Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Namco. All copyrights belong to their respective copyright holders. That will be all, lawyers.
.-.-.-.
Chapter Thirteen- The Birthright of Wings
Kairi gulped as she drew out her Keyblade. Though Sora was right next to her, and would be fighting right beside her, she was still slightly nervous about facing such a strong opponent when she had no clue how magic worked on this strange world. She looked nervously back at Vincent and Kratos for help. Vincent, bow and arrows drawn, appeared to be deep in concentration and was mumbling softly to himself. Kratos, on the other hand, nodded at Kairi to signal that she should start trying to fend this- thing, whatever it was, off. She nodded in understanding, and charged for the enemy, Keyblade drawn. She landed a series of three solid hits, but her wide-arcing strikes left her completely vulnerable, and the creature lashed out at her with one of its limbs, sending her flying backwards several feet. She got up, brushed herself off, and ran for the enemy once more. She felt heat blasting against her face, and skidded to a stop mere feet away from the creature, which was now caught in some form of erupting volcano. She looked back towards Vincent, and found him standing in a vaguely attacking position, from which she guessed that he had been the caster of the spell that had just been used.
Sora had not had the good sense to retreat when it was necessary, and had gotten caught in the spell, causing him to be fairly severely burned. Seeing this, Kairi felt desperation welling up inside her. She had to do something to help him. Suddenly, it clicked. She knew she could do something to help him, so she pointed her Keyblade towards the skies, and began concentrating on the need to help her friends.
"You've got it." Kratos commented, seeing the girl's actions and the runes forming beneath her feet. "Now, just keep concentrating, and the spell should get cast."
Kairi nodded, trying to tune out the noises of the battle. Swish! Many of Vincent's arrows just narrowly missed her head, whizzing harmlessly by her to hit the figure of The Judged. She could hear Sora's battle cries as he swung at the monster, and the sound of Keyblade meeting flesh that told her he was hitting the creature, despite being injured. She felt cold wind, and a few shards of ice pelting her face, and Sora and Kratos were simultaneously crying out in pain before colliding with the ground. Finally, she could feel the soothing energy flowing through her veins, and she focused her thoughts on Sora as she cast, "First Aid!"
"Thanks, Kairi!" Sora stated, jumping back to avoid a blast of light energy from the creature.
"You seem to be more of a healer." the auburn haired swordsman noted, looking back at the Princess of Heart. "See if you can channel those energies offensively as well. Light magic may not be particularly effective against this foe, but it should still do some damage."
The girl nodded, jumping back out of the line of fire, back towards the area where Vincent was charging up a new spell. Knowing now what she had to do, she pointed her Keyblade towards the skies as before, and felt energy coursing through her. Now, she wanted to harm, rather than heal, and her light was fueling her spell. "Light, give me strength. Photon!"
She opened her eyes to see the creature becoming encased in a seal of light, which then exploded outward at the exact same moment that Kratos stabbed it and a bolt of lightning came from the heavens. Vincent's spell completed shortly afterward, and a massive geyser shot up beneath the enemy. Sora, deciding to help with magic, aided with some sharp winds to buffet it.
Kairi widened her eyes, and Kratos gave her a meaningful look. She nodded, and Kratos charged the enemy, surrounded by the light seal of Photon before the enemy was blasted behind him with both lightning and light as Kratos called out, "Plasma Blade!"
Beneath this blast of absolute power, the fiend literally exploded, knocking them all back several feet before it vanished from existance forever. As soon as they all got to their feet, the relief from having finished the battle hit, and Sora did a little victory dance as Vincent and Kratos rolled their eyes and stowed their weapons. Kairi herself smiled and laughed a little bit as she released her Keyblade.
"So how was that?" she asked happily, looking towards Sora and the others.
"We should get moving. We still have one other of these fiends already awakened that we must face, and lest you forget, one of your friends is still trapped in the Derris Emblem." the angel stated curtly.
"Aw man. We have to go get Riku!" Sora whined, slumping over. "And once we get him free, that'll mean we have to fight another of those things, right? Man…"
"What do you suggest we do, Kairi? Should we go rescue Riku from the Derris Emblem trap? Or should we go ahead and face the other of these creatures we've already awakened?" Vincent asked. "You usually seem to have your heart and head in the right place about things like this. So, what should we do?"
