Happy holidays again, everyone! As promised, here is the second half of my holiday treat: chapter 49!
I think this chapter will speak for itself, so I won't say anything now---other than get ready for some very important events. Also, I'm off to Spain in less than two weeks, so it could be May or June before this fic sees another update, but don't think I'll forget about it. I can't, after this chapter.
I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and enjoy this one, too. Special thanks to Akai Kitsune for her really quick beta help. And now, on with the show!
Reverse Side of Darkness
By: Koorino Megumi
Chapter 49: The Third White Keyblade Master
The Heartless began to swarm the group the instant they stepped out of the mirror. Even the sound of the waterfall just beyond them was barely audible over the chattering of the creatures, and Sora immediately crouched in preparation for the battle, his Keyblade at the ready. In an instant, he was part of the fray.
Iraki and Kairi were ready just a second later, but by then the Heartless were already upon them. Sora grabbed for a hand and pulled Kairi along behind him, but he turned back in shock to the fourth member of their group, who seemed almost to be in a trance. "Riku!"
Iraki reached back and grabbed the young man's hand, but it was only when a Heartless jumped on his arm and began clawing him that Riku blinked as if waking up, shook his head to clear it, and immediately began to attack the creature. He pulled Iraki forward when it was disposed of, as if his hesitation had never even occurred, and the four Keyblade Masters were all fighting by the time the other four fighters crossed the mirror to find themselves practically overwhelmed by enemies before they had hardly had a chance to register where they were.
"Come on, we have to get to the castle!" Sora called, hesitating before he began to jump on the blocks that were in front of them, not wanting to lose Kairi in the process.
In fact, he was in such a hurry that he didn't even hear Leon behind him as the man softly commented, "Not quite." And as he shot Heartless away from him, he shouted, "Cloud!" giving the other man a look.
The blond warrior, who was wrestling with several shadows that had decided to hang onto his sword, gave a sudden swing to get them off before closing his eyes briefly in concentration. In unison, he cast an ice spell as Leon cast lightning, obliterating many of the Heartless in their immediate vicinity.
"Don't waste your energy!" Riku yelled in alarm as the aftermath of the spells began to fade, "We just need to move forward!"
"Not exactly," Aerith replied, moving close to Cloud, her staff held at the ready. There was a smile on her face that looked so serene Riku could only blink at her in confusion.
"Yeah, we'll get there in a minute." Yuffie moved closer to Leon. And even though Riku was staring at them incredulously, all four continued to set themselves up as if they were preparing to stay put.
"We can't stay here!" Iraki cried, "Even if you destroy the Heartless, more will just keep coming!"
"Just relax for a few minutes!" Yuffie replied, shaking her head as if she were exasperated. The expression was barely visible through the wall of black that was already beginning to separate the group. "Trust us."
At all the commotion, Sora had turned from where he stood on the first of the platforms. He seemed to consider their words now, but only for a second before he jumped back down to the main level, simultaneously helping Kairi down behind him and fending off the Heartless that were attacking them. "All right," he declared, looking at the group cheerfully as he began to cut his way toward them, "We'll stay here for a minute."
"Sora, do you really think that's-" Riku started to protest, but he stopped when the younger man raised a hand, waving it at him so he could see it through the black. Riku hissed as a Heartless took advantage of his distraction and clawed him from behind. He had to turn to fight it, but he didn't miss his friend's next words.
"I trust them," the young man said simply before backing in close to the group of four, letting go of Kairi's hand when she was safely next to him. He held his Keyblade ready as Heartless began to converge on them all.
Riku turned back to him at those words, gritting his teeth, and gave Iraki's hand a tug, pulling the startled girl in toward the others as well. When the whole group was together, he let her go so they could all fight to their fullest.
But before the battle had hardly begun, everyone's attention was pulled away by a shout of, "Thundaga!"
The spell was clearly powerful, and it was followed in short order by more of the same level and some smaller ones, slowly breaking a path through the Heartless so that the mage casting them could reach the group.
