Chapter 23- Fallen Souls
Two against one, a state of battle that does not always reveal clear victors; either the strength in numbers or the tenacity of the sole combatant prove decisive inevitably. Presently, this particular scenario was especially unpredictable: all present combatants were already drained physically and mentally. Despite this, 'Sairu' looked positively elated, clutching his black Lunablade tightly despite his fatigue. Riku and Vincent, by comparison, were not so joyous: both clutching their respective weapons and on the verge of collapse. The fierce glares in their amber and crimson eyes, however, showed they weren't ready to relinquish the fight. "Come on, is that the best you've got... And here I thought you'd be a challenge" he remarked exasperatedly as he shouldered his sword, eyeing them maliciously.
"Haa… Haa… You're nothing like the kid. You can't really blame us for struggling to keep up" Vincent remarked amongst ragged breathing, though 'Sairu' retorted "Yeah, you're right about that… I'm nothing like that weakling! I'm better, stronger…" "Save your speech. So what if you're stronger? Sairu's my friend, and whatever you are, you're certainly no ally of mine" Riku remarked as he rose his blade to his usual position. "Whatever… Strength is that all matters to me anyway. I'm not the kind to play around with weaklings who can't even think of defending themselves!" he retorted as he charged at Vincent, blade drawn behind him ready to strike. Despite his gun being primed and ready, Vincent aimed but suddenly, he hesitated. Thankfully, Riku intervened in the nick of time and summoned a shield to intercept the attack, but in that moment, he caught a glimpse of the pendant around Sairu's neck, and suddenly, had an idea as Sairu retreated to a safer distance.
"Thanks, but I had a perfect shot. I didn't need you to step in" Vincent stated. "Maybe, but I have an idea: that pendant he wears" Riku replied nonchalantly. "So… what about it? It's just a piece of metal on a cord" "No, it's his most prized possession. One time, it allowed Sairu to reach out and help me when I needed it. So what if… what if it can work the same in reverse? What if we can reach out to help him?" Riku explained, though the expression on Vincent's face showed disbelief. "Nice theory, but there is one problem: if the kid's pendant can do all that, then it looks like we have to take it from him. And even then, how do we know how to use it?"
"I'm not sure about that last part, but you're right about one thing: we need to get the pendant for it to work" Riku admitted in a resigned tone of voice. "What are you clowns talking about? You think this piece of junk can help you? Go ahead and try to take it!" But as soon as he said that, Riku struck with his Soul Eater, forcing him to block the attack, but as he held his position, he was sure he heard him remark "Hmph", but too late: Vincent had dashed behind and reaching around to his neck, pulled the pendant away, ripping the cord in the process. "Thanks for making that easy. Here, you take it!" Vincent remarked as he tossed it to Riku, who caught it with his free hand. Not sure what to expect, Riku slammed it against 'Sairu's' chest, expecting some sort of reaction, but several seconds of silence later, the latter grinned maliciously again.
"Too bad, that was your last chance. Now it's time for me to-" But suddenly, a bright light began to shine from the pendant in Riku's hand, causing Vincent to step back as it grew blindingly brighter. As for Riku and a now bewildered 'Sairu', shielding their eyes from the light, he eventually noticed the light fade and by the time it had disappeared, Riku discovered that he was no longer in the canyon: he was surrounded by darkness and the only light around him came from below: a stained-glass platform that depicted Sairu in sleep, but amongst the colours, shadows were pulsing all around him and the platform was littered with thousands of cracks. Raising his head, Riku then noticed a figure suspended in midair in front of him: Sairu, unconscious, and shrouded in chains that pulsated with dark magic. "Sairu! Hey, you with me? Sairu!" Riku called but if Sairu had heard, he gave no indication. "He can't wake up" a solemn voice spoke, one Riku didn't recognise. Following the voice, there stood an elderly man with black hair tied in a topknot, dressed in a white shroud with what appeared to be armour, though Riku took particular note of the crest on his midriff.
