AN: Hey everyone, we're back with more action, magic, and adventure with the heroes of Kingdom Hearts in Keyblades of Future Past! I gotta say, this story as actually coming along much more quickly than I had originally thought it would. I mean the excitement at how much of the story I've already covered is really eating me up, and...back away Hades, I STILL did not mean literally.
Hades: OH GIVE ME A BREAK ALREADY! Okay, okay, fine, fine, I'm cool. Fine. I'm just glad that you decided to see a little sense, get the old wake up call, and give the number one God of Death his time in the spotlight this time around.
AN: Keep it up and I'll be giving you something else that you won't like.
Hades: Hey, fine, cool man. You're the boss and all that jazz, and I respect that.
AN: Anyways, we're off to Olympus Coliseum in the Birth By Sleep Era, and we'll be seeing a few familiar faces when we get there, along with some explanations on the powers used by each hero, how I envision those powers would work, at least in this story, and a major upset that could put everything at risk.
Hades: Whoa, the drama, the excitement, the anticipation, the ratings! I can hardly contain myself, just do the disclaimer thing and get on with it already!
AH: [hits control and giant boxing glove comes out of the wall and sends Hades flying] I'M GETTING TO THAT, SO KEEP YOUR HEAD ON, FLAME BRAIN!
Hades: WHY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!
AN: Anyways...
I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.
Chapter X
The group of Keyblade Wielders raced through the Lanes Between to their next destination, each excited for a multitude of reasons, but at the same time, there were also reasons why they were still concerned. For Aqua, she was a bit nervous and unsure about Terra, and it was not because she was still as upset with him as she was when they first met again back in Radiant Garden after so long, at least she did not think so, but it was mostly because she was not sure where she really stood with him at the moment. She had seen a few glimpses of him when he fought Vanitas using the power of darkness, and she had also heard about what happened on Jo-Ad from Ventus, and while she was glad that Terra seemed to be getting better control of those dark powers, she could not help but feel that if he kept going the way he was, it would become more of a hindrance than a help to both him and their mission. At the same time, her thoughts could not help but drift to some of the moments between the two of them in the Galactic Alliance when they were not at each other's throats, and given how friendly they were towards each other, it made her even more confused about where they really stood at the moment.
It was not that much easier of an idea for Terra either, as while he was glad that Ventus still believed in him, he still had some doubts about how strong his young, blonde friend's faith was, and those doubts were even greater in relation to Aqua. Sure the two of them were not always fighting now, and most of Aqua's insults towards him were more in good jest than in an attempt to aggravate him, but Terra still could not help but wonder if it all meant that Aqua was beginning to come close to forgiving him. If that were the case, then he would be forever grateful for that, because he wanted to make sure that his friends were safe and still able to count on him like they used to more than anything, but if not, then he had to wonder even more if they ever could come close to being the friends that they once were when there was such an obvious amount of distrust among them.
Surprisingly, even though he did not say it, Ventus was actually both worried and frustrated with both of his two best friends as well. Frustrated because the both of them were constantly trying to blame each other for things that was all of their faults, including his, and because they were too busy letting the past cloud their judgment to forgive, forget, and move on for a better future. Of course, it was also for those same reasons that he was worried about them, as Ventus remembered very well that the last time there was so much of things like that between them that it began to drive them apart until that fateful day when their friendship really did fall apart. The last thing that Ventus wanted for he and his friends to lose the unbreakable bond they were supposed to have all over again, but thankfully, he was able to remind himself that maybe that would not happen since Sora and Kairi were here, and the two had stated that they had come back in time to keep such things from happening in the first place. With that in mind, Ventus was able to relax a little and have a genuine smile reach his face as they approached their destination.
While for Terra, Ventus, and Aqua it was like returning to a place they had recently visited just a short time ago, for Sora and Kairi, it was like being able to return to a place they thought they would never see again, for there before them, was the home of Hercules, Olympus Coliseum. As they looked on at the world, Sora and Kairi had to let smiles reach their faces as they basked in the glow of the shining sun, the Greek architecture, and the faint sounds of roaring crowds that was already reaching their ears, and they could already feel their excitement at returning to the world that had only just recently been lost to darkness growing more and more with each passing second. At the same time though, they were somehow able to keep themselves from forgetting that they were in the past, at a point in history when they had not yet met Hercules, or anyone else on that world, and so they were already beginning to think of ways to cover their being there when they met their true hero friend and his trainer.
When they finally landed at Olympus Coliseum and dismissed both their armors and Keyblade Gliders, they all had various different smiles on their faces at seeing that they had returned to a world that they all knew so well. Some of those smiles instantly brightened when they heard a familiar voice shouting to someone, and even more so when they a familiar satyr heading their way along with a skinny teenage boy with red hair in a white toga and brown sandals. "Hey Phil, Herc," Ventus called out, getting surprised looks from Terra and Aqua from the fact that Ventus seemed to know the two, and completely astonished looks from Sora and Kairi when they heard what the blonde had called the teenager with Phil.
THAT's Hercules, Sora and Kairi both thought in surprise, truly not expecting the large, muscular demi-god to look anything like what he did in this time period. At seeing this, both were impressed at how hard Hercules seemed to train to get where they knew he would in the future, and Sora was silently wondering if continuing to train with Phil would eventually help him to bulk up to that point with a small smile reaching his face as he daydreamed about the possibility and what it would do for his chances with Kairi. Sora quickly snapped out of his daydream when he noticed that Kairi was trying to get his attention, and that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had just finished doing a small bit of catch-up with the two world locals.
Then they saw Ventus wave them over, and the two quickly approached just in time to hear what Ventus was starting to say to Hercules. "Hey, Herc, you've gotta meet our newest friends. This is Sor…"
"Uh, Roxas," Sora quickly and loudly interrupted before Ventus could finish. After hearing how Kairi figured she should stick to using Naminé's name as an alias while they were in the past, at least when they met people that they knew in the future, Sora figured it would not hurt to introduce himself as his own Nobody. Even though the real Roxas would probably meet some of the same people, there was a very strong chance that they would just cast it off as being a case of someone having the same name. Sora then continued on by saying, "My name's Roxas, and this is Naminé. We're heroes where we're from."
