The only excuse I can give for this being so so late is that I had personal shiz to deal with- but we're cool. Everything's getting taken care of, and school is started and good so I'm a senior now :'D
I already scared a few freshmen xDDD
Anyways, since it was so long in the making I reread it over and over again, made my friends do the same and made it incredibly long.
So, it's good to go. Simply enjoy and I'll have the very last chapter up sometime soon, within two weeks for sure.
Hope I don't confuse anyone xD;
Enjoy~!
Darkness or Dawn
GunsSwordsDanceWar
Chaos.
Sora rolled to the left to avoid a spray of violet metal diamonds Xigbar shot his way, bringing his Keyblade up on its side to deflect the strays. As he rolled into Kairi and Tifa's range of battle, the two women back flipped over him, Kairi twirling as she landed on her hands and swinging a leg out to crack Xigbar across the jaw. As he stumbled back Kairi righted herself and turned back to her previous fight, spinning a Chakram with her fingers and sheering a spear out of the air, the wood pieces clattering to the floor. Tifa knocked another out of the air as she dodged them, growing frustrated as Xaldin's wind whipped her hair into her eyes and she couldn't land a hit.
Having jumped to his feet the moment after Kairi landed her kick to Xigbar's face, Sora twirled Oathkeeper in one hand and lunged, coming in so fast Xigbar nearly lost balance and teleported back a few feet, firing off a few more rounds that landed just a bare inch scarce of Sora's feet as he ran in a zigzag and jumped at the last second, twisting in the air and smacking one of Xigbar's guns from his hands, the strange looking weapon landing a heap on the floor, a few unloaded rounds knocking from their rightful places. Cursing, Xigbar ducked out of the way of Sora's next attack and faked to the left. As Sora swung, he skirted around the opposite way and rolled as he grabbed his gun, teleported away again and came out upside down, his hair hanging and swaying lightly as he took to teleporting farther and farther back.
Fight.
Roxas could only dismiss his weapon and put his arms over his head, the only kind of shield he might have, the only protection he could really get at this point. Lexeaus's grip around his right ankle tightened and Roxas felt his foot go numb; he slammed his eyes shut and curled in as much as he could as Lexeaus swung, the wind raking through his hair at damn near terrifying speeds. He pressed his elbows together and screamed, out of fright than anything else, when he felt the smooth surface of the wall brush against his hair as he was spun passed. The air had gone from unbearable heat to freezing, being spun around like a twig; Roxas ducked his neck down if only to keep from-
-Leon pulled the trigger-
-Lexeaus screamed in outrage and Roxas was sent hurtling to the ground, rolling at an alarming pace as Lexeaus drew his now injured and smoking arm into himself, his eyes turned to the Gunblade wielding man and he picked his earth shattering tomahawk from the ground, drawing it up over his shoulder. Glaring solely at Leon, his form glowed orange and as he screamed again, ready to cave in the floor, Vincent spun around him, a mass of red and glinting metal and fired off a few rounds, landing one to Lexeaus's hand and causing the Nobody to drop his weapon. Lexeaus swatted at Vincent but missed, his face contorting into one of pain before he fell to his knees, huffing. Vincent landed somewhere in the fray of battle, reloading as he did, and started helping Cid dismantle the lesser Nobodies Xemnas had taken to summoning.
Fear.
Cloud ducked a rabid swing and brought his sword up just in time to block another, the spikes from Saїx's weapon glistening with a red smear of blood so thin he could hardly see it even though the sword had gotten so close to his face. He braced the flat of his sword with his hand and shoved, Saїx took a step back, the Claymore over his head as he regained his footing and hold. There was a flash of gray and black and then Saїx was stumbling, one arm pin-wheeling, the weight of his weapon throwing him off balance- he crashed to the floor, landing flat on his face. Riku smirked, nodded to Cloud, and then the two threw themselves at him, knowing they had to take the chances they were given.
