I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. A year ago, last Christmas, I had just begun the last section in United We Stand. It's hard to believe it's already been so long since then! One announcement this time: this chapter marks the first large deviation from the original story. In the original, this chapter saw both Sora and Kairi gain their Mark of Mastery and Kairi immediately joined with the group on their travels. I have decided to actually give Kairi more time to receive the training she would need before such an accomplishment. As such, she won't be joining the group quite yet and will instead walk her own journey for a little while. Thus, both the title and content of this chapter are a great change from the original.
Chapter Notes/Revisions and Alterations: Different title, major portions rewritten completely.
Chapter 8: The Path is Set
(Kairi's Theme, Kingdom Hearts II)
Kairi's time training with Merlin and Lea had been tense at best. The old wizard had not the patience for lazy or unwilling students, and Lea was both of those things. Naturally, Kairi had become Merlin's favorite between the two. When she had first arrived in Radiant Garden with Donald and Goofy, she had been unable to take her mind off of Sora and Riku. They had gone on a dangerous mission without her, and she could not help but worry for them.
After meeting Merlin, she had been taken to some kind of fake world of the wizard's making. There, they were away from the real world for the time being and could conduct their training in peace. However, in such a space their options for training were fairly limited. In the first few days, Merlin had pitted Kairi and
Lea against one another. The pyro had already been training for a while without her and had an advantage, as well. Still, she had been doing her best to make progress while knowing that Sora and Riku would need her help once she could handle herself.
When the attack on Radiant Garden had begun, Merlin had sent Lea forth to help the defenders in the city. Kairi had wanted to help, as well, but had been ordered to remain "where it's safe." And so she, Donald, and Goofy had remained out of the fighting, hoping that the forces in the town would be enough to turn back the tide. However, they received no further news until Lea returned.
"We had some surprise visitors, but help came in time. I've already given Yen Sid my report, and he wants us to continue with our training while Sora and the others go after the Organization." the older man had explained.
Lea had returned that morning, and Kairi believed it to be late in the afternoon now even though she had trouble discerning time in their safe world. "Come now, lass. Give it one more go! You've almost mastered the spell, my dear!" Merlin chimed in.
Kairi shook her head and her thoughts came screeching back to the present. She then nodded slightly, trying to take her mind off of her friends long enough to complete her drill. She looked forward to the other end of the ethereal training yard where Goofy was facing her. She readied her Keyblade and nodded to him. Without further ado, the captain charged forward and started heading her way. "Now, Kairi! Ice will stop him in his tracks!" Merlin yelled from the sidelines. As Goofy ran toward her, she raised her weapon and tried to focus on producing an ice spell.
She could feel the magical energy building within her blade, but knew that she was not channeling it fast enough. Realizing that she was not going to be able to cast the ice spell in time, she stepped back in panic and instead produced a bolt of lightning that rocketed out from the end of her blade. Goofy, who had been expecting ice, widened his eyes and let out a frightful yelp before the spell struck him. He flew backwards with a cry, his shield falling from his grasp as he landed perfectly on where Donald was trying to move out of the way.
The two groaned and lay in a crumpled heap for a few moments. "Get…off, you big palooka!" Donald finally wheezed. Goofy rubbed his throbbing forehead and didn't move.
"Sorry, Donald…" he muttered.
"NOW!" the duck roared so loudly that Goofy jumped up in fright. Merlin shook his head from where he was standing.
"Your objective, my dear, was to cast Blizzard. Did you mean to produce Thunder, or was that by accident?" he asked, half not wanting to know. She sheepishly lowered her weapon, trying to ignore Lea howling with laughter on the other side of the field.
"I couldn't cast the ice spell, so I went with the lightning. It's what I would have done if I were really under attack." she explained, before looking over at the captain and magician. "Sorry, you guys…" she said sincerely.
"Well, I certainly hope that you find yourself capable of casting a simple Blizzard spell by the time we allow you into the field. But that aside, your Thunder spells pack quite a punch, it would seem. Apparently we can skip the introduction to lightning course that I had planned for tomorrow." Merlin replied, complimenting her with the latter end of his statement. He then cast his eyes upon Lea, who was still laughing uncontrollably. "Alright, my wayward student…" he muttered and snapped his fingers. Before Lea could react, a cloud engulfed him. A moment later, he found himself encased in a block of ice from his neck down. "Your objective is to free yourself from the ice….without using any of your fire spells." the wizard declared.
Lea's eyes went wide. "And what purpose in the field will this exercise serve?" he asked irritably. Merlin turned away from him and began walking away.
