Silver Linings
Chapter 21: "When You Want Something, Act!"
A/N: Now that Kingdom Hearts Online is complete and posted (check it out!), I can focus all my time on this. All my writing time, anyway, which has to be split with my search for a job, chores, and other things I like to do. Luckily, FierceDeityMask will probably continue reminding me to work on this.
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The World That Never Was: Alley To Between...
Riku pulled everyone out of the Dark Corridor, but when he looked around, he certainly didn't see Twilight Town.
"Wait, isn't this the Organization's stronghold? Why are we here?" Lambda asked.
"Did some event pull us off course?" Namine wondered.
"Well, now's as good a time as any to do some scouting," Riku decided. "Lambda, are there any Organization XIII members nearby?"
"Scanning...2 targets found. Axel detected. Xigbar detected."
Namine gulped. "Didn't Xigbar tell us we were off the hook unless we came here?"
Lambda ran through their options. "...He won't be able to threaten us if we terminate him. Just a suggestion."
Riku considered it. "Maybe, but let's try and resolve this without bringing the whole Organization down on our heads. Still, Axel must be up to something."
Axel was just around the corner, mumbling something. Lambda amplified her hearing and replayed it for the other two: "Roxas went back to Sora...his choice, can't mess with it...or can I? How would I even get him back? Wait, Nobodies are made from people turning into Heartless...the Heartless can't beat Sora, so that leaves making him give in to the Darkness... What could make him do that? That's it! I've got it! Hold on, Roxas, I'm coming!"
Alarmed, Riku charged around the corner, only to see Axel vanish through a Dark Corridor. Riku tried to track the wisps of Darkness, but was distracted by a yellowish dog bonking into his leg. "Wait, you're Mickey's dog, right?"
"His name's Pluto," Namine informed him. "Maybe Pluto can track Kairi down before Axel does something unforgivable. Can you do that, Pluto? Go fetch Kairi!" Namine formed a Dark Corridor of her own, and Pluto immediately perked up. Barking excitedly, the dog bounced through the portal with no hesitation.
Namine formed another Dark Corridor. "This one will really get us to Twilight Town. We'll get Pluto to lead Kairi there; we can't bring her here."
Lambda grinned. "Look at you taking charge, Namine! Feeling better?"
"Feeling urgent. C'mon, let's go! There's not much time!" Namine grabbed both Riku and Lambda, and somehow managed to drag both of them behind her through the Dark Corridor.
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Destiny Islands: Kairi's perspective...
Kairi had sent that bottled letter, but hadn't received a reply from Sora, or any indication that Sora was even out there. However, all her memories of him had returned shortly after she sent it, all at once. And not just for her; everyone on the Islands knew everyone else, so when everyone got their memories of Sora back simultaneously, it couldn't be dismissed as Kairi talking crazy anymore. There were rumors flying around school, but while most people missed Sora (and the rumor mill about Riku had also been rekindled), none of them were taking action to bring the boys home, and they still didn't believe Kairi when she spoke of other worlds.
Kairi had waited too long; her heart cried out at her to go find Sora and fix whatever problem was keeping him away. After all, he still had her good luck charm!
But how could she find him? Her feet led her to the beach, but then she stopped, unsure of the next step to take. "Maybe...waiting isn't good enough."
"My thoughts exactly." A man's voice came from nowhere, but the speaker's smirk was audible even before Kairi saw him. A Dark Corridor like the ones Maleficent's gang used, and a black coat-wearing man with really, really red hair stepped out. At the same time, several white, four vaguely humanoid creatures seemed to drop out of the sky, surrounding Kairi with menacing claws. "If you want something, don't wait. Act! That's one of life's little rules. Got it memorized?"
"Who are you?" Kairi wondered. As dangerous as the situation was, it could give her a way to find Sora, so Kairi found herself less frightened than she probably should be.
"The name's Axel, formerly of Organization XIII. And you're Kairi, the seventh Princess of Heart, and the one person Sora cares about more than anyone else. What do you know, we're on a first name basis already! And there's one other thing we have in common, Kairi." Axel's monsters kept their menacing posture, but didn't get any closer yet.
"What's that?"
"You and I both miss someone we care about. It almost feels like we're friends already!"
The Nobodies started moving closer, but before Kairi could even wonder where that name came from, a second Dark Corridor opened nearby. A yellow dog jumped out; his features reminded Kairi of Goofy, one of the two friends who stuck with Sora while he was looking for her. The dog barked repeatedly and motioned for Kairi to follow him through the new portal. Kairi barely even hesitated long enough to toss a one-liner at Axel. "You're not acting very friendly!" She ran into the Corridor and vanished.
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Betwixt and Between...
The origin point of this Dark Corridor had been severed, but not the exit, so going back through the one-sided portal landed Kairi and the dog in a sort of subspace within the Realm of Darkness. Multiple copies of the emblem that had been branded on the heads of the Dusks floated around them, marking an otherwise invisible boundary. It seemed Axel's group held sway over this dimension, meaning it wasn't safe to stay here for long.
