User Profile

Note: I'm currently reworking some bits of Riku's story, so the current summary may be a bit dated.



- Keybearer
- NOT a role-reversal so much as a what-if-- simply, if the Keyblade had chosen Riku. Yes, Sora worked for Maleficent, but his actions and intentions were a bit different, as were Riku's.
- Taken post-KH1 timeline
- Detailed info below.
- Info on other characters here.

Character: Riku
Series/Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Original or Alternate: AU

Age: 15
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Sexuality: Heterosexual, taken
Appearance: Riku is a somewhat tall, slightly muscular teenage boy whose most notable features include his silver hair, which reaches his shoulders, and turquoise eyes. He dresses in a sleeveless, yellow and black top, dark blue waders, strapped shoes, along with black wrist bands and half-gloves.

Personality: At first glance Riku is a cool, collected teen. He's pretty laid back most of the time, and also very sarcastic when he wants to be. Even after all he's been through Riku's prone to making snappy remarks and messing with his friends. All those jokes about paopu fruits, for example? He'd probably do something similar, that is, if the circumstances aren't what they are now...

But that's the one thing that's changed. Riku's gotten just what he wanted the day the islands disappeared, to see other worlds. And, needless to say, it wasn't all fun and games. Though at first he treated it as such, the more worlds he visited and the stronger the heartless he faced the more he came to realize just how difficult being Keybearer is. Between Sora being tricked by Maleficent, the fall of Pleasure Island, and what happened to Kairi he's stopped treating his 'duties' as an excuse to see rare sights. Rather, he wants nothing more than to find Sora, to close the door, and return back where he started, which in itself is a bit ironic.

Furthermore, in regards to Sora, he's still fiercely jealous of his carefree attitude. Sure, he wound up with the key, the adventure, and everything else, but deep down Riku's full of flaws. Flaws he's well aware of. Everything Sora did was because he was genuinely fooled into thinking Maleficent and co were good people, and besides, he's the one who made that heroic sacrifice. But with that comes a bit of guilt, too, since the whole thing started with him opening the door. All the while, he's determined to bring Sora back to a point where he'd even put the fate of all the worlds at stake-- the door's still wide open, after all, which means an immense effusion of heartless is free to do as they please. Seeing his Nobody has only made him more determined, not only to bring him back, but to find a way to fix his memories and maybe even find a heart for him again.

Now that Riku's more used to his job, he's a lot more determined to get things done. This isn't to say that he'll make sappy shounen speeches like Sora in canon or eagerly make new friends; on the contrary, Riku's still Riku. He won't shove people away, but he won't jump on board the friend ship right off the bat. Still, he's opened up a little, at least. At this point he definitely understands the repercussions of his mistakes and the greater threats out there and is willing to stop them. But his reason's still a little selfish; he just wants to get things over and done with.



Abilities/Strengths: Riku is a fairly strong individual physically. He’s had plenty of practice when it comes to sparring and fighting with a sword, or, in his case, Keyblade. Strong and agile, Riku would be a fairly formidable opponent, though not invincible by any means.

His fighting style tends to be straight and to the point, typically offensive, though, if need be, he will take a more defensive tactic. However, he prefers to take down his enemy quick and easy. This, paired up with a few of the techniques he’s learned, such as throwing his weapon and having it rebound, or simply pulling some combos make his method of fighting useful.

Other than straight on fighting, Riku has also picked up a bit of magic along the way. A few examples include basic spells, such as fire, blizzard, and thunder, but also more obscure techniques, like gravity, reflect, and aero. The first four speak for themselves, though in the case of aero, a gust of wind is used in a defensive way. Added onto this is cure, which heals him when he’s to injured. None of these spells can be used constantly, though, and over time he’ll be unable to use magic until he recuperates a bit.

Weapons: Riku’s weapon of choice is a large key-shaped weapon with a golden handle and a silver point called the Keyblade. Its main purpose is no different from that of a sword; it’s a close range weapon that can pack a punch. Other than that, though, Riku’s magic is projected from the Keyblade as well.

Weaknesses: One of Riku’s greatest weaknesses is the fact that he comes across as uncertain. Though he had wished to leave his home and to taste adventure, after facing the heartless and seeing what other worlds are really like, he almost wishes that he wasn’t the chosen wielder at times. Along with that, he feels responsible for his best friend losing his heart, and there are moments when he is overwhelmed with guilt and questions his heroism.

