A Change of Heart: The Connection
The confrontation had begun and already, Riku had received minor damage, though it was a simple split of his clothing. He awaited another attack from Ophelia who stood at the ready on the opposite shore. She had a mischievous grin on her face, as if cutting his jacket was great achievement.
"It just goes to show you that I am not as weak as I appear." The colonel implied. "Just because I happen to be a woman doesn't mean that you should take me for granted."
"I never said that I would underestimate you would I." Riku said. He sensed the chi coming from her. It was equal to his strength. "I can see that you are quite skilled in the techniques of fighting."
"I was top of my class in training, when I joined the Midnight Faction six years ago. And I am still top of my class. I had sworn to ally myself with the Midnight Faction and offer them my services."-
"Why did you join the faction?" Riku implied. "Don't you realize what they are trying to accomplish?"
"I see perfectly well what they are trying to accomplish and I think that it's the greatest thing that has ever happened. Unifying all worlds under one banner is a really exciting feeling and I shall be one to help create that new world." Riku jumped over to the same side, landing on the branch of a tree.
"But don't you realize what the results are for aiding the faction?" he implied. "Because of the actions of the Midnight Faction, thousands, if not millions of people are suffering because of their heinous activities."
"In order to obtain the grandeur and magnificence of the dream of total unification, sacrifices must be made, no matter how tremendous, or insignificant they may appear."-
"You just don't understand do you?"-
"It's you who doesn't understand, Child of Darkness!" Ophelia attacked suddenly, using the iron fan and the dagger to battle against Riku and his keyblade. "You think that you fight for the sake of people everywhere, but all that is a lie. You fight for a cause that only leads to chaos, keeping the boundaries between people. As long as the people are limited by those boundaries, they will never be able to integrate and share ideas. They will never be able to except one another for who they are and they won't want to know those people. As a result, hostilities continue to thrive and those people will never be able to see eye to eye." Ophelia struck at Riku time and time again, her attacks seeming to become more aggressive with each strike. Riku did his best to avoid the dagger. He realized that she primarily used the fan as a shield, blocking his vision as well as protecting herself from harm if he decided to retaliate. She knew the art of contraction and retracting the fan as to confuse him and catch him off guard.
"She's tougher than she looks." Riku implied. "She has mastered the use of the fan and dagger and has created a style that is strong in both offense and defense. By battling her, I already realize how strong she actually is." The two went at a sudden stand still to catch their breaths. "I can tell by the accuracy of her timing and technique, she truly believes in what she is fighting for. She has a clear mind and has freed herself of expressing any kind of emotion in battle."
"What's the matter, Riku," Ophelia chuckled, "Have you had enough?" Riku stood up straight, his keyblade lowered to his side.
"You excel well in your fighting skills." Riku said. "Too bad you're using it for the side of evil."
"What do you mean the side of evil? It is your goal that leads to the way of chaos. Must I continuously repeat myself in order to get the message clear through that thick head of yours? Separating the people lets them become strangers. Becoming strangers, they begin to have doubts about the other's intention. As a result, hostilities grow and flourish. Soon enough, a boundary is formed and those people become two different cultures."-
"But isn't culture a good thing? By unifying all worlds, you may have eliminated all boundaries and made way for the integration of all people into one society. But in the process, many people begin to forget the cultural values that were passed on by their ancestors, from father to son, or mother to daughter. They lose interest in cultural values and throw them aside. As a result, those centuries of culture are lost and the people forget their traditions, their old ways of life, and perhaps a proud history along with it. Eventually, the next generation would be a lost one, not being able to identify themselves as an individual person."-
"You fool, the concept of individuality is the one thing that causes chaos. If you give people their freedom, then without a doubt they will have opposite opinions, at times the issues are very strong. When they take stances on opposite sides, they begin to argue and that argument leads to conflict. If people could only see through the common eye, then perhaps confrontation can be avoided."-
"And that is how you intend to justify for the deaths of millions of men, women, and children? You're just going to say that they died for the sake of total unification?"-
"That's right!" Ophelia attacked again, fighting with her hearts content. "In order to obtain unification, change society's structure as well as the people's opinion of anything, we must make war so terrible, so treacherous, and so horrific that it'll force people to change their opinions for good, to see only the good side of things!" For ten minutes, from the riversides and the rocky cliffs to even behind the falls, they battled, neither giving in to the other. However, there was a significant difference psychologically. Ophelia's eyes began to fill with rage and agitation. Her emotions began to accumulate more and more with every word that Riku said. Riku sensed the shift due to the fact that now she seemed lagging in her timing.