The red haired girl considered the problem heavily for a moment. The longer Riku was in the Derris Emblem trap, the longer he listened to it demoralizing him. But, then again, he had the good sense now not to listen to a thing like that after what had happened last time. Also, once he beat the trap, he would probably be strong enough to face the creature on his own. He wasn't much of a magic user, so the mana issue wouldn't bother him as much. Besides which, they would have to defeat that other monster anyway, so it was better to do it sooner than later.
"Let's go take care of that other thing first." Kairi stated after a long pause. "Riku's a good fighter, and he's strong-willed. He can handle this Derris Emblem thing on his own."
"Yeah." Sora agreed. "Riku never loses. He can beat that thing by himself."
Kratos looked a bit worried by the decision. "If you're certain…"
Vincent shrugged. "I can't say I care one way or the other, but I'm surprised you didn't insist on going to your friend's aid."
Kairi turned back to look at the raven haired man. "Riku will be fine. We just have to believe in him. We'll get to him once we defeat this other creature, okay?"
On that note, the group of four walked away from the prison cells in search of the monster of Sora's internalized fears.
.-.-.-.
Riku finally came to himself in a strange cell where his only view of the outside world was blocked by a line of mirrors. He stood, glancing around the room to search for an escape. When no readily apparent opportunities arose, he sighed, resigning himself to viewing his own fragmented reflection. That hideous wing, now coated in dried blood and viscera, still protruded from his left shoulder, a permanent reminder of whose blood ran through his veins. As if he needed another marker to show him as something other than human…
"Yes. That's right. You're not human."
The silver-haired teen started at the voice. No. It couldn't be. She couldn't be here now, she was still on the islands, unaware of what was going on. "Mom?"
He looked at the mirrors, but now, instead of himself, he saw an image of his mother looking coldly at him with her jade eyes, green locks tumbling down to her shoulders. She looked exactly as he had before he left the islands once again to go on this journey. His arm reached out towards her image.
"Mom, is that-? No. A fake." he asked, hesitantly at first, then cutting himself off with confidence. Logic would save him from falling into the obvious trap here.
"For all your claims of kind-heartedness, you would call your own mother a fake?" the image of Rydia asked, wounded to the point of tears. "How can you be so cruel? Or- well, I suppose that's a silly question, considering whose blood you carry. Like father, like son. Nothing ever changes."
"What?" the boy wondered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Mom, what're you talking about?"
"I hate you, Riku." Rydia sneered. "You know that? I've never once loved you. How can I, when every time I set eyes upon you, I'm forcibly reminded of him? Your father manipulated me, took me when I was half out of my mind, and I was forced to live with all the consequences. And every single day, the resemblance grows. There's nothing of me in you, his genetics are stamped all over again in yours. There is nothing, absolutely nothing that binds you to me. Not even a mother's supposed love."
"If you hated being burdened with those memories every time you looked at me," Riku began, his voice cracking as tears threatened to enter his eyes, "why did you even give birth to me?"
Rydia laughed mirthlessly. "There wasn't any other choice. I couldn't just abandon you, and the islands didn't exactly have the tools on hand or the people necessary to abort you. And I wasn't about to risk my own health to be rid of you. Your birth, your conception, your very existance was the result of a chance encounter, a one night stand. You never should have been conceived, much less born. Had you not been born, so many people would have been spared a lot of misery."
"She's right." a new voice added, an image of Kadaj appearing next to the image of Rydia. "Had you never existed, your friends would never have been placed in danger. The islands would never have been consumed in darkness. And your mother would never have been forced to suffer as she looked, day by day, at a child who was the mirror image of the man who took advantage of her."
"Disappear from this world. It's not like you were ever meant to exist anyway." Rydia stated, her voice now deadly calm. "Just die now, and let the rest of your friends go on with their lives as they were supposed to."