Also, it’s important to note that he’s relatively gullible, though not as much as when he first left Destiny Islands. All the same, give him an offer he absolutely can’t refuse, and he may still pull through with it, even if the consequences are dire.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, even with his fighting skills, Riku is far from invincible. Everyone has stamina, and it’s very likely that, if Riku were to tire, defeating him would be a cinch. Also, at times, he can be hot headed enough in combat to not think things through, which would definitely hinder him greatly.


History: For all his life, Riku lived in a world called Destiny Islands. There, he, along with his best friend Sora spent their early years together going on pretend adventures, perhaps fighting with wooden swords, and wondering what else was out there. For the longest time, he had always been looking towards the horizon, hoping to someday leave his island home and go on ‘real adventures’. However, for the longest time, such was nothing but a dream that would never come true. At least, until one faithful night in the middle of a meteor shower…

It was then that the girl, Kairi, arrived on the island. She was very strange in the sense that, for one, she was clearly from a place far from the islands, but also because she had no memories of her original home. This seemed strange to Riku, but also proof that maybe, just maybe, there were really other worlds out there, and so, given new determination, he, along with Sora and now Kairi, would begin to dream bigger, so to speak.

Fast forward about nine years or so, and that dream was finally starting to come into place, for Riku and his friends were preparing a simple raft that would hopefully take them to faraway places, and maybe even Kairi’s home. For three days they worked tirelessly, though it was mostly Riku who did the work, gathering supplies, putting together the raft, and getting ready to set sail. During that time, he and Sora would also compete via sparring, racing, and then spend evenings together, Kairi included, sitting along the paopu tree and gazing into the sunset.

Soon enough, the time to depart would come, but, more often than not, dreams don’t become a reality. Such is the case with the raft.

It all began when Riku overheard Sora and Kairi on the evening before the departure. Kairi had mentioned that Riku had 'changed'... and jokingly said that the two of them should take the raft...without Riku.

Riku was too infuriated to listen any longer, and in his frustration he went to the Secret Place... and it was there that everything went downhill.

In that cave he saw a drawing from years back of Sora and Kairi...and a paopu fruit sketched on. This was enough to convince him that something was up, and the presence of a mysterious cloaked man (whom he had seen once before) in the cave didn't help. He told Riku of how his friends had disowned him, and how the only way to leave his home was to open the door. It seemed impossible, as the door had no knob, but the man told Riku to focus, and when he did a strange Key-shaped weapon appeared and opened the door...

A most regrettable mistake, for as soon as the door opened, strange, black creatures emerged, and they began to spread across the island. To say the least, something was very wrong.

The unusual weapon disappeared, and Riku had no means of fighting. Outside the cave he could hear footsteps-- Sora was there, attempting to fight off the creatures with a wooden sword and failing miserably. The two argued at first-- Riku was convinced that he and Sora were against him, but it was resolved quickly enough for the two of them to split up in search of Kairi. Sora remained in roughly the same area, while Riku searched the other half of the island in vain. Everything, including the raft, was already in ruin, and Kairi was nowhere to be found.

By the time he returned to the secret place, Sora was already waiting. Neither had succeeded in finding Kairi, that is, until the two eyed her running over to the small island, chased by two heartless, only to jump up onto the paopu tree. The two immediately rushed over to her, but without proper weapons neither one of them could fight. Instead, they, too, jumped onto the tree for a moment, until all three of them decided to jump into the water in hopes of catching the creatures off guard.

Instead, they all too quickly found that the water was deeper, not to mention a dark and murky purple. The moment they landed, the two creatures sunk away, and the trio immediately was dragged beneath the water. Strange, shadowy arms pulled them deeper and deeper, and though Sora and Riku both struggled to break loose it was useless. Instead, they tried to swim their way down to Kairi, who already was fairly deep into the water. A strange, disembodied voice echoed beneath the water, speaking of darkness and its perks and even questioning if Riku was afraid; at this point he finally summoned the Keyblade again, cutting himself, Sora, and Kairi free.

