Chapter 21: The Lost Empire-Part 3
Here it is, the last part of the world of Atlantis! It's been very interesting writing this world and I hope you enjoyed it too. Enjoy!
(Atlantis-Outskirts)
The Dark Lord of the Seas, GigaSeadramon, was bored. Why was he bored you ask? Because it was taking forever for the morning to come and the explorers to leave and he wanted to go back to his ship ASAP. He wanted to feel the wind on his face, see the oceans blue waves, and plunder any unfortunate souls that he set his sights on.
"Sir?" He was bolted from his thoughts when MegaSeadramon called to him.
"Yes, what is it?" the Dark Lord mumbled as he straightened up.
"Do you have any idea when we will be able to continue the mission?" the sea serpent asked.
"Hopefully soon," GigaSeadramon answered, "the wise king doesn't want to reveal the Heart of Atlantis to the explorers incase they try to steal it."
"I still believe that it is foolish to hide away such a power," MegaSeadramon mumbled, "it would give them the power to defend themselves."
"Yes, but I find his reason...reasonable," GigaSeadramon said.
"My Lord!" a Divermon yelled out, running towards the two.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I think you need to see this!" The three of them then ran out to the cliff to look at the city.
(Atlantis-City-2 Hours Earlier)
Sora and the others had met up with Shin and Terra. He and Roxas were now sporting pauldrons on their left shoulders with their specialized colors on them.
"More Keyblade training?" Shin asked when he saw the armor.
"Yup," Sora answered as he sat down on a cushion.
"Unfortunately, Aqua is an expert marksman," Roxas said, rubbing his arm where he got shot.
Aqua giggled and said, "Not my fault you were slow." Roxas just grumbled and grabed a drink.
"What I don't get," Sora started, "is why you get those guns from the Oblivion."
Roxas shrugged and said, "Must be because I am a natural dual wielder." Sora just sat back and let out a sigh.
"I have a question," Aqua said, "for you Shin."
"What's up?" he said as he sat up.
"How were you able to make a connection between us and Shinryu?" she asked.
"Well I lent him a little bit of my power to help make the mental link between everyone," Shin explained. "Basically, since Shinryu IS me, he can't really use his power unless I allow him to do so. So I gave him a bit and by using his godlike power, created the link.
"Wait, I thought you said that Shinryu was stuck in you," Roxas said.
"Well, I kinda lied a little," Shin said, rubbing the back of his head.
"You must understand," Shinryu began, "I have screwed up countless lives during my natural existance. I tried to get the power that humans had in order to defeat my mortal enemy, Omega. After my madness, I decided to create a human of my own and rest inside of him so I could atone for my sins and observe what makes a human, human."
"That's so sad," Aqua cried as she blew her nose in a tissue.
"I told you my past would make the women weep!" Shinryu yelled out victoriously.
"Yeah yeah, congratulations, you got ONE WOMAN, out of many, to cry," Shin said.
"How many lives did you screw up?" Sora asked.
"Uh, something like, 30-40?" Shinryu said meekly.
"It's not that bad," Roxas said.
"Which led to countless other lives being screwed over," The dragon said.
"Ok, now it's bad," Roxas said.
"But we fixed them!" Shin pointed out.
"Oh good," Sora sighed, "I thought that they might still be screwed over."
"Uh, guys," Terra called out.
"Yeah?" Shin responded.
"You might want to look at this." Everyone turned to where the blond girl was looking at and saw everyone from the exploration team with a handcuffed Kida and weapons in their hands, making their way to the throne room.
"What's going on?" Aqua asked, confused by the sight.
"I don't know," Sora said, "but I'm about to find out." He jumped off of his seat and ran towards the group, everyone else following him.
"What's going on?!" Shin yelled, his response was having several guns aimed at him and everyone.
"No need to shoot anyone!" Sora yelled as he hid behind Roxas.
"You weren't scared of guns when you fought Clayton!" Roxas yelled at him.
"He had terrible aim!" Sora argued. (Sorry if I'm wrong cause your fight might have been different, but when I fought him, the fight was kinda easy. I only had to worry about the Stealth Sneak.)
"We are just having a little treasure hunt," Rourke said.
"With a prisoner?" Aqua questioned.
"You think I don't know what you're up to?" Shin asked.
"Then you understand what I'm doing," Rourke said, thinking that they would join him.
"Yeah, something completely stupid," Sora said.
"We're just supplying the museums with artifacts," Rourke argued.
"Museums? Or warmongers?" Roxas questioned.