Naminé had watched from the corner of her eye as Riku shouldered Saїx to the ground and she smiled despite her already tired limbs. Cid was fighting beside her, sweeping lesser Nobodies back and forth with the red staff he carried, although he was also looking a little tired, his cheeks rosy and brow furrowed. Sweat lined the collar of his shirt and Naminé stepped in beside him, tossing a smile at him which he only nodded at. As Dusks slipped around his attacks and tangled around his feet, Naminé speared them and cut them in two. She kept her attacks light, not throwing her entire being into killing them just yet. Brushing hair from her face, she glanced at Kairi and Tifa, still having difficulty getting an attack in with Xaldin. The two were nearly tripping over each other, between their vision being blurred by their hair and the wind, and the spears- they weren't getting hurt so much as being clumsy, which Naminé knew neither of them was. Cid cursed and Naminé turned her attention back to her end of the fight.
Rage.
Xemnas spun with both of his energy swords out, a red jet set of power leaking behind each, a wake in the rip they made in the air. King Mickey did a fast back flip, landed and ran at the leader, Keyblade pulled out to the side and held backwards in his hand, the flat side to his arm as he jumped and caught one attack, red flickers of energy dancing up and down the end of his Keyblade. Their eyes locked in that one small moment and everything seemed to slow; large, usually kind eyes met falsely enraged orange and Mickey wondered what it was that was truly driving the Nobody. The thought left him as the moment broke and Xemnas brought the other sword around, knocking The King out of the air. He caught himself fast though and somersaulted through the air, skidding to a halt on his feet in a crouch. He narrowed his eyes, brought his Keyblade in front of himself and ran at Xemnas again, ready this time.
Sora's feet were light on the ground as he was suddenly the one being driven back; smacking any bullet he could out of the air, the sound of them tinkering against the floor was music to his ears. Grimacing as he saw Kairi didn't appear to be doing much better, he tried to reach for a potion in his pocket, bleeding from numerous aching cuts on his legs, a few on his ribs and one deeper gash in his left shoulder, Sora fumbled with the strap on his pocket and gasped when a stray bullet sliced open his knuckle. Looking up, he twirled his Keyblade faster and smacked more out of the air but felt himself weakening. The smirk on Xigbar's face as Sora tripped over his own feet was enough to flare the anger Sora had felt from the start of the battle. As he rolled to his feet Sora caught sight of Naminé, Cid and Vincent not far off, and he let out a small sigh of relief before he jumped back, cursing under his breath when Xigbar got another hit to his foot, grazing the side.
Shaking his head, Sora faked another step back before lunging, his Keyblade a blur of light around him as he spun it, twirled the way he'd watched Kairi with her weapons. Xigbar, shocked that Sora had been so bold in his next attack, fired another round, most of which were sent back his way and buried themselves into his arms, one grazing his cheek. Xigbar let out a cry of pain and fell from his upside down perch in the air, gravity slamming him into the floor. He got to his feet in good time but skittered back as Sora's Keyblade carved its way through the air again, coming just short of his face, Xigbar brought his arm up to block it and his gun was knocked from his hand for the second time that day. He faked to his right this time, but Sora was ready and he brought Oathkeeper up in a sweep so hard the breath was knocked from Xigbar's lungs as he was sent off his feet and into the air-
-Sora cupped a hand over his mouth and shouted, "Cid, think fast!"-
-and back to the earth as Cid smacked him out of the air with a flick of his wrist and some extra body weight thrown in, a crack reverberating through his chest telling him he broke a rib or two on impact. Sora let out a cheer of victory and gave Cid a thumbs up, the older man only shook his head again and took a few steps back from Xigbar as he started to stand again, clearly shaken. He raised his one good eye to meet Sora's, Sora popped a potion open and chugged it, feeling energy spread through his chest and his legs start to twitch in anticipation, Sora threw himself full force into the fray, aimed directly at Xigbar.
Wind.
Kairi ducked a split second before Tifa, her hair tangled and ruffled over her eyes; all she could see was red. Tifa had managed to hold her own hair back with one hand, but it was slowing them down and left her only one free hand to defend herself. Kairi was being as careful as she could with her Chakrams, trying not slice Tifa into thirds with a wrong move- Kairi swung up as a familiar glint caught her eye and although she didn't cut the spear in half, it was smacked to the ground. Tifa took the opening and ran forward, leaping over a spear that had aimed itself at her. She let go of her hair and kicked hard with her right leg, landing a hit to Xaldin's side, turned and kicked with her other leg and caught him across the cheek as he doubled over. For a moment the wind settled down and Kairi pushed her hair from her face, running in full speed with her Chakrams twirling around her fingers like buzz saws. As Tifa swept in low and knocked Xaldin's feet out from under him, Kairi dove with her arms straight and her weapons a blur of pink and black. She sheered a piece of Xaldin's arm as he rolled away, he jumped up and brought the wind roaring back into life with five of his lances up, angled defensively around himself- Kairi cut in an arc up and caught one of the heads of the lances, another on her right, but Xaldin simply flipped them over and stabbed at her with the other ends.
