Author's Note: So, this could have been two chapters. Maybe it should have been, I am not certain at this point. I never felt right trying to split it up. Once I got started, I could not stop writing long enough to create a chapter end. So real talk, this is the second to last chapter. I'll meet you at the bottom for one more announcement.
Sora walked up over to a long wall and saw the signs of combat occurring above him. He leapt forward and took off up the side of the cliff. The sounds of combat became clearer as he made his way over the edge of the cliff and saw a chaotic scene before him. Mickey, Riku, and Lea were locked in combat with Xemnas, Ansem, Young Xehanort, and an additional cloaked figure wielding his Kingdom Key.
"Riku!" Sora charged forward summoning his Oblivion keyblade.
As Sora ran forward, Xehanort appeared before him and stopped his charge. "Perhaps you should leave things be," the old, bald man said to Sora. Sora tried to jump around the older man and found himself cut off again. "We have much to discuss, Sora," Xehanort taunted.
Sora rolled low and under another attempt to stop him. "I have nothing to talk about with you," Sora said under his breath. Xehanort reappeared in front of him and lashed a hand out catching Sora by the face. Sora looked over at his allies being attacked and he struggled desperately to free himself. A pressure rose in his body and Sora took on a light glow. A figure suddenly fell from the sky above him and two keyblades lashed out, forcing Xehanort to drop the boy in his grasp. As the dust settled, Sora looked over and saw a familiar mop of brown hair wielding two familiar looking keyblades.
"Sora, I'll save them, take him down!" Roxas called over his shoulder as he ran off.
Sora turned to Xehanort and lowered himself to a readied pose. "Clever," Xehanort commented idly. He summoned the No Name Keyblade to hand. The two regarded each other briefly before Sora ran forward and lashed his blade out at the enemy. Xehanort blocked the blade effortlessly as darkness consumed his free hand. With a powerful thrust of his hand, Sora felt himself fly backwards and heavily slide across the ground. Sora rolled back onto his feet and found Xehanort above him with the keyblade overhead.
"Go to hell!" the two heard suddenly as a glowing boot impacted Xehanort's side, knocking him away. The boots and gloves disappeared, leaving the usual Dante charm standing over Sora with hand extended. "You doin' alright, Daycare Kid?"
With a grateful smile, Sora took his hand and pulled himself back to his feet. Aqua found herself next to the other two. Terra however ran off towards the other fight. Xehanort watched him go and the two seemed to lock eyes for a moment, however Terra kept going.
"He has been freed? Impressive," Xehanort admitted. He focused his attention back on the trio in front of him. "So, I see you have proven yourselves capable. However, I am afraid this marks the end for you. My ambitions will come to be."
Dante drew his blade from his back and prepared himself for combat and taunted, "Your ambitions came to a grinding halt the second you got me involved." No response was given, as Xehanort disappeared and Dante was suddenly launched backwards. Dante dug his feet into the ground and put his blade in front of him as Xehanort impacted against it with a mighty followup swing. Despite his apparent age, he was strong and he was fast. Sora ran up behind him and leapt up to bring his keyblade down on Xehanort. The old man spun, deflected the swing and sent Sora flying off balance. He then ended up back to exerting pressure on Dante like he hadn't ever even moved. Dante could not help but be impressed by this display of strength and control.
A massive fireball quickly approached as Xehanort vanished leaving only Dante in its path. Xehanort reappeared by the source, Aqua. She hand sprung out of the way of his attack then leapt up to unleash a follow up spell. Interrupted, Aqua summoned her barrier, just narrowly preventing Xehanort from hitting her. Dante did a Trickster dodge to the otherside of the fireball and then thrust forward at Xehanort. A second keyblade manifested in Xehanort's free hand blocking the thrust. Sora cast an ice spell then slid down the path created by the spell. Sora flew off the end of the spell swinging his blade at the now occupied Xehanort. A third copy of the No Name keyblade appeared and blocked the attack, the blade floating in the air between them. Xehanort rotated his upper body and all three keyblades swung outward throwing all three of his enemies backwards.
A storm of petals suddenly crashed into his form pushing Xehanort slightly off balance, followed by a flaming girl dropping from the sky above knocking him further off balance. A series of laser impacts made the man fall down and a massive deluge of water fell on him. Ruby, Yang, Rise, and Yuna all regrouped with their other allies.
"Did we get him?" Ruby asked peering at the dust and water storm still stirring in the area they had left Xehanort.
Rise brought her Persona to herself and scanned. "He's still fine in there. We need to hurry and beat him," she announced.
"Sounds good to me," Dante said, flourishing his blade and charging.
Yuna's clothes transformed as she was now armed with twin pistols and launched two charged shots, the bullets flew at the place they last saw the old man. Aqua formed an ice spell on the end of her keyblade and swung a wide path towards the settling dust. Ruby swung her scythe with a large blasting shot, Yang lept aboard and was thrown through the air. Ruby dashed after her. Sora dashed forward with a sweeping swing quickly closing the gap. A sequence of clanging noises made the whole group realize that they had all been blocked. As the dust finally cleared, Xehanort stood with six different copies of the No Name keyblade, either in hand or floating around him, in various positions and angles. Each attempt on his life intercepted.
All the Guardians heard Rise's voice in their mind as she said, "Guys, those aren't his only weapons. Get out! I'm sensing a large mass heading our way at a high speed!" Xehanort proceeded to swing every weapon simultaneously and launch each of them away. A stormy wind seemed to settle over the area suddenly, as a massive cloud of keyblades flew through the area. Rise witnessed it charge the other battle taking place across the plateau. By the time it moved, everyone over there was gone. She could sense them further away, so they were at least ok, even if they were separated. The storm then turned about face and came after them. It flowed through the air like a flying serpent and almost immediately honed in on her position.
