Kingdom Hearts II
HI, guys!! Lolx, thanks for the reviews.
Looks like all of you like the previous chapter
Here goes your next one.
"The next stop seems like a castle." Donald looks from the map to Sora, "We will be landing soon."
"Alright then! Let's go on for another adventure!"
二人の約束
The Promise Between the Two of Us
Chapter 9:
Beast's Castle
After going through the Stardust Sweep to an enchanted castle in the midst of a dark forest. The three enter through large doors into a dimly lit and empty hallway.
Sora looks around the castle. "Hey, what is this place? It's huge!" Goofy nods in agreement. "And sorta gloomy, don't ya think? I wonder who lives here."
Suddenly, a loud familiar roar rings through the castle which startle the trio. Goofy turns to the other two. "Hey, does anybody else recognize that?"
Another growl was heard as Sora thinks for a while. "Hey! That's the Beast!"
"Maybe we should check up on him."
Sora was about to proceed when he notice a Shadow Heartless sneaks across the floor into the Parlor. "Come on, guys!"
Beast's Castle
The three rushes to the room as Donald peeks around the doorframe, there is no sign of the Heartless they just saw. "Where did it go?"
They step into the room when Donald notices a mysterious glowing rose, under a glass case sitting on a table in the corner of the room. He walks over to it when the Shadow pops out of the ground suddenly, snapping Donald from his trance
"Found it!"
Many more spring up and surround them as Sora gets out his Keyblade. They try to fight them off, but more just keep coming, until they are cornered. Sora looks at the number. "Aw, come on! Enough already!"
"Somebody help us!"
The doors slam open all of a sudden and the Beast walks in with an angry scowl on his face. He knocks away all the Heartless that attack him and growls. He was walking towards them as Sora greets him.
"Just in time!"
Instead of greeting back, the Beast walks over to the rose, by knocking the trio away. He clenches onto the rose glass, almost fondling it, and walks out of the room. Sora and gang watch him leave.
"Gee, do ya think he maybe forgot who we are?"
Sora folds his arms. "With this many Heartless around, something must be up."
Donald stomps his feet, while rubbing his face. "Why'd he have to do that?"
The three leave the room, but Donald stops in midway. "What is it, Donald?"
"I just thought I saw a lady at the top of those stairs..." They look up to the long staircase branching to the east and west.
"Well... If the Beast is here in the castle, that lady musta been Belle, right?"
"Yeah, maybe so. Belle might know what's happened to the Beast, too. Come on! Let's go find her!"
The trio runs up the stairs into the East Wing. Sora turns around and puts a finger to his lips to signal the other two to silence themselves. Goofy clasps his hands over his mouth as they sneak closer to the door. They can hear a voice coming from the room.
"What am I going to do?"
Sora points to the door quietly while Donald and Goofy nod. Donald steps back from the door and gets ready to run.
"Donald! Wait…!" Sora tries to stop the duck but he already blasts through the doors, and lands flat on his face.
"Oh, I'm so happy you're here!" They look up to see Belle standing there, smiling at them as she bents down to hug Donald. "Donald!" She then notices the other two at the door. "Sora! Goofy!"
"Hiya!"
Donald struggles in Belle's arm. "Hey!! Put me down! Put me down!" She finally realizes and sets the dizzy Donald down.
"Where's the Beast?"
At the mention of the Beast, Belle immediately frowns. "Oh, he must be in the west wing. We don't talk like we used to."
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. Isn't that why you're here?"
Donald and Goofy look to Sora, who shrugs, "Not exactly. But we can still help! Since we're here and all."
Donald looks up at Belle "The Beast won't talk to you?"
Belle lets out a sigh. "He's been acting strange lately. The only ones who might know why are locked up in the dungeon. I want to help them, but..."
"Wait a second. Who locked who up?"
"The Beast locked up his servants." The trio is puzzled "But why?"
"That's what I don't know."
Sora folds his arms and think. "Hmm. Where's this dungeon?"
"You can get to the undercroft from the west hall. The dungeon is down there."
"West hall. Got it. Let's go, guys."
"Be careful!"
Sora gives her a thumbs up as they leave, and enter the west hall, passing rows of armor. "There should be a way into the undercroft around here..." It was then, Sora notices a wardrobe down the hall that seems to be blocking something, so he tries to move it. Behind, he sees a door. "Here it is!"
To their surprise, the wardrobe starts to move as it faces Sora. "Do you MIND!?"
The wardrobe moves back again, blocking the door. Sora again pushes the wardrobe slowly so as not to wake her. Once he finally moves her completely out of the way, she wakes up.
"And I was just starting to get comfortable... May I help you?"
Sora looks from his group to the wardrobe. "Huh? What? Oh, right---Belle needs us to go to the dungeon."