"B-but…" Riku muttered weakly, trying to find some reason to defend his existance. He couldn't think of anything, and what they said made sense… He was an accident. Something that was not supposed to happen. After a moment's pause, he finally found a reason for his life. "My friends… they-"
"They no longer trust you because of your blood." Kadaj cut him off. "Just as you knew they wouldn't from the moment you discovered the truth of your past. What do they care if you die now? You're just another potential traitor. No one cares if you live or die. So you may as well just end it here."
No one cares… "My… my father, he…"
"You care about his validation now?" Rydia asked, her voice rising hysterically. "You truly are lost. All you'll do now is place your comrades in danger. Just die. Now. Once you do, this nightmare will end."
Riku shook his head violently, clutching it with both his hands. "Shut up… You're not my mom, this isn't real, none of it is, just shut up already."
"I'm afraid this isn't just one of those bad dreams you can hide from, Riku." Kadaj sneered. "This is reality."
"Shut up. Just shut UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Riku shouted, summoning Way to the Dawn in his hands and smashing through the mirrors. He shattered the images, but continued on striking all of them, bashing every last shard which held his reflection, mocking him, reminding him of his legacy, that which condemned him, and from which he could not escape. Fatigued, he collapsed on the ground, trying desperately to recall that his friends would be coming for him soon. Soon, they would arrive, and help him, and he'd have his reason to continue fighting…
Soon…
.-.-.-.
Sora sighed as he led the group of four in approaching the representation of his innermost fears. He felt weak for having ever been affected by the illusions' words, but at the same time, he was ready to pummel this thing into a bloody pulp for trying to mess with his head.
I feed off the fear and selfishness that lives in the hearts of men. a cavernous voice stated, booming across the barren city. Will you offer your selfishness to me?
"I will." Sora answered determinedly, drawing out his Keyblade.
Fall into the dark, pleasant sleep inside of me… the creature invited, coming towards the group.
Sora, expecting a lull in the battle before it kicked into gear, was caught off guard as the creature slammed him with one of it's arms, sending him skidding back several feet before sucker-punching him with a Thunder Blade attack, which held him momentarily paralyzed. Vincent jumped backwards a few feet, and began charging up a spell to through at the enemy.
"Don't use Water or Thunder attacks." Kratos warned, looking back at the raven haired archer. "They won't work against this thing."
Vincent 'hmm'ed in acknowledgement, the runes beneath his feet changing shades from blue to pale blue in an instant. Kairi was standing next to him, he could hear her muttering softly to herself as she prepared a stronger healing spell to help Sora, who was now on his knees after having been struck by a light blast from the creature. Kratos, too, was preparing a spell, which left Sora as the only one doing any direct attacking. Even though he barely had the strength to move anymore, he ran for the enemy, prepared to throw all his being into this next melee attack. And then all hell broke lose.
He felt Kairi's healing spell seal all his wounds just as a whirlwind of ice surrounded the foe, buffeting it with wind and tearing into its flesh. Simultaneously, Kratos finished casting his spell, and the light of Judgement fell from the heavens, striking the foe multiple times. Feeling his strength renewed, Sora launched himself at the foe and thrust his Keyblade into the creature's apparent midsection. The creature crumpled around the blade for a moment, and Sora ripped the blade from it before clearing his mind to cast another spell. Heat flooded through him, and he released it in the form of three fireballs, which struck the enemy just as it was getting up. Seeing the opportunity, Vincent spammed the creature with his arrows, pausing after using about five from the quiver, not wanting to waste all his ammunition, as he wasn't sure where or how to restock. Kratos himself had resorted to ruthlessly slashing the creature where it stood, interrupting its focus to prevent any more spellcasting.
Kairi sighed, and closed her eyes again. She was going to help out with her magic this time, to get more practice. She started channeling her light offensively, as before, but found something different in this spell- it was more powerful, and much more based off of strength.
"Holy Lance!" she cast, sending four lances comprised of light to pierce the enemy before one massive one struck it from above, causing it to be blasted backwards a few feet.
Sora followed it mercilessly, and slashed right through the creature, appearing on its other side just as it fell to pieces on the ground. He smiled as he swung the Keyblade over his shoulders. "Too easy!"
Kratos smirked as he stowed his blade. "Heh. You remind me of someone I knew."
"Really? Who?" Sora wondered, his interest now piqued.
"…" Kratos hesitated in answering.
