Author's Note: Okay, if you're all wondering, I'm working on the last few chapters, I really am, but I keep running into snags. So please amuse yourselves with this chapter rewrite until I am finished.
Chapter 12: Into the Lion's Den
Atlantis was made up of a large city floating in the center of a great, story ocean. Overhead, dark clouds churned fiercely as lighting bolts sliced through the black sky, followed by a booming clap of thunder. And yet, Kaneda, Ed and Al were flying towards the darkened city-island, in hopes of finding Kei.
"That's really weird…I feel like I've been here before." Kaneda muttered, "And….I feel warm inside…right…here." He put one hand over his heart as he said this.
"Look, if you're gonna throw up, do it out the window." Ed said, pointing.
"I'm not kidding!" Kaneda protested. "I really do feel this way."
"We're coming in for a landing!" Al announced.
Kaneda nodded. "Alright, let's get going."
The ship landed on the stone path, sending up a cloud of dust. Then the trio cautiously stepped out and looked around, noting that they the city looked like no one had lived there for a very long time.
There were also tall pillars with serpents winding around them, their lifeless stone eyes glaring at the three intruders.
"What's with the snake motif?" Ed asked.
"I dunno. It's kinda creepy." Al commented, glancing about nervously.
Kaneda paused. "Wait. Did you hear that?"
They all stopped, and sure enough, there were sounds of battle coming from somewhere over a hill.
"Over there!" Kaneda shouted, and they all ran off, completely unaware of what they would find….
Meanwhile, Tetsuo was facing a very unusual-looking young man. He had long white hair, gold eyes, fangs, claws, and dog ears. And he wore a big red shirt, matching pants, and prayer beads. Clutched in one hand was a powerful-looking sword.
"I don't understand," Tetsuo said, frowning. "How did you get here?"
"I just believed," the dog-eared man answered, baring his sharp teeth. "When my world fell to the darkness, Kagome was taken away. I wanted to find her no matter what happened. If she's here, THEN I WANT HER BACK!"
With a feral, he rushed at Tetsuo, who simply stepped aside and struck him on the back of the neck, sending his opponent to the ground.
"Pathetic." He sneered.
"Tetsuo!" He suddenly turned as Kaneda and the Elrics brothers ran into the area, and smirked nastily.
"It's about time you got here, Kaneda. We've always been rivals, right? You've always pushed me, thinking you were better than I was. But it all ends here. There can only be one Keyblade master, after all."
This caught Kaneda by surprise. "Tetsuo? What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.
But the other teen ignored him and continued, "Let the Keyblade…choose who its real master is."
Suddenly, the weapon in Kaneda's hands began to vibrate wildly. He tried to hold on to it, but it suddenly vanished… and reappeared in Tetsuo's hand!
"WHAT?!"
Tetsuo smirked. "Myotismon was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kei. Only the master of the Keyblade can open the secret door, and change everything!"
Shocked and confused, Kaneda fell to his knees. "But…but how? I'm the one who fought my way here!"
"Oh, please. You're just the delivery boy." Tetsuo answered coldly. "Your part's over now…and mine's just getting started!" Then he turned and walked off, soon disappearing into the shadows.
Ed nudged his brother. "Al, remember what the Pharaoh told us!"
"Yeah but…"
The blond-haired boy then turned to face the distraught former master of the Keyblade. "Kaneda…we're really sorry."
And with that, he ran off after Tetsuo. Al gave the teen a single, sad glance before following his brother; leaving Kaneda all along, save for the unconscious dog-eared person beside him.
Kaneda dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands, his mind clouded by dark thoughts. I…I can't believe it! Why is Tetsuo the Keyblade Master?! It's not fair!!!
"You're not gonna let this stop you, right?"
Surprised, Kaneda looked up to see Moro, Plue, Squirtle, Zero and the Phoenix looking down at him worried. (1)
"Huh? I didn't summon you…"
"That's not important now." Zero told him. "What's important is that you find your friend!"
"But how can I do that?" Kaneda asked sadly. "I don't have the Keyblade anymore!"
"Silly boy. Your heart helped you through the dangers you faced, not just the Keyblade." The Phoenix said. "You have a strong heart and a powerful will, and that's what truly matters."
