Well... it's done. There are some parts I like and some that are utter crap. At least it's out of my face. That's all I got. Unedited woooo!

Edit: Stupid program moving my last sentence around grumble grumble.

Edit 2: Okay, so CLEARLY I should never post unedited chapters again (smaller woo). I just knew, though, that if I waited, it would be another month. (Slightly bigger, yet less impressive wooo)

Edit 3: Fun fact - this chapter is only 1000 words shorter than the beast that was Chapter 1. Wow, I'm glad I cut it now...

10

Aftermath

Hollow Bastion

There was silence as the pair watched each other - the mouse studying him with unmatched intensity as Rep simply tried to focus with his one good eye while the other gave methodical, painful surges. The mouse's eyes reminded Rep of the night sky - a deep, rich black set against the twinkling of limitless stars. There was a part of Rep that felt he should be surprised that Riku's friend and fellow Keyblade wielder was, in fact, a mouse, but in comparison with everything else he had gone through that day, it seemed very minor and he was almost entirely unfazed by it.

Rep tensed as the mouse cautiously lowered himself to the ground, settling about an arm's distance away. With his Keyblade, Rep thought, the distance was inconsequential as it could easily be against his neck before he even had a chance to blink. His apprehension at this revelation only increased as the mouse raised his Keyblade before his eyes and passed it slowly across his face. Then, to Rep's confusion, he lay the Keyblade down by his side. Rep blinked rapidly as he tried to comprehend what was happening. The mouse gave a small sigh at his reaction and leaned forward invitingly, looking for all the world exactly like Marlene when she had joined him on the ground little more than an hour before. But his eyes carried a gentle wisdom that betrayed many years. Rep thought he looked simultaneously childlike and ancient, like he was beyond time itself.

It's alright, those eyes seemed to be telling him. I'm not going to hurt you.

"I've heard about you from Riku," the mouse explained heavily, purposefully. Rep could see that he was trying to reassure him with a smile, but only felt his stomach plummet, only able to imagine the sort of things Riku would have said had the conversation he overheard was any indication. "I know what you are, but I only think it's fair for me to extend you the same courtesy that I once showed him and allow you to speak for yourself with us both on the same level. Eye-to-eye."

Rep thought that eye-to-eye was about the least accurate descriptor he could have used. True they reached the same height now, with the mouse sitting on the stones and he being propped up on his elbow, but his hand was still unwilling to relinquish it's place over his left eye. As if in agreement, his eye gave another violent twinge.

"Are you alright?" asked the mouse, sounding concerned. Unconsciously he seemed to reach out towards Rep's face.

Hissing between his clenched teeth, Rep answered, "I-I'm fine. Forget it." Although the mouse's potion seemed to have at least started to mend his multitude of lacerations, whatever was causing the pain in his eye something much darker and more foul than his other wounds had been. For reasons he could not explain, Rep was afraid of allowing the mouse to see what lay underneath his hand.

Despite wearing a puzzled expression, the mouse nonetheless folded his gloved hands across his lap and straightened his back as if nothing was wrong. He cleared his throat and began, "I suppose I ought to tell you my name, then." With a resplendent resonance that seemed both out of place and yet perfectly at ease with his small stature, the mouse declared, "You may address me as Ki-"

Suddenly he cut himself off and studied Rep, as if seeing him for the first time. Rep flinched as the mouse's gaze met his, forcing his left eye to spasm once more. He clenched his teeth and pressed his hand more tightly against the socket. The mouse hummed quietly to himself, before continuing gently, "I changed my mind. I would like for you to simply call me Mickey."

"Mickey." It certainly suited him, Rep decided.

"Do you have a name?" Mickey asked a little tentatively. Rep understood why - as far as Mickey knew, he had only been ever referred to as "replica", or worse - "fake".

Nodding, Rep found himself smiling just a little. "I'm Rep."

Looking positively elated with this revelation, Mickey declared, "Oh, is that short for "replica"? Did you pick that yourself?"

"Why? Is it bad?"

"Oh! No, no!" Mickey said hurriedly waving his hands in front of him. "I think that it's a great name."

"You're actually the first person I've ever told. So... thanks," he added awkwardly.

Mickey laughed. It was a joyous sound that reminded Rep of bells. "You don't have to thank me, Rep! I'm glad to hear it." Mickey paused for a moment Here," he said while holding out both of his paws, "give me your hand." Rep had to take a moment to reposition himself to ensure his eye was still covered as he gave Mickey his free hand. Mickey grasped it in both of his and shook it, saying, "And, one, two, three! There! Now we're friends!"

Rep's hand was released as Mickey finished his chant, but he could not bring himself to lower it. "Friends?" His voice was shaking as he continued, "We're friends?"

"Uh huh."

Rep's face grew warm as his smile grew bigger, though he tore his gaze away from Mickey's, not sure how he would respond. "You're my first friend, then."

Mickey laughed again. "Aw, you look just like Riku when you smile!" But any sme he might have had and any joy he might have felt from the revelation that he just made his first friend abruptly vanished and turned to a scowl at the mention of his name. In that moment of happiness he had forgotten that Mickey was Riku's friend first. For just a minute, he had felt safe.

Mickey caught on quickly and wagged his finger in Rep's face. "Now, don't give me that look - you both have a wonderful smile and a wonderful thing to share. Whenever I see Riku grin, I can't help but want to join him. Neither of you should feel ashamed of being able to do that."

Coldly, Rep replied, "Try telling Riku that. Try telling him he's like me and see how he takes it."

"The two of you don't get along," he observed sadly, almost as if he had been expecting a different response. "But you're different than I expected you to be.

That caught Rep's attention. "How so?" he asked, half curious and half dreading what the answer would be.

Exhaling deeply through his black, round nose, Mickey slowly began, "The way that Riku described you made you seem like, well, like a bad person. But I don't really see that at all, to tell the truth, which is making me glad that I had the chance to become properly acquainted with , I was kind of unconscious when we first met." Mickey's eyes twinkled mischievously as Rep's cheeks burned.

"Oh, right. I'm really sorry about... what I did." Rep's gaze found the ground as he recalled how limp and small Mickey's body had felt as Soul Eater threw him aside. "I didn't want to hurt you. I wasn't even looking to fight Riku, if I could have avoided it - but I didn't see any other way out. I just didn't have any other choice."

"Why didn't you have any other choice?"

Incredulous, Rep stared at him, feeling white hot anger rise from within his chest and settle in his voice as he shouted, "He was going to kill me! Axel was too. What was I supposed to do?"

"Did you ever consider asking him for help?"

"You saw the way he looked at me! The way he talked about me... He wanted me to die. I'm just an obstacle to him. An object. That's how everyone sees me. It's what I am."