"Well, anyway, we should probably go and find Riku now…" Kairi stated, leading the way back towards the main area of Welgaia. Kratos was quick to catch up to her, and remind her that she didn't know the layout that well, so she fell back slightly as Kratos took the lead of the group. However, when they reached the central hub, they found the path towards Mithos's castle completely unblocked.
"Wait." the auburn haired angel stated, halting the group. "This pathway isn't opened unless all segments of the Derris Emblem seal have been deactivated. So why is it-?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Sora asked, a smile on his face. "It means Riku beat his trap! We can go after Kadaj now!"
"Hmmmm…" Vincent muttered, a worried expression crossing his face. "Perhaps it would be best to wait for Riku to arrive, or go to where he is before trying to face Kadaj. We're likely to need his assistance."
"But the longer we wait here, the longer Kadaj gets to do whatever he's planning!" the spiky haired teen whined, pointing towards the portal. "Besides, Riku's probably gonna catch up with us later anyway. He'd figure Kadaj would be hiding wherever the largest warp panel goes. If he beat that thing, he's not in danger, so we don't need to worry about it."
"No, your companion is right." Kratos cut in. "I haven't faced this enemy, as you have, but I gather he is a very powerful entity. The more help we have, the more likely we are to emerge triumphant. Though… as I recall, the amount of space in the core area of Mithos's palace is rather small. Though eight or nine people could fit on it and have enough space, once actual fighting began, only five, including the enemy, could conceivably use the space to maneuver and fight."
"What do you think, Kairi?" Sora asked, looking at her. "Should we wait for Riku, look for him, or should we go on and face Kadaj?"
Kairi sighed. "Why do you always ask me about these things?"
The raven haired archer shrugged. "You have the purest heart. Your decisions are the most likely to be morally correct."
Kairi shook her head. "That may not make them the right choices though… Don't make me the group's moral compass… (sigh) I… I believe in Riku. I trust him. He's always found his way to his friends before, and he'll find his way again. Kadaj seemed really mad the last time he faced Sora, Vincent, Riku and I, and given that Riku's the one who killed his 'brother' Yazoo, he's probably out for Riku's blood more than anyone else's. So… I think it's for the best if we go ahead and take care of him. Riku believes in us, and I believe in him. So… let's go fight Kadaj."
With no further protests, the group of four advanced for the central warp panel which would take them to Mithos's castle where Kadaj likely awaited them. They continued advancing forward, following Kratos's lead as he lead them to the true final warp panel, the one which would take them to Mithos's former throne room. From that point, there would be no turning back until the fight was over. So, after a moment of steeling themselves for the confrontation, they advanced onward beyond the point of no return.
.-.-.-.
Time passed. There was no way to divide it in this monotonous, stagnant, barren city. It could have been minutes, hours, even days, and Riku would not have known it. All he was conscious of was a growing feeling of despair. He had been fighting it off for a while now, but after waiting so long and not seeing a trace of his allies, it had finally slipped into his core.
They weren't coming for him.
He was alone.
They didn't care about him anymore.
His heart wanted to believe they would come for him, but his head knew that Kadaj was wily enough to make it look like he had passed the test. And faced with the choice, they would go for the course to save the most lives, thinking that of course he could handle the thing on his own, he never needed their help for anything. It wasn't a choice that he would have condemned them for- he knew going after Kadaj would save the most people. But nonetheless, he felt slighted at the fact that they didn't even bother to come look for him.
But then again, from their point of view, he was their hero. He was Riku, and when did Riku ever get beaten by anything? Right? He, the rival turned to darkness, had become their guiding light, the hero they placed on a pedestal, even as children, and now that pedestal was crumbling around him, and they were nowhere to be found.
They didn't trust him. They had made that perfectly clear on Radiant Garden. His friends didn't trust him, and now he was beginning to wonder if they ever had. Sora's dodginess when asked about Sephiroth had disturbed him at the time. Now he knew that Sora had known the truth- and was worried it would come out. He had told Kairi, and they knew, they had always known the truth of his origins. Cloud knew, Aerith knew, his mother knew, everybody knew the truth except the one person who truly needed to: himself.
He was alone. In the end, he was always alone.
