The sextet stepped out of the portal and into a dark, dank alley. A few moments later, the King stepped through. Mickey walked ahead of them and into the open. He began glaring at something. Sora quickly followed and gasped. Above them was a moon in the shape of a heart.
"Axel said Kairi's in the dungeon." Sora said.
"Then we better find a way to get to that castle." Mickey nodded. "Do you know a way in, Ash?"
Ash shook his head. "I would always just open a Dark Corridor," he told them. "I would never go on foot."
"Then let's go!" Mickey said as he suddenly took off.
"There he goes again..." Donald grumbled irritably. "Can't he ever wait up?"
"Come on," Terra said. "We better follow him."
The sextet walked through the darkened streets. The place was teeming with Shadows, which were easily dispatched. They had just arrived at the Memory Skyscraper. Sora and Ven were walking ahead of them. Suddenly four Samurai Nobodies appeared, separating the two from the other four.
"Sora, Ven!" Ash exclaimed. A portal appeared and a cloaked figure appeared. A weapon appeared in the figure's hand.
"A Keyblade?" Sora exclaimed, summoning his own to block the attack. Sora, Ven and the cloaked figure disappeared as more Samurai appeared.
"Where did they go?" Terra gasped. Ash destroyed a Samurai.
"No time to talk," he grunted.
Sora and the Organization member clashed in the center of a platform. The platform was blue and depicted Sora asleep with Ventus opposite him, upside down. The faces of Ash, Terra, Aqua, Kairi, Riku, Donald and Goofy were depicted in the circles.
"Who are you?" Sora demanded as they broke away. Ven charged in and began trading blows with the figure.
"Someone from the dark," the figure answered. He pushed Ven away as he summoned another Keyblade.
"Oathkeeper and Oblivion..." Ven muttered.
"You can't be Riku?" Sora asked.
"Riku?" Sora and Ven noticed that the person sounded exactly like Ven. "I defeated a Riku once."
"You what?" Sora gasped.
"Tell me..." the figure asked as he charged at them. "Why were you chosen?" He dragged his Keyblades across the platform, creating sparks and attacked both of them at the same time. Ven jumped away while Sora parried his attacks. The figure leapt over Sora and attacked Ven.
Sora attempted to attack his back, but again the figure leapt away. Ven and Sora jumped at the same time and attacked the person.
"I know who you are..." Ven muttered. The figure remained silent. "You're Roxas."
Roxas grunted and lashed out at them, causing them both to fly into the air. He jumped up after them and attacked in mid-air. Sora landed on the ground, amongst the pictures of Riku and Kairi. Ven landed next to Terra, Aqua and Ash. Roxas looked down at them from the air.
"I see..." he whispered."That's why."
Sora and Ven glared at him as he landed. Roxas charged, kicking Ven out of the way and began a barrage against Sora's Keyblade. Sora lost his footing and slipped. This gave Roxas the opportunity to knock the Kingdom Key out of his hands. Sora rushed towards it, but Roxas got there first.
Roxas had Oblivion at Sora's throat, Oathkeeper kept the Kingdom Key where it was. Roxas jumped out of the way as Ven slashed at him. Sora grabbed his Keyblade and slashed Roxas across the chest.
Oathkeeper and Oblivion fell from his hands. He fell over, his hood falling from his head, revealing a face completely identical to Ven's. He turned to them with a satisfied smile. "You make good others..."
Sora and Ven blinked as they found themselves back at Memory Skyscraper. "You make a good other..." Sora repeated.
"Are you okay?" Donald asked from behind them.
"What just happened?" Ven asked.
"You just disappeared, and we had to fight a bunch of Samurai." Ash explained.
"He said..." Sora muttered. "That he defeated Riku."
"Who said that?" Terra questioned.
"Roxas," Ven replied.
"But nobody could defeat Riku," Donald said.
"Y- yeah, you're right..." Sora nodded. As they moved forward, Sora took one last glance behind him before following his friends.
The sextet continued on until they reached a ledge. The base of the castle could be seen, but remained unreachable.
"Dead end?" Donald asked.
"There's gotta be a path somewhere," Mickey insisted. "Let's think about this..."