"Don't," he was scolded gently, almost sounding hurt. "Don't talk about yourself like that."

"Why not?" Snarled Rep, pausing only to wince when his eye blazed. "It's the truth. I can't believe I've only been out of Castle Oblivion - been free," he spat, wondering if it was even worth it to call his predicament that, "for one day. I thought I knew who I was and what I was supposed to do in my life when all I knew were Riku's lies. I - I'm really starting to wonder if I should have just stayed in Castle Oblivion,"Rep admitted quietly, his voice beginning to shake as he blinked back tears. Only knowing the shame he would feel if he allowed Mickey to see him looking so weak prevented him from letting them fall. He surveyed the damage the Heartless had caused, resting his eyes over the unconscious forms of Aerith and the others. If he had only allowed Axel or Riku to finish what they started, everything would have been fine. Aerith and Yuffie would have been working with Leon to make dinner while Cid hunched over the keyboard of his computer, putting in the last numbers to the algorithm to make it work. Marlene and Denzel were there too. They were all laughing at Cid as he dripped soup onto the keys and swore as he tried to wipe it off. Even Leon was smiling a little. The image faded as the cold, misty air seared his bare skin and the stench of blood and decay stung his nose. "It probably would have been better that way."

"But if you had never left that place, you and I would never have been able to meet. So some good has certainly come of it."

"I'm sorry," muttered Rep, unable to agree with his new friend's enthusiasm. He knew Mickey was only trying to cheer him up but could only hear his words as empty and hollow. "I just don't know why all this is happening to me. I just keep thinking that if Riku hadn't done this to me, if he hadn't forced me to fight him, then maybe I could have just tried to start over. That's all I wanted. A second chance. But now I'll never know what it's like." Rep just wanted Mickey's sad expression to vanish. He couldn't stand being looked at like that; like he was something hateful and weak, because deep down, he knew that whatever Riku had done to him would never be worse than the sin he committed when he allowed himself to be overtaken.

The sting of tears returned to his eyes and this time he found himself unable to hold them back. When he closed his eyes, Rep had to relive all that had just happened. Shaking, Rep shifted to his knees and wrapped his his free arm around his bare torso. The guilt and shame of what he'd done - and what he had become - consumed him to the core. And he felt it then: the cold, weighty parasite of the heart that now resided within his. The wind against his ear became whispered words, ordering him to submit to them. His own cold hands were the claws that tore and held him down. Rep took a deep, shuddering breath.

"This man, the one who was possessing Riku and now me too, can't you get rid of him? Your magic pushed him back but I know he's still there. Can't you help me?" he pleaded desperately.

Deeply and steadily, Mickey replied, "Rep, I'm sorry, but there is nothing that I can do. I hate to tell you this but you allowed yourself to submit to him," Rep's teeth tore into his lip at this, drawing a thin line of blood into his mouth, "thereby granting him access to your heart. Even I don't know if there's a way to banish him permanently, but if there is, only you can do it."

"Can you at least tell me who he is?" He pulled his arms in tighter to cover himself, feeling violated and vulnerable as he blinked back more tears. "Just anything... please..."

Mickey's hands brushed along the sleeve of his black coat as he spoke. "I thought I knew. Once. He had a name that was known to me, but it was not ever a name that I found easy to accept." He traced along the sleeve of the coat, his eyes appearing almost glazed over. "There have been recent... complications... and I'm afraid I have no better answer than you do." As he spoke, Rep noticed Mickey's eyes trailing along his cheek and coming to rest on the scar on his cheek. His eyes narrowed as he stared at it, making Rep almost want to disappear under the intense stare and he raised his hand, slowly enough that Mickey would think it a natural movement, to shield it from sight. Mickey blinked, as if awakening from a trance as he did so.

"Rep," said Mickey suddenly, "if I could ask you, why did you submit to him? What did he offer you?"

"Why?" he snapped immediately before recalling who he was talking to and recanted his tone, adding in a much softer voice, "What does it matter now?"

"I want to try and understand him so that I can one day see why he chose the path he did - what drove him to commit such unspeakable acts. Only then, maybe, will we be able to destroy him for good. It's the only way to finally end this. I will not allow another failure while I stand by and watch."

Rep's eyes narrowed as he hung his head and admitted quietly, "I let him in because I was weak."

"That's how he preys on you," Mickey replied darkly with a small incline of his head. "He catches you in your darkest moment and offers you power that you can't refuse. Then it's too late. The same thing happened to Riku."

Rubbing his hands over his skin, feeling the deep welts his nails had left, he whispered, "I just wanted to save them. I-I didn't mean for it to happen like this."

Mickey's voice gave a small tremor with his next words, almost sounding uncertain, "Save them?"

"Aerith and the others," he whispered as his teeth cut into his lip, feeling another rush of shame take hold of him. "We were attacked by Heartless because he wanted to get to me. I tried to control the Heartless, but I couldn't - I wasn't strong enough to do anything. They were all going to die because I was weak. And he... the Voice, he promised that he would protect them if I let him take over me. So I did. I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew I didn't have any other choice. I couldn't just let them die, not because of me. I'm not worth that."

Mickey was silent for some time, staring only at his large, yellow shoes until Rep was able to make out a smile slowly spreading across his face. "You have a good heart, Rep."

But Rep merely shook his head, feeling his stomach knot even tighter. "No. I don't. I'm a replica. I'm weak. I was built to be a weapon, but I failed. I failed Naminé and Sora. And now... now I'm just a broken copy of Riku, and you said it yourself - Riku submitted to Ansem for the exact same reason."

"Not... exactly," Mickey told him softly.

Rep, allowing his head to fall, began to whisper "no", when he suddenly caught Mickey's scent drawing much closer to his own and, before he knew what was happening, Mickey's arms were gently wrapped around his neck. Rep froze, completely unable to react. His eye burned worse than it ever had, but Mickey's warmth against his cold skin, the light radiating through his scent, made him feel protected - like nothing could ever harm him again.

"I have a friend," he thought in amazement. "Mickey's my friend. I have a friend now."

Mickey pushed himself up onto the tips of his big, black shoes to hold him closer as Rep uncertainly wrapped his own arms around Mickey's shoulders, uncovering his eye in the process. Mickey's soft, round ears brushed against Rep's cheek as he spoke, "You and Riku are very much alike, and there is no sense in denying that or pretending otherwise. But when it comes down to it you make your own choices in the end. And you have. Though your reasons for submitting to him are identical, the motivations behind your decisions are entirely your own. And that's what gives you a good heart. I'm glad I met you, Rep. This 'you', and the one that I believe to be the real you."

