darkshield

Well, what do you think? Is Riku a bit too stern? Too kind? Too much of any sort of thing? Let me know here!

Anon's fine, IP logging's off, but all comments are screened. You've been warned~

OOC Information
Player Name: Twi
Player Age: 22
Player Contact: twilitfall
Player/Character HMD: Here!
Other characters in game: None, but applying for Lulu as well. Also mod.

IC Information
Character Name: Riku
Character Canon: Kingdom Hearts
Character Age/Gender: 18
Canon Point: Shortly after returning to Destiny Islands with the others and getting THE GROUNDING OF THE CENTURY (it doesn't last long tho).
Character Canon History: "I want to be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world─bet he's really strong, now. I know it's out there somewhere; the strength that I need. To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends."
Riku was always a sincere child; what most would consider normal with the exception of being rather wise for such a young age. Many things he noticed would be overlooked by others his age, like with Terra appearing on the play island when he was five. Riku immediately knew that he was from the outside world─something that was most certainly not the norm for such a small world such as Destiny Islands─and backing it up with the facts that 'no one lives out here' meaning the small island, and 'I know you didn't come from the main island.' It was something that Terra commented on; after a short conversation and seeing his wish to protect his friends upon 'Seeing' the future his ties to Xehanort and Keyblade Master potential, decided that he would pass on the power of the Keyblade to this young child by the way of a Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony (a Rite in which the Master-powered person chooses an apprentice of sorts, allowing what seems to be a sort of empathic weapon to deem them worthy of the power. It's peculiar even to the experienced fan). In doing so, he accidentally sealed the boy's fate to unwittingly follow him in his own footsteps. After all...

"In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking it's wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend─no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love." ...Riku had forgotten that last part, and it ended up coming back to haunt him ten years later.

Shortly after he meets a blue-haired Keyblade Master, Aqua, who makes Sora promise her that should Riku begin to go down a dark path alone that he would stay with him and keep the older boy safe. It's a promise that he wouldn't be able to keep, but nonetheless, it has an unseen impact on both boys. Unseen, until the door is opened. After all the known Keyblade wielders at the time vanish from the worlds and Radiant Garden fell, two things occurred: First, a strange girl appeared on the beach after the meteor shower (possibly signifying the barriers between Destiny Islands and the outside world to be broken) without a memory besides her name: Kairi. The three quickly formed an unbreakable bond of friendship and spent nine years reinforcing that friendship. However, something began to whisper to Riku's heart. The second thing to occur was that after the meteor shower, Sora and Riku came across the secret place. While Sora was prepared to leave it be, having found that there was no monster like he thought, Riku lingered longer... he saw the door to Heart of their world that day─something only those chosen by a Keyblade or Princesses of Heart are permitted to see at first.

The voices from the shadows continued to whisper to him as the the years passed. Curiosity finally getting the best of him, the three friends began to build a raft to set sail for other worlds and see what was out there for themselves─one that would never be used. The night before they were to set sail, Riku opened the door like the sinister whispers suggested. He'd known the shadows all his life; what was there to fear of them? The storm began and he waited in the usual spot on the play island, calmly listening as the world fell apart around him. The door had opened; they could visit the outside world!

But Sora only knew fear, and he didn't understand it. Riku held out a hand to his scared friend as the darkness wrapped around them both. Yet Sora was rejected; Riku ending up passing through the darkness alone─the voices sent him to Hollow Bastion alone where when he woke up, the only thing he was greeted by was the sights of a fallen world so tainted by sinister darkness that the very water reversed its flow and went upward to escape it. Maleficent took him in under her wing, beginning to poison his heart with the darkness that filled the world he found himself in; his mind with lies and half truths about those he wished to protect, under the false guise of finding his friends. At the time he had no choice but to accept the deal: helping to gather the seven Princesses of Heart in exchange for her help. While Riku never trusted her, he didn't expect the deal to turn sour... but it did.

Led to believe that Sora had betrayed and replaced him with new companions, that he was the only one who could save Kairi by opening the "secret door," he was plunged into the darkness and forsook the principles that held the initial promise of strength that he kept secret; he lost sight of that spark on his own, turning his back on those who wished the best for him and ran blindly into the shadows and directly to half of the person who caused the one who passed the power to him to fade from existence: Xehanort's Heartless, under the guise of "Ansem" and "the Seeker of darkness." Having stolen and then losing the Keyblade from and to Sora, he opened up his heart to the darkness completely.


