Chapter 14: "The Resistance and its Purpose"-1

Riku L. took the children to one of the various bedrooms in the base after they finished their little moment, being led by Artemis of course. He laid them in bed beside one another, both of the children hugging each other in their sleep, and Riku smiled. "Adorable as always..." He gently rubbed their heads. He wondered if Riku F. had experienced anything like he had recently. He couldn't really check since he had left his watch at home however. "I really need to get a new, non-metal watch. I wonder if I can do that with my power..." He thought of changing the material his watch was made out of as he quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"How are they?" Artemis asked, standing by the doorway.

Riku jumped, only seeing her after he closed the door. "Geez..!" He sighed. "They'll be alright. They're strong." He smiled softly.

"And you..?" She muttered.

Riku paused for a moment, his smile fading. "Same as them I suppose." He then smiled once more. "I'll be just fine."

Artemis could hear the faint crack in his voice. She stepped up and ruffled his hair a bit. "That's good to hear. If you need anything, I'm-... We're...here for you." She smiled warmly up at him.

Riku paused for a moment before nodding. "So, how many more of these people are in your little 'school'?" He tilted his head.

Artemis giggled. "More than half of them are members, specifically the older ones. I'm still surprised a mere 15 year old boy brought all these people together though..." She stared at Riku, remembering the other Riku, their leader, when they were just starting out. Riku stared back, wondering what exactly it was that she was remembering and what Riku F. had yet to tell him about his past.

"No matter what world you're in...reality's a cruel son of a bitch..." He mumbled under his breath.

Artemis tilted her head. "What did you say..?"

Riku shook his head. "It's nothing, just that reality is pretty cruel sometimes."

Artemis frowned and sighed. "You're not wrong... Though it's the people that make it that way. Come on, I have something to talk to you about before you sleep, if that's alright."

Riku nodded. "That's fine." He thought to himself, "Not like I'll be able to sleep anyways..."

The two walked off together, Riku following Artemis. "This isn't gonna be another hour long walk is it..?" Riku asked with a faint groan in his voice.

"Maybe." She said in a teasing tone.

"I hope that's a joke..."

"It is, calm down and come on." She turned into a room, Riku hesitantly following her inside. Once inside, he looked around in wonder. The first thing he noticed was the wall, a giant green symbol on it; a tree, with its roots wrapping around to connect to its branches and vice versa in a giant circle around the entire tree. The next thing he noticed were the robes hanging up right under it, the same tree symbol on the back of the robes. The robes were white with other intricate leaf and tree root designs, all colored the same as the symbol on the wall. The edge of the hood, the cuffs of the sleeves, and the end of the short, cape like end of the robes all had golden root designs however that went full circle. There was also a sleeveless green shirt and brown pants under the robes, both having golden root designs on the sides, also going full circle. There were also several weapons lined up on the wall, from snipers to katanas.

"These were the robes he used to wear on missions." Artemis was standing beside the robes, gently tracing some of the designs and looking at the robes solemnly. "But I'm the one who wears these robes now..."

Riku began putting the pieces together slowly. He looked around the room, the room having everything a normal bedroom would have, along with some extra, intricate technology and devices with functions he could only guess. Riku figured that this was Riku F's room when he was in this group, that the tree was their symbol, and they seemed to be against heroes as far as he could tell, but more specifically the nobility who give the heroes quests. Riku figured this because this is the exact type of thing he would create if he knew that the royals did things like the things that they did to the slums. What Riku couldn't understand was why Riku F. decided not to tell him about this at all, or why he would decide to leave, becoming lost in thought himself as he wondered these things.

Artemis was soon staring at him, wondering what it was that he could be thinking about. "Do you...know the other Riku, our previous leader..? You look just like him, but with the magic you possess, you couldn't be him. Not to mention you didn't know who I was when we first met..."

"I mean...I guess I do know him, but I didn't know anything about this..."

"Do you know where he is..?"

Riku closed his eyes and shook his head, deciding it'd be best to keep what was going on a secret. "I don't. I just keep in contact with him..."

Artemis nodded, sighing in disappointment. "I should've figured... When I first saw you, I was so surprised honestly. I could've sworn you were him..." Artemis frowned as she remembered her days with Riku F.

Riku frowned. "I'm sorry that I'm not him..."

Artemis shook her head. "Will you put this on?" She grabbed the robes gently, as if a simple touch would tear them to pieces, walking to Riku with the robes in hand. He nodded, slowly taking the robes and hesitantly putting them on over his clothing. Artemis faltered a bit, staring at him, eyes shimmering in the light of the room. "And pull the hood up..?"

He nodded, doing so. "I probably look super dope... Too bad I can't keep these." He thought to himself. Artemis stared at him, tears filling her eyes. Riku stared back, a confused look on his face. "What's wro-" Artemis suddenly hugged him, burying her face in his chest. "E-Eh..?" Riku jumped, holding his arms up. "A-Artemis..? W-What're you-"

"I-I'm sorry... Just for a second..." Riku couldn't see her face, but he could feel his shirt getting wet. He frowned, slowly hugging her back and rubbing her back gently. "You look so much like... I want so badly to say...that it really is you..." Artemis' voice cracked. It wasn't hard to see how much she cared for and missed Riku F. He figured that now that she was the leader, she's had to go through much hardship without Riku F. to lead the resistance.

Riku lightly clenched his fist, resting his head atop Artemis'. "Prepare to yourself for a punch in the face when I see you next, F..."