"And besides, I don't like that other boy." Moro growled. "It's not right that he should have the Keyblade while you don't."
Plue and Squirtle went to his side and nudged him lightly.
"Puun puun…"
"Squirtle Squirtle!"
Kaneda smiled. "Yeah… you're right. I'm not gonna let this one setback stop me from finding Kei!"
The summons all cheered, and then disappeared back into their stones. Kaneda walked over to the dog-eared person and kneeled beside him.
"Don't move, you're really hurt. Heal Pulse." A white aura surrounded the figure, and then vanished. Kaneda then helped him stand up.
"Humph. Thanks, I guess." The other person said. "Why are you here? I only came to this place to rescue my friend. I know I shouldn't care about a human like her, but…" he shook his head. "Never mind. They call me Inuyasha, by the way. Who are you?"
Kaneda grinned. "I'm Kaneda, and I came here for pretty much the same reason you did. I don't think I can save my friend by myself. Maybe we could work together…"
"Fine, just don't get in my way."
The unlikely pair made their way through the abandoned city, fighting off any Heartless that came their way. Of course, Kaneda didn't have the Keyblade anymore, so he had to rely on magic and summons in order to protect himself.
The city itself was like a great maze, which made it difficult to know where they were going. Inuyasha proved to be a great help, since he could use his superhuman strength to knock down walls. Soon, they located a big switch, as well as a yellow creature with a purple-ringed tail named Nyaromon.
"Wonder what this does?" Kaneda pulled the switch, and there was a humming noise as the power started up.
The pair then walked back through the labyrinth of buildings to climb on a floating platform that took them to a higher point. They then took a few more platforms up to a barred gate.
"Great. Now what do we do?"
Kaneda then spotted a bunch of switches. "Maybe if we press these in the right order…"
After several tries, they got the doors open, and hurried through.
"So, Inuyasha, just what's your deal, anyway?" Kaneda asked.
"Well, if you must know, my father was a powerful Demon Lord, but my mother was a human. Why would you care?"
"Sheesh, I was just asking a question."
Somewhere else, Myotismon looked over the Princesses of Heart.
Other than Chihiro and Ellie, there was a girl in a green and white school uniform (Kagome), a young woman in a red outfit with a yellow scarf (Francoise), a girl with red hair in a ponytail (Misty), and a brown haired girl in pink and white (Kari). Kei wasn't with them; instead, she was lying behind Myotismon in a purple capsule-shaped barrier.
Raising his hands in the air, Myotismon shouted, "O purest of hearts! Reveal to me the Keyhole!"
The six girl's bodies started glowing and beams of light shot out…
At the same time, Kaneda and Inuyasha stepped through the threshold of the temple, looking around in case of an attack.
"Remember, be ready for anything." Inuyasha told Kaneda. Suddenly, he stopped as a dark haired girl appeared. "Kagome?"
The girl's figure suddenly shifted and shrank until it was nothing but a Shadow, which hurried off. "Why you…! Get back here!" Inuyasha roared, running after it.
"Inuyasha! Wait!" Kaneda yelled, following him.
The half-demon charged blindly through the halls, not noticing where he was going until he ran into a large room where Tetsuo, Ed and Al were. Inuyasha took one look at the dark-haired teenager and leapt at him….suddenly, walls of dark energy sprung up around him, and suddenly retracted into the floor, taking Inuyasha with them. (2)
"Heh. That lovesick loser never stood a chance." Tetsuo smirked. The Elric brothers said nothing, just watched sadly. At that moment, Kaneda rushed in, breathing heavily.
Tetsuo's eyes widened. "You! What are you doing here!?" He snapped.
"What I set out to do in the first place." Kaneda replied calmly. "And that's to find Kei."
"Humph. The darkness will destroy you." Tetsuo said coldly. He snapped his fingers, and he was suddenly wearing a long-sleeved dark blue shirt with a black heart outlined in red on it, black pants, and black boots.
Kaneda shook his head, saying, "You've got it all wrong! The darkness may destroy my body, but it won't get my heart! It won't die if it's with my friends!"
