"How much further?" Mulan's voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Whatever you do, keep moving forward!" Riku replied. The moment the entire group immersed themselves into the cavern, all hell broke loose. Heartless and Nobodies burst out of every nook and cranny, almost overwhelming the party with sheer numbers. To counter the spawning, the group had split themselves into three teams: Frontal Assault, Second Line, and Preemptive Strike.
The Frontal Assault team consisted of Riku, Roxas, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Mulan, Simba, Hercules and Selphie with Peter Pan as aerial support. Their mission was to fight their way through the mineshaft as quickly as possible, clearing a path for the others.
The Second Line party was formed of Cloud, Tifa, Leon, Tidus, Wakka, Aladdin, Ariel, Tron, and Captain Jack Sparrow. Their objective was to finish off any Heartless or Nobody that the Frontal Assault team might've missed.
And the Preemptive Strike members were made of Hayner, Pence, Olette, Cid, Yuffie, Aerith, Auron, Jack Skellington, Tarzan, and the Prince. Their purpose was to prevent any enemies from sneaking up behind them.
"Stupid Heartless!" Donald raised his staff. "THUNDER!" Bolts of lightning sparkled out of thin air, destroying a couple of Neoshadows emerging from the ground. King Mickey was surfing around with Goofy on his shield, swiping at any Nobody that was within Keyblade's reach.
"It's like we're inside a hive or something!" Selphie cried, snapping her weapon at some Dancers. "There's no end to them!"
Riku gritted his teeth as he parried an incoming attack. "I thought you said the Nobodies weren't supposed to attack us until the latter half of this cavern!" he shouted at Roxas.
With a snap of his wrist, Roxas was able to take down another Neoshadow and a Dusk in one swipe. "Don't ask me!" he snapped. "Sora's the one who went through this!" Since Roxas didn't possess most of Sora's abilities, he was forcefully grounded as he hacked and slashed with Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "You know, why are you the only one who can summon Ultima Weapon?" he asked Sora. "Every time I dual-wield, I'm forced to use these exact same Keyblades. Every single time!"
"Because I made Keyblade master before you did!" Sora chuckled. "I'm the one who gets all the keychains. What do you have?"
"At least I'm smart enough to use two Keyblades instead of one," Roxas shot back as he shifted his grip.
"True. But your grip is weaker overall."
Roxas suddenly felt Riku's back leaning against his own. "He's right you know," Riku said. "Using one Keyblade in each hand makes it easier for someone to disarm you."
"Like you should talk!" Roxas laughed. "You think standing with one hand in front of you makes you look cool? I'm surprised that no one's cut it off yet!"
Riku smirked. "Who cares about the arm? My fangirls focus completely on the fact that I have far sexier abs than you!" He took aim with his Keyblade and released a couple of Dark Auras, causing a few Hot Rods to explode on contact.
"Whatever!" Sora exclaimed. "At least Roxas and I have girlfriends!"
Riku shook his head in amusement. "At least I'm not whipped like a couple of bushy-haired saps I know."
Mulan, Simba and Hercules were looking over at the Key-wielding duo oddly. "Who's Riku talking to?" Simba asked as he crushed a Heartless with his paw.
"I believe he said his name was Roxas," Selphie answered. She snapped her weapon a couple of times, cracking the air with mini sonic booms.
Hercules slammed a megaton fist into a Berserker. "No, he means why is Riku talking like there's a third person there?"
Selphie shrugged. "Oh, he's talking to Sora." The others looked at her in shock.
"Sora's here? I haven't seen him since this whole incident began!" Hercules exclaimed. He grabbed a Dusk with his bare hands, tied it up into a funny balloon animal and tossed it aside.
Selphie continued to stay light on her feet, concentrating more on the battle than the issue. "From what Riku said, Sora and Roxas both share the same body," she explained. "And for some reason, only certain people can talk to both of them at the same time."
"So this Roxas is sharing Sora's body?" Mulan cleanly pulled her sword out of a dissolving corpse. "I was wondering why that hair looked familiar," she muttered.
