Kingdom Hearts 358-2 Days Page 5

  Was he talking about the boy they meant to turn into their tool or about Sora’s other half—his Nobody, Roxas?

  “You don’t trust me?” Larxene slumped in mock disappointment. “I know when to let up. I’m not stupid enough to break my toys.”

  Speaking of trust… Axel still had no idea who the traitor was.

  “Don’t forget. He’s the key. We’ll need him if we’re going to take over the Organization.”

  A smile played at the corners of his mouth as he laid the trap.

  When he said “we,” he didn’t mean himself and Larxene. She might interpret it as “we,” the people in the room. But that didn’t mean he was lying.

  And sure enough, Larxene took the bait. “Keep your mouth shut, would you? Keep it under your hood, at least until the time is right, hmm?”

  With that, she disappeared, off to meet Sora.

  It was a blithe admission of duplicity, and once the room was empty, Axel remarked, “You would have been wise to do the same, Larxene.”

  Alone in the shadowy lab, Vexen gazed at the crystal ball displaying the eighth underground floor where two identical boys faced each other.

  Riku and the Replica—the fruit of Vexen’s painstaking research.

  He had several others in production, and he was trying out various ways of inputting the physical data that would allow the puppet to copy the appearance and movements of the original. To be sure, everything was still in the experimental stage, but from what he could see of the Replica in the crystal ball, this trial was going quite well.

  Riku flung back the Replica. “Hey, fake me… Thought I heard you say I’d never win against you.”

  He closed in and held the point of Soul Eater to the Replica’s throat.

  “Hmph. Don’t forget, I’m still new. I’ll get stronger and stronger. It won’t be long before I’m stronger than you,” the Replica boasted. “So the next time we fight, you’re finished!”

  Yes—the Replica would grow in strength. And to that end, it needed experience.

  I must find it stronger opponents to face, Vexen thought, smiling to himself as he observed.

  Sora had defeated Larxene. She insisted that she’d meant to let him win, but she had obviously fled in disgrace.

  Still, Larxene had successfully carried the plan to the next step. Sora’s memories of Kairi, the Princess of Heart, were getting confused with false memories of Naminé the witch. He was coming to believe that a girl he’d never met was someone very dear to him.

  The technique of the Keyblade’s hero reminded him of Roxas. Roxas…

  Axel had more and more reasons to ponder the connection between a Nobody and their somebody.

  At the moment, though, he was with Vexen and his puppet, the Replica.

  Vexen’s puppet didn’t look anything like what Axel had seen when he had gone underground to investigate. Now it had taken on the form of a silver-haired boy—of Riku.

  He’d heard the Replica would gain power from Riku’s memories. But no one other than Vexen would have come up with such an elaborate instrument.

  “How could you let yourself be humbled by someone of such meager significance?” Vexen remarked. “You shame the Organization.”

  Larxene ignored the gibe.

  “How can we help you, Vexen?” said Axel. “It’s not often we see you topside.”

  The scientist was supposed to be in charge of operations down below; if there was any reason for him to surface, it was most likely to put his creation to some kind of test. And at the moment, Axel thought he wouldn’t mind seeing this puppet in action for himself.

  “I came to lend you a hand,” Vexen replied. “You obviously believe this Sora has much potential, but I remain unconvinced he is truly worth such coddling. An experiment, I think, would show if he is really of any value to us.”

  “Hmph. Well, here we go again.” Larxene sniffed. “Just an excuse for you to carry out your little experiments.”

  “I’m a scientist. Experiments are what I do, yes.”

  As Larxene and Vexen sniped at each other, the Replica watched Sora and his friends in the crystal ball.

  “Whatever. You can do what you want,” Axel told Vexen with a glance at the Replica. “But, you know, I get the feeling that testing Sora is just a way for you to test your valet.”

  “Valet?” Vexen fumed. “He’s the product of pure research.”

  “He’s a toy. That’s what he is,” Larxene said curtly, before he could launch into a long-winded scientific rebuttal.

