A/N: Thanks to singintoyourself and japaneserockergirl for reviewing!
I don't own Kingdom Hearts; my OCs are mine, blah, blah, blah. On with the story!
XXI. The Fire of Wrath
"First things first," Kairi muttered. She couldn't do too much if Omegasis kept her in his giant hand. "He doesn't like light much…"
You're talking to yourself.
Shut up! Kairi continued to think despite Naminé's interruption. Right! He always hated when I was all shiny…but why am I not doing that? I thought I have to be all wrathful or compassionate or something…
Maybe your new powers let you control it?
Sounds like an idea. She focused, trying to discover a way to bring out the light. In the midst of her thoughts a voice that was neither hers nor Naminé's stirred up a word Kairi didn't recognize. Maybe that's the weird instinct I kept hearing back at the coronation…well, why not? In a powerful voice she shouted, "Royal Light!"
Immediately her skin shone with a pure white, and almost as quickly Omegasis let out a howl of surprise and agony. His huge hand opened, and Kairi fell to the ground, slowing herself with an Aeroga and restraining her light back inside her body.
King Mickey turned from Omegasis with a shocked expression on his face. "Kairi! You're alive! But…how?"
"The Princesses of Heart intervened…it was coronation time apparently," Kairi said nonchalantly.
The King nodded, understanding. "Well, it's good to have you back, Princess."
"Oh, please, don't bother with titles, Your Majesty," Kairi replied. "Let's just get rid of this thing, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan." The King immediately charged towards Omegasis who had now recovered from the burning pain of Kairi's light.
"Wait! Wait!" Kairi called. The King stopped, confused. "You can't hurt him physically; he just brings all the blood back and heals. The only thing that really gives him trouble is light."
"Hm. Makes sense," the King said thoughtfully, dodging a dark sphere from Omegasis.
"You stall him; I'll get to the Cornerstone," Kairi said.
"Right!" the King replied. He faced the monster who was firing spines and dark energy attacks with a renewed fury. Meanwhile Kairi sprinted towards the castle, noticing the shocked glances of the Guardians.
"Coronation!" she said simply, hoping they'd understand. All three smiled and nodded; Hayner added, "That's what I thought all along!"
"Are you joking? You thought she was dead before we all did!" Pence retorted.
"Shut up!"
"Hey, don't lie in front of a Princess of Heart!"
"What, just because I'm a Princess you all have to be perfect? Nah, that's my job!" Kairi joked. The Guardians laughed, trying to lighten the mood; Kairi might still be alive, but Omegasis was still quite fearsome.
The newly crowned Princess of Heart slowed her pace, ready to touch the one of the most powerful sources of light in all the worlds: the Cornerstone of Light.
She raised her hand and looked toward Omegasis.
Riku blocked another swing from Ruxik's staff and countered with all his strength. The force sent Ruxik backwards a bit, allowing the Keyblader to fall to one knee. The fight had barely lasted ten minutes, and he was already completely drained. This was more difficult than any battle he had ever fought; Ruxik knew all of his techniques and tendencies as well as he did, but Riku had no such familiarity of his foe. It was like fighting a stronger, faster and smarter version of himself.
"Tired already?" mocked the Nobody, triumphantly approaching his vessel. "Ah, the advantages of having no heart—we don't ever fatigue!"
Riku gasped out a few more breaths before mustering the energy to cast a Curaga—he'd be healthier, but magic was out of the question for a while. With renewed strength he shouted, "I won't rest while you exist!"
"Is that so? You seem to be quite exhausted already. Perhaps I should try harder and put you out of your misery…"
"Exhausted? Is that what you call this?!" Enraged, Riku unleashed a brutal flurry of slashes and stabs. At first Ruxik had to block them, but eventually the attacks were so desperate and inaccurate that he didn't need to move. Finally he countered with a single horizontal swipe and sent Riku flying into a statue. The Keyblader's head rang with intense pain, and the world around him seemed watery. Without adrenaline fueling him on the pain in his arm returned, and he winced—the fight was not speeding up the healing process at all.
"Yes, my vessel, that is what I call exhausted," Ruxik taunted. "You're making this far too easy; I expected a much greater challenge. You fought me better back in Twilight Town as I recall…I suppose you don't have any ancient magic up your sleeves this time?"
Riku pondered this for a moment as his foe approached. That is strange. The last time I fought him my Keyblade was on fire. But now…what's wrong? Am I not angry enough or something? Does he have to mention my past just to get that fire back?