"It shall teach you not to laugh at the struggles and toils of those who shall be guarding your back!" he retorted matter-of-factly. Lea then glared at Kairi and groaned.
"He compliments you when you fail and he targets me when I do nothing. I'm starting to think that he just plain hates me." he grumbled. Kairi laughed quietly.
"I know how he expects you to get out of that." she said and raised her hand. "Fire." she cast, a small but steady stream of flame issuing from her palm. In moments, she had melted the ice and freed him. "He specifically said for you not to use fire spells, not me. He wants us to learn to work together." she explained. Lea scratched the back of his head and looked at her in bewilderment.
"You got all that from what he said?" he asked her. She smiled.
"Sometimes thinking before talking comes in handy. Come on, let's call it a day." she replied. Without another word, they followed Donald and Goofy back to the barracks that Merlin had magically constructed in the fake realm. (end Kairi's Theme)
MEANWHILE, RADIANT GARDEN…
(Friends in My Heart, Kingdom Hearts II)
Aqua had just watched Jack vanish from sight when Sora and Riku walked into the courtyard and stopped behind her. "So who was that?" Riku questioned. Aqua was silent for a moment, tears still rolling down her cheeks from her conversation with Jack.
"You've changed so much since we last met, Jack. You've taken on a heavy burden and I don't know why. You used to accept my offers of help, but now you think that you have to do this alone. Just be careful." she thought to herself, wishing that he could hear her. Their conversation had shown her much about Jack's state of mind, and she was worried with what she had seen from him. He had appeared as someone who feels they have nothing to lose. If Jack felt that way, then she feared for him. However, she kept these thoughts to herself as she heard Riku's voice behind her. She cleared the lump in her throat and quickly wiped her eyes.
"A good friend of mine…" she began, but caught herself. "No, he's more than a friend. He's family." she said with a small smile, recalling the very first day that she had met the young Wanderer so many years ago.
They had been sitting upon the cliff back in the Land of Departure that became the favorite spot for the four of them. At that moment, it had only been Jack and she looking at the horizon.
"Never seen one of these that wasn't obscured by clouds or a dark haze." Jack had muttered, his mind away in some dark place.
"You've never seen a horizon?" she had asked in disbelief.
"There are so many things that people take for granted. Freedom, to me, is recognizing the small things that you have and cherish. This place, it's the closest thing to a home that I've ever had." he had answered. They had sat together for nearly an hour, just talking. Aqua would never forget what Jack had said to her at the end of that night.
"Maybe this is what it feels like….to have a friend."
She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, knowing that Jack had already left the world and was bound for wherever among the stars he was heading. "Remember that feeling, Jack. You have friends that care about you, now and always." she silently pleaded. With that, she turned to Sora and Riku. Both were staring at her curiously.
"He was family? Well, he had a Keyblade and he was acting kind of weird." Sora pondered. Riku crossed his arms.
"Yeah, but both Braig and Xemnas fled at the sight of him. Who was he, really?" he asked her. She stopped for a long moment, wanting to tell them the truth.
"Jack is one of the best friends I have ever had, and he was probably the best Keyblade Wielder between the four of us." but she couldn't tell them. As much as she hated it, she knew that it was her duty as his friend to abide by Jack's wishes.
"One day, you'll learn who he is. For now, just be content in the knowledge that he's on our side." she told them. The boys looked at each other, wanting to know more but knowing better than to push her.
"So what now? The King is gone again and we don't exactly have a plan for going forward." Riku asked. Sora thought for a moment.
"Hmm. I guess we should go back to Yen Sid then. He'll know what to do." he said, shrugging his shoulders. Aqua nodded in agreement.
"That's a good idea. We should get moving if we want to reach his tower in the next couple of hours." she said and began walking away. After a few steps she stopped, seeing that they weren't following her. "Is there a problem?" she asked, turning back to them. (end Friends in my Heart)
"We have no way back there. We used Mickey's Star Shard to get here, and we don't have that or a Gummi ship to get back." Sora explained. She looked at him in surprise.
"Why don't you just use your Riders?" she asked them as if it were obvious.
"Riders?" Sora asked obliviously. Then, it suddenly dawned on her.
"Right, Mickey said something about you guys not knowing…." she remembered. Laughing to herself, she walked back over to them and summoned her Keyblade. "You guys are formally Masters and you don't know the technique. We were taught this early in our apprentice days." she said. She reached out with both hands, tapping their armor pieces.
Their armor suddenly appeared over their bodies, and she followed suit. "Now, throw your Keyblade into the air. With all of your mental focus, command it to bear you forth. Your weapon will respond if you focus hard enough." she explained to them. She then turned and threw her blade into the air. It flew back down toward her and she leaped up. The Keyblade transformed right as she landed upon it, morphing into a magnificent rider bearing the colors of her weapon.
