Fanfiction ► Kingdom Hearts: Keys to the Kingdom Series

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LIII: A Good Other, pt. 3
​

Kairi doesn’t know much about fighting. Most residents of Destiny Islands had, from an early age, selected a makeshift weapon and went for it. Sora and Riku’s wooden swords, Selphie’s nunchaku (jump rope), and even Wakka’s favorite blitzball had all been implemented in the islands-wide obsession with sparring. After all, their nearly paradisiacal home had offered little in the way of actual thrills or excitement, and thus they made their own. Usually by whacking at one another.

But Kairi had never much been interested, content to sit back and watch. She’d come to regret that quite a bit during the events of last year, and had done some light wooden sword training when she could once the islands were restored. But, back in the days before Princesses and black cloaks and Keyblades, she’d remained resolutely passive.

It did, on the upside, allow her plenty of time to practice other skills. Skills such as knot tying, a hobby her grizzled old sailor of a(n adopted) grandfather had heartily encouraged. He’d taught her dozens of knots, and the appropriate situations in which to use them.

All this to say, it isn’t very hard for the redhead to unfurl the laces of her shoes, remove one from its shoe entirely, and tie them together in a makeshift grappling hook.

She thought about the possibilities for a while, how best to use the ten foot line her laces had provided. She knew the essential thing would be to wrap the shoe-anchored end around the decorative sculpture, but what then? It took her mere seconds to dismiss swinging across; she’d end up hanging over the abyss below, struggling to climb up. Besides, the line might not hold.

But Xigbar had given her another idea, proven with a quick test. Running from the back of the cell to the bars, she’d discovered a certain amount of forward motion was afforded to her floating prison. It was as if the cage was suspended on an invisible, midair rail. Thinking back, she realized it operated on much the same principle as the elevators inside Hollow Bastion.

So, praying that the cage hadn’t reached the end of the “rail”, she prepares her line, twirls it a few times through a gap in the bars to gain momentum, and let fly. The laces, spearheaded by the solid weight of Kairi’s left shoe, fly across the gap.

And miss the sculpture entirely, nearly a foot too far to the right. Sighing, Kairi reels in and tries again. The second time is off again, almost an entire foot wider. Knot-tying she can do, but aiming grappling hooks had never played any part in her childhood.

She gets it on the fifth try, her shoe and the connected lace whirling twice around the white statuary. Grinning in triumph, she begins to pull. The cage moves forward, advancing little by little as she hauls the line in. The resistance is palpable, but hardly a deterrent. A grin turns to grunts, and the Princess of Heart’s face scrunches with the effort.

It takes her approximately a minute to haul herself close enough, and easy distance to jump through the widely spaced bars. She leaps about three feet, landing on the catwalk with a solid and satisfying thunk.

“Yes!” she declares jumping up with her fist pumping the air. Damsel in distress, was she?

But after a moment, her adrenaline rush dies an abrupt death. Looking around, she realizes that she’s still inside a dungeon probably full of people who won’t be too happy to discover she’s out of her cage. She has no idea of the layout, no allies, and still has to re-lace her shoes before moving anywhere.

She shakes her head, chuckling weakly at herself. “Great job, Kairi. I guess all that time with my heart in Sora’s made a little impulsiveness rub off, huh?”

“I’d say so.”

Kairi gasps, stumbling back several steps in her sock-feet. Saïx has entered the room, standing atop the staircase leading up to the exit. Beside him, a Berserker Nobody provides silent, immovable backup.

“Still,” he says, his voice emotionless as ever, “removing yourself from that cage, that was certainly something. Mostly sheer luck, of course, but that always seems to work for you heroic types.”

The Nobody draws ever closer as he speaks, dull eyes focused on Kairi. The man may not know much in the way of emoting, but he can loom like nobody’s business. Kairi shakes her hand, desperate to summon the power she’d earlier had at her disposal. Once again, nothing comes.

“Still, I suppose you can play your part as well outside the cage as you could inside it,” Saïx says, stopping a few feet in front of the girl. “Now, you are the bait for Sora. Therefore, you should scream and shout a little more. Perhaps some crying would be appropriate.”

Kairi says nothing, only tries desperately to stay calm and keep breathing. She thinks of what Sora and Riku would do in this situation, the resolve with which they’d face down an opponent.

“Get real!” she shoots up at the imperious Nobody, her eyes hard and defiant despite an occasional wavering. “If you think I’m crying, you’ve got another thing coming!”

Sora, she thinks, lip quivering despite her best efforts to keep it in check, Riku, lend me some of your strength. I’m definitely going to need it!

KH-KH-KH

Sora stands at the edge of a miles wide crater, staring up at the bottom of Organization XIII’s floating fortress. A tall ring of white steel lazily floats in circles beneath the castle’s main bulk, Nobody symbols protruding from it.

“Daunting, ain’t it?” King Mickey states with a small chuckle, startling the trio with his sudden reappearance.

“How are we supposed to get up there, Your Majesty?” Telary inquires.

“Maybe there’s some kind of ladder that drops down!” Azlyn declares. Everyone turns to look at her, none of them very supportive. The knight throws her hands up in frustration. “Hey, all I’m doing is throwing out suggestions here.”

Sora shakes his head, unable to bring himself to keep looking up at that monstrosity. Kairi is somewhere inside there, waiting for him. He needs to be with her now, and instead he’s stuck here because Organization XIII had to build their stupid castle in the sky.

Sora… Your strength…

“Kairi…” the Keybearer mumbles.

“What was that?” Mickey asks suddenly, looking up at Sora with concerned eyes.

“Kairi, she…” Sora flails about with his hands, momentarily able to put his thoughts into words. “I thought it heard, like I did before. But that’s not… Right? Because…?”

“Sora, Sora,” Telary butts in, placing his hands on the Keyblade wielder’s shoulders and looking him in the eye. “Sora, you’ve gotta keep it together. If Kairi really is in trouble…”

The Keyblade pops into Sora’s hand in a flash, surprising Telary and sending the wizard skipping away. Sora pays him no mind, stepping forward. A light shines briefly above, in one of the castle’s outstretched annexes.

Sora raises the Keyblade high, light glowing at its tip. Once it gathers, a beam shoots out and up into the bottom of the floating castle. Beneath the beam, a path of crystalline blue Light stretches up like a road.

“Wow,” Azlyn mutters, nodding impressively.

“Don’t worry, Kairi,” Sora declares, lowering his blade. “We’re coming!”

KH-KH-KH

The Berserker steps forward, its claymore poised to swing down. Kairi watches as the massive sword begins its descent, jumping to the side and emitting a small squeak as it crashes into the metal floor.

A squeak, not a scream.

Saïx’s eyes follow the movement, expression passive. “A close call. If you aren’t careful, you might just miss your chance to see Sora.”

“I’d be more worried-” Kairi gasps and dodges another claymore strike, this time by a wider margin “-about you meeting Sora. Like I told your friend… Yikes! When he gets here, we’re gonna make you sorry you ever laid a hand on me!”

“Surely,” Number VII deadpans. “You know, if I had a heart, this is where I would die of laughter.”

The Berserker explodes into a cloud of silvery light, traces of dark energy flickering through its remnants.

That actually manages to get a proper scream out of Kairi, the Princess of Heart quickly backpedaling away from the explosion.

Saïx whirls around, one eyebrow quirked. Before him stands a man, several inches taller and dressed in the same black coat. His hood is up, however, and Darkness obscures the features within.

“Who are you?” Saïx demands, his voice quiet but no less menacing.

All the hooded man does in response is hold out a hand, light flashing. When it fades, he holds a blade, red hilt encircled by one white and one black feathery wing. A red blade extends from a catlike blue eye on the pommel, veined with purple metal to make it look like a bat’s wing. A dark grey wing, angelic in design, sprouts from that at a ninety degree angle near the tip. Dangling from the hilt is a keychain, and seeing it sends Saïx’s eyebrow up another notch.

“Interesting,” he remarks. “Not to mention potentially useful.”

The hooded man still says nothing, charging forward, Saïx raises his hand, whipping out his giant blue sword with a flick of the wrist. It easily blocks the descending blade, and the pair of men in black struggle against one another.

Kairi watches with an open mouth, still quite stunned by everything happening around her so quickly. She could swear she’s seen the hooded man’s blade before, or at least something like it.

A hand touches her shoulder, and once again the redhead gasps and turns to look behind her. A girl stands before her, blonde and wearing a white sundress. Looking over the girl’s shoulder, Kairi spots the swirling black and violet energy of a dark portal.

“Don’t worry,” the blonde girl says gently as Kairi scoots away. “It’s okay.”

“Who are you?” Kairi demands.

“Naminé,” she answers. “I’m here to help. But we should hurry.”

Kairi says nothing, opening her mouth without any words coming out. She looks at Naminé, really looks at her, and can’t help but begin to see… something. She isn’t quite sure what it is, but it seems like a familiarity.

She looks back to the battle. The combatants’ sword lock is broken, and it seems that the two men are merely sizing each other up. Once again, Kairi’s eyes find the odd sword.

“C’mon, Kairi,” Naminé says, more force in them this time. “Believe in yourself. It’s time to get out of here. Riku can…”

“Riku!” Kairi leaps to her feet, the sword clicking into place in her memory. Riku’s here, exactly when she needed him.

Her best friend, here.

Saïx hears Kairi’s shout, regarding the man before him with a subtly different glare.

“I suppose that makes sense,” the Nobody remarks. “And still in that form I see.” Wisps of Darkness begin to surround him, his body fading out as more come. “Well, I should leave you to your reunion. I imagine it will be interesting.”

Riku charges, but before he can get his blade in the blue-haired man, he’s gone without a trace. He mutters something under his breath, free fist clenching tight enough to make his glove squeak.

“Way to go Riku!” Kairi calls, rushing up to her friend with a huge smile. “Sure showed him. Of course, I got him warmed up there… Hey!”

Riku’s turned away, a dark portal already opening in front of him. Kairi makes a small noise of indignation, stepping forward and grabbing her older friend by his sleeve. He tries to yank it away, but she holds on fast. There’s no way she’s letting him just leave after all this time.

“What are you doing, Riku?” she asks, pleading sneaking its way into her voice. “You can’t just go. And what’s with that stupid hood, huh?” She reaches a hand upward, but Riku yanks his head back.

Kairi’s grip on her friend’s sleeve loosens, too shocked and confused to hold on.

“Riku,” Naminé says softly, her own portal fading out. She steps forward, her expression soft and sensitive. She stops next to Kairi. “It’ll be okay.”

“Whatever’s happened,” Kairi assures him, tears in her eyes, “it’s okay, Riku. Please, I just want to see you again. It’s been so long.”

Riku sighs, bowing his head for a moment before gently grabbing Kairi’s wrists. He guides them upwards, letting her grasp the edges of his hood. Taking a deep breath, he nods minutely.

Still concerned, softly biting her bottom lip in concentration, Kairi pushes the hood back. She isn’t sure what to expect, and when the cowl falls back, she gasps out loud. Whatever she was expecting, this isn’t it.

“Riku?” she breathes out, backing away until she encounters Naminé’s arm against her back. Light plays at the contact point, but she doesn’t even notice. “How? You look… You look like…”

“Xehanort’s Heartless,” Riku replies, voice heavy and tired. Heavy, and tired, and not his own. “Though of course, you know him as Ansem.”

“Riku…” Tears spill over Kairi’s eyelids. She falls into Riku and wraps his arms around him, relieved to be with her best friend again, but at the same time so, so sad.

 

[KingdomKey]

Kairi actually getting herself out that cage was quite spectaular because, she finally does something herself. And I like her comeback at Saix. xD Aw man, things got real with Namine letting it slip that Riku was helping Kairi out. I'm glad Namine could get through to Riku that it's okay to show his face. Or well Xehanort's face. I still love the character development of Kairi, cause it's a nice change of pace. <3 And Saix, you meanie, you. Overall, I loved the new chapter. <3

 

[TelaryCri]

Hey Cin, the next chapter is coming along. Anyway, on my FFNet profile I just recently put up the names of the next few (shorter) stories in the KttK universe. Thought you'd wanna have a look of your own!