Aqua had landed on her feet from being cast off of Xehanort. Sprinting as fast as she could, she raced the storm of keyblades to Rise. Sliding to a stop between the two, Aqua's arms took on a glow as she created a barrier. The keyblades stabbed heavily into the barrier and Aqua felt her legs begin to shake as the effort to maintain the protective shield physically affected her.
Sora, who had flown past Rise when his attack had been rebuffed, leapt over the barrier and ran down the keyblades. Jumping off the tail end of the storm, he brought his weapon over his head and swung it down. Xehanort phased to the left ever so slightly, the weapon missing entirely. With a hand engulfed in darkness, Xehanort grabbed Sora by the face, like he had before. Sora struggled against the grip but with little effort, found himself slammed into the ground. His vision went dark for a moment and he felt himself raised up for a second swing.
"Sora!" Ruby called out as she charged Xehanort with her scythe in hand. A keyblade blocked her swing and she then found herself being thrown back with Sora body crashing into her own. When they slid to a stop, a small electric jolt emanated from Ruby's leg. Looking down, she found it inoperable. Grabbing it from off her leg, she got to work trying to figure out the issue. Sora lay motionless next to her.
Yang burned bright as she charged after the man who attacked her baby sister. Xehanort countered her reckless attack and left her stuck in the air defenceless as three keyblade strikes knocked her around. A storm of darkness flew in from the distance and formed a fourth weapon which he threw into her, flinging her back next to her sister. The impact shattered one of her gauntlets as she blocked the attack with her right arm. She struggled to her feet, but ultimately felt the exhaustion begin getting the best of her. Even if her Semblance was charged, recovering from the amount of abuse her body had taken over these battles would take time.
Yuna let loose a volley of bullets, while she ran at her opponent. Two keyblades floated between them, spinning away and deflecting every shot taken at him. Yuna leapt to the right while trying to mix-up her hand position. Nothing made it past the spinning blades. Xehanort then jumped towards her with a single blade in his hand, he began knocking her hands away making her shots just miss him entirely. Xehanort swung his blade horizontally, forcing Yuna to flip backwards away from him. As she landed, a keyblade slid beneath and caught on her feet. Forced off balance, Xehanort piston kicked her with a short step forwards and Yuna landed heavily on the ground. She was not used to such an overwhelming force. Checking her guns, she found herself low on ammo.
Aqua watched the cracks spread across her barrier. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she resisted the force of the keyblade storm as much as possible. A second wave from the storm shattered her barrier. Rise moved Himiko in front of Aqua and the Keyblades surged into her form. Rise screamed out in pain and her Persona shattered in front of them. The resulting wave of blades washed the two of them away. Aqua held onto Rise who was clutching her head, her body locked up in pain and unable to protect herself.
Dante dashed through the storm and pulled the two of them out the otherside. The keyblades spiraled around and flew in for a second wave of attacks. Stepping forward, Dante grabbed the blade from his back and began to perform his Million Stab attack. He stabbed his blade forward repeatedly, each lunging motion met a keyblade from the storm and sent it flying off to the side. Finally, with a powerful forward stab, the end of the storm was scattered around. Aqua looked around and found herself surrounded by the blades that had once been flying through the air. Dante stood in front of her with his back to her. Without a word, he started walking towards Xehanort.
Dante walked across the wasteland that was the Keyblade Graveyard. His thoughts drifted back to the group of warriors behind him. Sora, unconscious. Rise, Persona broken. Ruby, prosthetic malfunction. Yang, exhausted. Aqua, hurt. And Yuna who was out of ammunition and energy. It came upon him to do the thing he did best. Buy them time to recover, by wasting Xehanort's time. If he could have his way, all of his companions would be able to go home when he was done. Even if it came as a result of his death. Gripping his trusty blade Rebellion in a tight fist, Dante came to a stop a respectable distance from the old man behind all of this chaos.
"You are without a keyblade," Xehanort spoke without turning to look at Dante. "You are not the one I must face to finish my machinations. There is no point in this battle."
Dante scoffed at this as he flourished his blade. "Yeah, I was never good with social queues. Showed up at a lot more parties than just yours uninvited," Dante answered. Xehanort still had yet to turn around.
"Your ignorance continues it seems. You still have not left," Xehanort said turning around and summoning the No Name keyblade to hand.
Dante held his blade in two hands in a careful combat stance. "Well you brought this on yourself," he replied. This was a fight he could not afford to mess around in, Keyblades were dangerous weapons if you were not careful.
Xehanort looked at the man with a questioning look. "Do you not appreciate the bonds you have been able to form because of my actions? My interference in your various worlds have created the bonds you cherish now, did it not?" the old man asked.
Dante relaxed a moment as he considered the question. "You know," he started. "You're right. I do cherish those bonds. They're important to me. But your interference has ended lives. Your interference has hurt all of the people behind me. And you know what? I would give up those bonds in an instant if it meant the people I have made those bonds with could have had happy lives. If it meant that you didn't exist, they'd be given up without a regret."
"I see," Xehanort commented idly. "Had you been a keybearer, I may have enjoyed seeing you develop into a truly powerful Keyblade Master." The two of them took combat ready poses and Dante's smirk disappeared as it was time to fight a very serious battle. There was a moment where the two of them regarded each other and then Dante charged forward.
Dante swung his blade in a wide, fast arc which was stopped by Xehanort's Keyblade. An immediate change in direction, the blade Rebellion came back around and swung down. The blade stopped again by Xehanort. Dante let the blade bounce back as he rotated his arm back and flipped the blade over end and let the blade swing back towards his opponent. The fight started slow, but the two fighters sped up almost as if they were simply testing the waters before. A second keyblade appeared by Xehanort and attacked Dante as if by its own will. Dante leaned back and the mid-air keyblade swing went over his face. Jumping off the ground, his back flip got him out of the range of the attack follow-up by the old man himself. Dante had sheathed the blade as he flipped, and two serrated curved swords appeared on his back.