"Oh goodness! You're here to help my friends? Well, why didn't you say so?"
Sora scratches his cheek. "Erm..."
"I'm sorry I startled you. Oh, I used to be human, you know, until the enchantress cast her spell. I was turned into a wardrobe when the prince was turned into a beast."
The trio is shock at this new information. "The prince is the Beast!?"
"That's right. Although his behavior was far from princely at the time."
"What's this about a...spell?"
Wardrobe takes a deep breathe. "Well, it was a cold winter's night..." The three nods, interested to hear more. "And that's enough for now. You can hear the rest when you've rescued the others. It'll give you something to look forward to."
"Aww..."
"Hurry, now. The dungeon is damp and chilly. Certainly no place for a clock!" The trio looks at each other in confuse. "A clock?" Wardrobe just smiles at them. "You'll find out soon enough."
Sora nods. "All right then. Let's get going."
They enter the door to the undercroft and find a strange door with two stone creatures on it. "This must be it."
Donald walks over to the door and places an ear against it. The eyes of the creatures glow suddenly, Donald backs away from the door as the creatures come alive and grab the keyhole of the door.
"Uh-oh!" Donald runs before one of the Heartless creatures slams a fist down on top of him. The creatures slam their fists together. After a while, Sora and gang defeats the door and an odd dark spiked ball floats out of it. They watch it hover into the room and disappear. The door becomes unlocked.
Donald looks at the door. "You think the dungeon's past this door?"
"A-hyuk! It should be. C'mon, we gotta set those servants free!!"
Sora nods. "He's right. Let's go."
They enter the door and find a small room with a few objects inside. "There's nobody here."
"You mean there's nobody to rescue?" The trio sighs in disappointment.
"Did someone say "rescue"?" They are startle by the sudden voice, as they look around trying to find the source of it. But only to hear more of it.
"Shhh! Keep quiet. It might be THEM."
"Oh, they look like nice boys to me."
Goofy moves forth into the room a bit. "We are nice. We're your friends."
Sora joins him. "Yeah. Belle sent us to find you."
It was then, a clock, a candlestick, a teapot, and a teacup hop off their chairs and join Sora's group, who bend down to their level. The trio looks at the object in amazement when Sora starts to introduce themselves. "I'm Sora. Donald. Goofy."
Sora motions to them as he says their names, when Donald suddenly reaches out to grab Cogsworth, scaring the rest of the servants, along with Sora and Goofy. Donald picks up Cogsworth and holds it in front of him.
"...D-don't touch! I-I am self-winding, sir!"
Donald inspects the clock, who is waving about, while Donald shakes him. Sora turns to Lumiere, the candlestick. "I'm glad you're okay."
"It is we who are overjoyed to see you!"
Donald tickles Cogsworth's foot and pulls on his arm.
"Gwarsh…Did somebody put a spell on you guys, too?"
Cogsworth, who was still struggling, reply. "Yes, that's right! You've heard! It was the enchantress."
Lumiere sighs. "It seems so long ago...It was a cold winter's night... An old beggar woman came to the castle, and asked for shelter. But the master of this castle, that is of course, the Prince...
Donald opens up Cogsworth's window and plays with his pendulum. "Stop that! Put me down this instant!" Cogsworth shuts his window, and Donald places him on top of a box. Cogsworth dusts off and clears his throat. "The master turned her away. All because of her, ahem, meager appearance."
"That's awful!"
Lumiere looks at them. "Oui. He was a spoiled prince, so selfish and...how shall I say...cruel."
"Lumiere!" Cogsworth shouts at him.
Mrs. Potts, the teapot continues the story. "The old woman warned our master not to be deceived by appearances... Still, he would not take her in. Then the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She turned the Prince into a beast, a shape she thought fitting for his cold heart. And to further punish him, everyone in the castle was enchanted, too."
Sora folds his arms and looks at them. "Wow... That's quite a story. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Let's get the enchantress!" Donald shouts.
"Oh no, we already know what needs to be done, but with the master out of sorts..."
"He sure is acting weird."
The servants sigh. "It's almost as if he's forgotten how to trust others. You don't suppose he's been turned into a Heartless, do you?"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy are shock at this. "Heartless!? If they're a part of this, then it's a good thing we're here. Let's go find the Beast!"
"Splendid!" Lumiere hops down and reaches the door. "Follow me, messieurs. I know a shortcut." They continue into the undercroft. On the upper level, two suits of armor guarding a door. Cogsworth raises an arm of his. "Allow our guests to pass!" The suits step aside and the doors open. Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Lumiere proceed in first, while Cogsworth turns to Sora and gang. "After you."