A whistling sound preceded the formation of yet another portal, though this one shined with pinkish-gold Light that reminded Kairi of a sunset. Another man in a Black Coat stood halfway in the portal; his hood covered his face in shadows, but his sleeves were different from Axel's, and Kairi's instincts told her this man meant her no harm. She ran to him and took his hand, just as yet another Black Coat guy showed up, this one with long, unkempt blue hair and an aura of dangerous intent that surpassed Axel's. He never got a chance to announce his intentions, though, because the bright portal closed around Kairi, the dog, and the hooded man, pulling them into another world.
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Twilight Town: The Usual Spot...
The force necessary to yank Kairi out of the Realm of Darkness was a bit more than Riku expected; he accidentally hurled the Princess into a wall and briefly knocked her unconscious, which gave Riku the time he needed to flee the area. He couldn't risk Kairi seeing Ansem's face - er, Xehanort's...whatever. Kairi would be fine staying with the Usual Suspects for now.
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Twilight Town: Station Plaza...
Riku appeared at the top of the tower next to Lambda and Namine. "I left Kairi and Pluto with the Usual Suspects. I'm a little worried about pursuit, though. There was a blue-haired Organization member in that 'between' space, and I'm sure Xigbar saw that whole thing."
"Sure did!" Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. In this case, Xigbar appeared standing upside-down in midair over the edge of the balcony, showing off his power over space (and therefore his power over gravity).
The Nobody sniper bared his teeth in an upside-down smirk. "You haven't been good kids. You had such simple instructions! 'Stay out of The World That Never Was and you get to live.' I guess you don't listen well, but let's see if you're better at dying!"
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Fend off Xigbar and escape his distorted space!
Swiping his hands at the air, Xigbar summoned a pair of unusual ranged weapons to his hands. They were purple with a brace of pink arrow-shaped crystals along the bottom, and looked like a mix between a crossbow and a rifle. Then everything around the group shifted in an instant.
"So, what do ya think? Neat trick, huh?" Riku's team was standing in the plaza beneath the Station Tower, but several blocks of stone had vanished along with everything beneath them, leaving the group on a square platform that floated over a black abyss. "Don't bother running away or teleporting. The curvature of space will just lead you directly into my clutches, do not pass Go, do not collect 200 munny. But I won't bore you with the details any longer! Now you'll see why they call me the Freeshooter!" Xigbar fired his arrowguns, launching pink bolts of energy at Riku.
Lambda summoned Murakumo while Riku defended the group with a Dark Shield. Namine took cover behind Lambda and pulled out her sketchbook and Panel Grid.
When the arrows hit Riku's shield, they reversed course and headed straight for Xigbar, dealing minor damage. "Huh, too predictable? Then try this!" Xigbar formed two distortions at his sides and fired into them, sending arrows through that appeared on both sides of Namine. Riku and Lambda blocked the shots, sending them harmlessly into the edge of the distorted arena.
"Target threat level graded as S class. Terminating target." Lambda retaliated with some projectiles of her own, but had to bring her Petals up to block when her summoned swords flew in the wrong direction.
"Did you think you could fight me by warping space to bring your attacks in? As if!" Xigbar placed one arrowgun in front of the other, joining them into a larger sniper rifle, then vanished.
"Is he gone?" Namine asked.
"Switching to Guard Mode. Target located; defending." Lambda lunged behind Namine and blocked a pink arrow that lanced down from the balcony of the Station Tower from which Xigbar was sniping them. "We can't hit him across the space barrier he's set up, but he can clearly hit us."
"Bingo! And what're you going to do about it?" Xigbar fired another round.
"Don't worry about us." Riku flickered into the path of the shot, already halfway through the motion of swinging Soul Eater to bat the projectile back at Xigbar. It slammed into the Freeshooter with enough force to stagger him, then rebounded a short distance until it simply hung in midair just inside the barrier. Riku hit the arrow back again and again, until Xigbar finally wised up and teleported back to the arena. In a sing-songy, childish voice, Riku taunted, "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself! ...Or go ahead and keep shooting; I'll send everything right back at you!"
"Ooh, so this kid thinks he's got me all figured out? As if! I've got way more tricks than that!" Suddenly, all four combatants were packed together on a single block of land. Xigbar swung his weapons downward, causing the pink crystals to flash and turn blue.
"This reload was brought to you by the letter P, for penetrating bolts! Now, let's see how you dance!" He began spinning in place, firing wildly and spraying blue bolts all over the tiny arena. Lambda swooped Namine into a bridal carry and hovered over the barrage while Riku floated upward.
Xigbar began teleporting and firing bursts of shots from several angles, forcing the couple to dodge and weave constantly. Finally, the Freeshooter hovered in the middle of the arena, telekinetically spinning his arrowguns and firing shots into rapidly-forming distortions that sent a hail of arrows at the heroes from every imaginable direction.
The shots tracked their targets more slowly than the heroes could move, but there was barely any space to dodge, and so both Riku and Lambda got caught by the last few seconds of the barrage when they accidentally collided with each other in midair. Lambda covered Namine as well as she could, taking a few extra hits for her in the process.