Keys to the Kingdom: Sora and the Forty Thieves

Keys to the Kingdom: Law of the Jungle

Keys to the Kingdom: Team Spirit

Keys to the Kingdom: Ladies' Night

Keys to the Kingdom: For Ever After

 

[KingdomKey]

Hey Tel, thanks for letting me know! I'll definitely check them out on your FFNet! I'm definitely eager to find out what 'Ladies Night and For Ever After' will be about too! And it's good to hear the next chapter is coming along too!

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LIV: Line The Pieces Up, pt. 1
​

The fortress of Organization XIII becomes no less intimidating once Mickey and the trio are inside. A series of ramps and landings lead up to the plain rectangular entryway. They aren’t quite inside yet, and wind blows through the gaps of the large metal plates surrounding the passageway. Looking down, Sora notes the gaps he can see through, down into the center of the deep crater below and up at the heart-shaped moon above.

“We made it,” Mickey declares, surveying the area with his Keyblade drawn.

Sora nods. “KAIRI! KAIRI, IT’s ME!!!”

“Sora!” Azlyn, Telary, and Mickey simultaneously admonish the Keybearer. He gives them a sheepish grin in return.

“This is the enemy’s stronghold,” Mickey reminds him.

“So maybe ya don’t wanna start announcing our position to all the Nobodies, huh?” Azlyn scolds.

“You’re right, you’re right,” Sora apologizes in a low voice, looking guiltily down at the floor. “So anyway, where should we start looking for Kairi?”

“I’m afraid you three will have to take care of that yourselves,” Mickey announces, studiously avoiding the stunned gazes he provokes. Telary and Sora’s mouths are agape, but Azlyn merely rolls her eyes. “Gosh, I’m sorry fellas. But Ansem is somewhere in here, and he might need my help.”

“He’s your friend,” Sora says with an agreeable nod. “And you’re worried about him. We understand.”

“We find Kairi, you find Ansem,” Telary says, verbalizing a concrete plan. “We’ll meet up… somewhere, I guess.”

“Good luck you three,” Mickey says sincerely, smiling when Sora and Telary repeat the sentiment back to him. He turns to face Azlyn, who’s still frowning deeply. “Aw, Az…”

“I know, I know,” the knight sighs, shaking her head. “I’m being silly, this is a much better way to get through this. I just get worried that…”

“We’ll see each other again, Azlyn,” the small Keybearer assures his young friend. He holds out his gloved hand and smiles at her. “I promise we will.”

It takes a second, and a deep breath, but Azlyn returns the handshake. “Good luck, Your Majesty.”

With a last nod, Mickey takes off across the ramps. Dusks slither through the floor in front of him, but the monarch hardly takes a second decapitating each one before he continues on.

The king rushes on, but more Nobodies arrive to bedevil the trio. The rushing sounds of arriving creatures fill the air, along with a soft whine. Looking around for the noises’ source, Sora notices tiny red dots of light adorning Azlyn and Telary.

“Guys!” he yells warningly. “Duck!”

All three instantly hit the deck, just in time for a wave of pink crystal bullets to spear through the air above their heads. With another rush of warping, six Snipers appear in the air around the trio.

Azlyn turns her dodge into a roll, coming up on her feet and hurling her shield forward. It knocks into the barrel of one Nobody’s gun, turning it aside. She pounces, jumping up and nailing the silver and white creature with both feet. It falls to the ground, and she flips over to grab another and slam it down as well.

Sora blocks a bullet then dodges two more, all the while closing the gap between him and his enemies. He slashes through one, ducks forward beneath a bullet, and brings the Keyblade up to vertically bisect the second Nobody.

Telary shields himself from a few bullets, redirects their absorbed energy into his staff, and fires it back out to eliminate his opponents quickly.

Azlyn’s mouth is open to cockily remark on their victory, but she’s forced to swallow her words as a line of translucent red cubes sweeps into her right side.

The boys are already moving as Azlyn goes flying. A large Nobody, hovering in the air looking like an empty robe with its sleeves fused together, appears behind the cubes. Sora leaps at it. But the cubes quickly rearrange themselves into a solid wall. His Keyblade hits with a solid thwack, failing to penetrate and sending the Keybearer backwards on his own momentum.

Telary shoots off a fireball just as the cubes are again forming their line. It splashes against the Sorcerer Nobody’s chest, about as effective as a snowball. The red cubes snap up, pushing Sora’s limp body higher into the air.

Azlyn plows into Sora before the cubes can strike again, and the pair go rolling across the floor. Telary sends off another fireball, intending it as more of a distraction than an attack. The Nobody thankfully reacts accordingly, stopping to take the magic flames head on and giving the knight and the Keybearer a moment to recover.

Sora is on his feet first, watching warily as the blocks disassemble their straight line and move instead to hover at random spots in the air. He moves quickly, ducking as one cube flies towards him, dodging left to avoid another. The third goes for his legs, and he barely manages a complete sidestep.

He’s close now, and the Nobody can sense it. This breed seems quite a bit more intelligent than its counterparts. The blocks reform in an instant, once again an impenetrable defensive wall. Sora slams his Keyblade down, but the front of the creature is well-defended.

Presenting a perfect opportunity for Azlyn to move in. She leaps up from her position behind the Nobody, slashing at its head with her shield. The creature rears back in apparent pain, its blocks losing their cohesion. Sora grins and charges through the scattered defense, landing a blow of his own. The Keyblade neatly bisects the Sorcerer in two pieces that disappear in flashes of light.

Azlyn and Sora stop to breathe, winded by the prolonged encounter.

“We really are inside their stronghold,” Telary comments, the only member of the trio with the composure to speak. “Their sending the toughest minions after us.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sora declares, shaking his head to clear it. “Kairi’s here, and I don’t care what I have to fight through to get to her!”

“Right there with ya, Sora!” Azlyn chimes in with a grin.

The group continues on, down a long hallway and into the castle proper. The room they enter is like a giant sphere, a fishbowl made just for them with twenty foot high windows in the shape of the Nobody emblem. After a few feet the color of the path changes from grey to white, extending out to form a platform. Once everyone’s on board, the elevator begins to ascend towards an enclosed hallway.

“Sure is different from last time,” Sora remarks. Off the questioning looks of his fellows, he explains. “The last time we were chasing after a part of Xehanort.”

“I see,” Telary says, nodding agreeably. He gives the place a lookaround as well. “That place was made up of pieces of worlds, cobbled together and turned dark by the Heartless. It was messy and chaotic, almost organic-looking. But this place is so stark and clean, mechanical.” He frowns thoughtfully. “I’m not exactly sure which one is more disconcerting.”

“Heartless world,” Azlyn answers immediately. “There was that creepy mine, and the shadow versions…”

“I actually have to say this place,” Sora says. “Something about it just seems so empty and, y’know, lifeless. And there’s the fact that Kairi’s here somewhere instead of safe.”

Plus the latent familiarity, surely a side effect of Roxas. He can’t exactly access specific memories, but everything still seems like he’s seen it before.

“Being perfectly honest,” Telary is saying, Sora only half-hearing the words, “I think I’m just as nervous about seeing Kairi again as getting her away from danger. It’s been so long, y’know?”

“She’ll be glad to see us,” Azlyn says reassuringly. “As weird as all this lost memory crap is, we’re all connected. And of course, once she hears the big news…”

That Sora manages to pick up on. Turning to his companions with a questioning look, he asks, “What news?”

The elevator shudders to a stop. There’s the slightest whisper of sound as it connects to another dark grey path, leading into a long hallway. A curving staircase sits at its end, barely visible in the distance.

“This place is huge!” Azlyn comments overenthusiastically, Telary following right beside her.

It’s such an obvious deflection, Sora can’t help but sigh and roll his eyes at the knight. He opens his mouth to call her out, but before he can Telary chimes in as well.

“But so empty,” he remarks, looking around nervously. His hand is wrapped around the staff at his waist, ready to draw.

“Oh, c’mon!” Sora frustratedly declares, throwing his hands up. “What were you talking about? Avoiding the topic is one thing, but intentionally encouraging an ironic Nobody attack? That’s just…”

Dusks spring down from portals in the ceiling, slapping away with their rubbery arms.

“This,” Sora comments as the battle is joined, dodging around two Nobodies and delivering killing blows, “is so not over!”

The fight rages on down the corridor, Dusks backed up by the occasional gaggle of Snipers. Azlyn almost loses an eye and Telary gets several vicious smacks, but they make it to the hallway’s end and the staircase.

Another Sorcerer attacks them there, its red cubes coming up to block their progression. In the small, narrow space the stairs afford, Sora and Azlyn’s previously successful teamwork strategy is hard to pull off.

One cube, operating independently, slams into Azlyn’s side, sending the knight screaming off the staircase. Telary reaches out with his staff and she manages to catch it, hanging over the void.

Sora can’t spare any time to look, keeping the rest of the cubes from flying off and finishing the job. Telary grits his teeth, holding on tightly to his counterpart as she swings through the air. She starts kicking, gaining more momentum and hoping that her boyfriend can hang on long enough for her plan to work. After several vigorous pumps, she gives it one last kick and releases her hold on the staff.

Azlyn flips up through the air, grasping the railing several feet above the Sorcerer Nobody. With as quiet a grunt as she can manage, the knight hauls herself up behind the creature. With a small, satisfied grin, she viscously attack its back.

The strategy works as perfectly the second time as it had the first, and with a powerful thrust Sora finishes the fight.
Snipers appear just as he’s recovering, floating over the void with sights set on Sora, Azlyn, and Telary. The wizard notices and reacts quickly, throwing up a shield around all three. It’s larger than he’s used to, but he manages to block the initial shots.

The magic shield drops as a second volley fly through, but by then Azlyn’s ready with her physical shield. Using the magical power he hadn’t expended on the Sorcerer fight, Telary uses fireballs to waste the sharpshooting Nobodies.

Dusks poke their heads over the rails, arms waving. Sora reacts instinctively, slashing through five Nobodies with a single swing.

“Head up!” the Keybearer orders his companions, knocking a Sniper shot out of the air. “Keep moving, don’t let them pin us!”

Azlyn nods, backflipping down the stairs to land between the boys. She gives the edge of her shield a tap and it expands once again, providing more cover as they move up. Telary fires off a flaming orb every once in a while, trying to keep his magic reserve from running dry too quickly.

Their flight is quick, ascending the last several dozen stairs and ducking inside a metal tower. A small landing leads to yet more staircases, winding up and up towards a small light shining at the top.

The tower seems to be some kind of safe space, as no more Nobodies follow in after them. They remain wary, but the ascent up the stairs never turns particularly exciting. It is, however, plenty tense for all involved. Luckily for Azlyn and Telary, it’s tense enough that Sora doesn’t attempt to press the issue regarding their secret.

The tower leads to another hallway, opening up into a massive chamber. A path leads to a large rectangular platform hanging over a black abyss, then out into another hallway. Large balconies on the north and south sides of the chamber form another level, then smaller balconies several feet above them. Nobody symbols abound once again, protruding from the walls and reminding everyone of their presence.

The ceiling is made entirely of glass, light shining in from the eerie yellow heart moon. A high white tower juts into the sky beside it, some kind of odd red, blue, and purple mist flowing down from its tip.

“Hey!” Azlyn calls out, settling into a combat stance and looking up at a high balcony.

Saïx stands there, calmly regarding the group with both hands behind his back. A few feet behind him stands Xigbar, smiling brightly at the scene before him, though why he’s doing so is anyone’s guess.

“Where’s Kairi?” Sora yells up, defiant rage in his voice. Kingdom Key flashes into his hand, and he gives it a poignant swing.

Saïx shakes his head, ignoring Xigbar’s slight giggling behind him. “She’s very slippery, that girl.”

“Got a little creative, then hopped right outta her cell,” Number II adds. “Though who coulda showed her how to pull that off, I just don’t know.”

“Kairi escaped?” Telary breathes. Now Axel’s instructions for seeking her out are unfortunately useless. On the other hand, she isn’t still languishing in some cage.

Sora doesn’t know quite how to feel either, so he settles for his usual boisterous defiance. “I’m still gonna make you pay for what you did to her!”

“It hardly matters now,” Saïx declares, shrugging once casually. “She is no longer useful to our purposes. Nor are you.” He points upward, to the moon glowing in the sky like a diamond. “Look there! Gaze upon our Kingdom Hearts!”

The trio gasp, taken aback by the sudden revelation.

“Yeah, check out how pretty!” Xigbar chimes in. “She’s a real beaut, and it’s all thanks to you, Sora. You and that Keyblade!”