They enter the tunnel. When Lumiere turns to them. "I'm afraid we won't be marching out that easily. You see, the door leading to the other side is concealed by a sort of contraption."
"What kind of contraption?"
"Observe." Cogsworth jumps onto a crank that is nearby, which lowers a dark flaming lantern.
"The lantern came down!"
"Indeed it did. If we could but light all the lanterns in this passage the secret door would open..."
Mrs. Potts continues. "But, as you can see, the lanterns are already burning---with an enchanted flame. You must put out this enchanted flame before I am able to light the lanterns properly."
"Can't ya just throw some water on 'em?"
Mrs. Potts sighs. "I'm afraid that's not enough. But if you use the power of light..."
"Hmm... How about I try using the Keyblade?" Sora calls out his Keyblade and it at the lantern. The enchanted flame dies down and Lumiere lights the lantern normally. "Bravo! Only three lanterns left! If we work together, we'll have that door open in no time!"
Sora grins. "Piece of cake!"
"Again, it is not quite so simple, mon ami. Certainly you cannot expect Cogsworth to hang from that handle forever?"
Cogsworth looks at them. "What? Why? Lumiere! You…!"
Lumiere continues his explanation. "If he gets tired and falls off, all the unlit lanterns will rise to the ceiling again. Before you can continue, you must see to Cogsworth. Once he gets his strength back, he'll grasp the lever again for you."
Sora nods. "Alright! Let's give it a shot!" Sora, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Lumiere repeat this on each of the other lanterns to open the passageway. After the last lamp was lighten up, Sora turns to the servants. "Are we all set?"
"Oui. The secret door should open now."
Goofy looks around. "But I don't see any secret door."
Cogsworth moves towards the wall, which has one of the block sticking out of it. "No need to worry. Just push that block over there---the one that's sticking out."
"Got it." Sora pushes the block into the wall and it reveals a set of stairs. Lumiere looks back at them. "Now, I must check on the castle. I fear my absence has been too long." Mrs. Potts and Chip too, follow Lumiere.
Sora shouts to them. "Watch out for the Heartless!"
"The master's room is at the very end of the west wing. I shall go on ahead and wait for you." Cogsworth proceed into the West Wing first, follow by Sora, as they reach The Beast's Room.
Inside the room, the Beast is talking with a hooded visitor in front of the enchanted rose.
"It's time you dealt with Belle. She's scheming to take everything you have. This castle, your precious rose. And then…your life. Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong."
Beast looks at the rose. "I've had enough of strength. There's only one thing I want…"
"What? To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?"
The Beast turns around and roars angrily, when the hooded man notices Sora, Donald, and Goofy's entrance. "See? She has accomplices." The man forms a barrier protecting the area of the room with the rose, and he vanishes. The four walk over to the Beast.
"Hey, Prince!"
The Beast roars, stopping them in their tracks. "Oh dear! Master!" The Beast angrily slashes and growls at Sora and Donald, who leap out of the way. The Beast lets out another loud roar, and the fight ensues. During the fight, Cogsworth keeps on calling out to his master. "Please, Master! Please! Compose yourself!"
After a short fight, the Beast regains his sense as he shakes his head and looks at Cogsworth. "Cogsworth...what happened?"
"Well, Master...ah, you see...that is... How shall I say...ah, actually...mmm..."
Donald steps in. "Well, you put everybody down there in that dungeon!"
"I did what?" The Beast looks at the floor, saying nothing.
Sora steps forth. "Who was that guy you were talking to? The one in black?"
Beast raises up and looks back at the place where the hooded man stood. "Xaldin...! That's his name. He came from the darkness... He...used my anger to control me. He took all my sorrow, my sadness, my pain…and turned it all into rage. There was nothing I could do... I could no longer see the truth."
"A-hyuk! That must be why you threw all of your friends down there into the dungeon. You wanted to make sure that you didn't hurt 'em, right?"
"Was that it? Was it to protect them?"
The group smiles at him. "Sure. We know you're good inside."
"They're right, Master. We've all seen how kind you can be. After all...Belle can see the goodness in your heart, but I'm afraid you've yet to…"
"Belle!" Beast was about to rush to the lady, but he suddenly shrugs and sighs. "I've mistreated her... I've mistreated her and been so selfish."
"She didn't say anything about that."
Beast looks from Sora then back to the floor. "She'd never tell anyone of my cruelty... She's too good."
Cogsworth whisper to Sora. "You see, I'm afraid he judges himself far too harshly."
Sora sighs at this. "Why don't you just go talk to her?"
"But..."
"No excuses! C'mon, we'll go with you." The group proceeds to Belle's Room in the East Wing, but only to find the wardrobe in it. "Master! Wonderful! All of you are safe!"
"Where is Belle?"