Xigbar finally ran out of penetrating bolts, and returned the stage to normal size while he reloaded a clip of normal arrows. "Yeah, now we're talking! What do you say to that?"
"Cure! Cure!" Namine cast two of her six Cure spells to fix the damage the bolts had managed to do to Riku and Lambda. "See, I'm not useless!"
"Yeah, unlike the sniper sitting in melee range." Riku flash-stepped right up next to Xigbar's face and brought Soul Eater down with as much force as he could muster. "Get lost and leave us alone!"
Xigbar fell off his invisible ceiling, bounced off the rearranged ground, and vanished into a Dark Corridor. Shortly after the portal evaporated away, his voice called, "Okay, okay, you got me, you big, scary non-Keyblade heroes! But that's fine; while you were distracted, Axel got Kairi. See ya around!"
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Twilight Town: Station Plaza...
Lambda dismissed Murakumo with a scowl. "Target lost. He was just buying time for Axel to kidnap Kairi again!"
"Should we tell Sora?" Namine asked.
Lambda tilted her head in response to an alert from her scanning protocols. "Targets acquired: 1 unknown Organization XIII member; 10 - correction: 5 - correction: zero lesser Nobodies; Sora, Donald, and Goofy detected. All targets are within ten meters of each other. No signs of combat detected. Conclusion: The Organization is already gloating about it."
"But wasn't Axel acting as a renegade? Who's the unknown member?"
"His name's Sai'x." Axel's voice echoed as he stumbled out of a corridor. "Organization XIII's Number VII. Sai'x. Got it memorized?"
"You have a lot of explaining to do, Axel," Riku glowered, making full use of Ansem's intimidating face.
"I got Kairi again just a minute after you snatched her - you might as well not have bothered. I shouldn't have, either, because Sai'x caught up to me while I was dragging her and threatened to terminate me if I didn't hand her over. He would have done it, too. I can't believe I used to be friends with that guy."
"Where would he have taken her?" Lambda demanded.
"To their stronghold, of course! The Castle That Never Was. Got it memorized? They want Kairi as leverage to keep Sora on his quest, fighting Heartless and catching hearts for Xemnas. Sure, Sora will be looking for revenge or justice or whatever, but he'd never find a way to reach the castle on his own." Axel gave Riku a meaningful look. "Looks like you three will need to clue Sora in sooner rather than later. Maybe wait until he's done with this world first, though? He's coming up the ramp right now."
Riku really wanted to hit something, but he formed a Dark Corridor instead. "...Fine. I'll let you get away this time. But don't even think of messing with my friends again. And that includes telling Sora about me!" A few wisps of Darkness rose from Riku's shoulders to back up the threat, and Axel looked suitably spooked.
"Alright, okay, I got it memorized!" Axel formed his own Dark Corridor, and the two parties left the plaza right before Sora dashed up the ramp and Hayner came out of the station to give the Keyblade wielder the bad news about Kairi.
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Hollow Bastion: Borough...
Riku and company were flung out of the Dark Corridor in a heap. Lambda did a quick scan on why they were dragged off course again, and she physically recoiled from the results. "We were pulled here by the Heartless. There are thousands of them in the gorge outside town! And if they're letting off this much Darkness, they must be about to break in."
From behind them, a familiar accent declared, "I figured as much. Looks like I got my pet project finished just in time!"
Riku untangled himself from Namine and helped her stand up. "Cid? How do you keep showing up right behind us?"
"I dunno, how d'you keep showing up right in front of me? Anyway, it's time for the grand unveiling of the Claymore Defense Grid! Aaaand...CLICK!" Cid pushed a button on a boxy controller in his hand, causing energy constructs to form in random spots around the area. They looked like transparent, blue cylinders encasing opaque, darker blue spheres. The energy constructs slid along the ground in a patrolling pattern, passing right through Riku and Lambda, but one paused while the sphere was around Namine's sandals. "Oops, they've found an unknown target. Not to worry...aaand click!" Cid pointed the controller at Namine and pressed another button. "There, little girl, you're registered as friendly. After all, I doubt these kids would have brought you here to mess with us. Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Namine. I've been wrapped up in the fight over Sora for a while, but I only recently started traveling with Riku and Lambda." Not the whole truth, but enough.
Lambda was focused on the cylinders that continued to patrol the area. "Target threat level graded as C class. Hypothetically, if that thing had finished charging before you changed Namine's classification in the system, what would it have done to her?"
Cid chuckled heartily. "The Claymores? They're a defense system for the town. Some of my finest work! They track Heartless and Nobodies and stay underfoot until they finish charging, then give them a shove to knock the enemy into the air. It's a pretty forceful attack, but I couldn't get them to do quite as much damage as Leon's gunblade. They're supposed to give anyone defending the town an opening to finish the job, and they'll keep interrupting whatever the monsters try to do. Neat, huh? Hey, wait just a gosh-darn minute! They only target Heartless and Nobodies! Are you a Nobody...Namine, was it?"
"Yes. I am. There are only a few Nobodies like me out there who look completely human. All the others are members of Organization XIII, but I was just their captive. They held me hostage for a long time. They made me use my powers against Sora, and now I'm traveling with Riku to atone for what I did as much as I can."