Rourke sighed and asked, "Why is it that everyone who joined this trip has to be a hero of some kind?"
"Cause we know what the right thing is," Terra answered.
"You're not stopping me," Rourke said as he pushed his way forward. Sora was about to go after him when Shin grabbed his arm.
"We can't do anything while they have a prisoner," he told the Keyblade Wielder. Sora nodded and followed them with everyone else behind him. Vinnie had set up some explosives on the doors to the throne room and pushed down on the trigger. The doors were blown off and the exploration team stormed the room. The guards had dropped their weapons
"Where is it Thatch?" Rourke demanded.
"I don't know, all it says is that 'The Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king.'" Milo said as he looked through his book.
"Well maybe Old King Cole here can tell us," Rourke said as he approached the king, "How 'bout it chief, where's the crystal?"
"You will destroy yourselves," the king said.
"Maybe I wasn't being clear!" Rourke then punched the king in the gut and walked over to the throne.
"Rourke this was not part of the plan!" Sweet yelled as he went to check on the king.
"Plans change doc," Rourke said as he sat down, "I suggest you put a bandage on that bleeding heart of yours, doesn't suit a mercenary." He then cocked his gun and held it up. "Now I'm going to count to ten, and you're going to tell me where the crystal is. One...two...nine...t-" Rourke then stopped and looked at the floor, "'The Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king' this is is. We're in!"
"Rourke listen to me, you don't know what you're messing with!" Milo yelled.
Rourke just ignored him and stepped to the stone on the middle of the room. The room began to rumble and the area around where Rourke was standing began to sink. Rourke grabbed Milo and Helga grabbed Kida and moved them onto the sinking platform. The four of them disappeared down into the underground cave. Sora gave an uncharacteristic glare at the remaining explorers, except for Sweet who was helping the king.
"So," he began, "you're just in it for the money? You don't care if anyone gets hurt?"
"Hey man, nobody was supposed to be down here," Vinnie said.
"If you take this crystal," Shin began, "Atlantis will die."
"What are you talking about?" Audrey asked, "This place doesn't need a giant rock to live."
"The crystal emits an energy that allowed the Atlanteans to live this long," Terra explained, "if you take it away, they won't be able to survive underground."
"Bah! These people do not need a shiny rock to live," Mole argued. "They have large supply of food and water."
"You're being ignorant fools right now," Shin said while giving them a cold glare. "Haven't you noticed that the crystals around their necks allow them to heal some injuries, or light lanterns?"
The explorers looked at one another with looks of guilt on their faces. Before any of them could speak up, the ground began to shake and a whooshing sound could be heard from the underground cavern.
"What is happening?!" Mole yelled as he grabbed onto a pillar.
"What makes you think I know?" Roxas yelled back.
"Vinnie! Did you set up more explosives?!" Audrey cried.
"Hey, I had nothing to do with this!" Vinnie protested. Suddenly the shaking stopped and everyone stood up.
"Sweet, how's the king?" Terra asked.
"From what I can tell, he's fine, he's unconscious though," the doctor replied.
Suddenly, a blue light began to come from the hole in the floor and a figure began to rise from it. It was a blue, feminine figure that had her hair waving around like it was alive. The figure began to walk towards the doors and stopped right before them. Rourke, Milo, and Helga rose up on the platform. Kida was not with them.
"What happened?" Audrey asked.
"The princess became the crystal, makes it easier for us to take it," Rourke answered.
"You can't do this!" Milo yelled.
"Last time I checked, we have all the weapons and hostages, and you have nothing," Rourke said.
Shin stepped forward and said, "So you'll kill this whole civilization just for money."
"These people should have been dead a long time ago," Rourke said. A group of soldiers brought in a metal crate and put Kida inside. They took her outside and loaded her onto a truck that was a part of the convoy.
"So this is how it ends," Milo said. "You're wiping out an entire civilization, but hey, you'll be rich. Congratulations Audrey. Guess you and your dad will be able to open up that second garage after all. And Vinny, you can start a whole chain of flower shops. I'm sure your family's going to be very proud. But that's what it's all about, right? Money."
"Get off your soapbox, Thatch," Rourke began, "You've read Darwin. It's called natural selection. We're just helping it along."
"Commander, we're ready," a soldier caller out.
"Yeah, give me a minute. I know I'm forgetting something. I got the cargo, the crystal, the crew... Oh yeah." Rourke then punched Milo in the stomach and watched as he fell to the floor. He then stomped on a picture that fell out of Milo's pocket
"Look at it this way, son," Rourke began, "You were the man who discovered Atlantis, and now you're part of the exhibit. Let's move people."