Following her example, Sora and Riku both threw their Keyblades up and jumped toward them. Riku's blade circled around and transformed into a sleek but imposing rider with black and red coloring. Sora waited for his Keyblade to come back toward him, but it did not and he landed on his back on the ground with a thud. "What the heck?!" the boy yelled out, rubbing the back of his head as he stood back to his feet.
"Not everyone can do it on their first try. It took Terra weeks to summon his for the first time." Aqua explained.
"I don't have weeks!" Sora complained.
"Neither do we. We need to get back to Yen Sid's." Riku said, looking over at Aqua. She nodded.
"Agreed. Sora, you'll have to ride with Riku. Once we get to the tower, you can work on summoning your own." she instructed.
Sora grumbled under his breath as he reluctantly climbed up behind Riku. "This is so humiliating." he muttered, holding on to the handholds on either side of him. Without any further words, the three set off from the ground. Aqua appeared to know where she was going, so Riku allowed her to lead and kept a steady trail behind her.
HOURS LATER, YEN SID'S TOWER…
As they reached the mysterious tower, they could see signs of battle going on. "Who could have found this place?! Not the Organization…" Sora exclaimed in shock. Riku narrowed his eyes as they flew down toward the small front yard at the tower's base.
"No, it's someone else we know…" he muttered. Aqua landed first, only to find the tower doors completely blocked by waves of Shadow Heartless. (Rowdy Rumble, Kingdom Hearts II)
"Master Yen Sid!" she yelled out, looking to the top of the tower. She received no response, however, and the Heartless turned around to face her. The two boys landed and flanked her on both sides, standing at the ready. However, before they could charge, they heard a familiar voice.
"Heh-heh-hee, if it ain't the brats with the Keyblades! We was wondering when you'd come back here again!" the deep and arrogant voice bellowed from out of sight. They looked around, to see Pete waddle into sight from behind a tree nearby.
"You really think this is a battle that you can win?" Sora questioned him, but the lackey just chuckled.
"Maybe not on my own, but don't you worry about that!" he retorted and pointed at the three Wielders. "Charge!" he instructed his Heartless followers. They ceased their efforts on the doors and ran toward Sora, Riku, and Aqua.
"This guy's still causing trouble?" Aqua asked in surprise as she brandished Stormfall and cut through the nearest Heartless in one blow.
"Believe me, we're all surprised." Riku replied and leaped over her to take down a Heartless in midair. Sora laughed out loud as he dashed into the midst of the oncoming tide and began a flurry of combos. Delivering a swift thrust to a Heartless coming at him from the front, he then felt a bolt of lightning fly just behind him. A moment later, he heard it connect to another Heartless and fork out into the larger group, destroying nearly a dozen with one spell. He looked over at Aqua, who lowered her Keyblade and ran to his side. They placed themselves back to back and immediately continued the fight.
Sora easily held his own, though he found himself in awe of the power of Aqua's spells. Beyond Mickey, he had never fought alongside someone with such mastery over the magical elements. He waited for the next group to charge at him and he ran in charging his Keyblade with light energy. As they all leaped up to attack him, he swung his blade up and over his shoulder, launching the group of Heartless behind him. "All yours, Aqua!" he called to her. She nodded and turned her attention to them. With a wave of her Keyblade, she conjured a ball of flame far larger than Sora ever had and threw it at the falling Heartless. The fire immediately destroyed them.
"Woah…" Sora muttered in awe. She couldn't help but smile.
"You'll get there one day!" she told him. At that moment, Riku leaped back into view. Clearing a path toward them, he reached their side without trouble and the three regrouped.
"Come on, Pete! These aren't even slowing us down!" Sora yelled out. From behind the Heartless horde, Pete was standing by with his arms crossed. Suddenly, a menacing voice echoed from above.
"What is taking so long, you fool?! You should have breached the castle already. Are you truly that incompetent?" the female voice demanded angrily. Pete's ears drooped and he held up his hands in frightened surrender.
"The Keyblade brats are here!" he said as an excuse. The voice did not respond, though the three Keyblade Wielders could feel the familiar presence descending to meet them. Sora and Riku stepped forward to face her as she was materializing, and Aqua remained one step behind them.
In a mere moment, Maleficent appeared in the flesh. "Sora, Riku, yet again you stand in my way. You are fools if you think that I will allow it this time." she greeted them spitefully. Sora and Riku smirked and readied their weapons.
"You're not gonna get through us, Maleficent. That's a promise." Riku retorted. She smiled coldly and raised her staff.
