I've been thinking. I'm not writing as fast as I once was. I think I don't have enough variety in my writing, possibly. So I've decided that maybe I should get started on my reboot of Darkness Within, get that rolling for a start. I already have the groundwork for the plot, and I hope people will see it as an improvement upon what I already finished, and will be glad that the sequels will build off of it.
I dunno. Perhaps I'm more ambitious than I'm worth, but I did get positive feedback from Darkness Within, and I get positive feedback from this story as well as A Nobody's Tale, so maybe there is a grain of truth in these last paragraphs. But enough of that, on with the show!
Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran forward, with Axel having burnt in the fires of darkness before their very eyes.
"'It was worth saving you after all'? What did that mean?" Sora thought. But he didn't have the time to think, for in the next room stood Marluxia, with Namine captive in front of him.
Song: Thirteenth Discretion
"You've defeated Axel. Hmph hmph hmph hmph. The Keyblade's power… how I've longed to make it my own."
"Let Namine go!" Sora demanded.
"You've no chance of winning." He put a hand on Namine's shoulder. "Namine, erase Sora's memory."
Everyone else gasped.
"But if I do that…"
"That's right. Sora's heart will be destroyed."
"His heart destroyed?" Goofy worried.
"You can do that?" Donald questioned.
"I'd rather have prefered him unmarred." Marluxia continued. "But he can be rebuilt more to my liking, with time. Namine, do it."
"No!" Namine responded. "Sora forgave me… when I deceived him! So how can I destroy his heart? There's no way! I don't care what happens to me. I won't hurt Sora! I won't do it!" Namine stood between Marluxia and Sora with her arms outstretched.
"Then you will…"
"Do it Namine!" Sora interrupted. Marluxia and Namine turned to him. "I don't care! You can erase my memory!"
"Sora! Why'd you say that!?" Goofy asked.
"Because… who'll I look after if I don't have Namine? So just do it! Erase my memories! Destroy my heart! I promised, I'll always protect you! You have to believe me!"
"Sora…" Namine said.
"I don't need any memories to take on someone like Marluxia!"
"You bet!" Donald exclaimed. "Even if Sora forgets it all, Goofy and I won't forget!"
"Donald's right! He and I can remember everything for Sora!"
"See? I'll have all my friends memories, so I can piece my own together again."
"You ignorant fool." Marluxia sighed. "If Namine uses her powers to erase your memory, you'll be nothing but an empty shell. Your heart will no longer be able to feel or to care. Just like Vexen's pathetic imitation of your Riku."
"Take another guess!" Repliku jumped through a portal. He swung Soul Eater at Marluxia, separating him from Namine.
"It can't be!"
"Riku!" Sora said.
"Ugh! You're a shell! A shell who has had everything taken! Everything!" Marluxia shouted in frustration.
Song: Face It
"What can you possibly think I ever had? Both my body, and my heart are fake. But I have this one feeling now… And that's to protect Namine, and put an end to your scheme!"
"Imbeciles." Marluxia uttered, and he raised his right hand. A single rose fell onto it, and transformed into his scythe. He swung it to his side, and a flurry of rose petals and darkness traveled in it's wake. "You would knowingly shackle your heart with a chain of memories born of lies!?"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied their weapons.
"You would be one who has a heart, yet cast aside your hearts freedom?"
Repliku readied for the battle.
"You turn from the truth because your heart is weak. You will never defeat me!"
Song: Graceful Assassin
Marluxia moved forward, but Sora got the first flurry of hits. (Ars Arcanum)
Marluxia brought his scythe down, and Sora held his Keyblade to block it. Marluxia was clearly the stronger warrior, and was pushing Sora back.
"THUNDER!" Marluxia jumped back to avoid Donald's spell, but was hit in his side by Goofy's shield.
"That's an interesting strategy." Marluxia commented.
"Not as interesting as this!" Sora and Repliku jumped into the air and brought their blades down on Marluxia together.
Marluxia took the attack, and then teleported away.
"You can't get away from us!" Sora rushed at Marluxia and thrust the Keyblade towards him. When the attack connected, Sora went past Marluxia, turned, and went for it again. (Sonic Blade) Marluxia swung his scythe at Sora, sending cherry blossoms to push him away.