He could have imagined it, but Rep was certain that he felt the coldness in his heart fade, if only slightly. He wasn't sure if he believed what Mickey was saying, but it felt good to hear it all the same and even found himself smiling the tiniest bit. "Thanks... Really."

He chuckled kindly in response. "I meant what I said before, about you smiling. I know it's hard now, but try not to stop - it's a gift you can share." Mickey squeezed him as tightly as his short arms would allow, lowering his hands to brush against the back of Rep's neck...

Rep's eyes snapped open. His eye burned once more as his hands dug into the back of the mouse's throat, but this time the pain was welcome. He wanted it. He wanted to kill... to rip out his heart... it would be so easy to tear him in half... His Keyblade was unclaimed, waiting... So easy to end him... The Keybearer who had helped her stop him... he had waited so long...

"Ah!" Mickey cried, breaking through Rep's choke-hold as he leapt away.

Rep collapsed on the ground, shaking in pain and horror at the thoughts that were racing though his head. "Wh-what just-" Rep couldn't move. He didn't want to rise and look at Mickey, to face what he had nearly done, as he felt bile rising. That was the Voice that spoke - it had to be. Those couldn't have been his thoughts. He was determined not to believe it. But then, the words, the tone, the inflection, felt nothing like the verbose man that had stolen his body mere minutes earlier. But it couldn't be him... it couldn't...

Suddenly he heard Mickey's voice anxiously call him, "Rep... what happened to your eye?" When he finally forced himself to look up, Rep saw that Mickey's Keyblade had been summoned back to his hand and that it was pointed directly at his face. Though his stance indicated that he was prepared to kill, Mickey's face looked almost torn. As he waited for an answer, Mickey's gaze slowly flitted between Rep's scared eyes and his own hand as he studied it curiously.

"I-I don't know," he answered shakily. "It started hurting when he - the Voice - tried to make submit to him the second time. Whatever caused it forced him back, but it hurts so much. Especially when..." it was at that moment that Rep suddenly realized exactly why he didn't want Mickey to see his eye.

"When what?" Mickey sounded as though he was dreading the answer as much as Rep was.

"Whenever I look at you."

Mickey's eyes closed and he nodded slowly. When they reopened, Rep saw that his face had changed. It looked like he had aged twenty years in only a second, with deep, sad lines around his eyes and mouth. But worse, his gaze fell just to Rep's chest, as if he was ashamed to look at him any longer. That, more than anything else that had happened to him, made him simply want to disappear out of existence.

"Rep, lower your head," Mickey commanded. "I need to see something."

Silently, Rep did as he was told. Mickey's scent slipped behind him and he felt gloved hands on the back of his head, pushing it lower until his forehead was nearly pressed against the cobblestones. Rep's breath hitched as he tried not to shake. He wanted to speak up, to tell Mickey how much he hated it when he was trapped, but was suddenly afraid of what would come out of his mouth. Mickey's hand slowly trailed down his neck, until he found what he was looking for and pressed against him. He felt a jolt that traveled through his neck and head until the pain climaxed behind his eye. His body was screaming at him to pull away, but resisted the urge by gritting his teeth until he was certain they were about to shatter.

"It can't be..." Mickey hissed in a voice barely above a whisper, "how could this happen?"

"What is it? What's wrong with my eye, my neck? What's wrong with me?!"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Mickey said in a flat, toneless voice as he released Rep and stepped around him. Rep tried to meet his eyes, but Mickey's gaze was fixated just behind him, where the others were lying. Rep's hand instantly flew to the base of his neck where Mickey had touched him. His action was not met with pain, but as his trembling fingers traced over the area, he could feel a small, raised bump, like a scar. Other than that, however, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. "The scar on your neck appears to be where the Organization marked you and the damage to your eye is simply a burst blood vessel caused by strain. It's nothing to be concerned about. It's fine."

There was nothing about Mickey's cold demeanour that made Rep believe him. But he wanted to. He so desperately wanted to. But there was not enough wishing and pleading in any world that could have allowed him to do so. "Look at me. Please, just look at me!" he wanted to scream. "You're my friend! You're supposed to be my friend! You can't do this to me. I need you to be my friend-"

"They're starting to wake up," Mickey said suddenly, silencing his desperate pleas. Rep glanced over his shoulder to see Aerith groaning and pushing herself over onto her side. Yuffie was already sitting, shaking her head and giving loud, theatrical moans. Rep thought he should have been glad to see that they were alright, but was too distressed to react. Mickey looked quickly around as his eyes settled on a piece of ragged, filthy cloth that had one been part of Rep's shirt. Mickey held it out to him. "Wrap this around your eye."

Rep hesitated, though his hand still closed around the cloth, regardless. The cloth was fraying along all the seams and felt itchy even against his fingers, becoming far worse as he took a deep breath and placed it over his eye. With a shaking hand, Rep tied it in a knot at the back of his head, feeling sicker with each passing second that he wore the undeniable proof that he was unclean, repulsive, and broken. Something to be hidden away or disposed of...

"Wait here," Rep was instructed once the cloth was secure, "while I explain the situation to Aerith and Yuffie. They have a right to know what happened."

Rep's mind went blank with dread at the thought of what Mickey was going to tell them. His legs began to shake with the urge to run, but Rep knew in his heart that he wouldn't get very far. Just like in Castle Oblivion, he was trapped and too weak to even consider trying to escape.

It was not until Mickey had taken several steps away from him that, Rep suddenly recalled something very important.

"Wait!" he cried as Mickey stopped rigidly. "They, uh, they think I'm Riku. They don't know that I'm a replica. I-I don't want them to." As Mickey spun around, Rep tried to gauge his reaction. Did he look relieved? Disappointed? Did he even care? Rep hung his head and added, "Sorry... I shouldn't have..."

For just a brief moment, Mickey's hard gaze softened. "I won't tell them."

Rep released a breath he didn't even realize was being held. "Thanks." He received the smallest of smiles in response, though Mickey still refused to meet his eyes. Aerith made a motion to run towards him, but a simple touch from Mickey to her was enough to hold her back. She looked at him pityingly in a way that made his insides churn. They were talking now. He could hear their voices, but no words. Rep was torn between wanting to join them and explain hat happened in his own words and obey Mickey by staying, but found that he just couldn't bring himself to move.

Surely, Mickey was explaining how he had summoned the Heartless to them. Surely, he was now telling them how he had submitted to the Voice and nearly destroyed their world. Surely, the townspeople had seen the destruction and were coming for him. Surely, they would see to it that he was exiled from Hollow Bastion. Surely, Mickey was preparing to take him to Riku, where his short existence would finally come to it's prolonged end.

Surely, surely...

