Author's Note and Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Square Enix, Disney, Nomura's brain, or any other affiliated company used in it's creation or owns any sort of copyright to the game.
This fic features a character named Namine, who is a confirmed character for one of the two sequels for Kingdom Hearts ). And because of this, I am declaring this fic to be an AU to either of those two.
If Namine comes off as a Mary-Sue, then okay. It is, however, unintentional.
THE VILLAIN OF THIS FIC CUSSES. ALOT.
IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE THE USE OF WORDS SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, "FUCK, FUCKING, FUCKED," OR OTHER FORMS OF THE SAME WORD, THEN PLEASE TURN AWAY NOW.
That out of the way, I hope you enjoy.
The line denotes scene change, with time passing.
Extra spaces denotes plain scene change.
KINGDOM HEARTS:
FICTION
Thinking of you, wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end,
And hope our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows:
Starting a new journey may not be so hard,
Or maybe it has already begun.
There are so many worlds,
But they share the same sky--
ONE SKY, ONE DESTINY.
"And here is where we'd live happily ever after; isn't it wonderful, teddy?" She laid on her bed (the top layer blanket had a smiling face with blue eyes and spiky brown hair), a notebook open in front of her as she added the finishing touches to her a drawing, a little shading there to add dancing shadow. The castle stood tall and proud, with jutting spires touching the sky. Pennants flew from the tops of towers, colored red with a golden three-point crown in the center. "Castle Oblivion. Just like one of his Keyblades. Oh, I know it's a dark name, teddy, but I think he'd like it."
There was a sigh and she stared at her drawing. She looked at her stuffed bear, light brown in color and made to resemble a cuddly grizzly, the black dots for eyes watching coldly. She hugged him close to her, pulling the comforter around her. She rested her head on the notebook, dark blonde hair falling around her face. Her eyes closed, and she drifted away into the pages of her fantasy life with the Keyblade Master.
"Namine! It's time to come down for dinner!"
Her green eyes snapped open, and she glared at the white walls (save for the occasional golden three-point crown she had put there herself) of her room. Reality broke upon her fantasy like water on rock, and she wanted to hold back the tide. It was her mother that had called her. Her father was probably down there waiting impatiently. Mother never let him eat until everyone was at the table. But she didn't want to come down. She didn't belong with those people.
"I'm not hungry! Eat without me!" She yelled back, content to stay in her room with her teddy and her imagined life. They never understood. She had tried to explain them many times, but they always laughed and patted her head. Keep dreaming, they said. The legend of the Keyblade Master and his friends was just that: a legend. No one really believed he existed, that he was a real boy. They knew there were other worlds out there, and they knew of the Heartless's rampage. But their world remained unscathed during the Year of Fear, when the Keyblade Master was supposed to be fighting a war to save them all. It's been a few years since anyone had heard anything of the Keyblade Master's current activities beyond that of unsupported rumors.
But Namine still remembers him, and still loves him. They always called him the Keyblade Master ("It's Sora, you idiots," she'd tell them), but she knew who he really was. She knew him better than he knew himself. From those stories, she had fallen in love with Sora. They were perfect for each other, she knew it. If only they had a chance to meet, he'd know it too.
No one really understood her; no one except teddy. He understood, he always listened impartially. Not like the other kids ("Oh, there she goes again," they said) at school. Outcasted by the outcasts, she always stood alone. No, not alone. She had her Sora with her, his charming face drawn in her notebook. She always looked to it when she felt sad and unwanted; those big blue eyes always accepted her. He was always with her. And he'd never leave her.
"Namine, if you don't get down here right now, you won't be allowed to go watch the 'Keyblade Master on Ice' or whatever the hell play you think you're going to see next week!" Her father was angry at her refusal of dinner.
"His name is Sora!" She threw off her blanket, and left teddy unceremoniously on the floor. Bare feet stomped against the ground as she slammed her door behind her. She paused to straighten out her yellow dress, and then made her way into the dining room. With a huff, she threw herself down into a plain oak chair. Her father immediately started eating, and her mother 'tsk'ed disapprovingly. A lady should never act like that, she would say when Namine left the room again.