"Well, we'll just see about THAT!" Tetsuo held up on hand and sent out an orb of dark energy. Kaneda froze, suddenly unable to move as the energy ball got closer and closer…
CLANG!
Al suddenly jumped in front of Kaneda and blocked the attack with his shield.
"What?! You would dare betray your Pharaoh?!" Tetsuo hissed venomously.
Al just shook his head, saying. "No. But I'm not gonna betray Kaneda either, not after all we've been through together!" Looking at Ed, he said, "Nii-chan, could you tell the Pharaoh I'm really sorry?"
But the teen ran to his side, saying, "No Al, we'll tell him together!"
Kaneda blinked. "Really?"
"Of course" Ed grinned. "All for one and one for all, remember?"
The older boy gave them a half-smile. "Thanks Ed…Al…"
"And how do you expect to fight? You don't have a weapon!" Tetsuo sneered.
Kaneda stood straight and answered, "I realize now that I don't need the Keyblade, as long as I have my heart!"
Tetsuo just laughed. "Your heart? What can that pathetic thing do for you?"
"Even if my heart is weak, it's not alone. It's grown with every new experience, and found a home with every new friend I've made! I'm a part of their hearts like they're a part of mine." Readying his fists, he added, "My friends are my power!"
At that moment, the Keyblade started to glow as it vanished out of Tetsuo's hands and reappeared in front of Kaneda, who grabbed it and pointed the blade at his former friend.
"Now, in the words of the great Mills Lane, LET'S GET IT ON!" (3) Ed and Al stared at him, and Kaneda sweatdropped. "Oh, right. Let's just fight anyway."
They ran at Tetsuo, who threw dark energy orbs at them. Ed batted them away, while Al blocked again. Kaneda leapt forward, slashing away, before Tetsuo let loose dark energy waves, forcing them to either jump or duck, depending on the wave. The heroes retorted with various spells, pummeling him fiercely.
"Artic Freeze!" Kaneda's spell covered his opponent's torso, but he broke free.
"Did you really expect that to work?" Tetsuo sneered.
Kaneda just grinned. "Actually, it was more of a distraction. NOW GUYS!"
Ed and Al jumped forward, striking him with everything they had. Finally, Tetsuo fell back, his clothing suddenly returning to normal. "Damnit Kaneda!" He swore, shaking a fist. "You'll pay for this!" And then he ran off.
"Tetsuo…!" Kaneda tried to run after him, but his ex-friend had already vanished.
Just then, they heard a thudding noise coming from beneath the floor, like someone was pounding on it.
"Ah! I forgot about Inuyasha!" Kaneda looked around, and saw a button. He pressed it, and turned to watch as the cage rose out of the floor. The walls fell down, and Inuyasha tumbled out.
"Huh? What?"
"It's okay, the fight's over."
Inuyasha frowned. "Damn. I wanted to get him…" he stood up, and looked around. "So…you used your heart to win this battle, right?" Kaneda nodded. "Thought so."
He turned to walk away, but Al stopped him. "Wait. Maybe we could you use your help."
"Yeah, come on." Kaneda added. "I've seen what you can do. And anyway, were' still trying to find our friends, right?"
Inuyasha sighed. "Fine. I'll stick with you a little longer."
Meanwhile, Tetsuo was running, his head hanging down. "I just don't get it! The Keyblade was all mine…"
"Know this…"
Tetsuo slid to a halt and looked up. In front of him was a cloaked figure. "A heart that is strong and true will get the Keyblade."
"What? Are you saying that my heart's weaker than Kaneda's?"
"For that one instant, it was," the Hooded Man answered. "But you can get stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. Go deeper into the darkness, and you heart will become stronger."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Simple, really. Open yourself to the darkness, and let you heart become darkness itself."
Tetsuo though for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, then. I'll do it." He closed his eyes as a huge blast of dark energy hit him… and then everything went black.
Meanwhile the group was still looking for Kei, Kagome and the others. But it wasn't easy.
First, they had to put books in the library back in certain places, cast Lightning Strike on a machine to activate platforms, collect pieces of an emblem to unlock a door, and of course, fight lots of Heartless. They also found a floating fireball called DemiMeramon.