Lambda gave Namine a frustrated look. "You make it sound like you're some kind of criminal, Namine. Sora never held anything against you, did he?"
Namine didn't look convinced. "No, he didn't, but I thought it was because I'd altered the state of his heart too much. I was told to make it so he'd never say no to me."
Riku chuckled. "Nope, that's just who Sora is. He would have forgiven you no matter what state his memories were in. And you already fixed that problem; there are other things to do before any of us have time to wallow in self-pity."
Namine hesitated a moment more, but then gave a determined nod. "Right. Let's look for a better spot to leave Sora that clue."
A poof of magic signaled the arrival of Merlin...and the hasty departure of Cid. "You should stay at my house for the time being, Namine. A battle is coming, and it won't be safe to fight that many Heartless with only three offensive casts, now will it?"
Namine looked to Riku. "Would that be okay with you guys?"
Lambda nodded. "He's right about the dangers. Merlin, are you sure she'll be safe with you? The Organization has this guy named Xigbar who could track us everywhere we went, despite our Black Coats and everything else we've tried."
Merlin wheezed out a confident laugh. "Worry not, young one! You didn't think my house had only one room, did you? I have many places to hide secrets - ancient tomes, magic crystals, fugitive Nobodies. Namine will be safe in my care, and I'm certain can hide her from even the Organization's prying eyes. Come with me, dear; you may rejoin the others when the trouble has passed."
Merlin turned to address Riku and Lambda. "As for the two of you, you'd better wait a bit longer to deliver that box you're holding on to. I know of Kairi's plight and Sora's desperate need to find her - don't give me that look; of course I know, I'm a powerful wizard! However, the Keyblade's power will be needed to settle the battle taking place here and now. Sora mustn't be distracted!"
"We've been hearing 'wait to deliver the clues' a lot lately." Lambda grumbled, but then fell to her knees in supplication. "Please, oh great Merlin, could you help us find a good place and time to pass on the clues?"
"Fine, fine, there's no need to grovel at my feet...unless your name is Cid Highwind, that insufferable codger! Anyway, if my premonitions are correct, an opportunity to pass your hints to Sora will appear at the farthest reaches of the Great Maw, which is what we townspeople call the crystalline chasm outside the walls. It surges with Heartless, but they won't smell you in their haste to devour the town - and all of us plan to be quite unpalatable when they try! Wait at the cliff that overlooks Maleficent's most recent castle."
Riku pulled Lambda to her feet. "Okay, got it. Thanks for all the help, Merlin! And thanks for taking care of Namine. We'll be going now. Be safe!"
Waving to Namine with the hand that wasn't holding Lambda's, Riku called on the Darkness to send them to the spot Merlin described. The last thing the pair heard before the shift was Merlin asking Namine something about her Panel Grid, and then they were at the Dark Depths.
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Hollow Bastion: The Dark Depths...
The pair appeared at the very end of the crystal canyon Merlin spoke of, which dead-ended at a tall cliff with a good view of Maleficent's makeshift castle. While Villain's Vale wasn't much to look at, the fact that Maleficent managed to conjure the entire building out of nowhere spoke volumes about her power.
A more pressing observation was that the whole clearing was crowded with Armored Knights and Search Robots, all trying to march through the Great Maw to attack Hollow Bastion. Riku and Lambda leaped up to one of the crystal outcroppings that framed the plateau, unnoticed by the singlemindedly advancing mob of Heartless.
"Where did Maleficent get this many Heartless?" Riku whispered.
"She did not." A cold voice echoed, heralding the arrival of yet another member of Organization XIII. It was the blue-haired one from Betwixt and Between.
Lambda scanned the Nobody. From this close, she could tell he was very tall and muscular. Aside from his bright blue hair and yellow eyes, he had two criss-crossed scars over his nose, which gave him quite a distinctive appearance among his fellows. "Target threat level graded as S. Unable to determine Nobody Master's associated weapon or elemental affinity...but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're the one Axel called Sai'x."
"Hmph. You've met Axel, then. Yes, I am Sai'x, Organization XIII's Number VII. I relay the Superior's orders to the other members as his second-in-command, but that is of no importance to you. Know this: Axel is not to be trusted. He will manipulate everyone around him to achieve his goals, yet he doesn't even understand what his goals are anymore. He's a maverick and a traitor. We of the Organization will deal with him ourselves - do not interfere."
Riku crossed his arms. "Yeah, I figured all that out when he kidnapped Kairi. By the way, give her back!"
Sai'x merely glared at Riku. "No. Her plight will motivate Sora to tear through as many Heartless as he must to save her. After Kingdom Hearts is complete, we will have no more need of her."
Lambda glared at the Nobody. "So then what? Do you plan to kill her?"
"Useless things are discarded, and if she were left alive, she would become a significant threat to us, if only through Sora."
Lambda arched an eyebrow. "Do you really want the first emotion you feel with a new heart to be regret - or worse, glee - at your own downright vile strategies? How far are you willing to sink for this ridiculous plan?"