She watched with disgust as the male tore into every piece of meat he could, barely taking time to cut it free before plunging it into his gigantic mouth. The female on the other hand took tiny little bites out of those green things she liked so much, carefully making sure to make each piece the same size as the others. She sighed, wanting to go back upstairs to her Sora.
"What's that look for?" Father caught on, speaking with his mouth full, and a bit of spit dripping onto his chin.
"You eat like a pig."
"Oh, and I suppose your imaginary friend has perfect table manners?"
"His name is Sora, and he's not imaginary! And yes, as a matter of fact, he does!" Namine stood up, slamming her palms on the table. Her mother jumped in surprise to this outburst.
"I will not tolerate you talking to me like that, young lady!" Her father bellowed, puffing out his chest in a subconscious bid to make himself look tougher. She wasn't fooled; her father was a puppy dog.
"Namine! Go back upstairs to your room!" Her mother said quickly, trying to stabilize the conflict.
"Thank you! I didn't want to come down in the first place!" She kicked the chair over backwards and ran back up the stair case. Her down slammed closed once again and she took a flying leap onto her bed, grabbing her notebook in both hands. She laid there for a minute, taking time to remove an uncomfortable something (teddy, she had been squishing him) from underneath her. She flipped back to the page of Castle Oblivion and sighed.
"Oh, Sora, I wish you were here to save me." She said, hiding her face in the blankets. She shivered with the cold gust, and didn't hear the light thud sound in an unlit corner of her room.
"I am here."
"Sora!? Are you talking to me?" Her head popped up, and she furiously turned the pages to the drawing of his face, but it only smiled at her fecklessly.
"I am here. Behind you."
"Sora?" She rolled over onto her back, and sat up. Eyes quickly scanned the room, and stopped on the tall dark figure. She couldn't see who he was, he wore a hood that cast a heavy shadow over his face. He stepped forward, and let his cowl fall away from his head. She stared at a pair of green eyes accented by the bright red hair on his head. With fright, she said, "You're not Sora!"
"No, I'm not. My name is Axel."
"Well, get out of here! I'll scream, and my father'll come running up here and--!"
"Be a harmless puppy dog, I know."
"... how--?"
"We've been watching you for quiet some time now. I've watched you live a double life. In one, you're an unwanted, unhappy little girl who know one really gives a shit about; a little girl who if died, only one word would be uttered at her funeral, 'Who?' In the other, you're a princess. Married to the Keyblade Master, Sora, and live happily ever after in that charming little castle you drew. Frankly, you're pretty fucking pathetic."
Namine didn't say anything.
"But I can make things better for you."
"How? ... why?" She glared at him, wishing a Keyblade would crash against his skull.
"I'll give you the power. The power to make your fantasy come true. You can live in this world," he raised his arms to indicate their surroundings, "or you can live in Castle Oblivion with your beloved. It'll be up to you. Do you want your fairy tale, or do you want this nightmare?"
"Why.. why would you do this for me?" She stammered.
"Because I'm a nice guy like that."
"You seem pretty mean to me." She said, accusingly.
"Do you want the fucking deal or not?"
"I..."
I've been having these weird thoughts lately,
Like is any of this for real or not?
Kairi! Kairi's gone! I have to find Kairi. And Riku. Donald and Goofy are going to help me; where are they? We have to find them. Tarzan? No, she's not there. Alice doesn't know either. Aladdin, Jasmine, no one knows. Wait! Peter knows! There she is. I found her, but Riku is lost to darkness. Namine and me live in Castle Oblivion, together. We love each other ... wait, is that wrong? Confused, confused. Two lives, sort it out. Me and Namine live in Castle Bastion. I never went on those adventures, I don't know those people.
YES, YOU DO.
Sora's eyes flew open and he sat up quickly. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Heavy blankets gathered around his waist until he pushed them aside and slid out of the high bed. His feet touched the unfamiliar wooden floor, and his vision focused on a strange bedroom he had never seen before. How did he get there? He did remember going to bed, after beating both Goofy and Donald in a sparring match. But this wasn't his room.