Meanwhile, Kairi was curled up into a ball in the corner of her prison. Pluto approached her and whimpered. She let out a small smile and pet the dog. Suddenly Pluto's ears twitched, signaling that someone was approaching. Kairi stood and approached the bars of her prison. Saïx appeared and looked at her impassively.
"What are you going to do with us?" Kairi demanded.
"You're the fire that feeds Sora's anger," Saïx said in a monotone. With that said he took his leave.
"No..." Kairi whispered. "Sora's in danger because of me..." As she spoke a portal opened behind her, drawing Pluto's attention. The dog barked, causing Kairi to spot the portal. She backed up against the bars when a blonde girl appeared.
"This way!" the blonde whispered.
"Who...?" Kairi began.
"Believe in yourself," the girl interrupted. "I can take you to Sora and Ash,"
"Who is Ash?" Kairi demanded irritably. "Everyone keeps mentioning him, but I have no idea who he is!"
"I'll explain, just hurry!" the girl whispered. Kairi slowly made her way over to the girl. She took her hand and gasped when their hands began glowing.
The sextet covered their eyes to the bright light. Suddenly, their Keyblades appeared in their hands. They nodded at each other and pointed towards the castle. As usual, a bright beam of light erupted from the tips. They watched as a bridge of pure light was created.
"Kairi," Sora whispered. "We're almost there."
Ash took a tentative step on the bridge, confirming it was solid. He motioned for the others to follow and crossed the bridge. Upon reaching the other side, Sora looked around frantically.
"Kairi!" he shouted. "Where are you?"
"Shh!" Terra shushed him. "Remember, we're in their stronghold!"
"Which means they have the home field advantage," Ash said with a frown. The King suddenly took off again.
"Wait!" Donald cried. He sighed when the King disappeared around the bend. Ash suddenly felt a chill run up his spine.
"Be careful," Terra muttered. As several varieties of Nobodies appeared. "I think we've got company."
Kairi followed the girl, Naminé. "My brother?" she exclaimed in shock.
"Yes," the blonde nodded.
"Tell me more about him," Kairi pleaded. "Please?"
"Well," Naminé said thoughtfully as the rounded a corner. "He's very brave, recklessly so. He can be pretty smart when he puts his mind to it. He's also very selfless; he'll do anything to help others."
"He sounds nice," Kairi said sadly.
"Don't be sad," Naminé said soothingly. "You'll meet him soon."
Kairi blinked. For a second she could have sworn she saw Naminé's image flicker.
"That's not going to happen..." a familiar voice said, as a portal opened before them. Saïx stepped out. "Kairi, I'm afraid leaving is not an option." He held out his hand. "I'll take you to see Sora." Kairi took a step back, making Saïx withdraw his hand. "You don't want that?"
"I do," Kairi nodded. "I want to see him. I want to meet my brother. More than anything. But not with you around!"
She braced herself for a fight, Naminé did the same. Saïx raised an eyebrow. "If I had a heart, this would be where I die of laughter." He suddenly stiffened and turned around in time to see one of his Berserkers fall over, revealing a cloaked figure wielding a Keyblade. "You..." Saïx muttered. "Didn't Roxas take care of you?"
Naminé visibly relaxed. "You can take it from here, Riku."
Kairi's eyes widened. "Riku?" she asked shocked. She turned back to the two men. Riku dismissed his Keyblade, surprising Saïx. Suddenly Riku released a ball of darkness at the blue haired man. Saïx blocked at the last second, but Riku flew through the smoke and slammed him against the wall.
Saïx smirked and opened a Dark Corridor, disappearing. Riku was about to follow him when...
"Wait!" Kairi exclaimed. She stared at the person before her, trying to see her old friend. Pluto bound forward, barking happily. Riku stepped away from the dog, but the animal persisted. "Riku... You're really here." Kairi whispered. She lifted his hood to reveal an older man with tanned skin and gold eyes. He looked away, as though ashamed.
"Kairi..." he sighed.
Sora dismissed his Keyblade as they destroyed the last Nobody. "C'mon, let's go!" They followed him until they reached a platform where they could see everything in the castle.
"Twilight's View," Ash said. "Nothing special, let's keep moving. The Hall of Empty Melodies is up ahead."
They followed Ash into a large room with a large platform on either side. They stepped into the center of the room warily.
"You've done well," Saïx said from the platform.
"Where's Kairi?" Sora demanded.