"That was an order, not a suggestion," Helga said. Audrey sighed and got out of the truck and helped Milo get to his feet. Vinnie, Mole, and Cookie following her.
"We're all gonna die," Packard said as she got out of the truck and stood by everyone else. Sora and the others went to stand beside them.
"Oh, you can't be serious," Rourke said, "This is wrong, and you know it. We're this close to our biggest payday ever, and you pick now of all times to grow a conscience."
"This is wrong and you know it!" Audrey yelled.
"We've done a lot of things we're not proud of," Vinnie began, "robbing graves, plundering tombs, double parking, but nobody got hurt. Well, maybe somebody got hurt, but nobody we knew."
Rourke just growled and stormed into the truck. Sora saw an aura of darkness surounding him as he left. The convoy began to move across the bridge, and all the crystals began to lose their light, and the water began to stop flowing. Milo began to run after them, but Vinnie held him back. The next thing everyone saw was the bridge being destroyed once the convoy crossed it.
(Atlantis-Outskirts-Present Time)
GigaSeadramon and his crew were watching the entire event with interest. A Scorpiomon had crawled back over to their side before Rourke blew the bridge to kingdom come.
"What happened?" GigaSeadramon asked the scorpion.
"Nothing good," he began, "the princess has become the crystal and those greedy humans have taken her...and killed the king."
"Damn it!" GigaSeadramon yelled as he smashed a rock under his tail.
"We might be able to get her back and save her from the crystal's dangerous side effects," MegaSeadramon said.
"You're right!" GigaSeadramon cried, he then began to think of a plan to stop Rourke and his mini army. "All right, we need to hit them fast and hard. So you four will have to use THAT." He said, pointing at the two Scorpiomon and Tylomon.
"Oh boy, this'll be fun," one Tylomon said as he gave a feral grin.
"You got that right," the other one said.
"It's a shame though," GigaSeadramon said, "the king was a wise man and knew the Emperor. I doubt his daughter would allow us to take a piece of the Heart."
"Maybe if we help in the preservation of Atlantis, and her rescue, she'll let us take a piece," WaruSeadramon suggested.
"Perhaps, anyway, we need to get moving," GigaSeadramon ordered. All of them then began to crawl back into the caves to start their assault.
(Atlantis-City)
Milo had come out of the throne room with a look of determination on his face, Sweet was following him.
"Where are you going?" Audrey asked.
"I'm going after Rourke," he answered.
"That's practically a suicide mission!" Sora yelled.
"I didn't say it was the smart thing to do," Milo said as he walked down the steps.
Audrey sighed and said, "Come on, better make sure he doesn't kill himself." Everyone followed Milo until he reached a stone statue of a fish. He climbed on top of it and began moving the moss off of it."
"What are you doing?" Aqua asked. Milo said nothing as he inserted a crystal into a part on the fish, and turned it. The stone fish began to glow blue and rise up into the air.
"Wow, I'm impressed," Roxas said.
"How does this work?" an Atlantean asked.
"It's simple," Milo said as he hopped off and began to show the Atlanteans and the exploration crew how to activate the stone fliers. Sora, Roxas, and Aqua just activated their armor and summoned their gliders. Shin summoned his wings and Terra used her magic to fly
"Saddle up partners. Bring jerky and ammo," Cookie said as he twirled his gun.
Milo flew in front of the group and said, "All right, this is it! We're going to rescue the princess. We're going to save Atlantis. Or we're going to die trying. Now let's do it!" Everyone cheered and began flying out of the city towards where the exploration team had drilled their way through the mountain.
Rourke had his soldiers launch rockets at the top of the volcano so they could fly out. They launched a rocket and ran out of the way to avoid falling debris. When sunlight began to shine down onto the bottom of the shaft, Rourke stood on top of the pile of rubble and had a look of victory on his face.
"I love it when I win," he said.
"Your victory hasn't been assured yet," a figure dressed in a Black Coat said as he looked up at the madman.
"There's nothing those ancient relics can do," Rourke said as he stepped down and began walking over to a truck with a large tank on its back.
"Don't get overconfident, that has caused the defeat of many people," the figure said.
Rourke chuckled and said, "Don't worry, once we get the crystal out of here, you'll get it, and I'll get my money."
"Just don't mess up," the figure said before he vanished, reappearing on a hidden platform that would allow him to see the upcoming battle.