He paid the hefty price of his entire being, realizing all too late when all that anger and hatred, that envy that so scarred his heart vanished; when he could no longer move his own body, could no longer speak, was forced to watch through his own eyes what would happen to his friends. 'It's no use. You cannot stop me; cannot warn them of what is to happen.' He hated himself, or would if he could feel it; would cry and scream at the top of his lungs as he watched helplessly as the Keyblade of Heart─that horrid darkness─was forged then used against Maleficent then swung down at the friend he'd forsaken. 'Don't you dare lose, Sora!' But then seeing Sora use it on himself to free Kairi... He had enough and put all he had into just one struggle for control when "Ansem" moved to cut down the Seventh; his best friend. "No... You won't use me for this!"

After warning his longtime friend of the approaching Heartless (creatures of darkness, created when the human heart succumbs to the darkest desires of their hearts), he was shoved out of his own body and sent to the Realm of Darkness─a sort of hell and alternate dimension─where he struggled to even exist as a lost Heart. He couldn't fade now, not until he saw the two friends he'd forsaken─but that resolve almost faded with him until a ray of hope broke through to this wandering heart. The voice of a King from the Realm of Light called out to him, urged him to reach out to sense his friends. He could see Sora running closer to him in his mind's eye, but struggling, almost giving up as he fell. "Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that!"

He fought alongside the King to the Door to Darkness, rejoicing quietly to himself when his body was returned to him in the darkness beyond the door. He was there; if he could just pass through, he'd be with his friends again─

The darkness and the Heartless were seeping through the opened Door. As much as he wanted to be reunited with those he cared for, he grabbed a hold of the door from the inside and urged Sora to help him close it; together this time. After one more request; asking Sora to take care of Kairi, Riku was locked on the other side of the door─lost to the darkness. Or so everyone thought.

The next thing Riku knew, he was awakening within Nothing─literally, a void of nonexistence─with yet another mysterious voice calling out to him; giving him the choice of sleeping there for eternity or facing what he referred to as the 'truth.' Not being the kind to turn down a challenge, he accepted the card and thus to face the truth he had to confront to come out victorious over so many struggles that took over his heart. Awakening in the basement levels of Castle Oblivion, Riku would be affronted by his memories of the darkness; halls barren of anything but Heartless and the occasional member of the mysterious Organization who sought to use the boy's power for one reason or another. They, like the false Xehanort, tried to make him confront his darkness and harness its power for himself, all for the purpose of toppling Marluxia's plans as the foil for Sora. One of which was the Riku Replica who would be antagonizing Sora as the boy progressed closer to Marluxia after being defeated by the real Riku.

The attempts failed up to the point Lexaeus almost killed him. From there, "Ansem" took over and ended the Nobody's (the empty shell of a strong-hearted individual left behind when the heart becomes a Heartless) existence. At that point, had it not been for the King's interference, Riku would have lost himself to the "passenger" once more. It was the final nail in the coffin of his pride, realizing that after all this time he hadn't shaken off the darkness he tried to forsake ever since he felt the malevolent current of darkness from the Keyblade of Hearts. It was a hard blow to his ego as well, and the fear of losing control began to grow within his heart again. That is, until he was confronted about his actions by none other than Zexion.

"All of the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered─many hearts were forever lost to the darkness─because of what YOU did. You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. It was YOU. You were pulled into the darkness then, and you belong to the darkness."

After facing a Darkside, Zexion─disguised as Sora via his power of illusions─attempted to erase Riku from existence. Riku would have faded in the light and illusions, had it not been for a girl named Naminé calling out to him in the guise of Kairi, urging him to accept the darkness in his heart and to follow where it led right to his friends. Though he was afraid to face his friends at first, his desire to see them outweighted his guilt. He accepted the vast and deep shadows within his heart and crippled Zexion upon shattering the illusion. Zexion fled, leaving Riku to his own devices. Unfortunately, accepting the darkness was the last foothold "Ansem" needed to take control again. It was like this, paralyzed and floating in a somewhat crucifix manner that King Mickey found the boy and saved him once again from the demon within. Giving him the card to Twilight Town, Riku met with DiZ (short for "Denizen in Zero") briefly, who led him to meeting Naminé. However, he ended up facing the "Fake" him once more, being forced to end his somewhat pitiful existence.

After, he found Naminé guarding the sleeping Sora─who had chosen sleep and giving up his memories of the Castle to regain that which he had lost in the gambit that occured in the floors above─and gave Riku another choice: To sleep as she locked away the darkness and "Ansem" (thus making him forget all his dealing with the dark) or to face the Heartless on his own and remember all of it; to go back to how he was before or own up to his mistakes and overcome them himself. He seemed to consider it for only a brief second before declining it and continuing after asking the young witch to watch over Sora while he was gone.


The man that spoke to him in the first place, DiZ, gave him the card to draw out Ansem and a coat to protect him from the dark's influences while hiding himself from the Organization─the coat acting as a sort of masking agent to disguise and blind their senses aside from hearing─upon regrouping with the King. Riku accepted these gifts and continued on, giving the King one final request before he went to face Ansem alone: to erase him. Mickey denied it, instead promising to do all he could to bring him back from the edge.

