A/N: Thanks to singintoyourself, japaneserockergirl, Psycho Kitty Alchemist and RikuLover211 for reviewing!
I own my OCs only…but you know that by now. Lyrics belong to Anberlin.
XXIX. Epiphany
For most who live and breathe
Hell is never knowing who they are now
Tell me who you are now
Finally safe from the outside, trapped in what you know
Are you safe from yourself?
Can you escape all by yourself?
It's not the lies that you sing,
But what the silence will scream
Anberlin-"A Whisper and a Clamor"
Now the island had returned to its original state, Riku and Kairi could easily find their way around and use shortcuts without fear of Heartless. The main trouble for Kairi was maintaining a decently positive attitude. Fortunately Riku was overwhelmed by the joy of seeing his home again and wasn't in a very inquisitive mood. If he had been he would have found that Kairi was utterly devastated.
A thought had only struck her after she had cast the forbidden Holy. She knew now that such magic was forbidden—but she still had the power to even attempt it. Why hadn't she used that power to save Sora? Her immediate answer was that she didn't know she had this power, but this was easily countered—why hadn't she tried to learn it? She had never really meant her title as Princess of Heart ever really meant anything except that she was a target for Heartless. Certainly she had had some power before the coronation…and the memory of that glorious event only saddened her further. She had turned her back on their majesty and perfection, claiming she was stronger. She thought her desire to save Sora was more important than saving the world from darkness, and she had been proven wrong.
The way she saw it, she had once been strong. She had tried to use her strength to save Sora. She was weak again. The last time she had been weak, Sora had died. What fate would befall her now? Was Riku the next target? No, Riku was probably safe—he'd held off Ruxik this far. And now some ancient Keyblader inhabited him—certainly he should have been the Keyblade Master in her stead. She questioned why she had been made Keyblade Master in the first place instead of King Mickey or Riku—was it because she shared Sora's heart? Was it divine patronage? Had she been lucky instead of skilled?
Such thoughts ran through her mind and made her more miserable by the minute. Yet still she kept a content smile, trying to make it seem as if she was entranced by the return of her island. This wasn't too hard of a lie to keep up. She loved seeing the palm trees, blue sky, clear ocean and white sun and feeling soft white sand beneath her feet instead of hard, unforgiving rock. Yet her love of nature was not enough to conquer her hatred of herself.
All of this raged on in Kairi's mind, but she too was unaware. Riku too had been hiding his true fears. He saw how miserable Kairi had been, and having known her for so long, he knew when she was hiding something. He also knew that in such circumstances, she would never reveal anything for days, and he suspected that this was something that should not wait. To that end he turned to Darythas, having no one else with whom to talk.
Have you seen anything like this?
No. Princess Kairi is unique. I've never known anyone to be rejected as a Princess of Heart. But it disturbs me. Your Nobody is likely delighted at this news.
You said Ruxik would use Kairi the way he once used you—is this part of it?
It very well may be. At present I cannot see how, but I am sure his cunning mind will find a way. Could you see one? You are his vessel, and you probably think similarly.
Riku pondered it for a minute. Is he trying to claim her heart for his own?
Impossible. A Nobody could never lay claim to heart of this power.
You said Kairi was unique.
…True.
But then why didn't he do it sooner?
Perhaps it would be easier for him to wait until her heart was at its weakest.
But he could have done all of this a lot sooner. Shouldn't he have done all this before she was crowned? And what if that's not his plan at all? I know he tried to take Sora's Keyblade…is that what he wants?
The Keyblade chooses who will wield it. A terrible twist of fate would be the only way he could bear the holy weapon.
You said the Heartless figured out how to make Keyblades.
That art has been long lost. We ensured that only the pure of heart could make Keyblades. We Aexyrthani consolidated all of the Keyblade forges into one and entrusted it to the wisest being we could find. I believe its current owner is Master Yen Sid.
Riku stopped dead in his tracks. He tried to give us that forge! But then Ruxik attacked…and the Castle came under attack…we had to leave…could Ruxik have stolen it?
The Keyblade is more than mere metal, my friend. It is powered by ancient Aexyrthani magic.
So then how are there still Keybladers when the Aexyrthan are gone?
Our magic remains in the Keyblades.
"Riku? Riku?!" Kairi said irritably. She had not noticed Riku's abrupt stop quickly enough, and even after running into him, he had not moved.
