A/N: I am much more pleased with the amount of reviews. Kudos to my reviewers! Keep it up! And the story continues…
Dark Intentions
Sora, Riku, Kairi—
Fighting for the side of light alongside the three of you has been a great honor and privilege. I can only hope that you are able to re-affiliate yourselves back into your daily routines. Enjoy your well-deserved rest. A few words of encouragement: Kairi, always follow your heart and it will lead you to where you need to be. Riku, do not despair over past transgressions and always look towards the light in times of need, help will always be there. Sora, trust in your friends' strength and ability and you will not falter, even in the darkest of nights. You three are strongest when you are together, never forget that. You will need each other in times to come… more than you know… Give my regards to the others, and don't forget… those gummi ships are for flight simulations only, no flying…
Sincerely,
The King
Sora sat alone in the cockpit as he rolled the thin parchment back and forth across the control panels, his thoughts racing in circles around his head. He had read the message countless times since receiving it almost six months ago, and he could easily recite it word for word by memory. However, memorizing the words did little for helping him understand them… What does he mean, "times to come"? Sora had a strong suspicion that the King was keeping something from him, something important. But that doesn't make any sense… why would the King deliberately keep something important from me? He rolled open the parchment and traced his fingers over the words "more than you know". He sighed heavily and leaned back in his captain's chair. Maybe he is keeping something from me…
Sora closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose as he tried to organize his thoughts. Xemnas and Xehanort were both destroyed… Maleficent and Pete were still around, but without the heartless they're hardly considered a serious threat… Organization XIII was demolished one by one… The Door to Darkness was sealed and Kingdom Hearts was locked safely... The pressure headache accumulating between Sora's eyes intensified as he sorted the possibilities. Maybe there's a new threat… Maybe someone new is trying to use Kingdom Hearts again… No, the King would definitely need the Keyblade Master for that…
Sora pounded his fist into the armrest in frustration. Whatever the new threat was, he was convinced that he would not figure it out without talking with the King first. He sighed in defeat and stood up to go check on Kairi.
As he turned to leave, a familiar foreboding awareness flooded his senses and he immediately summoned the Oathkeeper as he scanned the cockpit. Suddenly, a dark pool swirled in the floor in front of him, and his eyes widened in horror as it materialized into an all-too-familiar image before him. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon as the penetrating yellow eyes glared at him. "You!" he growled as he lunged his blade at the dark adversary. The figure dashed to the other side of the room in a blur of charcoal. Sora wasted no time, and charged with his keyblade brandished high over his head. Again, the figure whizzed past him before Sora was even close to attack range. He's too fast! Sora closed his eyes and channeled all his energy into summoning a second keyblade, the Oblivion. He had previously done it only in drive forms, but he knew had to try… it was his only hope.
"Do you really think that will do you any good?" Sora's eyes shot open and he immediately glared at the dark figure across the room; its face was split into an evil black grin as it stared at him blankly.
"What do you mean?!" Sora shouted angrily, as he felt a familiar heat growing in his left palm.
"Summoning that pitiful Oblivion will only waste energy that, frankly, you don't have to spare…"
Sora stared in disbelief at the shadowed twin. Although he heard the voice, clear as day… the figure's smile remained unchanged… his mouth forming no words as he crouched motionless in front of him. This only angered Sora more and his ragged breaths intensified as he continued to channel his energy into materializing his secondary weapon. "What are you?! Tell me!!"
"I'm shocked the legendary Keyblade Master has yet to figure that out…" The voice hummed in his ears and Sora cringed at the melodic quality as the dark figure remained motionless. "I am born of all the darkness you have kept in your heart over the past two and half years. You really are a dark, dark boy, Sora… Anger, hatred, fear, lust, guilt, jealousy... Seriously, I'm stunned that you are jealous of Riku, of all people! As far the lust…I don't blame you." Sora could not hide the astonishment written across his face. "Oh yes Sora, I know all your heart's hidden secrets. All of which, you tried to keep to yourself. You didn't think I would just disintegrate if you continued to ignore me, did you?"
Sora's jaw dropped. "No, you're wrong! That's impossible!" He clenched his teeth in determination as a flash of bright light escaped his palm and materialized into…
"Ah, yes. I see that the darkness has already started its tear on you." The voice chuckled in his head.