"Let's do it fellas," he said to the blades, Agni and Rudra. Dashing forward in a storm of wind and fire, Dante cleared the gap between him and Xehanort. Xehanort blocked the initial attack and the second keyblade blocked the follow up swing. A third keyblade appeared and stabbed forward as Dante disappeared for the briefest moment. Appearing behind Xehanort, he flipped through the air, the firestorm lashing out. Xehanort's floating keyblades caught the man.
"Dante," one of the blades said. "I know you said we were not allowed to talk but there is something you should know about this foe's weapon."
"No talking," Dante said, bouncing back away from a molten rock flying through the spot he had been in before. Skidding to a stop, Dante took a moment to think about his approach.
"Please, it is important," the other blade said. Dante gritted his teeth as he moved so fast he began to blur. Xehanort swung his keyblade out and Dante was suddenly gone. Appearing behind the man, Dante swung his blade, but the two floating blades protected Xehanort once more. A fourth blade appeared and lunged at Dante. Launching himself off of the two keyblades beneath him, he blocked the blade. To his surprise, he was launched backwards as the red blade seemed to vanish into a flash of light. Dante could sense it still there, but it was no longer responding to his call.
"Dante," the remaining blade spoke. "His weapon is affecting us. Weakening us, forcing us into dormancy. If you keep this up, we will not be able to help you until we wake again." Dante looked down at his weapon with a subtle scowl. Should I let the weapon disappear? he thought for a moment. However, his thoughts were interrupted when Master Xehanort was upon him in the blink of an eye, keyblade in midswing.
Dante lashed his remaining blade forward, and as it had warned, the blade vanished and Dante was launched back further. Sliding to a stop, he found himself surrounded by several keyblades. Calling forth Nevan, Dante let loose a torrential storm of lightning accompanied by a screaming electric guitar chord. The keyblades were electrocuted in place and all fell to the ground. Xehanort flew forward with his own keyblade still in hand, landing its shot directly in the center of the guitar. Dante felt himself be launched again as his weapon caused him to fly back away from his enemy. At that moment, he realized that this was a last ditch effort from the spirits of these weapons to save him. They weren't just going dormant, they were sacrificing themselves to dormancy. He drew his blade from his back and struggled to his feet. No longer, would he sacrifice them.
"I grow weary of these games," Xehanort commented as he proceeded to walk past Dante. Dante turned towards him with a very pissed off look on his face.
"Games? The lives of my friends and everyone they love are just pieces in a game for you?" Dante asked. Dante was not easy to make truly angry. You had to really dig at him to get even a small rise out of him emotionally. But there was something about this concept that really just ate away at his calm. "My father was a man who fought for the weak. He had courage and a righteous heart. My mother was the most graceful and kind woman to live," Dante said as he stalked forward blade at the ready. Xehenort floated in the air and as he did, the world around them seemed to blink as reality shifted and they found themselves in a pristine white city that towered up into a central point. Identical cities dotted the horizon across the water. Xehanort turned around and his Keyblade was pointed out at Dante.
"Goodbye, Dante," Xehanort said coldly. A beam of light lashed forward from the end of the key. Dante stabbed his sword Rebellion up to meet the beam. It was split in two as it burnt the ground around him, narrowly missing his form. Dante stood firm for a few brief moments. The force aimed down on him however was beginning to wear on his already taxed strength and his arm began to shake.
Looking up at Xehanort, he could see a small level of strain in the old man's eyes. Maybe, Dante could outlast this attack. With renewed determination he felt his temperature rise and with a powerful voice declared, "I am a son of Sparda and Eva, within me flows their blood. But more importantly, their souls!" Dante's form transformed as he brought out his Devil Trigger. The demonic form was much more intimidating than it had been in the past. Had his opponent been anyone else, Dante was sure it would have caused them to falter. "Now, my soul is screaming for me to stop you!" Dante finished triumphantly as his arm stopped shaking. He could hold out, as Xehanort's face visually clenched, clearly he was on the winning side now. Or so he believed, until he saw it happen.
It was almost like it happened in slow motion, that small reflective shard flipping through the air towards his demonic face. His blade chipped. Rebellion was beginning to fail in the face of the power of the keyblade. The look of effort on Xehenort's face turned to confidence as he could also see the metallic shard flying through the air, as it sliced through Dante's cheek. The cracks then spread down the blade, glowing internally from the light beam that threatened to shatter the blade.
Dante's thoughts went to his friends both here and away. It landed finally on Aqua and for a moment, he felt a pang of regret. "Sorry Aqua, maybe I should've brought my brother's blade with me afterall," Dante whispered just before his blade exploded outwards. Dante felt himself begin to fly backwards, until the beam pierced his chest. The initial burn of the beam was a searing pain, blinding his senses and ultimately numbing into the sensation of weightlessness. His body returned to his normal form as he landed on the ground. Was this how dying felt?
Dante… Power sleeps within you… If you give it form… it will give you power. Call upon the power within. Open the door!
"R-Riku?" Dante asked the voice groggily as the light began to fade from his eyes.
"Dante!" he heard a voice in the distance. "Dante, please hold on!" It was Aqua. Her voice was shaking and desperate. "Don't leave me here alone!"
Another voice called out to him, "Dante!"
Another.
And another.
And another.
Everything began to go dark as his mind began to fog over.
Don't be afraid.
"Mother… I'm coming home."
"Stopza!"