Sora and Riku immediately grabbed Kairi and swam to shore, where they gave her a potion, since she was far worse off than they were. Afterwards they immediately rushed to the Secret Place at Riku’s suggestion, because the door was still open (or so he thought). With the Key in hand, Riku managed to take on the heartless on the way, albeit with some difficulty, but by the time they reached the cave Kairi became wary. Still, they entered, only to find the door… closed. That is, until Kairi stepped up to it. When she did, the door immediately flung open, tossing her forward, as the two boys dove up to catch her—but she disappeared, and before either one of them could think about what just happened, they were both tossed up onto a floating platform where a large, black beast stood. One that was oddly familiar to Riku.

He fought such a beast in a dream, and during this moment of realization he managed to summon the Key-shaped weapon from before...the Keyblade. With it, he was able to defeat the monster, but then both he and Sora were thrust into the air...and became unconscious.

When Riku woke up he was no longer on the islands, but in a different world. And, of course, being in a different world, he naturally wanted to check it out.

For some time he wandered around, fighting more of the black creatures, until he stumbled upon a man wielding a rather strange sword. He attacked Riku, and both fought, though Riku came out victorious. He managed to escape from there rushing into the Third District, only to be attacked by a large, armored heartless, promptly fainting in the midst of a fight.

Upon awakening he found himself being watched by some strange girl in ninja-attire and the man from before, as well as two strange animals, Donald and Goofy. The man, Leon, and the girl, Yuffie, explained that he was a Keybearer, chosen to wield the Keyblade, and that the black creatures, heartless, would continue to attack him as long as he wielded the weapon. Donald and Goofy also spoke of their mission, and Riku's importance.

Needless to say, this newfound news wasn’t exactly pleasing to Riku. Rather than being able to explore this new world and perhaps locate Sora and Kairi, he now had a burden placed upon his shoulders. But, before he could think things through, the heartless appeared, and both Riku and Leon, along with Yuffie, Donald, and Goofy went outside to face them.

While Yuffie and Leon fought up above, Riku, Donald, and Goofy continued into the second district again where the armored heartless from before returned. After the fight, Riku asked for more information, such as what happened to his world, and more about Donald and Goofy's mission. They offered to take him with them, but at first Riku declined, having enough of any “hero business”, but when they mentioned that they could go to other worlds, Riku became interest enough to tolerate them, and perhaps he'd bump into Sora and Kairi on the way .

This began an adventure which would allow Riku to see different worlds, but not necessarily in a positive light.

It all began in Wonderland, the very first world they searched. From its odd, if not insane, residents to the unusual touches such as shrinking elixirs, with each moment the world grew stranger. In Wonderland they encountered the Queen of Hearts in the midst of a trail, where Riku openly insulted her, forcing he, Donald, and Goofy to face off against the cards. When the fight became futile they instead were forced to play a rigged game of croquet with the Queen only to find out about Alice's kidnapping and a mysterious boy who did it. When they went to search for this boy, they were attacked by the Trickmaster, and by the time it was defeated no signs of the boy or Alice could be found, but rather a single Gummi Block. Even then, they continued their search, Riku idly wondering if this boy may have been Sora.

Then, in Olympus Coliseum, the trio arrived right before a grand tournament. There they encountered a strange man in a black coat, apparently there to watch. In their visit to Olympus they also met Phil, the very guy in charge of the games. Naturally, Riku wanted in, but when Phil denied his heroism and even mentioned previous Keybearers the trio prepared to leave--- that is, until Hades offered them a special pass. In the end, they made it into the games and right up to the semi-finals where they faced a man named Cloud.

The battle was tough, and Cloud surely competent, but they still managed to win by a hair. Furious, Hades sent Cerberus out to finish the job. Hercules arrived on the scene just in time to save Cloud and the others from being crushed, but despite Phil's warnings Riku stuck around and, in turn, so did Donald and Goofy. Together with Hercules they fought valiantly until Cerberus finally fell. In the end they were deemed Junior Heroes for the simple reason that a hero's strength comes from the heart, not the weapon he possesses.

After Olympus, they returned to Traverse Town, where they met up with Sora, who was perfectly well and overjoyed to see Riku. When Riku asked where his friend had been, Sora simply stated that he had been rescued by a woman named Maleficent, and that he’d made some new friends. Eventually Riku decided to sneak off with Sora and talk in private, causing Donald and Goofy to once again chase after him. By the time they did catch up, Leon approached them, telling them that a man named Merlin wished to see them. Rather than just leaving Sora behind, though, Riku asked him to come along, and the four met up with Merlin in his musty old cabin, where Sora acted as though he’d just seen Kairi and Merlin himself taught Riku a few new spells. Eventually they headed back out into the third district, where heartless attacked. Just as Sora prepared to show off his new sword, Riku took out the heartless with ease.