"Wow, really," Hercules gasped in surprise. "You guys are real, true heroes?!"
"Hold up! I'll be the judge of that," Phil interjected as he walked up to the two Keyblade Masters of the future. The satyr then stared at both Sora and Kairi for a minute before he finally said, "Well…you may have the look in your eyes that says that you've done a lot of big hero things, but I'd have to mark you both as Junior Heroes to be perfectly honest."
"What? But they've done a lot of great things and saved a lot of people too," Aqua protested.
"Yeah, why would you say that they're just Junior Heroes," Terra added.
"Two words: Lacking in wisdom and heart," Phil stated, leading Ventus to silently count the number of words and find that Phil's math was off once again.
"Even in the past he ranks me as a Junior Hero," Sora muttered under his breath, low enough for no one but Kairi to hear and then giggle in response to.
"Anyways, so what you brings yous guys all around here anyways," Phil then asked. "The Games aren't gonna be held again for a while now, so if you're hoping to compete then you're outta luck there."
"We're not here to compete in the games. Just for some training," Aqua immediately told Phil.
"Well, in that case, Sweet-Cheeks, I'd be more than happy to volunteer my services for a little while," Phil then stated, trying to act suave towards Aqua, only for her to barely suppress a groan in disgust in response to this.
"We'll manage on our own thanks," Terra immediately interjected on Aqua's behalf, much to the girl's ire, as she was about to say the same thing, only with much more politeness than Terra had.
Seeing that Aqua had adopted an irritated look on her face because of Terra's actions, Ventus immediately jumped in to alleviate the situation as he asked, "Say, is Zack around?"
"Oh, that crazy kid who was trying like crazy to get me to train him instead of Herc here," Phil asked. "Yeah he's around here somewhere doing some of his own training, but knowing him, he'll show up outta nowhere at any minute now for one reason or another."
"Wait, who's Zack," Kairi then asked, having never heard the name before in her life from Sora or otherwise.
Her answer came when a young man with black, spiky hair, and blue eyes in a silver-grey suit of armor, black gloves, brown boots, silver shoulder pads, and blue pants with a large sword strapped onto his back suddenly seemed to have popped up behind them as he cried out, "Hey Ven, good to see you, and it looks like you brought the great Terra and Aqua with ya too!"
"Hey Zack," Ventus exclaimed as he exchanged a quick fist bump with the now-identified Zack. "Wait, how do you know Terra and Aqua?"
"Well Terra and I fought against each other in the Games, where he saved me from being controlled by Hades, and then later on, I fought against Aqua in a later season of the Games and I got to see her mop the floor with both Hades and the Ice Titan," Zack explained to his blonde haired friend. He then turned his attention to Aqua and said, "So, I guess that you probably want to go on that date now, huh?"
"Wh-what? N-no, that's…I mean, I'm just here for some training stuff, and…well," Aqua stuttered, getting amused smirks from Ventus, Sora, and Kairi while getting a mild glare from Terra that was barely mixed with an amused look of his own.
"Ah, relax, I'm just kidding," Zack reassured Aqua. "After all, I haven't become a hero yet."
"I…I never really agreed to that," Aqua then sputtered, but this just seemed to get everyone's grins to get a little wider.
"Hey Aqua, you're face is all red," Kairi then said, teasingly, feeling that she was now getting adequate payback for all the times her senior had made fun of her and Sora, once again.
Aqua just turned her face away in response, hoping to hide her blush, only to add to everyone's further amusement, until Sora finally glanced over at Zack and got a better look at the brunette's sword. "Hey, Zack, right," Sora said, getting everyone's attention. "You wouldn't happen to know a guy named Cloud would you?"
Zack seemed to adopt a small thinking pose as he replied, "About yea tall, blonde, spiky hair, seems like he's brooding a lot, has a bit of a thing with a guy named Sephiroth?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"Sure, I know him," Zack replied proudly. "We're pretty good friends. Why do you ask?"
"Oh no reason, it's just that sword your carrying looks kinda like one I've seen him using before, so I felt that I had to ask," Sora replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Wow, really? Huh, go figure," Zack commented to himself. "Oh by the way, I don't think we've really been introduced. You and your girlfriend there friends of Ven, Terra, and Aqua?"
Aqua gave a smirk that screamed "serves you right" when she saw Kairi and Sora's faces turn nearly as red as the Princess of Heart's hair, while Sora simply stuttered, "Sh-she's not my girlfriend! N-not that there wouldn't be anything wrong with that…but she's my best friend who just happens to be a girl." The brown, spiky haired boy quickly regained his composure, not noticing how Kairi's face had turned a little more red at his second comment, before he said, "Anyways, my name's Roxas, and this is Naminé, my best friend."
"Okay, man, whatever you say," Zack stated with his hands up in mock surrender, but his tone implied that he did not believe Sora's claim about him and Kairi being friends one bit. "Anyways, I'd love to stay and catch up, but I've gotta get training. After all, the road to hero-hood is a long way."
With that, Zack took off to wherever it was he usually trained, leaving the rest of the group there to watch him go for a minute before Phil looked to the five Keyblade Wielders and told them that they could use the Coliseum's ring for training since it was not open for the Games at the moment. The five immediately thanked Phil for that and then took off for the stadium so that they could begin telling each other about all their respective skills and begin doing a little training in whatever areas each of them needed or could get training in.
Shortly after they had all gathered in the stadium, Aqua turned to Sora and Kairi and asked the question that she and her two friends were wondering since they had first seen the powers that the two possessed on Planet Z. "So exactly what was that anyways," the blue haired Keyblade Master asked.
"It's a special power we have called the Drive Forms," Sora explained. "At the start of our second adventure, well my second adventure and the first one that Kairi was a part of in something other than a damsel in distress role…"
"Hey," Kairi half-snapped indignantly, even though she knew it was technically true.