"All right, this is the plan," Milo began, "we're gonna hit them fasrt and hard, taking them by surprise!"
"Rourke is never surprised, and he has a lot of guns," Audrey said.
"Great, well do you have any advice?" Milo asked.
"Yeah! Don't get shot!" Vinnie called out.
"There they are!" Sora exclaimed as everyone entered the volcano shaft.
"We've got company!" Rourke yelled as the hot air balloon took Kida up. All the soldiers began to run for the trucks and grab weapons. Some got on turrets, while others got onto planes and took off into the air.
"Whoa!" Milo exclaimed as a rocket whizzed past him, "You said he only had guns!"
"What I said was that he's never surprised," Audrey corrected.
Roxas was having a little trouble dodging the weapons and firing at the same time. Terra flew next to him and cast a barrier to block some of the bullets.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"The way I have to hold the Oblivion Guns makes it somewhat hard to aim," Roxas said.
"Let me fix that," Terra said, casting a spell. The handles on the Oblivions then turned so they were at a horizontal angle, making it easier for Roxas to aim.
"Thanks!" Roxas said as he took aim and fired a dark blast at an incoming plane, blowing it up.
"Now!" The wall exploded and a large serpent like figure slithered out and began to fire a volley of energy blasts at Rourke's troops. Several other figures followed him and spread out around the cave.
"Who are you?" Shin asked as he flew along side the figure.
"The name's GigaSeadramon, Dark Lord of the Seas," The Dark Lord replied as he smashed his way through a truck.
"Watch the planes!" MegaSeadramon cried as he fired an Ice Blast into the air.
"Striking Fish!" a Divermon then launched his harpoon at the planes, striking one in the wing and tearing it.
"Strange Mist!" WaruSeadramon called back as he breathed out a strange mist into the air, causing some fliers to lose their senses.
"Why are you here?" Sora asked as he flew along side GigaSeadramon.
"Originally, we were here to receive the assistance of the king, but since he's dead, we need to save the princess," he answered. He then moved in front of Sora and defended him from a rocket that was flying towards him. "Are you the boy who passed Cherubimon's test?"
"Yeah, are you two friends?" Sora asked.
GigaSeadramon laughed and said, "Friends, brothers in arms, we serve the great Emperor. Now focus! We are still in battle!" Sora nodded and fired a Firaga blast at an Anti-Air gun, destroying it. Underneath the balloon, Audrey and Sweet were trying to cut the chain that held the box Kida was in.
"I thought you said this thing could cut through a femur in 28 seconds!" Audrey complained as she struggled to cut the chain.
"Less talk, more saw!" Sweet ordered.
"Looks like somebody's working overtime," Rourke told Helga as he watched the two struggle. The next thing Audrey knew, the stone fish next to her was destroyed be a flaming barrel that was thrown over the side. Sweet grabbed her and they flew away on his stone fish.
"We're running out of troops!" Helga yelled as she saw the losing battle.
"No need to worry, I have a little insurance," Rourke snapped his fingers and a horde of Wyverns and Air Pirate Heartless appeared all over the cave.
"All right you four, do it now!" GigaSeadramon yelled as he saw the Heartless appear.
"X-Antibody activate!" The two Tylomon and Scorpiomon were engulfed in a light. When it died down, the four of them had changed. The Tylomon were now much sleeker looking, with several sharp points on their helmets. The Scorpiomon had undergone a larger change, gaining tripple bladed claws as hands and gaining sharper blades along their bodies. The four of them then began to move much faster, eliminating the Heartless with ease.
"Originally, I was going to have you fight one of my men as your test," GigaSeadramon told Aqua as he slithered along side her as she fired a multitude of arrows at the Heartless.
"But what are you going to do now?" she asked him as he smashed a Wyvern with his head.
"If you can succeed in rescuing the princess then I will give you your reward," he said, "I also sense a Seeker is nearby, keep an eye out for him." Aqua nodded and began flying towards the balloon, Shin and Sora following her.
"What's the plan?" Sora asked as he launched a Thundaga at an incoming Air Pirate.
"We're going to fight Rourke and try to free the princess at the same time," Shin answered as he sliced the wing off of a passing plane.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sora cried as he flew his Glider up to the balloon. He dismissed his Glider and Armor, and landed on the other side of the balloon, Shin and Aqua landing next to him. They ran around the platform and confronted Rourke. (Helga is thrown over at this point)
"Stop this madness now!" Aqua demanded.