Rise felt time slow when she ran towards Dante. When it stalled out entirely she felt her reality shift as if she sank into the ground beneath her. Everything went dark and then as her feet touched down on a surface beneath her, a flock of doves revealed a glowing stained-glass tower beneath her. She saw herself depicted on it twice, once in an idol outfit she wore on stage once and the other in her school uniform. Each one held in their hand a different item. The student held a photo and the idol held a small charm consisting of three spheres in the shape of a head with ears. In hexagonal shapes behind her two selves she saw the faces of her new allies and dearest friends.
Rise. You have seen things like this before, haven't you?
Rise looked around as she heard what sounded like Sora's voice. "Yes, I have. When I tried to search for Ventus. I used Sora's bonds with him to find him and there was a series of these with different designs. They were called Stations right, Sora?" she answered.
The form of Sora materialized in front of her. He seemed light and fancy free, but Rise could tell immediately that is what not exactly him. "You remember correctly. It seems that happened just before the actual Rite of Succession was performed on the Celsius," he mused.
"Isn't there a ceremony?" Rise asked.
"Wasn't for me. Or Kairi for that matter. Like Aqua said once upon a time, the only thing you really need is a strong heart and close proximity to the weapon for your inner strength to start learning to take form," Sora answered.
Rise looked doubtful for a moment and then her eyes went wide with surprise, "Wait, you mean I might be able to manifest a Keyblade?"
"Not a matter of 'might', just a matter of 'when.' But yes that is what I'm saying," Sora replied with an amused expression. "I'm here to help you begin the process of manifesting that power. The Station of Awakening."
Rise nodded and said, "Then I best make sure my performance is up to par. Go ahead, I'm ready."
"What does sacrifice mean to you?"
"Sacrifice," Rise said aloud as she pondered the question. "Sacrifice is doing what's right, even when it hurts. For the right people, sacrifice is a price I'd be happy to pay for their happiness."
Sora nodded and then asked, "What is the most important thing in life?"
"Truth. Truth with others, but more importantly truth with yourself. You'll never grow if you spend all your time lying to yourself," Rise explained. Yu had taught her that.
"Finally, what is reality to you?" Sora asked.
Rise thought for a moment before saying, "Life's a stage. A performance. All any of us can do is make sure that we perform from the heart. That is what reality is to me."
Sora smiled at her and holding his hand out in front of him said, "Focus on that truth. Give it form. Make it your power in another way." Rise smiled back, mimicked his pose and focused on the energy she felt building up inside.
Ruby felt her feet touch down on the dark ground and she knew what was happening. She had seen it in her dreams. Stepping forward a flock of birds flew away from her step as the stained glass of her Station of Awakening was revealed. Behind her form were four large circles each one containing a different symbol. A burning rose, a snowflake, a flowerlike paw print, and a flaming heart. Her team back home. She missed them terribly. She then looked at the ground around her feet and saw the weapons of her allies. A Kingdom Key, Rebellion, a microphone stand, Master Keeper, her sister's Ember Celica gauntlet's, and a pair of pistols.
Ruby looked at the floor for a while longer when she was suddenly addressed by a familiar voice. "Hey, Ruby. Welcome to your Station of Awakening," it said.
Ruby turned around and saw Sora standing before her. "Sora! You ok?" she asked.
"Ok enough to help you with this. Here in this place, I am going to help you manifest your keyblade," Sora said to her with a big smile.
"Me? Why me?" Ruby asked.
"Strength of heart is super important to being able to manifest a keyblade," Sora explained. "Which is something you have in spades."
Ruby nodded and asked, "Then what do I do?"
"A question for you then?" Sora said with a smile. "Why do you want to be a hero?"
"Well there's nothing else I'd rather be. I want to give people hope like the fairy tales and stories did when I was a child. And if I do my job well enough, maybe there won't be any reason for someone else to have to take my spot when I'm done," Ruby explained passionately.
"And what is the scariest thing about being a hero?" Sora asked.
"Well," Ruby thought for a moment. "If I had to say anything. The scariest thing about being a hero is failing. M-my mom failed. She sacrificed herself for the sake of the world. But I don't know if she changed anything. I still love her. And I know her will to be a hero is what has made me the person I am today…"
"What's missing from your life because of your pursuit to be a hero?" Sora asked.
Ruby thought for a moment and then said, "I may be missing out on personal relationships because of my goals. I think a part of me never wants to put a child through what I went through. While I'm proud of my Mom for being a hero, I would have liked to have known her. As nice as eventually having a family would be, I know I could never give up being a hero to stop and make one."
Sora nods and replied, "Your worries are understandable and your goals are admirable. Maybe this power will help you with both. Focus on it Ruby. Make it listen to you."
Ruby looked at the form of Sora as it faded away with a supportive smile. She looked at her hand and focused on it.
Yang looked down as she dared to open her eyes. She had not even realized that she closed them when Dante's chest had been pierced by the beam of Xehanort's keyblade. Now she was alone in the darkness except for the floor beneath her was glowing bright. She looked down and saw a stained glass platform that depicted her. Behind her form was her mother's helmet split in half with the symbol of the White Fang. On her face, was a scar that was an exact copy of the one Dante had gotten protecting her. A wisp of darkness flowing from her hand reminded her of the dark form of Sora that Rise had one described to her. Her other hand had rose petals flowing from it in a mirrored pattern. One of Aqua's metal boots adorned her right foot and Yuna's black leather boot on the other.
Yang suddenly spun around with her fists up to find Sora standing on the edge of her platform. He turned towards her and she could see that it was not quite Sora. It looked like him and it definitely came from him. "Hey there, Yang," he said to her.
"Sora? What's going on?" Yang asked.
Sora smiled and said, "You are on your Station of Awakening. Are you ready to manifest your keyblade?"