"Kinda makes you yearn for the old days when battles were turn-based, huh?" Leon quipped as the Gunblade slashed through a few Nobodies. The Second Line team was caught up in their own war as the Frontal Assault members trudged onward.
Cloud chuckled slightly. "At least I'm not ripping off someone else's moves."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Come on! That Lion Heart Limit of yours?" Cloud flipped over a Neoshadow's head and stabbed it from behind. "That's just a cheap imitation of my Omnislash." He raised an eyebrow. "Don't deny it."
"If it's anyone who's copying," Leon jerked his head toward Tidus, "it's that kid. That Blitz Ace of his came from both of our attacks!"
Tidus whipped around at Leon. "Hey! At least I when I do damage, it's over four digits!" he scoffed. "Unlike your lame 9999 points per hit!" Tidus ducked under a sneak attack and stabbed his sword blindly behind him, obliterating a Sorcerer.
"Well, you've got a lot to learn, kid!" Leon yelled. "Defeating an enemy isn't all about damage count!" His Gunblade glowed brightly against the dark purple backdrop of the cave's walls.
Cloud nodded. "He's got a point. It's about style as well!"
Tidus grinned. "Then I have the both of you beat! At least my finisher ends with a sweet bicycle kick! All you guys can do is use fancy explosions!"
"Don't knock it 'til you try it, kid!" Leon shot back as he ran after some stray Shadows.
"Are the guys always like that?" Ariel asked Tifa as they double-teamed an unsuspecting Armored Knight.
Tifa rolled her eyes. "Only during group gatherings like this. And FF conventions," she added.
"FF conventions?" Ariel repeated. "What are those?"
"Oy!" Ariel and Tifa turned toward Jack Sparrow's shout. The Captain was busy crossing blades with a few Dragoon Nobodies single-handedly. "I could use a little assistance!"
The girls glanced at each other. "Shall we?" Tifa cracked her knuckles enthusiastically.
"You know it!" Ariel took the Blitzball and lazily dropped it in front of her. After the first bounce, she winded up her kick and blasted it with thunderous force. The flaming projectile destroyed one of the Dragoons and ricocheted off the cavern wall.
"Rebound!" Tifa called. Captain Jack barely had time to dodge as Cloud's childhood friend leapt into the ball's path and spin-kicked it straight through two more Nobodies.
"Hey! Watch where you're kicking that thing!" Sparrow warned. "You almost took my bloody head off!"
"You two are pathetic!" Wakka laughed sardonically as he saw the ball flying towards him. "THIS is how you score a goal!" He swung his leg backwards and executed a flawless bicycle kick. The Blitzball tore through the remaining Dragoon. Unfortunately, the ball kept going and ended up crunching itself into Jack's "jewels."
Ariel, Wakka, and Tifa cringed. "That's gotta hurt," Tifa commented.
"You scored a goal alright," Ariel added with her hands over her mouth in shock.
Wakka smiled apologetically at Sparrow. "Oops. My bad." The Captain's eyes rolled upward into its sockets as he collapsed to his knees in pain.
A strange thought suddenly popped into Ariel's head. "You know, I've been wondering."
"About what?" Wakka asked.
Ariel ran up to Sparrow's convulsing form and picked up the Blitzball without looking at him. "What does it feel like when someone smashes you guys in the crotch?"
Before any of the guys could reply, Tron said, "It's like having the wind knocked out of you. Instead of being hit in the stomach, the pain comes from below the belt."
"Hmm..." Ariel nodded thoughtfully. "So that's how it is..."
"Wait..." Aladdin looked at Tron suspiciously. "How would you know about how male anatomy works?"
"Yeah!" Wakka chimed in. "You're a computer program! You don't have any!"
Tron shrugged with indifference. "Ansem the Wise," he replied. "When he wasn't researching the heart, he'd be looking up information on the...er...body."
"The body?" Tifa repeated.
"Sites that aren't appropriate to talk about," Tron clarified. "Ansem was really peculiar when it came to bodily functions."