Sai'x was unfazed. "I cannot speak for the others, but I can speak for Lord Xemnas as his loyal subordinate. This is the Superior's will, and his will shall be done."
Riku shrugged at Saix's indifference. "Well, Lambda, at least you can say we at least tried to save them the nice way. Now I don't have to feel bad when Sora rips your whole Organization apart, Sai'x."
"Your confidence is misplaced. Even Number IX should be able to handle the Keybearer as he is now. I warned you about Axel, so my work here is done. Farewell, so-called heroes of Darkness." Sai'x opened a Dark Corridor behind himself, then stepped backwards through it and disappeared.
Lambda scanned for Sora's location; he was headed the opposite way, towards the other castle with the Heartless factory underneath. "'Heroes of Darkness,' huh? That has a nice ring to it. What do you say, Riku? Should we keep that moniker?"
"Wait, he mentioned Number IX," Riku noticed. "Which one was that again?"
"Referencing... That was on the business card Demyx made for himself. I guess they're going to send Demyx to attack Sora."
Riku considered the possibility, but decided not to interfere. "Sora can handle it. It won't necessarily be easy, but Sora's had a lot of practice at fighting, while Demyx...hasn't. Sending their weakest member was a mistake; they'll let Sora work his way up to the Superior."
"They must be testing Sora for some reason. Probably making sure he won't die against this flood of Heartless." The monsters were still streaming through the canyon. "How did the Organization make this many Heartless? If they were made in the factory, they would have attacked from the other direction, right?"
Riku shuddered. "I hope they didn't take this many people's hearts."
"I don't think so. There are only one or two types of Heartless here. Wouldn't the differences between people end up creating different kinds of Heartless?"
"Yeah, you're right. The Organization must have found a new way to mass-produce them. We should ask Merlin about it, or maybe Axel if we see him again."
"We'll have to do something to stop whatever they're using; the worlds can't handle this many Heartless. Right now, though, we don't have any leads." Lambda cupped a hand under her chin to think.
Riku looked around worriedly, then relaxed. "For a minute there, I thought Xigbar was going to show up out of nowhere and reveal their plans again. I guess we scared him off."
Of course, Xigbar piped up right at that moment, though his voice didn't come from anywhere the pair could see. "'Scared'? As if! You're just not getting any more freebies from me. I'm always watching."
Riku rolled his eyes under his hood. "Perfect, that means I can taunt you whenever I want."
Lambda chimed in, "Knowing where we are and what we're doing would only give you an advantage if you had some way to stop us. We're up for round two whenever you are."
Silence was their only response. Lambda sighed and returned to Heartless watching. "I hope he's as bored as we are."
"Where IS Sora, anyway?" Riku wondered.
"Scanning...wait, what does this reading mean? He was there, and then the signal changed. It's weird, like Sora became more orderly and even more confusing at the same time. I wonder what he's up to?"
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Space Paranoids: Game Grid...
Commander Sark's voice boomed throughout the enormous flat arena. "Lose, and you will be subjected to immediate de-resolution. If you win? Well...no one wins." A high-tech motorcycle was constructed from data right next to Sora, and a pack of Magnum Loader Heartless of several color-coded types zoomed past the party.
Walls went up all around the arena, partitioning off a single track on which Sora would have to beat the Heartless at a Light Cycle battle. Sora didn't think his skills at flying a Gummi Ship would translate to this vehicle...but he had to try.
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Back at The Dark Depths...
Riku shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine. He gets into weird situations all the time."
Lambda plopped onto her back and groaned. "At least he's not just sitting around. This is boring."
"Definitely. What should we do to pass the time? Make out?" Riku was only half-joking.
Lambda sat up with immediate interest. "Sure, why not? The Heartless are kind of a mood-killer, not to mention Xigbar, but we can try."
Riku pulled off his hood and leaned in for a deeper kiss than usual, but ended up bonking Lambda in the nose. "Ow." He tried again before he could lose his nerve, tilting his head slightly this time.
At first, it wasn't much different from any of their other kisses, but when Riku wrapped his arms around Lambda in an embrace, they both decided that longer kisses were definitely better.
Lambda wondered if this sensation was why Riku always looked dizzy when she gave him surprise kisses before. Was there a term for this? The closest she could describe it was "explosive euphoric attraction," but that was too much of a mouthful to take seriously - especially while her mouth was completely occupied with feeling Riku.
Riku noticed Lambda going still, trying to calculate something, so he squeezed her tighter to keep her head in the moment. Why waste time thinking about it when this feeling was right there?
Eventually, Riku had to pull back and get some air, noticing with satisfaction that Lambda seemed disappointed with the cessation of kisses. "Sorry, dear. I need to catch my breath. That was..."
"Amazing? Splendid? Lovely?" Lambda guessed.
"More like..." Riku smooched Lambda again, pulling away after a few seconds. "Like that."
"...You win. That is a much better description." Lambda gazed at Riku in silent adoration for a few more moments.
"Eat your heart out, Xigbar," Riku muttered smugly. "Well, now we definitely can't let the Organization keep Kairi. Sora shouldn't have to miss out on that." Riku's eyes lit up with mirth. "Hey, I just realized I got my first kiss before Sora!"