"RIIIIKKKKUUUUUUUUU!"

"Augh!" Rep shouted as what felt like two small boulders slammed against his injured back. It was no longer slashed open and bleeding, but was still very tender, and he nearly fell over from the impact. The only thing that saved him was the fact that he was suddenly propped up on either side as two set of small arms wrapped around him. "No, don't!" he cried, trying to shake them off, not knowing if he would be able to bite down the urges to attack, as he had done with Mickey. "Don't touch me." But as they, shivering, held him tighter, Rep found that he felt none of the sudden cravings that he had with Mickey. Even his eye was paining him less.

"We're okay," whispered Denzel on his blind side. "You saved us." Rep could hear Marlene sniffling softly as she held him tighter. He noticed that their fingers were intertwined together as they wrapped around him. They were both pale, shivering, and soaking wet from the rain, but alive, Rep reminded himself. They were alive.

"Look at your eye! And your back. And you're so cold," Marlene said in a hushed, but rapidly escalating tone. Her skin and dress were streaked with blood; at first Rep was concerned that she was hurt much worse than she appeared until he realized that the blood was his own.

"I'm no colder than you," he muttered, becoming instantly alarmed when that suddenly made her burst into tears. "Sorry - I didn't mean-"

"She's scared you're going to die," Denzel explained quietly. "Just tell her you're not going to."

"I-I can't."

Denzel's grip on his armed tightened to an almost painful degree as he stepped into Rep's field of view. His face too was blood-stained. "Why not."

"I don't know if they'll let me." Rep recalled the way Mickey, his first friend, had looked at him in those last few moments. No matter what he had done, Mickey still believed in Riku, but something told him that a replica would never be able to garner that sort of respect. "I'm not sure if I deserve to."

Denzel's lips pursed and his eyes narrowed. Rep saw his hand tighten around Marlene's. "What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Aerith asked carefully.

"No," Rep thought, not even able to remember what anything even resembling okay had ever felt like. But he knew that if he gave voice to that thought, to those two simple letters, he feared it would be impossible to ever stop the tears from falling.

Thankfully, Aerith seemed to understand his silence and only added, "I think it's time we all went home."

"I'm going with you," Marlene declared, nearly choking all of the circulation out of Rep's arm. "I'm not leaving Riku."

Denzel started to say something in agreement when he suddenly gasped. Rep whirled around in shock, nearly sending Marlene flying off her toes, anticipating more Heartless until he saw that Denzel's outstretched hand was pointing towards Mickey. "You're a mouse!"

Aerith, looking slightly affronted with a quick glance at Mickey, quickly amended, "Denzel, he's not a mouse - he's a ki-"

"It's alright, Aerith," Mickey replied kindly. "I am a mouse, after all."

"Um..." Marlene mumbled as she glanced between Aerith's relieved face and Mickey until she reached shyly out towards Mickey's ears. She whispered, "Can I?"

Mickey laughed and tipped his head so that he was a little closer to her. Marlene stretched out to reach him, unwilling to let go of Rep as he it remained tightly held by her other hand. Her fingers brushed against his soft-looking, round ears and she let out an audible giggle. After hesitating for a moment, Denzel joined her by patting the back of Mickey's head. Slowly he too began to smile. Although Mickey still refused to look at him directly, Rep caught the mouse flash him a small smile and Rep nodded in gratitude.

"I explained to them what happened," Mickey said quietly, obviously to Rep. He gave a quick glance at Aerith and Yuffie, who were watching the interaction with unfathomable expressions. "They know it wasn't your fault."

Again Rep nodded, but he felt a sinking in his chest. "But it was my fault. I'm the one who gave in. They have a right to know that I won't be able to stop it from happening again."

Rep was about to ask Mickey if they could have some privacy to talk when, suddenly, Rep caught the sound of gravel crunching. In a second, Mickey's Keyblade was held aloft as Marlene lept back to Rep's side in alarm. He tried to search for a scent to discern if it was one of the townspeople approaching them, perhaps to see if they were alright, or more Heartless, but found it impossible. The stench of darkness had leaked too deeply into the essence of the world and he was unable to separate any scents he picked up. Everything felt like a massive blur of twisted bodies and scents, and he even had difficulty picking out those standing right beside him. However, he didn't need it as the source of the sound rounded the corner. Rep's ability to breathe halted entirely as he saw who it was.

"It's just Leon!" Marlene chirped happily. The others, even Mickey, collectively sighed in relief and lowered their weapons. Yuffie actually giggled nervously under her breath as she relaxed. Aerith called and waved, letting him know that they were alright. Rep understood their reaction - they weren't Leon's target.

Indeed, Leon scarcely seemed to notice or even care that his friends had survived the Heartless attack as he approached, sparing them only the quickest of looks to indicate that he acknowledged their presence. His purposeful steps neared them and Rep was unable to stop himself from taking a step back to try and increase the distance between them, but Marlene held him in place. However, she must have felt the slight tug he gave as she looked up at him and whispered, "Riku, what's wrong?"

"Marlene, let go of me," Rep ordered, quiet and stern. He was determined not to look at her any longer than he had to. Leon's hand moved. Something was about to happen. He couldn't be off guard. "Let go right now."

Shaking her head, she pulled his arm closer against her. "No."

"I SAID NOW!" he shouted, shoving her as he pulled away. Gasping, Marlene stumbled away right as Leon raised his hand and brought it down like he was cracking an invisible whip. For a brief moment he caught a bright, silver line flying from him to Leon. With another brisk motion of Leon's hand, Rep was ripped off his feet and thrown to the ground. He crumpled onto his injured shoulder, gasping as the wounds in his back stretched and tore. He tried to curl up to protect himself, but the position his arms were forced into made it impossible. Rep thought he could hear shouting, maybe Mickey or Aerith, but it didn't matter. It just didn't matter.

"No... no... please... not again."

The cloying, paralyzing fear emerged once again alongside the chain that now confined him. He could hear his heart hammering in his ears in time with his shallow breaths. But worse, he could hear the man's voice again. Was it only a memory of what had passed or was he using the opportunity to force him into submission?

"Leon - stop!" screamed Aerith as Rep felt the ground below him shift and scrape against his skin. It took him a second longer to register the pain in his wrists and arms as they trembled from exhaustion as he realized in horror that Leon was dragging him. He tried to ground his feet as best he could, but it was completely futile. His body just wouldn't respond as Leon pulled him closer and closer...

"Can't you see how much they're bothering him?" she pleaded.

"The manacles are there to contain his power," said Leon, sounding strained.

"But they didn't work! All they did was take away his ability to fight back! Leon, please, you have to stop - he can't take another attack from them so soon."