"So you're saying that you would have people live an unhappy life for the sake of unification?" Riku said.
"Once unification is realized, then we will oversee the development of the next generation." Ophelia continued. "That way they will not be exposed to opinions that my counter our own and they will obtain no kind of influence from those who disagree. It will be that generation that will become happy. They will only lead their lives in a certain way, in a way that we have chosen."
"In other words you intend to close their hearts to others." Riku continued to battle. This time, he was slowing gaining the upper hand. "However, sooner or later, despite your attempts, somewhere out there, someone will reopen Pandora's Box and the flow of new opinions and ideas will return. Thus, your conventional way of life will begin to dwindle again."
"When that day comes, I will be there to put out the flames!" Ophelia continued to battle. "I will maintain happiness for all!"
"But there will always be those who are unhappy with their lives. The reason why is because some of them don't have the ability to stand up for their own beliefs."-
"There will be no such notions of different beliefs and different opinions once the Midnight Faction takes over. Then there will be no one who will desire to fulfill their own personal gain."-
"But despite what you may think, everyone is out for themselves, whether for good, or evil." Riku knocked her away and the two were once again at a standoff. "Even you fight for the sake of your own goals. You wish to achieve something in exchange for your sacrifices. Tell me, what is it that you fight for?"-
"How many times must I reiterate myself to you! I fight for the sake of total unification. Any other goal is insignificant."-
"That is not what I have observed. If you truly were fighting for the sake of unification alone, then your timing would not have changed so dramatically. A soldier who fights for the sake of unification alone would only consider the concept of finishing off their opponent as quick as possible. But you have been keeping me alive on purpose, hoping to change my opinion. To add, a person who fights for the sake of unification alone would not allow anything to faze them. Yet when fighting you, I sense that there is something that you fight for other than the concept of unification. This confrontation has proved that to me without a doubt. You fight for the sake of making yourself stronger." It was that final statement that caused Ophelia's heart to sink. Had Riku found out the truth? Had he read her like an open book, predicting her true objective after this confrontation? "You intend on making yourself stronger, that way you can eliminate suffering and the concept of death from your mind, so you are not bothered by the sight of carnage and destruction. You want to harden your heart and deprive it of all emotions that would make you weak. But why would you deprive yourself of such emotions? Perhaps it has something to do with a friend, or a loved one? Perhaps there was an incident which traumatized you and you have been haunted by that same incident over and over again, wanting to make things different."
Again, Ophelia's hearts sank with every word that Riku uttered. Instantaneously, her mind began to fill with memories. Her head began to fill with events that flashed in her mind. She remembered those moments in thorough detail.
"Father…" she uttered to herself. "Sister…"
Riku overheard her uttering.
"I see." He implied. "So this is something that regards your loved ones. Perhaps people who were closest to you."
"You shut up!" Ophelia roared. "I've heard enough out of you!" She charged at Riku with great fury. But this time, it was just reckless striking instead of coordinating herself. Riku had struck a weak spot alright, the one weak spot that brought the dam crashing down. Now, Ophelia was attacking with raw emotion. "You think that you know me! You don't know me! You assume too much!"
"I assume too much?" Riku implied, as he easily blocked and dodged each blow. "If I had made only assumptions, then they were pin pointed rather well weren't they."
"So what if I am fighting for the sake of loved ones!" She continued to slash at him. "What would the likes of you know about it! I know all about you, Child of Darkness! Unlike me who fights will all my heart, you have no heart! You just fight for your own selfish pride! You think I don't know about you and your past and how you were involved with the Heartless before! You threw everything away just for the sake of your own ambition! You gave up your home, your family, and your friends for the sake fulfilling your own selfish goals! Then, you allied yourself with the darkness hoping that if would help you find your friends. And once you found them, you were willing to kill one for the sake of saving the other! It just goes to show how much you care you're your friends! Your heart only knows how to throw away! It doesn't know how to value anything, or anyone!" Those final words were the last straw. With a sudden jerk, Riku slammed his keyblade upon Ophelia's dagger and splintered the blade like glass. She was shocked at the outcome. Riku head had been lowered, the bangs of his hair concealing his eyes.