He heard a creak in the floor, just beyond the walls. Fingers felt against the solid wall, he stopped when he found the door knob and took a step back. He held one hand out, and watched the Keyblade materializing into his hand. He blinked. It was the Kingdom Key, and not his Oathkeeper that he usually summoned to his aide. What's going on?
With his free hand, he twisted the door knob and the door flew open as his shoulder crashed into it. He leapt out into the hall, holding the Keyblade high over his head to bring down crashing against the one who was responsible for him being where he was.
A girl shrieked and fell back, landing with a thump.
"Sora, you scared me!"
"Who are you?"
There was a pause, then she spoke: "Castle, lights!" Torches burst to life and Sora had to close his eyes from the sudden emergence into the light. When he opened them again, the girl was standing up and dusting herself off. She had blonde hair and deep emerald eyes. She was wearing a set of pajamas that featured a super-deformed version of his smiley face in a polka dot style.
"... what the hell are you wearing."
She frowned, "Well, you've never had a problem with it before! And you're wearing almost exactly the same thing, Sora, so don't you say anything about mine!"
Sora looked down at his own clothes, and stared in horror as the green eyes of the girl's super-deformed smiley face stared back. "... what the hell am I wearing!"
"Well, I happen to think you look very cute in them." She stood close to him. Much too close for him to be comfortable, he took a few steps back and willed the Keyblade away. He was quiet for a few minutes, and she frowned. "Oh, well, fine. I'll make you some new ones if you really have a problem with them. But we need to get back to bed, you have a big day tomorrow."
"... yeah." He said, casting a suspicious glance at her. He turned and went back into his room quietly, leaving the door wide open forgetfully. He jumped onto the bed and buried his head into the pillows. "It's all a dream, it's all a dream, I was just exhausted..."
To his surprise, he felt another weight climb into the same bed. He looked up, and noticed the girl from the corridor climbing into his bed and getting comfortable underneath the covers. He instantly jumped away, his scrambling ended when he fell onto the floor. "What the hell are you doing!"
"Going back to bed, Sora. Goodnight." She said with a yawn.
"But you're in my bed!"
"Our bed, Sora."
"My bed!"
"Sora and Namine's bed. Goodnight."
"I don't sleep with other people in my bed!"
"Well, you sleep with me. Now, goodnight. Castle, lights out."
Sora stood there, his mouth gapping open in the darkness.
"What's wrong, Namine? You seem upset."
"Of course I'm upset, Axel! You lied to me!" She shouted, pointing her finger like a dagger at his throat. Sora had slept on the very edge of the bed the night before, and not even stealing all of the blanket had made him creep any closer to her. She almost felt bad for making him freeze all night.
"How did I lie to you, girl?"
"You said he'd love me! That'd he would remember our life together, and we would live happily ever after. But he acted like he didn't even know who I was last night; you should have seen him!"
"Ah, but these things take time. You really didn't expect to change the world overnight, did you?"
"But you said the notebook would change everything!"
"Yes, it does. And it has."
"Then why doesn't he remember what I want him to?!"
"The Keyblade is fighting the change; it does not recognize this new world you have created to be true; it does not recognize the new memories you put in Sora's head to be true. Perhaps, with time and with more power, the notebook will win."
"And right now he's wandering the castle aimlessly, like he doesn't know where he is! Watch! Castle, show me Sora." They had been standing in a well-lit room devoid of any sort of furniture, with walls made out of dark oak. A panel on the wall swirled with energy and light. When the brightness faded from it, Sora's image (dressed in his black attire) was shown on a mirror. He looked like he was lost, and confused. He held the Kingdom Key loosely in one hand as he explored.
"Yes, well, he's an idiot anyway."
"Don't talk about him like that! Or else I'll--"
"Or else you'll what?"
Namine's hand shook with anger, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Could she really try to overpower Axel, the man who had granted her all of this? This was her home, her world now. She was the one in control. She had no more use for him. "Castle! Eject him!"
The floor beneath Axel's feet swelled with power, and he was engulfed in a beam of light. Namine grinned victoriously; she had done it! That should teach him for talking about her Sora like that. Sora was not an idiot, Axel was! When the light died down, he was still standing there. His hood had been removed and his large eyes had an amused glint to them.