Wait. I was angry when this all started. I had to calm myself down…he was talking about my past! Maybe that is the trigger.
Come to think of it, how did this fight start? I was on my way to the Cornerstone…Kairi needed it…
KAIRI!
Suddenly Riku bolted to his feet. Ruxik was taken aback by the sudden display of energy, and the scornful look on his face showed a hint of surprise.
"Where's the fire?"
"Exactly where you left it," Riku said in a rush. His eyes frantically scanned for a way out and found none. His mind raced to a solution, for once not taking the time to ensure that it was the best course of action.
"What's that supposed to—urgh!" Ruxik's sentence was cut off as he found Way to the Dawn in his stomach, blade-first. He ripped out the blade, ignoring the wound as he prepared to turn the weapon on his vessel…but he was already running from the courtyard. Riku waved his hand, and to Ruxik's dismay the Keyblade reappeared there. With one slash he penetrated the barrier Ruxik had created, and before the Nobody could fully understand what had happened, the Keyblader was halfway to the armory.
That wretched coward! Oh, I look forward to the day when I finish him off! How could I have been born of someone so cowardly?
Perhaps…this isn't cowardice. It's that infernal nobility. He's going for the girl.
Oh, he'll be back. But next time I won't make it so easy to escape…who am I kidding? There won't be a next time! Omegasis will have a juicy little snack of that boy. But then he might turn on the girl…I guess I'll have to make sure this doesn't get out of hand. Without another word he conjured a portal, heading for the area surrounding the armory.
Omegasis may have been little more than an animal (if that), but he still saw what was happening. That ball of light was far too strong for his tastes—it hurt just to gaze upon it. And that girl was close to it—that simply could not be good. Instinctively he blindly launched a flurry of spines, hoping at least one would hit the girl or perhaps shatter that ball.
King Mickey saw this unfold; as soon as Omegasis reared his arms, he jumped into the air and cast a Reflega. Most of the spines hit the spell or missed Kairi entirely, but one managed to pierce the spell and carry on its path to Kairi.
Pence's alert eye caught this. "Kairi! Move!"
Picking up on his fearful tone, Kairi turned around and gasped as she saw a purple spine heading for her. Without time to cast a spell, she dove to the ground. The spine narrowly missed her but bounced off the Cornerstone instead, falling to the ground harmlessly.
"Well, that was close," Kairi said rather unnecessarily. Suddenly she felt sick to her stomach, and her eye caught something amiss with the Cornerstone. From the point where the spine had hit, a purplish-black substance seemed to spreading. It seemed like a strange hybrid of a liquid and gas, but this was far from Kairi's mind--it was dimming the Cornerstone's light. As the light grew dimmer, she grew sicker and soon felt the urge to vomit. She tried to stand but staggered, and her hand brushed the Cornerstone as she fell.
Even in her sickened state she noticed how the strange substance dispersed from where her hand touched. It proceeded to come back in full force, but the dispersion gave her an idea. Again she tried to come to her feet, but the strange illness had made her too weak to stand.
"Kairi!" Olette cried, running to her side. She knelt beside Kairi, scanning her. Her pale, sickly complexion was immediately obvious, and her skin was cold to the touch. However the marks on Kairi's palms were the giveaway: despite being so close to the Cornerstone, they were hardly shining at all. The female Guardian turned to her companions. "That spine darkened the Cornerstone. She can heal it, but the darkness made her pretty sick."
"But…why can't you do it?" Kairi asked weakly.
"That Cornerstone is fueled by a different kind of light than we have…only you Princesses can interfere with it," Olette replied.
Kairi sighed. "Of course."
"Well, I guess we're going to have to prop you up," Hayner said, casually strolling over with Pence. The Guardians slowly lifted Kairi to her feet; when she didn't move touch the stone, Pence held her wrist and guided it to the stone.
At this time Omegasis howled and launched another spine. Olette happened to chance a glance backwards and immediately cried, "Down!"
In the blink of an eye the Guardians hit the ground, bringing a dazed Kairi with them. Unfortunately this most recent spine hit the Cornerstone as well, and soon the stone was almost completely dark. Kairi was now on the verge of unconsciousness; her newly awakened regal instincts couldn't bear the sight of so much light contaminated so fully. A shudder shook down her spine as tears began to fall down her face. She was dimly shocked at such emotion that she didn't quite understand, but she was too physically weak to control her own emotions.
"Oh jeez…" Olette cringed and looked to the other Guardians. "She's really not taking this well; she's too young a Princess to witness this."