"What you say is more than accurate for me." Riku implied. "Long ago, I did leave everything I knew behind for the sake of exploring the unknown. I do not deny that I had abandoned my friends and family so that I may explore other worlds. I do not deny that I had turned to the dark side in order to find the two friends that had followed me. And I will not deny that I had attempted to take the life of my best friend for the sake of my other best friend. My heart knew nothing, but how to throw away. However, I had learned some valuable lessons. My closest friends would never abandon me even in my time of need. I thought that my heart could never love. I thought it could never find peace. Not after all I had done to cause suffering for others. But there are two things that will always remain sacred in my heart, the two events that practically changed my heart forever. One was when I met Sora and Kairi and how they would be my friends no matter how far we were from each other, no matter how hostile we became towards each other. The second event was when I met her…my love…Namine…"
"N…Namine…?" Ophelia uttered. "Could it be…?"
"Namine was the greatest thing that had happened to me since Sora and Kairi." Riku continued. "She was the one who taught me true love, who was always there for me. She was originally a Nobody, Kairi's opposite. She had come to be with me when she saw that I remained incomplete. By her newly found will, she forged herself into her own physical body and descended upon me. Unfortunately, we would never grow old together. Two years after she had arrived on Destiny Island, she contracted an advanced stage of Tuberculosis, which proved to be fatal. She was in critical condition when they brought her to the hospital. She drowned in her own body fluids and died. I was there when they tried to help her. I could only hold her hand and grasp it as she died."
"You bastard!" Ophelia roared. She threw the fan at him. The fan spun at a fast pace. Riku saw the fan coming at him at the last minute. The fan, which had a razor sharp edge, cut deep in his side. The fan, like a boomerang, returned to her hand. She then attacked the severely injured Riku and threw him to the ground. She held the blade to his throat. "You didn't bother to save her did you! You didn't bother to help her when she needed it did you! It was you…you were the one who killed Namine!"
"How do you know Namine?" Riku's voice seemed to tremble.
"I knew Namine better than anyone else! The reason why is because she was…my sister…"-
"Your sister…?"-
"My sister…!"-
"But how could that be?" Riku asked. "Namine was Kairi's opposite. She never had any natural born parents."
"My father and I found her shivering in the cold one night, so we took her in." Ophelia explained. "Almost instantly, however, she and I became the best of friends. More than friends, we were sisters. We would share each other's secrets, share each other's memories. However, she never had any memories of her own I could sense that they were all made up. But I didn't care. She was there to keep me company. But no sooner had we taken her in as part of the family, then a group in black coats came and took her away, claiming she was a Nobody and her fate was of little concern to us. In the process, they took the life of my own dear father."-
"The Organization…"-
"Ever since, I have been seeking revenge against those men in black coats, but I never found them. That's why I joined the faction, I was promised to know the whereabouts of these men in black coats."-
"I'm sorry," Riku uttered. "But the organization was destroyed long ago."
"What…?"-
"They fell about eight or nine years ago." Riku saw in the eyes of his foe the utter pain that she suffered.
"It was bad enough that our father was killed! But now…now my sister, my only kin left and had not seen since we were children, is dead! And it's all because of you!"-
"So you blame me for the death of Namine?" Riku lifted his head, revealing his eyes to Ophelia. "If that is what you believe, then you may take my life."
