when they insulted him, when they belittled him. The worst offender was Saix, who overworked him way more harshly than the other members. Especially when he figured out that him and Axel became “friendsâ€.
Speaking of Axel…
“Hey buddy!â€
Roxas slowly improved his interactions with others, faking certain emotions, hand gestures, and reactions when certain events happened. Laugh when a joke is told. Smile when you receive a compliment. Nod your head and obey when you’re given an order. When you don’t know what to do just say use generic responses: “Indeedâ€, “Yupâ€, “Uh-huhâ€, stuff like that. But sometimes...something seems so out of the ordinary, something that leaves you clueless on what you’re supposed to do.
This was one of those times.
Roxas felt like he should be frowning. That was the first thing that came to his mind, the first mask that he had the incentive to put on: “angerâ€. Mostly for being away for so long and leaving him with the other members, the fact that Axel seemed to be so...secretive. He didn’t like it. Xemnas was also like this, refusing to answer questions, seemingly knowing more than he’s letting Roxas in on. Anyway, he knew that the correct reaction to this sort of situation was “happyâ€. A smile, a gleam in the eyes, that sort of thing.
But he couldn’t bring himself to smile.
“...Buddy? Is something wrong?†Axel asked as he watched Roxas stare off into space, his face completely blank.
Hoping that Axel wouldn’t be suspicious, Roxas managed to properly mask his doubts with his mask of happiness. It proved to be more difficult than expected, but he managed it.
“Nah, I’m just glad you’re back!â€
“Glad, huh? That’s the best you can come up with?†Axel joked. Axel always joked around when he was with Roxas. It’s hard to tell whether he’s serious sometimes, but enough time being spent with him made him accustomed to it.
“Well my vocabulary is not quite as extensive as yours, unfortunately,†Roxas joked. At least, he thought it was a joke. Axel inspired him to try making them, but he wasn’t sure he understood how they worked. Either way, it made Axel laugh, and he smiled.
“So, how have you been?†Axel asked.
Roxas wanted to dodge the question as he had unpleasant memories of fighting all the different Heartless monotonously. So he tried his best to do it naturally in a conversation.
“I should ask the same thing about you! How was Castle Oblivion?â€
“I told you, it’s a secret! Saix already works me to the bone, if he finds out I told you...I mean, anyone, I don’t know what he’d do.â€
Roxas spent a few seconds analyzing what Axel said...he wouldn’t disclose information, he seemed to be keeping something from me, and Saix had something to do with this. He tried not to frown to avoid suspicion. Then again Axel might just see it as a mistake, since Roxas made many of those during his first interaction sessions with Axel and the other members.
“Hey Roxas, are you alright?†Axel asked again, seemingly genuinely concerned. Wow, he was good at faking emotion…
Roxas smiled again. Axel’s warmth calmed his doubts but at the same time...there was something going on that he didn't know about. He couldn’t deny that.
“Indeed.â€
Axel laughed a little, it was amusing to watch Roxas slip up and act awkwardly sometimes. He found something about that endearing, almost like he was a regular person that just happened to be socially awkward.
“You’re so formal sometimes, you remind me of the boss a little.â€
“You mean Xemnas?â€
“Yep, Xemnas, the Superior, whatever you wanna call him. Got it memorized?â€
“Yeah, I don’t think I could forget a name like that,†Roxas joked.
So he tried not to think about it too much as Axel and Roxas continued having fun together, eating ice cream and talking on the clock tower. They really were the best times of his life. At first Roxas had absolutely no experience when it came to interaction, but then switching between “emotions†(or at least, the illusion of them) when necessary felt more natural to him.
As proved today, there was still so much to learn though. So many unforeseen complexities…
“Oh, there’s something I forgot to mention.â€
“Yeah?â€
“We’re gonna have a fourteenth member.â€
That was probably supposed to be surprising.
“A fourteenth...member?â€
“Yep. She’s around your age.â€
“Is she nice?†Roxas asked, not wanting her to be off-putting like the others were. Axel just patted him on the back reassuring.
“Of course! I’m sure you’ll both get along just fine, once you get to know her."
At least she would be, if she had a heart...Axel thought to himself, obviously not telling Roxas that fact.
…
RIKU
Riku first headed towards Hollow Bastion.