"My… keyblade?" Yang asked, slightly taken aback. "But how?"
"Well, you inherited my will to wield the keyblade," Sora replied. "It really is that simple. This place is where you will start to give this new power form."
"Um, wow," Yang started. "I am speechless."
Sora laughed and said, "Let's hope not completely speechless, I do have some questions to ask you. Ready?" Yang nodded. "What would you say is your best quality?"
"I have been told that I can be especially nurturing. To Ruby especially but that is mostly because she is my little sister," Yang explained. "But I do like caring for people. Making sure they know I am there for them. Even if it means disregarding my own needs.
"What scares you the most?" Sora asked.
Yang hesitated before she finally admitted out loud, "Abandonment. I could never shake this feeling that I was the one who made my mom go away. So I searched for her, just to figure out why she hated me so much. It was a fear that consumed me so much that I almost got my little sister killed because I needed answers."
Sora paused a moment and then asked, "What is the harshest lesson you ever learned?"
"You can't force people to be a part of your life. I am trying to deal with that and I used this new journey as a means to forget about it for a little while. But I can't ignore reality. Can I?" Yang answered seriously.
Sora nodded. "You have become very strong because of these trials. Give that strength a form and call upon it. When you can do that, you will have your keyblade."
Yang nodded and with eyes open she focused on her hands.
Yuna sank into the darkness as time froze. As her feet finally found ground, the doves scattered away from her feet. Looking down at the light that pierced the darkness Yuna found herself on a stained glass platform. Depicted on it was herself. Half in her new gunner outfit and half in her old summoner outfit. Behind her was her blue sword crossed over with a second blue sword, her guardians and now the gullwings meeting together to culminate in the person in the center. Around her neck was a silver chain with a red stone, a microphone, a blue wayfinder, a rose, a flame, and a little silver crown. The new group that was shaping her now.
She looked away from the stained glass floor and found Sora appearing before her. He lightly chuckled as he said, "You know you once gave me a keyblade. Only seems right that I be the one you inherited the ability to wield one from."
"A keyblade? Me?" Yuna asked.
Sora nodded and said, "From what we learned on Besaid, I don't think I have met anyone with more strength of heart than you. You have to have a lot of strength to be willing to go on an adventure across the world with the sole intent of sacrificing yourself at the end of it. Even more so to become resolved in fixing a broken cycle when you find out that the journey is just a waste of life."
"But I don't know if I am worthy," Yuna commented sadly.
"Well then, answer me this," Sora replied. "Why do people make sacrifices?"
"When it's the right thing to do. When it's the only thing to do," Yuna replied.
"What is the most important trait a person can have?"
Yuna paused for a moment and said, "Empathy. If you can't empathize, how can you ever truly try to do right for another person?"
Sora hummed and then asked, "Should people have more than one goal in their life?"
Yuna looked at him and said, "Of course, especially if they have achieved their first one. Goals are important. They not only give us the stepping stones to our future, but they also give us the starting off point for who we are going to become."
Sora nodded and said, "Then remember that when I tell you that you are worthy of wielding the keyblade. Take those answers and turn them into power."
Yuna looked down at her open hand and then with a determined look in her eye, she nodded and began to focus on her hand.
Well that was a close one. We still have time to fix this.
Dante opened his eyes and looked down upon a glowing stained glass platform. Built into the glowing colors beneath him, Dante could see himself, sword planted down in the ground beneath him. To his left was a familiar katana. The one he left behind in case he fell so it would not wind up in Xehanort's hands. To his right, the Red Queen blade that belonged to his nephew. The blade with the built in engine, a novel idea but the kid made it work. Behind him were the forms of his father and his mother. Gripped in one hand rested over the pommel of his blade was a blue star, a Wayfinder. In the other was another Wayfinder made of shells. Adorning his head was a silver crown, the one that Sora wore on the pendant around his neck. The outer edge was lined in rose petals, fire, music staff lines with notes, and an intricate staff repeatedly. Little symbols of all the people who meant the world to him.
Dante then looked at the outer edge of the platform and could see the shards of it had begun to shatter away from the rest of the platform. Finally Dante addressed the voice he heard, "So, how do we fix this? And what is this?"
A figure materialized in front of Dante and he was greeted by the form of Riku. "This is the Station of the Heart. Your station of Awakening. It's here that you can manifest and forge your ability to wield the Keyblade," Riku explained. It sounded like him, but there was a little something off about him. It was more like an approximation of him.
"Manifesting a Keyblade? Me? Why? Don't I have to receive it through some kind of Ceremony?" Dante asked, recounting what Aqua had said about the process.
'Riku' chuckled for a moment before he replied, "While Ceremonies are nice, they are not needed. You inherited my will to wield the keyblade quite a while ago if I am being honest. You know when it happened?"
Dante thought for a moment and realized the exact moment. "Oh, I get it. So why now?" Dante asked.
"Desperate times, I guess," was the response he received. "Afterall, you are in dire straits now, right?" A nod was the only thing Dante could really do. It was true. "So let me ask you then, Dante. What is the most important thing to you right now?"
Dante thought for a moment and replied, "I have to say it's still humanity. Not just the preservation of it, but also keeping it pure. To spare as many people of undue suffering as I can."
"What could you achieve to make you feel like your life was worth it?"
"That's easy. I want to end the cycle of revenge that's consumed my family. Everyone has died or been lost to people seeking revenge or died trying to find it themselves. It has to stop. And I think I've saved Nero from it for a time, but there's someone I can't afford to lose now," Dante explained as he thought about Aqua.
"Last question," Riku said. "What is the best reason to lay your life on the line?"
