Chapter 6
This Just Can't Be Right
As many will remember, when Sora and Kyoko fought against each other, their relationship began as powerful rivals, until Homura arrived, thus stopping them from initiating Round 2 of their battle. Enraged, Kyoko was about to demand why she was here, when she remembered that Kyubey and Kurai had told her that she was the irregularity, making her realize that her technique seemed rather unique in its own way.
"Why are you here?" demanded Sayaka.
"Stand down, Sayaka," commanded Asuna, holding her arm in front of her.
"I agree with Asuna on this one. We shouldn't interfere," agreed Mami.
"Alright! Alright! Alright!" quipped the bluette, as she stood down.
"I may tell you to stay out of this, Homura, but both Kyoko and I have become rivals now, despite the fact that we're of the opposite sex," he said.
"He then turned to Kyoko.
"As for which side Homura's on, it doesn't matter at all. Once we become rivals, that's when we'll soon meet again, so that we can settle our score at a later time," explained Sora.
Everyone else worded their agreement with him, much to Kyoko's disdain. Even Homura did as well.
"Could someone explain to me what's going on here?" she asked grumpily.
"Look, it's not gonna be easy to explain, but in my own personal opinion, it probably wouldn't make any sense to you, Kyoko," said Kirito.
"Guess you make a fair point, Dark Cloak. However, don't think that I might go easy on any of you the next time we meet. Gotta buzz," remarked Kyoko, and she darted away, with everyone watching her.
"Hey, Sora, I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but, thank you… for standing firm against Kyoko," admitted Sayaka.
"Yes, I'm also very pleased with how you fought her off, Sora," agreed Mami.
"Although I'm disappointed in Madoka for being extremely foolish, you were right to stay by her side, Sora. But why is it that she keeps ignoring me?" Homura asked.
"You should know that it's nothing like that at all. Even if you believe words won't persuade her to think otherwise, and that brute force may be the only way, then you understand nothing at all, Homura," answered Sora.
"Don't bother judging me on what I don't understand, Sora. Madoka's my responsibility. Only I decide what's best for her," she argued.
"Maybe, but as I said before, Madoka's decisions are her own. There's no way you can control her heart," he replied, thus diffusing the argument.
"We will see," Homura said, and she stormed away with a dark cold scowl on her face.
Madoka was surprised, but to Kyubey, he knew that Homura was already planning something big, regardless of what would come next. That night, inside the Miki residence's bedroom, Sayaka used the Grief Seed to drain the darkness from her soul gem, until its light was restored to normal, with Sora, Team SKKYLAR, and Mami at her side.
"You should be okay for a while now," assured the catlike creature.
"Ew, now it's totally black," recoiled Sayaka.
"And now, it's dangerous," replied Kyubey.
"He's right. If that grief seed does indeed hatch, then the witch will return more dangerous than before," agreed Kirito.
"Wait a minute. Pass it here," the cat said to Sayaka.
Sayaka agreed, then watched as the grief seed rolled from side to side on Kyubey's head, then vanished into a teardrop shaped symbol on it's back.
"There, now we're safe," he added.
"Thank goodness," sighed Mami.
"But wait. Did you eat that grief seed?" Sora asked.
"Yes, it's one of my many duties," replied Kyubey.
"Now we have to find another witch and take care of it, so that your Soul Gem can stay pure and strong in the light," added Leafa.
"I'm with Leafa on this one. Kyoko may have been a strong opponent for you to deal with had you fought against her, but at the same time, Sora would be devastated if you died, Sayaka," agreed Yui.
"Yeah, Yui's right, Sayaka. And even though she and I fought against each other, we became powerful rivals. People who have different ideals about what we want most of all. Also, once you've acquired a vast collection of Grief Seeds, then you'll have the free reign to use whatever power necessary to win against the darkness. But there's a downside to all of that, as Mami told you. Once your grief seed becomes clouded with darkness, it'll no longer have that same radiant glow it once had. But I promise you one thing, Sayaka Miki. You need to gather grief seeds with Mami at your side, so that she can provide sniper fire, as well as utilize her Tiro Finale attack to deliver the final blow, once you've gotten strong enough to battle a much more dangerous witch that could make the people become it's puppets. And even though we're not magical girls, and just a bunch of Keyblade Wielders, we're stronger together, when we work together, as friends," added Sora.