He figured that the Organization would be hiding somewhere around here, after all, this was where most of the members originated from. DiZ hadn’t told him much other than that “Ansem†was actually Xehanort’s Heartless, and that most of the Organization members were his apprentices. DiZ wasn’t comfortable discussing it, but he had to give the basics to Riku for the sake of understanding what was going on.
He was exploring a town that was being constructed near the castle. It was pretty new to him since he had only ever been at the castle, during that time he spent with Maleficent. All of those painful memories that filled him with regret, most of them were at that very castle.
Despite this however, he liked this town. It was nice and peaceful aside from the Heartless, and the cold air made a nice change from the constant sun Destiny Islands had. He hoped that eventually the world would be restored to it’s former glory. Just lie he wanted nothing more than for his friendship to finally be restored.
He strolled casually around the streets, until, as expected, Heartless appeared.
“Huh...child’s play,†he said to himself. This should be easy.
Thankfully these were low level Heartless, regular Shadows and Soldiers. Wielding the Keyblade was certainly quite the exhilarating experience, especially after the limiting card system he had to go through in Castle Oblivion.
As he kept beating up the Heartless, eventually he found someone he’d never seen before, and he had a look of anger on his face.
“Hey you!†he shouted, summoning his weapon, which looked like a sword...and a gun? Riku hadn’t seen anything quite like it. “Don’t move!â€
Riku instinctively raised his Keyblade in case he needed to defend himself.
“You’re one of the people in black hoods that keep causing trouble here, aren’t you?â€
“No, I’m not. I’m here to stop them.â€
The man didn’t look convinced.
“I don’t buy it. The blindfold isn’t helping your case.â€
“Look, I’m trying to figure out what they’re up to and put an end to them.â€
“I see.â€
“I’m doing it for a friend. I don’t know if you know him, his name is Sora, he-â€
“-Sora?â€
“Do you know him?!†Riku asked sounding slightly desperate, wondering if he could remember who he was, or if they ever met.
“That name...it sounds familiar somehow. Like I’ve heard it before...alright.†Leon put his weapon down after that. “I’ll trust you...for now.â€
“Thank you...now, who are you?â€
“Call me Leon. Who are you?â€
Riku contemplated whether he should share his name or not. Something deep inside him was making him afraid. What if he messed up and caused this world to fall into darkness? He was already infamous enough as it is with all the horrible things he did.
“...I’d rather not say. Anyway, what do you know about the Organization?â€
“Not much. They seem to be making the Heartless appear across town, and we’ve had trouble with them as of late.â€
The Heartless...a counterpart to the Nobodies. He knew that they were connected, but what could the Organization want with them.
“Alright, thank you for your time. And if you see any sightings, let me know.â€
“Good luck,†was Leon’s reply.
As Riku walked way, Leon kept questioning to himself who “Sora†could possibly be...he could only recall a young boy with a Keyblade, maybe that was the Sora he was referring to? Hopefully in due time he would remember again soon enough.
…
Riku continued exploring, and somehow...the memories of his time with Sora grew stronger with every step. Which was odd, since only a moment ago the memory of him seemed so distant…
They weren’t the happy and cheerful memories of their time at Destiny Islands either. They were the times when Riku had hurt him. When he had betrayed him. Like that time at Neverland, by then Riku had already sank so deep into the darkness. And then there was the castle. He really was so awful...so blinded by the darkness that he stole his Keyblade from him, made his two new friends abandon him, and of course, open his heart to Ansem.
Maybe, deep down...Sora still hated him for what he did. He was a strong person, but when pushed to the limit, anyone would break.
The memories...they began overflowing in his head. Does this mean...? It had to be. Whoever stole Sora’s memories, they had to be here.
He wandered down to the crystal paths that seemingly led to nowhere. But as he kept pressing forward, the memories kept becoming more clear in his mind. Putting an end to the Heartless along the way, he was determined to save his best friend, no matter what. Despite the impending danger, he couldn’t help but be somewhat relieved that he could remember his best friend again. Even if it was only temporarily, and said memories were rather unpleasant.
It at least made him remember what he was fighting for.
…
Riku froze.
As he made it to the end of the road, a clearing where you could gaze into the distance, he sensed someone standing at the very edge. Said someone turned around once they figured out that they were being watched.
