Author's Note: I apologize for keeping you all waiting.
Let's just say that I wasn't getting as many sparks of inspiration as I used to.
But I hope that I will not disappoint you with this latest chapter. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 11: JUST AS I THOUGHT
The star-filled sky watches over a city below. In a warehouse district area, Midori is running; heavily panting. She is currently running between two buildings. She is approaching a junction with an alley to the left. Just as she enters the junction, her path forward is blocked by a Dusk. She stops, gritting her teeth. She looks back, finding two more Dusks flying towards her. These Dusks had been chasing her since she returned to the city on her way home. She could take on these Nobodies, but if she wastes her magic on them, she may not have as much magic she would like for her next Witch hunt. The only path for her to escape her pursuers is the path to the left of her original path.
She runs in that direction; now being chased by all three Nobodies. She keeps on running for a few minutes before coming across another junction. Just as she turns to the path on the right, a Berserker Nobody appears, barring her way. She hesitates and is forced to run in the same direction she had been running towards, with Dusks not far behind her. Just as she arrives at a fork on the road, another Berserker appears on the road ahead of her; forcing her to take the road on the right. She is now between two abandoned warehouses with broken windows as she continues her escape. She notices a slightly opened door on the warehouse to the right. She dashes straight towards the door. She closes it immediately after going through it. She crouches next to the wall. A minute later, she sees her pursuers slithering in the air beyond a broken window. Ten seconds after they went by and out of her line of sight, she sinks into the wall before dropping into the floor with a heavy sigh of relief. She looks straight ahead, "I think I lost them."
"Actually," a deep voice echoes, the girl's eyes go wide, "you are exactly where we want you to be." She looks around frantically before a plume of darkness erupts fifteen feet away from her. The plume swiftly fades away; revealing a man in a black coat; the hood obscuring the man's face in darkness. "There is little point in running any further."
"What do you want?" Midori asks with a tense, yet frightened tone.
"Simple," the man says before raising a hand towards the girl. Seconds later, the dark figure summons a silver claymore; decorated with a blue linings and yellow symbols at the hilt and end. The end of the man's weapon is surrounded by two blue wave-like structures with silver blades jutting out from them in the form of wings. The weapon faces downward; barely touching the ground. "You can simply have a swift and painless death. Or risk your very life and fate opposing me. Either way… your time ends now."
*SHADED TRUTHS*
Midori presses her back even further into the wall behind her. Her wide eyes focused on the man in front of her. She realizes who this person is; he's the one Riku warned her about. Despite recalling how much this person is out of her league, her eyes sharpen on the black-coated figure as she rises from the floor. Clenching her teeth, she takes a step forward. "No way…" she says softly before triggering her transformation. After it is done, she summons her weapon and brings it back as she shifts into her stance after taking several steps forward. "No way am I dying today!" She lets out a long battle cry as she rushes to the Organization member. She swings her emerald scythe at her opponent. The man quickly spins in a clockwise direction. His weapons meets the shaft of her weapon; the edge of the scythe behind him as he is inside the Magical Girl's guard as he stands to her sideways. She looks at him with wide eyes. The man gives off a judgmental hum before pushing the Midori's scythe away as he completes his circle. Seconds later; he swings his weapon upwards; hitting the stunned girl hard. Hard enough to send her crashing into the wall she was pressed against earlier with a small cry of pain before sliding into the ground.
"Care to try again?" the man asks, "Or should I just come and put an end to your pitiful existence?" She glares at the man in response. She slowly rises to her feet, leaning forward. She snaps her head up before widening her stance as she focuses her magic into her scythe. With a loud yell; she swings a wave of compressed air at the black-coated figure. The man stands there. Just as the wave is about to hit its mark; the main raises his weapon to block with only one hand. The power behind her attack forces the man to slide for about two yards before he breaks the wave with a swing of his weapon. He currently looks toward the floor. He raises his head up; the girl is no longer in front of him.