"Wha? Oh…sorry about that," he said, forcing a light chuckle. Kairi too forced a fake smile, and since both knew the other was lying, they went on their way.
So let me get this straight. You need Aexyrthani magic to make a Keyblade.
Correct.
You need a Keyblade for Aexyrthani magic.
Correct.
So if you take one Keyblade, you could make as many as you like.
…Are you implying Ruxik wants to make more Keyblades?
It sounds pretty logical to me.
For everyone's sake I hope you are wrong.
Unfortunately I don't think I am.
But how do you propose he shall acquire a Keyblade? Unless… Darythas gasped, a strange sensation for Riku; he felt as though the center of his body was a vacuum. Do you think he plans to take Kairi's?
Could be.
Then I exhort you to communicate you with her as much as you possibly can. Warn her of what you think may be the case—no harm can come from her being more alert.
She won't say anything to me. She's barely said anything since what happened with that Holy business.
At least make the attempt. The price of silence may be too great.
Riku sighed, forgetting that Darythas could read his thoughts.
"What was that for?"
Well, guess I have to talk now, Riku thought with dread. "Not much…just something I was talking with Darythas about."
"Oh? Something I should know?" Kairi really had no interest; she just felt an interested response would keep Riku from probing.
Riku inhaled and braced himself. Let's get this over with. "He thinks Ruxik's trying to manipulate you and take your Keyblade."
This was your idea! Darythas shouted indignantly.
You agreed with it. Riku waited for the silence to pass so he could dismiss the whole conversation.
"Manipulate me? How?" Kairi pondered. This took Riku aback—he hadn't expected a response at all.
"Um…well, actually I thought of this…"
Better.
"He can't take your Keyblade when your heart is strong…so he's trying to weaken it with this whole Sora business…and it looks like it's working."
A few seconds passed silently. Then—"So you're saying I'm weak?"
"No! Not like that…" Here it comes.
"Riku, I've been trying to get over it since it happened! I know I haven't been doing so great, especially with what they've done to him lately…" Here she paused to suppress a sob. "But don't you dare tell me that I'd ever give into Ruxik! He will take this Keyblade when he pries it from my cold, dead hands! How could you possibly think that I was that far gone?"
Kairi's anger triggered sarcasm in Riku's tone. "Looked to me like you were pretty far gone back there." He pointed back the way they had come.
"Oh, now everyone's going to hang that over my head!" Kairi shouted in fury. "Is it my fault I made one mistake? I already lost Naminé and the Princesses—don't you think I have enough to worry about? Leave me alone!"
That seems like a pretty definite end to this conversation. Riku didn't respond but continued on the path towards home.
Told you so, Darythas.
And I implore you to tell her again when she is of better temper. You do not understand the gravity of the situation.
I understand that—I also understand Kairi. It could be weeks before she's approachable. What happened back there really seemed to take a toll on her.
Then ensure that you tell her before it is too late. Too much is at stake.
I know. Oh, if only I'd finished off Ruxik back in Twilight Town…
You should have known your Nobody would not fall so easily. He is cunning and resilient like you—brute strength and magic will not fell him. At least, not your own.
But Kairi's not in fighting shape.
Exactly why she needs to understand the importance of what is happening. You cannot destroy him alone, and neither can she. The only way you will even have a hope of winning is to use both of your powers, and both of you will be pushed to the limit.
I just hope we'll come out on top. "Hey, what's that?" he asked in surprise, pointing skyward. A bright white beam raced across the sky.
Kairi broke from her anger to express her confusion. "A shooting star? But it's too early…it's not even dusk yet."
"That's really weird." Riku let the conversation die but kept the strange occurrence in his mind. That looks like more than just a meteor. And it seemed kind of familiar…
"So, do you care to tell me what's wrong with Oblivion?" Maleficent asked as she busily conjured Heartless.
"I told you, I can only guess. And I really hope I'm wrong," Ruxik said dismissively.
"Well, I don't have the slightest idea, so I'll hear out even a guess," the witch prodded.
Ruxik sighed and stopped summoning Heartless as he faced Maleficent. "I don't know how or why, but Oblivion looks like it's…opened. And it's making me quite weak—if it comes to combat, the Guardians may have an advantage. Hence the Heartless."
"Opened?"