"Who are you? Are you what's controlling him?" Riku enquired as he raised Soul Eater, aiming it at his chest in a threatening position. "Absolutely not. Why would I wish to enslave my godson?" Eraqus retorted in an offended manner. "You're his… godfather?" "Rather slow, aren't we… Riku?" Eraqus responded eyeing him cautiously. "You know my name… my old name, anyway. But why are you here?" Riku enquired in a cautious voice of his own. "What you see is merely a fragment of my heart, that I endowed into the pendant that Sairu wears, so that I could watch over him… but alas, I have little power in this domain, thus I cannot free him from his dark self" "Rgh… What can we do, then? Why is this happening?" Riku added despondently. "His departed and his captured friends. First, Ienzo's sacrifice still weighs heavily on his conscience, and now that Kairi has been captured by this Organization, the truth of his powerlessness has shaken his spirit. I do not believe that he will ever really recover, but I know it will get easier once he has accepted that he cannot save everyone"
"Maybe. But how can we remind him? But first, where is this dark side?" Riku remarked as he proceeded to look around, until he noticed something unusual: the darkness surrounding the chains binding Sairu began to gather before Riku, manifesting into a human shape: a doppelganger of Sairu, but with tan skin, red and silvery hair, and sickly yellow eyes. "Present" he remarked with a chuckle. "So what are you? You can't be a Heartless. It doesn't seem right to call you that" "Oh, those things that cause havoc everywhere they go? Don't compare me to such base creatures. I am a being of perfect darkness. Those Heartless don't even register compared with me" "Silence, you foul creature! Release Sairu at once!" Eraqus barked at him, to no desired reaction. "Stay out of this, old timer. There's nothing you can do to help him. You're just a spirit with little influence, your power is worthless!" No sooner had he finished this rebuff that Riku lunged at him and assaulted him ferociously, but Dark Sairu was prepared, black Lunablade at hand with which he parried Riku's attacks one after the other.
"You heard him. Release Sairu, or I'll destroy you myself" Riku stated threateningly. "Big words, but can you back it up?" he stated warningly, but then, Eraqus suddenly dashed past him and raising his hand above, light surrounding and rising towards Sairu. As he became surrounded by the intensity of the light, Sairu's form was now shrouded in Eraqus's armour once again, though he was still bound by the dark chains and seemingly unconscious still. "What… what is that armour?" "Think of it as a chrysalis to protect him until he's ready to wake again. Go, Riku. Now that his hold on Sairu has weakened, his own power will have weakened. Seal him" At this confirmation, Riku raised his blade and struck; despite this setback, Dark Sairu still had enough strength to block the attack. As he attempted to counter, his blade shrouded in dark energy, Riku intercepted by summoning a dark shield around his free arm and intercepted the attack, giving Riku an opening to strike him down the chest, forcing him back. As Dark Sairu recoiled with his injury, Riku soon noticed the chains above loosening their grip, though Sairu still floated.
Refusing to give up, Dark Sairu gestured the tip of his blade towards the ground, and as he did so, Riku felt the effects immediately as he was forced to his knees; soon, it became even stronger, to the point that Riku was soon flat on his front, unable to even twitch a finger. All the while, Dark Sairu approached him, spinning the sword in his hand by the chain, cackling sinisterly before he brought the sword above him, ready to finish him off. As he swung down, however, in a ring of darkness surrounding him as Riku laid there, a shadowy figure materialized behind him and grasped Dark Sairu: the ghost-like Heartless that served Ansem when he fought before. "What?! Hey, let me go!" he exclaimed, attempting to struggle, but the symbiote's grip was already tight and only getting stronger.
As he remained in its clutches, the force restricting Riku faded away, allowing him to rise again. "So, I take it you've met my partner here. Being a shadow, he's not bound by gravity like we are, so it's pointless" he explained in a confident voice. However, Dark Sairu did not share this confidence as he felt his body going limp. His grip faltered, his sword clattering to the ground. "D… Damn… Damn you…" he wheezed before finally bowing his head. Still clutching him in its hands, the Symbiote began to dissolve, surrounding Dark Sairu with a pool of darkness where he began to sink and soon, disappeared completely. Once he was gone, the chains binding Sairu shattered as his armoured body floated down, landing softly on the platform, as it began to reform and return to its original splendour.