She was right - he couldn't. But that choice had been taken away from him the moment the Voice claimed him. And he had returned. The deep voice echoed in his ears, telling him to accept it as he was pulled closer and closer to Leon. Was he really there or was it only a memory?

'Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself...'

The Heartless's hands were around him, pulling him into the darkness... He caught a glimpse of Leon's sword at his side, noting for the first time that the blade had a long, thin barrel on it... Riku was forcing him down, sword pressed against his throat... The Heartless were on top of him. He could feel their weight on his back as their claws tore through his flesh, could smell the sting of his blood, feel the coldness of their skin against his...

"Leon stop!" one of the Heartless was screaming. "We won't let you hurt him."

"What?" Rep said to himself, startled. He lifted his head to find Leon staring down at him with confusion that mirrored his own. With a painful glance behind him, Rep found himself face to face with Marlene and Denzel, both apparently having thrown themselves over top of him.

"Why are they-? What are they doing?"

"Move," ordered Leon. The chain was no longer held taught, but his sword was now pointed directly at Rep's head.

"No," she replied coldly, lying her body over Rep's shoulders as a shield.

"He saved our lives," Denzel replied as he knelt on the ground by Rep's waist, removing some of the pressure on his back, allowing Rep to sigh in relief. Gently, he too lay across Rep's body with his own. "He protected us from the Heartless - Riku is a hero!"

Leon shook his head with a harsh scowl, though from his position Rep could see his fingers loosen on the hilt of his sword ever so slightly. "The Heartless only appeared when he called to them. He brought this on himself"

"I didn't mean to!" he wanted to scream, but when he tried to force himself to speak, all that came out was a strangled gurgling. He pressed his forehead against the ground in defeat, his chest heaving as he tried to work up the ability to try again. "Why does this have such an affect on me?"

However, Leon appeared to understand what he was trying to say, though addressed Marlene and Denzel rather than him. "It doesn't matter if he meant to do it or not! It hasn't even been a day and he's already lost control twice."

"And he fought back twice too!" she screeched. "It's not his fault!"

"We gave him a chance." Leon's voice sounded heavy and distant. "And we can't afford to give him another one."

"That is enough!" shouted Mickey, finally stepping forward. Rep felt Mickey's hand on his shaking shoulder as a sudden rush of healing magic surged through him. With an edge of disappointment, laced in his tone, he addressed Leon. "I understand your suffering, Leon, and your desire to protect those so dear. But I cannot stand by while you condemn him for a crime he did not knowingly or willingly commit."

Leon froze, looking like his last breath was caught in his mouth. There was a very brief moment where Rep was certain that Leon was going to attack him as he held his sword in the air, until he abruptly plunged it into the ground and knelt beside it. Swiftly Mickey left Rep's side and approached Leon, leaving Rep feeling cold and exposed, even with Denzel and Marlene beside him. "It's good to see you again, my friend," Mickey said gently, laying his hand on Leon's shoulder the way he had done to Rep. Something icy rushed down Rep's spine as he did so, but the sensation was chased away by the words that followed from Leon's mouth as he bowed his head.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty."

"What?" for the second time in as many minutes, Rep felt his mind completely halt. 'Your Majesty', Leon had called him, but that had to mean... there was only one possibility... "Mickey is a king?"

Rep's thoughts fled back to when Mickey had first introduced himself and when Aerith had nearly admonished Denzel for calling him a mouse. Rep found himself at a loss for words as humiliation seized him; he had attacked a king and could likely add treason to his list of atrocities.

"You're friends with a king?" Denzel hissed in his ear. "Cool."

"I didn't know," was all he could manage to say. After what Rep had done when Mickey's hands had been on his neck, he wasn't sure that he could even call them friends.

"He's such a little king, though," said Marlene.

Recalling how Mickey had fearlessly faced down the Heartless that had captured him, stabbing it in the face with his Keyblade and banishing it in a wave of light, Rep added, "He's strong, though."

Before he had met Mickey, if someone had told him that a mouse was the ruler of anything larger than a hole in the wall, Rep might have laughed. But even in his black coat with the funny hood for his ears, Mickey stood with all the regency and benevolence of the kind of king Rep recalled from the books Riku would have read as a child.

"Rise, all of you." Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie did as requested by the king, but after a quick glance towards each other, Denzel and Marlene decided to remain where they were. "To those who do not know me, my name is King Mickey. I am honored to be among you in Hollow Bastion once more." He spun back towards Leon and added quietly, though not softly enough that Rep failed to make out his words, "I am aware of the situation, very likely more so than you are. He is not at fault."

"You don't und-"

"As I said, I am aware of the situation." Mickey glanced over his shoulder to where Rep was lying, as if sensing that he was being overheard. Rep blushed even though he was not directly being accused. "I would like for you, Aerith, and I to speak together in private the moment we've got the rest of them to safety."

Though it seemed to cause him some measure of distress, Leon nodded. "Let's go back," he said. "All of us."

"But, Riku..." Marlene whispered, looking down on him in concern.

"He's coming with us too," Leon clarified stiffly. Rep felt Marlene's body relax as she sighed.

Rep felt both weight and warmth leave him as Denzel and Marlene ran to Leon's side. They threw their arms around him in a display of forgiveness. Rep was a little comforted to see that Leon reacted to sudden hugs almost as awkwardly as he did.

"Rep," Mickey said, causing him to jump. He was now so close that his nose was brushing against Rep's cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't know - I'm sorry." The words were spilling out before he could stop himself. "No one told me that you were a king."

Mickey sighed and placed a hand on the back of his head. Rep flinched, but Mickey was careful to avoid the scar on his neck. "Rep, I want you to listen to me very carefully. When you and I were first introduced, I asked that you call me Mickey - just Mickey - and I hope that you will continue to do so. I see no reason for you to stop now."

"But you're a king... I'm just a replica. I'm not even human. I'm -"

"Rep!" Mickey called sharply. "Tell me what's really going on."

Rep had to take several very long an deep breaths to calm himself enough to even manage words. "I-It's the chain. And the manacles. I don't like them."

It was a tremendous understatement of the raw, paralyzing grip the two combined had on him, but to Rep's relief, Mickey seemed to understand completely as he stood and called out. "Leon, I think it would be best if I took the chain for now."

For a moment, Rep was scared that Leon would decline, but instead he approached them once again. As he neared, Leon held the chain up to mouth and muttered the words 'King Mickey' as he approached the right before he passed the silver chain into Mickey's now outstretched paw. As Mickey's gloved fingers closed around it, Rep felt some sensation return to his body and sighed.