"Here she comes," Leon murmured, "Let's go!" And with no more prelude than that, he plunged right back into the fray, straight toward the direction from which the spells were coming.
"Who is that?" Riku called after him, but the question fell on deaf ears.
"You'll see soon," Aerith assured him as she followed Cloud when the blue-eyed man also headed back into the mass of Heartless, giving a shout as he began to tear into them with his bandaged sword.
And just like that, the battle that had briefly been paused came back to life again, except this time the group had a new destination in mind--the female mage not far from where they had been standing.
"Idiots!" the girl raged at Leon when he reached her, though he was too far in front of the Keyblade Masters for them to catch this first meeting.
"Just get them to a safe place!" Leon called over the sounds of the chattering Heartless that surrounded them, "We're going to the castle!"
The girl blinked, and she had to smack a Heartless squarely with her sword to get it off of her when it jumped in her moment of distraction. "Ansem?"
The man didn't bother to respond, discharging his weapon at a Heartless that was trying to jump her from behind. "Get them somewhere safe," he repeated before turning and beginning to fight his way deeper into the heart of the sea of shadows, toward the castle beyond. His companions all shifted course when he did, apparently unsurprised by this change.
The Keyblade Masters, on the other hand, were caught completely off-guard by these developments. None of them had been able to hear the conversation that had passed between their allies and this strange new girl, so their first reaction was to start following the others.
"Hey, hold up!"
Sora turned in surprise at the voice, trying to see the girl calling to him through the Heartless that separated them. "What is it?" he called back.
"They've got their own mission to worry about. C'mon, this way!"
Sora gave one more glance after his previous companions, wondering who this girl was and if they should listen to her. But he realized that none of the others were so much as glancing back at them. That, more than anything, told him that they didn't mean to be followed.
"All right," he declared, slashing at a shadow that had jumped for his face. He turned once it was dealt with, following the girl's directions now. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see!" she called, her form still obscured by the Heartless between them, "C'mon!"
"Sora?" Kairi cried from behind him. He reached back, fumbling for her hand as a shadow jumped between them, but with the help of a blizzard spell he had her in his grip again. However, more Heartless were still after the two, jumping and clawing at them, making it difficult for them to hold onto each other.
"We need to follow her," Sora called back to the girl by way of explanation even as he slashed at a Heartless that was scrabbling at his arm.
"Okay..." Kairi replied as she attacked a Heartless of her own. Her tone was a bit uncertain, but she had never doubted Sora before, and she wasn't about to start now.
"HEY!" the new girl abruptly screamed, calling the attention of all four Keyblade Masters and quite a few Heartless. "Come ON! Everybody who can use a Keyblade THIS WAY!"
"Don't draw the Heartless's attention!" Riku shouted back at her, but he still grabbed Iraki's hand, half-dragging the other girl after him as he changed course as well.
The new girl gave no audible response to his rebuke, but instead let off another Thundaga spell, making it far easier for the group to get close to each other and work together to get to her. Through the Heartless, anyone who looked could just catch a hint of a triumphant expression on her face.
As they followed after her, it at first seemed to Sora that they were being led in the general direction of the castle. But, as bit by bit they were able to move despite the resistance of the Heartless, it quickly became apparent that they were veering far to the right. And so suddenly that he couldn't help a gasp, the scenery of Heartless on all sides changed to one of rushing water, and just as quickly switched again, now to a passageway of smooth stone.
Did we just go under the falls?
"Keep moving!" the girl called from in front of him, and for the first time, Sora was able to get a good look at her, albeit only from behind. She was tall and slender, and her figure looked well-toned, leading him to believe that she was probably not only a mage but a physical fighter as well--the sword she held confirmed that thought. She had very long but fine dark hair that was pulled back by a nondescript tie, which he thought was red, though it was hard to see amongst the strands. She wore a red tank top and jeans over tennis shoes, looking for all the world like any other teenager, if not for that sword in her hand.
So she's not a castle soldier--not dressed like that. Then who is she? Why is she here, and why are we supposed to go with her?
"Hurry up!" the girl snapped, turning to him with brown eyes that were glaring with annoyance.
