Light From the Past

End of a Fake

Riku and Lexi walked through a town. It was bathed in twilight and there was not a soul to be seen. They both stopped an looked around. Crows cawed. The town was completely empty.

"Where are we? What is this place?" Riku muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"I dunno. But it sure is pretty," Lexi replied, shrugging. 

A person appeared in front of them. Ansem. They both jumped.

"You must battle me all alone," Ansem ordered Riku. "Against my dark powers!"

Riku raised his sword. Ansem held up his hands, ready to fight. The two males glared at each other. Riku suddenly relaxed, lowering his sword and chuckling. Lexi looked at him like he was crazy.

"What's this? Are you giving up? Finally ready to surrender to your fate?" Ansem sneered.

"You're not the true Ansem," Riku answered calmly. Ansem lowered his hands. "Your scent is different," Riku explained. "The Ansem in my heart smells darker. The odor is more foul. But your scent just isn't that. It's not darkness. It's something else. I finally understand. You're the one who guided me when it started. You came to me pretending to be Ansem. You gave me the card, to make me face the darkness."

Lexi stepped closer to Riku, brow furrowed in confusion. "So who are you really?" she asked not-Ansem.

Not-Ansem smiled. "That is correct, Riku," he said as light engulfed him. When the light faded, a different man stood there. He had a long red cloak and brown tunic. His face was covered with a red cloth, hiding all but one orange eye and his mouth. Several bags hung from a belt. "DiZ, or so I am known," the man introduced himself. "You both, I've watched you all along."

"That's kinda weird," Lexi muttered, crossing her arms. Riku smiled before taking a more serious tone.

"Who are you?" he asked. "And what do you want from us?"

"For you, Riku, to choose. For Lelie, to remember," DiZ answered.

"Lelie," Lexi muttered. She shook her head. "That's not my name, it's Lexile. Or Lexi."

"It was once your name. You just have to remember. Perhaps the extraction of your old, useless memories can awaken the older, truer ones," DiZ told her. Lexi pursed her lips and looked away from the strange male.

"And you want me to choose?" Riku said.

DiZ nodded. "You are a special entity, as is Lelie. You exist between light and dark. You stand in the twilight. You are to meet Naminé, then choose."

"Naminé? Who's that?" Riku asked.

Lexi's face lit up. "Naminé?! So she and the others are okay?!"

"Yes. She said she knew you," DiZ said, turning to Riku. "As for you Riku, you will know soon." DiZ vanished.

Lexi sniffed. "What a strange man."

Riku nodded. "Let's go."

====Time Skip====

Riku and Lexi walked up to the gates in front of a large mansion. Lexi shivered as she remembered that Vexen was struck down here by Axel. 

"Maybe Naminé is here..." Riku mused.

Lexi shrugged. "Perhaps."

"Hold it," a voice ordered harshly. Riku and Lexi jumped to see the Riku Replica. He had a strange air around him. It reminded Lexi of Zexion. The replica walked up to them. 

The replica smirked. "Hmph. You've changed. Your own darkness...it doesn't frighten you anymore."

"How can you tell?" Riku asked.