"The spell includes you now, so you'll be able to lead him. If you drop it, or if he tries to take it from you, it will simply hang in the air and hold him in place," Leon explained, backing away once he was certain Mickey had a good grip on it. "Only Aerith, you, and I have the ability to move him."

"Thank you," said Mickey.

Leon nodded stiffly with a short glance down at Rep. "We'll meet the two of you back at the headquarters. I'll brief Cid on what happened."

"How do you know what happened?" Rep caught himself asking indigently, though he could feel Mickey's eyes drilling into him. He was guilty, that much was clear, but he felt outraged that Leon could just accuse him of attacking them with the Heartless without any proof. "You weren't there."

Callously, Leon responded, "We saw you floating in the air and absorbing the Heartless. Everyone did."

The response made Rep's blood run cold as he imagined what he would have looked like, floating and serene as the the Hearltess ascended to him, to the terrified residents of Hollow Bastion. Rep started to shake with the effort of containing the terror building inside him as he muttered the same question he had asked only a few hours before, "Did I hurt anyone?"

"No. Luckily for you."

"That's enough, Leon," cried Mickey, stepping between the two of them. "As I explained, he has done nothing wrong and everything that happened tonight was beyond his control.

It looked as though Leon was preparing to argue, but bit his tongue and stepped back with a small bow to Mickey. "We'll meet you back at headquarters

"Rep," Mickey called him by name as soon as Leon was out of earshot and gave him a small nudge with his big, round shoe. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready," he said, though his weak and uncoordinated movements betrayed him. However, he brushed off all of Mickey's attempts to help him stand and eventually made it onto his feet.

In that time, Aerith and Yuffie had passed him to join the others. Aerith looked as though she wanted to help, but resisted

"King Mickey?" said Marlene as broke away from Leon and drew near, appearing much more hesitant to approach him now. "No one is going to hurt Riku, right?"

For only a second, Mickey's expression appeared stricken and weary. But as soon as Rep blinked, he looked like himself once more. "Riku will be just fine." He turned to Rep and smiled, though Rep thought it seemed weaker than before. "Are you ready?" he asked again.

Rep nodded. "Marlene, can you go see how Aerith is doing? She might need some help." She raised her eyebrows at him, but still sped off to Aerith's side at his insistence. Aerith wrapped her arms around Marlene's bare shoulders and spared Rep a small smile.

With a final clipped glance over his shoulder, Leon led the others away, leaving Rep and Mickey to trail behind at a slower pace.

As they walked, Mickey was careful not to pull on the chain nor let it drag on the ground. He matched Rep's pace perfectly and appeared to be doing his best to ignore it entirely. Rep was having a much more difficult time with it and was struggling to keep his breathing under control. It was a strange case where Rep almost wanted Mickey to lead so that he could shut his eye and block out everything surrounding him.

"Those kids adore you," Mickey said suddenly, his voice sounding warm and gentle.

Rep took several long breaths until he was certain words would be possible. "Marlene and Denzel?"

"They were so scared that you were going to be hurt. Almost nothing could have convinced them to leave your side." Curiously, he followed with, "Do you have any idea why that could be?"

"Not really." He nearly tripped on the chain, having gotten to close to Mickey, and was resisting the urge to kick it.

"Do you think it's because they recognize that you have a good heart?"

Rep almost rolled his eyes, but thought it would be an inappropriate response to a king. "They were probably just happy that I sat down to listen to them." Rep saw Mickey crack an odd smile, but said nothing in response. Strangely, he thought Mickey almost looked sad.

"I can understand why you hate these," he said finally while giving the chain a small shake. "But I have to ask, what does it feel like when you wear them?"

Rep halted, and Mickey did as well. He didn't want to describe how helpless he felt with the metal rings clamped against his wrists, especially since it was clear that Mickey had noticed how distressed it made him, but as though it would be rude to refuse Mickey anything. "It feels like... like my heart stops. Like I can't breathe anymore. I can't think, I just want to attack, to hurt people, to do anything I can to get out of them, because if I don't, they're going to hurt me." He took a quivering breath and clenched his fists; rather than feeling better, speaking about his experience was only heightening his reaction. "But then I start remembering things - other times I felt that way - like when I fought Riku, or when Axel grabbed me, or when I was being possessed. I - I stop being able to tell the difference between what happened to me and what's happening right now. It all just happens so quickly and I can't... I can't tell real from fake anymore."

"It must be scary."

"What? Being me?"

"Yes," Mickey said sadly. "Exactly."

Rep had no idea how to respond to that.

By the time Rep and Mickey reached the headquarters of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, the others had already cleaned the blood and dirt from their skin and were seated in a circle. There were several bowls of some kind of brown mixture in front of each chair, along with some tarnished silver spoons and water in some mis-matched mugs and glasses. Leon was standing in the corner by the sink with his arms folded while Cid had pulled over his chair to join the others. Yuffie and Denzel were sitting on the bed, chatting in low voices with Marlene and Aerith on the floor.

"We waited for you before we started eating," Yuffie explained, jabbing her spoon towards the mixture. Cupping her hand around her mouth, she whispered loudly, "And not at all because Leon's cooking looks like muck." Denzel and Marlene fought giggles, now staring hesitantly at their own food, but Rep didn't feel like even trying to smile.

"What is this shit, anyway?" Cid remarked, poking through the film on top. He didn't even look up as Mickey and Rep walked closer.

"It's a lentil stew," Leon replied testily. "It's just congealed because it's been sitting here for a while."

"Still shit," Cid muttered. "Well, sit the fuck down and start eating before it gets worse."

"Oh, 'cause that's appropriate in front of a king," Yuffie snapped teasingly while slapping her spoon against Cid's leg.

"What? So Riku's calling himself 'king' now? Well, that's just fucking disresp-oh" His eyes fell on Mickey and Rep watched them widen in an uncharacteristic horror. Rep followed his gaze and saw Mickey, hunched with his shoulders up to his ears and the chain trembling in his taunt arms, looking livid. Rep was confused. He had considered Mickey to be a powerful, but still kind and loving king, and although Cid had spoken coarsely and with discourtesy benefiting of his rank, Rep couldn't help but feel that Mickey was overreacting and that there was some very important detail that he was missing.

"Nice going," hissed Yuffie, looking much less convivial than before.

Silently fuming Mickey took a step forward, and Rep thought he saw Cid flinch a little, and held up the chain. He placed above Marlene's head, giving Rep ample room to move to the vacant spot on the floor at the foot of the bed. "Leon, Aerith, I would like to speak to the two of you outside immediately." At the sound of their names, both rose, looking tight-lipped as they inclined their heads towards him. Rep imagined that Leon had disclosed Mickey's intent to her. "Riku, please wait here until I come back."