"I think Nobodies are spewing out. Everything in Oblivion is leaving. I'm guessing that as Oblivion is supposedly my home, any flaws in it will mess with me as well. Point being, we could have a messy situation on our hands."
"Everything?" Now Maleficent's interest was piqued. "Even…the Organization?"
Ruxik went back to bringing up Heartless, levitating as the fiends took up more space. "Not Xemnas—Sora and my vessel destroyed him in Oblivion, so I think he gets a special fate. But the rest…sure, why not?"
"Do you not realize the possibilities?" The witch's mind was racing.
"I do. I have bigger problems here. As long as Oblivion's open, I'm going to get weaker. And that's just going to make fending off the Guardians harder."
"Who says they'll fight?"
"They'll blame me for opening it—but it was no fault of mine. If I had my way, I'd destroy whoever opened it and close it post-haste. But do you think they'll listen to me?"
"Point taken." Maleficent waved her scepter once more, bringing up one last squadron of Neoshadows. "That should do, yes?"
"Yes." Ruxik turned from his army of fiends. "Besides I can't afford to tire myself out anymore. And now, we wait. Time, depart."
And with that the Heartless froze in place. Ruxik stood and faced the door into the Hall of Empty Melodies, impatiently expecting his old adversaries.
The wait was short; hardly a quarter of an hour passed before three figures in bright white robes appeared. Nobody spoke; the Guardians examined the hordes of Heartless, and Ruxik forced himself to look at their eyes instead of their blinding robes.
Hayner spoke first, sarcasm dripping menacingly from his lips. "Hiding behind an army? Ruxik, that's not like you."
"You all know I'm not at peak condition; there'd be no honor in slaying me here," Ruxik replied coolly. "So why have one side fight with honor?"
Pence laughed. "Honor? Who bust Oblivion open? You've just put every Nobody at a disadvantage, not just you."
"I didn't open it!" Ruxik shouted emphatically. "I swear to you it was not my doing—I have half a mind to hunt down whoever opened it and destroy them myself!"
"Then who was it?" Olette replied. "What other Nobody would know how to open Oblivion? No Nobody has sunk as far into darkness as you."
"You might know," Ruxik said with a sudden hint of suspicion. "You certainly are self-righteous enough to hide such knowledge for your own."
"Oblivion is not meant to be opened; thus we never saw the need to learn how," Pence answered angrily. "Spare us your excuses and lies; both fall on deaf ears!"
"I thought you were supposed to be the guardians of truth and honor in Nobodies," Ruxik retorted. "So why can you fail to detect when I truly am honest? Do your prejudices run that deep? Can not even the foulest sinner change his spots? I thought you guys were all about redemption." A sarcastic edge entered his voice towards the end of his rant.
"Our ultimate goal is to bring Nobodies to their vessels," Pence said firmly. "Anyone who we believe will interfere with that is hostile in our eyes, and whatever you are planning seems very likely to interfere."
"So you sacrifice my fulfillment?!" Ruxik shouted furiously. "I have no plans to hurt a single Nobody. My plans involve only the Keybladers."
"Those Keybladers keep the dark-hearted like you in check," Olette replied. "If you were to kill Riku, Kairi and King Mickey, the Heartless would overrun the worlds, and darkness would reign."
"And that will mean the fulfillment of all Nobodies!" Ruxik screamed. "Dark power does not make one a Heartless—look at Maleficent!" For the first time the witch was the center of attention. "She was destined for dark power! Will you interfere with destiny? Is that your goal? Fine! Do as you will!" Silence fell as he began to levitate. "But I won't let you stop me from achieving mine." He conjured his double-bladed staff, rage overpowering his sickness from the disrupted Oblivion.
"Dismiss the weapon," Hayner said firmly, adopting a combat stance.
"Or else?"
"You won't live to see your precious 'destiny' come true." Pence too was battle-ready.
"I'll take that as a challenge," Ruxik replied, laughing demonically. "Maleficent! Ensure that these three do not leave this hall!"
Maleficent rolled her eyes as she brandished her staff, freeing the Heartless from Ruxik's spell. He's gone mad. Again. But it couldn't hurt to have the Guardians out of the way.
Ruxik launched a sphere of dark energy at Pence who casually deflected it with one hand. He sighed as he readied a blast of light. "Here goes."
A/N: Sorry it's been so long! Reviews rock!