"And as for me, I never had many grief seeds to keep my soul gem pure, Sayaka, even though I had little to no trouble fighting. As for why that's the case, it's because I had more talent than either you or Madoka, until my debacle with Kyoko caused a rift to form between us, after we defeated many different witches together. As unfair as it may sound, she and I had a better talent for it, because we are veterans, unless there was someone who's talent would far exceed our own, and that someone is Madoka Kaname," explained Mami.
"Mami's right," agreed Kyubey.
"No way. You really think so?" Sayaka asked quietly.
"I'm afraid so, Sayaka. But as I promised Homura before, I want to make sure her future is bright instead of dark. And who cares if you're not stronger than Kyoko? I could give you some serious training as a swordswoman, even though I'm a Keyblade Master. That'd definitely give you a bit of an edge against her," replied the spiky brunette.
"Okay, why not? I guess I'll train with you, after my soul gem's light is fully restored," grinned the bluette.
But the next day, Kyoko was now playing a dancing game and was enjoying herself enormously, as she munched down her pocky without any effort. Even as she danced, Homura arrived with some bad news, alongside Mami who agreed to a temporary truce.
"I'm a little busy. What do you want?" she asked.
"I want to let you know, you can have this city," replied the dark haired girl.
"What's up? Why the sudden change of heart?" inquired Kyoko, who was still dancing and eating.
"Girls like you and Mami are more suited for what it takes to be a magical girl. Sayaka Miki is not, even though Team SKYYLAR is in this city," explained Homura.
"Ha! Tell me something I don't already know. What happens if she doesn't agree with you? If I leave 'em alone, they're gonna start bugging me again," remarked the redhead.
"I want to settle this thing peacefully, so I want you to stay out of it. Let me handle them," she said.
"You still haven't told me what I really want to know. Who are you anyway? Huh? What's in this for you?" quipped the rogue.
"Two weeks from today, a witch called Walpurgisnacht will come," Homura said.
"Walpurgisnacht!?" Kenton gasped.
"That can't be good," agreed Lisbeth.
"How do you know that?" demanded Kyoko.
"That's my business," remarked Homura, as she tossed her hair.
"And it's ours as well, Homura. Therefore, after a few off and on conversations with each other, and by coming to an understanding that Atsuko's not really evil, once we've beaten this Walpurgisnacht, then the city will be in your capable hands, Miss Sakura," added the dark hunter.
"You know, I'd prefer it if you called me Kyoko, not Miss Sakura. Formalities make me wanna puke, and that'd be like a really big waste of good food. And trust me on that. Nobody should even think of wasting food, or they're already dead," scoffed the redhead.
"I'm afraid he's serious on this one, Kyoko. Walpurgisnacht is more dangerous than you realize, and she can't be defeated by just one Magical Girl or Warrior of Light, unless we all came to an understanding, and formed an alliance," said Kiba.
"Form an alliance, you say? Well if that's what you guys believe, then there'd be some good payment for it," replied Kyoko, then she turned around with her opened box of pocky.
"Want some?" she asked.
"Alright, I'll have one," replied Trish, and she took the pocky and munched it down.
"Good thinking. Now, how about you guys introduce yourselves?" smirked Kyoko.
"I'm Kenton Barks. This is Rem, Yohko Mano, Yuto Kiba, Saya Kisaragi, Trish, Atsuko Karagi, Akeno Himejima, and Lisbeth. We're known as Team KRYYSTAAL, a group of dark hunters that travel from world to world fighting off any threats on any world that's plagued by them. As near as we can tell, the witches are the biggest threat in this world, due to the fact that they're just as dangerous as the Heartless. Creatures spawned from the darkness within people's hearts," explained Kenton.
"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to stretch the details, buddy," replied the redhead
Meanwhile, Sora and Madoka arrived at the battlefield, where they first met with Kyoko, where they found Kyubey and Sayaka investigating the damage with the rest of their friends.
"What's your assessment, Kyubey?" he asked.
"Even though you bested that familiar with your Keyblade, there's been no sign of any other witches in this area," replied Kyubey.
"Great," sighed Sayaka.
"Just one thing, Sayaka," said Kirito.
"Wait, Kirito," interrupted Madoka.
Everyone turned to face her when they heard her voice.
"If Sayaka keeps doing this, hunting witches, won't she run into Kyoko again?" she asked cautiously.
"As much as I hate to say it, I'm afraid she will, Madoka," replied Yui.