Before anyone had a chance to say a word, Mickey spun on his heels, his coat billowing with the sudden action as he stormed out the door. Soundlessly he was joined by the other two as the door slammed shut. Not knowing what else to do, Rep took the spot that Mickey had indicated.

Cid rubbed the back of his neck and ripped a toothpick out of a box he kept in his pants. He snapped his fingers with his free hand and sighed. "Shit, that was bad."

"There are kids here, you know," Yuffie said in a rather high-pitched, nasally voice and a quick glance in Rep's direction. "Can you tone it down?"

"You two don't fuckin' care, do ya?" Perhaps out of fear, both Marlene and Denzel quickly shook their heads in perfect unison.

The room fell silent as Rep slowly glanced around the room and, as subtlety as he could manage, tried to copy how the others had arranged their dishes and napkins. He could feel them all watching him and was so anxious to not appear dangerous after what had happened that he had completely lost his grip on any of Riku's memories that explained how to act in any sort of social situation, much less one that involved utensils and manners of any sort. Once he was certain that he had everything in its place, he looked around to ensure his set-up matched theirs. He was met with four pairs. Stew was actually plopping off of Yuffie's spoon onto her lap.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, trying to keep his tone from straining.

"No," said Yuffie. She had finally noticed the mess on her lap and made a move to wipe it, no longer meeting his eyes. "I'm just shocked at how... normal you're being after what happened. It's kind of unnerving, you know."

"Oh," said Rep, lowering his eyes to his bowl. Denzel shifted behind him and muttered something unintelligble under his breath. Closing his free eye, Rep sighed, "I owe them an explanation, at the very least."

"Um, about what happened back there..." Rep trailed off, unsure exactly how to even begin as his voice simply died before it even left him. There was just so much he wanted to say, but couldn't even fathom how to apologise for what he'd done; it wasn't possible to just reply 'sorry I got possessed - it won't happen again.'

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cid asked gruffly. When Rep silently shook his head in response, Cid replied, "Good, 'cause I'm not all that interested in hearing about it. I'm a fan of overly normal. So we're clear."

Rep muttered a quick thank you, than he let on. He had no idea why they were still being so kind to him, but was grateful enough for it.

Yuffie had a valid point, though. He was behaving far too calmly considering what had happened. Rep understood why, though. Too many times over the past day had he been told to keep silent, to not ask questions, and to just accept what was happening to him. He had held his tongue in front of Axel for his own protection and kept silent, though aching for answers, while in Hollow Bastion in order to please them. His complacency had caused him to become docile, as it was far easier to just accept that he knew nothing and quell his curiosity for his own mental state. Yet as Rep sat among them, he was becoming infuriated that they were refusing to even acknowledge what had happened to him. How dare they pretend like nothing had happened? Rep glared over his bowl. Cid and Yuffie, like Mickey, knew far more than they were letting slip. He wasn't the one who owed them an explanation - they owed him one.

Rep closed his eyes to force himself to concentrate. When the Heartless had surrounded them, Aerith At first he thought she had meant the Heartless, but then, why did she place such a pronounced emphasis on the word 'them'? His eyes widening, Rep remembered how her voice and Marlene's had been present when he had first come through the portal. Did she mean the Heartless or was she trying to subtly warn him about the man now residing inside his heart? And Mickey, Rep recalled, even knew something about the identity of his possessor. His eyes fell on the blueprints hanging on the wall. The Hollow Bastion castle was missing...

Leon and Aerith were too guarded, and Mickey had outright refused to give him answers. If anyone was going to help him, even inadvertently, it was going to be Yuffie and Cid.

"Why would you think I was calling myself 'king'?" he tried to ask casually as he lifted his bowl onto his lap. To his surprise, his stomach gave a sharp jolt as he spoke the word 'king'. Rep tried to convince himself that he was just relieved that he would finally be permitted to eat something after waiting for so long.

Even with his head down, Rep could tell that Cid had tensed up. "None of your business."

"It was a weird thing to say," Denzel chimed in.

"None of yours either!"

"Mickey just seemed upset about it," Rep said with a shrug, certain that his attempts to appear uninterested were failing.

"That's King Mickey, to you."

"Nuh uh. He let's Riku call him that."

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE what he lets Riku do," Cid snapped at Denzel, who jumped practically onto Yuffie's lap out of fright. "End of discussion." He put a hand over his now scarlet face and dragged it down to his chin, pulling slightly at the skin. "Now shut up and eat your damn crap."

Rep had to bite back a retort, still silently seething, as he knew he had lost the argument and had done nothing but make himself look bad. He wished Denzel had just kept to himself and allowed him to steer the conversation the way that he had intended. His stomach growled ravenously, however, and he quickly found himself distracted by that. Glowering at his bowl, Rep dipped his spoon into the stew, stirring it slowly to try and break through the film until it was a consistent colour throughout. From the smell, he imagined that it had at one time, several hours ago, been hot and delicious. But now it was just cold, slimy, and chunky. He ate it anyway, swallowing as quickly as he could to ensure it spent only a minimal amount of time actually in his mouth. Each bite was washed down with a swing of the strangely metallic flavoured water and with each sip, he was beginning to hope more and more that it wasn't the real taste of it. And although he was no closer to stealing any answers from them, Rep found that his anger had faded almost completely with each swallow until, within a matter of minutes, Rep's bowl was empty. He looked up to see everyone staring at him in shock and felt his face grow hot.

"You actually liked it?" Yuffie gaped with her spoon hovering in the air, still no closer to her mouth than before.

"Well... it's just been a long time since I last ate." Rep put his bowl back down on the ground and rubbed his arms, wishing they would just stop looking at him. Why couldn't he even eat like a normal person?

"When was the last time?"

That was actually a very good question, the more that Rep thought about it. Did the Organization ever feed him or was that too just false memories? Surely, they would have tried to keep him strong enough to actually commit to the purpose they gave him. Nonetheless, it had been at least two days, before his final confrontation with Sora, since he last remembered eating anything, and even then, it was just some plain bread and a browning apple. "I can't remember."

"Want mine?" she asked. Rep glanced up and saw that she was holding out to him with a smile. Only a few bites had been taken. He shook his head, but she persisted. "Seriously, into the trash it goes if you don't take it."

"Riku can have mine too," Denzel pipped up rather quickly, practically forcing the bowl into Rep's hands.

Cid, who hadn't made a sound since his outburst, coughed and collected Marlene's bowl with his and placed them in front of Rep. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like absolute shit and could probably use a few meals."

Rep could hardly stop his stomach from growling at the truthfully unappetizing sight, but eating his own meal had awakened the hunger pangs once again. With some hesitation, he reached towards the first bowl. "You don't mind?" he asked, for clarification.