"I will!" Ophelia held the fan at Riku's throat. She held it so tight to his skin that parts of his skin broke and began to drip blood. But as she gazed into his eyes, she saw a great sadness that she had never laid her eyes upon before. She lightened her grip on the battle fan. Gazing into his sky blue eyes, Ophelia could see what went on in his head. Still straddled over Riku, she placed her hand on his chest and read the inner emotions of his heart. What she saw were the sad visions of Riku's life. He had endured so much suffering. She saw his feeling of betrayal by Ansem, to the minute that he lost his sight, even so far as to see Riku's suffering and torment at the hands of General Ameba. But what attracted her most was how much he loved her sister and how much anguish he went through after she died. Seeing such sad images in his heart, Ophelia couldn't bear to kill him. "I can't…I can't do it…I can't take another's life… I've had enough already…" She retracted the fan and sat on the ground, crying. The droplets from the water fall fell upon her head, helping to conceal her tears. Riku, grasping his wounded side, lifted himself up. "I have no right to kill you…Riku…I have no right to kill anyone...I never had." Ophelia placed her face in her hands and curled up like a ball. "My father and sister were kind people and cherished the lives of others. They would be ashamed of me if they could see what I have become. I can only see the faces of those unknown people who I have killed and those who will suffer…"
But as she cried, she felt Riku's hand place itself on her shoulder. She gazed up to see Riku smiling sadly at her.
"I loved your sister with all my heart." He said. "We both loved your sister. If I could, I would do everything in my power to bring her back. When she died, I didn't know who to blame, I didn't know who to point the finger at. I thought before that everyone was to blame. I figured I could seek justice for letting them kill Namine. But the reality was that there was no one to blame. It was all the raw emotion that lingered in my heart."
"I've been blind…All this time…I was wrong…" Ophelia began to cry even more than ever. "I just wanted to end the suffering so that no one would have to go through what I went through. I wanted to become stronger, so I wouldn't hesitate to take action again. I wanted to deprive myself of all my emotions and become a perfect warrior. But I just only realized that to fulfill the concept of unification, I only promote further suffering…The one thing that I tried so desperately to fight against."
"You are still young though…You can change your ways despite what has occurred in the past. Just do as your heart wishes you to do. Do what you think is the right thing to do." Ophelia, gazing into his eyes even more, dropped the battle fan at her side and began to cry in his arms. Riku cried with her, tightly embracing her. "It is alright…You've done nothing wrong…"
But at that moment, due to the crippling wound at his side, Riku collapsed to the ground. Ophelia bended over him, looking at the severe wound at his side.
"I'm so sorry…" she uttered. Riku only looked at her and placed his finger on her chin.
"No need to shed tears for me…" Riku implied. "I'll be fine. It just needs a little mending that's all."
"Well, then let me help you…" She pulled Riku over to the rocky cliff side behind the falls. It was there she tore the sleeves off of her white undershirt. Tying them together, she made a tunicate to help stop the bleeding.
"Thank you, Colonel Billiard." Riku said.
"It was the least I could do for wounding you. But in reality, I should be the one to be thanking you. You opened my eyes to the bigger picture."-
"The way we converse now, it's hard to believe that we were bitter enemies just a few minutes ago." Riku laid his head against the rocky surface of the cliff. "Amazing how some things turn out in the end." It was then that he felt a presence approaching. But they were not hostile entities, but rather the power levels of his companions. Soon enough, Riku heard a familiar voice.
"Riku!" it cried. "Are you out there!"
"It's Sora…" Riku uttered. "It looks like they found me…" He then gazed at the tender eyes of Ophelia. "You better get out of here, Ophelia…Otherwise, they'll catch you…"
"You're not going to turn me in?" she asked.
"I think not. You've done so much for me, the least I could do is return the favor." Riku smiled. "Now get out of here before my friends catch up."
"Will you be alright?"-
"I'll be fine. What about you though? Will you be returning to the faction?"-
"Perhaps its time I start finding the truth for myself. No, I won't return to the ranks of the faction. Instead, I will find my own version of justice." She walked away hastily, but then turned again to look at Riku one last time. "Will we ever see each other again though?"
"Perhaps…"-
"Thank you for everything, Riku…"-
"Likewise…" With that final gesture, she vanished into the underbrush of the jungle.
Riku rested his head against the rock.
"Riku!" Sora cried again.
"I'm over here, Sora!" Riku implied.
"Where are you?"-
"I'm underneath the falls." Soon enough, Riku saw Sora's face peering at him from behind the falls.
"Here he is!" Sora ran over to Riku. "You've been wounded."
"It's just a little scratch." Riku replied. In pursuit of Sora were Donald, Goofy and Jane.