Sora was both shocked and amazed at this, but Riku simply brushed it off before. Sora then asked if Riku wanted to tag along with him in hopes of finding Kairi, but Donald immediately stepped in and declined. In response, Riku asked Sora if he could come along, but again Donald refused. At this point Sora told Riku that he needed to be somewhere and ran off. Shortly after, Riku, Donald, and Goofy went into the second district and talked to Leon about the Keyholes as well as Maleficent. This left Riku confused, given what Sora told him about his new “friends”. Just as they were about to head off to more worlds, though, the bell in the gizmo shop went off, and another guard armor attacked.

Except this time it changed so that its body parts were in the opposite positions as before. Still, it was defeated, and immediately after Riku sealed Traverse Town’s keyhole. With that, they returned to the Gummi Ship.

So, once more Riku, Donald, and Goofy went across the worlds. They swam under the sea in Atlantica, where they met up with Ariel, a young mermaid who, like Riku, wished to see other worlds and live along the shore where the man she loved lives.

Despite them being complete strangers, Ariel treated the trio with kindness and even showed them her secret treasures from the surface world. During this time she asked Riku if he came from the same ocean as another boy, though she didn't give a name. Shortly after they returned to the Palace to meet Ariel's father and ask for the location of the Keyhole, only to be treated to a warning and asked to leave at once.

But that didn't deter them. Ariel went off to find the other boy in case he knew, while Riku, Donald, and Goofy searched for the Keyhole on their own. When they next met up at Ariel's spot she explained that the other boy was continuing to search on his own, but before any more could be asked Triton appeared and scolded all four of them, destroying many of Ariel's sacred treasures in a fit of rage.

Ariel swam off in tears, followed by Triton. Afterwards they continued to search for the Keyhole with no luck. When they returned to the Palace they learned that Ariel may well have been tricked by this other boy into making a deal with Ursula the Sea Witch, who somehow managed to acquire his trident. Together, they all swam to Ursula's grotto in order to stop her schemes, but upon arrival they found her already embracing the power of the trident, Sora and Ariel at her side.

And Ursula grew into an enormous and powerful form, using her newfound powers to attack. Before Riku could speak to Sora, he swam off in fear, leaving a powerless Triton, the trio, and Ariel to fight off Ursula.

After a hard battle they won, however, and Triton allowed them to seal the Keyhole and apologized for his ill feelings earlier. In truth, previous Keybearers visited nearly a decade ago during an enormous crisis between worlds. Evidently his wife died during this crisis, leaving him heartbroken for the longest time. As they prepared to leave, he warnsed Riku of the darkness and reminded him that being Keybearer is more than just a job and that it has its risks. Even then, he wasn't fully convinced... not when things had been so smooth.


But that all changed soon.

Shortly after leaving Atlantica, the trio prepared to head to the next world, Halloween Town, when a strange, dark signal appeared on the radar. At first Donald wanted to continue on course, but when Riku brought up the possibility of their King being there as well as their new obligations they decided to investigate the new world.

And what a world it was. Pleasure Island, as it was called, appeared to be nothing but a vulgar place of amusement, from gambling, to smoking, to kids causing destruction all over the place by setting things ablaze. Furthermore, it seemed that with each turn powerful heartless appeared, ones much stronger than those in previous worlds.

But eventually they came across a little wooden boy named Pinocchio, who Jiminy immediately recognized. Apparently they both came from the same world, although when Jiminy tried to convince him to tag along Pinocchio denied, as he seemed to be enjoying the island far too much and even made a new friend named Lampwick, who encouraged Pinocchio to "ditch that bug".

Still, Jiminy tried to negotiate. All the while, Riku snuck off to get a better look around, forcing Donald and Goofy to chase him around again. Along the way they encountered more heartless and later discovered that the boys on the island were slowly being transformed into donkeys because they "made jackasses out of themselves", and the less fortunate ones go went further and become heartless.

With this new knowledge the trio rushed back to find Jiminy and Pinocchio, only to find that he sprouted a pair of donkey ears and a tail, and that Lampwick became a complete donkey, unable to even speak. Now fearful, Pinocchio decided to tag along after all, and that was when they realized...the Keyhole remained open! With so many heartless about, this could only end in disaster, and so the group hurried to search for the Keyhole and seal it off before the world became any worse.