Shuffling back, Kairi panted as the wind settled for a moment, Xaldin hovering in the air with his arms crossed, a dead look in his eyes, he stared at them and met Kairi's eyes for the briefest of moments before the wind gusted from somewhere behind him, whipping his own hair around his face and throwing both girls back. Kairi screamed when she landed on her side, breath knocked from her; Tifa had managed to catch herself with her hand and get back to her feet, although her legs trembled. Huffing and blowing hair out of her face, Kairi pushed herself back up as Xaldin made his way over to them.
-Naminé glanced up from her battle and watched her sister fly through the air, land painfully on her side and her face twist into a grimace as she screamed. She stepped back from her fight, Vincent sweeping in to cover her, and screamed, "Kairi-"
"-dance!" Kairi looked up at the sound of her sister's voice, finding her pale face among the gray and white colored Dusks that swayed around her. Naminé was swept back into the fight as Vincent was forced to step back, she turned and caught a Dusk aiming at her out of the air and slammed it back to the earth, looking up to give her sister a smile.
An idea came to mind and Kairi grinned.
Win.
Saїx's sword was dragging along the floor in between his attacks, the metal sparking against the ground as he dodged and was steadily driven back towards the wall. He glanced over his shoulder at his Superior, still fighting the persistent King and not doing any better than himself, he turned back to the two warriors he faced and brought his sword up just in time to block Cloud's attack, shoving back as Cloud had done earlier. Cloud's weapon was thrown from his grip and he rolled to his side to avoid being sliced in two as Saїx brought his sword screaming back into the floor, burying itself up to the spikes. Cloud looked up as he wrapped his hands around the hilt of his sword, watching for a moment before he tossed himself back into the three person fight.
Riku's Keyblade whirred around him so fast smears of color inked the air, slicing through sheets of oxygen and letting loose splashes of darkness and light, he blocked attack after attack with this kind of anger in his eyes that Cloud could only wonder how it had been put there, and as Riku knocked Saїx back and spun, slamming his Keyblade into the ground and black fire spreading like fingers from the tip of it, catching Saїx's coat and causing the Nobody to screech and stumble back again- he realized he really didn't want to know. With a small smirk, Cloud flipped his sword around himself and lunged.
Jump.
Leon hadn't been able to learn how to jump five feet in the air like Sora, he didn't know how to bend Darkness or bleach the Light, but he knew how to dodge, he knew how to hit, and most importantly-
Lexeaus stumbled back with his hands covering his face, a muffled scream of surprise laced with pain erupting from behind them, Leon's arms trembled with the force of the vibrations Revolver had let loose-
-how to pull the trigger at the right time. Roxas grinned beside him, his body renewed by the potion he'd snuck in while Leon had been covering him, his legs quivering with new strength and energy. Leon stood for a moment, wiping blood from his lip along his arm, he watched Roxas start in at a run and jump a few feet from Lexeaus, bringing is Keyblade around himself as he flew and ricocheted off the wall, flipping over the Silent Hero's shoulders and slicing up his back as he landed, whipping the fake weapon around his body as Sora had done to Xigbar not moments before. Lexeaus stumbled towards Leon, ripping his hands from his face and snatching up his weapon, Leon took a few quick steps back, managed to successfully block one swipe and roll around Lexeaus without getting hit. The fury Lexeaus seemed to be experiencing was prominent in his eyes, the whites bloodshot and wide.
When Lexeaus swung again, Leon took a chance and dove in under the attack; the weapon so close he swore he felt it graze his back if only a little, the rush of air that came forward tousling his hair. He drew his sword back and slung it forward fast, cutting a deep gash into Lexeaus's leg, the Nobody grunted and nearly toppled over, instead coming in with another lower sweep that would have sliced Leon in two if Roxas hadn't jumped again, using the weapon as leverage as he slung his Keyblade out and let it circle freely through the battle ridden air. Lexeaus's head snapped to the side as the edge of the Keyblade clipped his cheek and ear, drawing his weapon wielding arm up in process. Leon shuffled back and as Roxas landed Lexeaus stumbled and caught himself on the wall, holding his already half destroyed face, his left eye swelling shut and his jaw burnt and torn from Leon's aim- Roxas threw a grin over his shoulder, clearly enjoying himself as he lunged for his weapon,
"Nice hit!"