A sudden feeling of shame washes over the Keybearer. He looks down at his blade, the unwitting instrument of the Organization’s scheme. Every single piece of that giant moon, an abomination no matter how beautiful it may appear, is made up a lost heart. Judging by its size, there must be tens of thousands trapped inside.

“Although,” Xigbar continues, one hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. “I guess one last helping couldn’t hurt. Whaddya say, Sev?”

The corner of Saïx’s mouth turns down at the mention of that insipid nickname, but he gives the idea its due consideration.

“I suppose it can’t ever hurt to be sure,” the blue-haired man declares, raising a hand with his fingers in snapping position.

Portals of inky black darkness open up all around the room, the yellow dots of Heartless eyes shining through the black. Creatures leap out from within, Soldiers, Bandits, Search Ghosts, Wyverns, and floating mages of every color in the rainbow flooding the platform.

Sora and company tighten their circle, watching every side with their weapons warily drawn. The denizens of Darkness swarm around them, eager for the taste of their valiant hearts.

Saïx watches them for a moment, a small grin playing across his lips. “I can trust you to watch them, yes?”

“Sure can, boss man,” Xigbar replies, nodding eagerly. “You go on and stare out the window, or join the Superior up top. Whatever it is makes you remember feelin’ happy.”

Saïx opens a portal and disappears, sparing no parting words for his compatriot. That hardly concerns Xigbar, and he settles in to watch the Keyblade wielder and his lackeys struggle against the Heartless.

After a few seconds, though, he hears a sound that is definitely not combat-related. A kind of dumbfounded grunt, coming from across the way.

“Well,” he mutters, coolly regarding Pete and Maleficent standing at a balcony across the hall. “I guess we left the ‘visitors welcome’ sign up today, didn’t we?”

On their own white terrace, Pete and Maleficent takes in their surroundings. A genuine smile decorates the jade-skinned witch’s lips.

“Oh, Peter,” Maleficent declares, “this castle is simply marvelous! Perfect for our purposes, I should think. What say you we acquire it for our own?”

Pete gulps audibly, taking his own look around. “Well, uh, I can’t argue that the setup is kinda nice. Lotsa space for knickknacks and such. Heckuva job to clean it all, though.”

Maleficent arches her usual ‘wow are you an idiot’ eyebrow at the minion.

“And, uh, course there’s another thing,” the fat cat continues. “This world is in-between, y’know. Way too close to the Darkness! The Heartless might not listen to us here!”

The witch’s eyebrow shifts slightly, transferring into ‘I should incinerate you where you stand’ position.

“You underestimate me once again,” she says dismissively. The green orb at the end of her staff glows wickedly.

Several dozen feet below, Sora, Azlyn, and Telary continue their desperate struggle.

 

[KingdomKey]

Xigbar's sarcasm and nickname for Saix made me laugh. xD Telary, you're killing me with the suspense. I'm betting Azlyn is either engaged or pregnant. The only other crazy random guess I could possibly come up with is that they're moving in together somehow. lol. Anyways, the battle is quite intense. Do I detect a bit of anger in Sora's voice. It makes me think of Roxas. And Azlyn finally caving in to the King. Talk about damn time. lol. Although, if Azlyn were pregnant, it wouldn't be good for her to be getting hit around by nobodies like that. Anyways, super hype for the next chapters. And Pete and Maleficent making their entrance is exciting as always. <3

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LIV: Line The Pieces Up, pt. 2
​

The catwalks and outdoor walkways surrounding the Castle That Never Was are nearly as numerous and labyrinthine as the corridors inside, but Mickey Mouse runs on in search of his old friend.

He feels just awful, leaving Sora and his kids behind to face alone whatever awaits them inside. Reassuring Azlyn that his leaving was the best possible step had been nearly as much for his own benefit as hers. As he runs, the look on her face haunts him.

Things are a mess, far worse than he could ever have anticipated. But that is why he must run on. After all, there’s one thing he’s sure of: Ansem the Wise would not have emerged from his long period of hiding without a plan in place. A plan that may very well end up saving the day.

Nobodies spring up in Mickey’s way constantly, but it takes little time to dispatch them with his golden key. Bashing down two Dusks, he looks ahead to see a gathering of three or four more of the creatures, surrounding a red-clothed lump on the white floor of the walkway. Gritting his teeth, Mickey leaps to the defense of his dear friend.

His initial slash decapitates two Dusks, a leaping vertical cut splitting another in two. With his feet on the ground, the king spins twice to strike down the remaining pair.

With the enemies dispatched, the tiny Keybearer regards the figure slumped at his feet with concern. For a moment he can’t help but think that he came too late, but much to his relief the figure begins to rise. As he does, the king notes the odd machine resting beside him: a cylindrical device at least as tall as Mickey, with a large glass globe at one end and a pointed antenna at the other.

“My old friend,” the man in red says by way of greeting, nodding down at his fellow monarch. “It has been too long.”

Mickey nods, frowning up at his associate of long ago. “Sure has. Now c’mon, take off that mask and lemme see ya.” When the robed man hesitates, Mickey adds, “Please.”

The man in red, known formally as DiZ to all who had associated with him, raises his hands to his face and begins unwrapping bandages. As he does, that dark power he had been using to darken his visible skin fades into mist.

When the bandages fall away, DiZ’s true features come to light. White blond hair slicked back, pale skin from time spent inside a laboratory rather than outside. A goatee the same color as his hair decorates the man’s chin and upper lip.

“That’s better, Ansem!” Mickey declares. Notes of cheer color the words, but with a clearly false edge. After another moment of attempting to keep up the charade, the mouse king’s face drops into a serious, disappointed expression. “Why didn’t you come to me before things got so bad?”

Ansem only sighs in reply, looking out over the dark world below rather than at his old friend.

“The burden was mine to bear,” he answers after a long, contemplative minute. “Everything that has befallen the worlds…”

“Don’t talk like that!” Mickey demands, shaking his head fiercely. “You didn’t…”

“I did!” Ansem interrupts, turning a glare down at his onetime compatriot. “Xehanort was my apprentice. It was I who took him in when he had no past or identity, only his name.”

“You did that because you’re a kind man,” Mickey protests. “You gave him all the help you could, just like you woulda done for anybody.”

“Who he was, was who I made him to be.” Ansem turns away, striding to the edge of the walkway. “I showed him the path down which he walked, introduced him to mysteries he could never comprehend. His obsession was mine.”

“It was his own, and you know it,” Mickey counters, frustrated. “But that’s not all, is it?”

Ansem sighs. “I admit, there was more. Xehanort, and my other apprentices with him, stole everything that was precious to me. My research, my home… and my pride. They threw me into the dark realm, leaving me with nothing but my own thoughts. But the Realm of Darkness is a greedy one, devouring the memories of all who pass through if they are not careful. The only thoughts I had to keep me strong, keep me sane, were those of revenge. Even once I escaped, the obsession continued. If anything, it grew.”

“I can’t help you with revenge, Ansem,” Mickey says, solemn and sad.

“I know, old friend,” Radiant Garden’s former ruler replies. He smiles, but it’s only an affectation. “Riku told me you would say that. He must have told me a thousand times.”

“Riku…” Mickey says under his breath, shaking his head at the thought of his young friend’s predicament.

“He’s most likely with his friends by now,” Ansem assures the mouse king. “That should do him some good, to be away from my own poisonous influence. Of all those hurt in my quest for vengeance, I believe Riku was the foremost.”

“I only saw him once, after he was transformed.” The small Keybearer shakes his head at the memory. “He made me promise not to tell Sora what had happened to him. But I think that, if Sora is really in trouble, he’ll show up.” He steps forward and lays a meaningful hand on Ansem's arm. “That’s what friends do for each other.”

The former DiZ smiles down at him, though it’s brittle. He steps forward, grabbing his machine and lifting it carefully.

“The time has come for me to act,” he declares. “There may be no way to truly make amends for my actions, but perhaps there is still time to make a difference in the lives of these young people.”

Mickey steps up beside him, laying one hand on the device. Together, the two old friends make their way onward.

KH-KH-KH

The sounds of battle spur Kairi forward, Riku and Naminé scurrying to keep pace. The redheaded Princess of Heart rushes out onto a small balcony, high above a large chamber. Looking down, she gasps as she sees Sora, Azlyn, and Telary, fighting for their lives against the Heartless swarming down on them.

She grimaces at the sight, even as her heart leaps with joy.

“Oh, no,” Naminé mutters behind her counterpart. Riku says nothing, the face of Xehanort’s Heartless as stoic as ever.

“We can’t just sit here!” Kairi declares. Before her companions can caution her, the girl pulls herself up on the balcony’s ledge and jumps.

She manages to land nimbly on a lower walkway, but the impact unbalances her and she falls down to her knees. The sound of her landing reaches Xigbar’s ears. Curious, the Nobody turns to face her.

“Damn, little girl,” the Organization’s Number II chuckles, shaking his head at the sight before him. “Ya got a few guts, I’ll give ya that. Not that any of that’ll matter in a minute.”

Heartless appear before the Princess, Shadows wiggling out of the ground and charging. Kairi steps back, holding up a defensive hand against the creatures. Focused on her approaching attackers, she doesn’t even notice the soft light gathering there.

Riku lands beside her, his blade ready to strike. He barely makes it a step before Light flashes around the girl he’d intended to protect. It barrels into the Shadows, sending the small monsters flying back through the air. Kairi slumps over, suddenly breathing heavily.

“Kairi?” Riku asks, looking her over.

Meanwhile, on the platform below, Telary bats back a leaping Soldier just in time to notice the light flashing on the walkway above. Looking up, the redhead gasps as he sees his sister standing there, looking winded. His shock only intensifies when he notices who’s standing next to her.

“Aaah!” the wizard cries, stumbling back. “Kairi!”

Sora hears the girl’s name and looks to Telary. Noticing his older friend’s upward gaze, the Keyblade wielder looks up as well. When he spies Kairi, he nearly falls to the floor. After so long spent wondering and worrying, fighting his way towards her, he can finally look upon her.

But Xehanort’s Heartless is there as well, the face of his old foe pushing back any warm feelings and replacing them with rage. What is he doing here, that soulless creature that had caused so much heartache? More urgently, why is he so near Kairi, and holding a blade that looks suspiciously similar to Riku’s?

The sudden rush of thoughts distract him, allowing several Shadows the perfect opening they require. He barely hears the creatures flying towards him before they land, knocking him down to the hard platform floor.

Somehow, through all the noise and confusion of battle, Kairi snaps up as soon as Sora is in danger. She can’t hear his cries, but nevertheless she still knows. He needs her.

“Kairi?” Riku asks, looking concernedly at his friend as her expression hardens with resolve. “Kairi, what are you…?”

She’s off before he can finish asking the question. Just as before she rushes to the edge, but this time a glow is rising up around her. Riku steps forward to stop her, but something holds him back. She’s going to be with Sora, just as it should be. It’s probably a good thing, will lessen the awkwardness when he retreats alone into the darkness. Besides, a cloud of Rapid Thrusters have emerged behind him, and every one he takes care of is one that won’t come after his friends.

Azlyn kicks away a lunging Search Ghost, turning just in time to see Sora go down. She moves forward a step to help, but three Red Nocturnes swoop down and hurl fire. Not far away, Telary is similarly cornered by a group of Soldiers and Bolt Towers.

A quick fire spell burns away some surrounding Shadows, and Sora easily shrugs off the rest as he rises. The platform is still a raucous cauldron of battle, and the Keybearer prepares another charge.

But he stops short as a streak of Light hits the platform, yellow-white luminescence spreading out into an area several feet wide. It hits several Heartless like an ocean wave, sending the small ones flying and scooting the larger creatures back.

The Light fades within seconds, revealing Kairi. She’s breathing heavily, surveying the damage she’s done with wide eyes. Clutched tight in her hand is what is undeniably a Keyblade: a bronze shaft with teeth in the shape of colorful wildflowers. One hilt guard is a vine, wrapping around the shaft up towards the flowery teeth, and the other is a blue ocean wave. A yellow paopu fruit dangles from a red chain beneath the hilt.

“Kairi!” Sora declares, rushing toward her in anticipation of a collapse. To the girl’s credit, she keeps herself standing upright.

“Sora!” she calls back, her face lighting up as the boy stops in front of her. “You’re here!”