"Who knows?" Saïx asked in a bored tone. "I expect she's catching up with her friend from the darkness."
"What do you mean?" Sora growled.
"She doesn't need you anymore." Saïx answered.
"I'm supposed to believe that?" Sora asked incredulously.
"Well, you don't have to," Saïx shrugged. "But you can believe this... Organization XIII has no further use for you..." He pointed at the heart shaped moon in the distance. "Just look there! Our Kingdom Hearts... Thanks to you, we've collected countless hearts... Can you hear their euphoria? Now all they need is one more helping from the Keyblade bearers!" He snapped his fingers, causing a large group of Shadows and Armored Knights to appear from the walls.
"We gotta fight!" Donald exclaimed.
"But - Kingdom Hearts!" Sora whispered.
"Sora!" a new voice cried. Everyone turned to see a red haired girl standing on the platform opposite of Saïx. "Sora, it's really you!"
Sora did a double take. "Kairi!" he gasped. His distraction costed him, as he was tackled to the ground by Shadows.
"Leave Sora alone!" Kairi shouted she took several steps back before leaping over the side. She attempted to continue going, but was attacked by more Shadows. They Heartless forced her to the ground. "Sora -" Suddenly she was on her feet once more. She turned to see Riku nod at her.
He held out his hand, which held a flowery Keyblade. She took it and a name flashed into her mind. Destiny Place. "This time, I'll fight." she smirked at Riku. "You know Sora's completely hopeless without us! C'mon Riku!"
Riku watched as she attempted to dispatch a few Shadows before jumping into the fray himself.
Saïx watched all of this happening before catching movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Pete and Maleficent. "Well, well..." he muttered."Will the intrusions never end?" He smirked and disappeared through a Dark Corridor.
Maleficent smiled. "Why, Pete," she exclaimed. "This castle is perfect! Perhaps we should... acquire it."
"Well," Pete said thoughtfully. "The setup is... kinda nice, I guess, but what about all the Heartless? This in-between world - its way to close to the darkness! They ain't gonna listen to us here!"
"Once again, you underestimate me..." Maleficent sniffed. She turned towards the ongoing battle and smirked.
Mickey ran through the halls of the castle, dispatching any Nobodies that got in his way. He finally came across a man wearing a red cloak on the ground, surrounded by Dusks. He easily destroyed the Nobodies and the man stood once more. Next to him, a strange device was lying on the ground.
Slowly, the man stood, removing the bandages that hid his face. The bandages fell, revealing a man in his mid-forties with short blond hair and red eyes.
"It's been too long, my friend." he said.
"Ansem the Wise," Mickey accused. "Why didn't you come to me before things got so bad?"
"Xemnas, the Organization's Superior, is the Nobody of Xehanort, my foremost apprentice." Ansem muttered. "The burden was mine to bear."
"Is that all?" Mickey asked deadpan. Ansem turned away from him and faced Kingdom Hearts.
"I won't deny there was more," he admitted. "I was obsessed with thoughts of revenge. My apprentices stole everything precious to me - my research, my pride, my home... my family."
"I can't help you with revenge," Mickey told him.
"I know," Ansem said quietly. "Riku's told me a thousand times."
"Where is he?"
"He must be with his friends by now," Ansem replied. "Riku was a great help to me. I found him wandering in the darkness, after you and he lost track of each other"
"Gosh, we didn't lose each other exactly," Mickey admitted. "Riku left... well, 'cause Xehanort's Heartless was still inside his heart, troubling him. And he sure must've been suffering. But what I don't understand, is why he looks like that now, when he's still Riku at heart..."
"I am to blame..." Ansem muttered. "When I met Riku the first time, he still had the appearance of a boy. Probably because he had such a strong heart. I asked him to find a young man named Roxas from Organization XIII, and bring him to me. When I told him it would help Sora awaken from his slumber, Riku left without a word.
"He fought Roxas, and I can only surmise Riku lost that fight. Riku must have realized then: to fight in the Realm of Darkness, he would have to immerse himself in that same darkness. And when he did, you saw what became of him... When Riku brought Roxas back to me, he was introducing himself... as Ansem. If that was what it took to awaken his friend, he was ready to live in darkness. Riku was the victim of my revenge... Oh how my heart ached. I could only laugh, to hide my shame."