"Prepare!" Marluxia went on the offensive at this point. He sent out petal whirlwinds, trapping Sora in one. (Flower Storm) He then performed a sort of shock wave slam (Drop Shot) on Donald, knocking him out, and then, saying "Your heart shall be judged!" slashed at Goofy a couple of times, with waves of darkness pushing him into a wall. Hard. (Deathscythe) His next move was warping to Repliku and swinging his scythe at him a few times, and then finished the combo with a shockwave and lasers. "Your heart will be scattered." (Blossom Shower) He then topped it off by warping back to Sora and swiping at him for good measure.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy got back up to continue the fight. "Guys, let's do this!" Sora yelled. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood together with their weapons held high.
Marluxia rushed in to stop them, but was too late. A powerful light appeared around the three, and engulfed Marluxia. (Trinity Limit)
Marluxia emerged from the light, fell backwards, and disappeared in darkness and cherry blossoms, his own element, like the other members when they were defeated for good.
Donald stared at the spot Marluxia occupied. "Is he gone?" Sora turned to him, smiled, and gave him a thumbs up.
"You could say that." Marluxia's disembodied voice caught them all off guard. He reappeared in a normal portal. "However, what you destroyed was merely an illusion of me."
Sora growled and stepped forward.
"So what!?" Repliku yelled as he ran forward. He ran his blade through Marluxia, causing him to disappear once again. "Grrr. Another imitation."
They all looked at the door before them. "He's really… in there?" Sora asked.
"Yes." Namine answered.
"I knew it. I can feel his power. It's trying to destroy my heart."
"Gwarsh. We'll just take him together!" Goofy told him.
"Sora! Come on!" Donald added.
"Riku, protect Namine." Sora said.
Riku turned to him. "I'm not Riku."
"Calling you anything else wouldn't seem right."
"Alright."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran into the room to see Marluxia hovering eleven feet above the ground.
"Soon the emptiness will shatter your heart, here in this world of nothingness!" He swung his arm back, and surrounded himself in petals.
The whirlwind of petals blew the trio back a bit, and when it disappeared they could see Marluxia housed in a flower on top of a grey giant with two of Marluxia's scythe for hands.
The giant had a large torso and a thin spike where it's legs were supposed to be. It was floating above the ground, had what looked like large, pointed shoulder pads, and a black cape. Needless to say, it was at least four times the size of Marluxia.
"As lightless oblivion devours you, drown in the ever-blooming darkness!"
Song: Scythe of Petals
"Attack him, my minion!" Marluxia commanded.
"Away!" The being he was fused with raised it's hands and swiped at Sora. Sora blocked one scythe while Goofy blocked the other.
Donald raised his staff and yelled "FIRE!" hoping Marluxia's use of plant-based attacks meant he had similar weaknesses.
The giant seemed to brush it off. Marluxia, not so much.
Goofy threw his shield, and Sora tossed Donald onto it. The shield, curving upwards, brought Donald up towards Marluxia, only to be knocked away by the scythes. "Your heart shall be judged!"
Marluxia's minion continued to attack the trio, but Sora eventually broke one of the scythes with a Strike Raid.
"Goofy! Throw your shield again!" Sora suggested.
Goofy did as he was told, and Sora hopped onto the shield. It was blocked again, but Sora pulled on the shield, causing it to curve around to the other side of Marluxia. He pulled it again as he jumped off to direct it towards Goofy, and then pointed his Keyblade at Marluxia. "FREEZE!" The resulting ice attack really made Marluxia shudder, and his giant was also left open to an attack, prompting Goofy to break it's other scythe.
"You will now know real fear!" Marluxia's giant countered by rushing right through the trio. "No good!" Afterwards, Marluxia used a floating ring flowers to send X-shaped shockwaves at Sora. The group countered with a Trinity Limit.
The giant stood opposite Sora, both ready to attack.
Marluxia raised his hands, readying another attack. "Your heart will be scattered!"
"Light!" Sora raised his Keyblade to Marluxia and interrupted the attack with Ragnarok.
The giant then jumped up into the air, and out of the trio's reach. The subsequent landing barely missed them, and when (s)he did it again, Donald fell unconscious, and a third one knocked out Goofy.
Marluxia raised his hands up once again. "To the world without light!" He covered the arena in a mist of darkness, making it hard for Sora to see.
Sora rushed to where he last saw Marluxia, kept his ears alert for sounds, and went straight for him with a slash attack.