See.
Kairi was lucky Tifa had been hovering by her side when Xaldin came back their way, the martial artist had grabbed her shoulders and hauled her back when a set of spears were thrown in her direction. Again, blinded by a mix of the hair obscuring her vision and the Dusks that had taken to swarming their area, Kairi would have been run through until she felt Tifa's hands on her shoulders, yanking her back so hard both fell. Kairi gave a shaky smile and pushed herself up just in time to slice another spear in half and she growled in frustration when both halves picked themselves back up and were flung in her direction. She spun out of the way, Tifa snatched one out of the air as she jumped to her feet and smacked another coming her way.
It took her a moment to get to Tifa, but when she did Kairi had to yell over the winds as they dodged and were again being driven back.
"Tifa!"
Tifa glanced back, struggling to pull her hair out of her face as she stumbled, "What?"
Kairi grinned, "Stand back, when you get the chance, go for it!" Kairi could hardly hear her own voice over the roar of the winds. Xaldin seemed to be enjoying himself, creating a vortex around them that swept up Dusks but kept their friends from getting in. She waited for Tifa's nod of approval.
Locking her eyes on the dark figure she could only assume was Xaldin floating a few feet in the air, Kairi took a few steps back herself, glancing at Tifa to see the martial artist had managed to get her hair back and was standing so close to the wall of wind her feet were slipping against the floor.
Twirling her Chakrams with practiced fingers, Kairi remembered the fight with Ansem in her dance room. She remembered what she had done to kill him, and she doubted she could summon that kind of power at will, but she could try. She remembered Naminé's advice minutes before and she smiled. She remembered Sora's words to her before they had left to find The King ("You can dance when we get back.") and she said softly to herself,
"I think I'd like to dance now."
She took off as fast as the wind blowing against her would allow, drawing both arms back before she pirouetted , kicked off of a spear that came her way and threw herself into the air. Slicing spears as she went, Kairi didn't feel that Light she'd been hoping to feel, her arms working quickly around herself, elbows bent and wrists flicking back and forth, pink and black blurs around her as one spear was cut into thirds, another in half. She knew, as she found herself nearing Xaldin, that she wouldn't hit him, but that didn't mean she could scare him into thinking he wouldn't be hit.
As Kairi flew over Xaldin's shoulder, her heel grazing his coat, she straightened her other leg, aiming for his face and missing by a bare inch, and twirled like she used to in dance class, spinning on one leg in the air with her arms low. Xaldin jerked to the side and as he did Kairi let go of her Chakrams, the wind picking them up as they left her grip. They flew past Xaldin, spinning wickedly and he fell the extra few feet, losing his focus as they scraped past his nose and he pulled back again. As soon as his feet touched the floor the wind died significantly- and Tifa sunk her fist so far into his stomach blood sprayed the ground.
Kairi smiled when she felt a set of arms pluck her out the air, pull her close and throw her back into the fray. As she danced her way back, sashaying to her battle, she glanced back at Sora and sent him a grin.
Tifa blocked a halfhearted swing from her right and kicked with her left leg, then her right, and then her left again- she wouldn't give him another chance to get that wind started. As her heel connected with Xaldin's chest he lost his balance, his face scrunched in pain and eyes squeezing shut, readying himself for impact.
As Kairi danced through the crowd, dropping low to snatch up her weapons and twirl them around herself once, she caught a glimpse of Tifa, moving so she could kneel over the Whirlwind Lancer, her fists one continuous hit, not stopping for a second and blood smearing her knuckles, Kairi sped up her pace so she could help finish the fight.
Lose.
Ducking a swipe that would've surely sent him to the hospital, Riku dropped to the floor and rolled, popping back up behind Saїx. The Nobody turned, raised his arms high again, the sharpest edges of his sword glowing white, smoking as though on fire. Cloud, still on the other side of Saїx, swung his sword and caught it on one of the spikes of Saїx's, pushing down with as much strength as he could muster. Saїx was tugged back and forced to turn to keep his balance. He brought enraged eyes up to meet Cloud's, and Cloud only stepped back, taking his sword with him.