"Oh, that tickled."
"W-what?"
"Now, my turn." He held arms out straight, and two spinning wheels of fire orbited around his fingers. He grinned, as the flames condensed into two round blades that he held securely. Namine took several steps back, giving the command to eject him repeatedly. Fireballs danced around his body. Namine bumped into a wall, and screamed.
"Learn your place, girl!" He laughed as those balls of fire flew at the screaming little girl, who had dropped to her knees and hugged them tightly to her chest. The attack slammed into the wall just inches above her head, harmlessly exploding. She barely felt any kind of warmth from them. Axel's weapons had disappeared, and he clapped quietly.
Namine looked at him, fearful of another attack.
"Quite a show, eh?"
The door was blasted from it's hinges before Namine had a chance to answer. Sora, Kingdom Key being held threateningly, came charging into the room. He caught a glance of Namine and went rushing right for the more threatening of the pair ("Oh, good, right on time," he said). The unknown figure disappeared before he met the business end of the Keyblade. Sora's swing sent him stumbling through a thick cloud of gasses.
It was several moments and several deep breathes before either of them spoke. Sora looked at her, "Are you alr--" He didn't have a chance to finish, Namine tackled him to the floor, hugging him tightly. Sora's face turned a bright red, and he willed the Keyblade away since the apparent danger was gone.
"You saved me!" She hugged him tighter.
"Who wa--Namine.. need.. to... beathe... let... go." Sora gasped.
"Oh, sorry!" She released him, and the pair climbed back to their feet together. He really was her hero. The Keyblade Master from the stories, he really was just like him. She knew it all along. She had never felt so happy before in her life. Sora smiled at her, and she felt like she was going to explode.
"So who was that guy?"
"Oh, him? A nobody." She got real quiet for a moment, before continuing, "Just some hoodlum trying to tear up our home."
"Oh, okay... listen, Namine, I know this might sound a little crazy, but... I don't think I'm supposed to be here. I don't feel like I belong here. I.. I'm not sure, because I have all these images in my head and I can't make sense of it all." Kairi, Riku, Donald... there was one more name. A 'G' name. What was it? He couldn't remember. His mind was a mess.
Namine's eyes seem to lit up at this admittance, like she had been waiting for this reaction. Was the power of the notebook finally taking control of Sora's memories? She grabbed his hand, and gently placed it over her heart ("What are you do--"). She put a finger to his lips. "Shh.. listen, Sora. Feel that? That's my heartbeat. It's real. Just remember that, and it'll all make sense."
They stood like that for a while, in silence. Sora had his eyes close, and Namine was watching him with anticipation. He nodded, and let his hand drop to his side. "I understand. Thanks, Kairi."
She stared at him for a second, and then when he didn't notice his mistake, she smiled tentatively at him. "No problem."
"Heh, saved you again, didn't I?" He grinned.
"Yeah. After Destiny Lands fell, you went on that journey to find me. And when we finally found each other, we came here to live happily ever after. Do you remember that?"
This felt right. This felt right now, and his mind was clear again. Those images (of another life, is that it? Sora wondered) had faded away like a distant dream. The only thing on his mind now was Namine, and those large green eyes he was staring into. "I... remember, I think. Yeah, it was something like that, wasn't it?"
She nodded.
"But wasn't there someone else too? .. a boy?"
"No, Sora, just you and me."
"He had white hair. He--"
"No, Sora. We were alone."
"Oh. Oh, that's right. You must think I'm mad, not remembering this stuff the right way. Sorry."
"Hey, don't apologize. No one's perfect." She hugged him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him.
"Thanks for being so understanding."
She smiled again, "No problem."
The room echoed with the sounds of a huge grandfather clock. It struck a number of seven times, and Namine jumped. "Oh, no!" She grabbed his hand and quickly lead him out of the room and down a series of corridors, with a confused Sora in tow. They emerged out of the Castle and into the light of the evening sun.
"Gwarsh, what's going on?" Sora asked, following her at her quick pace.