"Love," Dante replied almost immediately. "Not that mushy fantasy type of love, I mean the love shared between two brother's in arms, a man and a woman leaning on each other to keep above water. The type of love that transcends the idea of romance and is just love. The unique quality of humans, the thing that makes them stronger than demons. That is worth risking everything."
"I see," Riku commented idly. "Summon your keyblade then, Dante. Give that resolve a form that is uniquely your own." Dante nodded and closed his eyes. "Oh and Dante?" Riku called getting Dante's attention. "Hold your hand like this when you get it, yeah?" With a knowing smile, Dante nodded again and closed his eyes. He was only going to get one chance at this.
As time became unstuck, Aqua quickly came to see Dante with his blade sticking out of his chest. It must have landed there after it left his hand. Aqua looked up and saw Xehanort, surrounded by 12 copies of the No Name keyblade. His gaze fell on her and as the two of them stared off at each other, his form began to disappear into refracted light. Wisps of darkness suddenly swarmed his body and soon he was clad in a goat headed suit of black armor, edges accented in purple. Aqua however was disturbed by the way it seemed to distort his physical body. His neck was now elongated, his shoulders broadened, and his torso over angular and seemingly stretched.
Her mind finally registered her new surroundings as she realized that she was far from the Keyblade Graveyard. Ruby stepped up next to Aqua with her scythe in hand, her leg was clearly not functioning properly but it was otherwise working again. Rise placed a hand on Aqua's shoulder and gave a light squeeze of support. Standing next to the two of them calmed Aqua down.
"This place was the seat of power for keyblade wielders and is a place where I and my 13 selves can be one. In Scala ad Caelum," Xehanort told them and soon after the three girls watched as lesser versions of the keyblade armor seemed to disappear from the world around them. "They will make quick work of those who were left behind in the graveyard. Now, it is time that I bring forth my final keyblade and reforge the X-Blade. Starting with you." He pointed a sharp finger at Aqua.
Ruby stepped in front of Aqua and embedded her scythe in the ground. "You'll have to go through me, first," she announced defiantly. Rise joined her and nodded.
Xehanort dashed forward and on each flank were six keyblades. Two keyblades suddenly moved to his hands as he swung his arms up. Both Ruby and Rise were sent flying. A long scream emanated from behind Aqua as Yang leapt forward and swung her fist. Four blades crisscrossed in front of him and cushioned her attack with the remaining gauntlet shattering in a dramatic fashion. He then vanished and reappeared behind Yang. Launching her away and she embedded into the wall.
Aqua looked around for her allies as it seemed Sora had regained consciousness as Ruby landed on him. Her leg was once again no longer moving and she seemed exhausted. He scooped her up and made eye contact with Aqua for one moment before she nodded, letting him know to get her to safety. Rise had landed on a nearby building, her foot caught on the edge rail. Yuna it seemed was still trying to get to her feet from her last clash with him and Yang was embedded deep in the wall.
"Master… Aqua…" Xehenort called through uneven breaths. The effort of battle against the six remaining Guardians was clearly taking its toll on him. He needed to defeat one keyblade wielder to complete his X-Blade. But with Sora and Aqua united against him, even in Scala Ad Caelum, the ability to complete it and claim its power was seemingly just out of his grasp.
Aqua shuddered as her name was called by him. It resonated with the same tone that Ansem's had that moment in the Realm of Darkness. The moment that everything was lost. She felt her legs shake in fear as her heart rate skyrocketed and her vision seemed to be overtaken by that realm. The face of Dante, with the remaining length of his sword pierced through his chest flashed within her mind. Sora as he carried Ruby to safety. Yang embedded in a nearby wall. Yuna as she struggled to her feet. Rise hanging upside down from a rooftop.
Aqua felt her legs begin to steady as she looked up at Xehanort with a renewed strength. "Will you not just give up?" Xehanort asked.
"I cannot be strong for myself," Aqua replied sadly. "I will be strong for them. All of them."
Xehanort looked around in his Keyblade Armor at the people around her. His gaze fell on Dante's form. Aqua followed his gaze and saw that Dante had still not faded away. Her mistake was evident as she felt the impact of Xehanort's keyblade against her back. She flew backwards across the city and crash landed inside a nearby building. Xehanort stalked forward as he approached slowly. Aqua struggled to her feet falling back down.
"Get away from her!" Yang's voice rang out as Xehanort looked to the left and suddenly had Yang's gauntlet colliding with his helmet. But Aqua watched Yang's other gauntlet shatter earlier when her last attack had been blocked. The fiery sparks that flew from the impact however made Aqua realize something. Yang had manifested a keyblade. Though it did not look like it, the red embroidered flames that now adorned her now black and red outfit suggested a keyblade transformation. In combination with her semblance, Yang sent the man flying away.
Yang landed down on the ground and ran into the room. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Aqua took her hand and got onto her feet. "Yang, you manifested a keyblade?" Aqua asked.
Yang looked down at the new gauntlets on her hands. They were still yellow, but the almost latticed like effect in the metal that seemed to stylishly separate out into wisps of metallic flame proved that there was something new. "I guess I did. I couldn't just stand by and watch him hurt you like that. But I think this is also a bad thing. He needs to beat one of us with a keyblade and now there's another person he can beat to complete his goals," she replied.
"Then we'll protect each other," Aqua said with a smile. "But first, I need to check on Dante. He was hit by a keyblade beam, his body should have begun to fade by now. Something's going on over there."
Yang nodded. "My semblance is nice and charged, the keyblade is making me feel a little more energized now. I'll buy you time," she said with a confident nod. The two of them ran from the building as Aqua dashed to Dante's side. She looked at the sword and realized that the design of it was different. It reminded her of the blade he had back on remnant as a barrel existed straight down the center of it. This was not the blade that shattered before. Then she saw his fingers twitch. Aqua's eyes lit up as Dante suddenly turned into his devil form. His legs were drawn in and he began to lift up through the blade in his chest. As he passed through the end of the blade he kept himself from falling forward, blood seemed to spray ever which way forcing Aqua to step back to avoid some of the visceral spray that accompanied this display.