"Master Yen Sid gave us these special outfits that grant us with special powers, those being the Drive Forms. When the Drive Forms are active, our abilities gain a major increase that makes us even more powerful in one field of combat or another, or even both, even giving us abilities that we wouldn't normally have, like being able to run faster or even being able to fly like Peter Pan."
"Whoa, seriously," Ventus exclaimed. "That's so cool! Hey, can we use this too?"
"I don't really think so," Sora stated, bringing a disappointed look to the blonde's face. "You see, the powers don't really come entirely from us but rather from our outfits. I mean, sure our strength plays a bit of a part in how the powers work and what we can do in each form, but the forms themselves would never have manifested at all without the magic spells in our clothes."
"What did you mean when you said that it magnifies one aspect of battle, another, or both," Terra then asked, wanting to get as many specifics as they could.
"Well, take our first Drive Forms for example," Kairi replied as she took over. "You see, we did not start with the same Drive Form, but rather a Drive Form that covered the battle aspect that the other lacked. Sora's first Drive Form was known as Valor Form, a Form that specializes in close combat while giving up any ability to use magic, while mine was the Wisdom Form, a fast-moving magic oriented form that gives up close combat, at least in the traditional sense of close combat. If we ever used one or the other, we'd have to rely solely on whatever they provided us while having to make do without whatever they took away."
"Of course, most of our other forms have both magic and melee abilities that are even stronger than our normal ones, namely the Master and Final Forms, so that does not really matter all that much anymore," Sora then continued. "Originally, we had to rely on one or more of our allies to call on the Drive Forms, but after we achieved the Mark of Mastery, we found that we could use any of our Drive Forms on our own, but we did need to practice a lot before they were back to the strength level they were back when we first obtained each Form."
"So, you both have the same number of these Drive Forms and the same Forms as well," Aqua asked.
"Well, not exactly," Kairi stated. "Sora actually has one more form than me, the Limit Form, but considering that we both have all of the more powerful forms, I don't really consider it that big of a loss."
The three students of Eraqus seemed to pause in thought about all that they had just been told for a minute before they finally exchanged a small look and a nod between themselves, and Aqua told their friends from the future, "I think we'd like to see these Drive Forms in action, if that's alright."
"Sure thing," Sora said happily as he turned to enter the arena.
Before Sora could start any training session though, Kairi stopped him so that she could bring up one final thing. "I hope you don't mind, but we can't show you all of the Drive Forms right away," Kairi said. "You see, if we're not careful and use the Drive Forms too often without giving the energy needed for them some time to recharge, we'll unleash a Drive Form that seems to slightly draw on the power of darkness called the AntiForm. Unlike the other Drive Forms, the AntiForm can't be dismissed right away, the earliest being after the end of a battle or after you've been able to effectively retreat, and it basically turns us into shadow like versions of ourselves. We don't become Heartless or anything, but we do seem like we're pretty close to it, and we basically attack like animals using the claws we gain along with other hand-to-hand style attacks."
Aqua and the other two boys both nodded in understanding, and then motioned for the two to continue as they were, agreeing to stop as soon as either one of the two masters from the future said that they needed to. With all of that said and done, both Sora and Kairi entered the ring, and quickly became enveloped in a flash of light. When the light faded, Sora was revealed to be in the red and black styling of his Valor Form, and Kairi's outfit had changed from its usual colors of pink, white, and silver, to being a mystifying, forest green and purple with flames on the center of her dress in the same shade of green. In addition to this, Kairi had now started holding her Keyblade in a reverse grip like Ventus normally did, spinning the blade around in her fingers every now and then, while Sora had gained a second Keyblade which was silver and dark grey like a large rifle with a lions-head on the tip and the Keychain's token.
"Like many of the Drive Forms, Valor Form allows us to wield two Keyblades," Sora shouted from the arena as he spun both of his swords around into a ready position. "And over the years, we've learned how to change what Keyblade we use as our second Keyblade with each Drive Form. For my Valor Form, I go with this one, which is called Sleeping Lion, and the Master Form I use has a Keyblade known as Follow the Wind, while Kairi's Master Form has one known as Fairy Harp, and her Valor Form has one called Pixie Petal."
"The Wisdom Form and Sora's Limit Form are the only Drive Forms that don't grant an additional Keyblade, but you'll see why that's the case for the Wisdom Form in a minute," Kairi then added as a training scenario that Ventus remembered doing with Hercules started up, generating a number of large pots when it did. The minute they heard the signal to start, Kairi and Sora were both off like lightning, and the three students of Eraqus were quick to see exactly what each of the two were talking about when they were describing how the Drive Forms worked. While Sora merely rushed in with his Keyblades swinging at speeds that could only have been match by Ventus while he was using his Fever Pitch Command Style, Kairi actually seemed to move around the area like she was skating as she fired off a series of magical homing darts from the tip of her Keyblade, and each dart almost always hit their mark depending on how close or far away the target Kairi was aiming for was.
Part way through, Sora suddenly jumped higher than they had ever seen anyone jump before, and then brought both Keyblades down in a powerful slash that tore through not only one of the larger pots, but also several other smaller ones as well in the blink of an eye. Kairi then pushed off the ground a little as she darted forward in one direction before spinning around and firing a series of magic darts and then several different spells, while she was still moving, something that not even Aqua had ever been able to do. Eventually, the whistle sounded for the session to end, with the twos final scores tying each other.
"So, you starting to get an idea of what we got when using Drive Forms now," Sora asked as he and Kairi both dismissed their respective Forms.
"I think so," Aqua admitted. "Each of your Forms may have had disadvantages, but they also made up for that by giving you special abilities you wouldn't normally have as well, like granting the use of a second Keyblade or being able to move while casting any kind of magic spell."
"Still, it just showed us what you can each do in those Forms you were using just now, and we got a pretty good idea of what you can both do with the Master Forms already since we saw you guys using them already," Terra then interjected. "I'm kinda curious as to what else you can do with the other Forms you haven't already shown us."