"Why, she left in a hurry. Something about going after this...man in black."
Beast growls loudly. "WHAT!? Why doesn't she do as she's told?" The wardrobe turns her back to him. "Temper, temper! Her spirit is what makes Belle so special."
"We'd better go find her!" All of them nod as they race to the Entrance Hall. It was then they hear Belle's voice. "I'm warning you! You'll be sorry!"
"Belle! Where are you?"
"Beast! Help! I'm in the ballroom!" Sora and crew enter the ballroom to see Belle running across the ballroom floor. "Belle!"
"I'm all right!"
Belle runs to the balcony door and closes it before a large spiked ball in chains floats down in front of it, trying to go after her. It turns around and changes targets to Sora and crew. It floats up to the large candelabra and drops down into the floor. Waves of darkness emanate through the ballroom, poisoning it. The chained ball jumps back out of the floor as the dark pool climbs up the ballroom pillars. It covers the intricate painting on the ceiling and mutates the chandelier. After a short battle while the group thought they have win, the ball spasms and covers itself in dark webs. The webs burst, revealing a large violet creature with pink throbbing fins attached to its head. It roars and Sora moves into action. After a grueling battle with the monster, it roars and is obliterated. The ballroom returns to normal.
"We did it!"
"So you think."
The three look over at the door to the Entrance Hall and see Xaldin, still hooded. Sora feels the same ache in his chest when he met the hooded men back at Hollow Bastion. "Organization XIII!"
"Xaldin!" Beast roars as he run over to Xaldin, who disappears in a dark wave. "Farewell."
Beast growls. "What does he want here?"
Sora looks at him. "He must be with Organization XIII. Ever heard of the Nobodies? When a strong-hearted person turns into a Heartless, a Nobody's created, too. See, the Organization...they've got control of all the Nobodies. Oh yeah, maybe they were trying to make you into a Heartless. That way, they could get that Nobody of yours and have control over it."
"Everyone! You're alright!!" Belle walks back in from the balcony doors.
"Belle!" The Beast runs over to her, while Belle turns away from him. Lumiere and crew happen to walk in.
"Belle... I-I'm sorry…I...wasn't myself. I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you. Forgive me."
Belle smiles at him. "I know you weren't yourself. You don't have to apologize. But I had hoped...that you might have changed a little bit." She wags a finger at Beast, who looks sheepish. "I wish you could start trusting me."
Lumiere crosses his 'arms'. "Oh, I am afraid time is running short."
Sora looks at them. "What do you mean?"
"Remember the rose from Master's room? You see, if the master can learn to love, and earn love in return, before the last petal falls...the spell will be broken."
Donald looks at the couple and crosses his arm. "Really? You think he's gonna make it?"
"We think so."
Sora smiles at them when his Keyblade suddenly appears, indicating a keyhole was found. Back at Beast's room, the rose floats into the air. The Keyblade emits a bright light as Sora opens another gateway. Beast moves to them. "What happened?"
"The gate is open!"
Sora looks from Beast and Belle, to the servant. "I sure he will make it. People do all kind of stuff when they are in love."
"No matter how hard the journey is, how long it's gonna take, I'll look for you."
"Huh? What the…?" Sora clenches to his head that is aching. Donald and Goofy notice this and start to get worry for the brunette. Belle notices it too, "Are you alright, Sora?"
Sora grins as he rubs his temple. "I'm alright. Just a small headache. We got to get going now."
"You're welcome here anytime."
"Oh! If you hear anything about Riku or the King, the Heartless, the Organization…anything at all…let us know!"
Belle and Beast nods.
"Okay, gotta go! See ya!" The trio leaves Beast's Castle and returns to the Gummi Ship.
On the Gummi Ship
Sora fells onto the seat as he clenches onto his head. 'Man, what is that all about? All the headaches…and the voice just now…it sounds like…Roxas?'
"Hey, Sora…"
"What's wrong, Donald?" Sora looks at his two teammates who are hesitating to talk, "Come on, guys, what is it?"
They look at each other. "Erm…you have the headache every time, so…we were worried for you…"
"Oh…Actually I didn't understand about it myself. Every time when the Organization XIII appears, I will have this headache and my chest will ache as well…"
"Gwarsh…maybe it's because of the Organization…"
Sora looks at them as he places his hand on his chest. "I don't know…But if we continue our journey, I bet that I can find the cause of it!"
The other nods as they get onto their seats, while Sora turns around to pilot the ship.
End of this chapter!! Lolx, sorry that there's not much from this chapter, mostly a recap of the game, only the last part though!
The exciting part will only starts when Sora and crew returns to Twilight town again. Oops! Spoilers.
By the way, guys, I won't update the next chapter until I get 80 reviews!!
See you next time!