"Gwarsh?" She giggled at him, then tried to force herself to stop, slapping his hand with her free one, "Don't do that! We're late for the meeting with the King!" Down the road they went, nearly running. They followed a path into the little town at the base of the hill from which their castle was perched.
"Wow." Sora's deadweight brought Namine's forward movement to a stop along with his. He had turned around to look at the castle, outlined by the setting sun. "It's really pretty."
Namine beamed with pride, "Yeah. I drew it pretty good, huh?"
"Drew it?"
She gasped, realizing her mistake; she started pulling on him again. "Come on, we gotta get there! He's probably waiting on us right now!" The streets were almost completely devoid of people, they were all back in their homes. It would be night soon, and what few heartless creatures had survived Sora's blade would reemerge. They were so few in number nowadays that the Keyblade Master was hardly called upon.
They went through the gate leading up to another castle in the center of town. Once inside, Namine lead Sora through the twisting hallways that emptied them out into a large chamber. It was brightly lit, with numerous expensive tapestry hanging along the walls. Chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the King sat in a high-back chair eating a piece of apple pie with his bare fingers (Namine scoffed at this). "Ah, there you are!" He called to them.
"Your Majesty, sorry we're late." Namine bowed, and Sora stood staring at the piece of pie the King was finishing. His stomach grumbled loudly, echoing in the vast space of the room. The King chuckled at this, and Namine nudged his ribs with her elbow ("Sorry, I'm hungry."). She stood up straight again, and waited for the King to tell them what their summons was about.
"Sora, you're welcome to all the food you can eat in a few moments--"
"Thank you, Your Honor." Sora replied, getting another jab in the side from Namine. "... Majesty," he corrected.
"--but first, I have some ill news to tell you. We have been contacted by members from another world. They say they're having problems with the Heartless and have heard of our success in fighting them. Because of this, they have asked that we send whatever help we can afford to lend them. I have promised them that I would send my greatest warrior: You, Sora."
"Me?!"
"No... nononono." Namine whispered; the King didn't notice.
"Yes. I would never make you, of course. The whole world owes you a debt of gratitude. But should you accept, there is a Gummi ship waiting to take you to Hallow Bastion, to join the fight at the Heartless's home world."
Sora's eyes grew big at the name. He knew that name. Namine was staring at the ground, shaking with anger. "No.. No, this isn't how it's supposed to be... we're supposed to live happily ever after, just the two of us..." Her voice was getting louder and louder, and a few tears appeared on her face. "... you're not supposed to go off to war, no. I'll rewrite it, I'll rewrite. I'll--"
She was quieted by Sora putting his arms around her, hugging her. "Shh. I'll come back to you. I promise."
"... I know you will."
Hold on, Riku and Kairi might be down there. Let's just check it out!
Forget it! We're on an important mission!
Just land!
No!
Come on!
Aw, phooey!
We're landing!
"Hey! We're landing!" The pilot yelled back to his slumbering passenger. Sora woke up, and touched his hand to his head. It was splitting, he had never felt such a headache before. He rubbed his forehead and nodded to the pilot. The ship rumbled as he entered into the atmosphere, and soon they gently landed on the ground. Sora stood up to stretch his legs.
The ramp was lowered from the back of the Gummi ship and Sora calmly walked out into the light. He was greeted by four familiar faces. A tall dog, a short duck, a pretty girl, and a very disgruntled looking guy. He stopped short of the bottom of the ramp. He stood there wide-eyed, pointing a finger at the guy's head. "You have white hair!"
"... yeah." The other replied.
"At least he's observant, Riku." Donald said, sarcastically.
"No, I mean, you HAVE white hair!" Sora repeated.
"Yeaaah... what's with this guy, Kairi?" Riku leaned over to the girl standing next to him. She didn't say anything in response, just shrugged her shoulders and giggling a little bit.
"Kairi? .. I know that name. I know that name. And you have white hair." Sora's head HURT. He had never felt such pain before. He held his head in his hands. Images were stirring around in his mind's eye, all of them running on fast forward and fuzzy. Namine's face kept popping up, like a roadblock anytime he tried to take control of his mind.