"I'm gonna have to agree with Yui on this one, Sayaka. Listen, I'm aware that she and I have become rivals now, but if we were to come to an understanding, form a truce, and find a way to compromise how many grief seeds you get after defeating many witches, only then will you agree to join the Warriors of Light," said Sora.
"Hold on, the Warriors of Light? Why in the world would someone like me think of joining a group like that?" questioned Sayaka.
"In my honest opinion, Sayaka, that battle between Sora and Kyoko was a fierce one, but it wasn't to the death, because when people become rivals, they wanna try and one up each other, rather than kill each other," said Yang.
"Yeah, take Prince Demande for example. He tried to turn Sailor Moon, Usagi Tsukino into his queen by using the power of darkness to trick her, but Sora and Tuxedo Mask, also known as Mamoru Chiba agreed to save her, and they became powerful rivals when they fought each other. But then, when we heard Sora cry out in fury, it was because he learned that Sailor Venus, MInako Aino was about to be targeted, and that made him almost kill him in anger, but in the end he was able to see the light of redemption, thanks to our connection to him," explained Ruby.
"But then we fought against the Dead Moon Circus, and both Sephiroth and Nehelneia's future son, Prince Vassago had come back to try and ensure that events would play out his way, due to something called linear multiversal time travel, which would be way to confusing for you to understand. He too became Sora's most fearsome rival, but in the end, he disappeared, when the One-Winged Angel killed his mother in cold blood. An action that's haunted him ever since, but he's learned to cope with it, for as long as he can remember," added Kirito.
"And no matter how much her ideals are opposed to our own, just so that she can claim even more grief seeds, there's still a way for you to earn her trust and respect, if you attain more grief seeds than her, by protecting the people of this city," said Leafa.
"Maybe you're right, Leafa. But even though she's Sora's rival, I've been conflicted about some things," replied Sayaka.
"Listen to me, Sayaka. Even though Kyoko's a magical girl, and I'm a Keyblade Master, her way of thinking is different, despite how she's more of a no-nonsense, straight-to-business type of person. Giving people a chance so that you can find ways of joining forces against a common enemy is one of many ways to ensure that we start standing on something called a neutral zone. Look, I know that you guys feel the same way, as Homura and Mami do. But people who are unable to find a compromise will only end up losing themselves… to darkness and despair," explained Sora.
"SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE! I don't want to hear your crap, Sora! She was there and you fought her in my place! Even though you saved Mami's life from Charlotte's fangs, I thought that I could be someone like you! How can a Keyblade Master like you be so understanding about your own rivals, including your friendly-rivals!?" she snapped enraged at what she was hearing, but scared Madoka in the process.
"You don't get it!" Sora snapped back.
"Oh, you think I'm dead weight, is that what you think!? Well you can just-" barked Sayaka.
"That's not it, Sayaka!" Sora barked back.
"WHAT IS IT, THEN!?" she screamed.
"YOU'RE DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT YOURSELF!" shrieked Sora, as his darkness slowly surrounded him.
"And when you don't give a crap about yourself, you don't give a crap about everyone you care about," he added ominously as his eyes turned yellow.
This shocked everyone, because they knew that the yellow eyes meant Vanitas, until Madoka took hold of his hand.
"Sora, please, don't talk like that. You're really scaring me," she said, and pulled him towards her.
Snapping out of his trance, Sora turned away, and looked somberly at Madoka.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
But Madoka wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a comforting hug.
"No, don't be sorry. I get that you're worried about Sayaka as I am, but please, try not to let all that anger set Vanitas free," she replied comfortingly.
"I think it's best if we leave them alone for a while, Sayaka," suggested Kirito.
"Yeah, fine. Let's go. But understand this, Kirito. If any witch did go after Madoka's family, or any of you guys, only then would you be truly empty without them," replied Sayaka.
"Sayaka, you listen to me, and listen well. Fear is a path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I can sense much fear in you, just as Madoka and Sora do. I too am worried about you, because if you do lose yourself to darkness, then we will consider you a lost cause," interjected Mami, who started to sound strict, instead of her kind and gentle self.
Taking a slowly deep breath, Sayaka nodded slowly, then turned and looked somberly at Madoka and Sora.
"I'm so sorry," she murmured, and walked away from them.
Even as Madoka felt the comforting embrace of Sora's arms around her, she was still concerned about her friend, when Sora decided to break the silence.
