Chapter Text
Noire’s Introspections – Her Inquisitive Nature
A few days since I was born, I settled into this world, called Hollow Bastion, thanks to the woman, named Arfoire, who saved me, currying favor with the current ruler of this castle, a fairy named Maleficent. In exchange for my sanctuary, I was to do tasks and requests for her whenever she asked. On top of that...
“I never thought to see another of your kind here. Destiny must truly be whimsical as of late, hasn’t it?”
...she seemed to know what I am. What I’m supposed to be. I didn’t know what to do or where to go, so I accepted the deal and provided her aid.
“This is all you need, right?”
A nod. “Yes, that is all of them. Many thanks for the aid, Noire. I appreciate it.”
“Sure...”
I gulped.
“Tell me something”
“Yes?”
“You seemed familiar with my kind. What am I, exactly?”
The witch chuckled. “Confused, are you? Well, that is a given. This castle barely has any human life since the Heartless invaded”
“You mean those creatures from before...”
“Indeed, and considering Maleficent’s entourage consisted of mostly mystical beings of great power, I can imagine that you wouldn’t be able to fit in here.”
I looked down, recalling most of her associates included a sorcerer, a sea witch, a bag of bugs (blegh...), a pirate captain and the God of the Dead. None of which are normal beings, no matter how you look at them.
Well, except for the pirate, but...
“Well, I can tell you something. Noire, you are a CPU”
“A...CP...U?”
She nodded. “A Console Patron Unit. They are essentially goddesses of a once-prosperous world, said to rule and protect humans as they create civilizations”
“G-Goddess?” I stuttered. “Me?”
The witch chuckled again. “Surprised? Well, that is a given. How could I, a young girl who was just appeared out of nowhere could possibly be an almighty being, right?”
I turned away in shame. “Y-You didn’t have to put it like that...but still, how is that possible?”
“The power coursing within you is proof” Arfoire answered. “You feel it, don’t you? A certain...energy encasing your heart like a warm blanket?”
I closed my eyes and placed my hand where my heart is, feeling the warmth emanating from it.
“Judging by your eyebrows, you must be feeling it. Good” the witch said. “That energy serves as proof of your existence as one of these goddesses, as one of the CPU’s of the Lost World of Gamindustri”
As the days pass, the menial tasks continued to pile up, and as it did, Arfoire began to entertain my questions more and more. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, all things considered...
Or so I once thought...
--ns-ro – C—m-e- 4
Currently, our heroes are wandering in the insides of a whale. Neptune opted to take a break while the rest of the party went to play with the puppet boy Pinocchio, who Jiminy recalled very well.
“Another girl that he used to know, huh?”
“There was another girl we used to play with on the islands back when I was little.” Sora suddenly recalled.
“Really?” Neptune asked.
“Do you know her name?” IF wished to know.
”That’s just it. I still can’t remember.” the boy answered.
“Well, what made you remember her now?” Donald asked.
“It’s been coming back to me in pieces” Sora replied. “as we went along this castle.”
“So, Sora here is regaining memories in place of what he lost?” Compa tried to sum up. “Am I getting this right?”
“Seems like it.” Goofy said.
“Well, why don’t we get goin’ for now?” Jiminy suggested. “Maybe more will come back to ya as we go up, don’t ya think?”
“Pretty weird that he’s remembering something while the rest of us are still recalling nothin’.”
Neptune sighed. “Still, how do we help him recall stuff faster?”
“Need a futomaki for your thoughts?”
The girl in the parka suddenly yelped when she noticed the happy ninja girl (She calls herself Marvy, right?) next to her.
“Don’t scare me like that!”
The ninja girl giggled. “Sorry about that, Neppy. It’s just you seemed so deep in thought, I didn’t know how to get your attention.”
“Really?” Neptune said, a little surprised. “Geez, this Nep’s been losing focus. Gotta get my head in the game...”
“Anyway, you seem troubled” the other girl noticed, taking a seat next to Neptune as she offered a futomaki. “Mind telling me what’s wrong?”
“Well...” Neptune started, taking a bite from the offered food. “It goes like this. I have this brother who was starting to forget stuff.”
The ninja girl nodded, silently telling her to go on.
“But, as time passed, he started to remember someone from his childhood. Isn’t that weird?”