"The door we have to get through is on the other side of these pipes," Roxas was saying. "So, how are we supposed to get across this?" Roxas and Riku were perched on the edge of an alcove, looking over the fighting that was taking place below them. To the left of them was a steel gate leading to another alcove with a set of familiar looking white doors.
"How'd Sora get around last time?" Riku asked.
"I Glided," Sora answered in his astral voice. "Wasn't easy, though. I fell like thirty times before making it across."
"You fell off at least thirty times?!" Roxas gasped in awe. "How are you not dead?"
"I had Glide to soften my descent," Sora explained.
"Which you wouldn't have if I hadn't merged back with you," Roxas muttered. "So why don't we switch out and you get us to the other side?"
"You said that switching is just like Driving, right?" Roxas nodded. "Well, Driving takes a lot of energy out of me. And since I'm not only changing my clothes but my entire body..." Roxas' eyes subconsciously scanned the dusty walls of the cave. "If we switch back now, I don't think I'd have enough energy to defend ourselves. And besides..." Roxas looked back at Riku. "...this gives you a chance to prove your independence."
"He's right," Riku said. "As much as it might hurt, Sora's surpassed you when it comes to ability."
Roxas was silent for a moment. The rest of the Frontal Assault team were busy keeping the Heartless and Nobody swarm at bay behind them. Riku waited patiently as Roxas contemplated his words. Finally he asked, "So, how else do we get across?"
As if on cue, a swarm of Hook Bats popped out of thin air on the other side of the gate. Sensing the intruders on the other side, they began to make their way around. Riku glanced at Roxas and smirked. "Any other questions?" Roxas hastily put away his Keyblades.
"I'm gonna need both hands for this after all," he muttered to himself. He flexed his fingers in anticipation. The swarm of Heartless finally flapped into view toward the two Keybearers. Roxas took a running start and took a leap of faith, propelling himself off the edge of the cliff. He reached his arm out for the nearest Heartless. His fingers managed to snag the hook underneath. Following Roxas' lead, Riku jumped off as well and began swinging across the gap.
"You know, if Tarzan were here, he'd probably be jealous right about now," Sora chuckled.
"Quit talking," Roxas mumbled. "Trying to concentrate here..." As creepy as it felt having to depend on these creatures, Roxas continued using his momentum to swing from Heartless to Heartless.
Unfortunately, he was so focused on his timing, he didn't notice the group of Bookmasters rapidly closing in on him. "Roxas, look out!" In mid-swing, Riku fired a couple of Dark Auras with his Keybearing hand at the oncoming Heartless. Unfortunately, his shot went wild and missed its target, accidentally hitting Roxas with friendly fire. Before he knew what was happening, Roxas felt his grip being ripped away as his body began to descend into the empty void.
He felt his heart stop as the traumatic memory of him falling off the train station tower flashed before his eyes. His body instinctively flailed about reaching out for anything to hold onto. The shock began to overwhelm his system as his eyes began to flutter shut.
"This feeling...it's familiar somehow..." Roxas felt his muscles begin to relax, his body going limp. "Falling into darkness..."
"Roxas! Snap out of it!" Sora shouted. "Our body's going into shock! You have to open your eyes!"
"But I..." Roxas thought trailed off. He could feel the wind rushing past him, but everything seemed to go in slow motion. "Just let me..."
"Need a lift?" It was not Sora's voice that rang out, but...
Roxas' eyes snapped open and was immediately blasted with a faceful of pixie dust. "Gah! My eyes!" Roxas began rubbing the powder out of his eyes with the back of his hands.
"Oh, quit being a drama queen!" Peter Pan floated serenely with his hands on his hips. "It's only pixie dust. It'll dissolve after a few seconds."
As the last of his tears washed away any trace of the dust, Roxas glared at Peter full in the face. "What was that for?!" he shouted. Instead of answering, Peter tapped his finger downward. Roxas was confused for a few seconds before he realized that he could no longer feel the air rushing past him.
"A little pixie dust and some happy thoughts will keep you afloat," Peter explained.