With a smile on his face, Riku walked through that final door and fought through the darkness to Ansem. He could smell that foul stench that forever haunted his existence in this castle, and he'd do all he could to destroy it for good. After a short discussion, the two who followed where the dark led clashed. Riku won, but was almost lost as Ansem's shadow continued to linger and threatened to pull him back into the Realm of Darkness. Before all hope was lost, however, Mickey once again intervened, pulling the slightly weakened Riku into the entrance hall of Castle Oblivion.

It was over for now, but Riku couldn't go home just yet. Not without Sora, nor with Xehanort still within his heart; he couldn't bear the thought of facing everyone after all he had done, and there was still so much fighting left to go. The two─now close friends─donned the black coats and exited the castle. Riku would face one more choice from DiZ; and the answer astonished and disappointed the other two.

He was neither darkness, nor light. He would continue to walk with both hand in hand: on the way to the dawn.

Riku traveled with the King for many days, still grappling with the shadow of Xehanort that continued to linger deep within his heart. It was a nightmare, and unfortunately he could not lie to his friend; they went separate ways and after ninety-seven days upon leaving Castle Oblivion, he met the Fourteenth member of Organization XIII at Beast’s Castle: Xion. She had been sent to eliminate the Impostor─meaning him─but he easily defeated her, calling her out on using a ‘sham’ of a Keyblade after receiving the shock of his life: seeing Xion’s face. A girl with Kairi's face and Sora’s eyes...how was that possible?

“You can’t fight fire with sparks.”

He continued to wander the worlds until the 255th day since Sora’s sacrifice, when he visited Naminé and asked why it was taking so long to reconnect the lost links of memory. Upon hearing the reason and why he would continue to sleep unless his Nobody and ‘her’ are gone, his resolve to do what he could to awaken his friend doubled. He goes to find Xion and when he does indeed find her, the boy began to travel with her to different worlds and explained what was happening to Sora; what her connection to him was, and why he wouldn’t awaken without her help. But, it would entail her fading from existence which would mean that the memories of her existence would vanish.

Riku gave her the choice, to choose what was best for everyone and not just herself, or him and Sora... but her friends as well. They travelled more during the days before he tried to convince Xion to return for her friends’ sakes. On day 297, however, the two appear at Twilight Town and are spotted by Roxas and Axel. The next day Xion is captured by Axel, and it's another month or two before they meet again. Riku convinces her to return to Sora, and though she agreed to go, he never sees her again. It comes to a point that on day 354─when he crosses paths with Mickey once again─that he's steeped in darkness so much once again in the effort to protect the sleeping Sora that he knows he may never see his friend awake with his own eyes. With this in mind, he makes his friend promise him─promise that no matter what, he would never tell Sora or the others what became of him.

Of course... that's when things changed for them all...

Character Personality: Describing Riku's personality is akin to peeling an onion layer by layer because his psyche is definitely complex and multifaceted with multiple reasonings behind his actions all driven by a simple wish of a five year old drawn to other worlds and earthly knowledge and wisdom. On the outside, Riku was always a calm, cool, and collected individual who's wise beyond his years. When he was younger, this made him rather arrogant and proud yet jealous because he could never understand the simplicity of opening up to others and following the Heart. Yet that envy is part of what drives him to protect those who can follow their hearts, like he does for Sora all the time. ...When he isn't being a dumb teenager.

From an early age, Riku's wish to see other worlds was potent. He admired the folktales of another boy who left the islands, thinking that the one who left found plenty of strength if he were still alive. [ha...ha...] The curiosity has not left him to this day, but is muted by what that inane urge caused when left unchecked.

On the outside, he tries to seem calm, cool, and collected. However, this can't be further from the truth. He doesn't like to think of it, but he is a huge dork and a competitive one at that. Riku constantly bumped heads with Sora and takes charge of a situation, easily slipping into a role of leadership. However, past dealings with the Darkness and those who lurk inside it have humbled him greatly from the haughty and proud child he once was. Said dealings with the likes of Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem, have scarred him greatly and dealt a massive blow to his ego, which often causes him to withdraw and act from the shadows while his best friends act in the light.

What has stayed the same, however, is his dream to protect the ones who matter. He'd go to any lengths necessary to protect or save his friends, even at a great and terrible cost to himself. He would even choose to accept the residual Darkness from Xehanort that yet lingers in his Heart for extra strength to save them, and as seen canonly, he has the ability to fully control said Darkness. His past struggles with it and the Heartless have taught him how to effectively utilize the strength Darkness wields, yet stave the negative effects of using it. However, this has not helped his fractured ego, as the price for learning this painful lesson was steep. He knows that, without a doubt, he would not have been able to do so without the Light the bonds between himself and his friends create.