"What are you talking about—" Sora glanced down at the new weapon his fingers gripped. What he saw made his head spin and his lungs gasp for air. "What…how…"
In his grip was not the Oblivion, instead his fingers were wrapped firmly around the hilt of the keyblade he had used to free Kairi's heart in Hollow Bastion. The very keyblade Riku had wielded when his heart was consumed with darkness. The image from his dreams flooded his mind… half dark… half light…
Before Sora could muster a response, he felt his energy draining itself and he suddenly felt light headed as the room began to spin around him.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Didn't I warn you that would happen? Honestly, Sora, I expected more…"
Sora fell to his knees as he tried to regain his senses, both keyblades hung limply in each hand at his sides. He gritted his teeth as the darkness slowly started to close in around him… Through the haze, a devilish laughter rang and the dark figure moved towards him.
"We are one in the same, you and I. I suppose I have you to thank for my existence. If it weren't for your ignorance and isolation, I would still be trapped in that worthless thing you call a heart." An immense pain electrified through Sora's body as a cold black hand thrust itself against his chest. "Ah yes… There it is…"
"Get away from him!"
The figure hesitated and looked towards the source of the demand; however, before it could muster a response, it was knocked to the floor with a wide swing of a…
Keyblade? Sora could hardly believe his eyes. Surely he was dreaming. He had already passed out and this was just a dream…
Kairi didn't miss a beat, and she charged at the dark figure, her blade skillfully stretched out in front of her. Sora gawked in amazement as she dodged a quick blow and struck her dark opponent again across the side of the head with her keyblade, sending it flying to the opposite wall. However, it quickly recovered while still in the air and used the wall to catapult straight at her. In a blur, it hammered Kairi to the ground, knocking the breath out of her and sending her keyblade sprawling to the other side of the room.
"Well well well… what have we here? A Princess of Heart, no doubt? Yes Sora, I don't blame at all for that particular emotion… So lovely…"
Sora watched helplessly as long smoky fingers traced along Kairi's jaw line as she lay under the dark figure, pinned to the floor. "Don't touch her!" Sora growled through clenched teeth. He tightened his grip on the two keyblades at his side as he felt a newfound strength begin to course through his veins. Piercing yellow eyes averted their stare to Sora and black lips curled once again into an evil grin as Kairi continued to struggle under the firm grasp.
"Yes Sora… use that anger and hatred you have for me…"
Sora winced as he pulled one foot out in front of him, so that he was bent on one knee. Using the keyblades for support, he pushed himself up and staggered to his feet, all the while never letting his glare leave the pair of yellow eyes staring back at him in amusement. "Get off of her!"
"It feels good, doesn't it? To be able to use your hatred to fuel your control..." The voice hissed in his ears as Sora drew a deep breath and took a coarse step forward.
"I said…Get off her!" He broke into a sprint, dragging the blades of his weapons along the floor, cutting two paths of shards and sparks behind him as he charged his dark adversary. In one motion, he swung one keyblade in an uppercut, sending the figure flying into the air, while simultaneously leaping in the air to come across the side of the figure's stomach with the other keyblade, which sent it crashing back down to the ground several feet away. Sora's muscles were burning, but not with pain. It was unexplainable, but he felt stronger, faster, and more powerful than ever.
He charged again as devilish laughter rang in his ears. "Yes Sora! You feel it, don't you? Feel the anger giving you strength! The hatred giving you power!"
Sora growled as he lunged at the dark figure, swinging both keyblades in a series of combos that sent it crashing against the far wall of the cockpit. Dismissing the dark keyblade in a flash of blackness, Sora grabbed the shadowy twin under the chin with his bare hand, pulled it to its feet and cornered it against the wall, the Oathkeeper held across the figure's throat. Hatred burned in Sora's clouded eyes as he glared at the amused yellow eyes staring back at him.
"Do it! The final act of judgment… Let the hatred running through your veins do it. Give in to it… It only makes you stronger… makes me stronger!"
"Sora, NO!"
Sora vaguely heard Kairi's plea through the darkness surrounding him. "Why shouldn't I?!" he shouted, his glare still fixated on his prey.
"Sora, that's not you!! That's not who you are!! Please!" she called from across the room, tears in her voice as she pleaded.
Sora felt his face soften and the graying cloud in his eyes recede, but he held his position steadfastly.
"Please!" she repeated. "For me…"
Sora closed his eyes and steadied his breathing as he lowered his keyblade and loosened his grip on the figure.
"We shall meet again, my master…" the voice purred smoothly as the dark figure faded into the wall behind it in a black pool. "Soon…"
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A/N: Wow, Sora was pretty dark there huh? I'm hoping the rest of the chapters will be longer… my last final is on Tuesday, so we'll see what happens after that! Don't forget… no reviews means no more story! Review please!!