"Kyubey, is there any way she can understand that this isn't the way?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not. She can't defeat Kyoko Sakura and Homura Akemi. Even if I were to warn her, she wouldn't listen to me," replied Kyubey.
That night, Madoka was having a hard time sleeping in bed, even though she tried her best. But suddenly she heard what sounded like locks being picked, and doors opening, which woke her from her slumber, followed by the sound of the shower sprayer going off. She slowly got up, and went down the stairs, which in turn made Sora follow her, where they saw her mother, Junko, sitting at the table with a note telling Madoka that there was a potato salad in the fridge.
"Can't sleep, huh?" she asked them.
"I'm a bit of a light sleeper, Mrs. Kaname. It's a Keyblade Master thing. But, if it's alright, we were wondering if we could talk," replied Sora.
Madoka's mother nodded in agreement, and the three of them shared orange juice with each other. Finally, Madoka decided to speak her mind about what was going on.
"There's this friend of mine. She's in trouble. I don't think she's saying or doing anything wrong, but she keeps trying to do the right thing. But the harder she tries, the worst things get for her," she said.
"Sure, that happens a lot," replied Junko.
"It does, Mrs. Kaname?" asked Sora.
"Yeah, sad but true. Just because you try to do the right thing, doesn't mean you're guaranteed a happy ending. In fact, the more stubborn a person gets when they're right, the less happy a person they're going to be. It's like they stopped being rational all together," Madoka's mother explained.
"It's not fair to be unhappy. Especially if you're not doing anything wrong," said Madoka.
"I have to agree with your daughter, Mrs. Kaname. What's the one thing we should do, so that they can learn to let go of that belief that they want to do right, and accept that they should stop being immorally stubborn about it?" asked Sora.
"Well, at this point, I doubt it'd end on a happy note, no matter what anyone did," replied Junko.
"Right," they sighed.
"But if the only way to help someone was to do something drastic, would you do it?" she asked.
"But how?" questioned Sora.
"You have to do something that's wrong," answered Madoka's mother.
Madoka was surprised, but Sora gained a dark expression and looked down at the table.
"If she's so focused on what she thinks is right, try doing something wrong to snap her out of it," she explained.
"I don't get it. How?" asked her daughter.
"You could tell a big fat lie, or chicken out when the going gets tough. You never know. Sometimes doing the wrong thing for someone is exactly the wrong thing to do. If you find yourself at a dead end, and there's no other options left, doing something the wrong way might do something good," said Junko.
"I may not understand it either, but do you really think that it is possible for her to understand that she's not doing something that's right, just, and fair, even though we just want to help her?" Sora asked her.
"Well, she might not get it, right away. She might even hate you. See what I mean? We're talking some drastic stuff here. But ask yourself this: what's better? Doing nothing, or doing something?" replied Mrs. Kaname.
Sora slowly stood up and walked towards the window, his arms over his chest.
"To be honest, you actually make a very valid point, Mrs. Kaname. And I can tell that you actually did a good job in raising your daughter well. You and I can agree that Madoka has a kind heart, she's pure and honest, never lied about anything, and always did her best to try and do the right thing, no matter how difficult it may be. In a way, it kind of parallels how we think and act, and she's lived a happy childhood even before she met her friends," he said to her.
"And there's something you should know. When people grow up, they sometimes have to make the right kind of mistakes," explained Junko.
"How can I? I don't get it," replied Madoka.
"You're still young, so it's easy to bounce back after getting hurt. If you learn to take life's little hits now, it'll help you later on See, the older you get, the bigger the consequences are if you mess up. The more responsibilities you have, the less mistakes you're about to make," said her mother.
"It may sound hard, but I can kind of understand what you're saying, Mrs. Kaname. It's just like something Spider-Man once taught me, that he learned from Uncle Ben Parker. With great power comes great responsibility," replied Sora.
'Yeah, sometimes being an adult can really suck. That's why we're allowed to drink alcohol," said Junko.
"I wanna grow up so bad now, that you and me can go drinking together," smiled Madoka.
"Hmm… same here, Madoka," agreed her boyfriend.
"Well then, you'd better hurry up and get older. Even though it's not easy, it's pretty cool to be a grown up," her mother smiled back.
By the next day, Sayaka soon raced through the hospital corridors and went to Kyosuke's room. To her shock, he wasn't there, just as a nurse walked by.