But he didn't have to be. In a time when the others were concerned about their little masquerade failing, concerned Riku would put the pieces together and figure out that they no longer trusted him, one man had shown him an act of kindness. Those morons didn't even try escaping their imprisonment to come and resue him, and he had taken the whippings intended for them out of some harebrained thought that they might have actually cared for him and would have done the same thing in that position. In that time, his father had appeared and rescued him from his torture. In a random act of kindness perpetrated by sheer accident, his father had saved him, and had not killed him when he had the chance.
Riku struggled to his feet, flexing the viscera-covered wing on his back as he prepared to take to the skies.
He had his loyalty now.
.-.-.-.
Kadaj barely looked up to acknowledge the intruders as he heard the warp panel before him activate. He was sitting quite comfortably in Mithos's former throne, and he smirked as he said, "So, you've come. Like moths to the flame."
Sora rolled his eyes hearing the words that greeted them. "Kadaj, do you have any idea how clichéd that sounds? It's not even a good line anymore."
"Does it look like I even remotely care?" the silver-haired antagonist asked flippantly as he stood up from his seat, scanning over the group. Riku wasn't there. Perfect. "What I'm more interested in knowing is why your other little friend isn't with you."
Sora, Kairi, and Vincent exchanged a nervous look, and Sora finally answered, "He's gonna catch up with us later. Besides, there's four of us here anyway. We'll kick your butt no problem!"
A corner of Kadaj's mouth twitched towards a larger smile before he resumed his smug glare. "I wonder… What makes you think he passed his test, and is soon to join you? What makes you think he didn't fail it?"
"Because Riku's not weak-hearted like you!" Kairi interjected, pointing an accusing finger at him. "He knows better than to give in to darkness for the sake of becoming stronger. He believes in us, and we believe in him. You're just a coward who clung to the first person's ideals you could after awakening."
"You're a puppet who can't even see his own strings!" Sora shot the words of his trap back at him. "Your 'Mother' hasn't ever been giving you orders, it's been Sephiroth all this time!"
"You've clung to what little of a past you can remember because you've forgotten the true events that occurred." Vincent stated evenly. "That is why you can never move forward."
"Your blind faith in whatever higher power has called you to do its bidding has led you to crave vengeance and fear a group of children. It is you who is pathetic." Kratos added, his tone cold.
"Lies!" Kadaj suddenly shouted, his face contorted with rage. "Lies, lies, all LIES! Brother has lost sight of his goals- he was never the one to control me, it was Mother guiding me all along. Mother would never allow a traitor like him to control anything, much less another of her children!"
"… Traitor?" Kratos asked, looking towards the others. They shook their heads. It was way too long of a story to get into details here.
"For… for so long now I've wondered why… Why she chose him to carry out her wishes… him, and not me…" the silver-haired villain muttered to himself, his voice breaking almost into a whimper. "And then… as I pondered it after my dear brother Yazoo's death… I realized it… The wings… The wings were the symbol of Mother's favor, they were what showed he was her Chosen. The freedom to execute her adversaries, to carry out her will… And I knew I had to have them… And now I have that chance…"
He pulled a softly-glowing red orb out of his pocket, and held it grandly before the group of four. "With this gem, I will finally receive my birthright- my wings. And with the power it possesses, I shall finally rise above Brother in Mother's eyes. And then I shall be the Chosen One. I will be her favored son. And I will rid the world of all those who have turned traitor to Mother's legacy- beginning with all of you."
Kratos's eyes widened as Kadaj lowered the gem to his left hand. "No! Stop!"
"What's he doing? What is that thing?" Sora wondered, looking back at the auburn-haired mercenary.
"That thing-" Kratos began, "would be a Cruxis Crystal. They were used by the former inhabitants of this place to become angels- sprouting wings, no longer requiring sustenance, sleep, and other things. They exceed the limits of a person's power by a large amount, and without Key Crests are highly unstable."
"Basic summary: we're in trouble?" the spiky haired teen asked, sapphire eyes wide.
"Basically." the swordsman answered calmly.
A bright flash later, Kadaj floated before them, ethereal wings of all colors extending from his back. There was a moment's pause as he drew out Souba, and then the fight began.