Seconds later he leans back; dodging Midori's vertical attack from his right. He responds by kicking her in the face. She tumbles a few times before sprawling onto the floor. The Organization member clenches his weapon before bringing it in front of him. He swings his weapon; creating a blue wave rushing towards her on the ground. The wave hits Midori; tossing her into the air as she screams. She crashes into the floor once more after a few seconds. She tries to get up; clenching her stomach. She is panting heavily as she attempts to get up. She manages to get up; still doubled over. She looks at the man with fierce anger. But the man sees that behind that anger is fear; a large amount of fear. The girl summons her weapon. Her eyes begin to water. After taking a heavy step forward, she leaps at the man with a loud roar, her fearful eyes holding murderous intent as tears run down from them.
"Enough," the man says. He swings his weapon; meeting the girl's weapon head-on. After two seconds; he knocks the girl's weapon out of her hands. The girl stumbles back. The man dismisses his weapon and charges at the girl. He throws combination of fast punches and kicks. The girl dodges the man's fury ungraciously. The man gives a punch towards the right side of the girl's face with his right hand. She barely dodges the man's attack, only to find herself being kicked on the same side of her face and crashing into a wall a second later.
The man's left leg hangs in the air for a second before he straightens himself up. He looks at the girl; who manage to turn her body towards him; her back pressing up against the wall. He walks towards Midori, who barely manages to reach where she was kicked with her right hand. As soon as she touched her face, she noticed something. With her index finger she reaches out to her earlobe. Her eyes widen; she does not feel the earring housing her Soul Gem. The man stops a few feet away from her; her eyes now gazing at him with fear. The main raises his clenched right hand in front of him; out towards the girl. With the palm facing up, he opens his hands. Midori's expression is full of fear; in the man's hand is her Soul Gem. "Don't worry," The figure spoke in a calm, deep voice. "Your pain ends now."
At that moment, Midori's eyes widen just a tad; seeing an image of Riku with her mind. "Riku…" she whispers. The figure shatters the crystal with a simple clench of his fist. At that moment, her eyes grew lifeless as she limply lies to the ground. Her transformation reverts back to her blue school uniform. The figure walks to the now deceased girl.
A minute later; the Organization member finished looking at the Grief Seed in his hand before closing Midori's lifeless eyes seconds later. "Never thought of you as the caring type!" a man's voice mocks him. A plume of darkness sprouts from the ground a few yards behind the dark figure. The darkness disappears as fast as it appeared, leaving behind another figure in a black coat. The figure walks up to the first as he stands up. Nothing is said for a few seconds.
"Is it done?" Saix says; still wearing his hood as he looks back at Xigbar; who also has his hood up.
"No problem," the Sharpshooter responds ecstatically with a slow swing of his arms. "In fact, I thought it was going to be a troublesome task. But thanks to her; it made things a WHOLE lot easier," emphasizing his sentence with a slight shrug of his arms.
"Good. Now all that is left…" the first figure speaks as he turns his head to the dead girl, "is to wait. We will make our move when the time is right."
"And that time may be upon us soon enough," another voice echoes through the air.
*XEHANORT-THE EARLY YEARS-*
A Corridor of Darkness opens a small distance away from the other two. Young Xehanort walks out of the corridor before it closes.
"Oh, what's the latest scoop?" Xigbar asks with a flick of his arm to the side.
"While Master Xehanort was talking with an old acquaintance of his; he noticed something. Though he did not say what it was that piqued his interest; he did mention that he felt a dark impulse. On his command; I kept an eye on Kairi and her Magical Girl friends from a distance. From what I have seen it appears one of them has become depressed. I kept watch over this girl and witnessed the outcome of her latest battle with the Witch. Though I do not know what exactly happened; as I stayed out of her opponent's barrier," he says while giving a slight wave of his arm, "her body was marred with wounds of battle. After healing herself, she immediately gave away her prize to another. I can still remember her smile," he says with closed eyes. "Coupled with the look in her eyes; she has lost all faith in her convictions."
"So, long story short;" Xigbar says with a hand raised to the last speaker, "one of the Princess's friends just bought herself a ticket to the train to Witchville is what you're saying."
"Essentially, yes. And perhaps we can use this to our advantage."
"In other words," Saïx says, "her Witch would become her latest trial for us to determine Kairi's worth."
"Precisely," Xehanort responds with his eyes already opened, "however we are under orders to simply observe. Any action on our end might alert our target of our existence. It would not take long for Kairi to figure out the truth, especially the fact that as a Princess of Heart; she can be quite sensitive to darkness; especially the darkness that is now brewing of this girl's Soul Gem."
