I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Just a *cough* few *cough* copies of the games.
I dash toward Riku holding Rising Sun high. I swing but Riku blocks and attacks with fast but powerful strikes. I fall back from the force of his strikes and Sora goes in with Matt. Still preoccupied with me, Riku couldn't block them in time. Matt lands a few hits before Riku leaps back.
Donald casts aero on all of us at the perfect time. Although Riku's attacks still hurt, the shield of wind protects me from the full force of his attacks. Soon, the shield wears out and Riku slashes his sword. The attack is especially powerful and strikes my shoulder. I hold back a scream as pain arcs down my arm.
Seeing me on the ground, Riku moves on to the next combatant.
I stand and chug down a hi-potion. I soo discover my arm is dislocated. The pain flares when my arm bones rearrange themselves, but it quickly fades. The red mark doesn't go away. "That's going to bruise," I groan. I guess potion's only deal with the most serious injury.
"Firaga!" I shout. A relatively large fireball hurtles toward Riku but he counters with a fireball made of darkness. The two attacks collide and detonate. The room fills with smoke for a brief time.
"How did he do that without saying anything?" I grumble.
"You don't actually need to say a spell out loud to use it," Yen whispers. "It just takes more out of you." That could come in handy later. Sora seems to have heard Yen as well.
Sora ties to swing down on Riku's head, but he blocks expertly. Riku and Sora press against each other, neither of them getting the upper hand. Suddenly, Sora smirks. "See ya!" I see a flash of electricity race down Sleeping Lion and into Riku's sword. His eyes widen in surprise as the electricity pulses through his body.
A burning smell fills the air. Riku looks even angrier than I've ever seen him. "It's going to take more than that to defeat me!"
We continued to fight. Throughout the battle, Riku casts more powerful, dark versions of magic. Even with all of us working together, Riku was still too powerful to take down. One by one, he managed to defeat us until it was just me and Sora.
"It looks like your friends couldn't save you this time." Riku taunts. Ugh! He barely broke a sweat. Meanwhile, we're breathing and sweating heavily. There's something weird going on here. Wait...
The outfit made of darkness...
The dark variations of magic...
"He's using the darkness to beat us!" I tell Sora
"Well, obviously!" Riku says. "You two are lot dumber than I thought!"
Sora grins. "Which means we have to use light!"
"Way ahead of you!" The attack I used in Twilight Town comes to mind. "Light Burst!"
"Light Raid!"
Rising Sun becomes imbued with light. Sleeping Lion does the same. Now that I have more control over this attack, it feels more natural. The impossibly fast strikes are amplified in power by the light.
Sora helps as well, chucking his Keyblade repeatedly at Riku.
As the attacks end, Riku slumps to the ground, defeated. The dark outfit fades away in wisps of darkness.
"No, this can't… I won't let it happen!" Riku cries.
"It's over Riku. We don't have to fight." I reach my hand out to help him up, but I suddenly stop.
A familiar robed figure materializes from the shadows. All three of us are surprised. "You!" Riku knows him?
His voice, if it can be called that, reverberates through my mind. It is obviously telepathy, but sounds real. "Yes, Riku. You are correct. It can't end this way. All you have to do is fully accept the darkness."
An evil grin spreads across Riku's face. He can't be considering this, can he? I try to speak, but no sound emerges. Could this be his doing?
"These two beat you because their hearts were stronger, but with me, you can be more powerful than them. Kaze here may have a lot of darkness, but not nearly enough to unlock it's true power." Sora stares at me in shock. I hang my head in shame. "Together with the darkness, we could rule all of the worlds. Kairi could be saved as well."
That was all it took. As if on cue, the robed figure disappeared into a dark cloud. The darkness flowed into Riku, creating the dark armor around him once more. His eyes changed from blue to amber an he laughed evilly.
"So this is the true power of darkness!" His voice shocks me. Riku's voice mixed with the hooded man's. He turns to us. "Sorry guys, but I have other things to take care of before you."