Vincent drew his bow and arrows and fired off a stream of arrows at Kadaj, some of which missed, but most of which hit the angelic swordsman, causing minimal damage as they bounced off of his leather-bound torso. Casting runes of white appeared beneath Kadaj's feet, and next second, Vincent, Sora, and Kratos were struck by randomly falling rays of light. Kairi leapt back to help out the offense, charging up a Holy Lance spell which hit Kadaj head on- and did no damage to him whatsoever.
"Angelic creatures cannot be harmed by spells of light!" Kratos warned as he used First Aid on Sora. "If you must attack, attack with swords or second level elemental magic!"
Kairi nodded, and charged towards Kadaj, Keyblade ready to slice him into bits. Vincent also nodded in understanding, and brown casting runes appeared beneath his feet. Sora, feeling much better after the healing spell, charged in for the offensive with Kairi and Kratos, only to get slashed by Kadaj's blade before he could even land a hit. Kairi's clumsy sword strike was easily deflected, but Kratos managed to land three consecutive hits, a thrusting attack dubbed Sonic Thrust, another thrusting maneuver followed by a lightning strike, followed by another blow of the exact same type, only stronger. Mere moments later, Vincent's spell reached it's peak and a massive stalagmite sprang from the earth, throwing Kadaj into the air before he landed, and teleported back towards Vincent. Vincent crouched defensively, a green force field appearing as Kadaj swept his blade towards Vincent for three wounding strikes, blocking each blow, but leaving him helpless as the swordsman threw a hand down to the ground, creating a blue shell of pure energy, blasting Vincent backwards. He righted himself just before hitting the ground, and landed gently on his feet, runes appearing for his next spell. Kairi and Sora, having finally spotted Kadaj after he teleported, charged towards him to double team him.
Once they were close enough, Kadaj turned to face them, and said, "Get away from me!"
Massive shockwaves rose from the ground where Kadaj stood, sending Sora and Kairi into the air and onto the ground. Just afterwards, Vincent's spell completed once more, and a massive geyser of water shot up beneath Kadaj, knocking him into the air, where he was easy prey for Vincent's arrows. The arrows struck their target, and as the silver haired opponent landed, a dark aura formed around him.
"Uh-oh…" Sora noted. "He's looking really, really mad now."
Kadaj teleported across the platform, and angel feathers began descending around him as he cast his next spell. "Gracious Mother, grant me your sacred light and eradicate these traitors before me! Judgement!"
Kratos used his own guardian technique just before the light of judgement could fall towards him, blocking most of the damage. Vincent, it seemed, was able to avoid grievous harm as well, but Sora and Kairi were hit by the spell's full strength. Vincent could no longer cast spells, nor use his special techniques with his bow and arrow, so he ran towards Kadaj for a direct attack. As soon as they recovered, Sora and Kairi ran forward as one, preparing to make a killing strike upon Kadaj. Kratos joined in the four pronged offensive as well, overlooking the fact that the dark aura remained around Kadaj, showing he was far beyond his ordinary limits. As soon as all four physical strikes made contact, the silver haired opponent smirked.
"We're not even close to being on the same level!" he taunted as chains of light encircled all four of his attackers, binding them in place. "SHINING BIND!"
A massive shockwave rose beneath the group of four, scattering them across the battlefield. As they struggled to even reach their knees, a dark aura simultaneously appeared around each of the four.
Kadaj laughed seeing them struggle to their feet. "You are pathetic! I expected more of a fight than this! Come now. Show me why it is that Brother fears you. Show me your true power!"
"As you wish, you arrogant piece of slime." Kairi shot back at him, runes of purest white appearing before her fight. "Light, be my sustenance, and destroy the enemy! SACRED SHINE!"
A warm, golden light engulfed the entire field, and Kadaj cried out in extreme pain as it pierced past the veneer of flesh into his Heartless core. As he landed, he found himself face-to-face with an infuriated Kratos as he raised his blade to his face. "Care for a taste of your own medicine? Struggle against these holy chains."
The swordsman squirmed back and forth against the holy chains encircling him, cutting into his flesh and holding him helpless as the mercenary finished his spell.