And it was then that they met the Coachman, the very man who ran the joint. Teeming with darkness, the man refused to let them interfere with his operation, instead summoning an enormous heartless: the Behemoth. Said heartless crushed him to death and then proceeded to attack Riku and the others.

But this fight was not like previous ones. The Behemoth's size and strength made for one powerful opponent-- too strong, in fact. The more they fought, the more they realized that this was futile. More and more heartless surrounded the Keyhole, lowering the odds of success until they had no choice left but to flee. And flee they did, leaving Pleasure Island to fall into ruin.

In fact, as they flew away, Pinocchio made a wish on the "star", only to watch it fade.

The disastrous events of Pleasure Island left an impact on Riku. Now two worlds fell because of his incompetence, and both in similar ways. What's more, this world wasn't even his own, and while it did appear vile and corroded with darkness it probably was home to someone out there. When Pinocchio asked Jiminy about what happens when a wishing star fades it only made matters worse.

And it really put everything into perspective. Phil's lecture about the strength of a hero, the Cheshire Cat's warnings about the shadows, Triton's explanation, and even what Leon and the others told him... Being Keybearer wasn't a game. It was a job, an obligation, and Donald and Goofy, who he'd treated with the cold shoulder really needed him. At last, Riku accepted his fate and promised to work with Donald and Goofy from here on out. Similarly, Donald and Goofy, albeit reluctantly, agreed to help find Sora and Kairi.

Unfortunately, the discussion kept them too distracted from driving the Gummi Ship, forcing it right into a meteor, sending it crashing straight into Halloween Town.

Upon their arrival Donald had to quickly disguise the trio, and upon exiting they found themselves in the middle of the town square where Sora, of all people, seemed to be dancing with heartless alongside a talking skeleton. Riku's arrival caught him off guard, however, and the two had a brief conversation in which Sora spoke of his adventures and his new friends, begging Riku to join him, only for him to decline. If that's not bad enough, the two barely got to speak further, as Sora ran off yet again, muttering something about an "Oogie" and the world's Keyhole.

Later, as it turned out, one of the residents named Dr. Finkelstein was attempting to create an artificial heart to help the heartless dance alongside Jack Skellington, but the heart had mysteriously gone missing. Alongside Jack, Riku, Donald, and Goofy searched Halloween Town for the heart, encountering more heartless, as well as Lock, Shock, and Barrel...and eventually Sora. When Riku asked why he needed a faulty heart, Sora replied that Kairi had become a puppet and that the heart could maybe help her. Once again, he asked Riku to help, only for him to decline a second time, which caused him to scurry off to Oogie Boogie's manor.

With no choice, the group pursued Sora, Oogie, and the others, being faced by Lock, Shock, and Barrel again, and Oogie himself, who faced the heroes in a casino-type arena. After his defeat, he was weakened, but not down quite yet. He returned to Sora, demanding the heart, which he reluctantly gave to him, suddenly growing in size and fusing with his manor. After his defeat, the entire manor fell into ruin, but the heart was lost, but the world's Keyhole appeared. Shortly after sealing it, Riku, Donald, and Goofy departed, as did Sora, saddened by his loss.

But this wouldn't be the last they'd see of Sora, as they'd soon find out in Agrabah.

When they first arrived, Riku, Donald, and Goofy appeared in the midst of a grand parade celebrating the arrival of "Prince Ali". Complete with a catchy musical number, this show-stopping scene caught the attention of the trio, though mostly Goofy, who began to dance to the song. Unfortunately, a large group of heartless interrupted the show, forcing Riku and co right into action-- and Prince Ali joined them with his sword! After a few minutes of fighting, however, he summoned a genie and wished for the heartless to be destroyed.

With that mess out of the way, he quickly introduced himself to the trio, as did they. When asked about the Keyhole, however, Ali denied knowing of any such thing and left to the Palace in order to meet with Princess Jasmine. Of course, rather than just sit around, Riku and co decided to follow along, just in case the Princess knew-- or better yet, the Sultan.