"There you are, Riku." Goofy chuckled.
"We thought something bad had happened to you." Donald implied. "We thought that Colonel Billiard vaporized you, or something. But here you are…"
"Tell me," Riku uttered, "How did you guys know that I was here?"
"We sensed your energy accumulating around this area." Sora explained. "So we figure that you had to be somewhere near. You must've been fighting easily with her weren't you? From what I sensed, your strength was still at a normal level."
"It wasn't as easy as you think it was. She too was concealing her power."-
"Speaking of which," Jane said as she bent down to inspect the wound, "Where has she gone? I could have sworn that I saw someone run from the area just before we arrived."
"I let Ophelia go…"-
"You let her go?" Sora asked. "But why…?"
"Because she was just like me before…She thought that she was fighting to make things right and make things better. However, in reality, she was fighting for a cause that only showed the splendid aspect of it and never the severe consequences in spite of it."-
"So where did she go?"-
"She first helped mend my wound. At first she wished to turn herself in, hoping to repent. But I thought it better that she find the truth for herself in the larger world. She took me up on the offer and withdrew."
"She did mend you up rather well." Jane implied. "She managed to make a tight tunicate to help prevent further bleeding."
"But how do you know that you can trust her, Riku?" Sora asked. "How can we be sure that she won't return to the faction?"
"Well, I made my own assumptions about that." Riku explained. "During the battle, I realized that even though she knew I was an obstacle standing in her way, thought she was fighting for the sake of the faction's dream; there was something in her mind that continued to plague her. Instead of killing me right off, she began to explain why she was doing what she did. But someone who truly believes in their cause would act more like a fanatic and not waste time on explanation. Through this converse with Ophelia, I realized that she was hoping that I would turn to side with her, so that an unnecessary confrontation could be avoided. The reason why is because she probably feared killing me. This revealed to me that despite her ability to kill, when killing people with her own hands, she intends to hesitate. I think that she still feels pain and remorse when taking the life of another." Riku sat upright as best he could, the wound as his side causing a stinging pain.
"Don't strain yourself now, Riku." Jane implied. "You are still severely wounded." Riku slumped forward. Sora kneeled next to him and put his hands on Riku's shoulders, hoping to hold him upright.
"Besides, I could see that there was still a sensitive and frightened side of her behind the glare in her eyes." Riku continued. "They weren't the eyes of a murderer, but that of a confused young individual." Riku gazed into the falling waters of the falls. "To add…when I looked into her eyes…they were the most beautiful things that I had ever laid my eyes upon." Riku then gazed downward. "By the way, where are Goten, Trunks, and Tarzan?"
"Oh yeah," Sora implied, "We were so caught up in your situation, we forgot about the results of the battle at the compound."
"Yeah," Goofy added, "We won the fight."
"All those Heartless and faction soldiers were easy to take down!" Donald chuckled."
"What are you bragging now?" Sora uttered. "Well, anyway, Trunks, Goten, and Tarzan have rounded up the remaining faction soldiers and are waiting for Alliance prison transports to show up and retrieve the POWs."
"Our work here is done then." Riku implied.
"Well almost." Sora then pointed to the massive keyblade that lay just a few feet away from where they were sitting."
"Yes," Riku picked up his keyblade, straining at first. "One last job for us."
"Maybe it would be better if you take one of these." Sora implied. He pulled out the bag of senzu beans. Breaking one in half, he gave one of the halves to Riku. Riku quickly swallowed it and soon enough, the wound was mended and his energy had been replenished.
"Thanks, Sora, I feel much better." The troop exited the underside of the falls and walked to the opposite side of the shore, which led to the bamboo forest, where the gummi ship laid waiting for the KH team to return, and the camp ground just beyond that. But before departing, Riku and Sora stepped upon a series of rocks that lay just before the falls. With their keyblade drawn, they aimed at the massive keyhole inscribed upon the rocky cliff of the falls. "You ready for this, Sora?"
"Ready." The two in unison deployed their locking beams at the same time. There was a bright light that accumulated from the keyhole and within seconds, the light faded from view and the keyhole diminished, leaving only the imprint of its shape lodged in the rock. Riku lowered his keyblade.