"So what are our latest orders?" Xigbar says with a flick of his left arm towards the time-traveler.
"First," Xehanort says as he looks at the Sharpshooter, "have you given him his latest orders?" referring to Saïx as he turned towards Midori's executioner.
"Whoops! That sort of slipped my mind." Xigbar takes an envelope and hands it to the Luna Diviner.
"And this is…" the recipient asks as he takes the envelope.
"You are on courier duty. This needs to be delivered to the nearest Keyblade Master in this world. We are 'hiring' him for his services."
"I see." Saïx looks back at Midori's corpse. "Other than the four in Mitakahira, she's the last of the Magical Girls. And all that is left is their counterparts."
"Bingo!" Xigbar says, raising his hand to the other with his index finger pointing up. He lowers his arm, "To define what you're delivering, it's a hit list. Since the only targets on it are Witches; I don't think he should complain too much." He turns to the youngest member in the building, "Now that's taken care of, what's my goal?"
"As stated before; you are to simply observe over our new target. If she is indeed on her way to become a Witch…" Xehanort turns around as a Corridor of Darkness appears, "take any necessary steps to prevent Kairi from interrupting the transformation. For her to fight the Witch of a friend; should prove a final test of her strength as both a Keyblade Wielder and a potential Guardian of Light." Xehanort walks to the Corridor of Darkness.
"Exactly what are you doing?" Xigbar asks out loud, prompting Xehanort to stop. He looks back; finding Saïx picking up Midori's dead body. Saïx looks at the Sharpshooter through the shadows of his hood. Nothing is said before he turns to the entrance of the warehouse. After leaving the scene, Xigbar gives a big sigh. He looks back at Xehanort, "Are you really okay with this?"
"I have no opinion on this matter," Xehanort says before looking forward. "For as long as he plays his assigned role; there is nothing to worry about." Xehanort walks into the Corridor of Darkness and disappears; the corridor closing seconds later.
Xigbar gives off an annoyed sigh, "Guess I'm on babysitting duty now. Still… messing with the little Princess should provide some entertainment," he says with a snickering smile through the shadows of his hood.
Bells ring throughout the area as students walk out of a school. On the wall of the school; Riku has his back rested next to it as two girls in mainly red school uniforms stand next to his right. Riku's eyes are closed and his arms crossed. "So to summarize," he begins to say, "Utako used to be quite reserved, then one day she suddenly became more outgoing, helping other students."
"Yeah, it didn't take her long to become a role model", a girl with dull, red hair responds with a smile.
Next to her is a slightly taller girl, with black hair tied into a ponytail, continues "No argument here. She somehow managed to get a lot of admirers, no doubt of that graceful singing voice of hers."
"And as I recall," Riku says before opening his eyes, glancing towards the two girls, "you mentioned that she didn't really have a good voice."
"Well, her voice wasn't that bad," the red-haired girl speaks, "it just wasn't on par with a pro singer."
"She must have taken some crazy voice-training regiment or something," the other girl speculates.
"You know…" Riku starts to speak before pausing, "you two seem to be holding up well, I mean Utako is…"
"Truth is we are sad," the red-haired girl speaks with a hint of sadness, "It's just that we were more than acquaintances than friends. But she is a good person and I wouldn't mind being friends with her.
"Same," the black-haired girl says aloud. "If anything, it's her family that needs consoled the most. Especially her older brother, he's really taking it hard."
"You know her brother?" Riku asks.
"Of course, Utako's brother, Ichiro. He's always watching over Utako, but he believed that she is ready when she got to go to that big idol singing contest."
"So if you want to know more about Utako," says the red-head, "you might have to speak to him. But now may not be the best time to talk to him about this."
"I see," Riku says, "Unfortunately time isn't on my side, so I need to ask…" he turns his head to the two girls, "Know where I can find him."
The two girls hesitate before looking at each other. They look back to the Keyblade Master seconds later, "I know I asked this already, but why do you want to know more of Utako."
Riku's response is immediate, "I'd just like to know her story. I want to know… no I have to know. After all… I want to rule her out as one of these rumored killings."