But outside the Palace they found Ali and his Genie, who finally introduced himself properly. Here Aladdin revealed that he used Genie's power to become a prince in order to marry Jasmine, who refused his attempts at wooing her completely. Here Riku asked about the lamp and the wishes, to which Genie explained in great detail the rules of wishes and the very fact that Aladdin only had one remaining wish.

Still determined, though, Aladdin returned to the Palace, while the trio went on to search Agrabah for the Keyhole, all while discussing the lamp; Riku and Donald both wondered what would happen if they got their hands on it, something which Goofy completely discouraged.

That night, after failing to find the Keyhole, they returned to the Palace, watching as Aladdin and the Princess flew off on a magic carpet. Curious, they slipped inside, eying Genie's lamp right down on the floor. Deciding to just "borrow" the lamp for a single wish each, Riku and Donald summoned the genie. When Donald wished for riches, he got hit in the head by a single gem, while Riku's wishes for power gave him a single ability. When Goofy became the master, he asked about the Keyhole, albeit reluctantly, but heartless arrived on the scene before anything could be done.

These heartless chased them all the way outside, and they dropped the lamp in the process. The fight goes on for quite some time until Aladdin and Jasmine both returned, and together they headed into the Palace to get the lamp.

They found it, alright-- right in the hands of the royal Vizier, Jafar, who stood with Sora by his side. With Genie now as his slave, Jafar wished for himself, his parrot, Sora, and Jasmine to be brought straight to the Keyhole. In the midst of this wish Riku tried to approach Sora, who shook his head and muttered a quick apology before he vanished alongside Jafar and the Princess.

Alone again, they tried to discuss how to find Jasmine, at least, until Aladdin remembered a strange object he saw in the Cave of Wonders. With the magic carpet, they traveled together into the cave and searched for the Keyhole, where at last they found Jafar, alone with the Genie. Using his newfound sorcerer powers, Jafar transformed into an enormous cobra and attacked the group, and for a good while they fought until Aladdin and Riku began to taunt Jafar about how, compared to the Genie, he was second rate.

And so Jafar wished to become a Genie himself and attacked once more, while Iago carried his lamp. This time they fought to get to the lamp, avoiding Jafar's attacks whenever they could, and when at least they reached it both he and his parrot were sealed inside. With the Keyhole finally sealed, they fled the Cave of Wonders and returned to the Palace, where at last they met the Sultan and explained the location of his daughter.

Genie suggested that Aladdin use his final wish to rescue Jasmine, but he denied, instead wishing him free. When Riku asked why, Aladdin explained that Genie's his friend, and friends don't back down on promises. And although Aladdin freed the Genie, he offered to travel alongside Riku to look for Jasmine, acting as a summon. All the while, the Sultan told Aladdin that, despite his origins, he would make a fine husband for his daughter.

So with a fond farewell, Riku and co returned to the Gummi Ship with even more resolve than before, only to be attacked by a pirate ship.

The three landed on board and were greeted by Sora in a pirate fashion (he was even dressed accordingly) Again Sora asked Riku for his help, even going so far as to show off Kairi, who seemed to be in a deep sleep... a 'puppet' as Sora had said in Halloween Town. He told Riku how his new friends could help, but Riku told Sora that he’d picked the wrong sort of ‘friends’, and that they were misleading him. To this Sora frowned and turned away, and the trio fell straight through a trap door. It was there that they met an unusual boy named Peter Pan.

Apparently Peter was looking for someone too, a girl named Wendy. With this in mind, he, along with Riku, Donald, and Goofy went through the ship trying to find both Wendy and Kairi (they even learned how to fly, but it took Riku and Donald a considerably long time to do so).

Shortly afterwards they found Wendy unconscious. Here they left Peter, while Riku, Donald, and Goofy went outside, where Captain Hook awaited them. He told Riku of how Sora went off to a place called Hollow Bastion in a hurry, to which Riku retorted that he’d get there, but not until he finished Hook and co. After a fight with him, Riku and the others made their way back inside.

There Riku thought over all that had happened, how Sora had been tricked so easily, and even how he’d gone from wanting to leave his home from missing it more than ever. He wondered how Kairi could've become such a lifeless puppet, and what she would have thought of this. In the end, he became determined to save Kairi and knock some sense into Sora.