"Not when I'm so close to the biggest payday of my life!" Rourke yelled, taking out a ax.
(Battle Music-The Encounter-Kingdom Hearts II)
Rourke swung his ax at the three, but they jumped away. Sora was reminded of his fight against Barbossa, but while the pirate was fast, the mercenary was slow. Sora lept forward and went for an overhead swipe, but Rourke blocked it and socked the teen in the gut. Aqua then fired a Blizzaga at the man, but he dodged it and lept forward to swipe at her, clipping off a few hairs from her head as she leaned back to avoid the strike.
"You won't stop me!" Rourke yelled as he took out his gun and fired at Shin, who blocked it with his sword. Sora jumped over him and took a downward swipe at him. Rourke blocked it with his ax and punched Sora in the gut, sending him flying over the edge.
"SORA!" Shin yelled, looking over the edge just in time to see Sora riding on the head of WaruSeadramon as he flew up to let Sora off.
"Thanks!" Sora said as he jumped back on the balloon.
"No pro-YEOW!" WaruSeadramon then looked down to see a Wyvern chomping on his tail. "That's the second time today!" He then went to chace the Wyvern as it let go and flew off, away from the angry sea serpent.
Sora then launched a Firaga at Rourke, striking him in the side and allowing Aqua to flip over him and slash him across the back. Shin then fired a blast of light at Rourke's leg, causing him to kneel down on the ground. He then parried a strike from Sora as he took advantage of his moment of weakness.
"Just give up already!" Shin cried as he went in for a stab. Rourke sidestepped the attack and shouldered Shin, making him drop his sword and knocking him into a weakened pipe, causing him to fall over. Luckily, the pipe caused the rotating blades under the balloon to stop, preventing Shin from getting sliced. Rourke then lept down and went after the teen.
"We have to help him!" Sora cried as he ran over to where Shin fell. He stopped just in time to avoid a large sword as it slammed dow on where he would have bee.
"We have our own problems!" Aqua said as several Pirate Heartless appeared around them.
"Well, I have to hand it to you," Rourke began. "You're a bigger pain in the neck than I would have ever thought possible. I consider myself an even-tempered man. It takes a lot to get under my skin...but congratulations...you just won the solid-gold kewpie doll."
Rourke took a swing at Shin, who kept swinging along the pipes to avoid getting cut. He then dropped down to the crate where Kida was held. He ducked down to avoid another swipe which shattered the glass hole on the crate.
"Tired Mr. Verus?" Rourke asked with a pshycotic grin on his face, "Aw, that's a darn shame," Shin then grabbed a piece of broken glass and held it like a dagger, "cause I'm just getting warmed up!" Rourke then swung his ax at Shin again, this time sinking his ax into the crate. Shin cut Rourke's arm with the glass, causing the mercenary to drop the teen, and the cut to glow blue. Shin then began to climb up towards the platform.
"AAARRGGHHH!" Shin looked back to see Rourke turning into a blue crystal-like being. Shin began to climb back up, thinking that Rourke was a statue. The next thing he knew, he was being dragged down by something grabbing his ankle. He looked down to see Rourke, alive and...somewhat well, roaring at him.
"Let go of me!" Shin yelled as he used his other foot to stomp on his face, causing it to crack a little. Rourke then let go and grabbed his face, roaring in agony. Shin then made a mad scramble towards the platform where Sora and Aqua were finishing up the Heartless.
"Quick, get me a hammer!" Shin yeleld as he vaulted himself over the railing.
"Why?" Sora asked. He got his reply when a blue, crystal hand grabbed the railing and revealed the transformed Rourke.
"That's why!" Shin said as he made a dash for his fallen sword. He grabbed it and got into his battle stance.
"What is that?!" Aqua asked, taking a step back.
"Rourke," Shin answered as he summoned a Thundaga to strike the 'man' before him. The lightning struck him and paralyzed him for a bit, allowing Sora to strike him and making a huge crack to appear along his arm. Rourke screamed in pain and went to smack Sora.
"I don't think so!" Roxas appeared and blocked Rourke's strike with one of the Oblivion Guns, he then aimed the other one and fired a dark blast at him. The blast caused his arm to completely shatter.
"Just keep hitting him, he's fragile!" Terra yelled as she fired a crescent shaped energy blast at Rourke, cutting off his hand.
"Keep it up!" A Scorpiomon X said as he jumped down from the wall and went to slice Rourke's head off. The crystal man jumped away and glared at the group. Suddenly a flare hit the balloon and caused it to explode. The force caused Rourke to lose his balance and fall over the railing, where he was sliced apart by the rotating blades.