“Uh, yeah,” is all Sora can get out, utterly shocked by a large number of things. Kairi’s very presence, the strange Light that reminds him of something Belle did in Beast’s Castle, and a Keyblade of all things! It’s a lot to take in. “What are you doing here?”

She straightens up, giving him a proud smile. “You were in trouble. I came to save you!”

Sora’s jaw drops, he can’t help it. “What? B-but, I came to save you!”

“Well, Sora,” Kairi chuckles, casually flipping her hair, “they say a healthy relationship is fifty-fifty.”

Nothing else is said for several moments, the long separated lovers reunited at last. After all the heartbreak and worry and pain, finally Sora and Kairi are together.

“Oh, that’s just adorable!” Azlyn cracks, flipping forward and hurling her shield into the chest of an Armored Knight. “Good to see you again Kairi, but would you mind terribly putting that Keyblade to use?”

Kairi nods and steps forward, stumbling a bit. Sora gasps and reaches out an arm, catching the girl and holding her protectively.

“Are you okay?” he asks, stepping up close and looking down at her.

“Yeah, fine,” she replies, a bit shakily. She shakes her head to clear it, only to become dizzy. “That whole Light explosion thing took a lot outta me I guess.”

“Don’t worry!” Telary says, stepping up to the pair and putting an arm around his disoriented sister. “I’ll stay with her, make sure nothing happens.”

“So I guess it’s right back into the old routines, huh big bro?” Kairi teases the wizard. She stands on her own, the vertigo fading. A Shadow charges the loitering trio, and she reaches out to give it a whack. A cloud of black particles fly from the creature as it slides back across the floor, not destroyed but certainly injured.

“We can hold things here,” Telary assures Sora, stepping up beside his fellow redhead.

“Ugh, you people and your emotions!” Azlyn groans, backflipping away from an Armored Knight’s blade. She lands and throws her shield, knocking its head clean off. “Meanwhile I’m stuck doing all the work!”

Telary summons a lightning deluge to take care of some Powerwilds closing in on his girlfriend.

“Yeah, yeah,” she replies, kicking back one monkey-like Heartless that managed to slip through. “You and your magic.”

“Coming Azlyn!” Sora calls, swiping through two Soldiers. Before he goes, he gives Kairi a dashing grin. “I guess it’s time to give my fifty!”

The Keybearer leaps forward, cleanly slicing a Luna Bandit into two pieces. He whirls forward, bashing in the skull of a Wight Knight and cutting through the stomach-face of a Trick Ghost.

“Not to belittle your accomplishments,” Telary says to Kairi, unable to keep his nerves at speaking to his lost family for the first time in a year, “but how did you manage to get here, exactly?”

“I had help!” Kairi explains, stepping forward and bashing down a Red Nocturne. She points up to the walkway above.
Telary follows her finger, grimacing when he notices who it’s pointing to. So it hadn’t been the stress of battle then.

“Uh, isn’t that Xehanort’s Heartless?” he nervously asks. “Though I guess you’d know him as Ansem. He wasn’t actually though, just an imposter. Actually the Heartless of an imposter. Though the sword is new… Not to mention him fighting Heartless. And am I mistaken, or does that sword look suspiciously like…?”

“It’s a bit complicated,” the redheaded girl interrupts. Grunting, she kicks one Driller Mole back into its partner. “Though, not nearly as complicated as what you just said. Anyway, that’s actually…”

She doesn’t get to finish her though either, as suddenly a pink crystal spear plunges into an approaching Shadow. Another bursts through the chest of a Fortuneteller, then another in the skull of a Large Body. And finally they just begin raining down, falling from the sky like volcano ash. Telary instinctively moves in front of Kairi, though she grimaces and steps away from his protection.

There’s no need for concerning. Though the bullets appear to be flying indiscriminately, none of them hit any human on the platform. The Heartless die out in droves, until finally only five stand on in the lowest part of the atrium.

“What a nice little reunion,” Xigbar coos from his high perch. The only sound in the room is Riku bashing away at Soldiers on his walkway. “Gang’s all here.”

The Nobody sends a significant glance sideways, and for the first time Azlyn notices the man on the walkway. She gasps as Telary did, quickly transitioning from surprise to rage, then heading across the mental street to confusion.

“And three Keyblades, all in one place,” the Organization’s Number II continues. “Never thought I’d see this. Though to tell ya the truth, quality control seems to have gone way down. A punk kid, a little girl, and a denizen of Darkness. What a world!”

“Quit it with the ‘little girl’ stuff!” Kairi demands, rushing up to stand beside Sora. Telary follows after her, the quartet clustering together.

“Who you calling a punk kid?” Sora yells up himself, swinging his Keyblade threateningly.

“Don’t like that one, eh?” Xigbar replies with a chuckle. “Okay then, how about this: Traitor! Roxas, you haven’t been a good boy, now have you? And it was one of the first things I told you when ya joined up.”

“Roxas?” Kairi says, looking to Sora with narrowed eyes.

“We’re not sure why…” Telary begins to explain.

“It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you later,” Sora interrupts shortly.

“Maybe ya will, maybe ya won’t,” Xigbar mocks. The Nobody suddenly blurs, as if his body is getting bad reception.

An accompanying blur suddenly phases into existence upon the platform, smoothing out in the smirking form of Organization XIII’s Number II.

“Let’s just see if you survive the next few minutes.”

 

[KingdomKey]

Xigbar remains to be my favorite to this day. <3 And the touching reunion made it that much better. I love how Kairi can hold her own with her keyblade. I like that it winds her like Sora's first time wielding the keyblade after a year of sleep. Furthermore, I like the whole fifty-fifty thing. <3 Sora and Kairi are adorable. And aww, c'mon, Riku! You've stayed hidden long enough! And King Mickey feeling guilty a tiny bit over Azlyn was nice to see, cause it does show that he cares, and I love knowing his thoughts about his kids being in danger. I know what it's like to be torn to be in two places at once, but having to make the choice to pick one or the other. I got to say the meet up with Ansem the Wise was just like the game too. <3 I could hear Ansem's voice perfectly. Loved this chapter. <3

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LIV: Line The Pieces Up, pt. 3
​

Sora and Azlyn rush forward, Kairi only a step behind. But Xigbar blurs again, reappearing in the air several feet away, behind and to the left. With a loud laugh, he takes aim and fires off several shots.

They slam into Sora, luckily shattering against the magical protection of his garments. The boy does stumble back however, inadvertently knocking into Kairi.

Azlyn is moving forward though, letting out a loud battle cry and flipping towards Xigbar, shield ready to strike. But he’s not there when she arrives, having already popped over to the platform’s other side.

His next few shots hit Telary’s back, one bullet fragmenting and nicking his exposed forearm. The wizard hisses in pain, ducking aside to allow Sora to charge.

Xigbar fires off two quick, focused rounds, one from each pistol. Sora deflects one and sidesteps the other, leaping up with the Keyblade raised.

But the Nobody is too slippery, already popping out then up somewhere new. Azlyn’s almost there, halfway through a jump when Xigbar arrives. She turns slightly and throws her shield, scoring a hit that sends the Organization’s Number II sliding back through the air.

Seeing their opponent’s confusion, Telary sends off a fireball right at the one-eyed man. It splashes against his coat, prompting a strained grunt from the Nobody. He fades out quickly, though this time it seems as if the whole room’s unfocusing along with him.

When reality snaps back, the platform is different. Now it’s only one long stretch of metal, Xigbar at one end and the heroic quintet at the other. Smirking, Xigbar starts firing off barrages.

Azlyn leaps in front of the others, blocking with her shield. The Nobody doesn’t seem to mind, keeping up the pressure.

But even his magic-based pistols can’t fire forever. They flash white, the crystals that line their handguards disappearing. Realizing their chance, Sora and his compatriots charge forward.

“Uh oh!” Xigbar declares, furiously shaking his guns. It won’t take long to reload, but those teens are getting awfully close…

“Ha!” he shouts, the ammo-crystals regenerating themselves. He stretches out his arms and fires, half a dozen bullets barreling into Azlyn’s chest. They hit the knight like a ton of bricks, sending her stumbling back into the others.

Reality blurs, and the platform is back to its normal configuration. Xigbar floats to the group’s side, lining up his shots. Telary throws up a quick shield, but the improvised protection holds only for a few rounds before shattering.

One pink crystal flies through, grazing Kairi and leaving a thin gash on her upper arm. The girl, not used to such sharp pain, lets out a loud squeal.

That sound, anguish and pain, hits Sora harder than any bullet. Kairi’s in trouble, hurt, and all because of the Nobody floating a few feet away. That simply won’t do.

The Keybearer lets out a roar of challenge to rival any of Azlyn’s, bursting forth from his clustered group and charging headlong at his enemy.

“Oh, real nice strategy there Roxas,” Xigbar mocks, once again simply blurring out of reality.

Sora skids to a stop as soon as the Nobody’s gone, wheeling around to face his new location the moment he spots the telltale blur. He charges at Xigbar’s as yet hazy form, leaping up just as the man takes full physical form.

Kingdom Key crashes into Xigbar’s chest, a loud cry bursting from his mouth. He flails out wildly with one gun, smashing it into his attacker’s chin. Sora grunts as he slams back down to the platform.

Even through the pain, Xigbar can’t help but look down and smile at the boy as he bounces off the metal surface.

It’s a distraction he can’t afford, as a ball of Light as big as his head flies through the air and slams into his chest, exploding on impact.

Now it’s the Nobody’s turn to flip through the air, barely managing to land on one knee beside Sora. Looking up, he sees Kairi standing firm, right arm outstretched. Azlyn and Telary are gazing up at her in awe.

But she can only maintain composure for a moment, slumping back down to her knees in utter exhaustion. Telary reaches out to catch her, noticing idly that her cut seems to have healed itself.

“Okay, fine,” Xigbar breathes, scowling at the heroes. Sora is rising now, gazing at the Nobody with fierce anger in his eyes once again. “Play time’s over!”

He blurs out again. Telary, Azlyn, and Sora frantically look around to see where he’ll appear next, floating upside down in midair with his guns raised.

But Xigbar is finished with tricks, quick teleporting and insulting taunts. He crouches atop his balcony, combining the two pistols into one rifle. His teeth grind together as he places his left and only eye in the scope, adjusting the crosshairs to center on Sora. The boy is still warily casting his eyes around the platform’s airspace. He and the others are so concerned about Xigbar popping up, he has plenty of time to take one shot. The most important shot of his nonexistence.

“Sorry Roxas,” Organization XIII’s Number II mutters under his breath. He shifts his shoulders one last time, his finger carefully squeezing down on the trigger. “Time to put your little light out for good.”

The sound of tearing cloth and punctured flesh explodes in Xigbar’s ears, accompanied by an intense burst of pain. Suddenly his rifle is knocked from his hands, the appendages going limp. Looking down, he spots the culprit: a red and purple blade, sticking straight through his chest.

That would do it.

Riku pulls his blade out, careful to turn it so that the angel wing that forms its teeth won’t catch on any organs. It slides out smoothly, clean as a whistle despite its gruesome journey.

Xigbar slumps over and falls, rolling onto his back through sheer momentum. Looking up, he gazes into the cold eyes of Xehanort’s Heartless staring down at him impassively.

“It’s, actually kinda funny,” the Nobody manages to breathe out, the pain fading as his body begins to break down into black particles. “After all, he’s the one who got me into this mess.”

His last words said, Xigbar fades away.

Riku tears his gaze from the spot the Nobody had died on. It had been gruesome business, but necessary. For the sake of Sora and Kairi, he’d do it a hundred times over.

Sora’s going to her now, scrambling to his feet and across the platform. Riku knows he should go, make a clean getaway. But he lingers for a moment, eager to see the reunion he knows he can never be a part of.

 

[KingdomKey]

Damn. I was not expecting that! Like holy crap! Riku stabbed Xigbar in the back! :O No kidding on it being gruesome. Although it's kind of neat to see the amount of care Riku has about not hitting vital organs on his extraction of his keyblade. On the other hand, Xigbar, what a jerk! Toying around with SAT like that. And nice! Kairi got a hit on Xigbar! Being a princess of heart really does has its perks. Between healing and powerful attacks to say the least. And Sora, you got to keep your head together. xD Anyways, I love, love, LOVE this chapter a whole lot. The fight itself was intense. And done incredibly well too. <3

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LIV: Line The Pieces Up, pt. 4
​

“Kairi, are you alright?” Sora asks, looking into her half-closed eyes.