After receiving the Navi-G Gummi Block from the clock tower, Riku, Donald, and Goofy all returned to Traverse Town, where they got the block installed on the ship. Before leaving to Hollow Bastion, though, Riku stopped to visit Pinocchio, even contemplating kidnapping him in case it could help Kairi. He quickly brushed these thoughts aside, though; as much as he wanted to help Kairi, he knew better than to mess around now. With that out of the way, the trio left for their next destination.


When they arrived at Hollow Bastion at long last, they ran into Sora again, an injured Beast not too far from him. When Riku showed up, he asked why he had refused to help his own best friend, and questioned whether he even cared about Kairi. To this Riku told Sora that he cared, but that didn’t mean he was just going to let Sora screw things up. The two ended up fighting, but, somehow, Riku became uncertain due to facing someone that close to him, and the Keyblade disappeared, gone. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to summon it.

Unsure of what to think, Sora simply ran off, dropping a wooden sword as he went, while Donald and Goofy tried to cheer him up. Instead of being in a brighter mood, Riku shrugged it off arrogantly, and they decided to follow Sora in hopes of getting to the bottom of things.

They ended up entering the castle, but Riku was unable to fight any heartless with his wooden sword. Instead, both Donald and Goofy, as well as the Beast, had to take care of things, as they went to find Sora.

Further into the castle they met up again, Sora trying one last time to tell Riku that he was doing what was right, and that he’d save Kairi, even if he didn’t help. Pulling out a strange, wing-shaped sword, Sora also noted that, although he didn't want to, he’d fight Riku again if that’s what it came to. Riku finally came to the resolve that he had no choice anymore, even if they were best friends, it didn’t matter, because Sora was misled, and that he'd have to 'knock some sense' into him. If it meant having to fight to prove a point, he’d do it, and it was then that he was able to use the Keyblade again.

And so Riku, Donald, and Goofy faced Sora and, with their combined determination, they won. Sora, realizing his defeat stopped and accepted that he’d lost, but even so, he wouldn’t listen to what Riku said about Maleficent and his other ‘friends’. Instead, he ran again.

Afterwards, the trio met Maleficent herself, who revealed that she had planned to pull the world into darkness, and they ended up fighting before Sora stepped into the room with a Keyblade of all things. A familiar voice commanded Sora to use the Keyblade to unleash the true darkness in Maleficent's heart, and unleash it he did-- right after Sora stabbed her with the Dark Keyblade she turned into a dragon and attacked... and not just Riku and the others, but him as well.

However, this time Sora didn’t run away. Instead, he stuck with Riku and his two friends and together they fought Maleficent and she was gone… It was then that Riku asked where Sora got the Keyblade, which he replied that he got it from a strange man who told him that it would save Kairi.

He also explained what Maleficent had made him do, and how he kept on hearing and seeing Kairi at times when she wasn't really there... which made him wonder if her heart was inside him.

Needless to say, Riku was speechless. He was stuck in a situation where, no matter what, one of his friends would lose their heart. The two of them wandered into the next room, Donald and Goofy opting to let the two speak to without intrusion, and there lay Kairi's body, lifeless. Sora handed the Dark Keyblade to Riku, but he couldn’t do it. Sora then said that there was no choice, and that he’d willingly sacrifice himself to bring Kairi back. When Riku finally agreed, he and Sora had one final rematch, for old time's sake, and, though he didn't tell Sora, he let him win said fight. On a bittersweet note Sora then took the Dark Keyblade, apologized for being an idiot, gave one last grin, and freed Kairi's heart.

Though Kairi woke up, the reunion was short lived, as a man named Ansem appeared, stating that he had tried to use Sora as a vessel, but because of Kairi’s pure heart, he had been unsuccessful and instead used him as a pawn. He also thanked Riku for allowing the Keyhole to be opened, for the world would now be swallowed into the dark.

With the incoming heartless, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy all ran as far as they could, until they had escaped to Traverse Town. On the way back to Traverse Town Riku and Kairi had a heart to heart conversation about Sora, what happened back on the islands that night, and what they would do next. It was at this time that Riku promised that he wouldn't return home without Sora, though deep down he wondered if he was even alive.

In the end, they got to Traverse Town in one piece, even if the Gummi Ship endured a bit of damage. Unfortunately it was impossible to return to Hollow Bastion due to the amount of heartless, thus the Gummi Ship had to be modified once again. Agreeing to this, the now foursome left to keep themselves occupied until the ship was ready.