(Music End)
"We need to get out of here!" Aqua said as the balloon began to fall at an alarming rate. All the Keyblade wielders summoned their Gliders, Shin activated his wings, and Terra began to float.
"Hop on!" Scorpiomon X looked and saw MegaSeadramon flying upto the balloon. Scorpiomon turned back to normal and jumped on top of him. They then flew away from the balloon.
"Get ready to catch it!" GigaSeadramon cried as he cut the chains on the crate, causing it to fall. All four Divermon threw their harpoons at the crate, while it didn't damage it, it caused it to not fall with as much intensity. They caught it and ran away from the impact zone as the flaming balloon crashed onto the floor.
"Thank goodness that's over," Milo sighed, speking too soon. The ground began to shake as cracks began to appear.
"The volcano, she AWAKES!" Mole exclaimed.
"Hey! I had nothing to do with this," Vinnie said as he held up a lit dynamite before extinguishing the flame.
"This here's not a good place to be," Cookie said as he prepared to take off.
"We've gotta get the crystal back to Atlantis, it's the only way to reverse this!" Milo said, wrapping a chain around the crate while Sweet wrapped it around Roxas and Sora's Gliders. Everyone got on their respective rides and flew away as the volcano began to erupt and a tsunami of lava followed everyone outside.
"AAAHHH!" WaruSeadramon cried as his some lava hit his tail. "What is it with my tail getting abused today!?" Eventually, everyone was able to get out of the cave and flew towards the city, lava slowly bursting from the wall.
"The fissure! She is about to unleash her pyroclastic fury!" Mole exclaimed.
"Milo! Mole says the wall's gonna blow!" Sweet explained.
"Sora! Unlock it!" Shin yelled as the crate was lowered at the center of the city. Sora jumped off his Glider as it transformed back into his Keyblade and aimed it at the crate as he was falling. A blue light circled the tip and a beam of light struck the lock. The crate fell apart and the pieces began rotating around Kida's figure. All the markings on the city began to light up and a murmuring sound could be heard, echoing throughout the city.
The ground began to shake and several stone faces shot out of the ground and took the place of the crate pieces as the crystal rose into the air. They began rotating faster, becoming a blinding star that was gaining power. A beam of light shot out of the crystal and struck an ancient relic, revealing it to be an ancient giant as it stood up. More beams of light hit relics and islands, reviving the giants. They moved across the water, standing on the edge of the city and waited for the others to get there. Once all the giants were at the perimeter of the city, they clapped their hands and a energy shield began to form and cover the city.
The lava began to cover the dome, but didn't penetrate it in the slightest. Once the lava covered the dome, the crystal emitted an energy that turned the lava into stone, sealing Atlantis inside. Then the rock began to crack and fall away as the shield began to pulse and break the rock covering, once the rock fell away, the shield died down and the water began to flow throughout the city again.
Through the mist, Milo looked and saw Kida slowly being lowered by an invisible force. He caught her and woke her up to see a small bracelet in her hands. She then hugged Milo, much to his embarassment.
Shin tried to look through the mist for Terra. Because it was so thick, he had to use his hands to guide him. He then felt something soft, and firm, thinking it was Mole because of his jacket, he shook it, and reveived a whack on the head. He looked up in his pain and saw a red faced Aqua, tightly gripping her Keyblade. Quickly realizing what happened, he scrambled away from Aqua as she chased him, swinging her Keyblade everywhere, trying to give him a concussion.
Suddenly, the mist was blown away and everyone saw a figure in a black coat standing in the middle of the area.
"Told you," GigaSeadramon said as he swiped his tail at him. The figure just stood there as a shadowy figure shot out of the ground and caught the tail. It was the Guardian.
"Ansem!" Sora yelled, going to slice him with his Keyblade. The figure just jumped away and chuckled.
"Sorry, wrong person," he said. Aqua took a step forward, a look of disbelief on her face.
"It can't be...Terra?" She asked. The figure looked at her, yellow eyes glowing from under his hood. He reached up and removed his hood, revealing tanned skin, silver, spiked hair, and yellow eyes.
"How long has it been? 11 years?" he asked as the Guardian floated behind him.
"Your...a Seeker?" Aqua asked.
"Well, I am a form of myself from a different time," he said, referring to himself as Xehanort.
"Terra, you have to fight his control!" Aqua cried.