Saїx seemed confused for a moment, grabbed for his sword and stumbled, closing his eyes as a light gasp left his lips.
Riku smirked, "How do you like it?" the amusement in his eyes turned to anger, hatred even, and Riku shoved Way to the Dawn further between Saїx's shoulder blades, the other end of it coming out bloody, darkened. When he ripped it back out there was a sizable hole where a part of Saїx's spine used to be, and the blue haired Nobody barely managed a cough before falling, red on his lips and dribbling down his chin.
Riku flicked his Keyblade behind himself, whipping the Nobody's remains from his blade and onto the floor. "Go help Leon and Roxas."
Cloud nodded, turned- it didn't take him long to find them.
Leon held the Gunblade with both hands, gripping it so hard he felt the blood leaving his fingers, pins and needles up his arms. Behind him, Roxas was attempting to stand, a long gash tracing up his thigh, Roxas met Cloud's eyes from across the field, dirt caked on his skin and his hair even more of a mess than usual. Leon wasn't about to leave a fallen teammate to take the heat for himself, and Cloud had to be fast.
Lexeaus brought his tomahawk down with a scream of would-be victory, just as Cloud picked up his speed and angled his sword like a jousting lance, at shoulder height and straight, his arms locking. He stuck Lexeaus at his lower back, not hard enough to drive it all the way through the Nobody's huge figure, but enough to make him drop the tomahawk and his victory turn to pain. Both Lexeaus and his weapon fell forward and Leon jumped back, still covering Roxas. The sweep of dust and debris was enough to make him cough and cover his eyes, only looking up a moment later as Cloud snatched his sword back and ran to his friend's side.
"Funny seeing you here."
Leon rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching up in relief. He reached into his pocket for a potion and tossed it to Roxas, "Thanks, Cloud."
They brought their attention back to the fight at hand when Lexeaus let out a low grunt of pain, his hand already on his weapon, he struggled to his feet. "You're vermin." His breath came out in harsh gusts of air, "You will not win."
"Looks like we are." Leon readied himself for another attack but faltered when a mass of blond and black ran past him, "Roxas, no!"
Roxas flew, his tattered coat around him, hanging off his shoulders now and dancing around his feet, his Keyblade dull with dust and maroon splotches, he drew his weapon wielding arm back just as Lexeaus screamed in outrage and flung his tomahawk up. For once in the battle, Lexeaus was faster, his body glowing that ferocious looking orange power from earlier on, the energy encasing his weapon spread as it slammed into Roxas's gut. Roxas tightened his grip on his Keyblade, still swinging, but missed as he was thrown backwards, a streak of orange in the air checking his progress before he was knocked into the wall behind them. Blood had already coated his lips and teeth, he coughed and fell to his knees- as he did the bricks in the wall crumbled and fell, effectively knocking him out and pinning him down.
Cloud glanced at Leon and they looked back at Lexeaus. The Nobody repeated, "You will not win!" and charged.
Guns.
Sora let out a groan when his back slammed against the ground, his grip on his Keyblade loosening. He opened his eyes just enough to see a maelstrom of purple coming at him, and knowing he wouldn't be able to get up in time, he close his eyes and waited. His shoulder ached and his back was screaming at him, thanks to that last hit, he was pretty sure he'd managed to twist something in his ankle when a Dusk had gotten in his way, tripping him. He had started to win before, Xigbar had been having trouble trying not to crash into people and lesser Nobodies when they'd gotten caught in the fray of the rest of the war being waged around them, but once Xigbar had made his way back to their section of the fight, where it was clearest, Sora had started to lose again.
Really, he was just getting tired of deflecting bullets, having gotten a few more sizable cuts during the fight, his arms were getting tired, his hands were torn to shreds and-
There was suddenly this sound, this tinkling kind of sound like when….
Sora opened his eyes, looking up to find Riku standing over him, one arm out, a shield of Darkness having formed in front of them. Riku tossed him a potion while managing to keep the shield up, "Hurry."