"Dante?" Aqua asked hesitantly. The blade behind him suddenly disappeared. It re-manifested in his hand. Aqua could now see the full length of the blade with an indented grove in one side, the telltale sign that he was wielding a keyblade. However, he had not yet addressed her. "Dante?"
He turned and his eyes saw nothing. Aqua realized that something was wrong. He was moving, but he was not aware. Dante began to stalk forward towards the direction that Xehanort was fighting Yang. Aqua reached out to him but he did not respond.
"Dante! You need to wake up!" Aqua said as she wrapped her arms around him and tried to hold him back. His devil trigger form was almost too hot to touch. But she could not let him go after Xehanort in such a blind rage. "Please, stop."
She dug her heels in as he continued going forward. Aqua found herself being pulled backwards as she looked over her shoulder to see Rise and Himiko each pulling back as well. Dante's progress was halted. A quick confirmation was all Aqua needed to see the microphone stand shaped Keyblade being held aloft by Rise's Persona. It's handle was wrapped in a white cloth strip, and the stand shaped pommel was a flower-like face that looked like the satellite that usually adorned her Persona. Aqua closed her eyes and thought to herself.
Desperation is often the cause of people manifesting their keyblade. But who did they receive this from?
"Dante, wake up!" she screamed out at him.
Yang rolled around Xehanort's attacks as she avoided his swings. She felt like the keyblade was enhancing her in some way. Like it was bringing out the best of her. Xehanort's swings were still difficult to avoid, but not nearly as overbearing as they had been before. Though she still felt herself being tossed around by the impact of the blows she blocked. A stray blade found its way to her and launched her backward. His onslaught was still impressive to say the least.
"Where… did that keyblade come from?" Xehanort asked slowly as Yang slid to stop.
Yang kip-upped, smirked and said, "From a friend."
A storm of rose petals suddenly descended from the sky as Ruby dropped down and landed a scythe shaped keyblade barely being caught by the armored enemy. Her weapon looked a lot like her regular weapon. However, its inner workings were now glowing a familiar green and the pieces were lined in a bronze looking metal. Her normal scythe was folded up behind her, hanging off her belt. A streak of blue originated from behind Yang as she watched a blue watery looking keyblade fly through the air and launch Xehanort backwards. The blade boomeranged around back to Yuna who caught it almost effortlessly.
Xehanort began to raise up into the air, his twelve blades spinning rapidly around him. The sky began to darken and then filled with red circular symbols. Ruby dashed up after him, but collided with one of the spinning blades. The red symbols began to glow bright and from them a storm of powerful red lasers fell from the sky.
As Sora finally caught up to Ruby, a laser suddenly blasted down between the two of them. Ruby disappeared into a storm of petals dodging around the attacks from the sky. As she landed down for a quick rest, she was suddenly struck down, crying out. Yang launched herself around the blasts, when she heard her sister cry, she looked for her. As soon as she managed to find her, she too was struck down out of the air. Rise and Himiko seemed to dance around the lasers for a long time. However a grazing shot on the Persona was enough to floor the young idol and left her stunned long enough to be blasted by a laser as well. Aqua ran wildly about, dashing and hand springing around as she suddenly fell to a laser to the back and Dante's still unconscious, walking body was struck repeatedly and it took several lasers to finally knock him down.
Sora slid around lasers as the storm seemed to come to a close. Buildings had crumbled, his allies strewn about by the attack. Sora breathed heavily as he tried to catch his breath. A circle of No Name keyblades spun around him, all pointed at him. They stopped then charged inwards and Sora leapt up, flipping his feet out of the way of the attack and as he landed he found himself confronted by the armoured Xehanort.
Sora looked at his foe and let his keyblade disappear. He focused in and thought of Dante and the world he had come from. A keyblade began to manifest in Sora's hand that was a three tiered blade called Dark Knight. The central tier was a long blade like the great sword that Dante wielded, the blade to the right was a long curved edge that was actually only attached to the center blade at the far end. The inner edge of this blade was a red thick organic looking hide. The final blade was a short curved blade, a katana that rested in the same demon skull crossguard.
"What's the matter, Sora? You seem angry," Xehanort said to the boy. "Too many memories associated with that blade. It even resembles the one that claimed the life of your close friend does it not? Perhaps I should have saved her. I would have my X-Blade already if she had been one of your Guardians."
Sora gritted his teeth and tried to ignore Xehanort's words. He ran forward and swung the blade. Xehanort blocked the attack with two blades.
"Is this all your friendship can muster? Is this all she meant to you?" Xehanort taunted.
Sora's clothes began to glow and his jacket suddenly lengthened. A long back coat and his hair suddenly sported a singly white streak down on the locks that framed his face. "Triple form," Sora said to himself. Two of the blades disappeared and the large curved blade extended out into a scythe like shape. Sora dashed forward and Xehanort's blades caught the attack. But the weapon persisted as Sora passed by him and the single large blade began to glow as Sora leapt up and dropped a heavy and powerful swing down on Xehanort. More keyblades caught the attack, Xehanort was suddenly caught off guard by the sudden weight. Sora flipped off the top and as he landed, the only blade remaining was the katana which is a quick swing, several blades of energy lashed out at Xehanort.