It was there that Kairi and Riku spoke privately about all that had happened. At this point he felt a bit troubled in light of recent events, but Kairi told him that he had to go on for the sake of others. She also said that they should all get going, and although Riku at first said she shouldn’t come until he finally gave in, figuring that protecting her would be better than just leaving her alone.

And so they reached Hollow Bastion and sealed the Keyhole and then headed off to the realm of the Heartless...the end of the World. aHere Kairi remained in the Gummi ship, as Riku decided that the heartless world would be far too dangerous. She protested, but they went on anyway. However, Kairi, Chip, and Dale wound up following them from above within the gummi ship, helping them fight large heartless as they progressed. When they reached the final door, Kairi exited the Gummi Ship, and Riku, Donald, and Goofy thanked her for the help, honestly impressed. However, beyond the door lied Ansem... and for once Kairi willingly waited as Riku continued on. But before the group left, Kairi handed Riku her good luck charm, asking him to come back safe. He promised to do so, reminding her of his promise that they'd find Sora together, and then they entered the final part of the world. Inside the door appeared to be Destiny Islands, only, but it was tainted, and with each step it began to fade bit by bit.

And in the midst of it all was Ansem, who taunted Riku about Sora, and how, in the end, his friend was lost to darkness, even though it was he who had opened the door, inevitably causing Sora to lose himself. Though at first he was uncertain, Donald and Goofy reminded Riku that it couldn’t be helped, and that he’d done so much, and with his inspiration regained, they faced Ansem, beating him several times before he dragged them all into a place called the Endless Abyss.

This was the last time they faced Ansem, now attached to a large, heartless ship. The battle was tough, especially since Ansem trapped Donald and Goofy inside, but as the fight continued, both were freed, and the trinity fought together as a team. The fight went on for soem time when Kairi's screams echoed from within. It seemed as though Ansem had brought her in as well. This drove them to fight with more integrity, and when the ship was destroyed, the trinity was victorious, and Kairi, too, was safe. However, Ansem had not given up. He attempted to open Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds, only to be burned up by the warm light within. The battle was done, and now the final Keyhole could be sealed…or so it seemed.

Riku, along with Donald and Goofy, and Kairi as well approached the door, ready to close it, when out of the blue, King Mickey appeared, along with many heartless. They all tried to close the door with all their might, while Mickey faced the heartless inside, but in the end, it was no use. Riku refused to close the door because doing so would restore the world order, preventing Gummi Ship travel and effectively making it impossible to find Sora. In a moment of desperation he called upon the darkness to open a corridor and escape from the Endless Abyss. It worked, and the three wound up in a grassy crossroads. There they wandered for a few days with no avail. Over that time Riku felt a bit guilty for what he did, until two of his summons, Mushu and Simba, spoke of their own past mistakes. Donald and Goofy promised to stick with Riku until the end, and Kairi understood his choice and promised to help him find Sora.

Still they wandered, until one night when they were confronted by a man in red, who spoke of a great danger, and how the worlds were slowly being swallowed by the darkness, all due to the fact that Kingdom Hearts remained open. Though it took some persuasion before the entire group believed, they eventually accepted this, and the man, DiZ, took them in, to a place known as Twilight Town, where he further informed them of the situation. Things explained included the state of affairs in other worlds, the fact that King Mickey had mysteriously gone missing, and how a new threat, the Organization, was on the rise. In addition to this, they were given a new Gummi Ship and a new mission indeed; they would need to stop Organization XIII at all costs.

To do this, though, they would need to prepare. Kairi was now with them, and she would need to learn how to defend herself in order to keep up. What’s more, the King would have to be found, the heartless stopped, as well as the Organization. And to make matters worse, there was a lack of trust, for when Riku and the others paid a visit to Hollow Bastion, not only did they find the place packed with heartless itself, but the people, even their former allies, treated them as enemies. In order to prove themselves, it took Kairi’s persuasion as well as the defeat of several heartless, but soon after, a strange boy in a black cloak appeared.

Riku confronted this boy, who had an uncanny resemblance to Sora. He spoke as if he knew Riku, and even seemed wary, but before anything else could be done, Riku suddenly felt an immense pain and was knocked down. Donald, Goofy, and Kairi rushed to help, but found themselves blocked by barriers, and now, standing in front of the boy was… an exact lookalike of Riku, wielding the Kingdom Key as if it were his own.

*MORE TO COME LATER*

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