"You mean the one where girls our age are turning up dead all over the place?" the red-haired girl said in a nearly shrieking voice with a hand in front of her mouth.
"Why are you looking into that?" the other girl says with a suspicious look. "You should leave that type of thing to the police."
"Perhaps, but I have to know. So please, tell me where I can find Ichiro."
Nothing is said for half a minute. The red-head gives a sigh, "There's a park with a playground not too far from here. He's been going there every day since Utako died. I think he used to take her there when they were kids."
"Thanks," Riku says as he pushes himself off the wall. "Sorry, I took too much of your time. I'll be going now," he turns away from the girls before walking away.
"Why'd you tell him that?" the black-haired girl asked her schoolmate.
"Well, I'd think he wouldn't leave us alone until we told him about Ichiro."
"I suppose you have point there," the black-haired girl said before sighing.
Riku continues to walk forward… So at one point, she was a quiet girl, but suddenly became more active in just over a day. That type of thing is kind of unnatural. If I can confirm this with her brother…my theory may not be so far off the mark.
*MISSING YOU*
Ichiro, a young man, with brown, short hair, and a black jacket over a green shirt, looks at a swing set a small distance away from a slide with the body of a frog with its twisting tongue as the intended means to slide down upon. In his mind, he can see a younger version of himself, pushing Utako on the swing; who is quietly giggling with a smile. As soon as the vision faded, Ichiro clenches his right fist which, he is using to lean against the frog slide. "Utako…" he says in a barely audible whisper.
Walking up behind him is the Keyblade Master. "Are you Ichiro?" Riku asks.
Ichiro turns his head around, "What do you want?" he said bluntly.
Riku's eyes slightly narrow, though he understands the source of what pains the older man, who is a head taller than him. "This may not be the best thing to ask, but… Can you tell me a bit about your sister?"
Ichiro's eyes harden, "What are you? Some devoted fan of hers?"
"No…" Riku says with a shake of his head, "I just want to know. What sort of person was she? I'd like to know more about her. I want to understand what happened that led her to her death."
"What if I don't feel like talking?" he says as he looks forward; turning away from the Keyblade Master.
Riku closes his eyes before calmly sighing, "I understand if you don't wish to talk about her. I won't force you about it. I just want to confirm my understanding of how she died."
"Wait!" Ichiro snaps head back at the younger man, "You know how my sister died?"
"It's just a theory," Riku says as he crosses his arms. "But if it's true… then your sister is another victim of a scheme that's been around for a very long time."
Ichiro makes a sound of hesitation as he looks down. He slightly raises his head seconds later, "What do you want to know?"
"I ran into some her classmates. According to them, she was a quiet girl. Then one day, she was more outgoing, more adventurous. And along with this sudden personality shift; she acquired a voice that none have ever heard before." Riku pauses for a few seconds, "Does that sound about right?"
"Yeah," Ichiro says with a nod, "it does."
"Anything you can expand on that. As in things that seemed out of the ordinary."
"Well, she would go out late at night for one reason or another," the man gives a slight chuckle, "and every now and then, I would hear her speaking to an imaginary friend or something."
Riku's eyes narrow, with his fists clenched. "I see…" He closes his eyes as he looks down, "Just as I thought."
Ichiro turns around, "You know something, don't you?"
"As I said earlier, I think she got caught up in a twisted scheme. To make a long story short… she was used and betrayed."
"Betrayed?!" Ichiro exclaims.
"She put her trust in someone. Someone she shouldn't have made a deal with."
Ichiro's eyes widen slightly, "Wait, this someone; could I have stopped him?"
Riku could only shake his head, "The one that tricked your sister, is both elusive as well as discreet. I only managed to come by him once by blind luck. But… there's nothing I can do to stop him. Though I think his plans are starting to fall apart."
"What do you mean?"
"All the girls that have been turning up dead. Like your sister, weather knowingly or not, they agreed to a deal to this being. There's a group out there that is trying to wrap this up, but their taking it a bit too far for my tastes."
"Did this group kill my sister?!"
"No, her death… "Riku looks at the ground, "was caused by the true aim of the one that made a deal with her. A deal that would entice any girl at her age." He looks back up at Ichiro. "Thank you for the information, you have my deepest apologies for your loss." Riku turns around, "I could only hope that there will no more victims to this madness."