Finally finding my voice I say, "Riku, no!"
"That guy is not someone you can trust!"
"He was there when the islands were destroyed!"
"Goodbye, Sora and Kaze." Riku's palm turns a pitch black, darker than I've ever seen. Before we can run, he fires and everything quickly goes black.
Falling through darkness again...
(This happens a lot, doesn't it?) I land on the stained glass pillar once more. I quick look at the picture startles me. It no longer show me, but Vanitas and some boy I don't know. The two face each other, each surround by a different background split at the middle.
The other boy has his eyes closed. He has windswept golden blond hair. In his hand is a Keyblade I've never seen before, yet it feels so… familiar.
"So, you found your way here." Vanitas says, appearing suddenly. He's wearing his mask, so it's not too weird.
"This is your heart, isn't it?"
"Looks like your not as dumb as you seem."
"Why is your heart in mine?"
"The question we've all been waiting for!" Vanitas says sarcastically. "If you must know, you let me in. Your pure heart was too kind to turn me away."
"Like I would ever do that! All you are is darkness!" I could even sense waves of darkness coming off of him.
"Well, maybe that's not all true, but I think it's time for you to wake up. See ya!"
"Wait, I need to know!" I try to run after Vanitas, but my legs will barely move. The mask fades and he grins cruelly right before I look down. To my horror, a puddle of darkness had appeared and is sucking me in. I try to pull my legs out, but the stuff is like quicksand.
Soon my arms get stuck, than my chest.
I scream in frustration as the blackness goes over my head. The last thing I hear is Vanitas's insane laugh.
I awake suddenly. In a brief panic, I flail around like I'm still in the darkness. Luckily, I'm on the floor. I try to sit up, but a burst of pain erupts from my skull. "Ugh, my head…"
"You're finally awake." That voice is unmistakable. The overlap is too obvious. But is it just me or is the hooded guy's voice more audible than before? I sit up more slowly. I seem to be in the middle of a strange stage. A giant heartless symbol is embedded in the wall a few yards away. I can feel cold, clammy, waves of darkness emanating from it. Machinery is all over. Riku stands in front of me. I try to run forward, but a multicolored barrier flashes in front of me and I fall back.
"Why did you bring me here? Where is everyone else?"
"Looking for you of course. You're only here because someone else wants to deal with you." I really hope that doesn't mean who I think.
"Who?" Riku turns around toward the heartless symbol on the wall. When he speaks this time, I can barely hear Riku's voice. "Now, Princesses of Heart, show us your true power!"
The symbol lights up, filling with many different colors. Six beams of light shoot into it. Where did those come from. I turn around, and gasp in horror. Six women sleep encased within separate containers in the wall. The light is coming from their chests. Their hearts! Three of the women look really familiar for some reason.
"It is time!" Something starts to appear in Riku's hand. First a faint outline, but it starts to appear more and more with every second. Soon, a weapon sits in Riku's hand. The handle and guard are red, and the blade is pitch black. The top of it looks like a half heart. A Keyblade!
"What are you planning?"
"You're still here? I thought you were with the others." Riku snaps his fingers and a corridor of darkness appears under me. I fall straight down for what feels like forever until I land flat on the ground.
"I'd appreciate a softer landing!" I yell to no one in particular.
I suddenly hear a deep voice. "So, you have arrived." It can't be… could it?" I turn, fearing the worst. Just as I thought, an Organization Member stands there. He takes off his hood to reveal long grey hair and stern gold eyes.
"You again!" I can't believe I'm seeing this guy again. How am I going to beat this guy without my friends. We lost badly last time!
"I assume you think I am going to fight you." How did he know that? "You are sadly mistaken. Number XIII!" A man with bright red hair steps from the shadows. Hi hair is spiked all over and two green teardrop tattoos are under his eyes.
"This is all I have to do? Give me something better, boss!"
"Just do away with him, XIII." I summon Rising Sun and prepare for battle.