"Phew! I'll be glad when this is all over." Kaneda sighed.
Somewhere else, Tetsuo and Myotismon were looking at the Princesses.
"The path has emerged at last." Tetsuo said. However, his voice was different, like someone or something else was speaking for him.
"Yes. The Keyhole to the darkness is almost ready." Myotismon said, nodding.
"If it is unlocked, the Heartless will completely overrun this world." Tetsuo said.
"Why does it bother me? Darkness has no control over me. I will use it to rule everything." Myotismon scoffed.
"Such confidence." Tetsuo smirked. He then pulled out what looked to be a black, red and gray Keyblade with a curled metal heart shape at the end.
Myotismon's eyes widened at the sight of it, and then turned to face Kei's body. "She must be the last princess!"
"Apparently so." Tetsuo commented. "But without her heart, the door cannot be opened."
Then Myotismon turned around, frowning. "Humph. The Pharaoh's lackeys have arrived. I'll deal with them while you look after the Princesses." And with that, he vanished.
When Kaneda and co. entered the Chapel area, they found Myotismon waiting for them.
"You're too late." He smirked. "Any minute now, the Keyhole will be unsealed, and darkness will spread across this world! Nothing you do can stop it!"
Kaneda readied his Keyblade, saying,"Oh yeah? We can try!"
Mytoismon smirked, leaping into the air and screaming,"Foolish mortals! Do you think you can stop me?!" Out of nowhere, a whip of red energy appeared, and he struck at them, yelling, "Crimson Lighting!"
The all jumped out of the way, just barely avoiding the attack.
"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha waved his sword and a blade of energy shot out, slicing into the vampire Digimon.
"Why you…Crimson Lighting!" The whip struck again, knocking Inuyasha to the ground. The vampires Digimon walked towards his fallen victim, fangs bared.
"Leave him alone! Inferno Blast!" Ed launched fireballs at Mytoismon, who blocked them with his cape.
"Nice try, but you can do better that that!"
"Okay, how about this then? Terra Burst!" A large black energy orb from Kaneda's hands caught Myotismon off guard, sending him crashing into the wall.
Meanwhile, Ed was helping Inuyasha to his feet. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just fine."
Just then, they noticed Myotismon getting up, glaring at them. "I grow tired of this little game. GRIZZLY WING!" He outstretched his cape, and hundreds upon hundreds of bats few out towards them…but Al got in front of them and took the blow himself. (4)
"Al!"
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" He yelled back. "Just get Myotismon!"
The others rushed out from behind Al, each giving the evil Digimon a fierce slash. Finally, Kaneda delivered the final blow.
Myotismon staggered back, one hand over the wound. "You haven't seen the last of me!" He raised his other hand and created a portal that he escaped through.
"After him!" The group ran through the portal after him, but not before grabbing a folder with "DARTZ'S REPORT # 5" written on the front.
The gravely injured Myotismon limped though the hallways, bits of data falling from his body. "I don't understand! How could I loose!?"
"Need some help?" He turned to see Tetsuo leaning against a pillar, arms crossed over his chest. At that moment, Kaneda, Ed, Al and Inuyasha rushed in, oly to slide to a halt.
Ed gulped. "Wait. Is that a…"
"Yes, it is." Tetsuo's new voice made the hairs on the back of Kaneda's neck stand on end. "However, my Keyblade can unlock the darkness in people's hearts!"
"You're crazy!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.
Tetsuo only smirked. "Am I? How about a demonstration?" And with that, he rammed his dark weapon into Myotismon's chest.
"What are you…?!"
"Now, open your heart and become darkness itself!" Tetsuo announced. He pulled ihis weapon out, and stepped back as a dark aura surrounded Myotismon, who began to laugh evilly.
"AHAHAHA! Now this is true power!"
Dark energy tendrils coalesced around his form, creating a huge dark orb. When it cleared away, they saw that Myotismon was now almost as tall as a skyscraper, and had a red-armored torso and extremely long arms that ended in wicked-looking claws. His lower body and legs were covered in black fur with white stripes, and he had huge white clawed feet. He also had long blond hair with two long horns emerging from his skull. Enormous, tattered-looking red and black wings flapped slowly and behind him, a large rat-like tail whipped to and fro. Now known as VenomMyotismon, he reared back and roared so loudly, it shook the very ground they stood on.