“So, he’s remembering someone just as he’s forgetting stuff?” the ninja girl tried to recap as she swallowed what she was eating. “That...doesn’t make a lot of sense”
“Right!?” Neptune nearly shouted. “That’s really been buggin’ me”
“I mean” the ninja girl interjected. “People don’t tend to remember a lot of stuff from their childhood. That’s just natural for people”
“It is?”
The other girl nodded. “It’s usually other people telling them about it, if they happened to be nearby. But you’re telling me he’s remembering this someone by himself?”
“I think? Maybe?” Neptune scratched her head in annoyance. “Ugh! This is why I usually leave Iffy to do the thinking! This is hard!”
The ninja girl laughed. “Well, if I have a suggestion to your problem, why don’t you stick around with him and help him through it? These sort of things take time, so no need to rush it.”
“Take my time, huh...”
“Though that being said, if it gets too much, it might be better to just run away...”
“Say what?”
“Hey, Neptune!”
Neptune and the ninja girl looked to see Sora calling on them. “Pinocchio ran off again! We have to go after him!”
“Oh no!” the ninja girl cried in panic. “He could get seriously hurt out there! Let’s go, Neppy!”
“Right-o!” Neptune agreed as she stood. “Oh, and uh, thanks for the advice, gal!”
The ninja girl giggled. “Anytime, Neppy! Now, let’s go after Pinocch!”
And so, the party pursued the fleeing puppet boy. However, one thing crept up on Neptune’s thoughts.
“Why am I getting the jitters again about this? I hope this isn’t a bad sign from my Nep Senses...”
“…a…”
“Still...”
“It might be better to just run away...”
“…a…y!”
“...Now the jitters just got worse. Thanks, ninja girl, really needed that...”
“…away!”
Castle Oblivion – Kitchen
“Hmmmm” Nepgear hummed as she observed the oven. “Just a few more minutes...”
“What are you doing, Gear-Gear?”
“What the goodness!?” The girl in the sailor uniform yelped, turning around to notice her friend.
“Oh, it’s just you, Plutia” Nepgear said in relief. “You scared me for a second...”
“But, we’re the only ones here now...” Plutia pointed out. “Nami-Nami is sketching right now and the guys in black hoods are all busy, except for that red-haired guy.”
“Oh, really?” Nepgear said in sadness. “But I wanted to share some of this cake here...”
“It might be for the best that hooded lady wasn’t here...” Plutia thought to herself. “Tell you what, why don’t we offer Mr. Axel some? Then we can leave some slices for the others when they get back.”
“Oh!” Nepgear’s face brightened up. “Good idea! The refrigerator still has some space so we can leave some slices!”
They then heard a ding from the oven.
“It’s ready!”
“Then let’s go see Mr. Axel!”
Castle Oblivion – Basement Meeting Room
“Grrr...” Vexen voiced his frustrations. “Why is this so hard to work with!?”
“Oh boy...” Zexion complained, shaking his head. Lexaeus simply closed his eyes in an attempt to shut off whatever’s about to happen. “I’m going to regret asking this, but...what’s wrong this time?”
“It’s one of the new replicas I’m making...” the scientist answered angrily (for how much he’s able to act it out). “The base is going well, but the very moment I apply the newly found energy onto it, the replica came out differently than I expected!”
“New energy...” Zexion thought for a moment. “Ah, you refer to the Share Energy found within the Lost Goddesses, correct?”
“Yes, that” Vexen affirmed. “There’s still a lot we do not know about this kind of energy, only that it empowers the one who wields it through faith and belief in it’s wielder. The more who has faith in the wielder, the stronger they become”
The scientist sighed. “If it weren’t for this job, I would’ve more time to study it more intensely. Perhaps then, my first subject would’ve...”
“Okay, calm down there.” Zexion said, stopping Vexen’s ranting. “Is it working, at least?”
The scientist huffed. “On the surface, yes. Its motor functions and combat capabilities are up to par. Unfortunately, the weapon couldn’t come out as well as I expected. Thankfully, I improvised and implemented an alternative method. If only that wasn’t so subpar compared to my other replicas...”
“Then why don’t you send it out of a test run?” Zexion suggested. “Who knows? Perhaps the new replica would work as well or better than you expected.”
Vexen thought for a moment. “Normally, I would apply a set of tests before sending them out on to the field, but time is not on our side, if our findings above ground have anything to say about it”
The scientist chuckled. “Very well, Zexion. I shall send it out against it’s counterpart. In addition, I’ll also be deploying the prototype I’ve been modifying. I’m sure they will be surprised to see the results of the data I gathered from them...”