  “Hmph. You could stand to keep your mouth shut about things you don’t understand,” Vexen snapped.

  “Anyway… Since you came all the way up here, you’re gonna want this.” Axel tossed a card to Vexen. “A humble gift for my elder! I hope you use it to put on a good show for us.”

  “Oh, how very helpful of you. Well then, I’ll be using that…” Vexen beckoned to the Replica, offering the card. “Come along.”

  “It’s just a card,” the Replica said flatly. “What good is that?”

  “That card holds the memories of Sora and Riku’s home,” Axel explained, studying the Replica’s reaction.

  “With that, and a little help from Naminé, you’ll have all the real Riku’s memories. We can even get her to make you forget that you’re nothing but a fake.” Larxene was having a terribly good time. “In other words, we’ll remake your heart so you can be just the same as the real Riku. ’Kay?”

  “You want to remake my heart?! The real Riku is a wimp who’s afraid of the dark—afraid of himself!” the Replica cried. “What do I want with the heart of a loser like that?!”

  Some of Riku’s memories must have already been copied into the Replica. If he had more, he should continue to gain power.

  “Any objections, Vexen? You do want to use him to test Sora, don’t you?”

  Vexen crossed his arms, considering Larxene’s proposal for the briefest moment. “It must be done.”

  “How can you?! Vexen, you’re betraying me?!” The Replica moved to face him in protest.

  “I told you I would make good use of you, didn’t I?” Vexen replied coldly.

  “Relax, kiddo,” said Larxene. “It probably won’t even hurt that much!”

  “I’ll hurt you!” The Replica charged at Larxene, sword raised.

  She flung him away. “Stupid little toy! You think you could hurt me? But hey—look on the bright side. Naminé will erase the memory of me knocking you flat, along with everything else in your head. Instead, she’ll implant the loveliest little memories you could ever hope for! Who cares if they’re all lies? No big deal!”

  She loomed over the Replica as he tried to get up.

  “No, don’t…”

  But Larxene’s next attack flung him into the wall and knocked him unconscious.

  “All right, Naminé, you’re up,” Axel called to the girl sitting silently in the corner of the room.

  “Okay…,” she murmured.

  “It is possible to rearrange memories without the aid of the witch.” Vexen hoisted up the Replica.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” said Larxene. “Rearranging memories is one thing, but we need to rewrite them, too. She’s the only one who can handle that part. Isn’t that right, Naminé?”

  The girl made a tiny nod.

  “And once you rewrite their memories, Sora and that puppet will both adore you,” Larxene added. “Isn’t that exciting?”

  Naminé had no reply.

  The Replica’s memories were being rewritten, just like Sora’s.

  Watching the puppet asleep in the flower-bud pod, Axel murmured to the girl beside him. “That’s an incredible power you have, Naminé.”

  “But…the only thing I can really do is string together bits of memory in different ways,” she said. “I can’t put in pieces that were never there to start with.”

  “Doesn’t that mean that as long as you’ve got the data, you can pull it off?” Axel wondered.

  The O
rganization already had the technology to convert memories to data.

  “But I need something to hold it,” said Naminé. “Like a container.”

  “A container, huh…?”

  So in this case, Axel thought, the Replica was the container.

  “And besides,” she went on, “Nobodies like you are at the mercy of their memories. It might awaken something similar in the Replica.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “A heart—” Naminé began to say something more, but at that moment, Vexen burst into the room.

  “Have you not finished rewriting those memories yet?”

  She turned. “No, I’m not done. If his memory helix collapses, the Replica himself will probably break down, too…”

  At the thought, her gaze dropped sadly.

  “Well, according to Larxene, Sora is about to arrive at the next floor.” Vexen typed something into the pod’s keyboard, and its door swung slowly open. The Replica blinked.

  Naminé watched the Replica battle Sora in the crystal ball.

  “You have my sympathies,” Axel said quietly. “From the heart.”