"Sora," Kairi said softly, giving his hand a gentle tug, looking at him with concern over his hesitation.
He just flashed the girl a reassuring grin. "Well, you heard her," he said, as if he weren't the only one she'd been yelling at for being slow, "Let's go!"
"Then stop daydreaming."
Sora glanced behind himself and Kairi to find that Riku and Iraki had just joined them, the boy grinning at him with that superior grin that he had seen for so many years and then not again for what felt like too long.
"I'm not!" Sora protested in response, breaking out into a run that caught Kairi completely off-guard.
And despite the situation, the girl let out a laugh as she was pulled after him. It was only then that Sora realized none of the Heartless were so much as touching this passageway under the falls.
I wonder why?
But Sora, like Kairi, wanted to enjoy this time outside of battle, so he didn't say a word and just kept going. Riku, on the other hand, was apparently being a bit more logical.
"What's your name?" he demanded, tugging on Iraki's hand to hurry her after the others.
"Huh?" The new girl turned to them again, still looking annoyed. "How about introducing yourself first before you start telling other people what to do." It wasn't a question; it was an order. She scowled at the group.
Sensing an impending confrontation, Sora purposefully stepped up right between Riku and the girl, letting go of Kairi's hand in the process. "I'm Sora!" he declared, holding out his hand to her. "And these are Kairi, Iraki, and that sour one is Riku."
Riku let out a noise of protest, but Sora's grin just widened.
The girl snorted in amusement, taking his hand and giving it a brief shake. "Iri," she stated simply before turning around again, "Is that better? We don't have time for this."
"Iriak."
The girl froze, looking disconcerted for the first time since they'd met her. She turned slowly to face Riku, eyes afire. "What did you call me?"
Riku stared back just as intensely. "It's your name, isn't it?"
"My name is Iri. Where did you hear anything else, huh? Who told you?"
Riku smirked. "So it is your name."
Sora sighed at the sight of their expressions, shaking his head, but the girl positively bristled.
"And what's it to you? You call me that name one more time, and this is the end of the road!"
"Riku..." Kairi broke in then, looking from the girl to the boy with a frown and a determined gleam in her eyes. Sora smiled, knowing that, if anyone was going to break up this argument, she would be the best for it. But there was something troubled about her expression as well, and the boy had a feeling he knew what she was going to say. He had noticed, too. "You know it because her name...it's mine backwards."
Iri's rage seemed to fade a bit at that, and the sword that she had begun to raise in her anger went back to resting by her side. "Yeah. What did you expect?" Her tone was still sour, but that emotion didn't seem as genuine as before.
"You mean..." Iraki piped up, "That you're her...our...opposite?"
"Well, you don't get three White Keyblade Masters out of two different people," Iri replied wryly, rolling her eyes, "Of course we're the same."
"So you are the third White Keyblade Master," Riku commented, sounding as though she'd just confirmed something he already knew, although considering the way he was acting, Sora couldn't help but think that he would have responded like that no matter what she said.
"Heh, real brilliant group." Iri's tone was dry. "Are we done? The Heartless might eventually start following if we don't get our hearts far enough from that entrance pretty quick." And without waiting for a reply, she turned and started forward again.
Sora simply watched after her for a moment, trying to piece together the things he'd just learned with what he already knew. The third White Keyblade Master...so she's the girl Ansem mentioned. Well, that explains why she's running around alone even when the Heartless are attacking this world! But...this still doesn't make sense... How can there be three of Kairi? I thought there was only supposed to be two.
"You're really Kairi's opposite?" he asked abruptly, his tone full of the curiosity and wonder usually reserved for encountering a new world, "She already has a parallel, but that's still possible?"
Iri glanced back at him, an eyebrow raised at the question. "Of course it's possible!" she snapped, though her tone didn't seem to hold quite the same bite as it had toward Riku, "Just because it's not supposed to be that way doesn't mean it won't. I thought you all would have at least figured that out by now." She rolled her eyes. "Now are we moving, or do I have to start dragging you?"