For that is his strength: a balance of Darkness and Light, friendships and the power to protect those friendships.

He does not see the World in a spectrum of black and white, right or wrong, but in shades of grey with a strong dislike for those who would abuse their powers to harm others. Yes, this includes himself as well. For he has hurt others, and he hates himself for it, because he is so jealous of those who didn't have to feel this pain. Of those who didn't plunge their hands into the filth or once drown in the consequence of losing sight of what they believed in and cherished. Yet at the same time, he admires that about them. For this reason, he is incredibly protective of his friends, especially Sora, Kairi, and now Naminé and the Days Trio. (Yes, even Lea the blockhead who was too dumb to follow his own Heart and go back to his friends after they kept pestering Riku to open up to the others, though some of these feelings of "wtf bro" happens a little later than his current canon point.) Once he calls you a friend or ally, you can bet that Riku will do anything and everything in his power to watch you back. He is willing to go to any length, even so far as to submit to the darkness again - which likely earns him quite a few metaphorical Keyblades to the head - to ensure their safety. Countless times he's already bailed them out, covering their tracks from the Organization's pursuit. Even if it places an even larger target on his back from those who'd rather harm or use them for their own selfish gain, he's strong enough to handle it, and this willingness to sacrifice it all circles right back to the childish dream mentioned previously:

"To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends."

His entire personality can be summed up with these words, after all. Because no matter the pain he has gone through (be it his own fault or not) he stands right up again and keeps moving forward, never tiring when there are others depending on him to keep fighting. No matter the heartache for himself or those close to him, which is why this very well-intentioned dream led him to falter and deviate straight into the mistakes he's made and his possession by Xehanort.

The past experiences he's had and his friendships with Mickey and Xion in particular have sobered him greatly, causing him to mature a lot in the process of shattering his ego and pride over the last few years. Some of it good, some of it bad; he takes it all in stride and while he is standoffish at times, he has a kind heart and wants to help others within reason. He is the reverse of Sora, after all; analytical and skeptical to a fault. Tell Riku that Santa is real and he will deny it for Reasons. Trust me, you're likely better off not mentioning it at all.

Though as a Keyderp, Riku's friendships and rivalries are absolutely vital to him - especially those he trusts so closely and completely as his two best and lifelong friends. It is because of them and the light that makes their bonds why he is able to jump from the shadows and stand between them and those who'd threaten to hurt not just them, but destroy the worlds his friends fought so hard to protect despite his wandering over to the dark side them cookies, man. That's why I'll take the time to explain why.

• Sora
  Riku's longtime and best friend. Sora is one of the handful of individuals most important to Riku, as evidenced by the extreme lengths he was willing to go to wake up the lazy bum after his three years of slumber. Though the two are the greatest of rivals, they're always willing to tag team and spar with each other or their best friend, Kairi. With Riku's Darkness and their Light, they seem nigh unstoppable (keyword: seem; not even this AU is safe from Shenanigans). It was first because of Sora that Riku grew the desire to protect others as a five year old boy. He lost sight of that once along the line due to his envy of him and resentment for, in his view, being the only one who cared for their childhood friend, and it bothers him still to this day that the trust between them is so fragile. He's willing to go to any length to help Sora any possible way he can. If he had to choose, he'd wilingly give up himself to save him and Kairi.
  After all he'd done to hurt Sora, all that he "allowed" Xehanort do to him while he was possessed by his Heartless, it's the least he can do when Sora still believed in him when he couldn't even believe in himself.
  
• Kairi
  Riku's best friend and former love interest. Alongside Sora, Kairi's one of the most important people in Riku's life. Her well-being and happiness always came first to him, even if it meant wandering a dark path alone in order to protect her. It's his nature, after all - a desire strengthened by the knowledge that she'd be there to smack him upside if necessary to snap him out of his down-in-the-dump moments. Having been the catalyst for why the shadows fell upon his heart - the dire need to find her Heart when it was once lost - and later became a sort of guiding light to what was really important when he could no longer see through his own doubts and figuratively crawling out of the mess he'd made for himself. Having had over a year of fighting by each other's sides, their bond of friendship has strengthened greatly and, even before then, he'd risk his life time and again to save her.
  
• Axel
  He is a rather peculiar case with anyone in general, but there are strong similarities between the two that just could not go ignored─even by them. Even as a Nobody, he treasures his friendships greatly just as Riku, who had as well even as he fell into the darkness. Riku can empathize far too well with the reasons behind the assassin's actions, relate in ways many other can't and possibly see some of what he's thinking... Some; silly wild cards...
  