"SHINING BIND!" Kratos shouted, his wings revealed as a shockwave sent Kadaj flying in midair, where he was easy prey for Vincent's next maneuver.
"It's over." Vincent stated calmly before the air was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of arrows. "Arrow Maelstrom."
As the arrows rained from the sky and finally subsided, leaving Kadaj rather severely wounded, Sora stepped forward, Keyblade to his palms, a determined expression on his face, though his eyes were closed. "From the land of the living, I call upon thee in the land of the dead to unleash thy fury of thunder."
Kadaj's eyes grew wide at the Keyblade wielder's words. "What the heck is that?"
Sora opened his eyes, fire burning in sapphire as he gravely stated, "I'll show you your powerlessness! INDIGNATION JUDGEMENT!"
The silver haired opponent shook his head as the lightning began to descend, and screamed, "It can't BE!"
Seconds afterward, lightning descended from the heavens, holding Kadaj utterly paralyzed as a massive sword pieced the ground right through him, and sent a shockwave through the surrounding area, causing him to collapse on his hands and knees.
Sora stowed his Keyblade, and approached Kadaj, defenses completely lowered. The silver haired enemy leapt to his feet, and ran for Sora, sword in hand, but ended up collapsing into Sora's arms. The teen locked down piteously at the man who was now fading into the darkness from whence he came. Kairi, Vincent, and Kratos ran over to the dying man, and watched over him in his final moments.
"I guess this is it for me... " Kadaj began, his voice growing weaker by the moment. "I've used all my being in trying to fight you... Yet I don't feel pain- nor exhaustion- I'm just fading. I suppose, not having a body, that's to be expected, right? Heh. All I wanted... was Mother's approval... But now, I guess, I just want dissolution. I want it over. I don't want this mockery of an existance anymore... But then, I guess the thoughts of a sham of a fake like me don't count for much, now do they...?"
"No. They don't." a much lower voice cut in. There was a flash of light off of cold steel, and a long blade pierced through the fading warrior's heart, narrowly missing Sora's arms where he held him.
Kadaj smiled lightly before his face completely faded into darkness which was drawn into the red gem upon his hand, which fell to the floor as his body dissolved completely. Sora pocketed the sphere, and stood up slowly to face the man he was certain now stood before him "Sephiroth…"
Kairi and Vincent's eyes grew wide, and Kratos drew his sword. Sephiroth chuckled at their reactions. "As if you could do anything to stop me. Please. I didn't even come here to fight you. I just came to track down my treacherous remnant, and end him before he could harm my targets. But it seems you four beat me to the job."
Sora leapt backwards, and drew his Keyblade. "Yeah, well, he was gonna-!"
"Spare me the rant on his motives. What I want to know now is the location of my son. I would've believed him to be with you." Sephiroth commented.
Sora stared at the silver haired man determinedly. "He's-!"
"Right here." a new voice cut in, and the warp panel behind the group activated to reveal a bedraggled and much worse for wear Riku. He limped as he walked up the pathway cleared for him, but the sight which drew the most eyes was the silver-feathered wing protruding from his back, still utterly covered in dried blood and viscera.
The silver-haired teen's aquamarine eyes passed over the four faces on either side of him that now watched him intently. Vincent's face was torn somewhere between pity, fear, and disgust. Kratos kept his face composed, but the horror was evident in his eyes. Kairi looked somewhere between concerned and revolted, and Sora's face was a mixture of shock and horror. Now the wing upon his back was the stigma which marked him as his father's son, and Riku hated that his so-called friends were reacting so violently towards it. Not that it mattered. They had made his decision a long time ago.
"Come with me, Riku." Sephiroth invited, his voice surprisingly pleasant. "Come and join your father."
"No…" Sora muttered, forcing himself to speak. "Riku, no!"
Riku, now standing right before his father, turned his head back towards his former friend, refusing to look directly in his eyes. He couldn't. Not now. Not when the wound was so fresh. Not when he could lose his resolve. "Stop pretending you're sad. You made this choice for me. All of you."
And with those final words, Riku vanished through the same dark portal as his father.
.-.-.-.
As always, reviews are appreciated, flames are not. We are starting to approach the home stretch of the fanfic. Fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.