“Just fine, Sora,” the girl slurs, giving him a daredevil’s grin. “What happened to Xigbar?”

“I don’t know,” the Keybearer admits.

“Probably you scared him off!” Azlyn boisterously declares. “That Light thing was intense. Cooler than anything Tel’s done.”

“Hey!” the wizard blurts, offended.

The knight shrugs. “Hey, you know I still love you.” Dodging around Kairi’s head, she gives her boyfriend a kiss.

“Oh, no way!” Kairi practically yells, suddenly a lot perkier. Sora helps her to her feet, and she looks down at Azlyn and Telary with a wide smile. “You two finally got your act together!”

“It took forever,” Sora says teasingly. “Seriously, these two were unbearable for, like, weeks!”

“You want unbearable, Kairi,” Azlyn shoots back. ”You don’t wanna know how much this guy moaned and groaned about wanting to see you again. And this was before the whole kidnapping thing, too!”

The Princess of Heart turns to the Keybearer with a wide grin. But the expression on his face isn’t one of happiness. Sora looks downright dejected.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, turning his head to the girl.

She turns, positioning him to face her too. Her blue-violet eyes gaze into his azure pair, mere inches apart.

“Don’t be,” she says. Sora opens his mouth to argue, but she shakes her head. “All that matters is that we’re together now. Nothing else.”

“Kairi…”

She doesn’t let him say anything else, just puts her lips to his. For a moment he’s surprised, too taken aback to respond. But some things, as Azlyn and Telary well know, are just the right thing to do. So, he kisses back, holding her close.
After a moment, the unmistakable whoosh of an opening Dark Portal snaps the lovers out of their trance. They stumble apart, looking up to the source of the noise.

Sora nearly collapses, his mouth dropping open as he looks up into the face of the being that had nearly destroyed everything he held dear. Xehanort’s Heartless stares back for a long moment, then turns to his portal.

“Quick, Tel!” Sora demands, elbowing his wizardly friend. “Fry him, shoot a spell…!”

“Telary, no!” Kairi countermands, her eyes never leaving the escaping form of the man she knows to be Riku. Telary obeys, his hand not even straying towards his staff.

“What are you doing?” Azlyn protests.

“He’s gonna get away!” Sora adds.

“Riku!”

The single word echoes around the room, halting all motion. The trio aren’t quite sure where to look, at Kairi or the man she just called to.

Riku stands still as well, almost unable to comprehend that his secret is now out. The portal is only a few steps away, if he can just shake this off…

“Riku, don’t you dare walk away right now!” Kairi calls up, her tone firm and admonishing. “Get down here this instant!”

Riku hesitates, staring down at the still confused Sora. He’s about to leave, ignore Kairi’s demand and simply walk away.

But there’s a look in Sora’s eyes, a mix of fear and confusion and hope. Suddenly, he knows that he can’t just walk away. With a deep breath, he waves his hand to close the portal. Another gesture opens a second corridor, its corresponding exit appearing on the platform below. Steeling his resolve, Riku walks through.

Everyone stares silently at the portal as by all appearances their greatest enemy emerges from it. Azlyn’s scowling, he entire body tense as every instinct tells her to pounce. But Telary’s arm is across her chest, barring the way.

Sora just stares up into golden eyes, not sure what to believe.

“Alright,” Kairi says, stepping closer to the silver-haired man and grabbing Sora’s hand along the way. He numbly stumbles after her. She reaches out and grabs Riku’s gloved hand as well, bringing it closer to Sora’s. “Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon. Just close your eyes.”

Sora takes a deep breath, purses his lips, and follows Kairi’s orders. He blocks out everything else, until all he can see is black, all he can sense the feeling of two hands: one of soft skin, the other covered by a leather glove.

And then, suddenly, Riku appears before him.

He’s different than the last time Sora saw him, taller and wearing an Organization coat. His silver hair is several inches longer, a bit darker two. Through the bangs, blue-green eyes twinkle in the surrounding dark. The older boy’s expression is carefully blank, but something joyful still manages to shine through in those eyes.

After a long moment, Sora opens his own eyes, Xehanort’s Heartless standing before him once again. But now there’s no fear, no lingering doubts. Whoever he may appear to be, this is Riku.

“Riku,” Sora breathes, swallowing thickly. “Riku, you’re here. I can’t believe… I looked everywhere for you.” Suddenly weak, Sora slumps to his knees, still holding onto Riku’s hand even as Kairi takes a respectful step back. “I didn’t know where you were, if you were dead or alive! And then the king talked about some promise, but I didn’t…”

“I made him promise,” Riku says, trying and failing to keep from openly expressing his own joy at this reunion. Despite the altered body, his voice still sounds like Riku to Sora. “I didn’t want you to see me like... Like this.”

Sora stands, dropping Riku’s hand and blinking away the sudden tears in his eyes. “Hey, Riku,” he says after a moment. “I don’t know what you were freaking out about. I mean, c’mon man.” He sniffles, a grin creeping across his face. “You’ve always been taller than me!”

Riku’s mouth drops open, unable to reform a response. All that time worrying, fearing rejection, and that’s what Sora has to say? Kairi is laughing hysterically beside the boys, reaching out and grabbing Sora’s arm to support her. Azlyn and Telary are laughing too, but more sedately.

“So you were the one who left us those clues,” Telary says slowly, grasping for a familiar thread in all this sudden strangeness. Riku or not, the man before him still sounds exactly like Xehanort’s Heartless.

“Yeah,” Riku replies, smirking a bit. “Though to be honest, I was worried you weren’t gonna pick up on it. Sora’s never chosen the brightest friends.”

“Yeah, sure,” Azlyn scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Or that aren’t a huge pain in the ass.” After a moment, she realizes the implications of her words. “No, wait…”

They all have a good laugh about that, or perhaps it hasn’t anything to do with the knight’s blunder at all.

“But, that body,” Kairi interrupts once the laughter dies down. “Are you stuck like that forever? Or…”

Riku sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I had to take the form of Xehanort’s Heartless to fully use the Darkness. I guess some part of it was still left even after I defeated it. To change back… I’m just not sure.”

“Nothing’s over yet,” Sora declares, slamming a fist deliberately into his open palm. He’s smiling, his grin seeming to radiate a light to rival that of Kingdom Hearts above. “King Mickey went to look for Ansem the Wise. They’ll have a plan!”

“I got a plan too,” Azlyn speaks up, stepping closer to the others. “Kick ass!”

Telary rolls his eyes as he follows beside her. “And whenever she plans something, I inevitably get dragged along.”

“This time, I’m fighting with you guys,” Kairi adds, expression a mixture of gumption and joy. Her flowery Keyblade is back in hand. “No more getting left behind!”

“Looks like you’ve got yourself a crew, Sora,” Riku tells his younger friend, smirking in a way only he can.

“Better than that,” Sora corrects. “I’ve got friends.” He summons Kingdom Key and thrusts it into the air. “Let’s finish this. Go Team Keyblade!”

For a moment the room is silent, unless one can hear the purely metaphysical noise of the mood crashing to the ground.

“Yeah, we’re not calling ourselves that,” Azlyn flatly states.

“I’m definitely with her,” Telary agrees.

Sora looks hopefully to his friends from the islands, but they don’t seem any more encouraging.

“Sorry, Sora,” Kairi apologizes, shrugging.

“Not gonna happen,” Riku declares with finality.

Sora sighs, rolling his eyes. “Okay, fine, no Team Keyblade.” Getting another idea, the boy holds up his right hand. “All for one?”

Everyone mutters their assent. Grinning triumphantly, Sora sticks his hand into the middle of his circle of friends. One by one, they add their hands to his.

“All for one…” the Keyblade wielder practically shouts, smiling giddily in anticipation.

“And one for all!”

 

[KingdomKey]

*sniffs* Finally. Everyone is officially reunited again . ;__; I'm so happy. And it still feels like a shock to my system to see Sora and Kairi kiss like that. Thank goodness Riku stuck around because, I can't bear to see Sora unhappy like that. I'm so glad he could finally be Riku again. I also love the humor of being a big pain in the ass comment, or the 'you're always been taller than me' response. Gosh, i wish these were put into the game. It's an infinity times better than the original. And Team Keyblade. I've been cracking up over that a lot. XD At least the 'All for one and one for All' is still a thing. <3 I can't believe how close we're getting to the end of this.

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LV: Sacred Moon, pt. 1
​

For all the pomp, circumstance, and foreboding that seemed to surround infiltrating the enemy’s fortress, Ansem and Mickey have had a relatively quiet ascension up the outer walkways of the Castle That Never Was.

Ansem hasn’t said anything, and neither has the king of Disney Castle. The wind blows with a soft whistle, their feet clink against the metal surface, and of course both of them draw breath. But other than that, silence.

“Do ya think the kids got outta that hall okay?” Mickey wonders once he finally can’t stand the quietude. They’re passing through a covered section of the walkway, and his high-pitched voice bounces off the ceiling. “Can’t help but think there should be more noise, if they’re making their way through.”

“The five of them together?” Ansem says, shaking his head mirthfully. “I’ve no doubt they are safe. And as for this stillness, I imagine we are a long way up from their current position. Besides, the geometry of this castle may not follow any rules we know.”

“It is kind of a strange thing to just have hanging around,” Mickey agrees with a short nod. “Do ya think the Organization created it, or did they just find it?”

“There are so many mysteries in the vastness of the universe,” the former DiZ notes with a chuckle. “Solving them all should be quite impossible I’d think.” He sighs, deep and regretful. “Sad that I should learn that lesson too late.”

Mickey’s about to say something, suggest again that his old friend stop beating himself up, bu before he can Ansem's eyes visibly widen. The blond scientist rushes forward, surprisingly quick for a man his age.

Mickey catches up with him quickly, despite his tiny legs. Ansem stands at the edge of the walkway, a flat landing on an otherwise upward slope. The shining “moon” that is Kingdom Hearts hovers close, nigh blinding at this altitude.

“This spot should serve perfectly,” the deposed ruler of Radiant Garden declares, setting his massive device down. It rests precariously on the bottom globe, until the old scientist pulls out three legs for it to stand on.

“I wasn’t sure how to bring it up, but what exactly does your contraption do?” Mickey asks, prepared for anything. Years of Chip, Dale, and loony old Professor Ludwig von Drake’s experiments have taught him to expect the unexpected.

“This is how we shall reclaim Kingdom Hearts,” Ansem explains, fiddling with the contraption’s antenna and typing in a few commands on its small keyboard. “By encoding the hearts stored within it as data.”

Mickey frowns. “Are you sure that’s the right solution? I kinda had the idea in my head that we could free the component hearts. This only traps them in a different way!”

Ansem nods gravely, still fiddling. “I fear this may be the only truly viable solution. Better than the alternative.”

“You mean Xemnas getting a heart?”

Ansem solemnly shakes his head. “I fear that is not the true purpose the so-called Superior of Organization XIII has in mind. The power of Kingdom Hearts, even one artificially constructed, is awe-inspiring. It is too great for any one being to control.”

“I suppose when you put it like that…” Mickey relents, still feeing vaguely uncomfortable.

“In truth, however, even I cannot proclaim to know the outcome of this endeavor,” Ansem admits, inputting a last few commands. “The theory is sound, based on a digitization machine I acquired the blueprints for from the same company that I copied my computer system from.”

“The machine that put us in your digital Twilight Town,” Mickey recalls, nodding as the sparse information in his mind knits into a more complete whole. “And got Sora, Azlyn, and Telary sucked into that computer world.”

“The very same,” Radiant Garden’s former ruler agrees, looking troubled. “Those were successful cases, but only involved the transfer of a few hearts. Who knows if the machine can handle the sheer volume of this entity? And besides, hearts are unpredictable.”

That said, Ansem inputs one last command. His machine springs to life, a green beam about as thick as a man’s wrist shooting up at the glowing “moon” hanging above. There’s a beep as the device confirms contact, and Ansem and Mickey settle in to await the results of their venture.

KH-KH-KH

“What’s that?” Kairi suddenly asks aloud, stopping the rest of the party in their tracks. They all turn to face the wall of windows on the corridor’s right, Kingdom Hearts shining softly in the sky over the dark city.