Lambda perked up. "Hey, I almost forgot! I need to update the score. I'd say that's two points for you for suggesting the kiss and fixing my description of it with the second."
"Does that mean I'm in the lead now?" Riku wondered.
"Affirmative. The score is 6 to 5. Do you have anything to add?"
"At least give yourself one point for being such a great kisser." Riku then remembered something from earlier. "Before I forget, let's keep the 'heroes of Darkness' title. I'm not sure when we'd actually need to call ourselves that, but it helps keep my self-esteem up. I'm still not that great with my Light."
"Um..." Lambda hesitated. "Do you think it would be easier to find your Light if you focused on me?"
Riku blushed hard, but tried it...and was almost overwhelmed by the surge of Light that rose up from within himself. "Y-yeah, that works. Now I've got to figure out what to do with all this Light."
Lambda stared at Riku as he began glowing with the same golden Light that had defeated Xehanort in Castle Oblivion. Then she realized the Heartless would notice all this Light. A glance at the canyon confirmed that the horde was slowing down and looking around. "Just try something, preferably before your glow attracts the Heartless."
"My glow? Oh. Wow!" Riku summoned Soul Eater and tried to funnel the Light into the blade. Gradually, the golden aura around his body shifted to a blue aura around Soul Eater, completely obscuring the blade and making it appear to be an energy blade. The more Light Riku pumped into the weapon, the larger the energy blade became. "This is so cool! I think I'll call this technique 'Bladecharge'. I'll need to practice to get it to work faster, but just feel that power!" Riku let the aura dissipate, causing the Heartless below to pause in confusion before returning their blank, yellow gazes to their original objective.
Direct order confirmed. "Acknowledged. That is a lot of power! And you figured it out in one try! Keep up the good work, Riku!"
"Well, I couldn't have done it without you, Lambda. Give yourself a point!"
"Score updated. Riku: 7, Lambda: 6."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "Wait, wasn't I at 6 before? Shouldn't we be tied?"
Lambda blushed with embarrassment, both for being caught giving Riku an unannounced point, and for the reason she added it. "Well, you basically demonstrated that I'm your Light just now. That's got to count as a point for you."
They both sat there turning redder for a few moments. Riku looked for a distraction. "Where's Sora now?"
"Scanning... he's coming this way. Additional targets detected: Donald and Goofy, 6 residents of Hollow Bastion, all graded as A-class fighters; two - correction: one member of Organization XIII, threat level SS. One Organization target has been terminated; identified as Demyx."
"Who's the other one?"
"Target unidentified...which means it must be Xemnas; he's one of the few I haven't seen yet, and he's way stronger than the others... Unable to determine target's exact location. Additional threats include 1,695 C-class Heartless, being terminated at an average rate of twenty per minute. Sora will be here soon. Wait, why is Goofy so far back and not moving?"
"Huh? Let's check on him." Riku opened a Dark Corridor and pulled Lambda through.
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Castle Gate...
Riku immediately located Goofy next to the wall of the half-restored clearing- the dog was sprawled out on the ground, motionless. "Well, there he is. Is he dead?"
Lambda checked. "Scanning...target's life-signs are stable. Notable injuries include a minor concussion. Probability of recovery: 100 percent. Projected downtime: minimal. In other words, he's totally fine. Do ANY of those guys know how to take a pulse? Why would they just assume he's dead?! Then again, it might be hard to get a pulse from a human-sized dog..."
Riku facepalmed. "Well, let's go before Goofy wakes up. Sora, you idiot..."
The pair went back through the Dark Corridor to resume waiting.
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The Dark Depths...
Lambda did another scan for Sora's location. "Yep, that was fast. Goofy has rejoined the party. Just in time to help them beat the last thousand Heartless!"
Riku held up a hand for silence, to which Lambda instantly complied. "Wait, Sora's about to slay a thousand Heartless? Won't that give Xemnas a huge head-start on his Kingdom Hearts?"
Lambda confirmed, "Yeah, that's probably why the whole attack happened, with some minor interference from Maleficent. Actually, Sora's already beaten almost a hundred...two hundred...He'll probably slay the last one in a minute or so. I have to admit, this is quite an effective strategy for the Organization."
"Well, at least that means we're done waiting. Get your Black Coat back on and get ready to jump in as soon as we can catch Sora, Donald, and Goofy without any of the others."
"Acknowledged." Lambda re-summoned her Black Coat and pulled up the hood. "I would be fine with wearing this thing all the time, but I really hate the boots."
Riku raised an eyebrow under his own hood. "What's so bad about boots?"
"Maybe it's just a Murakumo Unit thing, but I don't like having my feet covered up, though the weaponized leg armor on my Battle Mode is fine. Uh-oh, here they come!" Lambda moved behind Riku so that she wouldn't be seen on the off-chance Sora looked up.
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Sora's side...
Sora leaned against the canyon wall to catch his breath - after slaying more than a thousand Heartless and a member of Organization XIII, he was more than a little tired. But there wasn't much further to go, so he pushed himself off the wall to catch up to King Mickey, who had charged ahead at full speed (as usual).