"It's never easy, is it?" Ed muttered as he sweatdropped nervously.
"Good luck." Tetsuo murmured, and then disappeared.
"Tetsuo, wait!" Kaneda shouted, but Inuyasha stopped him.
"Forget him! Let's take care of this guy first!"
Kaneda grinned. "Right. But first…" He took out the blue and white stone, chanting, "Knight of Magics, I summon you! Come forth, Zero the Winged Knight!"
The aforementioned knight appeared in a flash of light, saying, "How can I be of assistance?"
"We need you to help us with that!" Kaneda told him, pointing to the giant monster in front of them. Zero gulped and sweatdropped.
"I don't know…"
"Come on! You gotta help!"
Zero nodded. "A-alright then." He pulled a sword from out behind his shield, raised it in the air, and started chanting something. Suddenly, the group found themselves floating!
"There. That might help." Zero explained. "I also boosted your magic a bit."
Kaneda nodded, even as Zero faded away. "Thanks Zero." Turning to the others, he shouted, "Okay guys, let's go!"
Gracefully, they flew upwards, towards the monster's face. VenomMyotismon responded by shooting rainbow-colored beams from his eyes. They dodged them and continued upwards toward his face.
"Take THIS!" Ed slashed at the creature's face, creating a rip in the skin. From behind the rip came tentacles that wrapped around him.
"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha brought his blade down on the tentacles, severing them, and allowing Ed to get free.
"Thanks!"
Inuyasha nodded. "There. That makes us even."
VenomMyotismon swatted at them like flies, and they tried to dodge his huge hands, all the while striking out with various attacks and spells.
"It's not working!" Kaneda yelled. "He has to have a weak point!"
"Then let's find one!" Ed shouted. "Lighting Strike!" Again, nothing happened.
"Maybe we should hit him where it hurts! Hiyah!" Inuyasha slashed at VenomMyotismon's lower torso region, creating a large opening. And out of the opening appeared an ugly-looking bluish-colored mask-wearing thing that snarled at them. (5)
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Ed screamed.
Kaneda smirked. "A weak point! Follow my lead!"
They flew downwards, and the giant monster, sensing what they were planning, shot out rainbow-colored eye beams. One caught Inuyasha and sent him crashing to the ground.
"Keep moving!" Kaneda warned, as they dodged the beams.
Down below, Inuyasha slowly got up. "That's it! Now I'm mad!" He quickly shot up and joined the others.
"Glad you could join us." Kaneda said with a grin. "Now let's get him!"
Al was first, chucking his shield at the creature's mouth, effectively shutting it up. Then Inuyasha began glowing, as he yelled, "Backlash Wave!" and struck at the creature.
"Inferno Blast!"
"Terra Burst!"
Combined with Kaneda and Ed's spells, VenomMyotismon began writing in agony as his body dissolved into nothing, leaving behind nothing but his crimson mask and a small orange-red stone. The group landed on the ground, and looked towards the evil Digimon's sole remains.
Suddenly, Tetsuo appeared, with an evil look on his face. "How pathetic. He was just another puppet all along."
"What?"
Tetsuo kicked Myotismon's mask away, saying, "The Heartless were using him, and he failed to notice the darkness in his heart eating away it him. A fitting end for such a fool like that."
Then he vanished again, but as he did, Kaneda noticed the stone on the floor. "Huh? What's this?" He picked it up and examined it.
"Must be another Summon Gem." Al said.
"Yeah." Kaneda said, nodding. "Better take it with us."
They continued through the hallways, (and locating Tsunomon, a horned orange ball), until they entered the Great Hall (6) where they found the Princesses, including…
"Kei!"
Breathlessly, Kaneda ran to her side, with the others following. Inuyasha, however, seemed more interested in Kagome's motionless body.
"Kei! Wake up! It's me! Kaneda!" He yelled, shaking her.
"She won't awaken."
Startled, the teen looked up to see a figure standing in front of him, dark Keyblade in hand. The person looked like an awful lot like Tetsuo, but….