"This world has been sealed from the Heartless." He said.
"Again…" Sora added.
"What do you say we return to the compound and see if the transports have arrived?" It was then that they heard the sound of rumbling engines from above. Sure enough, as they looked up, they saw several prisoner transports making their way to the sight of the faction's compound.
"It looks like the transports have arrived." Donald shouted.
"Let's hurry back and see if the others need assistance." Jane added.
"Shall we go then, Riku?" Sora asked.
"Why not…" Riku implied, "Though I doubt that Goten and Trunks would have trouble subduing the faction soldiers." The group made their way back to the compound.
Upon arriving back at the compound, they witnessed as the faction soldiers were placed into the cargo holds of the transports. Goten and Trunks instructed the few guards that accompanied the convoy and kept strict vigilance over the prisoners.
"It looks like you have everything under control." Riku implied as the KH team approached.
"The remaining faction forces will be sent behind Alliance lines." Goten said. "This battle is won and the faction's threat in this world has ended."
"Speaking of which," Trunks added, "Did you manage to defeat Colonel Billiard?"
"Well…" Riku said. "The reality is that I let her go…"
"You let her go?" Goten asked. "But why would you do something like that?"
"I figure that she just needed to find the truth out there for herself."-
"But she's the enemy…"-
"In this particular scenario," Trunks explained, "We can't really distinguish the difference between good and evil. It has been every person's dream to stop the fighting and endless confrontation that erupts in this world. It's been everyone's dream to see people living together. The concept of total unification and all people living under one great nation is what the faction represents. But in the process, different groups must disperse with their individual identity. Thus, even though the people have integrated, they have lost the cultural values that they have grown up with and whose lineage has been passed on for generations. Though both are good in certain ways, they also have their drawbacks. The purpose of the Alliance is to maintain the peace, not to unify the worlds. If we dared to, we would only be giving rise to further chaos and would be doing the same as the faction. But as we fight to maintain the liberties of separate societies, the Alliance must also be there to halt any type of massive confrontation between two people."
"Trunks is right." Sora added. "There is no possible way to distinguish the line between good and evil."
"I hate to interrupt this little seminar of ours," Donald implied, "But have you forgotten that there is still one last excessively large cannon waiting out there to be fired?"
"Donald has a point there." Riku said. "We better get going before it's too late."
"Alright," Sora said. He turned to Goten and Trunks, "We leave everything in your hands, you two."
"Don't worry about us." Trunks implied. "It was nice to finally meet the mighty key bearers."
"Same to you…" Sora and Trunks shook hands. "Thank you, you two, for coming to our aid."
"Take care and good luck." With that, the KH team made their way back the gummi ship.
Upon reaching the gummi ship, Donald set the course for their next destination.
"What's the next stop now?" Goofy asked.
"We'll be heading into the 'Wing Realm.'" Donald implied, "That is where our next obstacle lays.
"General Bayonet." Sora uttered.
"General Bayonet is inspecting the development of new mobile doll models and hopes to retrieve the plans for their mass production. He is the one that we must find. He obtains two things. One is the other deactivation card. And the other is the second piece of five pieces that will free King Mickey and the others."-
"Then if the 'Wing Realm' is our next destination," Riku said, "Then, let us get there to halt his plans."
"Wait!" a voice cried out. The KH team looked to see Jane and Tarzan approaching them.
"Oh," Goofy said, "Tarzan, Jane, what're you doing here?"
"Goten wanted me to give you this." Jane implied. She had, in her hand, an elongated box. Taking the lid off, she revealed a large stock of at least five hundred small vials of mega-ether.
"Mega-ether…!" Sora implied.
"He said this would come in handy."-
"And how…!" Sora was given the box. "Thanks a lot you two! This'll definitely come in handy."
"All of our hopes rest upon you."-
"Don't worry." Riku said. "We will not lose face. Thanks to you, this mega-ether will prove to be the deciding factor in this confrontation."
"Let's go you guys." Donald said. Riku and Sora bit farewell and the hatch closed behind them. Tarzan and Jane waved good-bye as the gummi ship took off. The rockets ignited and the ship vanished into the blue.
Next destination…the 'Wing Realm.'