"Gwarsh, do you think there's something wrong with him?"
Gwarsh. Kairi. White hair. White hair. Kairi. Gwarsh. Triggers on a gun placed against his head, against everything he thought he knew about his life. The image of Namine in his mind shattered like a dirty mirror, and Sora saw the darkness. Kingdom Hearts, the light. Everything. It flooded back to him in one great swoop.
Sora's body crumbled to the ground.
"We're doomed." Donald declared.
"YOU LET HIM GO!?"
"Yes." She said calmly, sitting across a dinner table from an infuriated Axel who was pounding his fist into the polished redwood. She cringed each time he hit it, fearing that the next blow would land on her instead of the table. "What was I supposed to do, force him to stay here with me? It's his destiny, he has to fight the Heartless!"
"Do you know where he is right now? He's in Hallow Bastion, with Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. Do you know what that means? HE COULD REMEMBER EVERYTHING. What the FUCK were you thinking?!" Axel demanded. Namine could have sworn the entire house cringed with that last outburst.
"My mother always said, 'If you love something, let it go; if it comes back, then it's meant to be.'"
"That's swell. Let me tear off your fucking pretty little head, roll it down the hall, and see if it comes back."
"Sora will come back to me! He will! He.. he promised. He loves me, I know he does!" She sounded unsure herself, tears falling from her eyes. She clutched her notebook close to her chest. "He will..."
Axel smiled, "What makes you think he's coming back alive?"
"... take me to him."
"Whatever happened to 'if you love something ...'?" Axel quipped.
"Just take me, dammit!" Namine screamed.
"... you don't have to yell."
"Sora? Sora, are you all right? Wake up."
"This is taking too long. Outta the way. Wake up." SMACK!
Sora's eyes slowly pried themselves open, and the first thing he noticed was the two people standing over him: Kairi and Riku. The latter was rubbing his hand. The second thing he noticed was the stinging feeling in his cheek, which he poked at gingerly. Then he grinned, "Thanks, Riku, I needed that."
"Sure, no prob. Anytime."
"Wait.. Riku! Riku, you're here! How did you get out of Kingdom Hearts? I thought you would be trapped in there forever!"
Riku blinked, and looked to Donald and Goofy for clarification. The two of them shrugged helplessly. "Maybe I hit you a little harder than I thought..."
Sora stood up quickly, and threw his arms around Kairi's waist. He lifted her into the air, squeezing the air out of her lungs. "Kairi! Kairi! I'm so happy to see you again!" He set her down, and stepped back. "I told you I'd come back, I promised, didn't I?"
"What are you talking about?" Kairi said, breathless from the rough treatment.
"You.. you don't remember?" Sora asked. Kairi shook her head. "Riku?" He got the same answer. "Donald, Goofy! You two were there! Don't you remember?"
"You're a quack." Donald crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, maybe--" Donald kicked Goofy's leg. "Nope, gwarsh, nope. Don't remember a thing."
"How can you not remember?! I searched all over for you, Kairi, and you, Riku, after Destiny Island was destroyed! You gave me your lucky charm!" Sora started searching his pockets and turned up nothing. He shook his head in frustration.
"No. I searched all over for Kairi." Riku spoke up, holding up Kairi's charm. "I used the powers of darkness to find Kairi, and when I did, I turned on them and saved both of us. She gave ME her lucky charm."
"Donald... Goofy...?"
"Sorry, bub, but this is the first time we have ever met you. We were sent him by King Mickey to help the people of Hallow Bastion, hyuck." Goofy said, taking pity on Sora.
"So, as you can see, we don't know you. Stop acting like you know us. And don't touch Kairi again." Riku scowled.
"This... this is all wrong. This isn't right at all. You, me, and Kairi are all best friends. Goofy, you and Donald helped me defeat the Heartless and Ansem! This doesn't make any sense..." He stepped off the ramp of the Gummi ship he had fallen on earlier, into the light. "Namine! She's responsible for all this, isn't she? She's the reason why no one remembers me. Namine!" He looked up at the sky and screamed: "NAMINE! NAMINE!!!"