The Princess of Heart points to a thin beam of green energy, shooting up to the heart-shaped “moon” like a connect-the-dots line.

“Probably DiZ,” Riku suggests. “I mean, Ansem the Wise, and Mickey.” He doesn’t notice Azlyn and Telary grimace at the informality. “They must be higher up.”

“Are they trying to shoot down Kingdom Hearts?” Sora wonders aloud. “They couldn’t do that, right?”

“I don’t think so,” Telary answers, a bit unsteadily. “At least, not with a beam that size. It’s got to be something else.”

“We’re wasting time by just standing around talking about it,” Riku declares, already ten steps ahead.

“I hate to say it, but I agree with Riku,” Azlyn says, walking along after him. Telary follows beside her, their hands occasionally brushing.

Sora and Kairi bring up the rear, and the redheaded girl can’t help but notice the slightly lost look on her boyfriend’s face.

“What’s up?” she quietly asks him, taking his arm in hers and pulling him closer. He says nothing for a long moment, leaving her to infer. “Is it Riku?”

“He’s still acting weird,” Sora replies, sighing. “Have you noticed that every time I start to catch up with him, he starts walking faster? What’s up with that?”

“Well, it might have something to do with the way you tried to hold his hand,” Kairi answers teasingly. When all that gets her is an annoyed frown, the Princess of Heart clears her throat and attempts seriousness. “Just give him some space, Sora.”

The Keybearer scoffs at this suggestion. “I think he had plenty of space when he was sneaking around the worlds all by himself, Kairi.”

The redhead nods. “And maybe that’s just it. He’s been alone for a long time. Being around people, especially close friends, might take some getting used to. But he’ll come around.”

Sora nods, giving the girl a bright grin. “Man, Kairi, did you spend all that time without us on the island reading psychology books or what?”

She giggles. “Hardly. I also did a little sword training, as I’m sure you noticed. Not bad, huh?”

Sora hesitates, unsure of how honestly to comment on the girl’s serviceably but undeniably amateur moves. Luckily, he’s saved by Azlyn’s call to hurry up. Shrugging weakly at Kairi, the Keybearer powerwalks the next few feet.

The Keybearer stops abruptly upon entering the next room. He cocks his head slightly, a little unsure of what it is he’s seeing.

“It’s like a graveyard,” he finally says after a moment.

It’s an apt description. The floor slopes up towards the exit, what can only be described as gravestones, inscribed with a black Nobody symbol, rising along its length. Set into the floor in front of each marker are rectangular panels. Most of them glow a faint, dull red. All but two out of twelve.

“So there were more members than just the ones we met,” Telary notes, stepping up to examine the nearest “grave”. The silhouette of a scythe decorates its panel, beneath a small plaque that reads ‘The Graceful Assassin’.

“So what happened to them?” Azlyn asks.

“For the most part, you guys did,” Riku answers, drawing all attention to him. “Though I did handle a few myself.”

“Does this have to do with that pod thing?” Sora says, unsure why that’s coming up at this moment. “Are we just missing a whole chunk of our lives?”

The loud sound of a loogie being hawked precludes an answer. Surprised and more than a little disgusted, everyone turns to look at Azlyn, standing over a dull red panel.

The knight shrugs. “No idea why I did that. I can only guess this ‘Savage Nymph’ deserved it.”

While everyone else spreads out to examine the graves, Sora stays near the entrance and watches. Until suddenly he feels his feet moving, maneuvering him towards the farthest grave. The plate before the headstone glows bright blue instead of red, and Sora instantly knows that means its representative member still yet lives.

“‘The Key of Destiny’,” he reads quietly, gazing down at the crossed silhouettes of Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He looks up, gravely surveying the only indications that most of Organization XIII’s Nobodies ever existed. Even knowing that they were his enemies, Sora can’t help but feel the slightest pang of sympathy.

“Guys!” Azlyn’s voice suddenly calls out, drawing all attention to her. The marker she’s standing in front of glows blue, the light forming an eerily shimmering doorway. “We got a live one over here!”

“Saïx,” Riku declares, stopping by Azlyn’s side and giving the portal a disapproving look. “Other than Xemnas, he’s the only Organization member left alive.”

“He’s the one who grabbed me after I escaped Axel,” Kairi says, her usually bright gaze going flat. “Not the most cheerful guy.”

“He came across as cold to me too,” Telary agrees. “Even for a Nobody.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Sora asks, drawing everyone’s attention as he steps up behind them. “Once he’s out of the picture, all that’s left is Xemnas. And then we can all go home.” The crowd parts, making a path from Sora to the glowing marker. “Let’s do this.”

 

[KingdomKey]

I laughed at Azlyn spitting on Larxene's grave. It's more than deserved considering how much of an evil b with an itch she was. lol. xD Anyways, I like how Kairi tries to sooth Sora's concerns about Riku. It's actually nice that she does because, it gives her more depth, and shows how much she knows the pair of them despite being left behind on the island waiting for them to come home. In the meantime, I like how Mickey brought up the idea of releasing the hearts instead of storing it elsewhere. I had similar thoughts on why that happened in the game, but didn't question it until now. I like your answer for it though, TelaryCri. And furthermore, I like Sora's sympathy for Roxas. Well worth the wait for this new chapter. Much love for the series. And certainly the most memorable. <3

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LV: Sacred Moon, pt. 2
​

The quintet round a bend in the hall just outside the grave-portal, filing into a rectangular white and grey room with a wall of windows looking out over the world below. Kingdom Hearts shines through it and into the room, perfectly framing the robed silhouette standing before the window.

“So, you’ve made it this far,” Saïx’s voice, tinged with cruelty instead of its usual flat blandness, greets them. He turns and gives the group a thin smirk, his eyes resting on Sora.

“Careful Sora,” Riku cautions his younger friend. “He’s boosting his power somehow, I can sense it.”

Saïx says nothing, only flicks his hand slightly. White flashes, taller even than Riku, explode into existence and leave behind two hulking Berserker Nobodies. They fall on the group like a mountain avalanche, driving Riku and Kairi back with their huge blades. Both summon their Keyblades and fall back, Azlyn and Telary going for the creatures’ exposed backs.

Sora, trusting his friends to handle the lesser Nobodies, rolls forward to confront Saïx, Kingdom Key materializing in his hand as he rises to his feet. Looking at the blue-haired Nobody, he suddenly feels a tide of anger welling up inside of him. This is the man who kidnapped Kairi and threw her in a cell, but somehow Sora feels angry for more reasons than even that.

“Well, I haven’t seen that expression in quite some time,” Saïx comments, summoning his blue and white claymore to his hand. “It seems there are some benefits to your reunion. A surprisingly good decision, Roxas.”

“Stop calling him that!” Telary declares, suddenly rushing to Sora’s right side and flinging his arms out in front of the boy.

“He’s Sora!” Azlyn agrees from the left, her arms extended protectively too.

“Guys,” Sora begins to explain, “the thing about this ‘Roxas’ thing is…”

“Just let us handle this,” Azlyn orders, drawing her shield. He glances back to Kairi and Riku, fighting against the Berserkers. “Can’t have anybody forgetting who the real wacky sidekicks are around here.”

“I see,” the Luna Diviner murmurs quietly to himself. “Well, in the end it’s no matter what you’re called.” He flicks his wrist again, and suddenly the top of his claymore splits in two and enlarges, three blades emerging from each half. “Different name, same fate.”

Azlyn charges as Telary launches three small fireballs, all headed directly for Saïx. The Nobody pays them no mind, throwing his head back and his arms out. He rises into the air surrounded by a strange pale blue power, his claymore rising with him and turning a lazy circle in the air. The room’s electric lamps grow darker, the light of Kingdom Hearts only becoming more clear and radiant.

“Can you feel it?” Saïx screams with wild abandon. Azlyn stops in her tracks, and the fireballs die out without hitting a target. “The moon’s power!”

The Nobody dives towards the ground, grabbing his claymore and raising it high above his head. Azlyn barely has time to back up before he slams to the white floor, a curtain of pale blue fire extending to either side of him. She flips away as the blue-haired man charges, swinging his blade around in a wide horizontal arc.

Sora rushes in to join her, slashing down at Saïx’s torso. The Keyblade impacts against the Nobody’s chest, only to unleash another fiery explosion. Sora falls back, flames licking at his clothes and dying out as they come into contact with the magical fabric.

Saïx follows, slamming his weapon into the ground once again. Blue flames splash out from the impact point, forcing his opponents off-balance. The Nobody takes advantage, charging still and pounding the ground with every step. Sora and Azlyn wince as the Luna Diviner approaches, only to be saved by the sudden appearance of a Reflect spell’s barrier conjured by Telary.

The shield momentarily disrupts Saïx’s berserker attack, giving the spell a chance to gather and redirect its momentum and fire power. A ball of Light explodes like a grenade, throwing the madman back several feet.

Azlyn decides to take a page from her opponent’s book, letting out a loud scream and charging forward. The Reflect spell seems to have knocked the blue-haired man out of his rage, the lights going up again.

But even without sheer madness to aid him, Saïx is a formidable foe. He raises his claymore in an expert block, knocking Azlyn back. With a grunt he swings forward, only failing to bisect the knight thanks to her quickly raised shield. She skids even further away, passing Sora as he charges forward.

Saïx swings down at the Keybearer but he’s too quick, ducking to the side and attacking with his own weapon. But the Nobody’s blade is already where Sora swings, deflecting the blow easily. Saïx turns the Keyblade aside, striking out with his fist and slamming Sora in the chest. Yelping, the Keybearer falls back.

Bolts of lightning fall suddenly from the sky above Saïx, shocking the blue-haired Nobody with hundreds of volts. He stumbles to the side, grunting as Azlyn’s foot connects with his chin.

The knight lands and whirls for a slash with her shield’s edge, but Saïx backs away and slams his blade into her side. She goes flying, landing on the floor and skidding to a halt.

Telary gathers his will for another spell, but before he can Saïx is in the air again, the room’s lights dimming to make Kingdom Hearts the sole source of illumination.

“Moon, shine down!” Saïx howls, once again landing like a ton of exploding bricks. The detonation crashes outward, slamming into the window wall and shattering a huge section into splinters. He dives forward immediately, making his way towards Sora. “ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!!!”

The Keybearer realizes there’s nothing he can do but run away, noting his companions doing their best to avoid the fiery shockwaves of the Nobody’s claymore. As he gets going, he quickly sees Kairi and Riku working together against the sole remaining Berserker.

Kairi makes a quick tap against its side before ducking out, narrowly avoiding its sword slamming into her from above. With the creature distracted, it’s Riku’s turn to strike. He leaps up and slams his wing-shaped Keyblade downward.

Caught up in the struggles of his old friends, Sora doesn’t realize Saïx has caught up to him until it’s too late. The shockwave from a ground pound strikes him on the backs of his knees, sending him into a desperate tumble.

Telary leaps to his friend’s defense, throwing up a Reflect spell and hoping for the same results as last time.

His hopes are dashed as Saïx slams his claymore full-on into the barrier, overcoming the magic and sending small, useless particles of Light energy flying. As for the wizard himself, he goes flying from the force of it, backwash from his own spell burning his exposed skin.

The sight and sound of her boyfriend’s defeat activates a rage inside Azlyn that just might match Saïx’s moon-induced psychopathy. She rushes towards the Luna Diviner with a wild yell, all thoughts of clever maneuvers and strategy lost to the wind. He notices and turns to charge her as well, building momentum with every step.

The pair slam into each other, claymore meeting shield in an explosion of blue flame. Azlyn is luckily close enough to Saïx that the fire originates about a foot away from her, and all she has to deal with is the madman’s sheer strength.

Sora, taking advantage of the distraction Azlyn’s provided, leaps towards Saïx with the Keyblade held out for a stab. But Saïx, even in his bloodthirsty state, is not one to be caught off guard. He grunts and pushes forward a step, his pale fire naturally shooting up all around him like a dozen flaming geysers.

Sora slams into one of these columns instead of his enemy. He screams, his mind suddenly flooded with pain as all the hair on his forearms suddenly burns away, adding a horribly acrid scent to the air.

Her friend’s pained scream shocks Azlyn out of her fury, all the power anger lent her burning away like the follicles on Sora’s arms. Saïx immediately senses her weakness, backing up a step and slamming into her with his whole body.

She pitches back and falls to the floor like a discarded doll, bouncing up and away to land with a heavy thud near the broken window. She groans and tries to rise, only to drop back to the ground facefirst.