"Fair enough," Kairi shrugged in agreement. "Just give us a couple seconds and we'll show you what other tricks we have up our sleeves with each of the Forms you haven't already seen, at least for as long as we're able to, and then it's your turn for show and tell."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and as soon as Phil came over to tell the group that the training program was ready to go again, Kairi and Sora entered the ring once more and prepared to show off what else they could do in the Drive Forms that they had not already used.
As the heroes continued to learn more about each other's combat skills, a certain god of the Underworld was in the midst of a meeting with someone that was most certainly not dead. "So let me get this straight, okay," Hades told his current visitor. "You're telling me that the two brats that messed up my plans before, their little friend, and a couple of new brats with Keyblades of their own are now here, right this second, doing a little what's-what of the abilities they have, and you basically want me to go up there, hang around, throw a few ideas and things out there, and then get rid of them?"
"Not get rid of them, just the bond between them that is beginning to grow stronger again," the aged, sinister voice of Master Xehanort clarified. "If you do this for me, then I can guarantee that you will have a place among the greatest powers of darkness as I begin a campaign that will cover all the worlds in shadow, while also granting you, a being of great, dark power, even greater darkness than you can imagine to use for your own goals, so long as you help me with mine."
"Hmm…help an old geezer split up a bunch of kids, two of which completely messed up my plans in the past, and three others who would likely do the same, and then end up as a supreme ruler of worlds while also having a power that may or may not eliminate the need to unleash all the titans in order to get my revenge on my most hated, immortal enemy and his little brat," Hades mused to himself.
"Going once," Xehanort then stated confidently.
"Wait, would there be a downside to this? I mean, ya gotta consider all your options…"
"Going twice."
"Okay, okay, okay," Hades finally conceded. "I get rid of the little bond of friendship, pal-town, and buddy-buddy-ness that those three have and help you with your little escapade, and you give me what I need to get what I want in return. You got yourself a deal old timer, so here, let's shake on it."
"Do you take me for a fool, Hades," Xehanort asked, indicating that he knew full well of the sort of powers that Hades could use the minute he shook hands with the God of Death.
"Ah well, you can't blame a guy for wanting to seal a deal like that," Hades shrugged. He then looked to where his large table filled with small pieces resembling places, people, and monsters was, with a sinister smirk reaching his face as he asked, "Now, where do we begin with this little ending a friendship scheme?"
Sora and Kairi finally finished showing off all of the Drive Forms that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had not yet seen, and after seeing both the appearances of each Drive Form and the powers they each possessed, the three Keyblade Wielders of the past were definitely both stunned and impressed with what they had seen. In addition to learning that Sora used a Keyblade known as Guardian Soul and Kairi used a Keyblade called Winner's Proof with their respective Final Forms, they also noticed that while there were similarities in how they each used their respective versions of their Drive Forms, there were still enough differences between the two to be noticed by someone who either knew what to look for or was watching closely, yet those same differences were also clearly the key to what allowed the two to work together so well.
Of course, they had wanted a more in-depth demonstration of how they each used their Master Forms along with seeing how Sora's Limit Form worked, but after showing off their most powerful Drive Form, that being the Final Form, Sora and Kairi had to inform the three that they needed to rest before using any Drive Forms again, unless they wanted to risk unleashing their AntiForms. With the two now more than ready to take a break, Aqua decided to take that as her cue to take the lead in teaching the two a few things that she, Terra, and Ventus had learned from training under Master Eraqus.
"I have to admit, your Drive Forms are actually really impressive," Aqua complimented the two Keybearers from the future as she took up a position in front of them, with Terra and Ventus following soon after. "From where I was sitting, it actually looked a lot like your own versions of the Command Styles that the three of us use."
"Command Styles," Sora perked up in response. "What exactly are those?"
Terra then chose that moment to step forward and explain the basics of the fighting ability to the two. "The Command Styles are basically like your Drive Forms except they require the use of certain magic or abilities in order to be activated. They normally come in two tiers and when activated, they provide a special boost to your fighting abilities for a limited amount of time. There's three different Tier One Command Styles that anyone can use, but the best Command Styles are the ones that are unique to you and you alone."
"Exactly," Ven nodded, with Aqua doing the same a minute later, albeit a little more hesitantly. "The three basic Command Styles that anyone can use are known as Fire Storm, Diamond Dust, and Thunder Bolt, and they can be activated through the consistent use of Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder-based abilities, respectively."
"So how do they work," Kairi asked.
"Have you ever felt a strange surge of energy building up inside you after using a certain spell or ability a various number of times," Aqua then asked in response. When Sora and Kairi paused to think for a minute and then nodded in response when they remembered a few such times, Aqua went on to say, "Well, that would be the power of a Command Style building up inside of you. Once it has reached its maximum, all you have to do is direct the power into your Keyblade, and the Command Style will activate. The downside is that you can't always predict what kind of Command Style you will unleash, but you can manage to learn what abilities to use in order to release a particular Command Style."
"Okay, so what about what the unique Command Styles that Terra mentioned," Sora then asked.
"That's actually something that's normal for all Keyblade Wielders," Ventus explained. "Every Keyblade wielder can use the three basic Tier One Command Styles, but they also have a fourth one that's all their own, while the Tier Two Command Styles are just as unique to them as that one Tier One Command Style, and the reason for that is because the fourth is always determined based on the person themselves. At least, that's what Master Eraqus always said."
"You've actually got it exactly right, Ven," Aqua praised, getting a small, irritated look from Terra as a result, as it had not been lost on him that Aqua was always quick to praise Ventus while any praise Terra received always came a bit more hesitantly. "The way to learning the Unique Command Style is always the trickiest, because it's always different for everyone. For example, my Spell Weaver Command Style is activated by using various different magic spells in any order, while Terra's Critical Impact Command Style is activated through the use a number of physical-based abilities."
"What about the Tier Two Command Styles," Kairi then pointed out, as they had not done more than give a few small mentions of that topic.
"Well that is more based on timing, as they can only be activated right when the energy of your Tier One Command Style is nearly at the point where its finisher is usually unleashed. At that point, you need to use a specific spell or ability to unleash an even more powerful Command Style, and that Command Style is just as dependant on you as your Unique Command Style is."