"I guess it musta been after that when I saw Riku again," Mickey said thoughtfully. "He said he wanted to help Sora, but he made me promise - Promise that Sora wouldn't ever find out about what happened to him while he was out in the darkness."
Ansem looked back up at Kingdom Hearts. "My friend, the time has come." he declared. "I must make amends to these young people." With that he took up the machine he had dropped and continued down the hall with Mickey at his side.
"Get off!" Ash barked as he slashed the Shadows off of Sora. The brown haired boy nodded his thanks before glancing upwards at Kairi and 'Ansem'.
"What's going on?" he exclaimed. Ash saw movement out of the corner of his eye and pushed Sora out of the way. The others turned to see a laser arrow in the ground. Suddenly it began raining arrows, destroying the Heartless.
"Have you been good boys?" a familiar surfer accent asked.
"Xigbar!" Ash shouted. "Show yourself!"
A Corridor opened above them and Xigbar stepped out. "Oh, it sounds like you haven't," he muttered. "Sora, Roxas! Ash, Xhäs! You really put Organization XIII in a pickle. Why is it that lucky number XIII always turns traitor?"
"Braig!" Terra shouted. Xigbar grinned at him.
"Long time no see, kid!" he chuckled.
"Stop rambling!" Sora shouted.
"Rambling?" Xigbar scoffed. "As if! All I'm tryin' to tell you, traitors, is that your time is up!" He held out his hands and summoned his arrow guns.
"Here he comes!" Goofy cried, pulling out his shield.
"No. II: Xigbar, the Freeshooter." Ash stated. "He can control space and defy gravity. His biggest weakness is that he has to reload every few rounds."
"Got it," Sora nodded.
Xigbar immediately began firing from his position above them. "You really shouldn't have betrayed us."
"Knock them back!" Ash shouted as he kicked one of the arrows back at him. Sora and Ven quickly followed his example.
"Clever little sneak!" Xigbar laughed before teleporting down to their level. He appeared directly above them and shot arrows down at them. Terra quickly casted Reflega as Ash attacked him in mid-air.
Suddenly the arena changed. They were standing in a small square with holes that formed a crossroad. Xigbar began teleporting and firing at the same time. Terra and Ven flanked him while Sora and Ash went straight down the middle. Sora leapt at him striking him in the stomach, and causing the arena to revert to normal.
"Sora!" Xigbar shouted as he began glowing blue. "Take this!" A giant blue arrow shot out from his arrow gun, and began flying all over the place. Ven jumped up, kicking the arrow back at Xigbar. The arrow injured him but continued to fly around. The arena changed again.
They all stood in a single square arena, Xigbar stood in the center. "Let's see how you dance!" He was glowing silver as he began going trigger happy.
"Keep moving!" Ash exclaimed as he dodged the arrows. Sora and Terra used Reflega to protect themselves, Donald and Goofy, while Ash and Ven dodged the arrows. The arena changed once more and Xigbar teleported to the other side.
"R for reload!" Xigbar said. Ash took the chance and leapt at him.
"Blades don't need reloading." he shouted as he slashed him across the chest. Ash leapt back and glared at Xigbar, who had his arrow gun trained on him. The Freeshooter fell to his knees, his weapon falling out of his hand. He chuckled slightly.
"Still got it, kid..." he muttered as he faded away.
"Sora!" Donald exclaimed. "It's Kairi!"
Everyone looked upwards towards the fight above them.
Mickey and Ansem entered the Hall of Empty Melodies. Mickey looked over the ledge.
"Uh oh, they need our help." he said in concern.
"The Keyblade wielders are coming together," Ansem muttered. "We have no part to play here."
"Gee," Mickey sighed as he watched them. "I wonder if Riku will ever change back."
"Riku chose that form so he could use the power of darkness," Ansem explained. "It won't be easy." With that said he turned and resumed walking towards his destination. Mickey glanced at them one last time before following him.
At the Alter of Naught, Xemnas stood, gazing at Kingdom Hearts. "Yes..." he muttered."Kingdom Hearts... Rejoice and feed on these hearts we offer! Shine your pale light on this empty realm... Share your power with all Nobodies!"
Behind him a Dark Corridor opened and Saïx stepped out. "Xemnas, is Kingdom Hearts ready?"