The King was staring down Xehanort's Nobody. He'd been even more urgent in his pursuit ever since remembering the true identity of "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness." Sora thought that forgetting the man's name in the first place was kind of weird; why wouldn't the King remember important stuff like that? But regardless of his identity, here was their chance to beat the Nobody leader once and for all!
"Xehanort!" Mickey shouted at the Nobody, whose back was turned.
Without turning around, the leader of Organization XIII mused to himself, "How long has it been since I abandoned that name...?"
Sora caught up. "Okay, out with it, Nobody! Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?"
Up on the ledge, Riku flinched. He'd almost forgotten that he was half of Sora's reason for going on this whole quest.
"I know nothing of your Kairi's whereabouts - Axel acted on his own. As for Riku..." Xehanort's Nobody finally turned around. "...Perhaps you should ask your king?"
Sora turned to King Mickey. "Your Majesty, do you know where Riku is?"
Mickey pointedly did not look at Sora, so he saw the Nobody starting to vanish. "Wait!" The King lunged at the swirling Darkness that accompanied Organization members teleporting, and unlike Donald, Mickey was fast enough to be swallowed up and vanish along with the enemy.
"Not again..." Sora was getting kind of sick of Mickey running away like that, but surely he had a good reason...? Donald and Goofy shared the sentiment.
A new voice came from behind them. "Way to fall right into their trap." Axel was leaning against the wall.
"What are you talking about?" Sora demanded.
"C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII! Xemnas is using you to defeat the Heartless."
"Xemnas?" Donald almost clearly enunciated the name.
"The guy who just left. He's their leader. X-E-M, N-A-S. Got it memorized?"
Goofy asked, "The Organization wants to defeat the Heartless?"
Axel snickered, "Man, you're slow!" He pointed at Sora's Keyblade, which he still held from the earlier battle. "Each Heartless slain by that Keyblade releases a captive heart. That's what the Organization is after."
Sora was already overwhelmed with new info today, and placing this new problem on top of all the stress, he was about ready to break down. "I don't care about any of that! Just tell me where Kairi is!"
Axel sighed, and when he looked up, he actually seemed regretful. "Look, about Kairi...I'm sorry. It wasn't going to work, and I wish I could-"
"Axel." Sai'x appeared between Axel and Sora. This place was starting to look like a revolving door of Organization XIII members, especially when Axel immediately vanished with a highly convincing expression of panic on his face. Without turning around, Sai'x addressed Sora. "We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment. Sora...you just keep on defeating those Heartless."
"Why should I listen to you? Give Kairi back!"
"Is she that important to you?" Sai'x asked.
"Yes. More...more than anything." All the time Sora had spent away from Kairi crashed down on his heart when he confessed.
"Show me how important." Sai'x stood expectantly.
Sora hesitated for a moment, then got onto his hands and knees in a position of supplication. "Please..."
Anyone would have been moved by this display of utter sincerity and desperation, but Sai'x had no expression on his face. "I see. You do care for her. In that case...the answer is no."
Sora leaped to his feet, fists tightened and tears shining in his eyes. "You rotten...!"
Riku would have used much stronger language if he wasn't undercover. Bastard was too nice of a description for this guy.
"Are you angry? Do you hate me? Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless." Sai'x snapped his fingers, summoning a group of Armored Knights. He turned his face upward and started a monologue. "Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet, they know not the true power of what they hold... The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in Darkness, masterless and free...until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts! And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."
"What are you prattling on about?" Maleficent, too!? She appeared between Sora and Sai'x and summoned a group of Soldier Heartless. She started making dramatic, sweeping gestures as usual. "Kingdom Hearts belongs to me! The heart of all worlds...the heart of all that lives. A dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be MY dominion!"
"What a waste of time." With two snaps of his fingers, Sai'x dismissed the Armored Knights and summoned some Dusks, which made laughably short work of Maleficent's Soldiers. The Nobodies then turned to Sora. "If you won't cooperate, we can force you to obey." The Dusks lunged at Sora, who was too much in shock to do more than cover his face with his arms.
However, instead of cutting claws, a wave of heat pushed against Sora's closed eyes. Maleficent had created a wall of green flames to separate Sai'x from Sora, drawing the Nobodies' attention. They piled on top of the evil fairy and tried to drag her to the ground. "Sora! While I keep these creatures at bay, you devise a way to vanquish them - forever!"
Sora's brain broke a bit. Was this really happening? Maleficent was trying a heroic sacrifice? He didn't move. "Maleficent, don't!"
Maleficent snarled around a Dusk's attempt to hug her in half. "I do not take orders from you! Do not misunderstand me - I shall have my vengeance on you yet! Now, go! Leave this place, and destroy these meddlers!"
Sora repeated, "I don't take orders from you!"
Maleficent growled, but teleported away, leaving the Dusks to collapse in a heap.
Sai'x rolled his yellow eyes. "Now then...where did we leave off?" The Dusks disappeared, replaced by Armored Knights again.