Castle Oblivion – Meeting Room
“Man, you really went all-out with this, huh?”
Currently, Axel is eating strawberry cake with Nepgear and Plutia.
“Well, there were a lot people wandering around here lately” Nepgear shyly said. “I thought I’d at least make something for them. Is it not good?”
“No, no. The thought is appreciated, really” Axel tried to reassure. “It’s just...baking is not exactly done easily on your first go. This is your first go at it, right?”
“Er, not exactly” Nepgear said, lightly scratching her cheek. “I first tried baking some cookies, but they ended up pretty misshapen, but Plutia and Naminé ate them up anyway and told me to keep at it. That’s how I managed to improve at this.”
“You say that.” Plutia butted in, taking a bite from her slice of cake. “But this is your first time baking a cake, right?”
“Really?” Axel said, a bit surprised. “If this is your first time, then you must have a crazy talent at this.”
Nepgear giggled, nervously playing with her fingers. “You think so? I don’t know about that, given how I just came into this life...”
Axel raised an eyebrow at that. “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly that...” Nepgear answered. “I was only born just recently, a few days ago, to be precise...”
Plutia nodded. “I remember that very well! I was by my lonesome, as always, and then suddenly, I saw a bright light in the nearby room. When I went to see it, I saw two girls lying around the room there.”
“So, what’s your name?”
“My...name?”
“Hey, there’s something written on your sketchpad.”
“Huh? This is...mine?”
“Naminé...Okay then, I’ll call you Nami-Nami!”
“Then...what about me?”
“Hmmmmm...How about...”
“Nepgear”
“Huh?”
“There’s another name here. It said ‘Nepgear’”
“Okay! Then I’ll call you Gear-Gear!”
“Nepgear...Okay. I am Nepgear!”
“They were so confused about where they are and who they are. They didn’t even know their names back then” Plutia pointed out. “But thanks to Nami-Nami's sketchpad, we got that deal aaaaaaaaaall sorted out”
“So that’s how you two came to be in here, huh?” Axel uttered, nodding to himself.
“You can say that” Nepgear said. “Truth be told, we still don’t know about how we were born or why. That must be the reason why Naminé wanted to meet Sora”
“To find out how she was made?”
“I think so. Personally, I feel drawn to the purple-haired girl he’s travelling with. Neptune was her name, right?”
Plutia giggled. “Are you sure it’s not because your names start with the same syllable?”
Nepgear chuckled, playing with her fingers. “Maybe?”
Axel snorted. “Who knows? Maybe the two of you are siblings or something?”
“Siblings? Like sisters?” Nepgear felt giddy at the thought. “She would be fun to have as a sister”
“Fun is a good way to describe her, yeah” Axel noted. “Though I can easily imagine her as the lazy slacker every now and again”
“Then I’ll just have to work hard enough that she’ll have to follow my lead!”
Plutia giggled at Nepgear’s declaration. “You sound like a reliable little sister!”
“Little sister?”
Plutia nodded. “You came here after her, right? So, that makes you the younger sister, then!”
“Really? Her, a ‘little’ sister?” Axel muttered, placing a hand over Nepgear’s head. “You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from their height!”
Nepgear and Plutia began to laugh at that statement.
“Goodness! I didn’t think you’d be the type to joke around, Mr. Axel!”
“You’re definitely fun to be around!”
The assassin sighed. “Please, I’m not fun...Kinda hard to feel like I am having it when I don’t have a heart to do so...”
The two girls stopped their laughing once they heard his statement.
“You don’t have a heart?” Nepgear asked.
“Is that what that other guy said earlier?” Plutia wondered. “Something about not having hearts but can act like you do?”
“Pretty much, yeah. That’s us Nobodies in a nutshell” Axel affirmed, pointing the side of his forehead with his finger. “Got it memorized?”
“Nobodies...” Nepgear uttered with a hint of sadness. “That sounds...really sad...”
Axel huffed as he stood. “Listen, you don’t have to concern yourself with us. It’s just like Larxene said. We’re just squatting in your home here.”
“But” the girl in the sailor uniform insisted. “The other man promised us that we’d be able to meet with Sora and the others as long as we work together. That’s why Naminé’s been sketching a lot lately...”
She then sighed. "Though I wonder if that is even a good idea to begin with..."
Axel furrowed his eyes at that. “He ‘promised’ you, huh?”
Plutia hummed, noticing the look on the man’s face. “He seems to know something...Is there something they’re not telling us?”