Telary, the last man standing, throws up a weak curtain of lightning to distract and pain the insane Nobody. It succeeds in little more than earning him a few seconds of relief, but that’s time enough to cast Cure on Sora to heal the Keybearer’s intense burns.

Sora’s head clears as the pain recedes, leaving only a lingering fatigue. He struggles to his feet, watching through a hazy curtain as Saïx rushes Telary. The wizard backs away and hurls a fireball. It’s small though, barely the size of Sora’s fist. A slam from the Nobody’s claymore brings up a wall of flame to intercept it, the fires cancelling each other out. Undeterred, Saïx’s charge continues.

Sora rushes for the blue-haired maniac, hoping to intercept him before he reaches the clearly drained Telary. But he catches a shockwave halfway through the charge, disrupting his already precarious balance. He stumbles and falls to one knee, gasping as the impact against the metal floor rattles his entire frame.

A loud noise of impact, accompanied by Saïx’s vicious snarl and a yelp of pain from Telary, draws the Keybearer’s attention away from his own pain. Looking up, he gasps as Telary goes flying, his feet leaping almost a meter above the floor. The wizard smacks into the window, breaking the glass and sending him plummeting through the open air.

Sora regains his feet, body suddenly reacting on pure instinct. In the background he can hear Kairi cry out in alarm, but it’s only a faint sound compared to the blood pumping in his ears. He takes off towards Saïx, a berserk rage of his own threatening to override any sense.

But at the last second something else comes over him, realigning his course to take him not to Saïx, but Azlyn’s prone form and the broken window that lies beyond. He dismisses the Keyblade as he goes, stooping to haul the knight up by her arm. With a sense of purpose he can hardly explain, the Keybearer and his semi-conscious companion dive through the open window and into the night.

The room is suddenly quiet, Riku and Kairi both skewering their lesser Nobody opponent on their blades. As one they turn to Saïx, expressions hard.

The Nobody whirls to face them, the berserker fury engulfing him seeking out and finding its new targets. He unleashes a wordless scream, diving for the pair.

Riku protectively pushes Kairi to the side, Keyblade held ready. As Saïx comes at them with all the power of a Twilight Town train, the transformed young man’s brain is working overtime to decipher why Sora had taken Azlyn and leapt out that window. Surely his young friend must have a plan, but what in the worlds could it be?

There’s no more time to contemplate as Saïx reaches him, screaming incoherently as his tall weapon slams down. Riku catches the blow on his blade, the pair sliding back against the white floor. For once he’s thankful for this form’s increased strength, considerably lessening the burden of holding this madman back.

Suddenly, a column of pure white Light explodes outside the shattered window. It throws everyone off, Saïx disengaging and whirling around as his berserker trance breaks. For a moment that seems to stretch for hours, everything is still.

And then Sora, his outfit gleaming white, bursts into the room like a bat out of Hell. Two Keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion, float behind his back, whirling like propellers. He hovers in the air, his expression tight and determined.

“You wanted Roxas, didn’t you Saïx?” the Keybearer declares tauntingly, his voice subtly mixing with that of another. “Well, here he is!”

The young man dives forward like a shot from a gun, at the last second pulling to a stop and thrusting his arms forward. Oathkeeper and Oblivion react to the motion, whirling around and spinning into the Nobody’s torso. He howls and flies back, spinning to stop his slide.

Coming to a rest, he throws his head back and arms out, the moon’s power gathering around him once more as the light dims.

But before he can gather all he needs to, Kairi rushes in with a defiant yell, holding her Keyblade down. Skidding to a stop in front of the Nobody, she swipes her blade up and into his torso. Concentration lost, the Luna Diviner stumbles back.

Sora dive-bombs him, thrusting out his arms and sending his Keyblades to whirl into the stunned Nobody’s chest. He howls in pain and frustration, rendered immobile by the assault. After a long moment, Sora psychically pulls his blades back.

Saïx is on the floor, gasping for breath. A bright light momentarily surrounds Sora, before fading out and depositing the Keybearer, Azlyn, and Telary on the floor. Thanks to the fusion’s healing power, none of them look worse for wear. They, along with Kairi and Riku regard Saïx with an odd kind of pity.

“If I… had a heart,” the Nobody laments, looking up and out the window as pieces of his body begin to fade out in dark wisps. He lurches forward on hands and knees, the heroes watching him with still expressions. The blue-haired man moans, stopping in front of the window and raising a futile hand to the mystical moon. “Kingdom Hearts! Where, is my heart?”

He falls, a column of dark energy consuming him and leaving nothing behind but tufts of black mater, drifting through the air like falling petals. Sora watches them, something inside of him regretting his enemy’s fate.

“Sora,” Azlyn speaks up first, her voice uncharacteristically soft. He turns to the knight, noting the nervous way she bites her lip. “When we… combined, that time. I could feel something… Someone else in there with us.”

Telary nods, confirming his own identical feeling. “It has something to do with the Organization calling you Roxas, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Sora answers in a low voice. “Y’see, guys, Roxas is my Nobody.”

The pair’s eyes go wide. “You had a Nobody?” Azlyn blurts. “But how did…?”

“From when you became a Heartless,” Telary answers for his young friend. “When you… You stabbed yourself with that dark Keyblade.”

“When he came to rescue me,” Kairi chimes in.

“I only just found out about him,” Sora continues, looking away from the group. “He… came to me I guess.”

“So, he got his wish,” Riku says to himself. Everyone turns to him, and he looks back and elaborates. “Xemnas found Roxas, and brought him into the Organization.”

“He showed me that,” Sora confirms.

“Roxas could use the Keyblade, because he was your Nobody,” Riku continues, crossing his arms. “Naturally Xemnas used that for his plans. But Roxas betrayed them, left the group. That’s when I fought him, hoping he could help you wake up.”

“He said he defeated you.”

The transformed young man nods. “He was a formidable opponent, kinda like you. I didn’t have enough power to defeat him.” He looks away. “Not until I gave in to the Darkness in my heart.”

“But, why’d he go rogue?” Azlyn asks. “Turn on the Organization?”

Riku smiles. “That’s just it. I think he wanted to meet you, Sora.”

The Keybearer says nothing for a long moment, turning to look at Kingdom Hearts. Had Roxas once believed as the other Organization members did, that it would be his salvation? Sora can’t help but wonder how their reunion compared.

“You said you did end up meeting,” Kairi says, laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder and getting him to turn back to the group.

Sora nods. “He said… He said I made a good other.”

“He was right about that, Sora,” the redhead agrees. Around her, the others nod as well.

“C’mon,” Riku declares firmly, turning to head for the exit. “We’ve still got things to do.”

One by one everyone falls into step behind the silver-haired man, until on Sora remains. He sneaks another look at Kingdom Hearts through the window, and for the briefest of moments he swears he can see the reflection of a blond young man, nodding approvingly.

 

[KingdomKey]

Sora being in his final form against Saix was incredibly badass. I also love how he mentions Roxas. Or how Roxas appears briefly when Sora looks out at Kingdom Hearts. <3 My love for this series grows and intensifies with every chapter you write, TelaryCri. This battle against Saix was incredibly tense that I wasn't sure all of them would pull through. And Kairi aiding in battle made me fall for her that much more. Gosh, do I love the development she gets. Also, I couldn't help but go "Aww," when Telary and Azlyn stood and defended Sora about being called Roxas. <3 Overall it was another great chapter. <3

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LV: Sacred Moon, pt. 3
​

Ansem the Wise locks his knees in tight, bracing himself as his digitizing machine bucks under the strain of its task. Holding the thing down is an arduous task, but he knows that letting it run wild is not an option.

“Tell me about them,” the old man grunts, startling his small compatriot. He’d been silent for so long, no wonder it had been a shock to the mouse king.

“Tell ya about who?” Mickey asks.

“Azlyn and Telary. Tell me how they’ve grown.”

Mickey nods in understanding, grinning. “They’re great kids, Ansem. Brave and strong, loyal as all get out. Crazy in love too, by the looks of it.”

The blond man smiles, shaking his head. “I always knew they would be remarkable, ever since they were small.” His smile turns down, now almost a frown. “The times I spent with them and their grandmother were among the happiest of my life.”

“I guess that’s just another reason for you to hate Xehanort, isn’t it?”

Ansem sighs. “True, and the thought influenced more than one of my actions. But, in truth I fear it is my own personal failings that shadow those memories. As time rolled on, I spent less and less time with them. Less time interacting with and governing my people. I became too wrapped up in my experiments and musings. Ironic.”

Mickey quirks an eyebrow. “How so?”

“My studies concerned the heart,” Radiant Garden’s former ruler answers bitterly, “and yet in my pursuit of knowledge I neglected the very people that were close to mine.”

The king steps up to his friend, face hard and determined. “You didn’t neither! When Kairi went missing, you were the one who knew we had to get Azlyn and Telary away. Ya saved their lives!”

The encoding machine jumps again, this one particularly violent. Ansem grits his teeth and holds on with all he’s got.

“I’m a fool!” the scientist declares with a boisterous laugh, loud and proudly. “Even after years of research and study, my knowledge of hearts is woefully inadequate. Hearts are so much more than data, too complex to be encoded. They act of their own volition, refusing to be qualified or quantified. For evidence of that, you need look no further than Sora.”

Mickey wants to say something, assuage his friend’s fear and self-loathing. But the words simply aren’t there, the calm reassurance that has become his trademark deserting him in this crucial moment.

“It’s always the same,” Ansem sighs, his mouth twisting with disgust. “I try to wrap my mind around things that my hearts already knows to be true, and thus fail.” The machine begins to spark, shaking ever more violently with no signs of letting up. “This machine is no different. My last great failure.” He turns to his friend. “You must run, my old friend! It’s going to self-destruct, and anything could happen.”

“Your Majesty!”

The Keybearer king gasps at the sound of his title, accompanied by several pairs of feet approaching swiftly. Turning, he spots Sora and his companions rushing across the bridge. They skid to a stop in front of Mickey, looking bewilderedly from Kingdom Hearts to the digitization machine.

“What’s going on?” Sora asks, furrowing his brow.

“I’m afraid it’s up to all of you to finish this,” Ansem says with a weak smile. He spares a brief glance to Azlyn and Telary before focusing on the Keybearer. “And Roxas… I doubt you can hear me but, I am truly sorry.”

Sora finds himself nodding without making any conscious decision to do so.

“You saved us, didn’t you?” Telary suddenly speaks up, he and Azlyn stepping closer to the older man. “You kept us out of Xehanort’s hands.”

Ansem nods, a bit sadly. “It was the least of the things I could have done for you, trust me.”

“Still…” Azlyn says, a bit uncomfortable with the emotion in her voice. “Thank you.”

“See what I mean?” Mickey calls to his friend, stepping closer with an extended hand. “You don’t have to do this, you’ve already…!”

“Mickey,” Riku says, bending down to seize the king by the back of his jacket. The mouse looks up at him, and for a silent moment they share a sad, steady gaze. “His heart’s decided. We can’t change that now.”

Dark energy begins swirling behind the battered old man, and in a moment Xemnas stands at Ansem's back. The Organization’s superior regards the scene with his usual cold calculation.

Sora reacts on instinct, Keyblade out and ready as he’s charging. Xemnas dully takes note of the boy’s charge, and casually sweeps a hand in front of himself. A rectangular barrier of crackling energy, taller than the Keybearer by several feet, springs into existence.

Sora bounces off of it, grunting in pain and surprise when it sends electricity shooting through his body. He falls back, limbs still spasming as Telary and Azlyn catch him.

“I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts,” Xemnas says, turning back to his old mentor as if the episode with Sora had never occurred. “And here you are. And you brought some help this time, I see.” He shakes his head in mock-bemusement. “Ansem the Wise, as pathetic as ever.”

Ansem sighs. “Go on, have your laugh. I deserve it, after all. For not seeing you for the reckless fool you were.”

“A fool, was I?” Xemnas counters, some bite in his otherwise smooth voice. “Well, how could I not be? After all, students do tend to take after their teachers. Everything I became, I learned from you.”

“You’re nothing like him!” Mickey yells, barely restrained by Riku. “Your experiments were sick and wrong!”