"This was the power that claimed her wasn't it?" Xehanort asked as he disappeared out from under his protective shell of keyblades. His last keyblade lashed out and Sora found himself dashing backwards like Dante's Trickster's styles. Sora felt his lip twitch up like a cornered dog. Xehanort was getting under his skin, and he did not care. Sora's keyblade disappeared as a new one took its place. The faces of the Investigation Team entered his mind. A keyblade called Fool's Journey was manifested, A long flat blade, with a storm of blue cards of various arcana as the key's bit.
Xehanort chuckled and asked, "The power of bonds? We determined that to not be a necessary power long ago."
Sora growled as he ran forward his clothing almost immediately transforming. His face became covered by a forward facing angular mask. The blade's cards stacked out and extended the blade and handle, during the keyblade into a proper Naginata. A storm of lightning flashed behind each blindingly fast swing.
Sora leapt up into the air, spinning the elongated blade over his head, lightning flashed about and the blade elevated him higher. He then fell down a bolt of lightning followed and struck the swarm of keyblades that protected Xehanort. A series of flashing attacks met a different keyblade with every attempt at attacking the source of his ire.
"You cannot beat me with this feeble power, Sora," Xehanort warned with a dry chuckle. The blades stormed out and juggled Sora through the air, back and forth. Sora's weapon let out a cloud of electricity repelling the weapons.
Sora yelled out as his keyblade began to transform into another blade mid-combat. A keyblade appropriately named RWBY Weapon. A red and black scythe of Crescent Rose for the bit, the black blade shaft of Gambol Shroud, the cross guard and handle of Myrtenaster, and the yellow plated pommel and hand guards of Ember Celica. The weapon came equipped with a unique set of abilities it seemed as Sora summoned a glyph beside him and leapt off of it to dodge and incoming attack. Twisting through the air in a sea of black petals, Sora displaced the air throwing off attacks from Xehanort to stop him. Two blades sweeping through knocked him back, but Sora flipped onto his feet and seemed to split into two copies. One of which leapt high and disappeared. The other swing low and with a glowing hot blade sent Xehanort airborne.
Xehanort disappeared and sent beams of energy at Sora from three different directions, all of which Sora managed to dodge out of the way. Sora flipped around and bounced off a nearby building, wisps of darkness began to lash out away from his body. His rage began to overflow again. Sora's eyes went red as he leapt through the air. Xehanort blocked the attack, but Sora let go of his blade and slipped through the other blades that attempted to stop him.. Grabbing Xehanort, the two of them crashed into the street below. Sora clenched his fists and tried to slam them down on Xehanort's armor. Xehanort disappeared and from above lined up and lashed the 12 keyblades down.
"The X-Blade will be mine!"
Sora looked back at the blades, he would have no chance to react. A flash of red suddenly had Dante behind him. Grabbing onto Sora, Dante leapt forward with his Trickster style dash, getting the two of them free, narrowly dodging the incoming attempt to turn Sora into a pin cushion.
"Sora, look at me!" Dante called to him. Sora's enraged eyes looked at him with wild energy, "You need to calm down, yeah? What would Kairi and Riku say if they saw you like this?"
Sora's eyes faded from the bright red as his darkness seemed to dissipate. Though he physically struggled, the words seemed to begin pulling him to his senses. Seeing Dante awake and relatively unharmed definitely helped relieve him of his anger..
"No!" Xehanort called charging forward. Dante summoned forth his keyblade to block the several attacks headed their way. Sora was launched backwards into the wall of the central hill of the city. Dante held strong against the blades that came his way.
Yang dashed underneath Xehanort and fired off a blast of energy, landing a massive uppercut Xehanort's armor began to crack. "Don't you forget about us!" she cheered as he flew up.
Red petals revealed Ruby zooming through the air, she slashed Xehanort and through several bursts of petals dashing back and forth, hit him several more times. "We will stop you!" she cried triumphantly.
Aqua, Rise, and Yuna all focused their weapons up as Fire, Blizzard, and Water all flew up. "We will always stop you!" Yuna called.
"No matter what. You mess with Sora, you mess with all of us now," Rise added.
"For all that you have done," Aqua said with a hard look in her eyes.
Dante leapt up, swung his keyblade down, and knocked the man back to the earth. "Sora! Finish this," Dante called out.
Sora summoned his keyblade and pointed his keyblade out of the hole he found himself in. The beam flew out from the blade and it pierced Xehanort. Xehanort floated in the air for a moment as his armor shattered. With a small smile, he felt his darkness fly from his body and a 13th No Name Keyblade was created. They all began to fuse together and grow brighter.
"The X-Blade is being forged. Perhaps I may still finish what I have started before I am to leave this world behind," Xehanort said reaching up into the light above him. As he did, the sky above them turned to a dark and deep blue as revealed above them was a heart shaped moon.
Sora pulled himself out of the wall and said out loud, "Kingdom Hearts…" He jumped up onto a nearby building and leapt at the blinding light. As he did, a beam shot out from the top of the light and pierced the face of the Kingdom Hearts, darkness began to swarm out from around its edge. The ball of light moved to the top of the hill. Leaving the guardians, seemingly without a leader.
"What just happened?" Dante asked as the light cleared and vision returned. "Where is Sora?" The whole group's attention snapped up to the sky looking upon the heart shaped moon that had taken its place in the sky.
After a brief pause Aqua finally said aloud, "Kingdom Hearts. The heart of all worlds…"
Author's Note Too: ((ANNOUNCEMENT)) Real weird to think that this story is almost done. So, here is the deal. Next chapter is the last chapter of the whole dang fic. What this means for me is that when I post the final chapter on the regular first of the month schedule that I have been keeping these last few chapter, I will be immediately moving onto the sequel.
What that means for you: In order to (hopefully) retain as much attention as possible my last chapter will contain a little mini pre-view of the next story. Additionally, I will also be posting the first chapter of the new story that same day. Hope to see some of you there.
For the second to last time in this story,
~Nox