"Foolish children. You cannot hope to match my magic!" she yelled and thrust her staff forth. Green lightning issued forth in a wide arc toward them. Sora and Riku prepared to deflect it, but Aqua pushed past them and cast forth a stream of blizzard energy. The two spells collided in the air, continuous streams each attempting to overpower the other. "It has truly been a long time, my dear." Maleficent muttered, narrowing her eyes upon seeing Aqua. Aqua looked at the two boys and nodded.
"I can hold her here! Go!" she instructed them. They nodded and ran forward to reach her, rearing back their Keyblades. As they neared her, she scoffed and vanished from sight. Aqua's blizzard stream flew out into the Lanes and dissipated.
The witch then reappeared behind them and Pete hurried to her side. "I admit I did not foresee the return of one who so long was lost. Trust me, I shall not underestimate you again." she told them firmly. Then, with a swish of her cloak, both she and Pete were gone. The Heartless remained, though their numbers had been reduced to a few dozen.
"This should be quick." Sora remarked, and they leaped back into action. It took them less than a minute to clear the field. (end Rowdy Rumble)
"You think Master Yen Sid's okay?" Riku asked, looking up at the highest window on the tower.
"The defenses held. He's probably just sitting up at his desk like he always is." Aqua replied and opened the front door. The two boys shrugged their shoulders and followed her inside. After a few minutes ascending the stairs, they reached the sorcerer's study.
To their relief, Yen Sid was indeed sitting calmly at his desk as if waiting for them. "Rather well done, I must say." he complimented them, smiling slightly. However, he then frowned and looked away from them. "However, this news does not bode well. Our hands are full enough with Xehanort and his new Organization. But now Maleficent has resurfaced, no doubt intending to interfere for her own sinister agenda. We do not at present have the numbers to fight a battle on two fronts." he elaborated.
"So what do you suggest we do, Master?" Sora asked him. Yen Sid remained deep in thought for a moment, but then shook his head.
"Nothing, for the moment. Aqua, it appears that your trip to Radiant Garden bore fruit." he replied, turning his attention to her. She nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Master. I've gotten back what I lost." she told him.
"Good. Then we may turn our attention to the task now at hand." Yen Sid said with a sigh of relief. "The Organization's appearance in Radiant Garden made it painfully evident that we are outnumbered and outmatched. The three of you are currently the best hope we have of gathering the rest of the Seven, but you cannot yet stand against the might of the Organization." he began to explain. Sora raised his hand to interrupt. (Aqua's Theme, Birth by Sleep)
"There was someone in Radiant Garden with us. He kept a hood over his face, but he had a Keyblade and the Organization seemed afraid of him." he told the master. Yen Sid nodded.
"So Jack did make it in time, then." he muttered, before looking up at Aqua. "You met him, then?" he asked her. She nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, and I've seen the burden he has placed upon himself." she replied.
"So who is this guy? Aqua seems to know him really well, but I've never even heard of him before." Sora cut in. Seeing that Aqua was either unable or unwilling to explain herself, Yen Sid sighed and began to.
"You have heard of Terra and Ventus, yes?" he asked the boys. Sora and Riku both nodded.
"Yeah, but only in passing. I still don't really know who they are." Sora admitted, scratching the back of his head. Riku crossed his arms.
"Terra gave me the power of the Keyblade when we were little." he explained. Yen Sid nodded.
"Yes, it was from Terra that you received your Keyblade, Riku. Terra is the oldest of Master Eraqus' apprentices, six months older than Aqua and a year older than Jack. He was very driven, and worked very hard in his quest to become a Keyblade Master. However, Master Xehanort was able to use the turmoil within him to manipulate him. Both he and Master Xehanort disappeared many years ago. We have only recently discovered what truly happened to him." he continued. Aqua nodded sadly.
"Xehanort merged his heart with Terra and took over his body. The two have been struggling for control ever since. It was in saving Terra that I fell into the Realm of Darkness." she admitted. Yen Sid turned his gaze to her.
"Jack was able to piece together much of what happened afterward. The Xehanort that studied under Ansem the Wise was the very same vessel shared by Terra and Xehanort, though all records indicate that he had no memory of either of the people that he was before. That Xehanort succumbed to the darkness, creating both Ansem the Seeker and Xemnas. With their destruction, Master Xehanort was able to return once more. Jack's theory is that Terra was restored as well, but Xehanort immediately took him over. The shared vessel that you witnessed in Radiant Garden is not the same that you and Jack faced at the time of your disappearance. He is Terra's restored form, corrupted once more by a piece of Xehanort's heart." the sorcerer revealed. Jack had brought this information before him only a short while ago, the Wanderer having gone straight to the tower after leaving Radiant Garden. Yen Sid had not known from whence the young man had come, for Jack had spoken only of his theories regarding Terra's whereabouts and had explained that he would be out of communication range for a while.