"Hey!" Ichiro calls out prompting Riku to stop and look back, "If you find the guy that stole my sister, or that group that's been killing all those girls…" he looks at Riku with a focused gaze. "Make sure they pay for everything they've done."
Riku soundly smirks before looking forward, "Don't worry, I intend to make sure that they get exactly what they deserve." He leaves the park as Ichiro turns his attention back at the swing set that holds memories of his fallen sister.
Riku is walking down a busy street in a commercial district as the sky glows with the calm of twilight. "Utako… Hanako… Yuma… all Magical Girls… once they make their contract, their fates end with only two paths. Either death or face transformation into the beings they have sworn to fight against…this is the fate they all eventually share in the end. If a Magical Girl realizes this, would they kill themselves or would they simply accept it? Such a twisted system Kyubey created," he says as he closes his eyes and clenches his fists.
"In other news we have an update on the nationwide massacre of young girls," a female voice catches his attention. He turns to his left; facing a line of TVs on the window display of an electronics store. There are a couple people there that are also looking at the news being aired. "A local police chief have confirmed that there have been similar massacres taken place in several other nations; with the majority happening here," the female new reporter with black hair announced, "Police departments all over have came together and compiled a list of all the victims. In relation to this ongoing story; police in Kazamino police are suspecting that they may have the first case in this massacre."
Kazamino! Riku thought as he stares at the screens in front of him. Do they actually mean?
"Here is a released photographic list of all the victims in this story," the woman said before a grid of photographs of different girls blanket the screen. There are too many to count but Riku recognizes several of the photos. The first photo on the top-left corner is Yuma. There are other girls that he recognizes throughout his time here:
Hanako, the orange-haired girl who had trouble with a Familiar.
Miyako, the violet-haired girl who can see into the souls of others.
Utako, the girl who became a Witch moments before Riku found her and his reason for traveling this far.
Sakura, the girl whose magic that focuses on copying objects and the one created a copy Riku's notes.
Riku breathes a small sigh of relief; not finding any of the girls that he ran into in Mitakahira. But that small relief is trampled when he notices the last girl in the list, Midori.
Riku clenches his fists while looking down with clenched teeth. There is no mistake to Riku of the anger inside his heart. But what is the source of the anger inside him? That is the question that's tearing him up. Himself, for not keeping a closer eye on Midori, the Organization, his enemies who is the cause of this massacre, or Kyubey, the one that is responsible for all that has transpired and shaped this world. He lets out a low growl before running immediately to his right. His destination is the last city he passed by; the city where he left Midori on that broken bridge. He doesn't know why, but that is where he feels he must go.
Night begins to settle as the lights of Mitakahira turn on. The lights of the buildings barely creep through the windows of a running train. As the world outside the train seems miniscule and pointless, Sayaka simply leans back in her seat; looking towards the ceiling lazily. Other than her are two loudmouth young men on the other end of the train car. For some reason; she listened to their conversation. They are throwing all sorts of 'colorful words' as one of them talks about his girlfriend. The more she listens, the more she feels herself falling apart. What is she fighting for? Are these the type of people she has been protecting all this time? These questions swirl in her mind.
The abrasive young man says about dumping his girlfriend after she gets older that girls and women were merely nothing but play toys. Sayaka's mind snaps. If people like this exist; then they should be terminated. If the whole world is full of people like this, it is better for everything to just disappear. Before she can get up and confront the two, she notices that the two men are no longer talking. She lazily turns her head towards them. The two men were sprawled over on their seat; both of them heavily breathing. Seconds later she realizes they were just sleeping. She raises her head slightly and finally notices something. Standing in front of the men is a tall figure in a white coat. The figure's hood prevents Sayaka from seeing his face.
The figure turns towards her end of the car before walking forward. After the man walks by her, he stops after two steps. He turns towards the girl. Sayaka looks up, staring at the darkness under the man's hood. "Quite the rude fellows, wouldn't you say?" the stranger said. She looks at him with a disinterested look. "You are in pain…" the man says before raising his right hand. His hand hovers in front of the Magical Girl's face. A small light glimmers between her face and the man's hand. She looks at the man in confusion. After ten seconds, the light dissipates before the figure lowers his arm. He turns back to the car door to at the end. "You will find yourself in a sea of darkness. There many voices shall call out to you…You should take heed of their words. Especially…" the man slightly looks up, "the voice of light."
