On Vexen’s Odd Fatherly Relationship with Riku

So, Vexen (my Vexen) has an odd fatherly relationship with Riku (rar's Riku).  It's true, he does.  If you haven't noticed it, let me know, because that means me and rar aren't doing a good enough job.

Why does he have an odd fatherly relationship with Riku? Well, Riku was the first successful replica (sorry, Xion) that wasn't him.  Xion was sadly unstable and he barely got time to interact with her before getting shipped off to CO and then dying.  So! Riku's this great success to him.  He was made in a matter of hours (or at least overnight) and showed great potential on many levels.  Kinda like the son he never had or something.  The other Vexen Replicas are just comrades and whatnot. 

Do you get where I'm going with this?

Vexen is destroyed.  He comes back as a Somebody, hates his job and goes to a parallel universe as soon as he realizes that HIS Riku is there.  This is, in part, being interested in Riku, and everything else his want to get away from Xehanort. 

He ends up in rar's CO right before the Rebellion begins.  And he has been bugging Riku ever since.  He constantly follows Riku around, doing research on him, which is just standard Vexen behavior.  But then there are the times when he genuinely shows worry for Riku.  He worries over Riku's headaches when Namine has meltdowns.  He tries to figure out the relationship between Riku and Namine like just about any father would any son with a potential girlfriend.  He tries to understand what happened to Riku to change him.  He tries to get Riku to listen to him.  He hates Larxene (and all the Larxene Replicas) for what they've done to Riku.  He gets freakishly proud of Riku when Riku succeeds at something.  (Though this one might just be a creator thing, not a fatherly thing).  He wants to protect Riku (this one isn’t shown very well, because Riku does a good job of protecting himself, but the feelings are still there for Vexen) He freaks out over Riku's injuries...

The list goes on.

Some of this is in the name of scholarly research, some of it he disguises as fatherly research, and some of it is just plain him being fatherly. 

So, yeah, we've got an odd fatherly relationship going on.  Riku hates every minute of it.  Vexen chooses to ignore Riku's hate.

So, Vexen has the capacity to be compassionate.  Awesome.  He's also like an uncle to Joseph, as Joseph just so kindly informed me.  Vexen’s also quite nice to Toby, and very kind to Namine.  (We are NOT going to talk about Vexen and Namine’s relationship, it’s a completely different thing.) 

As for Xion, well, spoilers.  Sorry. 

Heheh, funny story.  So, the other night, Rar suggested that Vexen was the actual Riku's father (at least, as far as my canon goes.)  Riku's father left.  Vexen could have easily left Destiny Islands to go study under Ansem the Wise.  Oh, I'll just quote her, it'll be easier than trying to sum it up:

but wouldn't it be weird if Vexen (Even) was Riku's father (not suggesting that he IS, but it would be interesting...) I mean, it would make sense. He's in Hollow Bastion (Radiant Garden) WHY!? Probably to study under Ansem the Wise. Which, if he grew up on Destiny Islands, I wouldn't blame him for leaving. He would have been bored out of his mind!

it would explain why he's so interested in Riku in RR

and possibly why he bothers to Replicate him

and, by extension, why he insists on acting like Repliku's father at times...

Yeah.  It's merely a thought.  I don't think I'll actually go with it.  Besides, where did Riku get his hair from then? :P