"Is he alright?" Riku began to enquire but his answer came almost immediately as Sairu slowly began to rise, the armour fading away, revealing a revitalized Sairu. "Sairu…" he said with a relieved voice. "Riku… thank you" Sairu said emptily with a small smile, before turning to Eraqus and bowing his head in gratitude, who returned the gesture. Soon, Riku's form became surrounded by a pale golden aura and began to rise, before everyone was surrounded by a white light once more. Opening his eyes again, Riku discovered he was now back in the canyon with Sairu and Vincent, the latter looking surprised as they parted from each other. Sairu, standing again, looks around and sees Vincent, affording him a smile which Vincent returned with a smirk and a curt nod. "Looks like you were successful. Nice one" he remarked towards Riku, who nodded and began turning away. "Riku, wait. Where are you going?" Sairu called as he walked away. "Sorry, but it's time for me to carry on. The Organization is still a major threat, and I need to stop them" he explained, without turning to look at him.
"Then why not come with me? If we have you at our side, we'll be sure to defeat them." "I knew you would say that. But I can't go with you, not until…" Riku trailed off as he looked down at his hand. Registering his tone, Sairu responded in quiet sincerity "I understand. I know how you feel. The way I am now… I have to get stronger, so that I can save Kairi and everyone else important to me". "Hmph, right" Riku responded as he turned with an affirmative nod, before being shrouded in a dark corridor and disappearing again. Once he was gone, Sairu turned to Vincent and graciously spoke "Thanks a lot, Vincent" "Just returning the favour" Vincent remarked nonchalantly, as he clasped Sairu's hand in a brotherly gesture. Just then, overhead, a familiar roar echoed across the valley as Lunar Bahamut came tearing over to their location, before landing.
"Lunar Bahamut! Your Majesty?" Sairu asked as he approached his partner. "King Mickey has gone on to the town ahead. At any rate, I am glad to see you again after your disappearing act" Lunar Bahamut interjected in a firm yet understanding voice. "Yeah, me too. Lunar Bahamut, I need your help" "Hm?" "I want you to train me" Sairu responded determinedly as he gazed into the dragon's amber eyes. "What has brought this on?" he enquired politely. "Because I lost control of myself. If not for Riku or Vincent, I probably wouldn't be standing here. The fact that I wasn't strong enough to stop him from taking over has only shown me that as I am, I'm not nearly at the level where I can defeat the Organization. Please, I cannot face Leon and the others until I have grown stronger as a warrior" Sairu explained in an ashamed voice. After a short period of silence, Lunar Bahamut finally responded "Very well. Let us begin immediately" "Right" Retrieving from his pocket a familiar fob watch, Sairu turned to Vincent and spoke "Vincent, do me a favour and don't let anyone know that I arrived. I want to face them… when I can face myself" Saying nothing, Vincent nonetheless acknowledged with a curt nod as Sairu activated the fob watch and disappeared in a flash of light along with Lunar Bahamut, all the while extending Vincent a sincere smile.
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Following their escape through Wildebeest Valley, determined to evade Scar at all costs, the group as a whole were spurred on by the thought of reuniting with a long lost friend, Simba, the rightful king. Eventually, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Nala found themselves in a lush, green oasis where Simba stood, fending off Heartless. After a joyous reunion with his old friends, as well as clearing a misunderstanding with Simba's other friends Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog, Simba and Nala leave to have a private moment, where she attempts to convince him to return as the rightful king. Despite her best efforts, Simba refuses to relive the past, believing it best forgotten much to Nala's anger. During the night, however, Simba, spurred on by advice from his deceased father, Mufasa, ultimately renounces his previous decision and vows to return to Pride Rock to confront his past, accompanied by his trusted friends.