Castle Oblivion – Basement 8F Exit
“Another floor cleared...” Noire stated as she and Riku exited the world they were in. “How are you holding up?”
“Doing fine” Riku answered as he stretched. “Still wondering what’s up with those guys in black coats”
Noire huffed. “Tell me about it. The last guy taunted us, fought us, thanked us and then just dipped. What’s he found out about us anyway?”
The silver-haired boy sighed. “That’s what I want to know...”
“Maybe you two should take a closer look...”
“...and see for yourselves!”
The duo looked to the sources of the voices, which left them flabbergasted!
“Huh!?” Riku gasped.
“What are you two supposed to be!?” Noire demanded the two figures in front of them.
“Surprised?” a familiar voice mocked them. “I guess you should be.”
“It’s like looking at a mirror, isn’t it?” another voice joined in on the mocking.
The two figures in front of them stopped to meet the duo. One of which...
“After all, I look just like you. I’ll tell you who we are”
...look exactly like Riku!
“I’m an exact replica of you that Vexen made from your data” the other Riku said.
“Replica?” Noire wondered as she turned to the other figure. “Then, are you...?”
The other figure, a girl who had the same eyes, hair color and twintails as Noire, only that her body is shorter and wearing a black coat to boot, chuckled.
“That’s right, Noire” the girl replied. “What, didn’t you think Vexen would just leave his data of you in the recycle bin? That would be wasteful!”
“But...you look a bit different than me.” the real Noire pointed out. “I mean, you’re shorter and stuff. Not to mention, you don’t sound like me either...”
The other girl clicked her tongue. “Don’t blame me for that! Vexen said the Share Energy made me look like this! It’s not their fault they didn’t know much about Share Energy to begin with!”
“So, you're fakes of us?” the real Riku pieced together.
“Not a ‘fake’!” the Riku Replica shouted. “I don’t care if you’re ‘real’! You’re not better! We share the same body and talents. But there is one easy way to tell us all apart, though!”
The Riku Replica then declared this, pointing his finger at the real one as he said so.
“Unlike you, I fear nothing!”
This got Riku incensed. “Are you calling me a coward?”
The Noire Replica laughed at that. “You heard him! You are a coward, a weakling who spurned everything he had, including the dark power he was gifted with...”
She then faced the real Noire with a wicked grin. “And as for you, ‘me’, you are just as weak as your friend there!”
Noire scoffed. “Care to prove your point?”
“It’s quite simple, really” the Noire Replica replied haughtily. “Have you ever managed to access your HDD Form yet?”
This struck a nerve in the real Noire. “How did you...?”
The Riku Replica grinned. “Didn’t we tell you? We’re made from you! We know everything there is to know about you. Admit it, as much as the darkness inside ‘me’ still frightens him, you’re still frightened by your goddess power, right?”
Noire gritted her teeth. “No! You’re wrong!”
“Is that so?”
The Noire Replica then extended her hand.
“What are you doing?” the real Noire demanded.
“Giving you a demonstration”
A bright light then shimmered near the replica’s hand, as a familiar shape spawned into her hand!
“What is that?” Riku wondered.
“That shape...!” Noire shouted. “No way! Is that...!?”
“ACCESS!”
As the Noire Replica shouted, the object vanished from her hands, and as the shimmering light around her faded, she is now wielding a large sword, her eyes turned green and her black hair turned white, now curled into spiral twintails instead of flowing. Her black coat was strangely kept intact in spite of the transformation.
In addition, the hallway has also changed, thanks to the layering effect applied during the other Noire’s transformation.
“Y-You can use HDD!?” Noire sputtered.
“She’s not the only one with a surprise!”
The duo then turned to the Riku Replica.
“DARKNESS!”
He then went into Dark Mode himself, showing no fear in his step.
“You...!” Riku spoke with anger.
His Replica grinned. “Unlike you, I embrace the darkness! I can make it do what I want!”
Noire growled. “If you keep that up, you’ll be consumed!”
“So what?” the Riku Replica replied without a care, bringing out his own Soul Eater. “I’ll wipe the floor with the both of you before that ever happens!”
The Noire Replica huffed. “Focus on YOUR enemy! That uppity witch is mine!”
The Riku Replica huffed back. “Suit yourself. I can’t stand looking at myself, anyway!”
Riku growled, summoning his Soul Eater in response. “The feeling’s mutual, fake!”
Noire summoned her Keyblade in kind. “You better say your prayers after this, replica!”