"Wait a second! You're not Tetsuo!" Kaneda shouted.
The person's eyes narrowed. "Very perceptive, Keyblade Master. But no matter. The girl has lost her heart, and the Keyhole cannot be finished without her."
Kaneda blinked. "Are you saying that Kei's a Princess?"
'Tetsuo' nodded, as he levitated in the air saying, "Yes, but her power is still needed to open the Keyhole."
Angrily, Kaneda jumped to his feet and shouted, "Well, whoever you are, give Tetsuo his heart back!"
"First, you must give the Princess hers."
Kaneda didn't know what he meant until he felt a sudden pain in his chest that forced him to his knees. "W-what…?"
"Don't you understand? The Princess' heart is responding, for her heart is alongside yours. It's ironic that you spent so long looking for her, when she was with you all this time!"
"Then…then Kei's heart…is in me?" Kaneda managed to gasp out.
"Yes. I know everything there is to know about." 'Tetsuo' said smugly.
Kaneda glared at him. "Just who are you anyway?! I have a right to know!"
The figure just regarded him coldly. "Very well then. I am known as Dartz, seeker of Darkness."
The response took their breath away. Dartz, the man who had done so much for his home world, was responsible for the Heartless? Ed, Al, and Inuyasha tried to rush him, but he raised one hand and sent them all flying backwards.
Turning to Kaneda, he said, "It is time to release the final Princess' heart and complete the Keyhole, opening the door to eternal darkness!" He raised the dark Keyblade over the motionless teen's head, preparing to strike…
"Kaneda!"
The boy suddenly got up, blocking the attack with his own weapon. "Forget it! There's no way I'm letting you take Kei's heart!" He swung the Keyblade upwards, and slashed at Tetsuo/Dartz repeatedly. The man raised his hand again, and an energy blast threw him to the floor.
His opponent then unleashed a storm of greenish-yellow comets at him, forcing him to roll out of the way. Getting to his feet, he ran forward and yelled, "Power Barrier!" This resulted in a shield that would protect him from the comets.
He ran forward and gave Tetsuo/Dartz a few more slashes until he teleported away, unleashing another energy blast. Kaneda got of out the way this time, and rushed at Tetsuo/Dartz, who tried blocking. They fought this way for a bit, before Tetsuo/Dartz kicked him away, and threw more comets at him.
This time, Kaneda shouted, "Chrono Halt!" and made the comets slow down before he slashed at them, sending them backwards at Tetsuo/Dartz. While his opponent was stunned, Kaneda struck at him with his Keyblade.
At last, Tetsuo/Dartz stepped back, frowning. "Humph. You may have won this round, Shotaro Kaneda, but I will be back!" He vanished into thin air, leaving his Keyblade behind. Kaneda just stood there, breathing heavily.
"Kaneda! Look!"
The boy turned and saw the Keyhole, a glowing, heart-shaped portal, in front of him. "Oh yeah! Time to close it!" he pointed the Keyblade at it…but nothing happened. "What?!"
"This is not good!" Al said, worried. "The Keyhole isn't finished yet!"
Kaneda put a hand under his chin. "Yeah…we have to wake up Kei…but how…?" Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the dark Keyblade lying abandoned on the ground. "I wonder…"
As he walked over to it, the others started in surprise.
"Kaneda? Y-you're not gonna do what I think you are…" Al asked nervously.
The teen ignored him, and lifted the Keyblade so that the point faced his heart.
"Wait, Kaneda! There has to be another way!" Ed shouted.
You know perfectly well there's no alternative." Kaneda said calmly. "I have to do this. For Kei and for everyone else too." He smiled at them and added, "See you on the other side." And with that, he drove the weapon straight into his own heart, gasping in pain as he did so…
Suddenly, there was a burst of light, as the seven Princesses got their hearts back. Kei sat up, holding her forehead. "W-where am I? What happened…?"
"Kaneda!"
Startled by Ed's shout, the girl looked up to see Kaneda's body falling towards her, glowing like a Christmas light. "Oh no! Kaneda!"
She ran forward to grab his body, but it vanished before she could get it. The distraught girl fell to her knees, shouting, "Kaneda! Come back! Please!"