  His words were meant for the Replica. Not for her.

  She peered curiously at Axel. Something like determination had awakened in her eyes.

  Is she up to something…?

  Axel returned her gaze.

  “Don’t waste your time,” he warned. “We Nobodies can never be somebodies.”

  She looked down at the sketchbook in her arms.

  Marluxia was right to manipulate the hero of light. But the underground team weren’t wrong, either, bringing out the Replica in response.

  And since he wasn’t taking either side, Axel could use both the Replica and the Keyblade wielder. But it would be impossible to stay on top in this castle without Naminé.

  And she had said some interesting things during their earlier conversation near the sleeping Replica.

  “Say, Naminé… Isn’t there something else you can do?”

  When she raised her head, there was fear in her eyes.

  “Heya, fake—er, Riku.”

  After a second loss to Sora, the Replica found Axel in front of him.

  He had no memories of his own anymore. He believed he was Riku.

  “What do you want?” he demanded.

  There was sweat on the Replica’s forehead, Axel noticed. Did puppets sweat?

  “That hero was pretty strong, huh?” Axel smirked down at him, patting him on the shoulder. “Even Naminé admits she likes strong guys, y’know.”

  The Replica lowered his head and bit his lip—just like a human boy with a heart would.

  “Well?” said Axel. “You’d like to get stronger, wouldn’t you, Riku?”

  “How?” The question was accompanied by a resentful glare.

  Axel threw a single card to him. It struck the Replica in the chest and fluttered to the floor.

  That card had no link to anyone’s memories but was a room key in Castle Oblivion. Usually, holding a card up to a door in the castle would open up a new world, but this simply linked to whatever room Sora was in.

  Axel had made his choice. Rather than let Vexen pull the strings, Axel was going to get a pawn of his own with the Replica.

  “If you use that card, you’ll be able to get some more power.”

  “…Why are you helping me?” The Replica eyed the card on the floor.

  “Because I wouldn’t mind seeing the hero taken down myself.”

  This was such a bald-faced lie that even a puppet probably wouldn’t be fooled. Still, it would have the intended effect. With the fake memories from Riku implanted in him, the Replica wanted power at any cost. That was the entire meaning of his life now.

  “So, Riku, what’re you waiting for?” Axel prompted.

  As if he’d finally made up his mind, the Replica picked up the card.

  Topside, the situation after Larxene’s loss had been reversed. This time, it was her turn to take Vexen to task.

  Axel wasn’t ignoring them, but he was also keeping an eye on Naminé as she cowered in a corner.

  How much did she know about that puppet?

  “So what’s going on, Vexen?” Larxene scolded. “I thought Riku was under your control—so where is he?”

  The Replica had gone missing after a battle with Sora—or so they thought. In fact, after his failure, he had simply taken Axel’s bait and run off. Vexen and Larxene, however, had no way of knowing that.

  “He’s hiding somewhere to lure Sora deeper into the castle, right?” Axel offered. “I suppose we should just leave it at that.”

  Larxene clapped her hands once in mock realization. “I’m so sorry. It’s just hard to tell whether your research is supposed to be of any use whatsoever.”

  “Silence!” Vexen trembled with rage.

  “Aw, you hate being told the truth, don’t you? Simpleminded for a scientist!”

  “As if you’re one to talk…” Vexen summoned his shield.

  But the second after it materialized in his hand, Marluxia appeared between the squabbling pair after his lengthy absence. “Enough.”

  Larxene and Vexen both stopped short.

  “Vexen, the fact is that your project was a failure,” Marluxia declared with a hint of disgust. “You had better not disappoint us again.”

  From what they had seen of the Replica, Vexen’s stratagem, or perhaps his scheme, could be termed a success. But as far as Marluxia was concerned, they had no need for a puppet that acted outside the Organization’s will.

  “Disappoint you?! You go too far! In this Organization, you are number eleven! While I am number four, and I will not be ordered around by the likes of you!” Vexen readied his shield.