And thus, the clash between real and fake began, as the real Riku and Noire charged forth against their respective replicas, who met their charge with confidence.
“What’s this?” the Riku Replica taunted. “Trying to prove your worth? You know you can’t beat me unless you use the darkness within you!”
Riku growled. “Shut up! I don’t need the darkness!”
Jumping back, he readies a blast of energy on his hand.
Seeing this, the replica grinned and mimicked his actions.
“IM...”
“...PULSE!”
Their energies clashed in the middle, but the replica’s burst was stronger...
“What!?”
“Got you!”
...and the replica moved in for the attack, hitting the real Riku with a downward slam!
“Gah!”
Seeing this got Noire worried. “Riku!”
“You should worry more about yourself!”
The twin-tailed CPU braced herself for her replica’s attack!
“LACY DANCE!”
The attack came in too quickly and the real Noire was pushed back.
“I’m not done yet!” The replica then jumped up and unleashed her next attack. “VOLCANO DIVE!”
“She’s fast...” Noire muttered as she was pushed back. “...and quite tough, too!”
“Of course I am!” the replica Noire boasted. “Faster. Stronger. Nimbler. I’m everything you wish to be!”
Noire gritted her teeth again. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
The replica Noire huffed. “Please. You may stand a better chance against me if you had your HDD Form as well. But, as it stands, you have no chance.”
“She’s right, you know.”
Noire growled. “I don’t need this right now!”
“Oh, what’s the harm? Besides, you know she has a point there.”
“What do you mean!?”
“Think about it. Back then, you were strong. Independent. Never relying on anyone but yourself. You were the pinnacle of a true goddess back then. If you stood as unflinching as you did back then, then even this imposter would stand no chance against you.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“What I’m saying, is that others hold you back...”
Meanwhile, Riku regained his footing and began his attack again.
“Back at it again, huh?” the Riku Replica taunted. “Don’t you know when to give up? I’ve already won!”
“Guess again! MAELSTROM!”
Riku spun himself against the replica, striking him up in the air with his sudden attack.
“Heh”
Despite the sudden attack, the replica did not waver and began his counterattack.
“Feel this! HELM SPLIT!”
The replica proceeded to launch a mighty downward dive attack, sending bolts of dark lightning across the arena, pushing the real Riku back.
“...So long as you keep watch over him, you will be held back. Relying on others will only limit your strength...”
“No!” Noire shouted. “I won’t let him go! I won’t go back to that lonely state!”
She stood up and readied her assault again.
“I will never become a lonely goddess again!”
The Noire Replica grinned. “You’re just wasting your energy...”
She then leapt forward, readying her next attack.
“Just give it up! FALL SLASH!”
The real Noire met the attack head on, only to be pushed back again!
“Gah! Curses!” Noire cursed. “They’re too...strong...”
“We’re not getting around them like this!” Riku exclaimed. “Should I use it?”
Noire shook her head. “That would be a bad idea. Not only because I could hit you instead of your Replica, he’s far more ruthless with his usage of darkness. We would still be outgunned.”
“Great” Riku complained. “Now what?”
The real CPU observed her opponents, who seem to be confident in their victory, yet...
“What’s wrong?” Riku’s Replica mocked.
“Giving up already?” Noire’s Replica followed suit, yet...
“They’re not moving any further...Wait, could they be?”
“I have an idea” Noire suggested. “Let’s try focusing on one of them together. Then we focus on the other afterwards. And then we finish them off. Sound good?”
Riku nodded. “I’m open for ideas. Let’s do it!”
The duo got up and began their attack once more.
“Wow” the Noire Replica said in dull surprise. “These guys really don’t want to surrender, do they?”
“That’s fine” the Riku Replica said with a grin. “I’ll send them to the Abyss myself!”
The Riku Replica met their attacks head on...
“DARK FIRAGA!”
...sending a bolt of dark fire against duo. The bolt hit, causing smoke to emerge from the front of him, and from that smoke...
“HAAAAAHHH!”
...emerged Noire, who proceeded to clash with the Riku Replica.
“So, he’s given up and decided to let you take care of his battles for him, huh?” the replica taunted.
Noire only grinned in response, which disturbed the replica.
“That’s what you think!”
The Replica looked up to see Riku, poised to strike.
Seeing his distracted face, Noire pushed the Replica back, leaving him open.
“BARRAGE!”