"How come," Sora asked.
"Because the Tier Two Command Styles are all unique to a Keyblade Wielder," Ventus explained. "Or rather, one of them is while another is shared with another wielder. You see, every Keyblade Wielder's Tier Two Command Styles normally consist of one that is unique to them, and at least one other that they share with another wielder that they hold a strong bond with in their heart."
"A good example of the latter would be of how I share the Blade Charge Command Style with Terra and the Sky Climber Command Style with Ventus. Most Keyblade Masters can have either two shared and one unique Tier Two Command Style, while others can have two unique and one shared Command Style of the same tier," Aqua then added.
"So do you think that Sora and I might have these Command Styles," Kairi asked.
"Well, you never know until you try," Terra encouraged. "Want to try and find out."
Sora and Kairi were about to reply with an eager yes when a sudden burst of black smoke erupted from the center of the arena, and Hades revealed himself to be standing there before them. "Why bother with such child's play when you can get in on the real stuff, know what I'm saying? Well, I know you do, Chickenheart, but these guys, well, gotta sell them the good stuff, am I right," the ruler of the Underworld said, focusing mainly on Terra as he talked.
"Hades," Sora, Kairi, Terra, and Aqua all said at once, while Ventus just glared at the god, seeing as this was the first time he had ever met the man.
"Oh, hey, look at that, my reputation precedes me," Hades remarked with his usual bluster. "So I guess that means it'll save me the trouble of telling you all that you are completely beat, out of your league, basically screwed from here to hell, which is actually pretty beneficial for me. Well, except in the case of you, ol' Chickenheart, because, why would I honestly want you down in my Underworld, when you so blatantly refuse to use the power of darkness the right way, and after all the trouble I went through helping you learn to control it."
"You mean trying to get me to be consumed by it," Terra shouted angrily as he summoned Ends of the Earth to his hand. "I may not be able to stop myself from having powers of darkness, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let it consume me."
"Oh, so you're basically saying that you're willing to use darkness, huh," Hades asked, smugly. "That's funny, 'cause the little bluebird over here, said that you'd never do such a thing. Honestly, I don't know why she believes in such a ridiculous notion, even after I told her about the little deal you and I made."
"Go ahead and keep talking so you can try and tear us apart with your mind games, Hades," Aqua challenged as she summoned Stormfall to her hand. "It'll never work."
"Really? Well, that's not what I heard," Hades immediately retorted. "See, a little birdie told me, that you three over here, basically called it quits on your little besties-bond and cut each other off from your lives completely, all because of a few silly arguments. Although, I can't say I blame you for that. Let's face facts here for a minute, okay? You three are, let's face it, so different and so far apart in your personalities and powers that I honestly consider it a miracle that you were ever friends at all. I mean, we've got spineless, brooding Chickenheart over here, the boy who's only half a man, and little Miss Perfect who's able to go gallivanting around the cosmos and snatching up a few dates along the way, even though she insists that she's doing everything she can to find her so-called friends and bring peace to the worlds. I mean, come on, how screwed up can a bunch of kids get before they can take a hint?"
"Shut it, you bastard," Sora shouted as he and the rest of the group summoned their Keyblades. "You don't know anything about any of us, and you never will! That's why you'll always lose!"
"Heh, please. Who're you trying to fool kid," Hades waved Sora off. "If you seriously think that you can actually be a challenge to me, then you're more deluded than that nanny goat that's always trying to run the show around here. Don't you think it's convenient that I showed up at a moment that was, like, seconds after you finished you're little show-and-tell thing? That's cause, I was watching to know when the best time to strike would be, and when you would not all be at your best, and now that you aren't…"
Hades finished his statement by simply snapping his fingers, and an instant later, a swarm of Shadow and Neo Shadow Heartless sprung forth, immediately turning their animalistic, yellow eyes on the five Keyblade Wielders before charging right at them while Hades merely pooffed himself into the stands and out of harm's way so that he could watch. The five heroes of the light were quick to charge in, but they all knew full well that Hades was somewhat right about how they were not at their best at the moment, as Sora and Kairi could not call on their Drive Forms without risking the chance that they could enter their AntiForms, and not only that, but the two had not even started trying to learn how to activate the Command Styles, so that meant that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus would have to keep a careful, watchful eye on the two as they fought.
Aqua thought this especially, as she was doing everything she could to split her focus between fighting her own enemies and keeping Sora and Kairi safe, even at moments when it was not entirely necessary. While the two were grateful for Aqua's concern, they knew that fighting like that was more dangerous for Aqua than it would have been for her to leave them to fight on their own, and from what Sora could see from a few glances, it did not seem to be bringing her into a better light with Terra, as he was developing a scowl that continued to deepen every time Aqua dashed over to help the two. Kairi could also see that Ventus had noticed Terra's scowling and Aqua's actions, and that the blonde was getting a rather annoyed expression of his own for reasons unknown to the Princess of Heart, but she decided to leave it for later and focus on the matter at hand.
As he continued to watch the five continue to fight, Hades had to let out a sinister chuckle as he saw that the Keybearers were slowly getting backed into a corner. Despite what Xehanort had told him, Hades fully intended to take out Aqua and Terra for how they had "humiliated" him before, and he was not going to take the chance of letting the other three get an opportunity to do the same. Just as some of the Heartless were about to dive in for a finishing blow, the sound of a sword slashing through something reached everyone's ears, and they were all greeted by the sight of Zack holding his sword out in a position that indicated he was the one who had struck the attacking Heartless that had just vanished.
"Whoa, hey, who let in the mosquito," Hades asked in slight annoyance. "Seriously, what kind of establishment are they running here?"
"I'll show you who's a mosquito in just a minute, Hades," Zack shouted as he turned his sword to the other Heartless.
"Zack, what're you doing here? It's not safe," Ventus shouted as he spun his Keyblade through a group of Heartless, entering his Fever Pitch Command Style the minute after he did.