"Huh?" the Magical Girl lazily replies.
The figure turns his head towards her. "I would get off at the next stop," he says. "Consider it…good advice." The man looks forward before walking.
She continues to stare at the man until he opens the backdoor. After the door closes she turns her head back at the snoozing men. "Tch…Whatever…" she says with her disinterested tone.
Riku grinds on the rail of a broken bridge as the full moon illuminates the world. To his left, a large chunk of the bridge is missing; nothing but the river below. A few yards from the edge of the hole, in front of him, are containers and construction equipment overseeing the operation. There is no one else in the area as Riku jumps towards the closest container. Riku immediately bounces off the container; carrying the momentum from this rail ride. He twists in the air; stopping his momentum before slamming into the ground with a small shockwave; landing on one knee. Riku stands up before looking around before walking forward.
After taking fifteen steps the Keyblade Master stops. His eyes glare at the empty space in front of him. "I can sense you within the darkness," he says, "why don't you come out?" On cue, a pillar of darkness appears for a few seconds; a black-coated figure stands in his way with his hood hiding his face. Riku narrows his eyes, sensing the power emanating from the Organization member; one he is familiar with. "So are you going to keep hiding behind that hood? Because I can make a pretty good guess who are."
"Hmph. I suppose introductions are not a necessity," the man responds with deep, stoic voice before raising his hands to his collar and hood. Seconds later, the man removes his hood, revealing the blue-haired berserker of the Organization.
Riku makes a sound of amusement with a jerk of his head, now slightly tilting, "So how should I address you? Saïx… or Isa?" he asks while rolling his head to the other side.
"Does that truly matter?"
"It depends… after all, Axel…I mean Lea, shares a friendship with you if I recalled?"
"Perhaps at one point," the man responds with closed eyes, "but I can sense you are holding something back against me; why don't you speak what's truly in heart."
Riku drops his smirk as he straightens out; glowering at the Luna Diviner. "Why'd you do it? Why did you and the Organization kill them all off!?" he demands with a swing of arm.
"You are referring to Magical Girls, are you not? Since our role is nearly done and due to the fact that you already have an idea of our motives, I shall tell. If the Magical Girls are left alone, they will become Witches. And as Witches, they will become masters of their own domains of darkness. Domains so powerful, it draws in the Heartless. Care to fill in the rest?"
"You're worried that a Witch somehow manages to leave this world and haunt a new one. If it happens to be a world you're interested in and has plenty of Heartless, they'll be drawn to it; not willing to listen to you or your associates as soon as they become part of a Witch's domain." Riku shifts his stance slightly. "So, did I hit the nail on the head?" he asks with his glaring eyes.
"Precisely. The only ones left, are those four accompanying the Princess of Heart."
Riku's eyes widen for a second before narrowing. "One final question…Does the city Kazamino, mean anything to you?"
"If you are referring if I've been there, no."
"I see…" Riku says with closed eyes. After a few seconds his eyes snap open. "However…"
*FACE IT*
Riku's swings his right arm; summoning his Keyblade, "Don't think you're going to escape your punishment!"
"Punishment?"
"For your crimes! Just how many Magical Girls did you think you killed!?"
"You speak as if they are still alive. They sold their souls, willingly or not, to obtain power. It was that moment; they became dead. Their souls forever torn away from their worldly bodies. We were merely returning them to their rightful place." The main raises a finger at the Keyblade Master, "What would you have done? The Keyblade has the power to rescue hearts from darkness, not souls. Even if the soul does become free, it will return to the place where all departed life gathers. What we offer is salvation. Tell me, would you help guide them to their final rest? Or would you allow them to become cursed apparitions, beings that have no hope to return to the beings they once were?"
Riku makes a quick gasp with wide eyes before growling at the Organization member. Though he wouldn't admit it, he knows that Saïx raises a good point about Riku's character. Saïx turns his pointed finger to an open palm; ready to grasp something. The Luna Diviner continues, "If you truly wish to vent your anger upon me…so be it. After all…" The Organization member summons his trademark claymore.