Riku then took the chance and launched a swift charge against his replica, ending it with him throwing his Soul Eater at his replica like a boomerang.
“You’re mine!”
“Time to follow up! TORNERAID CHAIN!”
The combined assault pushed the Replica back, leaving him unable to move.
“AGH! You gotta be kidding...”
“Hey!” the Noire Replica complained. “That’s playing dirty!”
Wasting no time, Riku then charged at the replica goddess!
“RAAAAHHH!”
“Why you!”
The Noire Replica met his attack head on, leading to a fierce clash.
“Don’t think you can use the same trick on me!” the Noire Replica warned.
But Riku wasn’t listening. In fact, he was grinning too.
Seeing this, the replica looked behind to see her real counterpart, but she wasn’t there.
“She’s not there...Then...”
She then felt someone encroaching her from behind.
“From behind!?”
“Got you! DROP CRUSH!”
“IMPULSE!”
Their combined assault eventually pushed the Noire Replica back too, right where her fellow Replica is.
“This...can’t be...”
“Now to finish you off!”
“With me, Riku!”
The two charged their blades with energy, moving in to strike the two downed replicas with six wide slashes from their charged weapons...
“FALL!”
...ending their new Combination Skill with a slam attack that hit their targets for massive damage!
“DUAL SMASHER!”
The attack hit true, filling the now-reverted hallways with the screams of the defeated replicas.
“How could we lose to you!?” the Riku Replica complained.
“This...isn’t how it’s supposed to go!” the Noire Replica exclaimed. “How did you get the jump on us like that!?”
“It’s simple, really” Noire boasted, fixing her hair. “Because we can learn to work together, unlike the two of you. The moment I noticed that you two aren’t coordinating your attacks, that’s when we got our second wind.”
Her replica gritted her teeth in frustration.
“Hey, Fakes!” Riku shouted. “I thought I heard you say that you were going to wipe the floor with us!”
“Hmph” the Riku Replica scoffed. “Don’t forget, we’re still new!”
“He’s right!” the Noire Replica agreed, getting up. “We can still get stronger and stronger. Perhaps even more coordinated than you two!”
The Riku Replica followed her lead and got up as well. “The next time we fight, you’re finished!”
Noire sighed. “Now you’re saying excuses...”
Riku, on the other hand, got angry. “Then let’s fight now!”
But just as he was about to hit his replica, said replica summoned a dark shield and pushed him back!
“Riku!” Noire cried out, rushing to his side to help him up.
The Riku Replica laughed. “It’s nice having darkness on my side!”
The real CPU got mad. “THAT’S IT!”
And proceeded to charge at her companion’s replica, only to kicked down by her own replica!
“GAH!”
“Noire!”
The Noire replica laughed. “And look at that. All he has to show for it was a weakened, good-for-nothing goddess who can’t even transform by his side. How pathetic!”
Noire growled, clutching her stomach. “Why you...!”
The Riku Replica sneered. “You are SO missing out, Real Thing! How could you be so scared of something that can be so thrilling? If I were you, I’d abandon that sham of a goddess right now. Save you all the trouble!”
Riku growled at that. “Enough! I won’t abandon her. Never again!”
“Riku...”
His replica snorted at that remark. “So now the coward’s playing tough.”
“I’d follow his advice too, ‘me’” the Noire Replica taunted. “Without him taking your Share Energy, you might be able to pull off an HDD. Beating me with it, however, is something you have to find out for yourself”
Noire gritted her teeth. “Like I would! I made this choice to save him, and I’ll never back down on it!”
Her replica sighed. “So, you’ll remain forever weak. Talk about a disappointment.”
“Shall we?”
She nodded as she and her fellow replica turned around.
“So long, Real Things” the Riku Replica bade farewell. “Hope you don’t miss us too much”
“But don’t worry” the Noire Replica continued. “I might come back to play with you all again! Buh-bye! Ahahahahaha!”
The two replicas then ran off, leaving their real counterparts reeling.
“Come back!” Riku shouted to them.
“Don’t bother” Noire said in frustration. “They’re likely gone by now”
Riku growled in anger, slamming his fist onto the ground. “Curses!”
“I hate to admit it...” Noire said, trying to stand up. “but if we haven’t worked together like that, they would’ve had us...”
But Riku wasn’t listening...
“No way. We’re not cowards...”
Noire sighed. “We’re not, Riku. But we’ll get them next time. For now, let’s just keep going.”
Riku looked to his companion and nodded. “Yeah. Good plan...”