"Hi there. If you're already here for Kyosuke, he's already been discharged," she said.
Sayaka was saddened, but she was happy for him.
"He was doing so well in his physical therapy, they decided to let him go home early," continued the nurse.
"Oh, okay, thank you," replied Sayaka.
She went to his home that night, just as Kenton and Lisbeth showed up behind her. She was about to knock on the door, when she heard the violin in his room.
"You should be very proud of your friend, Sayaka. He truly is a musical prodigy," he said.
"Well he is someone I respect. He has a…" she replied quietly.
"He has a special talent," said Lisbeth.
"Yeah," smiled Sayaka.
"I can tell that he was gifted after he was born. That's why he appears to have a special talent. We all carry that in our blood," explained Kenton.
"Well, he deserves to continue playing violin," sighed the bluette.
"Had he been born as something else, he would have still been a prodigy at something. He truly is a unique young man. That much is clear. What happened before his hand healed?" inquired the dark hunter.
"It was badly injured. I visited him, we listened to music, and then Sora gave him some words of encouragement. And then I wished for him to be healed of his injuries," explained the bluette.
Kenton nodded quietly towards her, his expression strong but gentle.
"Can you tell him how I feel about him?" she asked.
"I don't know. We didn't actually come here to be mediators," replied Kenton, as he turned slowly away.
"Oh, I see. But when I saw both Kyosuke and Sora together, they almost looked like brothers," said Sayaka.
"Well, even if he doesn't return your feelings, Sayaka, I'm sure that there's someone else who can help you through what you're going through," assured the weaponsmith.
"Who?" asked the bluette.
"Another Keyblade Master, who's also Sora's best friend. Riku," replied Lisbeth.
Sayaka nodded slowly, but as she turned around, there was Kyoko.
"You just spent all that time looking for him, and now you're just gonna leave without seeing him?" she asked rudely.
"Then I guess you must've followed Sayaka to where Kyosuke lives, Kyoko. Sora told me what happened when he saw her form a pact with Kyubey to be a magical girl," replied the dark hunter.
"Seriously, a once in a lifetime chance and she wastes it all on him," scowled the rogue.
"What do you know about anything?' quipped the bluette.
"I know a lot more than you, dummies. Magic is and always should be used for one thing, to grant wishes for yourself! And if you try using it for any other reason, it always turns out bad!" snapped Kyoko.
"Maybe, Kyoko. But even though Mami taught her that rule, it doesn't matter to Sayaka. If Sayaka was truly honest about a guy she loved with all her heart, the only way she could do it is to share her feelings with him, regardless of being born rich or a commoner. Breaking every single bone in his body just so Kyosuke Kamijou can cry for her help isn't the way. Not at all. Honesty is a far better policy than violence and death, as long as she'd never stoop to your level of madness," countered Kenton.
"Okay, then how about a proposition? Instead of either me or her ravaging Kyosuke in an immoral way, how about she and I have a duel between each other, without any outside interference?" suggested the redhead.
"Oh, it's on now. It is on, like Donkey Kong. Let's go and settle our score," agreed Sayaka.
"Sayaka," murmured Lisbeth.
"Then let's go somewhere quiet. We'd attract too much attention here," grinned Kyoko.
In her bedroom, Madoka was now working on her homework, when she remembered her mother's words about doing the wrong thing to help Sayaka, when Kyubey called to her about the bluette being in trouble, and asked her to come with her. Nodding her understanding, she turned to Sora, who shared her concern, and the two of them raced off, after he contacted his friends on what was going on. Both arch-rivals stood on an overpass in what looked like a high noon showdown.
"We can go all out here, if we want. Come on, give me your best shot," smirked Kyoko.
In a flash of crimson light, she soon assumed her Magical Girl form, and readied her spear, which Sora saw in the distance, as he and Madoka arrived, followed by the remaining members of Team SKYYLAR, until Team KRYYSTAAL joined them.
"Sayaka! No, don't!" They cried.
"What are you doing?" demanded Sayaka.
"Come on, Sayaka, think about what you're doing. This is not the way. This is nothing like you!" protested Sora.
"Ha, so you annoying bunch must be that idiot's friends, I see," scoffed Kyoko.
"Kyoko, This has to stop," Kirito said as he walked towards her, his eyes etched with disappointment.