"Your hopes are doomed to the darkness!"
Song: Lord of the Castle
Sora found himself alone, with the exception of Marluxia standing at the feet of a taller, thinner grey creature holding Marluxia's scythe. Their field appeared to be the top of a much larger version of Marluxia's giant.
Marluxia's mistress had a feminine figure, wings, a pink cap, and yellow/pink horns. She was four times Marluxia's height, while the giant they were standing on was at least 200 times his height.
"Do you want to scream?" Marluxia asked, as he summoned pink objects that fired lasers at Sora.
Sora countered with his flurry of attacks (Ars Arcanum) but he himself was countered with a very dangerous move.
"Your heart is now in shackles!" (Doom)
Sora could feel his heart slipping away, as if Marluxia was scooping it out of his chest with his scythe. But he thought of all his friends, protecting Namine, the Destiny Islands, and he was able to break free from the curse.
"Your heart shall be judged!"
Marluxia's mistress teleported towards Sora and slammed her scythe down onto him. Sora dodged the scythe but not the resulting shockwave.
Sora escaped the subsequent attacks and rushed at Marluxia. (Sonic Blade)
"Away!" The mistress created a shockwave that knocked Sora to the other side of the battlefield. (Circle Reject) She then continued doing this, blocking Sora's attempts to regain proper footing.
"The beginning of the end!" Marluxia shouted victoriously. The giant manipulated the rings around it and aimed lasers at Sora. (Omni Laser) The lasers chased Sora so no matter what he did, they were right on his tail.
Sora raised his Keyblade for another Ragnarok, but before he could perform it, he was captured in a Doom curse yet again.
This one more powerful than the last. Sora didn't feel as though he could get out of this one.
Song: Let The Battles Begin - Final Fantasy VII
But he could feel it. He had something to get him out of this. He pulled out the card Blyxil gave him, and let it's light flood the battlefield.
No. It wasn't the card's light. It was his.
When the light faded, the first one to come to Sora's aid was a tan-fured lion with a red mane. "Simba!"
Simba roared a loud, powerful roar, releasing Sora from the effects of Marluxia's curse, and immobilizing his mistress.
Next came a small, red lizard. "Mushu!" Mushu jumped off of Sora's shoulders to breath a large amount of fire at Marluxia from point-blank range, sending him reeling.
Third was a blue man with a deeper blue tail wearing a red waistband. "Genie!"
The Genie snapped his fingers, stopping Marluxia in place before he could counter.
Finally, a blonde man with light skin, wearing purple pants and a purple shirt, silver armguards, a red cape, silver legguards, and golden fingers on his left hand. "Cloud!" Cloud carried a large sword wrapped in bandages.
Cloud spread a single, leathery, demonic bat wing and flew towards Marluxia and unleashed a flurry of slashes of his own.
The combo of attacks left Marluxia very worse for wear, so Sora took the opportunity, and with the phantoms of his friends, finished him off.
Sora raised his Keyblade, Cloud his Buster Sword, and Genie a finger. Simba stood in front of them with his teeth bared, and Mushu on top of his head.
The light engulfed them all, Marluxia included.
"This… This is the heart of a hero!"
Marluxia let out a ghastly scream, and was engulfed by flower petals as he, the mistress, and the giant, all disappeared.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy emerged from the hall and met up with Namine and Repliku.
"How're you holding up, Riku?" Sora asked.
Song: Scent Of Silence
"Not Riku. I'm a fake. I can't remember why I was created, or where, or when… All I remember is you and Namine. I have no real memories of my own, no existence to call my own."
Goofy turned to Namine. "Gee, can't you use your powers to put Riku back to normal?"
"Have you been listening?" Blyxil appeared. "He's a replica. What do you think 'normal' for a replica is?"
Repliku held up a hand. "It's alright. I'll deal." He turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Sora said. "Who cares if someone created you? You are you, and nobody else. You have your own heart inside of you. Those feelings and memories are yours and yours alone. They're special!"
Repliku stood there. "Sora, you're a good guy." He turned to face him. "I don't have to be real to see how real your feelings are. That's good enough." He turned back to the exit and walked. Sora called out once more, but Repliku kept walking.
Donald turned to Namine. "Can you fix Sora's heart?"