Downing the potion, Sora stood and nodded, and when Riku let the shield fall he ran, his grip on his Keyblade tight. The soles of his shoes slapped the floor, the muscles in his legs aching. Sora drew his Keyblade back over his shoulder, lunging, and swung as hard as he was able. The sharpest edge of the Keyblade sliced a line across Xigbar's face, deep, blood splashing the ground and skin hanging over skin. Xigbar screamed, stumbled back, his fingers tight over the triggers.
Riku cursed, followed Sora as the brunette stumbled after Xigbar, adrenaline pumping through his veins so much so that he didn't feel the first few bullets that cut into his arms, sheered his knees and grazed his stomach. Riku raised his hand again, darkness and light curling around his fingertips and bursting through the air- a fireball of dawn flying from his palm and smacking Xigbar square in the chest. When Sora fell to his knees, Riku stepped around him, meeting blue eyes for a brief moment, a second long calm in the chaos and disarray of their battle.
Growling, Riku watched Xigbar as he tripped over his own feet and came crashing back to the earth, spluttering blood and holding his cheek, his chest burning as he smacked at his ribs with his other hand. Turning his own Keyblade around in his hand, Riku walked, stopping beside the dying Nobody.
Xigbar's last living sight was one of the razor edge of Way to the Dawn, blurred in it's surety and precision, as it came towards his face.
Swords.
Xemnas glared from across the field at Riku and Sora, taking his eyes from his battle for a moment to watch the death of his second in command. Something flared where his heart should have been, be it fear or anger or some kind of feeling, he couldn't tell and he never would. The sensation was ripped from him as King Mickey hurled his Keyblade, catching his shoulder, and Xemnas fell with a grunt as it ricocheted off him and back into its wielder's grasp. Down to his knees, Xemnas looked up through a curtain of gray, sweat soaked hair and lunged, feeling warm blood pool down his shoulder and back, entangling around where his heart should be, he stumbled to get up but when he did he managed to block The King's next attack, and the next after that.
Mickey was surprised, to say the least, as Xemnas stood and actually blocked his attacks. He had been sure he was winning- he was winning, but now Xemnas seemed to have-
A mass of gray Dusks broke loose from the chaos long enough to swivel between their fight, Mickey's Keyblade accidentally coming into contact with them instead of Xemnas. He shuffled backwards, trying to avoid being swept up by them but failing when two wrapped around his legs and yanked him to the ground.
-a plan, a course of action. Cursing as his Keyblade was torn from his grip, Mickey was flung in one direction, over Xemnas's head and across the battlefield. He flew through the air, a cry of warning tearing from his throat just before he collided with Sora.
They tumbled to the ground, Mickey effectively unconscious and Sora dazed, he blinked wide blue eyes, finally feeling the damage he'd taken from the battle with Xigbar. His blood had splashed the ground when he and Mickey hit the floor, and now his cheeks and lips were smeared with it- he'd live, but even just a potion wouldn't really give him the strength he needed to keep fighting.
Riku was by his side in a moment, snatching up The King and throwing him over his shoulder, he grabbed the back of Sora's shirt and tugged him towards the wall, where there weren't so many Nobodies. He could at least protect the both of them there, but he'd need help.
He called over the opposite shoulder, "Naminé!"
Glancing up from her own fight, Naminé saw Riku leaning Sora against the wall, obviously not heading into the fray of things anytime soon, and she grimaced when he laid Mickey next to him. She made her way over to Cid, "Think you can handle things for a while?"
Cid grunted, cheeks flushed, and a few feet away Vincent answered, "Go."
Nodding, Naminé turned and ran in Riku's direction, catching sight briefly of a mass of black and pink that would have to be her sister and Tifa, and Xaldin. She skidded to a halt next to Riku, grinning, "Need a hand?"
He rolled his eyes but she saw the smirk, "Stay close to them."
Nodding, she took her place beside him, ready to fight.
Dance.
Kairi caught sight of Sora for the smallest of moments, eased against the wall and looking like he was about to pass out. Growling, she turned her full attention back to the fight at hand.
Tifa had done an amazing job keeping Xaldin on the ground- he was out of it, having been hit more than enough times in his face, he had two swelling black eyes and completely busted jaw, not to mention a broken and bloody nose. He'd only managed to get away from her when a Dusk had tangled around her arms, earning her a long gash up her forearm, she'd had no choice but to get away. Xaldin didn't have the strength to get the wind back up, and Kairi knew they were winning only by that factor. His eyes were half lidded and his movements slow and graceless.