"Aqua, who is this?" Sora asked as he looked at the two.
"My friend...who's under Xehanort's control," Aqua answered.
"Well that's some intereting news," GigaSeadramon said as he slithered over. "New test, beat the Seeker, and you'll pass."
"Alright," Aqua said as she stepped forward, a look of determination on her face.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Shin asked, having recovered from his injury.
"I beat him before, I can do it again," Aqua said.
(Battle Music-The 13th Dilemma-Kingdom Hearts II)
"I'd like to see you try!" Xehanort said as he summoed his Keyblade and raced towards her. Aqua created a barrier that stopped Xehanort's strike and allowed her to hit him. He stumbled back and fired a Dark Firaga at her. Aqua countered with her own Firaga, canceling the attacks.
"Surrender!" Xehanort yelled as he used his Dark Volley Shotlock. Aqua cartwheeled away from the target area, but two of them struck her in the leg.
"You see how powerless you are," Xehanort said as he walked forward. Aqua healed her leg and stood up, glaring at him.
"You're not going to beat me," Aqua said.
Xehanort just chuckled and said, "Face the facts, my darkness is more powerful than your light."
Aqua said nothing as she dashed forward and swung her Keyblade, which was promptly blocked. Aqua then sensed something beneath her and saw a portal of darkness with two yellow eyes staring at her. Realizing what it was, she jumped away as the Guardian burst out and tried to strike her. Xehanort jumped after her and took a swipe at her, which she dodged. Aqua countered with Blizzaga, partially freezing Xehanort, only for the Guardian to break the ice.
"Pitiful, is this the extent of your power?" Xehanort asked. When he received no answer he turned and transformed his Keyblade into a giant cannon and aimed it at her.
"That's a litte overkill," Roxas said as he backed up.
"I concur," Milo said as he hid behind Sweet.
"Sink into Darkness!" Xehanort yelled as he fored an energy ball at Aqua. She stood up and blocked it, deflecting it back to him. Xehanort had no time to dodge as the ball exploded, sending debris everywhere. Aqua stood there ready for Xehanort to emerge when she saw a small shadow zip through the ground until it was under her. She jumped away, just as Xehanort emerged with a large hand of darkness.
"Disappear!" Xehanort shouted as he attacked Aqua with a fast combo. The Keyblade Master dodged each of his attackes and struck at him, but the Guardian blocked her strike and grabbed her arm.
"Let go!" Aqua yelled as she struggled to get away. Xehanort just chuckled and prepared to strike her. Aqua then summoned her Keyblade in her left hand and struck the Guardian's arm, forcing it to release her just as Xehanort struck with the dark hand again. Xehanort growled as the Guardian reappearded behind him.
"Why do you keep fighting?!" Xehanort yelled as the hand disappeared. He took a step forward beofre he fell to the floor, clutching his chest. His Keyblade and the Guardian disappearing.
(Music End)
Everyone watched as he began to glow a bright light and a voice could be heard.
"Get out of my body!"
"Terra!" Aqua cried as she ran towards Xehanort. Yellow arrows struck the ground before her, making her stop. Everyone turned and saw a small figure in a black coat with a faint silver aura around him. He walked over to Xehanort and put his hand on his head, an aura of darkness was then sucked into Xehanort's being. He then stood up and faced the new figure.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
The small figure chuckled and said, "The master wanted me to check up on you. Judging by the surroundings, I venture to guess that you failed in retrieving the Heart?"
"Unfortunately..." Xehanort replied. The Guardian then sprung up from the ground to shield the two from a Firaga, courtesy of Sora.
"Seems like your resident is still fighting for control," The smaller figure said, taking no notice of the attack.
"I'm still in control, I just didn't expect him to fight harder when he saw his old friend," Xehanort argued.
"I see, well, we best be going, no point in this failed mission," the small figure then held up a small orb of darkness that began to surround the two.
"Terra!" Aqua cried again. Xehanort looked at her with a mix of care and disgust. Aqua noticed the faint brown color in his hair.
"Aqua, I'm sorry..."
The two of them disappeared, Aqua then fell down to her knees, the guilt of failing her friend rising up. Sora walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm impressed," GigaSeadramon said as he slithered over.
"I guess I failed huh?" Aqua asked.
GigaSeadramon chuckled before saying, "On the contrary, due to your presence causing the sleeping heart within him, and your skills, you pass."
"So what do I get?" Aqua asked.