"Yes. But it's more than just driving the darkness away. We'll have to restore his original body… And I'll have to break the chain of memories that I've created to put the original chain back in place. It's still there, just separated from the rest of your memories. I'll be looking after you from now until then."
"Alright." Sora answered. "I trust you."
"Wait a second!" a small green cricket jumped out of Sora's hoodie. (Jiminy! Where've you been all story!? lol) "You said you'd have to break the chain. Does that mean…"
"Yes. You'll have to forget what happened here in this castle."
"Not even you?" Sora asked.
"I'm sorry. It's the only way, I'm afraid." Namine turned around and walked towards a wall. "Sora… you have a choice. You can lose your memories of this castle, and reclaim your old ones, or keep your memories here and give up the memories you've lost."
"Do I have to… choose?"
"Yes."
Sora lowered his head. Donald and Goofy looked at him in worry.
Sora lifted his head with a sad look on his face. "Make me like I was."
Namine was still for a second, then she abruptly turned towards Sora. "Oh. Ok. Nobody needs to keep a bunch of memories that aren't real, right? You want to remember all the people who're really important to you."
Blyxil thought back to his time watching Sora move around False Destiny Islands. How he pranced in wonder. He wasn't reminiscing. It was almost like a new experience for him.
"Anybody… would choose that."
A long silence followed.
"Sora has to sleep in that?" Donald asked.
"You too." Blyxil said. "She didn't just mess with Sora's memories. She switched around both of yours as well."
"How can you tell?" Goofy asked.
"Because I have seen into the looking glass. A person's memories affect that of those around them. If one chain get's replaced, so too do the rest."
Namine nodded. "It's going to take some time, but I'll take care of you."
"Gwarsh. When we wake up, we won't remember who you are anymore."
"So how are we going to thank you?" Donald asked.
"Don't worry guys." Jiminy said. "I'll write a message in my journal. 'Thank Namine'."
"That makes me feel better." Donald said.
"Good night Namine." Goofy said. The both of them waved, then walked over to their own pods.
Song: Namine
"Good night, Goofy." She turned to Sora. "You too." Sora climbed up into the pod. "All of this may have started with a lie, but I really am glad that I could meet you, Sora."
"Yeah. Me too. When I found you, I was happy. The way I felt then, that was no lie."
Namine nodded her head. "Goodbye."
Sora shook his head. "No, not goodbye! When I wake up, I'll find you. And then there will be no lies! We're gonna be friends for real. Promise me, Namine."
"You're going to forget making that promise."
"If the chain of memories come apart, the links will still be there, right? So the memory of our promise will still be inside of me somewhere. I'm sure of it."
"Yeah. You're right. Okay. It's a promise."
"Good. Until later."
They walked up closer to each other, and wrapped their pinkies around each other. Then Sora turned and hopped into the pod.
Namine looked down at her pinky finger. "A promise… huh. Sora, some of your memories' links are deep within the shadows of your heart and I won't be able to find them. But don't worry. You made another promise to someone you could never replace. She is your light. The light within the darkness. Remember her, and all the memories lost in the shadows of your heart will come into the light."
"Another promise."
"I pushed away her memory so that the false memories of me would take a stronger hold, but even now, they're fighting their way back to the surface. That good luck charm you carry symbolizes her. Look at it as you fall into slumber.
The pod closed behind him, and Sora stared at the charm in his possession. It was a star shaped seashell decoration. It was multi-color, with the tip of one end being brown, and the rest of it resembling a face. (Fun fact: I always thought this design was of what's her face's face. But no. It's Sora's. And no, I didn't actually forget her name. If I did, I could very easily look it up.)
As he stared at it, he saw images of many of his friends. Friends from Traverse Town and Destiny Islands, including Riku, and a red haired girl wearing a white top with a black one underneath, a purple skirt, and white purple and blue shoes.
Sora gasped, and then bent forwards in glee. "Kairi!"
He took a longer look at everyone whose appearance was gathered before him. "My friends."
He looked to his right. "Namine?"
"Don't worry. You might forget about me, but with our promise, I can come back."
"A promise is a promise."
"Yes. One day the light - it will be ours, and it will bring us together. Til then, I'll be in your heart." She shed a tear.
"Right. Forgotten, but not lost."
And there we have it. Sora's story has come to a close. For now.
But we still have Riku's ordeal to complete. Until then... I've been Samuel, and you've been pretty cool readers. See ya soon.