"Why should we?" Denzel said with a shrug as he kicked his legs. "It's pretty gross."

"Besides," added Marlene with a warm smile. "We're always told to share with our friends here."

The spoon that was halfway to his mouth suddenly fell with a plop back into the bowl. "We're friends?"

"Yeah..." Marlene trilled, looking a little confused.

Rep turned to Denzel, needing to know. "And... are you okay with me too?"

Yuffie raised her eyebrows as she put the spoon back in Rep's hand, looking like she was trying not to laugh. "Obviously we're okay with you. Seriously, how clueless are you? Do we need to sign a contract saying that we feel like being pals now? We're your friends. Get used to it. Why else do you think we put up with you?"

"I ain't your fucking friend," Cid growled as he snapped a toothpick in half with his teeth. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, looking completely recovered from Mickey's scolding gaze. Rep flinched as Cid gave him a broad grin. "And it has nothing to do with your little 'issue' either. You ruined my sweater - got it torn to shreds, by the looks of it." With that, he pointed towards Rep's eye, and though the ragged strip of it was fastened securely, he pressed his fingers against it out of habit. "And I'm requesting compensation before this thing goes any farther."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Despite being shirtless, a fact that he only just remembered, Rep found himself getting hotter and hotter. "I-I don't have any money... but I could-"

"Riku stop! He's kidding!" said Yuffie, giving Cid a hard, but playful kick to the shin."He's just being a bully."

Cid made a rude gesture in Yuffie's direction as he rubbed his leg. However, Rep saw that he was smiling. "You should probably take that off, though." He gestured at Rep's eye and continued, "It's covered in dirt, and if it's on there because you injured your eye, it could get infected."

"Mickey thinks I should keep it on."

"Does it hurt?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"But nothing," Yuffie chimed in, climbing off the bed and kneeling before Rep. With his back against the bed, he was unable to move away time. "Cid's right. We should at least change the bandage before it gets infected - Aerith will want to take a look at it when she gets back.

"Wait! Yuffie don't!"

But Rep was too slow to stop Yuffie's hands from reaching behind this ears and ripping the dirty rag from his head. Her eyes widened as she emitted a small scream and stumbled back, stepping into one of the bowls and shattering it. Cid swore loudly, but had the presence of mind to catch Yuffie before she fell. Marlene wimpered softly and backed away from him.

There was utter, terrified silence until Denzel finally exclaimed, "What's the big deal? I think it looks cool."

"Show me," said a harsh, cold voice, and it took Rep a moment to realize that it was his own. "Show me now."

Without meeting his eyes, Yuffie reached down to wipe some of the stew off of her foot. Her hands were shaking slightly. Unconvincingly, she said, "it's really not that bad."

"SHOW ME NOW!"

Desperately, Yuffie turned to Cid for guidance, but he only had an uncertain shrug to spare. Worldessly she rose, leaving a short trail of stew on the floor towards the bathroom as she quickly returned with a small hand mirror. Unable to wait any longer, Rep got to his feet and pruposefully walked towards her and held out his hand. Like hers earlier, his was shaking. "Show me."

"Try not to freak out," she muttered as the mirror left her hands and passed to his.

"No."

There were no more words that needed to be said. There was nothing that could describe the utter horror Rep felt when he saw that, staring back at him, was a single, golden eye.

Notes for Rep's section:

So Rep is a massive emotional wreck right now. I tried to write this section as if he was just barely keeping it together, so I hope it came through. I wanted to convey the challenges he is facing after having so much happen to him (after already being in a fragile state after learning that he's a replica) in such a short period of time.

One other thing I want to really quickly address is how Rep reacts to certain things, specifically the concept of fear. Because his emotions are so powerful, when Rep feels an incredibly powerful negative emotion, he often curls up into a ball. This is partially to protect himself, but is primarily because it is a subconscious way to try and keep those emotions in so that they don't spill out. He's done this many times so far because he's just been completely overwhelmed. The only time he doesn't is when he finally gets a good look at his new eye and becomes completely overloaded and just shuts down.

Mickey was first going to address himself as King Mickey, but noticed that Rep was in the midst of a breakdown. He had no idea how stable he was and didn't want to risk giving Ansem any opportunities to emerge. So, not knowing how Rep would respond to the knowledge that he was a king, Mickey just gave his name without the title. Speaking of Mickey, I hope he didn't come across as too harsh. Mickey is really concerned about Rep and is genuinely happy to be his friend, but once he realized Vanitas' presence was lingering in there alongside Ansem, his tone shifted. Not because he cared any less, but because he cared too much.

And, I just wanted to bring up another weird Rep-quirk: whenever he gets very scared, Rep likes to curl up into a ball. He's done it a lot so far in the story, and the reason for it is that his emotions are always so powerful that he feels like he needs to contain them, or else they will burst out. It's subconscious, but that's why he does it. However, when he gave himself a name and was extremely happy, Rep then "wrapped his arms around himself and..." for the same reason - he was feeling an incredibly powerful emotion that felt as though it would burst out :)

Boo this chapter got ridiculously long - waaaaaay more than I anticipated - so the next section will cover what was supposed to be the end of this one and will be a lot shorter.

So, now you get to wait another 4 (5? 6? I don't even remember) months for the next chapter! Yay! Haha hopefully I'll do better.

No, but seriously, I think I owe you all an explanation for why it's taking so long. The truth is that I have recently started my first real job, and though I enjoy what I do, my body is not reacting well to looking at a computer screen all day. Specifically, I am very rapidly losing vision. I will hopefully have the chance to get the surgery once it mellows, but for now, it means frequent prescription changes and lots of headaches. So, when I get home, I just can't bring myself to look at a screen any longer and on weekend, I just want to relax my eyes. So this chapter took forever because I was only able to write a little at a time. Essentially, I can't promise scheduled updates, but I am super committed to this story and want to see it through to the end, no matter what.

But if you need your Riku/Repliku adventure fix in the meantime, I highly recommend checking out MegaFlameHedge's "Kingdom Hearts: Antipode" series. It's a brilliant look at what would happen had Riku not turned to the darkness in the original game, leaving Sora to fall in his place. The characters are perfect, giving equal attention and love to each aspect of the franchise, and the author just gets Disney. And the fight scenes are awesome. Really, you should check it out ;)

Also this story is over 1 year old yay!

As always, if you are enjoying it so far, please leave me a comment because I love to hear from you! (And also because I obsessively hit refresh (I'm not kidding, it's, like, CONTINUOUS) every time I post a new chapter and legitimately make this face D: when nothing has changed from the last refresh that was 36.5 seconds earlier.)