"Well, just keep her conscious!" Hayner nearly shouted. "You try to take care of the light; I'll just try to keep her awake!"
"What are we supposed to do?" Pence retorted. "I'm no Princess of Heart. She needs a different light than what we've got."
"I think I might be able to help here."
The Guardians all turned on a dime and smiled. Hayner was the first to speak once he was sure Kairi was still awake. "Hey, Riku, where've you been?"
"Saving the King, battling Ruxik…you know, the usual," Riku replied casually.
"Cool…so how can you help?" Pence queried.
"Give me a second…" Riku closed his eyes, digging into his memory, searching for the phrases that set him off.
"But you gave yourself to darkness; did you not? Embodying Xehanort who wanted to find the ultimate darkness, attempting to kill your best friend to save your love, trying to take said love's heart…that's pretty close to being a Heartless if you ask me."
"You still wanted the darkness! You knew that darkness would give you greater power, and so you gave yourself to it!"
"Just keep pretending you're so perfect. Please. It'll make it so much more fun to remind you that you spent a year wandering through the realm of darkness and tried to kill your 'best friend'."
"Don't try to deny this, Riku; you know every word I speak is true!"
A furious scream formed in Riku's throat. He unleashed it, relishing every echo. The Guardians looked at him in shock. Kairi awoke from her stupor enough to gaze at the source of the terrible noise. Even the bloodthirsty Omegasis stared.
Soon not a single eye was looking at Riku; rather his Keyblade.
It was on fire. The dark flame, familiar to Riku, was a shock to everyone else—despite its dark color it illuminated the area about a hundred yards from the blade. It took a few seconds for the Guardians to recognize it for what it was.
"Congratulations, Riku; you've finally mastered the Fire of Wrath," Pence said.
"Don't distract me—I've gotta stay ticked off, or I'll lose it," Riku replied through gritted teeth. Without another word he took off, charging towards Omegasis.
Pence shrugged. "Okay, so he hasn't quite mastered it yet,"
Kairi meanwhile had felt strangely comforted since the light from the Keyblade had been cast. She awoke from her near-unconscious stupor, felt the nausea fade and could stand again albeit weakly. As she got to her feet, surprising Olette, she asked curiously, "So does anyone know why I'm fine again?"
"The Fire of Wrath must have some healing qualities, I guess," Pence offered. "It's the right kind of light anyway; it was the Princesses' creation."
"Well, anyway, it worked," Kairi replied. "But what is that idiot Riku doing?" He was still charging Omegasis head-on, but he took a sharp left when he saw a salvo of spikes heading for the King. He jumped to cleave them in half with his Keyblade, but instead the flames reacted; they leapt from the blade as if they had grown an arm and grabbed the spikes. Immediately the spikes became ash and fell to the ground; Omegasis responded with a frustrated growl.
"Hey, Riku!" the King called jovially. "What's the plan?"
"Let me get behind him; I've got to draw his attention away from Kairi!" Riku snarled. He felt no ill will towards his king, but he was forcing himself to remain angry by dwelling on Ruxik's words, or else he would lose the Fire of Wrath that engulfed his Keyblade.
His angry tone was lost on the King who nodded and proceeded to charge up a flurry of light spells. Omegasis growled in anger at the burning pain the spells caused and punched the ground with four arms. The intensity of the blow dealt shockwaves in all directions, knocking the King and Riku off their feet. Riku quickly recovered and continued running around the titan, but the King was pinned by one of the Heartless's gigantic arms.
"Your Majesty!" Riku cried, redoubling his speed in an effort to save his king. Finally he took up his position directly behind Omegasis and steeled himself. He had never done this on deliberately before, and perhaps it was a risk to try it here—but he had no other options. He had to save Kairi and the King, and he had to prove his strength to his Nobody. Ruxik was a dangerous foe—his vessel was looking to prove he had equal power from his devotion to light, manifest now in this flame covering his Keyblade. A deep, powerful instinct took over him now; something in his mind recognized it as the voice of a long-dead Keyblader.
"Behold, Omegasis!" he bellowed, using a voice far deeper than his own. The beast turned, releasing his forceful grip on the King who immediately cast Curaga on himself and watched the spectacle unfolding in front of him. Riku continued to open his mouth, allowing the ancient Keyblader to awaken some secret strength within him. "Darkest of beasts, firstborn of the shadow, behold the Fire of Wrath!"