"We're moving," Kairi broke in. Sora glanced at her in surprise. Her tone was hard to fathom; it was very flat, but he could sense the tension in it. She obviously didn't like the way the conversation had been going, though whether it was because of the fighting or just Iri's attitude in general was hard to say.
Or maybe she's worried about what we were talking about?
Without another word, however, she took Sora's hand and started ahead, tugging for him to follow. He quickly matched her pace, the two passing Iri in the process.
"Finally." The dark-haired girl shook her head in an exasperated fashion and went after them, and Riku followed her with his arms crossed over his chest and his expression hard. Iraki walked alone behind him, her face exuding worry.
The group continued like that for a while, the passage stretching on endlessly before them without even the slightest change either in front or behind. The walls were gray rock, and even though they were smooth, there were enough twists and imperfections that the cave looked natural, not created. Sora couldn't help being disappointed that it wasn't a little more interesting. Just one plain path to walk down didn't give them much to see, especially considering it was behind those amazing falls.
On the other hand, despite all of Iri's complaints, it seemed that no Heartless were following them. The silence was boring--it couldn't be any fun at all when the Keyblade Masters were so tense! But Sora reminded himself to be thankful for this time. At least for once there was no fighting to be done--and no one being hurt.
But the silence was a bit too thick, and the young man finally decided that this needed to change. After all, what reason did the five of them really have to not get along? Personality differences could usually be resolved just by getting to know the person a little better!
With this new tactic in mind, he pondered how to break the silence. Grinning in his typical friendly manner, he started, "So...Iri?"
The girl gave him a glance that seemed more suspicious than curious in response. "What is it?" she asked, a bit warily.
"I was wondering..." Sora continued casually, "you're from here, right? Like...this world. Hey, did you and Iraki ever-"
"Iri? Is that you?"
All four Keyblade Masters froze at the new voice, Sora's question dying in the air. Only Iri turned in the direction from which it had come, not seeming the least bit surprised. "Yeah. Who did you expect?"
"Who's with you?" came the voice again. Its tone was a bit fearful, and the person ignored the girl's attitude completely. The origin of the sound was clearly somewhere farther down the passage from where they all stood, but that wasn't what kept the four from moving or responding.
That voice...it sounds just like Riku. Is that...?
Sora's mind raced, struggling for an explanation, and he was sure his companions were trying to do the same.
For her part, Iri rolled her eyes at them all and continued on as if nothing were odd. "The other Keyblade Masters. Why are you so far away? I thought you wanted to see them."
"I...I do." The voice caught a bit in a way that was very not like Riku.
Are there three of him, too? Or...?
"Then stop being so scared! You can walk now, can't you? Come on."
"You're as friendly as ever." This time a smile was audible in the voice, although there was still clear nervousness beneath it.
"Well, I'd come your way, but I think they're all as stuck as you are."
"Are they...?" The tone of these words was hard to place. It was still frightened, but it also seemed to hold something a bit hopeful, or perhaps wistful, or both...
"Yeah. So get over here and quit holding them in suspense!" To everyone's surprise, Iri added a few words with apparently uncharacteristic softness in her voice. "You don't need to be scared of being seen."
There was a pause, and what sounded suspiciously like a faint laugh. "I'm not afraid of that."
"Then what are you doing? Come on, we're waiting! Kiru!"
Sora's eyes widened, and he felt Kairi stiffen. Kiru? Did she just say Kiru? But he...
They heard footsteps then--faint ones, at first, and slow, but they grew stronger as the figure drew closer. He started as nothing more than a silhouette against the darkness of the passage, but the glint of silver hair soon became clear in the dim light, followed by two bright blue eyes. The body was familiar as well, but not as much as they had expected. He didn't look half as much like Riku as he used to, not when he was now covered with small, red, paper-thin scars. They ran over every inch of visible skin, sometimes breaking out into more severe wounds or obscured by the bandages that crisscrossed his limbs and face. But even with the changes, the person who was standing before them was unmistakable.
Iraki was the first to find her voice, though it was tight and strained with disbelief--and faint hope. "...Kiru?"