"Something that asked to be returned to you," GigaSeadramon said as he summoned a large chest. Aqua approached the chest and tapped it with her Keyblade, opening it. Inside was a black Keyblade with a silver handle.
"But..I lost this in the Realm of Darkness!" Aqua cried.
"And I found it floating on the sea on my way here," GigaSeadramon said. "When I picked it up, it told me that it wanted to be returned to you."
"I don't know what to say," Aqua said, "thank you." GigaSeadramon waved her off as he slithered over to the new queen.
"Who's Keyblade is that?" Roxas asked.
"This was my Master's, his name was Master Eraqus," Aqua told him. "This Keyblade is called the Master Keeper."
GigaSeadramon approached Kida and bowed before her, "Queen Kida, how nice to finally meet you. Your father spoke kindly of you when we spoke in the past."
"What are you here for?" Kida demended.
The Dark Lord sighed and said, "Straight and to the point I see. Very well, your father already allowed it, but I'll say it again, we need to take a small portion of the Heart."
"What for?" Milo asked.
"The Emperor needs it for his medicine,"GigaSeadramon lied, "its healing properties will allow him to recover faster."
Kida stared at him for a moment before saying, "Very well, take what you need." GigaSeadramon bowed again before turning to MegaSeadramon and shouting out orders.
Roxas had walked over to the beach and stared out at the ocean. He noticed something at his foot and picked it up. It was a seashell that was pink on the top and yellow in the bottom with three points on it. Roxas then felt something in the back of his head, giving him a headache. He then heard a female voice in the back of his head.
"Roxas."
He knew that voice, and yet, it was unfamiliar to him. Roxas was confused, did he know who that was, or was it just a figment of his imagination? The more Roxas thought about it, the more his head hurt. He decided to leave the matter alone for now, so he pocketed the seashell and left to regroup with the others.
"Atlantis will honor your names forever," Kida said as she put a wreath around Shin's neck. "I only wish there was more we could do for you."
"Uh, I think we're good," Sweet said as he looked at the large pile of gold in front of their transport.
"That'll take you as far as the surface," Milo said as he stood by Kida.
"I heard there's a hero's welcoming for the man who discovered Atlantis," Sora said as he sat down on one of the rocks.
"Thank's but, I heard there's an opening here for an expert in gibberish," he replied.
"We are really going to miss you, Milo," Vinnie began, "You know, I'm going to reopen the flower shop...and I'm going to think of you guys every single day...Monday through Friday, Saturday until 2:00. Sunday...I'm going to take Sunday off probably, and maybe I'll go in for a couple of hours, you know...but August, I'm going to take August."
"I ain't so good at speechifyin'," Cookie began, stepping up to Sora, "but I wanted you to have this, it's the bacon grease from the whole trip." Cookie then handed Sora a pot of slop that was overflowing.
"Uh, thanks?" Sora said as he held it away from him.
"Hey Sora!" Shin called out, "you forgetting something?" Sora looked at him in confusion making Shin sigh. Shin then pointed at the Heart of Atlantis which was floating above the city, still Sora didn't get it. Terra then held up a drawing of a Keyhole, Sora then snapped his fingers in relization.
"Why didn't you say so?" Shin was using all his willpower to keep himself from strangling the Keyblade wielder.
"Makes you wonder how he survived this long," Shinryu muttered. Sora then summoned his Glider and flew up to the crystal. The rocks stopped rotating as he got closer, allowing him to aim at the crystal. He realized that he needed to dismiss his Glider in order to use his Keyblade. So he sat down on one of the stone faces and summoned his Keyblade, and aimed it at the Heart. Like before, a light circled the tip of the blade and a small beam of light struck the Heart, and a locking sound could be heard. Sora flew back to his friends and landed in front of them.
"Cool light show, do you do parties?" Vinnie asked.
"Uh, no," Sora said.
"Well now that we're done here, tme to go," Roxas said as he climbed the ramp leading up to the Gummi Ship. Everyone else followed him and the Gummi Ship then took off into the sky, leaving the city of Atlantis behind them.
Whew! Finally done! Between all the schoolwork I'm getting and High School hockey, I barely get any time to write.
Now for some somber news, I recently found out that one of my favorite stories, Metal Overdrive, has been discontinued. It was probably the best story centered around Metal Sonic. I really hope a rewrite or something comes up.
Now for a poll as to what's next. Here are the choices:
1. A chapter centered around Riku and his adventure.
2. A chapter focusing on a small adventure from Lighteron's perspective.
3. Continuing Sora and co.'s journey.
Please review! Ciao!