"Well I'm not about to leave my friends to fend for themselves," Zack replied with a smile. "That's not what heroes do, after all. Plus I was heading over here anyways to see if any of you guys wanted a sparring partner when I heard the commotion in the lobby, so I thought that you might need some help."
"Appreciate that," Terra replied as he smashed his Keyblade into some more Heartless using his Critical Impact Command Style, before channeling energy into his Keyblade in order to unleash his Dark Impulse Style.
Aqua also had to nod in thanks to Zack, but that thankful look soon turned to a mild scowl when she saw the Command Style that Terra was using. Now do not misunderstand, Aqua was glad that Terra seemed to be getting the hang of using his dark powers, but in Aqua's opinion, Terra should have been looking for a way to control them so that he would not ever need to use them, and instead it seemed more like he was becoming more and more willing to use those powers. These thoughts ended up distracting her long enough for some Heartless to land a good hit on her, knocking her off her feet and into the side of the stadium. Just as she was about to stand up, she saw another group of Neo Shadows beginning to lunge right at her, and she immediately began to brace herself for the impending attack.
She was shocked to discover that the attack she was anticipating ended up never coming, and when she looked to see why, she had to sigh in relief to see that Kairi was able to come to her aid and throw up a Reflect spell just at the last minute. Aqua's relief quickly turned to shock though when she saw that Kairi had started to gain a bright, white glow around her body as she held her Keyblade in front of her, which she immediately recognized the meaning of.
"Whoa, hey, what's goin' on with Little Red, there," Hades asked, truly not expecting what had just happened.
"Is that…" Ventus began to ask.
"No way," Terra immediately breathed in equal shock. "She actually managed to do it on her first try."
"That's a…Unique Command Style," Aqua finally stated as the glow around Kairi finally reached its peak and then settled as a white and red glow, with the latter color being closely similar to the color of Kairi's hair. Everyone could only stare at Kairi in amazement until the girl suddenly took off like a rocket, slashing through Heartless left and right, until she paused her slashing for a minute to fire off a series of magic homing darts from the tip of her Keyblade in a manner similar to how she did in her Wisdom Form. Kairi then ceased her shooting before she began racing around the arena once more, and this time while casting a series of different spells as she moved, indicating that her new Command Style was capable using another of her Wisdom Form's abilities.
Kairi then skidded to a halt before a large group of Heartless before she held her Keyblade in front of her and shouted, "Command Style: Shooting Star Finisher!" The redhead then spun around on one foot a couple of times, spinning her Keyblade in her hand as she did, while a series of five pointed stars formed around her. Upon coming out of the final spin, Kairi swung her Keyblade in front of her, and the stars immediately raced off to fly through all the Heartless in front of her, destroying them all in a single blow.
"Wow," Sora exclaimed happily. "That's amazing!"
"Well too bad you'll never get to see it again kid," Hades suddenly said as he suddenly appeared behind Sora. The wielder of the Kingdom Key immediately jumped away before Hades could land a fiery fist into his back, and then cast a freeze spell in Hades's direction before unleashing a series of powerful slashes, none of which seemed to faze the Lord of the Dead in the slightest, much to said god's amusement.
"Wow, and that guy was actually worried about you being a problem? Man, what a laugh," Hades stated with a small shrug and a bored look. That look soon vanished when Sora suddenly started to glow in a similar manner to how Kairi had a moment ago. "Oh don't tell me!"
Sadly for him, it was exactly what Hades thought it was, as Sora had just found a way to activate his own Unique Command Style, as evidenced by the fact that the light soon settled in the same manner as the glow Kairi previously had, only taking on a shade of shinning silver when it did. Sora then seemed to race across the ground at high speeds that not even his Valor Form could achieve, and when he unleashed his strikes, the faint, ghost-like image of a second Keyblade appeared in his hand for a moment before he struck with that same weapon, dealing a surprising amount of damage to his opponent. Sora then leaped into the air, reaching a height that was much greater than he had ever been able to reach before, and then dived down with his Keyblade and Ghost-Keyblade swinging in quick succession, slashing through Hades as he passed by him on his descent. He then spun around on one foot as the Ghost-Keyblade vanished and shouted, "Command Style: Destiny Blaze Finisher!"
A minute after Sora had shouted that, he had immediately charged towards Hades at a speed so fast that if you had blinked, you would have missed him. He then unleashed a furious barrage of strikes with his Kingdom Key, and as those strikes continued, the Ghost-Keyblade appeared in his hand once more before joining into the battle. A minute later, the faint image of another Keyblade appeared around the Kingdom Key while the Ghost-Keyblade was replaced by another Keyblade, and this continued to do so until Sora suddenly back flipped away from Hades and dashed forward with one final, cross slash on the Ruler of the Underworld, bringing Hades to his knees just as the glow from Sora's Command Style had faded.
"Pfft, whatever," Hades scoffed as he dusted himself off. "I did my job, so that guy can't really complain, now can he, otherwise, boo-hoo, so sad, them's the brakes."
With that all said and done, Hades soon disappeared in his usual puff of black smoke, just catching Sora calling him a low life in time to thank the Kingdom Key wielder for what Hades considered to be a compliment as he did. Everyone was quick to surround Sora and Kairi to congratulate them on their victory and on their ability to be able to awaken their first Command Styles, but no one was expecting the mood to change to the negative after Ventus commented, "You guys are one seriously awesome team."
"Well that's natural for a team made up of such good friends," Sora said as he assumed his usual relaxed pose. "Just like the team of Keyblade Wielders before us."
Aqua and the other three raised an eyebrow in confusion before she realized who Sora was talking about. "Wait, you mean us," she asked with a small chuckle. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Yeah, you got that right," Terra huffed in annoyance, getting everyone's attention drawn to him.
"Is everything alright, Terra," Ventus asked, being the only one brave enough to venture into what were most definitely dangerous waters.
"I don't know. You guys certainly seem to think so," Terra stated as he crossed his arms.
"You know, if you think that there's some kind of problem, you should tell us," Aqua stated.