"Very soon..." the Superior murmured.
"Then, I can end this charade?"
"Indeed."
Saïx allowed a feral grin to cross his face. "How I've waited to hear that," he muttered as he disappeared.
The sextet re-entered the Hall of Empty Melodies to find all the Heartless destroyed.
"Kairi, you were great!" Donald exclaimed.
"Oh?" she asked, blushing slightly. She and Sora stood staring at each other for several moments.
"You are different, Kairi..." Sora whispered. "But I'm just glad you're here!"
"You and Riku never came home, so I came looking for you..." she muttered. Sora looked away.
"I'm sorry..." he said softly. He jumped when he felt her draw him in for a hug.
"This is real..." she whispered. Sora smiled and hugged her back. Ash smiled softly at the reunion. Beside him, Terra sniffed. Ash turned to him, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not crying..." Terra muttered.
"Uh huh," Ash said grinning.
"I'm not!"
"Whatever you say,"
"Shut up, Ash!" Terra growled.
Kairi's eyes widened and she broke away from Sora. The brown haired boy smirked and stepped out of the way. "Ash...?"
Ash blinked and turned towards her. He smiled sheepishly. "Hey, I guess you're Kairi?"
"No, what gave you that idea?" Terra muttered. Ash glared at him. Terra smirked back at him.
Kairi took a hesitant step forward. Sora nodded in encouragement. Ash barely had time to register her movements before she was hugging him. "You're my brother...?"
Ash hugged her back awkwardly. His friends snickered at his discomfort. Ash suddenly found himself being bombarded with questions, such as what their old home was like, or where he lived now.
"Whoa, whoa!" Ash exclaimed. "One at a time!"
'Ansem' watched the scene unfold before opening a Dark Corridor. "Ansem, wait!" Sora cried. "I mean, Xehanort's Heartless... I never thought for a second that I'd ever see you again. Just thinking about all the things you did makes me really mad. But... You saved Kairi, right? I have to be grateful for that... Thanks."
'Ansem' nodded and began walking away. Kairi, however ran after him and grabbed his arm. "Riku, don't go!"
The sextet did a huge double take. "Huh?"
"Kairi, what did you just say?" Sora asked in shock.
"Riku," she repeated.
"I'm no one," Ansem/Riku said. "Just a castaway from the darkness."
"Sora," Kairi pleaded. "Come here! Say something to him!"
Sora hesitantly approached the two. Kairi took both of their hands. "Here," she said softly. "You'll understand." She placed their hands together. "Close your eyes," Sora did as he was told. He watched as, in his mind, Ansem's figure slowly faded away to reveal his best friend.
"Riku..." Sora whispered, falling to his knees. "It's Riku. Riku's here..." Sora tried his best to keep tears from falling. "I looked for you!"
"C'mon, Sora..." Riku said, his voice suddenly changing to that of a teenager. "You've got to pull it together."
Sora shook his head. "I looked everywhere for you!"
"I didn't want you to find me," Riku replied, looking away.
"But it was him that was helpin' us, wasn't it?" Goofy whispered. Donald shrugged. "Those clues we kept findin', it musta been Riku."
Riku smirked. "I was staring to worry you guys weren't ever gonna catch on," he teased. "Sora never did pick the brightest of friends."
"Excuse me?" the other five demanded.
"I hope you know you're included in that description," Ash grumbled.
"Why didn't you let me know you were okay?" Sora asked.
"I told you," Riku said. "I didn't wanna be found. Not like this. I... couldn't. I fought with Ansem. With... Xehanort's Heartless - when it invaded my heart, and I won. But to use the power of darkness, I had to become Ansem myself."
Terra had gone stiff throughout the explanation. Ash and Ven gripped his shoulders.
"Does that mean, you can't change back?" Kairi asked.
"This battle isn't over," Riku replied. "And until it is, I still need the power of darkness."
"Then... let's finish it." Sora said. "You're still Riku, no matter what!" He turned to look at all of his friends. "So how 'bout it? Think we can handle one last rumble together? The King's waiting!"
"Yeah!" Ven cheered.
"Let's get going." Terra agreed.
"It's time to end this," Ash nodded. With that said, the group made their way towards the final confrontation.
A/N: Enter Riku, one of my favorite characters!