"She's not here right now. May I take a message?" A lone, hooded figure hidden in a black robe stood on a tall block, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was hidden beneath the deep shadows cast by the hood. Tall, muscular Shadows melted out of the ground. The hooded one showed his face, with those bright green eyes and red hair. "My name is Axel. Commit it to memory."
"That's nice." Riku said, holding his empty hand out in front of him. He summoned his Keyblade, his fist being encased in a dark energy. The dark edges of his weapon appeared, the devil wings extending off the black hilt. The spikes at the tip taking on a hint of crimson. The bastardized version of the Oathkeeper Keyblade was held at the ready.
Sora screamed, the Kingdom Key appearing in his hand in a flash. He didn't want for the others to be ready. He charged the Heartless. He ducked under a swipe of one Shadow's claws, and plunged his Keyblade into the creature's side. It groaned and disappeared in a smelly poof of gas. He swung the sword hard enough to knock the head off another. It rolled for a few feet before it poofed.
"Sonic Blade! Ha!" Sora held the Keyblade out like spear, and his body became encased in energy. He dashed through several Neo-Shadows, catching more on the second and third Raves. When he stopped, he rested his hands on his knees, taking a few deep breathes. He didn't notice the Heartless leaping at his back.
But Riku did. He slashed the Heartless in the side, and quickly pulled his blade back. He quickly threw the Keyblade into his left hand, held it inversely, and stabbed the same Heartless through it's back. When Sora turned around to hear the death grunt, he caught a glimpse of the Oathkeeper's red tips sticking out of the Neo-Shadow's chest. Riku grinned. "Bet I can kill more than you."
"Ha, you wish!" The challenge was on.
The Neo-Shadows were easy pickings for the two Keybladers. They made short work of any that were unlikely to stand in their way. Donald and Goofy were doing well holding their own, but their job was to stay back and protect Kairi. Riku and Sora were the tanks of the group. Axel grew impatient with the proceedings. "God dammit, what the HELL are you doing. Get your asses out of the ground, fight them! Fight them!"
The Shadows fell back, disappearing into the solid ground. Riku and Sora took that moment to rest, taking deep breathes and trying to control their breathing. Axel rubbed his forehead ("Good help is so hard to find," he muttered), and leapt down to the ground from his previous perch.
"Your turn, huh?" Riku said, confidently.
"Twenty points for this guy, Riku." Sora challenged him.
"All right, you're on. But you get to go first." Riku backed away slowly, keeping his guard up against any sort of trick the redheaded enemy might try. He made his way slowly over to where Kairi, Donald, and Goofy had been watching. There, he took the several high fives and congratulations due to him for his excellent performance out there.
"Coward!" Sora joked.
"Oh, I agree. And just to make sure no one over there decides to jump in..." Axel raised his hands, and a hexagonal field of energy surrounded the four noncombatants. Riku tried to yell something to Sora, but his voice was lost against the wall. He swung his Keyblade at it a few times, with no success. "There we go. It's just you and me."
"Sounds good to me. STRIKE RAID!" He pulled back his arm, and threw the Keyblade hard at Axel. The spinning blade slammed into his chest, and Sora recalled the sword to his hand. Raid. He threw it again, and Axel took a step back. Raid. Another step back, his grunt of pain becoming louder. RAID. Axel held up his hands as if to catch the Keyblade, but it still hit him in the stomach. JUDGMENT! Sora took a step forward in throwing it this time, casting his whole weight behind it. And to his shock, Axel caught the Keyblade and laughed.
"Such a nice little toy. Mind if I keep it?"
Sora growled, and the blade disappeared from Axel's hands and appeared back in Sora's position.
"Tsk, tsk. Didn't your mommy ever teach you to share?"
"FIRAGA!" Sora pointed his Keyblade at Axel like a gun, and the large fireball building up in front of the tip launched itself at the unknown in black. Sora took a step back from the blast. Axel's body was hidden behind the raging flames from Sora's attack. When the smoke cleared, Axel was dusting the ashes from his cloak.