"Oh sure, so you can immediately drop everything and try and solve it," Terra snapped, surprising everyone. "Hades may not have been right about a lot of things, but he was right about one thing, and that's the fact that you seem to think you're the perfect person to solve everything."
"Excuse me," Aqua demanded, clearly getting more than a little riled up by Terra's accusation.
"You heard me," Terra said, reaching the point of nearly shouting now. Sora and Kairi immediately attempted to try and calm the both of them down before the situation got out of hand, but it did not seem that either of the two was willing to listen as Terra continued ranting, "You think that just because you're the only one of us to become a Keyblade Master that neither our group or the worlds can't survive even the simplest thing without the great Master Aqua to help things along. Well I've got news for you, Teacher's Favorite Pet; maybe not everyone did, but the rest of us got along just FINE without you!"
"Oh and what qualifies as just fine," Aqua then questioned, now matching Terra's shouting with some of her own. "The fact that so many innocent people have been either kidnapped or attacked by the forces of darkness, letting a deranged madman compel you to give in to darkness, or allowing him to play you like a piano so that he could easily kill our master and father?! Tell me Terra, what of any of that qualifies as doing fine?!"
"Don't drag that into this," Terra warned the blunette. "Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to play hero for everyone, I never would have had to fight Master Eraqus, and Xehanort would never have succeeded in killing him, but then again, considering what kind of person you've become, I wouldn't be surprised if you would've chosen to let the master try and destroy me and Ven instead of actually trying to protect us like a real friend!"
"I have been trying to help you guys," Aqua insisted. "Ever since we left our home, which is now in ruins because of what you allowed Xehanort to do, I've done everything I can to try and help you both! Why do you hate me for that?!"
"And whoever said I wanted that kind of help," Terra then demanded. "I told you that I was better off on my own! I didn't need Master Eraqus's little spy trying to tell me how to do things, just because the path I was walking to try and prove I was worthy of the Mark of Mastery was one she didn't agree with."
"STOP IT," a new voice suddenly shouted, and everyone was immediately turning to face a very, very pissed off Ventus, who was glaring angrily at his two best friends. "Don't you guys get it," Ventus demanded. "We're all to blame for what happened! Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to put the blame on each other and pointing out one and others faults you'd see that, but I guess that you're too busy doing that to realize that our friendship, the so-called unbreakable connection we're supposed to have has fallen apart because of that! I honestly thought that maybe things had changed since we had parted ways, but clearly they're still the same as they were before! I don't know why I bothered wasting my time coming back into all this."
Terra could only stare in wide-eyed astonishment at his younger friend that he considered to be like his little brother, while Aqua could already feel tears reaching her eyes as a tight clenching found its way into her chest, immediately telling her that her heart was most certainly breaking from what Ven had just said, and that it was continuing to break when Ventus suddenly turned around and began stomping towards the arena exit. "Ven, wait," Sora called as he reached a hand out to Ventus. "Don't just walk away like this when there's…"
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE," Ventus shouted, causing Sora to freeze in his tracks, eyes wide. "This whole thing was doomed from the start. The sooner you accept that and go back to wherever you came from the better, Sora. Just deal with it."
Without so much as another glance back, Ventus then vanished through the exit much to everyone's shock, including Zack's, and when Sora turned back to Aqua and Terra, thinking he could convince one of them to go after Ven, he saw that Terra had already turned away and summoned his armor. "Ven's right about one thing. This was a waste of time," Terra stated flatly in an emotionless tone before summoning his Keyblade Glider and taking off into the sky, vanishing mere seconds later.
Kairi then turned to see Aqua was preparing to do the same as her two friends had done, and the redhead was quick to run over to the woman who had once saved her life so long ago as she pleaded, "Aqua, please, don't go now. Think about what will happen if you don't help us and fix things between you, Terra, and Ventus."
"No Kairi," Aqua sniffed, showing Kairi that the mighty Keyblade Master was barely holding back her tears now. "Don't you get it? There's nothing to fix, because it's so broken that it doesn't even exist anymore. I'm sorry, but I…I just…"
Aqua could not finish her sentence, as she found that she could barely hold her tears back any longer, so she instead elected to summon her armor and race away from Sora, Kairi, and Zack on her Keyblade Glider as fast as she could, leaving a stunned and saddened Sora and Kairi in her wake as she did. The two Keyblade Masters from the future could only look on at where Aqua had disappeared before they finally lowered their heads in sadness, feeling that they had come so close only to fail just when victory was brushing their finger tips. It was only now that they understood the real reason Hades had appeared before them, and for the first time since they had first encountered Hercules's archenemy, Hades had indeed actually succeeded.
They were then brought out of their dismal thoughts when Zack spoke up saying, "Okay, what the heck just happened? First Terra and Aqua are fighting, then we're all acquainted with the angry Ven, a scary sight I might add, then they all take off in separate directions after calling you two 'Sora' and 'Kairi'! Someone wanna clue me in here?"
It was at that time that Sora and Kairi both remembered that Zack was still there and had heard everything, including how in the heat of things, they had accidentally let their real names slip out around Zack. Knowing that there was no point in hiding anything anymore, Sora elected to sit down on one of the bleachers and tell Zack, "You might want to sit down for this, Zack. It's a long, and hard to believe story, but it's also one that you've got to keep secret from everyone you know, especially Hercules, Phil, Cloud, and anyone else you and Cloud are acquainted with."
"Sure thing, but I can't really make any promises in the case of Aerith. That woman just always seems to know when I'm hiding something from her," Zack remarked half-seriously.
Neither of the two time-travelers were sure if he was kidding or not because of that, but they simply elected to settle for that and began filling Zack in on the whole story. As they did though, they found themselves worrying more and more about whether or not they would be able to succeed now that Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had all had such a huge blow out, for telling the story to Zack only seemed to be a cruel reminder of just how much was dependant on their success in their mission, and how likely it was that they had now failed everyone and everything that they cared about.
When they finally finished the tale, Zack had to let out a low whistle in reply as he said, "That is pretty amazing and unbelievable, but really heavy too. I don't think I'd be able to handle something that big."