• Roxas
  ...All the awkward ever. Roxas is Sora's Nobody, and as such was the key to awakening Sora. Was. But in the immortal words of gag tags... "screw yo' plans DiZ we go wiff plan G." DiZ would have had Riku kidnap him from the Organization, but nope. He's choosing to side with the runaways over DiZ any day because he finally got sick of the racism.
  Still doesn't make it much less awkward, though, considering they didn't get to talk all that much...
  
• Xion
  Organization XIII's Number XIV and a replica created from Sora's memories of Kairi. Ever so slowly he came to see the girl as her own person─fake or not. Perhaps it is his own Replica's influence on him that made him begin to see Replicas as real people after his demise; one cannot say for certain. But now, because he got to know her and let her choose her own path, he can see just how right that idea was and how narrow-minded and judgemental DiZ had been to not just Nobodies, but Replicas as well. She's one of the others he'd take a metaphorical bullet for and totes does not have a crush, nope, you are seeing things this smalltext does not exist (he got it bad).
  
• Naminé
  Yet another person he owes greatly for their help in Castle Oblivion... While not quite accepting of the fact that she's Kairi's Nobody at times (possibly due to the fact he hates thinking back on his time walking down the dark path alone), he views Naminé as a good friend and trusted confidant. It's initially shown by the fact that he asks her to watch over Sora as he faces his darkness and Xehanort's─a sign of unspoken trust for someone who would much rather protect their friends themselves. It also says a great deal how he saves her by letting her go instead of allowing his hatred for the Organization (a group of fellow Nobodies) influence his feelings toward her.
  This friendship is further strengthened over the course of of two years while Sora remained asleep even longer. After all, she's the first he takes to the safety of Disney Castle - both to help explain the situation with Mickey, and to get her settled so work on Plan G (wait we were keeping count of these plans?). She is a trusted confidant and friend, and likely the first Nobody he witnessed any semblance of emotions from other than fear for their lives continued existence.
  
• Selphie, Tidus, Wakka
  His friends from the islands, and though not as close to him as Sora and Kairi, he still cares for them. Riku enjoyed sparring with them and the occasional good-mannered prank when they weren't playing blitzball or in school prior to opening the door. That is, if the mentions of them in Chain of Memories is anything to go by, or how depressed Riku seemed when the illusions of them faded from sight in the card world. The possibility of them fading into darkness as their world collapsed due to his actions weighs heavily on him, just like it does for everyone else who lives on the islands.
  
• Xehanort
  In the immortal words of Kefka: Hate hate hate hate hate hate HAAAAAATE.
  No seriously, I don't think there is anyone he would despise more. Since a portion of Xehanort was once a part of him that in some regards it could be considered self-loathing, and yet he would never be able to forgive the man─whole or the Heartless alone─for all the pain he caused to not just his friends, but the worlds as well; even if it was at some of his own hands...
  On one hand is the hatred and loathing disgust, but on the other is a deep regret for being once being a puppet to this man's plans. Thus with all the disgust, there is an equal sense of guilt for falling in the first place.
  
• Maleficent
  Maleficent... is a rather confusing figure for Riku's past, and thus his views on her are rather askew. On one hand he owes her for taking him in when he appeared in Hollow Bastion, yet he knows very well he was only being led astray and used by her just as he was using her to achieve his own goals. He hates her for it, and yet there's a very small amount of pity due to knowing that just like himself, she too was a puppet of the Heartless.
  Knowing this doesn't stop him from hating what she did, though. The same goes for every person he's met that belongs to the darkness─which includes all the Disney Villains like Hook, Ursula, and Oogie.
  
• DiZ (Ansem the Wise)
  There are many things one could say about Ansem, but the main thing outside of the gratitude for giving him a metaphorical kick in the rear when he would have otherwise been lost to oblivion is pity and disappointment. While he is glad that Ansem saw the truth through the haze his clouded judgment and thirst for vengeance caused in the end, it's rather obvious how much he disapproves of DiZ's actions since they're so similar to what they knew of the Organization's methods... By the time he admitted it, it was more akin to relief that he finally managed to pull the (poor, poor) stick out of his backside.
  
• Riku Replica
  Sibling rivalry, I mean- Riku despised the "fake" during his short life, repulsed by the very idea of someone else with his face and abilities not only accepting the darkness so willingly, but claiming that he could be a better him. However, seeing him in the card world of Twilight Town made him wonder just how much happened to him in such a short time to cause him to change so drastically. Mood whiplash, as it were. While he wasn't too thrilled with the replica's behavior, he cannot help the lingering sense of guilt for cutting him down and thus watching him fade from existence. Now he constantly wonders what would have happened if he survived...
  