Kairi was keeping her distance, letting Tifa do what she needed to to get him the way they wanted him- and then the opening came.
Xaldin lunged, his hand snagging nothing, Tifa sidestepped him, came around him and grabbed both of his arms. She pulled them back, crossed them- and then Kairi swept in with a low spin, closing her eyes to the gore that followed as she first sliced his gut and then neck. Darkness rather than blood boiled from the gashes made, corroding his already decaying skin. Tifa jumped, letting him go the second she saw the blackness seeping from him.
Kairi gave her weapons an extra twirl, as she turned from Tifa and searched the battlefield for her boyfriend again. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced at her friend, "Sora was hurt. Do you see him anywhere?"
Tifa shook her head, "I have to go help Cloud and Leon." She pointed; Kairi followed and found the two men desperately dodging attacks, and Roxas no where in sight.
"Go. I'll find Sora." Tifa nodded, patted her shoulder once for encouragement and ran into the battle again.
"Kairi!"
She raised her eyes to the source of the yell, finding her sister standing over Sora and The King, Riku at her side. Naminé's pale blond hair was easy to distinguish in a smattering of gray and white and red. Kairi wasted no time plowing through Nobodies to get to them, slicing shards of Nothingness until she came out on the other side of the battle. She took in the sight of Sora, blood soaked and aching, slipping out of consciousness, and skirted around Naminé, falling to her knees at his side.
Naminé put her hand on her shoulder but Kairi ignored it for the time being, focusing with all her energy on Sora. She cradled his bleeding face in her hands, smoothed back wrinkles of pain with her thumbs, and kissed his cracked lips with her softer ones.
Mostly unconscious, Sora couldn't be held accountable for the words he said, but what he did manage to mutter before slipping into a deep sleep was nothing short of the meaning of "perfect". His chest expanding with a shaken breath, and his eyes a pop of blue under red smudged skin Sora whispered one word as Kairi leaned in close to him, "Dance."
A fire burned in Kairi's chest. She'd never seen Sora this way- and she didn't like it one bit. The Light in her stirred, sparked, warped and wrapped itself around her Chakrams, a loving web of peace and destruction she'd wreak along the battlefield.
Once, twice, three times Tifa's foot slammed into Lexeaus's jaw, her hair trailing behind her in a streak of black so dark it put the shadows to shame, a sheen of sweat along her brow. She clenched her fists as they flew through the air, twisting herself with the force of her last kick. She saw the streak of blond that meant Cloud was rocketing towards her and she held out her arms, hands cupped together, and when he passed her by as she landed he kicked off her hands. Tifa threw him up into the air as hard as she could and Cloud didn't need wings to fly, then.
Bringing his sword around his right side, Cloud braced with both hands and swung, once, across Lexeaus's chest, another up and grazing his chin. A third, fourth and fifth as he crossed, from the right to the left to the right again. Lexeaus's blood was pooling on his hands, turning a dusty maroon that let them know their fight was almost over.
Then, as Cloud descended he mimicked Tifa's actions from before and launched Leon into the air. Bringing the Gunblade up, Leon waiting until the very last second, when the tip of his sword was pressing itself against Lexeaus's face, his skin bending to keep from being cut. Leon stared down the line of his sword, stared down into Lexeaus's widening eyes, his face reflecting on scuffed metal. A line of fire and heat traveled along its surface and Leon pulled the trigger.
The reaction was instant, Leon felt the gravity and force pulling him in his original direction slacken and shift, swatting him out of the air and hurtling him towards the ground. He turned in time, managing to land on his feet, stumble and catch himself on a hand with splayed fingers, his sword held loosely in the other hand. He sunk to the ground then, at the sound of his own heart still beating and the thunder that resounded when Lexeaus's fading body shattered like glass on the floor.
Standing up on shaking legs, he made his way over to Cloud, who was looking in Tifa's direction. She had pulled back the rubble around Roxas and cradled his head in her lap, brushing back dusty, sweat covered hair. In one sudden, jerky movement, Roxas let a breath fill his lungs and his eyes snapped open.
War.
At that same moment, there was a flash of light so sharp and bright the lesser Nobodies fled, and those that stayed behind were simply gone.