"Hopefully, you'll never have to," Kairi said half-heartedly, as she could not stop thinking about how sad Aqua sounded before she left.
"Well, what're you guys going to do now," Zack asked. "I mean, is there even a chance of getting those three back together again after such a huge argument like that?"
"Of course there is," Sora replied confidently. "Just you watch. We'll have those three back together in no time."
"How do you know," Zack asked, getting a questioning look from Kairi as well, as she was curious about that too.
"I don't," Sora replied with a smile as he rested his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner once again. "I believe we will, and if you believe in something strongly enough, then it will eventually happen."
Both of the two just stared at Sora in astonishment for a minute before they began chuckling, which soon turned into full blown laughter. While the statement was childish, they could not help but agree with Sora. Zack because he felt that there was just something about Sora that made him believe Sora could do as he said, and Kairi because she knew Sora so well. As soon as the shared laughter died down, Zack gave a statement saying that he would keep believing he would become a hero so long as the two kept believing they would succeed in their mission, and then raced off to continued training once again. Sora and Kairi both thanked Zack for that and waved goodbye as he raced off, but as soon as Zack was gone, the two found themselves looking up at the sky with saddened expressions as they wondered what they should do now.
Yen Sid Report 10:
While the discovery of others who could wield Keyblades and other similar weapons was rather surprising, an even more surprising development came when some of the friends that Sora and Kairi had each made on their adventures suddenly gained the ability to wield the Keyblade. Though unexpected, it is still a welcome development when we discovered that the three could wield the magnificent weapons, and the identities are both surprising and still expected at the same time. The first of these friends was actually the former street rat of Agrabah, Aladdin, and given all that we know of the young lad, and the fact that Sora was forced to reveal the existence of other worlds to him after Princess Jasmine was taken by Maleficent, it really came as no surprise that the quick witted and fast paced boy was deemed worthy of the magnificent weapon. The second of these friends was actually one that Sora and Kairi met on Sora's second adventure, which he shared with Kairi, Roxas, Donald, and Goofy, the hero of the Land of Dragons, Fa Mulan. Like Aladdin, it was not unexpected when Mulan was deemed worthy of the Keyblade, for it would have been more surprising that someone who held a great duty to her home, her honor, and her heart would not be worthy of the Keyblade.
The third and final friend that was deemed worthy of the Keyblade was actually the one that came off as the most surprising and unexpected, for it was none other than the pirate from Port Royal, Captain Jack Sparrow. I myself must confess that I was not all that comfortable with the thought of a Keyblade in the hands of one such as Captain Sparrow, but in time he proved that while he may seem to only care for himself, and often does so, he does indeed care for the safety of the worlds, if for no other reason than so he can continue with the free lifestyle that he enjoys so greatly. Goofy had once told me that he had long thought it was possible that Jack Sparrow could be deemed worthy of a Keyblade since he believed that the pirate captain and Sora held many similar qualities, which I soon saw not long after hearing this when the two were together. With this in mind, I believe that the Keyblades had indeed chosen fine new wielders.
Sadly, it would seem that all good fortune is accompanied by tragedy in these dark days, for we recently lost Isa to darkness. To my further sorrow, it seemed that the young man had allowed himself to fall willingly, as he claimed it was his way of joining the winning team. Though Isa was similar to the Nobody known as Saїx, he was different enough for me to hope that he would not do such a thing. It would seem that those hopes were gravely misplaced. When he learned of what had happened to his best friend, Lea immediately swore to do whatever was necessary to bring Isa back, a vow that he and Sora actually have in common. I can only hope that their promise to save their friends from darkness will grant them the power they need when the time eventually comes.
AN: Well there you have it, an in-depth explanation on Sora and Kairi's Drive Forms, what Keyblades they use with each one that grants use of a second Keyblade, plus Sora and Kairi are now able to use a tier one, Unique Command Style, and the friendship between Ven, Aqua, and Terra is even more of a mess than it was before!...Oh wait, that last one isn't such a good thing. Anywho, I had fully intended for that to happen, because in case you hadn't noticed, the fact that the three agreed to pull it together like that so quickly while things were that tense between them was just asking for things to explode on them, and we all know that if that is the case, then things are likely going to explode on them.
Also, when deciding which Keyblades Sora and Kairi would use for their different Drive Forms, I actually went back and looked at all the different Keyblades before making a decision as to which would work best with which form of both characters, and the results are what you saw here in this chapter. Now the reason why I didn't show them using their Final Forms is for two reasons. One, I want to save that for when they're using it in a major battle and not when they're training, and two, I'm still brainstorming ideas on how Kairi's Final Form will look like.
Next up, the matter of the Command Styles for Sora and Kairi. Admittedly, I was not sure I was going to give those two the ability to use any of the Command Styles early on in the planning stages of this story, but after thinking about it a little bit, seeing some of the ideas that other writers have come up with for Command Styles that the two could use, and brainstorming a few ideas for good names for said Command Styles, I just felt that I had to include them in one way or another. If you didn't like the names I came up with though, feel free to send me a private message with your own idea on what to call them, based on how I described the way they both work, or just say something in your review.
Finally, the matter of the Yen Sid Report mentioning that certain characters could use Keyblades now. This was partly inspired by the fact that Goofy did in fact suggest that Jack Sparrow could one day probably be worthy of a Keyblade since Jack and Sora seemed a bit alike, so it got me to thinking about what other Disney characters could be worthy to wield a Keyblade, and that's what led to the information in that report. If it seems like I'm grasping at straws when it comes to the information I put in those reports though, then you'd be assuming correctly, because I am, so don't be so surprised if this ends up being the last Yen Sid Report you see for a while. Now with all that said and done, Onto the Preview!...
The Keyblade Wielders of the past have fallen apart from each other, and Sora and Kairi are desperate to bring them back together. In an attempt to do just that, they head for Disney Town on Mickey's suggestion so that they may attempt a small plan that will bring the three together in a way that no one would have expected. Will this strange plan work, or will they be facing the final curtain sooner than they wish? Find out next time.
Please read and review, and see ya real soon!