“And who, mouse king, do you think inspired that research?” the Nobody spits back, waving his arm sweepingly towards Ansem. “The only difference is that I was willing to go further than he ever dared! In the end, it all comes down to him. You, Ansem the so-called Wise, are the source of all Heartless!”

“And what were you seeking?” Ansem spits back, grunting with the effort of holding his machine down. “You erased me from the world, took my name, and continued research better left forgotten! You ravaged my home, cast out my people! For what, Xehanort? Have you found the answer you were looking for?”

“All that and more,” Xehanort’s Nobody answers, simple and matter-of-fact. He points up at Kingdom Hearts. “Your interest was always in the heart’s power, and finally I shall be able to utilize it fully. I’ll create a new world, one heart at a time. Is that not worthy of praise, old man? Not to you, your heart consumed by jealousy for the student who surpassed you.”

“You have surpassed nothing,” Ansem quietly retaliates, shaking his head sadly. “You were correct on only one account, Xehanort: You are a fool, apprenticed by a foolish man. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach. We know nothing more now than we did at the start. That is why any world you may try to create, any world of yours… Would only be an empire of ignorance. That, my former apprentice, is why you shall fail.”

The sparks and shaking emanating from the digitization machine increase tenfold, the impossible task of encoding hearts finally beginning its ultimate failure. Ansem, only holds on tighter, turning to Sora and his group with a determined gaze.

“We have said enough!” Radiant Garden’s scientist king declares, steel in his voice a meter thick. “Mickey, Kairi, Azlyn, Telary, forgive me!”

With one last violent shudder, the pressure inside Ansem's machine becomes too great to bear. Light begins to leak out of the device, so purely bright that the others can only look away.

Azlyn and Telary duck their heads and hold Sora tighter, Riku sweeps Mickey in his arms, turning away from the blast with his body shielding Kairi. The light washes over them, exploding upwards in a brilliant white column a hundred feet high.

KH-KH-KH

Hearts fall from the white pillar, drifting slowly down over the empty metropolis below. Dusks, minor Nobodies with only the barest spark of sentience, instinctively seek what they lack. Their handless arms wave in the air as the hearts wash down, every one of them just out of reach.

Instead they reach the ground, each momentarily dissolving into a swirling vortex before disappearing entirely. Dark portals, inky pools of swirling black, emerge in their place. Shadow Heartless crawl forth from each, one for every heart. A trivial matter it seems, the weakest breed of the Heartless swarm. Each no more nuisance than a common mosquito, compared to the heroes above.

But there are hundreds, thousands, a force so overwhelming it makes the showdown in the canyons of Hollow Bastion seem trivial, a light skirmish. Each one hungry for a heart, searching for their chance to grow, thrive, propagate.

But the city is empty of the sustenance they crave, dead and dry as the desert. The only hearts they sense are above, floating high in the sky. And such strong hearts too, hearts of great courage and Light. One even holds nothing but Light!

And so the Heartless drift upward, a horde seeking to staunch its insatiable hunger.

 

[KingdomKey]

uh oh. Looks like Sora and co. need to get out of their fast before the horde of heartless reach them! And goodness, it fills me up with nostalgia to hear Ansem the Wise call himself and Xemnas fools. Probably one of my favorite lines in KHII. <3 It was nice of Telary and Azlyn to say thank you to Ansem like that despite everything that's happened between them all. And I'm sorry to see Ansem the Wise go. But hey, Riku should be back in his regular form, right? RIGHT? lol. xD Otherwise, I enjoyed this chapter! Can't wait for the next one!

 

[TelaryCri]

Chapter LVI: Naught's Approach, pt. 1
​

Sora groans as consciousness returns, bringing pain along for the ride. For a moment there’s an intense burning, a feeling reminiscent of Axel’s suicidal conflagration. Then that fades, leaving only a vague soreness deep in his weary bones.

He raises his head, waiting for the white edges of his vision to fill in. His thoughts are with his friends, hoping in his heart that they’ve all come away unscathed.

Finally the intense brightness fades out, leaving the Keybearer staring straight into a close-up of Telary’s chest. He turns his head, coming face-to-face with Azlyn, the knight still unconscious from the blast.

Taking great care to not disturb his friends, Sora places his palms flat on the walkway and pushes himself up. For a moment his arms throb, but he grits his teeth and finishes his simple yet excruciating task.

He closes his eyes, pulling in a deep breath before letting it go. His eyelids open, taking in the surrounding area. Xemnas is gone, Ansem the Wise and his machine similarly disappeared. Sora’s heart grows heavy at the thought of the fallen king, finally achieving peace at the end. But what good are lessons if you’ve no time left to apply them?

He turns away, checking over the others. Mickey and Kairi are hunched together, the mouse king gathering his wits in much the same way as Sora had. Kairi is motionless, and the Keybearer’s heart freezes at the thought of something unfortunate having befallen her. Buta closer inspection reveals the rise and fall of her chest and stomach, her eyes fluttering open.

Glad that she’s safe, Sora moves on, looking for Riku-as-Xehanort among the pile of cataleptic bodies. As it happens, he’s lying next to Kairi, one of her hands resting on the back of his black coat.

Sora is about to get himself up, his gaze drifting away from his transformed friend, when suddenly he’s hit with a realization. Gasping, the Keybearer turns his eyes back on Riku, this time noting a distinct difference in appearance.

Riku’s hair, while still retaining its silvery color, is no longer kept in the slicked-straight waterfall favored by Sora’s old nemesis. It spikes out, longer and wilder with a black cloth tied in a knot just barely visible through the locks. He also, Sora notes, shrunk a few inches in the moments between explosion and awareness.

“Riku!” the spiky-haired hero calls out, getting to his feet and stepping closer to his insensate friend.

The silver-haired boy groans in response, lifting himself up in a process that seems even more painful than the one Sora endured not seconds ago. For a moment he’s clearly disoriented, his gaze sweeping the catwalk’s floor as if the answers to all life’s questions are ingrained on it.

Then suddenly the young man perks up, gasping as he realizes something has changed. He lifts his head, hair falling back to reveal not the visage of Xehanort’s Heartless, but the strong, handsome face of Riku himself!

“Riku!” Sora repeats, droppingto his knees and preparing to help his friend. Behind him, he can hear the others stirring into wakefulness, but all their sounds seem to fall away.

“Sora?” Riku replies groggily, straightening into a kneeling position of his own. Kairi’s hand falls away as he does, its owner regaining her feet. “Sora, is that…?”

“Riku!” Mickey exclaims, his squeaky voice bright with joy. The others are in agreement, each letting out an awed gasp.

Riku looks down at himself, noting the changes in his body. He stands, wobbling momentarily. Sora, rising in time with his friend, reaches out to catch him before he can fall once again. With the two of them working together, Riku gains his feet.

“How did…?” Azlyn breathes out, words failing as she looks upon the older boy.

“Well,” Mickey chimes in, “Ansem did say that anything could happen. I guess this qualifies!”

At the mention of Radiant Garden’s former king, all eyes drift to the empty spot he and his machine once occupied. For a long moment the group is silent, taking in Ansem's sacrifice.

“Man,” Azlyn sighs, shaking her head. “He really…”

“Uh, guys!” Telary interrupts, pointing up to the sky in alarm. The others follow his finger, letting out various noises of surprise as they see what he’s pointing at.

Kingdom Hearts remains in the sky, but no longer is it the shining yellow moon they’d known. A hole has been punched through it, black with a swirling pink center. It seems, thankfully, that Ansem the Wise’s efforts were not in vain.

While everyone else keeps fascinated eyes on the moon, Sora turns to Riku. The older boy stands just as still and awed as the others, until he senses his friend’s eyes on him.

“What?” the silver-haired Keybearer asks, one eyebrow raised high.

“Well,” Sora replies, sheepish under his scrutinizing gaze, “I was just wondering if you were gonna take that off.”

“Yeah, how the hell do you see anything with that on anyway?” Azlyn chimes in.

Riku ignores the knight. Instead of saying anything, he simply reaches back and quickly undoes the black blindfold’s knot. He ducks his head and sweeps the cloth off, eyes closed.

After a moment Sora opens his mouth to say something, but Kairi gives him a look that plainly encourages him to let Riku take his time.

Riku looks up, opening his eyes to reveal light blue-green irises. He looks down at Mickey, who nods in confirmation of something the others can’t guess at. He opens his hand and lets the blindfold drift down to the floor.

“So, what was that all about?” Kairi asks, thoroughly confused. The others echo her puzzlement.

“His eyes couldn’t lie,” Mickey answers. Unfortunately, that answer satisfies no one.

For his part, Sora doesn’t seem to care about explanations. “Lie?” The Keybearer places his hands on his hips, leaning towards Riku with a playful smirk. “And just who were you trying to fool?”

Riku looks away. “Only myself. Ansem's power, lingering in my heart… It corrupted me every time I used it, even before I fully accepted it. As long as I couldn’t see my shame, it kept me from assuming his form.”

Sora’s playfulness dies, and he can only lean back and shake his head.

“You know Riku,” the boy says after a moment, “you spend way too much time trying to handle things by yourself. And you don’t need to.” Grinning encouragingly, Sora gestures to the people behind him. “If you needed help, all you had to do was ask us. We’re your friends!”

Mickey nods with a small laugh. Kairi gives the older boy her brightest smile. Telary’s grin is shy and perhaps halfhearted, and Azlyn just shrugs and mutters something under her breath.

And then there’s Sora, beaming with a light that could almost make one think Kingdom Hearts was still whole and shining.

Riku sighs, rolling his eyes at all the affection. “I guess you’re right Sora. I just tend not to think the way you do.” A grin spreads across the older boy’s face. “Which makes sense,‘cause I’m not a total sap like you!”

Sora looks affronted, his mouth dropping open. Behind him, Azlyn laughs so hard she has to lean on Telary for support.

But the laughter stops as a new sound fills the air, a strange noise like a whine mixed with an industrial vacuum cleaner. Looking up, the party is startled to find Kingdom Hearts glowing once again, a purple aura surrounding the heart-shaped moon. Nobody knows for sure what’s happening, but it can’t be good.

Kairi’s eyes go wide, and the Princess of Heart rushes to the walkway’s rail. Peering over, she gasps at the sight below. The others join her, Telary lifting the king so he can see over the rail.

A swarm of Shadows scurry up the side of The Castle That Never Was, a million barely sentient minds with asingle purpose: Devour hearts.

“Yikes,” Azlyn comments. Everyone can’t help but to nod their agreement with that assessment.

“What should we do now?” Sora poses as a general question, though his eyes are on Mickey.

“We have to take care of Xemnas,” Riku answers, drawing the others’ attention to him. “We damaged his Kingdom Hearts, so Xemnas is gonna be desperate. There’s no telling what he could do. He might even just go ahead and try to absorb what’s left.”

“The Light of Kingdom Hearts destroyed Xehanort’s Heartless,” Telary points out. “How do we know merging with this one won’t, uh, kill Xemnas?”

“Xehanort’s Heartless was a creature of Darkness,” Mickey points out. “Xemnas will probably have adifferent reaction.”

“He’s the Organization’s last survivor,” Riku concludes. He looks down, noting his black cloak with distaste.

Mickey smiles gently, reaching into his pocket. He draws out a yellow orb, power swirling inside.

“I knew ya’d be back to normal eventually,” the mouse king declares with a grin. “So I had Yen Sid’s fairies whip this up, for when you’d need it.”

Riku reaches out, grabbing the orb and stepping back as its power surround him in white light. When it fades, the cloak has transformed. He wears a sleeveless black top, zipped up with an open collar. Over that is a white vest with yellow beneath a blue line about a third of the way up, its lapels folded over to reveal more yellow. His pants resemble those of his old outfit, a simple pair of baggy blue jeans with a black belt. A white sweatband covers his right forearm.

“Does anyone else suddenly feel the need to do some pushups?” Telary says with a chuckle, eyeing Riku’s large arms. The whole party laughs at that ,giving each other nods and bright smiles.

 

[KingdomKey]

Glad to have the normal Riku back. lol. Handsome Riku. Yes, yes, you're handsome Riku, and we all know it. xD I like Telary's joke at the end, cause it's hilarious. Sora being the first to wake up check on everybody was certainly nice though. And I love Riku's transformation way better than simply tossing his cloak off to reveal normal clothes beneath it. Overall it was a fun chapter. I'm going to guess there's more to come! So keep it coming, TelaryCri! I wanna read it all please! <3