Upon their arrival at Pride Rock, Simba's appearance in front of Scar was met with immediate shock, recoiling as Simba approached him. "Simba! You're… alive!" he noted hastily as he continually retreated before his nephew. "This kingdom doesn't belong to you" Simba retorted, as Nala confidently added "Simba's the rightful king" "The choice is yours, Scar. Either step down or fight" Simba addressed his uncle firmly before his retreat was halted by the cliff face behind him. "Must this all end in violence?" Scar remarked nonchalantly as he walked around Simba. "I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, Simba…" Scar remarked in renewed vigour. "I've put the past behind me" Simba remarked harshly though an undeterred Scar remarked "But what about your faithful subjects? Have they?" "Simba, what's he talking about?" Nala enquired as Scar's rant continued "Go on. Tell them who's responsible for Mufasa's death!" After a period of silence, a dejected Simba finally spoke "I am", shocking everyone as Nala gasped in horror.
With the position reversed, Simba was now on the retreat as Scar gradually approached him with an accusing tone of voice "He admits it! Murderer! If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive. Do you deny it?" "No! But it was an accident!" Simba responded in a feeble form of defence. "You're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to save you. And now everyone knows why!" Scar remarked scathingly as Simba lost his footing at the edge of Pride rock, hanging on to the rock for dear life as Scar eyed him maliciously. "Now this looks familiar. I think I've seen this before. Oh yes! I remember. This is just the way your father looked… before he died" At this statement, Scar then places his claws over Simba's own paws as he leaned in closer and whispered in Simba's ear "And here's my little secret… I killed Mufasa" At this words, something inside Simba snapped and with a second wind, leapt up and landed on top of Scar, pinning him to the ground. "Murderer! Tell them the truth!" Simba exclaimed abundant fury, as he attempts to choke Scar with his claws around his uncle's neck. "All right. All right! I did it" he spoke quietly until Simba urged him to speak louder. "Louder" "I… killed… Mufasa!" Scar declared in an almost triumphant voice, much to the alarm of Sora and co.
At this, the three hyenas ran towards the group atop Pride Rock, pinning Simba down as he was forced to release his grip on Scar, who hastily retreated into the den reserved for the king, whilst Simba was surrounded by the hyenas who attacked him. At this, Sora runs to Simba's side, exclaiming "Simba, you get Scar! We'll handle these guys!" Nodding in agreement, Simba charges into the den after his uncle, whilst more hyenas began to surround Sora. Despite being outnumbered, as the duo of Timon and Pumbaa charged towards the crowd, sending many of the hyenas airborne with exclamations of "S'cuse me! Pardon me! Comin' through!" Their confidence, for lack of a better word, soon disappeared as the remaining hyenas eyed them with a mixture of hunger and anger, forcing the duo to retreat with Sora, Donald and Goofy hot on their paws.
Seeing Timon and Pumbaa being ambushed by the three hyenas who they clashed with before, Sora manages to close the gap between them and Timon and Pumbaa, forcing the hyenas with a mighty swing of his Keyblade. The two trios soon scattered, each contending with another, though Sora remained with Timon and Pumbaa to protect them against the female hyena, Shenzi. Quick and nimble, she was too fast for Sora to attack, though Sora was able to cast Reflect once or twice to throw her back long enough for him to land some damaging blows on her. With each failed attempt on the prey behind her foe, Shenzi was weakening and finally Sora could take the first strike against her, and with a resounding final swing, Shenzi finally retreated especially after her partners Banzai and Ed both failed as well. After the trio of hyenas fled the den, Nala regroups with everyone, and directs them to where Simba and Scar had taken their battle at the very peak of the hill that overlooked all of Pride Rock.
At the site of the battle, the two lions were circling each other though Simba was panting heavily as he focused on his fight. "Simba!" Donald exclaimed, but Sora stopped him by raising his paw, replying "This is his fight, Donald" Soon, the fight resumed as Simba claws Scar's cheek, but he retaliates with a claw attack of his own. Another swift strike was enough to send Simba a considerable distance, near the edge of the peak before Scar attempts to lunge at his nephew, but in a last act to defeat him, Simba intercepts Scar with his hind legs and sends him flying over the edge, screaming as he fell.