With that he thrust his Keyblade into the ground, and crevasses appeared from where the blade hit the ground. Dark flames leapt from Way to the Dawn as it had done before, forming a great tendril of fire. To Riku's surprise this was not the end; more tendrils formed from the cracks in the ground until there were dozens of them, covering Omegasis in their burning grasp. The giant Heartless howled in agony; this light was agony to him. He writhed and flailed, but the flames stuck to his flesh, and he could feel his power waning. In desperation he let out a deep bellow that shook the earth, and he thrust all six arms down to his sides, casting a massively powerful spell. The flames formed a tighter shell around him but lost their light, and suddenly they dissipated. With the light from the fire gone darkness covered the area around Omegasis.
"This looks like my cue," Kairi muttered, far from this scene. The strength that the Fire had given her had not yet faded, and she thrust her hand to the Cornerstone before Omegasis could interfere. Immediately the strange substance coursing through the Cornerstone disappeared, and Kairi felt a sensation akin to when the Princesses of Heart had given her their power. However this time the sensation was exponentially stronger; she felt herself levitating off the ground from the intense power of light entering her body. She cast her arms down to her sides and flexed, trying to harness this incredible power, and the dress she had worn at her coronation magically replaced her silver battle garments. Her tiara appeared on her head as well; and she knew she had mastered the light of the Cornerstone.
"Omegasis!" Her voice like Riku's had adopted a tone not her own; from her throat echoed the voices of the Princesses of Heart. The beast turned from the boy with the flaming sword to the girl who was shining like a sun. In pain he tried to turn back but found himself caught between two sources of light. Eventually he settled on Riku, the lesser of the two evils. Kairi responded by thrusting out her hand; a ribbon of light appeared, caught Omegasis by the arm and turned him around to face her.
"Omegasis!" she called again. "You will not escape your fate!" Without thinking she turned to Riku; her regal instincts had control of her at this point. "Keyblader! Let the Fire of Wrath burn again, and the beast will fall!"
Riku stood with mouth agape at this shining, royal version of Kairi. He had absolutely no idea what was happening, but the voice of the old Keyblader spoke for him. "Yes, Majesty!" He grabbed Way to the Dawn and pulled it out of the ground only to stab it further down than the previous attempt. Again the Fire of Wrath engulfed Omegasis, yet Riku had devoted not one thought to Ruxik and his cutting words.
The titanic Heartless roared in agony once more, but before he could cast a spell to save himself, he saw Kairi. She was covered by strands of solid light that swirled around her like serpentine moons around a planet. The strands moved more swiftly, and soon it appeared as though they formed an egg-shaped orb around the Princess. Yet this orb did not hide her booming voice. "Your time has come, Omegasis!"
The strands of light swiftly fled from Kairi, but her brightness did not fade. They formed a colossal hammer in the sky, brighter than any star and larger than even the massive Heartless. Kairi grabbed the handle with one hand and effortlessly swung downward onto Omegasis. The hammer erupted in a shower of blinding light, and the beast let out a howl so piercing that the castle walls cracked. The sound continued for some time until finally the light grew even brighter and at last faded. Looking upwards, Kairi could just barely see the hearts Omegasis had stolen flying to their domain. She allowed herself to float back down to the ground, meeting the shocked glance of King Mickey and the wide smiles of the Guardians; they knew exactly what had transpired. To her slight disappointment her dress disappeared again and was replaced by her battle garments.
By this time Riku had finally made his way back to the armory. Upon seeing Kairi, he smiled weakly. "Good job, Kairi…whatever you just did." With that he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
This time it was Pence who examined the Keyblader. He shook his head, still smiling. "This might be the stupidest thing ever, but… he fell asleep!"
Kairi couldn't help but laugh. "Lazy boy! I could go for another round with…" Suddenly she felt a wave of exhaustion nearly knock her to the ground as well. "Okay, maybe not."
"Let's get you to a bed, shall we?" Olette offered. She looked to Hayner and Pence. "I guess you guys can haul him up to his room."
"Hey, why us?" Hayner griped.
"Because I say I like Olette's idea, and I'm a Princess," Kairi retorted playfully. The whole party laughed at her joke and slowly began to return to the castle. Kairi walked a little slower than the rest, casting one last glance at the sky.
Did you see that, Sora? I only hope this is what you'd want of me…I think it is.
If only you were here to see it… Even her grief could not quell her triumph—or exhaustion. With the promise of her incredible bed waiting for her she turned and walked into the castle.
A/N: Reviews are always appreciated!