So Maleficent controlled the Heartless, and Sai'x did too, despite wanting Sora to destroy them? "Whose side are you guys on, anyway?" Sora yelled at the Heartless, not really expecting an answer.
"The Heartless ally with whoever's the strongest. So, what will you do?" Sai'x stood back and watched dispassionately as an Armored Knight leaped at Sora. On instinct, Sora cut the Heartless in two, along with one that tried to hit him from behind. Sai'x grinned. "Yes, Sora! Keep it up."
The hearts from the defeated Heartless rose into the air and disappeared. This was a sight Sora had seen almost constantly on his journeys, and he'd never thought much of it, but now it was a sign that the Organization was winning. Sora lost the will to fight. "Maybe everything we've done...maybe it was all for nothing." He shoved away another Heartless, but didn't destroy it. "What am I supposed to do if I can't use the Keyblade?!"
Riku, who had been watching the whole thing, took this as a personal insult. Then what was our battle about, Sora? Where's that all-powerful heart of yours? Don't just teach me a moral lesson and then forget it yourself!
"Idiots! You can't be trusted to do anything!" Maleficent apparently hadn't fled that far away. Then again, her castle was pretty close by; maybe she was on her throne. The important part was the hole of Darkness that opened under Sora's feet. It grew until it caught Donald and Goofy as well, then the three friends fell into the Realm of Darkness.
Riku finally saw his chance. "Lambda! Now!" He grabbed Lambda in a bridal carry and leaped headfirst into the slowly-shrinking hole.
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The Realm of Darkness...
As soon as the Darkness swallowed them up, Riku issued an order to Lambda: "Lambda, remain silent for now. I'll handle this."
Rather than responding with Acknowledged, Lambda merely nodded.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy stumbled toward each other, looking around at the empty, black environment. Just as it had been when Riku fell down here originally, there was nothing whatsoever to see in the Realm of Darkness. "Where are we?" Goofy wondered aloud.
"This must be the Realm of Darkness! I wonder if we can find a way to Kairi from here..." Sora was sick of not being able to see her. And where the heck was Riku?
"Whoa! Who're you?" Think of the devil... Goofy yelped and pointed at a man in a Black Coat. With his hood over his face, it could have been anyone, but Sora had only seen Organization members wear that get-up. And there was another person behind him, but this was the first time Sora remembered seeing a female in a Black Coat.
Without speaking, Riku made a cocky, dismissive gesture, the sort of pose he'd used a lot back on Destiny Islands. He turned to Lambda and held out his hand. Understanding his intent, Lambda withdrew the white box of clues and passed it to him. Riku turned back to Sora and curled his hand in a "Come at me!" gesture, then teleported both himself and Lambda out of the Realm of Darkness, letting the box fall to the ground.
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Hollow Bastion: The Dark Depths...
The hole to the Realm of Darkness was still open when Riku and Lambda reappeared on the higher cliff, but it had shrunk dangerously small. What if Sora was trapped inside?
They needn't have worried; a brilliant beam of Light blasted out of the hole, lancing skyward and growing wider by the moment. Lambda registered three teleports, as well as an unlocked World Gate. She turned to Riku and pointed at her throat, hoping he'd figure out her pantomimed request to speak.
Riku stared for a second, then remembered his order. "Oh! Lambda, you may speak freely. And all that stuff."
"Acknowledged. Did you know the ice cream was a lock on a World Gate?"
"What? Why would a random bar of ice cream from Twilight Town be a World Gate for Hollow Bastion?"
"I really hate to say it, but 'destiny' is the only explanation that makes sense. At least it let Sora escape the Realm of Darkness."
"Sora..." All the moments of mounting distress Riku had just witnessed flashed across his eyes. Sora just didn't look right with tears on his face. And Riku knew he was at least partly to blame.
Lambda nodded, seemingly reading Riku's thoughts. But really, what else would he be thinking about? "The longer we do this, the more it hurts Sora. Do we stay the course, Riku?"
"I..."
Lambda suddenly looked up. "Hey, why is Sora headed to Beast's Castle?! Did he even LOOK at the photo?"
Riku groaned into his palm. "...Knowing them, they probably ate the ice cream, too. I shouldn't have assumed Sora could figure out clues. It says something that the dog named Goofy is the most perceptive member of his party. Well, we have to get him back on track somehow. Of course, given how quickly he finished fixing up the last two worlds and handled this crisis, he could be done with a whole other sweep of the worlds he's visited in a day or two."
"We should probably still keep going after him, to make sure he's still got the will to fight."
"Yeah..." Riku raised his hand to make a Dark Corridor, but hesitated. "Wait, we almost forgot about Namine!"
Lambda facepalmed. "Oh yeah, we left her at Merlin's! With all this action...and all this waiting...I can't believe it's only been a few hours since then. Let's check in with Namine for now."
"Acknowledged," Riku jokingly imitated Lambda. He formed the Dark Corridor.
Lambda groaned at Riku's laughably bad falsetto. "Well, at least you can follow protocol." She grabbed Riku's hand and pulled him through the portal.
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A/N: Apologies for the long delay. AGAIN. In other news, tomorrow is my birthday! Reviews would make great presents!