Chapter 20:

Heart So Strong

By the time Sora, Riku and Kairi came back to the house after school, Ventus and Aqua were already making plans for where they would go next to strengthen his heart. Sora had, of course, told them about the plan.

"So you're Kingdom Hearts, huh?" Kairi asked as they sat down for supper.

"Yeah, pretty cool, right?" Sora tried acting cool and Kairi laughed.

"I was so sure that it would've had something to do with Sora and I," Riku couldn't seem to get over that fact.

"Where are the two of you going tomorrow?" Miku asked Ventus and Aqua, changing the subject.

"We're headed out towards Agrabah," Ventus started, "and then maybe London."

"They're both good places for finding out information, so that we can find out where the Heartless are causing problems," Aqua explained.

"Is there anything we should do?" Riku asked.

Ventus shrugged. "Protect Sora."

"I don't need protection," Sora snapped.

Cloud cleared his throat. "I have to go back to Radiant Garden for a while, so..."

"Yes," Miku finished for him, "You do need protection."

Sora started pouting until Riku hit him in the arm. "Hey, that's great!" Riku exclaimed, "this means I get to stay over right?"

"And Kairi can too," Miku answered.

Cloud left after dinner, and the rest got ready for bed. Sora still though it was weird that Ventus and Aqua were allowed to share a room, but Kairi couldn't sleep in his room. He was alone at the moment because Riku had to go home quick and pick up a few things.

Sora stared out the window, trying to feel happy about the fact that his friends got to sleep over, but could only find things to gripe about instead.

He was really starting to hate Nemyer. He wouldn't be feeling this way if it weren't for him. What was even the point in doing this anyway? It was stupid. "How could such a stupid man be Kairi's father…?" Sora trailed off, spotting a cloaked figure standing in the yard below. The figure seemed to stare up at him before turning away into a shroud of darkness.

Sora gasped, realizing the figure as an enemy. He turned to go tell the others only to find the same cloaked figure appearing out of the corner of his room.

"Good evening Sora," That voice was familiar. The figure pulled off his hood, revealing a head of red hair.

Nemyer. Sora crouched and held his hands out as if to summon his key blade, but nothing happened. "What the…?"

"Don't worry Sora, you'll have you're key blade back in no time," Nemyer spoke softly, "it's a temporary side effect of your emotional change. Your alignment with the Light isn't compatible with the new emotions. Join me and the Darkness will give you your strength back."

Sora clenched his hands into fists and glared at him. "I'd never give up my heart to the Darkness!" Although he had no real experience in fist-fighting…especially when against someone wielding blades, but he was willing to try.

"Then I'll have to force you to come!" He drew his blades and started towards him.

Sora ducked and rolled out of the way, coming around to the other side of him. He inched towards the door as Nemyer turned around. The man swung at him, still close enough to hit his mark in the small room hit his mark wasn't a boy scrambling away for his life. Sora just barely jumped out of the way, crashing into his lamp.

Before he had the chance to get up, Nemyer was on him bringing his blades down over him. Time seemed to stop. Sora knew there was nothing he could do. He closed his eyes and covered his head with his hands.

Sora stood on his pillar. Red glowed from it, almost completely covering the stained glass it once was. He felt weak, unable to stop the last few shards from being engulfed by the color.

He didn't want it to change. He knew what it meant. He would give his heart up to the darkness.

"No!" Sora shouted. He was Kingdom Hearts! He couldn't let everyone down and let this happen. If the darkness took over his heart, then they would lose everything. "I'm not giving up!"

A light burst from within him, clearing away the red and restoring the gaps in his pillar.

Sora's Keyblade hit Nemyer's blades with a loud resounding metallic clang. It forced the man back and gave Sora time to get to his feet.

Just then Ventus and Aqua burst into the room. They looked surprised upon seeing Nemyer but quickly summoned their Keyblades.

"We heard a crash," Aqua explained, "and worried that something might have happened."

"And we were right!" Ventus shouted, charging at Nemyer with full force. He knocked the man back, slamming him against the back wall.

By this time Riku, Kairi and Miku had all ran in to see what the commotion was.

Nemyer glanced around, knowing he couldn't take on five Keyblade users. His gaze fell on Kairi and softened. "Kairi," He whispered, "you must know that all of this is for you and your sister."

The next second he disappeared in a shroud of Darkness.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D