Simba made sure he was gone as Sora called "You're okay!" But then an unexpected voice piped up "Aw, that was just a sneak preview!" as Lion Pete appeared behind them. "'Cause this ain't over – not by a long shot!" Gesturing behind them with his raised paw, they saw they Pete was indeed right as a familiar paw clawed the ledge. "Anger and jealousy turned the king of Pride Rock into a Heartless! Oh, your kingdom's gonna rise again… But this time, as the Pride Lands of Darkness!" Pete exclaimed in triumph as Scar re-emerged before them, and though he was no different in appearance, something about the way he carried himself was truly frightening. Refusing to admit defeat, Simba defiantly stated "That's what you think!" as he and the group readied themselves for another battle.
Scar, fuelled by the darkness inside him, attacked relentlessly, attacking with furious swipes of his claws, but despite the efforts of Simba, Scar didn't even flinch and with a furious spin, threw both Sora and Simba away from him. His rampage didn't stop there, however as he began to leap considerable distances above them, pillars of flames erupting from the ground where he leapt. With his opponents close by, this left them exposed to the flames and after landing again, surrounded himself with a ring of fire that burned everyone that came too close. Eventually, the flames surrounding him disappeared, but Scar pulled out another surprise: bolts of lightning that struck around him at random intervals, giving him an element of surprise as he attacked, throwing Donald and Goofy back and dealing serious damage. Sora and Simba were more resilient but even they felt the sting before Scar mercilessly began channelling his fury into darkness, and began charging around the arena accompanied by spheres of darkness dancing around him as he charged. Altering his course every so often, Scar would charge into the party members one after another, knocking out Donald and Goofy completely.
Soon, his rampage ceased and determination coursing through them, Sora and Simba leapt into action, erupting boulders around them that threw Scar into the air. Not giving him an inch however, Simba proceeded to curl up and spin rapidly bearing his claws while Sora began rapidly spinning underneath unleashing powerful shockwaves that kept throwing Scar around. Seemingly repetitive and unending, Simba soon returns to Sora's side, and with all their might, the duo unleashed ferocious roars that encircled them as a shockwave, by which point, it was all too much for the would-be king and Scar, though regained his footing following the savage attack, staggered towards Simba defiantly before his strength finally failed him and he fell on his side, defeated.
With Scar's defeat confirmed, Simba approaches the edge of Pride Rock, eyes gazed firmly at the sky whilst his friends and the lionesses watched intently. Once at the pinnacle, Simba unleashed a mighty roar that the lionesses responded to in kind, cementing Simba's coronation as the King. Overhead, spiralling clouds began to form overhead and in a vibrant display of light, the brightest ray of which shone upon Simba, appeared the ghostly form of Mufasa. As if in response, Sora's Keyblade began to shine again and with the light of the spirit as their guide, Sora unlocked a new gateway. Once this task was accomplished, Timon queries aloud "Hey, what's with the light show?" "We have to say goodbye for a little while" Sora answered as he turned to face him and Pumbaa. "I'll go tell Simba" said warthog offered, though Goofy responds "Aw, he's prob'ly busy. Just tell him we'll be back soon" "Oh that's right- he's king now. He's gonna be so busy he'll prob'ly forget all about his two best buddies" Timon remarked somewhat downhearted.
"Well, you always got hakuna matata, right?" Sora added cheerily. "Guess so…" Pumbaa half-heartedly agreed. "Whaddya mean "Guess so"!? What if he forgets to tell the carnivores who we are? One look at you, and you're a pig roast" Timon added in a panicky voice. "That's MISTER Pig Roast" Donald piped up. "Same thing! And I'm not sticking around to be anybody's pork dinner!" a terrified Pumbaa exclaimed and tore off frantically, Timon calling after him. Once said 'pig roast' was out of earshot, Sora remarks thoughtfully "You can never forget your true buddies" as he thought of certain friends of his. After bidding farewell to Timon, the trio board the Gummi Ship, and relieved to be walking on two feet again, continue on their journey.
A/N: That's that! First off, I'm sorry for updating later than I said, but I went through a rough patch around Christmas and with my job hunt, I just had no time to even think of picking up where I left off. Even so, hope you like it, please enjoy and review!