"I guess there's one more thing your mommy didn't teach you. NEVER PLAY WITH FIRE!" Axel slammed his palms together, and then slowly opened them. A serious of fireballs launched from his fingertips. Sora batted a few away with the Keyblade, but Axel's balls still slammed into his body in key points (his legs took the brunt of the trauma; his shoulders, too, bore the damage from the intense heat). His legs felt weak, and he dropped to one leg. His shoulders were singed, and he didn't know if he had the strength to lift the Keyblade.
"Stop it, Axel! Don't hurt him anymore!" Namine emerged from the shadows, rushing to Sora's side. She tried to help him back to his feet, but he pushed her away ("Get away from me," he said). She fell back on her rear, a few tears dropping onto her face. "Sora, please. Let me help you."
"I think you've done enough!"
"Please, Sora! Let me explain!" She was crying, full-force now. Sora fought not to look to her, not to succumb to those tears.
"You took my friends from me, everything from me! Why? What could you say that could justify that, huh? You screwed with my head, my memories!"
"I love you, Sora! That's why I did it, I love you, and I wanted to be with you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I made a mistake. I'm so, so sorry!"
"Get away from me!"
"Sora, please listen to me! Please don't hate me! I don't want you to hate me... not you too, please, not you..." She grabbed his arm. He yanked his arm out of her grasp, the Keyblade clattering to the ground. "I did it with this, see, here. It's my notebook, I wrote all my dreams and wishes in it," She held her notebook out for him to see, but he refused to look. The page contained a picture of her and him, holding each other in the moonlight. "Axel... he gave me the power to make them come true. So.. so I rewrote everything. So you and me could be together."
"Namine, I--"
"Please don't hate me, Sora, please!"
"... I think I'm going to puke. Good-bye, be together in oblivion. And I don't mean that wrenched castle." Axel's hands turned a brilliant white, and stream of almost liquid fire came shooting from the center of his palms. Namine screamed, with her eyes closed, feeling the heat off the attack and the anticipated pain.
That pain never came, though she choked on the smell of sizzling flesh. Sora's was protecting her again, standing on his knees in front of her. Kairi, Riku, Goofy, and Donald saw the stream of liquid flames burrowing into Sora's back. Namine saw the his chest start to glow as the fire threatened to spill out of his body and into hers. Sora's blue eyes were watching her no longer, they were dead and rolled up into the back of his head.
"God dammit, now I have to recharge. I'm not the energizer bunny, you know." Axel let his arms drop to his side, almost at the same time as the body that once contained Sora's spirit fell over backwards on the ground. Namine screamed in horror, watching the blood start to pool around her knees.
"Ah, well, I guess one out of two isn't bad." Axel said.
"Sora! SORA! .. why, why did you do this? Was this your plan all along!?" Namine stood up, the blood dripping down her legs and staining her yellow dress. The notebook, too, suffered from the infernal blood that seemed to get everywhere and on everything.
"Yep. Thanks for all your help."
She stared at him angrily, and started to search her pockets for the pen she writes uses to write in her notebook.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I had to borrow this." He held up the blue, ball-point pen that bore Sora's smiling face on the end cap. "Had to sign some checks. Lawyers are bloody murderers, I swear."
Namine held her notebook out in front of her. She sniffed, and built up her courage (what would Sora do? She thought). She wiped at the tears on her face, but only managed to smear Sora's blood on her cheeks. With an unsteady, bloody hand, she ripped the first page from the notebook, throwing it onto the ground with a bellicose cry.
Axel stopped in his tracks, and watched as Sora's dead body disappeared. "WHAT THE FUCK."
"I'm going to undo this. All of this. Everything'll go back to the way it was before I changed everything!" Another piece was torn, and Riku and Kairi were gone from their hexagonal prison. Axel screamed for her to stop, but she only tore faster. Donald, Goofy, the landscaping all disappeared. It was only her and Axel standing in an empty field. One page left.
"You'll die if you tear that last page out!" Axel blurted, and the revelation stayed Namine's hand.
"I don't care. If you really love someone, you have to let them go! I'm letting him go!" She tore the page, crumbled it, and threw it on the ground with a triumphant smile on her face. "Sora, I'll always love you."
Then world winked out of existence.