• Terra
  Keyblade hero of the past and the one who passed on the power of the Keyblade to Riku, Terra is his predecessor in more ways than one. Darkness-wielding, their ties to Xehanort, and the many mistakes they've made while traversing the worlds are just brief summaries of the similar paths they've taken. How aware he is of this is never stated, but he is trying his hardest to overcome the legacy that was left to him. As the first person he met from the outside world, Terra became a sort of role model─exuding kindness and a strength that he desperately wanted to help protect his friends. That wish seemed to be something the two bonded over, even if he wasn't sure of that bond's significance until years later when suddenly staring down DiZ.
  
• Aqua
  Keyblade hero from the past and the predecessor to Kairi, Aqua is the second person he met from the outside world. She had long ago asked Sora to keep Riku on the straight and narrow before going off to the final confrontation, but the details were foggy to him until she was rescued from the Dark Realm. As such, he is a little wary of her, remembering that and knowing her stance on the Dark. Yet she showed a light of reconciliation, much like his best friends did. In short, he is very unsure of Keyblade Aunt. Very, very unsure of the nice Keyblade Aunt.

AU Information: AU Background (used with permission) and what Riku did while Sora was asleep on the job two more years.

Personality differences:
Riku is more outspoken than his OU counterpart, to be sure. He's had another year to not push aside, but accept his negative emotions and move on to the important things of protecting his friends and trying to regain some shred of normalcy for them. However, he still feels a strong sense of guilt for not just his actions under the influence of Maleficent and those in Darkness, but for what he almost (and actually did) convinced Xion to do for the sake of Sora waking up (though he's relieved that Axel-- Lea, sorry - convinced her otherwise). While he's had his friends help him with that, he still keeps much of it bottled up so as to not worry them. It's his mess, after all.

Since there was no Kingdom Hearts encoder explosion until much later in the timeline, Ansem wasn't fully repelled from Riku like he was in canon. This means that Riku had to face and denounce the whispers of doubt and uncertainty that the withered Xehanort heartseed inside him on his own the hard way. It was still absorbed completely by his own darkness and, more importantly, light, where it was suffocated and turned into a source of strength for him, but how long it took did its toll. His uncertainty of being worthy to wield the Keyblade is also prominent, even after getting told by his friends to follow his mother's advice and "use your words, Riku." Even when being personally taught by Mickey, and later Aqua once the Days trio saved her from the Darkness, after all he'd done to hinder and hurt those in the Light, how could he be sure that he deserved it?

Needless to say he got a stern talking to by quite a few people including two well-intentioned mice and a lazy bum still in a coma at the time (it's complicated and Christmas/Santa shenanigans were involved THIS STRIKEOUT IS A LIE).

Riku has also had to face not just the problems caused by his actions in Kingdom Hearts, but also his actions within Castle Oblivion. In particular, his own Replica when the memories Sora had from those white halls had been transferred to Xion to keep her stable. Since he grew maybe too close to her from the start, he realized and wondered why things turned out the way they did, and if his Replica were still alive, how would he be doing right now?

He doesn't know, and to be honest... it bothers him sometimes.

He also has many more skills under his belt thanks to aforementioned Keyblade Masters, but that I will cover in the area below.
Character Abilities: First and foremost, Riku is a chosen wielder of the Keyblade as per Rite of Succession that was performed by Terra when he was only five years old. The Keyblade is a magical weapon that can be called at any time by the Heart and Soul of the person it has chosen. They can lock or unlock any object (yes, even hearts) and transform into other weapons, a mode of travel in and between worlds (though as per his canon point, Riku doesn't know how to do this just yet), create rifts in dimensions, and in general break all of Sir Issac Newton's Laws of Physics.

He has gained his Way to the Dawn as of his canon point, however, out of habit he normally still uses his sword Soul Eater. While he has access to it, he doesn't tend to use it for the reason of not assisting the Organization to collect Hearts. At least, that's the surface reason. The other reason is that he still doesn't believe he's truly worthy of wielding it and only calls it out when absolutely necessary. This handicaps him often, and while he may not be on par with the Keyblade Masters of old, he is not to be underestimated. Even with Soul Eater, he has cut someone in half (poor, poor, Ansem) and can likely chop skyscrapers.

He's quick on his feet and strikes fast with the strength to back it up, sometimes adding either darkness or light to give him the upper hand. For the longest time, magic was his greatest downfall. Now he's proficient with it not just out of stomping the learning block dead, but of necessity to mess with the Organization's plans.

His specialty is physical and dark-based attacks that, while powerful, are mostly offensive and draining in the long run if misused. Canonly, he knows:

• Blitz: Or, perhaps similar to it. Like the Birth by Sleep ability, it strikes three times. However, instead of striking down three times, it is done in a sort of figure-eight pattern, forming the infinity symbol.
  