*13TH DELIMMNA*
Saïx brings his weapon back, "I shall test your power myself."
"Fine!" Riku says as he shifts his body to his fighting stance.
The combatants stare at each other. "Come," says the blue-haired man, "Let us judge your strength." He tightens his grip on his weapon before unleashing a powerful wave of energy at the Keyblade Master with it. Riku jumps over the wave before charging at the Organization member after touching the ground. Saïx stands firm before the two swing their blades; parrying each other for five seconds. Riku throws a heavy swing. Saïx swings his weapon; locking weapons against the younger boy. After a few seconds both combatants leap away from the other. Riku propels forwards immediately after landing with his two feet. The stoic man tightens his grip before spinning around. With weapon bare and ready to meet the Keyblade Master's charge; Riku manages to bring an open palm on the flat side of his claymore. Riku applies enough pressure to manage to get above Saïx's weapon. The man's eyes widen, realizing Riku is within his guard. Without hesitation, the Keyblade Master scores seven clean hits on the Organization member before launching his opponent away with an upwards strike. The man makes an audible sound of pain upon impact. Saïx reorients himself before firing a blue energy wave at his younger opponent. Riku, whose last attack left him vulnerable, gets thrown into the air from Saïx's counterattack. He recovers in the air before hopping back after landing on the ground.
The Luna Diviner raises his weapon in front of him. "Come," he calmly says. Riku grits his teeth before charging at his opponent. He closes in on Saïx. He suddenly leaps to his right, confusing the Organization member. Riku lands on the side of one of the metal crates before pushing off. Saïx steps back; having the Keyblade Master pass him. Riku lands on the side of the crane before pushing and arcing towards a nearby crate. He charges at the Luna Diviner again. Saïx jumps over Riku's charge. Saïx realizes that he just fallen into the trap Riku setup by looking at the boy's eyes; that are glued to him as the Keyblade Master passes by. Riku lands on the first crate before springing at the Luna Diviner. Riku rolls into a wild spin; Keyblade extended. Saïx attempts to guard; but Riku's spin delivers several cuts to the blue haired man. Riku suddenly stops in mid-air reversing his momentum before striking down at his opponent. The Luna Diviner manages to raise his weapon in time. The attack forces the man to hit the ground on his feet as Riku drives him towards it; his weapon still clashing with the Keyblade Master's. Saïx manages to drive the boy away. Riku lands after going a few feet.
"Enough," the Organization member says with a slightly raised tone before his body glows. Riku tenses up; anticipating the fury his opponent is ready to unleash. Saïx's claymore spins clockwise in front of its wielder as they both hover into the air. "Moon shine down!" He gives off a feral roar as blue flames burst around his body. He lands on the ground before charging at the Keyblade Master. He swings his weapon vertically towards the ground. Riku jumps to the side; aware of the shockwave from Saïx's attack. The older male turns his head sharply at his younger opponent before unleashing a blue, fiery wave. The attack hits its mark. Riku cries in pain before the wave slams him into one of the crates. Riku falls; kneeling as soon as he hits the ground. The Luna Diviner already above him ready to strike. Riku disappears before Saïx's attack connects. Riku appears behind him. Before he can move; Saïx makes a wild swing. Once again; Riku is thrown into the air. Riku recovers before he wraps himself in fiery energy before diving at his opponent. The Organization member raises his weapon, meeting his opponent's charge. However, four small meteors, conjured from Riku's attack, impact the surrounding area. The shockwaves of the meteors hindered Saïx, enough for him to lose the power struggle against the Keyblade Master. The older man manages to avoid a clean hit as the shockwave from Riku's attack separates them.