  Marluxia answered with icy disdain. “This castle and Naminé have been entrusted to me. Defying me will be seen as treason against the Organization.”

  “And traitors are eliminated. That’s what the rules say!” Larxene chirped from beside him.

  She wasn’t wrong. Under their laws, a member who defied the Organization would not be suffered to live.

  “I tell you, the project failed,” said Marluxia. “And I must report that failure to our leader.”

  “What—? No, wait! Don’t tell him that!” Vexen pleaded, nearly falling to his knees.

  Larxene’s mouth twisted into a nasty grin at his desperation, though Vexen probably couldn’t see it with his head lowered.

  “Perhaps we can work something out,” Marluxia said softly.

  Then Vexen looked up. “How?”

  “Eliminate Sora yourself.”

  “What?!” Vexen blurted. None of his predictions could have prepared him for such an order.

  Even Larxene seemed startled.

  “Is there a problem?” Marluxia asked with a graceful smile.

  “No… It’s just, why—? Won’t that cause a problem?”

  “Never you mind.”

  As Vexen floundered, Marluxia curtly closed the topic.

  An uncomfortable silence settled over them, until Larxene broke it. “Are you for real?”

  Marluxia made no reply. As if Larxene’s question had been the last push he needed, Vexen vanished from the room.

  “You challenge Vexen like that, and he’ll seriously try to eliminate Sora,” Axel commented.

  But he suspected the true intent of the order was to eliminate Vexen, not Sora. Marluxia wasn’t a complete idiot, after all.

  “That would be an unfortunate denouement.” Marluxia approached the corner where Naminé sat in a trembling huddle. Her shoulders jumped as she looked up at him. “What will you do? Before long, your hero will be wiped from existence. But I believe there is a certain promise that he made you. Isn’t that right, Naminé?”

  “Yes…,” she replied in her thin, tiny voice.

  The Keyblade finally brought Vexen to his knees.

  “We did it!” Sora struck a victorious pose.

  “So you can fight after all…,” Vexen muttered, draggi
ng himself upright. “I might have expected—you’re not one to die very easily.”

  Even though his face was contorted in pain, his voice brimmed with overconfidence.

  “As if we’d ever lose to you!” Donald shouted from behind Sora.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. Did you even notice? As we fought, I was delving deep into your memories. And here… Look what I found! A card crafted from all the memories locked in the other side of your heart.” Vexen tossed the card in Sora’s direction. “If you really want to fight me, step into the world that you create with this!”

  “What’s he talking about?”

  As Larxene observed the scene in the crystal ball, she looked up at Marluxia.

  “That…would be Twilight Town,” Marluxia murmured, naming the location on the card in Sora’s hand.

  Axel’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

  “What is he up to, I wonder?” Larxene mused.

  “He probably figures he’ll have the advantage fighting in a world he knows better.” Axel crossed his arms.

  “Oh dear—doesn’t it look like Vexen’s gone and lost his cool? So what now, Axel? I thought Sora wasn’t supposed to find out about the other side.”

  But which side is really the “other”? Axel thought. Was it the other side for Roxas, a Nobody? Or for Sora?

  And what was Vexen trying to do? Was it something to do with his experiments? What could he be trying to accomplish by meddling with Sora’s memories?

  And how could Twilight Town be in Sora’s memories at all?

  “Well, as long as no one confronts him, we should be able to get away with it,” said Axel, trying to hide his unease. “But…”

  “Let’s have Naminé deal with it,” Marluxia spoke over him. “And you go, too, Axel. I trust you know what needs to be done.”

  He did; there was no doubt in his mind. But he flashed a cocky grin at Marluxia anyway. “Haven’t a clue, really. Maybe you could spell it out for me.”

  “You must eliminate the traitor,” Marluxia replied with a faint smile, as if they were making small talk.

  “No taking that back later.” Without any further discussion, Axel turned and walked out of the room rather than using the dark portals.