Roxas was speechless at first. When he finally regained his voice, he asked, "But how long does it last?"
Peter scratched his head in thought. "I'd guess for people who didn't originate from Neverland, I'd say about twenty minutes."
Roxas glared at the Heartless who were still hovering above him. "That's all I need," he growled through gritted teeth. Roxas summoned back his Keyblades, pointed them over his head and sped toward the unsuspecting Bookmasters. "TAKE THAT!" Like a torpedo through water, Roxas drilled straight through the Heartless, destroying them instantly. As he flipped back into an upright position, he felt slight satisfaction in the fact that he was finally able to do something that Sora could no longer do. The dual-wielder grinned from ear to ear. "I could get used to this."
While the other two teams were ahead, the Preemptive Strike team was busy keeping the creatures from overtaking them from behind.
"What is with these things?!" Olette shouted. She futilely tried to use her new weapon, but it kept tangling itself around her feet. "And how are you supposed to use this stupid jump rope?"
Hayner broke off from a Samurai that had just tried to kill him and shouted, "Pence! Cover the rear!" Pence aimed carefully with his flamethrower at the creatures that were closing in on them.
"Say cheese!" Pence squeezed the trigger and was instantly thrown back by the force of the recoil as giant rocket booster-sized fireballs blasted out of its nozzle. "Whoa!" He landed not-so-subtly on his butt. The flames incinerated a good mass of the creatures, but more than double seemed to take their place. Pence quickly leapt to his feet and pulled the trigger again. Unfortunately, ash and gunpowder came petering out of the nozzle. "Hey! What the...?" He began to give a few taps with his palm. "Why isn't it firing any more?"
"You've got to give it a chance to recharge, kid!" Cid shouted. "It's not a machine gun!"
"Now you tell me!" Pence's eyes grew round as dinner plates as three Dusks came slithering through the air and pounced at him.
"AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Pence didn't even have time to turn his head when Tarzan came lunging into view, yelling at the top of his lungs with his signature jungle cry. He stared at his opponents with ferocious intensity.
Suddenly, he attacked! His graceful, fluid movements made it look as if he were dancing with the Dusks. He wasted no motion; every move he made was clean and precise. After destroying the creatures, Tarzan gave Pence a curt nod before gliding out of sight.
Pence stared at the "Lord of the Jungle" in awe as he watched Tarzan bouncing off walls, darting in and out of attack range, taunting his opponents with a series of indistinguishable grunts. "I wish my body looked like that," he sighed.
On the other side of the cavern...
"Careful, Aerith!" Yuffie warned. "You don't want to get stabbed again!"
"I already told you, that wasn't me!" Aerith huffed. She swung her staff above her head like a propeller and brought it down forcefully on the head of a Crimson Jazz. "It was my twin sister!"
"Well, how are we supposed to know that?" Yuffie rotated her giant shuriken around her hand and cracked it against a Dragoon. "She traveled with us that year before Radiant Garden was destroyed by the Heartless! And we didn't meet you until after Sephiroth was defeated!"
"Aren't you getting your stories messed up?" Cid asked calmly smoking a cigarette. "I've been taking care of you, Aerith and Leon ever since the days of Ansem the Wise. The whole Cloud/Sephiroth incident didn't come around until after Ansem disappeared!" As a group of Armored Knights came tromping towards him, he popped the still smoking cigar out of his mouth and tossed it over his shoulder in the midst of them, instantly setting them on fire and incinerating the whole lot. "Aerith stayed behind during that time. We met her twin sister Aeris over in Midgar and..."
"Did you forget, Cid?" Aerith interrupted. "I went with you guys until I switched places with Aeris over near Nibelheim. Then Aeris got herself stabbed and died because no one thought of using a Phoenix Down on her." She shook her head sadly. "Then the Heartless came in and destroyed that world sending all of us back to Hollow Bastion before Sephiroth could take it over."
"But if that were true, then how did we get all the Materia?" Yuffie asked.
"It's the remnants from the other world," Aerith said. "When the Heartless destroyed it, the fragments were formed into those small crystal balls you keep stealing."