"Poor Terra…" Aqua muttered, turning away and closing her eyes in sorrow at the thought of the man she loved.
"Then we have to save him from that awful fate. It can't be too late…" Sora said, trying to sound optimistic. Yen Sid nodded at him.
"I agree that it is not yet too late. Terra's heart is strong, and he has persevered thus far. I believe that his heart is strong enough to come back from where he now lies." he said in agreement.
"Then who is Ven, really?" Sora asked, with the subject of Terra discussed at length.
"A boy very much like you, Sora. He was the youngest of Master Eraqus' apprentices, and he possessed a heart untouched by the darkness." Yen Sid began, recalling the young blonde boy that had once been dragged into his study by Donald and Goofy.
"His heart was stripped of its darkness, rather. Xehanort extracted the darkness from his heart and created a dark being named Vanitas." Aqua clarified.
"So, where is he?" Sora asked the question on both his and Riku's minds. It was Aqua who answered.
"Ven's heart is no longer in his body. It was weakened and went to sleep in order to recover. I placed his body in Castle Oblivion, but without his heart there's nothing we can do for him." she explained.
"Oh yeah, in the Chamber of Waking." Riku remembered from their earlier discussion. Sora thought hard for a moment.
"So we need to find Ven's heart and return it to his body, and we need to somehow extract Terra from Xehanort's control. Is that everybody?" he asked, trying to keep up with everything he had been told.
"Except for Jack." Yen Sid said.
"We've met him already, haven't we?" Riku asked with arms crossed. Aqua raised her eyebrows while Sora looked at him in confusion.
"I don't even know who Jack is, when did we…?" he began, until it dawned on him.
"The hooded Keyblade Wielder we saw in Radiant Garden." Riku answered his question. Yen Sid nodded, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Jack is…difficult. It was his wish that Aqua and I not tell you of him quite yet." he replied.
"Why?" Sora asked, not understanding. Aqua looked down at the floor at that point.
"He wouldn't even tell me what was really going on. He always kept secrets, but I usually knew what was going on inside his head." she muttered.
"Because Jack blames himself for Xehanort's actions over the past many years. What happened to Master Eraqus and to Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, he sees them as his failures. When he disappeared from the Realm of Light for a decade, Xehanort's plans went unchallenged until the two of you rose to face him. Jack harbors guilt that he should not own." Yen Sid explained, deciding that it was time the boys knew the truth.
"He didn't tell me that. Jack…" Aqua whispered under her breath, thinking of her friend out alone in the worlds.
"Well, whatever's going on, I watched him take on Braig and Xemnas. Neither one of them seemed keen on facing him." Riku added. Upon hearing this, Yen Sid narrowed his eyes.
"I had always wondered about Jack's personal connections to Xehanort, and the special enmity that they bore each other. It is possible that Jack is strong enough to give the Organization pause, but he cannot defeat Xehanort alone. Even he is aware of that." he said quietly, as if unsure of the truth himself.
"In any case, he sounds like a perfect candidate for one of the Seven." Sora said, ready to meet the man they had already fought beside.
"He is a possibility. However, much remains uncertain to the future we are heading toward. Jack is currently searching for Terra and hunting the Organization. It will likely be some time before we hear from him again. Our immediate concern is ensuring that all of you are strong enough to stand your ground against the members of the Organization. I can think of no place better to send you in order to test your strength than the Olympus Coliseum." Yen Sid brought the discussion to a close and turned their attention toward their next task. At the mention of the Coliseum, Sora threw his fist into the air eagerly.
"Alright, to the Coliseum!" he shouted gleefully.
"What's the plan after that?" Riku asked the old master.
"Until such a time comes that we find more information about Ventus and Terra, we must do our utmost to thwart the Organization's plans in the other worlds. You shall go where Xehanort leads you, gathering information and stopping his vessels from achieving their agendas. Once we have leads on either Terra or Ventus, we shall reconvene here to determine further strategies." Yen Sid told them.
With their immediate tasks set before them, the three Keyblade Masters walked out of the room and set course for a world that both Sora and Aqua knew well: the Olympus Coliseum. (end Aqua's Theme)
And that's the eighth chapter. This one was quite a bit different from the original, but I hope in a good way. The next chapter will be slightly different as well, dealing with Hades and Maleficent but I am looking forward to it. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! Merry Christmas to everybody as well.