The two run to the other side of the bridge; parallel to each other. Saïx leaps at the Keyblade Master at high speed. Riku manages to pull off a Dark Barrier in time; avoiding a direct collision from the Organization member and shielding him from the energy waves from the sudden burst from his opponent. Saïx, already facing the silver-haired youth charges at him; swaying left and right, leaving shockwaves from his power. Riku jumps before air dashing past the Luna Diviner. "Move aside!" Saïx roars as he instantly pivots and throws his weapon at the Keyblade Master with great strength and speed. Riku makes an audible cry from the direct hit while in midair. He crashes into the ground; facing the pavement. He painfully turns his body. Lying on his back he lets out a groan with closed eyes. As soon as he opens them; his eyes are wide open. Saïx dives with a roar at the Keyblade Master with his weapon held by both hands for an overhand blow. Just before the final blow is made; Riku disappears. A massive shockwave covers the ground from the Luna Diviner's attack.
The blue-haired man let out a deep breath; calming himself. He looks around; his senses attuned to pinpointing his opponent. "Over here," Riku whispers as the man as his head turn towards his left. Saïx's eyes slightly widen as the Keyblade Master appears in front of him as dark wisps emanate from the ground around him. Time slows for the Organization member as he looks at the Keyblade Master. With a feral cry; Riku, thrusts his left hand at his enemy, firing a Dark Firaga, pushing the man. Riku continues to roar as he fires several more shots of his dark spell, each one hits Saïx; forcing him back further. Riku fires three more Dark Firagas in quick succession. Before they even reach the Luna Diviner; each of the black fires separate in to smaller flames. At least twenty dark flames surround the Luna Diviner before raining down on him. The result is an explosion of bluish-black fire. Riku pants with his arm outstretched before clenching his teeth and running towards the blast. The blast suddenly dissipates; Saïx has his weapon outstretched to his side. Riku is already near him before performing Shadow Breaker; striking the man with light followed by darkness. He follows up with Aerial Slam; launching his opponent into the air before appearing above him and slamming him onto the bridge. The Luna Diviner manages to get back on his feet. But Riku gathers energy into his being before diving down at high speed. He manages to cut the man as the shockwave pushes him away.
"Impressive…" Saïx mutters. The Luna Diviner slightly slides as he lands on his feet. He looks up in time to find Riku charging at him with a roar with two hands on his weapon. Saïx manages to block the attack before driving off the Keyblade Master. The young man makes a couple backflips from the momentum before sliding on the ground; readying his next charge. Saïx raises his weapon in front of him. "Enough," he says before dismissing his weapon.
"Are you giving up already?" anger still evident in his voice.
"I've seen what I needed to see. You have certainly become stronger. Especially with the darkness at your back."
Riku's eyes widen with a small gasp, realizing that he has relied a lot on the darkness in that final rush. But his eyes still burn with anger at the man. "Aren't you going to fight to the very end?"
"Provoking me will not satisfy your anger. You should be careful. Otherwise, you might slip into darkness again. However, it seems you have some control on your temper. Otherwise you would have struck me by now. Other than that I do not have much time left. Now that we've vented out some of that anger," he reaches into his pocket. "Let's get down business," he says as he takes an envelope out of his pocket before raising it out in front of him.
"Business?" Riku responds with a questionable tone, which is slightly calmer.
"This contains a list of the remaining Witches. All except for one. I'm sure even you have noticed it."
"What are you…" Riku responds before trailing. He makes a slight gasp, "So this dark sensation that's been becoming stronger lately?"
"That is the most powerful Witch. And if you defeat its kin prior to facing it, then it would truly be the last of its kind. And if everything proceeds as planned, they will become extinct much like their creators." Saïx brings the envelope over his shoulder before throwing it at the Keyblade Master. A second later, Riku snatches it with his left hand, which is over his right shoulder before bringing it front of him to examine it. A second later he looks back at the Luna Diviner. "Now that my business with you has concluded, I shall my take leave," he says before surrounded by darkness.
"Wait!" Riku yells out as the darkness envelops Saïx before disappearing. Riku takes a deep breath before looking at the envelope in his hand; dismissing his Keyblade. "Guess it's time for one more hunting trip."
Author's Note: And that's a wrap. For those that are curious about my OC (the guy in the white coat) this is one of the reasons I included him. I just didn't want Sayaka to have any regrets about killing those two jerks. You understand what I meant if you already read Fate-Bounded Souls.
Next chapter will be the final one, which includes a final battle. Based on how much time I'm taking between chapters lately, I'd estimate about six months. That's considering whatever time I'm spent taking care of work and other personal issues.
I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Until next time.