Xemnas looked up from his place at the back of the room, which had been completely devoid of battle as he directed the lessers with orders on what to do and who to do it to. His eyes stung with the brilliance of the light and he put an arm over his face, shielding himself.
Kairi stood from her place beside Sora, Chakrams in hand. Her hair covered her eyes as her head was down, saying something gentle under her breath, something only Sora would hear, if he'd been awake. As Kairi moved around him, Naminé went to pull her back, knowing what she was looking for, but Riku stopped her. His eyes met hers and she understood, it was Kairi's fight now.
Walking to the center of the battlefield, Kairi twirled her Chakrams, droplets of light spraying from them like water- they were drenched, and she was only just beginning.
Xemnas summoned his own weapons again and drew back an arm, taking a few steady steps out into the line of fire before breaking into an all out sprint. When he reached Kairi he slashed from the left, then the right, and both attacks Kairi sprung away from, flipping back into a handspring and landing easily on her feet. Kairi dodged again another attack that would've broken her ribs and maybe punctured a lung; she pulled herself away from the fight and shuffled backwards, waiting. When Xemnas readied himself for another attack, in that brief moment it took for him to swing, Kairi lunged and spun around him, her hair whipping about her face as he dove away from her. He stumbled and caught himself, slashing down in a furious attempt to hurt her.
Kairi managed to bring her Chakrams up to block, catching his sword on the spikes of her weapon- she trembled at what happened next, unsure of what to do.
The light dripping from her two weapons stopped. It brightened and pulsed and instead of dripping, ribbons sewed themselves into the weave, the circles and spikes of her Chakrams, and engulfed it completely. Kairi saw Xemnas falter too, although for him it was realization then and there that he would not win- he was fighting a Princess of Heart.
The light shot up the four large spikes that made up Kairi's weapon, broadening and cocooning around them, lengthening. When the cover of light fell away from the first spike, the one primarily holding off Xemnas's attack, Kairi gasped- the pastel edges and intricacies of Oathkeeper protruded, a friendly greeting out of the Light. Next, just underneath it, was the curvature and precision that Way to the Dawn could only provide, and underneath it at the next spike, directly across from Oathkeeper, came shocking black and Goth, also known as Oblivion. Last, closest to her and now, she saw, hovering just over her heart, was flower edges, a bundle of warm, powerful colors such as the one her sister drew, a Keyblade Kairi recognized as her own.
The room was silent, the Light still pulsating within Kairi's new weapon and her face illuminated by that power.
She shoved up as hard as she could, knocking Xemnas's arm over his head. He slashed with the other but missed as she spun to her right, twirling on dancing feet, and she caught another attack, blocking it and throwing it back.
Growling, Xemnas slashed down with both weapons, orange energy soaking up the air in its wake. Kairi threw her weapon over her head, shoved back with as much power as she could muster and, as Xemnas was caught fumbling to regain balance, danced.
She kicked high with her left leg while spinning on her right, sheered her way across his chest as she brought herself back up to standing, then twirled again in a vicious circle that encased herself with a jet set of light and splashed red on the dirt and dust trodden floor. As Xemnas stumbled backwards she reached and grabbed his arm, stepping around him to fling him into the ground, landing on his stomach, and as she followed after him she threw her weapon over her head, clutching tight with her fingers and bringing it down in a gesture so strong she heard his spine sever as she did. Blood splashed the ground once more, and as shards of Xemnas broke and descended into the sky, remnants of who he never really was, Kairi stood.
The light around her weapon shifted, morphed and elongated and left her with a glittering golden Keyblade of flowers- blues and purples and reds and all those strong colors that reminded her of her sister. Xemnas was a fading pile of ash on the ground, a blotch of darkness soon to be gray, and Kairi grinned.
Looking up from a drapery of sweat coated red hair, Kairi grinned and met her sister's gaze- proudly.
So, after all that I was nervous on how to end this chapter, since it's all fight and whatnot. I apologize if it's confusing, but YOU try writing a 16 character fight and see what happens ;.;
On the good side, I got BBS and am going to play the HELL out of it.
*Ahem* Next chapter is last, and I'll reveal my reason for killing those characters.
On a side note I've forgotten to mention for like two chapters- Cloud's sword is Zack's original sword from Crisis Core, not the massive "I can kill a building" sword, but the more modest, not brute strength one xD
Everyone, leave a review on your way out~
