KHNG: Dark Past, Bright Future

Ishine - My Story

I found this old empty book in the Castle of Remembrance, so I figured I'd use it as a journal.  I just hope someone didn't need it for something else...anyway, I guess I should start where I started.

It was about 12 or so years ago now.  I was born--no...I was created by a Nobody named Vexen, a member of Organization XIII, in Castle Oblivion.  I was made with the sole purpose of combatting Riku, the boy I was modeled after, in order to return his heart to darkness.  Having lost to Riku in our first battle, the Organization decided to use me to help trick Sora, the Keyblade wielder, into working for their benefit.  In order to do this, they manipulated my memories.

They made me believe that Naminé, another Nobody who was being used by the Organization into leading Sora on, used to live with Sora and I on Destiny Islands, and that I had made a promise to always protect her.  The Organization even made me a replica of the good-luck charm Naminé "gave" to Sora, just so that I could argue with him that I was the one who was supposed to protect her.  After fighting with Sora as he continued to climb through Castle Oblivion, we finally caught up to Naminé.  Just as I was about to destroy Sora once and for all, Naminé intervened.  She broke my mind with her magic, and I just collapsed.  Afterward, I had awakened, and only one thing remaining in my mind.  I swore to myself and to Sora and Naminé that, whether it was a phantom promise or not, I would protect Naminé.  Sora and I fought Marluxia in Castle Oblivion that day, and we prevailed.  I had resolved that in order to break free from my past, I had to confront and defeat the real Riku.  That was the only way I could consider myself anything but a fake.  A fake like me couldn't stay with Naminé...I had to become a person myself, and the only way for me to do that was to defeat Riku.

I found Axel, one of the members of the Organization, and he took me to Zexion.  Axel told me to attack Zexion and absorb his power, that way I could defeat Riku and become my own person.  After absorbing Zexion, I went to face Riku again.  I fought with everything I had, but in the end, I failed.  As I lay dying, Riku spoke to me.  I asked him where my heart would  go, being a fake.  I remember what he said...he said "Maybe, to the same place as mine"...that stuck with me.  Here he was, after having been harassed and attacked by me, being nice to me, considering me equal to him.  I never forgot that...

When I woke up next, I was in the Realm of Sleep.  I remembered the last words Riku said to me.  I sought him out.  I looked for him for so long, while at the same time trying to find some way to become my own person.  I donned the cloak that the Organization members wore and ventured off on my own.  Try as I did, I had no luck on either account...until one day.

One day, I found Riku.  He had appeared within the belly of the whale Monstro, and I abducted a wooden puppet known as Pinnocchio in order to get Riku to follow me.  Once he caught up to me, I released Pinnocchio.  I revealed my face...but I didn't say anything.  Instead, I left.  I wanted to face Riku, but in that moment, I realized that I wasn't ready.  If I was going to face him, I had to find my own strength first.  That's when I met Halios.

After ten years, Organization XIII had returned.  Data Replicas, much like myself, had been created and stored in the Organization's supercomputer in Radiant Garden, and the Replicas had been released.  I escaped from the Realm of Sleep and began hunting them down.  I made sure to give Vexen, Axel, Marluxia, and Larxene the payback they deserved, but when I had tracked down Larxene, she was already battling someone else.  His name was Halios.  He was a Keyblade Wielder, and he invited me to join him, since he was on a mission to hunt down and destroy the Organization as well.  He gave me a new name; Ishiné.  Halios was so nice to me...just like Riku had been during my last moments.  He wanted to help me become my own person, and that made me happy.  I decided to travel with him.