• Sliding Dash: A speed attack. Riku dashes forward upon striking down once, slashing the opponent and more often than not knocking them back a few feet.
  
• Impulse: A blast of energy directed at the opponent. It's quite literally the only non-elemental spell and long range attack he knows.
  
• Dark Shield: His main way of blocking attacks. Rep manipulates his darkness and magic to create a shield in front of him that blocks most attacks. Of course, that doesn't mean any can't get through. Which leads to...
  
• Cartwheel: His main method of dodging attacks because he is too cool to do a barrel roll. This is done with a single hand, normally forward in the direction in which he is facing while holding his weapon.
  Corridors of Darkness: Hidden passageways that are used to travel from point A to point B, normally between worlds. It's faster than Gummi Ships, but leaves the user at great risk for being corrupted or destroyed by the Darkness. That said, is no longer be able to use this particular ability due to his canon point.
  
• Quick Run: Riku's way of dodging attacks he can't block with Dark Shield. It gives him a quick boost of speed as he rushes forward, spinning ever so slightly.
  
• Reversal Jump: Along with being able to jump higher, Riku can also jump to directly behind an opponent. This makes it easy to cut them down from behind if they aren't too careful. It also leaves him vulnerable while in the air. Darn boy is a friggin' beast in aerial attacks.
  
• High Jump: Allows him to jump up in the air twice as high as he would normally.
  
• Block: Exactly What It Says On The Tin.
  
• Darkstrom: His Limit Break, courtesy of Days. In it, he rushss at the enemy multiple times in a manner similar to Sonic Blade. The Final Limit, however, infuses his blade with light energy as he slashes about wildly. This I shall call... Bitty Bladecharge. *Dr. Evil pinky*
  
• Dark Break: Riku jumps into the air, striking down at his opponent with the tip of his blade up to six times. Upon the sixth strike, he lands as several dark flames begin to erupt from below.
  
• Fire: Casts a single homing projecitle of flame at the target.
  
• Fira: Casts a single, medium-sized projectile that is a little more unruly but explodes on impact.
  
• Firaga: Casts a large projectile of flame that explodes on impact.
  
• Blizzard: Casts a homing icicle that takes a jump forward every half-second upon being cast. It is slow, but can reverse direction on a dime and can strike multiple times by hitting, then reversing direction and piercing again.
  
• Blizzara: Casts a land mine of ice that is visible near the caster. If touched, it explodes in several sharp icicles for heavy damage.
  
• Blizzaga: Causes a fine mist of ice crystals. It seems harmless, just reflecting light in the air... but step in the wide area it floats in, and it instantly freezes any caught in it for a period of time unless they're immune.
  
• Thunder: Casts a row of lightning bolts that strike the ground consecutively. It does not go far from the caster, but each strike packs a punch and can be devastating to large targets.
  
• Thundara: Casts multiple bolts of lighting from above in a circlearound the caster. They hit unpredictably, never striking the same area twice.
  
• Thundaga: Casts a single, massive blast of lightning where the caster has locked onto. Deals a large amount of damage.
  
• Aero: Casts a blast of wind that moves along the ground like the area about to be struck by a cyclone towards enemies. If it hits, it knocks them into the air, making them more vulnerable to attack.
  
• Aerora: A longer-lasting version of Aerora.
  
• Aeroga: Creates a huge whirlwind around the user that pulls in nearby enemies and deals a large amount of damage.
  
• Cure: Heals 20-40% of the total HP.
  
• Cura: Regenerates a small amount of health over a period of time, ending at about the target's HP total.
  
• Curaga: Creates a save point minus the glowing ball circle of healing that heals the user and allies so long as they stay inside it.
  
• Dark Firaga: Riku fires off a single, dark fire projectile that has homing capabilities unlike Dark Impulse.
  
• Dark Aura: Possibly the most destructive to a singular opponent, Dark Aura is performed in several stages. Riku begins to levitate in midair as he raises the blade over his head, then vanishes through a corridor as the immediate area grows dark. Using clock points, he warps around the battlefield with the target at the center, going from one point to the opposing point (like twelve to six) and striking at the opponent as he passes. This repeats six times before he appears above the center point and slams Soul Eater down into the ground, causing many pillars of dark flames to erupt from below and covering roughly half the area.
  
• Dark Impulse: The dark version of Impulse, it is a single blast of pure dark energy directed at the opponent.
  
• Dark Maelstrom: The dark version of Maelstrom. Riku spins in the direction of the enemy, darkness blurring around and acting like a buzz saw and splitting Soul Eater into two─creating a second blade that he joins together before striking and kicking the opponent into the air.
  
• Dark Barrage: The dark version of Barrage. Riku jumps into the air, tossing multiple Soul Eaters at a singular opponent.
  
