Riku Replica (AU)

Sense
As stated in his application, the Riku Replica is able to sense the balance of Light and Dark inside of a person's heart. This ability expresses itself in the form of 'scents'; Light and Dark have very different wavelengths/patterns/feels to them, and as such 'smell' differently. Each person's unique 'scent' is based on the mix of Darkness and Light that makes up their heart.

Wait, 'Darkness' and Light? What is this crap, and why does it sound like you're talking about the Force? :|
A good question! Darkness is one of the two primal forces within the Kingdom Hearts universe, and is present in the hearts of all people (barring some notable exceptions). So, in a way, it's a lot like the Force. While Darkness itself isn't evil, it tends to draw all the icky, power-mongering types to it, and as such has gained a rather horrible reputation by proxy. There are few friendly users of this chaotic element, the two primary ones being Riku and his predecessor/Master, Terra.

Darkness is born from the more negative aspects of a person's heart; anger, fear, hatred--all negative emotions have their roots in Darkness, and as such, Darkness-users often walk a very narrow line. While Riku and Terra arguably use Darkness with moderate success, they have lost something--their innocence. They don't look at the world in quite the same way as their friends and fellow Keybearers.

People with an increased amount of Darkness in their hearts generally have a reason for it, whether it is a deep-seated fear of loss, some form of jealousy or inadequacy that drives them, or any number of reasons that might leave a metaphorical 'stain' on one's heart. People with more 'negative' or 'cynical' personalities tend to have more Darkness in their hearts. Your average person would probably only have shades of gray and fall at about a 3 or 4 on a scale of 0 to 10. 

There's this 'Drain' thing mentioned in the title of this post. What the hell is that about?
Another good question! Another ability listed in the Replica's application is the ability to essentially drain a person of their life force/powers. It was this ability that allowed him to steal the life force of Zexion and add the Nobody's powers over illusion to his own skill set. Naturally, such an ability is one that the Riku Replica doesn't like using unless he absolutely has to, as he's killed someone like this and would very much like to avoid doing so again. He also feels that gaining abilities in such a manner is cheap--it's only stealing, and he'd rather earn his strength the hard way. However, this ability is something he is still capable of, and something that he can and will do if he absolutely has to. 

Doing this will give the Replica access to the abilities of the person whose life force he took. The larger the amount, the more powerful the copied version of the ability will be and the longer he'll have it, and the longer it will take for a person he's drained to recover. It's like stealing . In order to keep that ability or set of abilities permanently, he'll have to either kill a person using this method, which isn't very high on his to-do list, or he'll have to take a very large amount of energy in order to properly 'copy' and 'assimilate' the data he's just received. Otherwise, it acts as a temporary power boost. 

So, where exactly am I going with this? Well, it's very simple--this is where the permissions part actually comes into play.

• Can the Replica sense the Light and Darkness in your Heart? If so, then--
• On a scale of 0-10 (with 0 being PURE LIGHT and 10 being PURE DARKNESS), where do you think your character falls? This takes into account their personality, life experiences, how they look at the world, and generally how they think. NOTE: This does not mean 'are you good or evil', but rather 'are you more naive/innocent/optimistic or are you more violent/negative/take joy in hurting people?' As an added note, be aware that having numbers such as 0 or 10 are extremely rare, and I will have to ask for you to explain your reasoning behind such a placement on the scale.
• If your character lacks a Heart or is capable of shielding it, will the Replica be able to pick up on this? Very self-explanatory. Please note that 'shielding your heart' is not the same as masking your thoughts, though this does fall into a similar category. 
• And finally, If, for any reason, the Replica feels that he has no choice but to drain away some or all of your life-force, what kind of powers will he be in temporary possession of, if any? Note that while he might gain the ability, this method of acquiring new powers does not come with an instruction manual on the use of those new powers. I fully expect this to require being plotted out or around, depending on the circumstances, but I'd rather have all my bases covered. :3

And now, a handy text area for your copy-pasta pleasure.
<b>Can the Replica sense the Light and Darkness in your Heart?</b><br /><b>On a scale of 0-10 (with 0 being PURE LIGHT and 10 being PURE DARKNESS), where do you think your character falls?</b><br /><b>If your character <i>lacks</i> a Heart or is capable of shielding it, will the Replica be able to pick up on this?</b><br /><b>If, for any reason, the Replica feels that he has no choice but to drain away some or all of your life-force, what kind of powers will he be in temporary possession of, if any?