Yuffie held her head as if she had a migraine. "Wait! So, Materia is like Gummi blocks?"
"Not to be rude or anything," the Prince broke in, "but is this really the best time to break the fourth wall?!" He was still getting used to his new weapons (a pair of bear claws). Unfortunately, his human form was slow to react to his thoughts, making him extremely frustrated and short-tempered.
Cid, Aerith and Yuffie looked at each other. Aerith cleared her throat. "What are you talking about?"
"I..." The Prince was about to explain, but felt it was a waste of time to get involved. "You know what? Never mind."
"Whoa!" Hayner was forced to duck underneath another Samurai's swipe as he clumsily countered with his own attack. Unfortunately, the Samurai was too fast for him and managed to get under Hayner's guard, tackling him down with its shoulder.
"Hayner!" Pence and Olette could only watch helplessly as the Nobody cocked back its blade for one final thrust. Hayner instinctively brought the Gunblade in front of him like a shield...
Cid dived in and smacked the Nobody's blade upward with his spear. "Not on my watch!" he roared as he twirled his weapon around and over before piercing through the Samurai's core, obliterating it instantly. Hayner reeled back from shock. Cid shook his head slightly as he extended a hand to help the teenager to his feet. "Get your head in the game, kid!" he scolded. "This isn't one of your mock fights with those silly foam bats where you can just brush yourself off!"
"He's right," Auron added sternly from a few feet away. "This is a battlefield of war. Dying is a high possibility."
"I know that! But..." Hayner looked around at the countless creatures appearing from their portals of darkness. "How can you guys keep fighting? You look like you're not even breaking a sweat!"
Auron and Cid glanced at each other knowingly. Yuffie winked at Hayner. "Welcome to real-life combat!"
When the other members of the Frontal Assault team caught up with Roxas and Riku (and Peter shook Tinker Bell dry of pixie dust), they used their newfound ability of flight to speed through the white hallways of the latter half of the cavern. They blazed through so fast that the Nobodies and Heartless didn't have time to pop out before the last of the team was already out of range.
"We don't have time for this!" Roxas yelled as he plowed over any creature that dared to get into his path. "We're almost..." All of a sudden, Roxas felt his entire body drop out of the sky and his face scraped the white marble floor as the pixie's magic wore off. Seeing Roxas make a crash landing, Riku quickly righted himself up so he would land safely on his feet.
The Dawn Wielder sidestepped a few Dusks, whirled around and stabbed them from behind. "Roxas!"
Roxas rubbed his face vigorously. "I'm okay!" he assured Riku, hastily getting to his feet. As the others ran to catch up with them, Riku and Roxas charged ahead. The sounds of Keyblades ripping through Heartless and Nobodies alike echoed throughout the hall.
"It's down this hallway!" Roxas yelled behind him. The Frontal Assault members managed to close the gap between themselves and the Keybearers, but were forced to halt as creature after creature emerged from their corridors of darkness, endlessly swarming the group.
"Couldn't you just summon some Samurais to take care of them?" Riku grunted as he parried a Berserker's strike.
Roxas shook his head. "That's like me asking you if you could change into your Rikunort form and finishing these guys off!"
Riku whirled around on Roxas. "I told you before not to call me that!" He fired a Dark Aura behind his shoulder without breaking his gaze. "It sounds like a pig's name or something."
Roxas laughed sardonically. "What, because of the "nort" at the end? At least people don't go around calling you "BHK!""
"What?" Riku exclaimed. "People stopped calling you that a LONG time ago! Besides," he added, "I thought you liked being called the "Heartbreak Kid!""
Roxas rolled his eyes. "I said "BHK," not "HBK." There's a difference."
Opportunity suddenly presented itself as a small opening in the Nobody/Heartless mass formed. Roxas chanced a glance at Riku who made it obvious they were both thinking the same thing. They quickly broke away from their opponents and dove through the gap. The creatures immediately began to gave chase as Riku and Roxas blitzed for the door...
...the door to their light...