• Cure Potion: Riku's method of healing all allies. Yeah, like it says in the ability name, it's is sad version of Cure mixed with a Potion. It's almost like it's summoning an infinite amount of Megapotions...
  
• Scent Detection: A passive ability. He's able to sense some vague things about others, and thanks to, he's able to tell others apart by their 'scent.' It seems to be similar to Zexion's ability, but it also works as a way of sensing presences/hearts like most trained Keyblade Wielders do.

Over the course of the AU, however, he has picked up a few more spells as well to keep his opponents on their toes.

• Reflect: Blocks all incoming attacks with a sphere of protective magic normally for an instant, but Riku can hold it for a few seconds if necessary. (Anything more than five seconds is exhausting, however, so he defaults to Dark Shield, which he can manage for longer.)
  
• Quick Blitz: A jumping attack. Riku jumps in the air, slamming down on the target with the blunt edge of his Keyblade.
  
• Sliding Dash: A speed attack. Riku slides forward in a move similar to Homing Slide; the only difference being that he also slices his targets as he speeds forward to what he is visually locked onto.
  
• Strike Raid: A tossing ability. Riku tosses his Keyblade forward at his target, using magic to call it back to his hand. It strikes both as it moves forward and while it returns to his grasp.
  
• Stun Edge: A jumping attack that utilizes status ailments. Riku jumps in the air, slamming down on the target with the blunt edge of his Keyblade while coated in sparks of a strange glow of magic with a 50% chance of inflicting the Stunned status ailment.
  
• Fire Surge: A rush attack. Riku charges at the opponent in a burst of speed, flames revolving around him in a ring. It is capable of hitting the targets that are in the way multiple times. Like most Surges, Fire Surge offers invincibility to most attacks when performed, the energy from it acting like a barrier.
  
• Esuna: Negates all negative status ailments.
  
• Ignite: Focusing on a single enemy, the caster will find that they can make them catch on fire. If the caster glances at a second enemy just before casting, both targets will catch fire. Stop, drop, and roll would be a good idea before the spell causes burns and continual damage.
  
• Slow: The first tier and the basis of all time manipulation magic. Focusing on one target, Riku can cast a circle of silver magic that when it hits it and the foes around them, slows their movements and reaction time to 50% of the usual
  
• Stop/Stopra: Creating a ring around himself or a target, Stop can cause foes the small area around him or a targeted enemy to come to a complete halt for a set period of time. Physical damage is not felt for any attacks in the duration of the spell is not felt until it wears off.

Character Inventory:

• Soul Eater (strengthen Dark attacks by 1.8x)
  
• Keyblade (Way to the Dawn, mentioned above)
  
• Keychains x2
  
• Potions x3
  
• The clothes on his back.
  
• Chaos Anklets x2
  
• One solid grounding broken whoops.

Samples: Even kids who don't know how to words say things to make hurting kids realize they aren't alone.
SORA PLZ
...You are on your own, kid.

It was strange to him. For so long, he wasn't sure that he would ever be able to come back to this tiny place. They yelling of his old classmates and friends, the sounds of parents leaving for work and wishing their children good luck at school that day or simply that they have a good day while school was out. The smell of the ocean in the distance, of seagulls crying out for someone's piece of bread. Once that unnatural storm, as the others went to call it, hit... he was sure that nothing would ever be the same - that nothing would ever be normal again...

Except now, here he was, eighteen years old and sitting on the roof of his parents' house as stared up at the sky while he listened to the early-morning sounds. It was all surreal... Like to the others, none of it had ever happened and three good friends and loved ones simply came back with four more after being gone for three years. Still kind, still loving as ever.

He didn't deserve it.

Because he knew. He knew that since he opened the door, this world had been lost until Sora helped restore it. Because of him, their family, their friends... all of it had washed away except for those three children who vanished the night of the storm. How could any of them forgive him so easily, when was supposed to protect their world and countless others yet he instead brought destruction to them in one fell swoop? He didn't get it, and likely never would in his mind. His heart knew, but...

When did he ever listen to that.

'It's almost funny... how naive they can all be.'

Not that he didn't appreciate it - he did - but dealing with it was...another story. In fact, maybe if all of them were as mad as his parents when he finally knocked on the front door after who knew how long, it would make him feel better. He'd deserve their anger, after all. But no; what he got was a clap on the back and practically told that he'd have to share his adventures someday.

'Thank goodness for Master Aqua,' he thought 'or I might have had to.'

World Order could sometimes be a very good thing. Though at least he warned them about most people with yellow eyes. It was his good deed for the day.

As the sun continued to rise, he sighed almost longingly. Man, did he want to go back out there, but no... He really should go back inside.

After all, he was still grounded for an eternity...