It felt like...Sora? No, the real Sora was sleeping in the pod at Twilight Town. Like Roxas, this was nothing more than a fake. A fake that could never replace the real Sora.
Although Riku couldn’t fully take the blindfold off (otherwise the darkness would overpower him) he moved it slightly so that he could see out of one eye. He saw a feminine figure in the black coat that all Organization members wore. Her back was turned so he couldn’t see her face, and she seemed to be gazing at the view of the castle.
“This was where it all started...†she muttered cryptically. Her voice, much like her being in general, conveyed no emotion at all and her delivery seemed robotic.
She then placed her hand on where her heart should have been.
“They were right. I feel nothing,†she told herself.
Riku summoned the Way to Dawn, ready to fight. Riku then heard the figure turn around. Her face was partly concealed by her hood, only her mouth was visible.
“Who are you?†he asked quietly yet grudgingly.
There was a moment of silence.
“...You already know who I am.â€
As expected, her answers would be nothing more than mind games and cryptic riddles. She really was a part of the Organization, whoever she was.
“Enough! You’re the thief, aren’t you?â€
“...I believe the only thief here is you.â€
She uttered that last word with an imitation of malice and anger. Riku remembered how Nobodies faked emotions, pretending to have hearts. He wouldn’t fall for their tricks.
“Don’t play games with me! Give Sora back his lost memories!â€
The mysterious figure didn’t even react. She just created a dark corridor behind her, and started to slowly walk into it. Before she went however, these were her last spiteful words, which Riku hadn’t expected to come out of her mouth at all.
“Sora no longer exists.â€
She then raised her arm slightly and snapped her fingers before walking into the dark corridor.
“Hey, get back he-â€
His words were interrupted by a sudden earthquake, which made Riku stumble a little. What on earth did the vessel do?
Suddenly, a giant dark portal appeared from the ground, and Riku frowned as he felt a tremendous dark power approaching.
Out of it, a giant Heartless rose, gazing firmly at it’s prey.
Darkside had appeared, and he was ready to fight.
...
ROXAS
The seven remaining Organization members were sitting on their thrones, waiting for Xemnas to give them today’s agenda.
He gazed down upon his lackeys from the highest throne like he was their king, waiting for complete silence.
“Greetings, friends. It is with great pleasure that I announce that a new member has joined our ranking.â€
Friends? Roxas thought to himself. How could any of these people be friends? The only thing that seems remotely close to a friendship here was between me and Axel…like Axel said, people here are just annoying co-workers that no one would want to be around.
.
Suddenly, the new member emerged. Like the others she wore a black coat, but her face was completely hidden.
“She is one of the Keyblade’s chosen, which will prove useful to our goals of forming Kingdom Hearts,†Xemnas continued.
Roxas was surprised, she seemed to be someone close to his age. And something about her felt...familiar somehow. He didn’t know what to feel when he looked at her. Something about her seemed so cold and distant, she was completely unreadable.
“Number XIV...Xion.â€
Xion…
Roxas glanced at Axel’s face. For some reason he swore that the mask Axel had put on was one of worry, until he rectified it immediately and maintained the blank stare that all the other members had upon gazing at the new member.
Why did Axel do that? Nothing bad had happened at all. In fact, I assumed that this was supposed to be good news. That is what Xemnas told us.
Was this...was this what uneasiness felt like?
Roxas couldn’t tell.
A/N: So this is the first chapter, hope you enjoyed it somewhat. XD It took a while to figure out how to write someone who doesn’t have feelings, and I’m not sure how well I did. Maybe I’ll get better at it as I keep writing.
As you can probably already tell, this story will be way different from the original Days. It's not just Days but in Riku's perspective, it's a complete rewrite.
I’m not sure Xion being able to summon a Darkside makes sense or not, but I went with it because 1) Nobodies are able to summon Heartless due to their strong will, and their hearts won’t be in danger since they have none, 2) the Heartless seek out people with a Keyblade, and at this point in the story Riku has the Way to Dawn, and 3) Xion was the strongest out of the two even if she didn’t show it. After all this Xion isn’t like Xion from the actual game, who was learning how to use the Keyblade throughout the game just as Roxas was.
Also Xion doesn’t have the whole “looking like someone else†thing from the actual game. She just (almost) always has her hood up to hide her face, like how Vanitas has his helmet on during most of BBS.