Somewhere in a dark void that seemed to go on for miles, the boy who had once been known as Shotaro Kaneda fell into its dark depths.
"What…what's happening to me…? …I'm falling…into the darkness…"
As he fell further and further into the dark void, his memories of himself, his home world, his friends, everything began fading away…
Back in the Great Hall of the Atlantian temple, Kei, Ed, Al, and Inuyasha could only look at the spot where Kaneda had been, unable to say anything.
"N-no! He-he can't be gone!" Kei sobbed. "I can't believe it… I won't…"
Ed gulped hoarsely. "He's gone…just like that…"
Just then, a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, and they all looked up in surprise. The figured lowered his hood, revealing teal hair, and mismatched eyes, one teal, like his hair, and the older gold.
"So…you have finally awakened. The Keyhole is complete, but I'm afraid I don't need you anymore." The others jumped in front of Kei, their weapons raised.
"Do you think we can stop him?" Al asked nervously.
"I dunno, but we have to try!" Ed answered.
Dartz stepped forward…and began shaking uncontrollably. "Impossible…"
An image of Tetsuo suddenly appeared, glaring daggers at Dartz. "Forget it you creep! You're not using me for this!"
"Tetsuo!" Kei shouted.
The boy turned to look at her. "Kei, you have to make a run for it! The Heartless are coming!"
"But…" Ed tugged at her sleeve.
"Come on, let's go!"
Kei nodded sadly, and, quickly grabbing Kaneda's fallen weapon, hurried off.
Dartz frowned, watching them go. "I'm surprised you were even able to fight back." He said to Tetsuo's spirit disdainfully. "But that won't help you. Go back to the darkness where you belong."
Somewhere else, a lone Shadow wandered through the hallways, looking around curiously. Suddenly, its antenna twitched as they picked up voices coming from far off.
Something about them was familiar…
Wordlessly, the Shadow ran off in search of the voices.
Ed, Al, Inuyasha and Kei tore through the halls, trying to avoid the Heartless.
"What about the Keyhole? And the other Princesses?" Al asked.
"There's no time! We have to keeping moving!" Ed answered.
Inuyasha looked over his shoulder and blinked. "There's a Heartless following us!" He shouted.
"I'll handle this!" Ed slid to a halt and turned to attack the approaching Shadow. He swiped wildly, but the Heartless dodged about. "Damnit! Keep still!"
The creature said nothing, but stepped back and cocked its head to one side. Kei stepped forward, eyes wide open. "Kaneda…is that…is that…you...?" she whispered.
The other's jaws dropped. "W-w-what!?" Ed gasped. "That's not…it can't be…" he trailed off, not sure of what to say.
"Uh…I think we have a bigger problem." Al said nervously.
They all looked up to see that they were surrounded by Heartless! The boys quickly got into battle positions, but Kei, taking Kaneda in her arms, whispered, "This time…I'll protect you." She closed her eyes, and a huge wave of white light burst out, obliterating all the Heartless around them.
Opening her eyes, Kei looked down, and was startled to see a fully human Kaneda with his arms wrapped around her waist. Slowly, his eyes opened, like he was waking from a bad dream. When he saw her, he smiled and whispered, "Kei…thank you…"
Kaneda was started out of his revere by the sounds of more arriving Heartless. Inuyasha pulled out his sword, saying, "Go! I'll hold them off!"
"But Inuyasha…"
"I told you before; I'm not leaving without Kagome! Now go!"
Kaneda nodded. "Okay, let's get out of here!"
They all gave Inuyasha one final glance as they ran back towards the ship, to their escape.
To be continued…
1-Yes, I know this has idea been done many, many times before, but I really like it, so I'm using it anyway. The original concept belongs to whoever thought it up first.
2- I'm making parts of it up as I go, okay?
3-To me, Kaneda looks like the kind of guy who'd like Celebrity Deathmatch.
4- Like in that one episode of Digimon (season one) when Wizardmon did the same thing….only he wasn't so lucky…
5-Taken from the battle with VenomMyotismon (also season one).
6- Let's just pretend there was no barrier there, shall we?