"I'm afraid Kirito's right. What kind of person would you be if you tried to have any of Sora's friends killed? I thought we agreed you'd leave Sayaka Miki alone," added Homura.
"Like your idea is gonna teach her any manners. Besides, it's not like she's backing down," remarked the ponytailed redhead.
"I'll take her on then. But you stay out of it, understand?" said the dark-haired girl.
"You got till I finish eating this, then it's on," quipped Kyoko.
"That's plenty of time," agreed Homura.
"That's enough! All of you!" shouted Sora, and he brandished both Oathkeeper and Oblivion and pointed them at the three magical girls, just as Mami arrived.
"Sayaka! I'm sorry!' cried Madoka, and she grabbed hold of her friend's soul gem.
"Madoka, no!" cried Saya.
But Madoka tossed it over the edge, and it fell down, down, down, until…
"STOPZA!" cried Kenton.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, until it stopped completely. Then the Dark Hunter jumped down after Sayaka's Soul gem, landed on the street below, and raced back towards them just as the spell wore off.
"Madoka, why'd you do that?" Sayaka asked in surprise.
"Because if she did, then you'd surely become a lifeless shell of yourself, if your soul gem was too far away from you," the dark hunter answered for Madoka.
"Say what!?" gasped Kyoko.
"No way," added Sora, who was aghast at what he heard
Even everyone else was shocked by what they heard as well, until someone appeared behind Madoka, making her turn around in shock.
"A Magical Girl's soul gem deserves more respect," a voice said.
"Master Eraqus," gasped Kirito, and he quickly bowed to him.
"What were you thinking?" Eraqus asked Madoka.
"I didn't want Sayaka and Kyoko to fight, and I didn't want Homura fighting her either. That's why I chose to try and do something wrong, just as my mother said," she explained to the specter of the Wayfinder Trio's teacher.
"Well, you're wrong. If you did toss Sayaka's soul gem away, then she'd become a lifeless husk," replied Eraqus.
"Yes, he's right, Madoka. Throwing away the very item that contains Sayaka's lifeforce is truly immoral. After all, from what I can tell, there are limits as to how far the soul gem can be from the true magical girl it's bound to. If it were truly beyond 100 meters, only then would they become a lifeless puppet. As disturbing as it is, I can tell that neither Madoka nor Sora would want anyone to die, just like how you truly are being carried by your physical bodies. And after what Madoka did by throwing the true Sayaka off the bridge a moment ago, before Kenton stopped time and managed to recover it, just so he could return it to her. Did you honestly think I'd let any of these girls fight with just these fragile human bodies of theirs? That's impossible," explained Kyubey.
"Then you made them become zombies, Kyubey. You're the one responsible for this. I'll make you pay for this. I swear it. I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD!" Sora said, unable to contain his shock and rage, which suddenly turned into a pillar of darkness that shot up into the night sky.
"What the hell!?" gasped Kyoko.
"What's happening?" Mami asked when she arrived.
"SORA!" cried Madoka.
"Madoka, no!" Homura said quickly, taking her hand.
There standing before them was Vanitas, the being of darkness that Sora had mentioned.
"Finally, I can finally feel the sweet taste of freedom," he said darkly.
"Vanitas," gasped Yang.
"Wait a minute. Why does he sound like Sora?" questioned Sayaka.
"That's a good question, Sayaka. But I'm afraid the answer I'm about to tell you may not be a good one. I was just hidden deep inside of Sora and Ventus for a really long time. All Xehanort did was tear me right out of Ventus!" explained Vanitas, who cast aside his helmet, revealing his true face.
"You bastard," growled Kyoko.
"Oh, you really think that killing me will bring Sora back from the darkness? Well think again, Kyoko Sakura. Kyubey's explanation about how a Magical Girl's life force is contained inside that little soul gem, which if separated from someone by more than 100 meters, crushed into dust by my hand, or worse so corrupted by darkness that they'd lose their powers, would only result in death. Plain and simple. And because of that, you should know that Kyubey's duty has always been to find worthy candidates to become magical girls, much like you, Sayaka, and Mami. However, Homura Akemi is something that I'd call a displaced being, who isn't who you think she is. After all, when Kyubey took Sayaka's soul, and placed it inside that little trinket, and no matter how many injuries you'd sustain, you'd still keep walking about with your wounds fully healed, and continue going on like nothing ever happened. That's why your war with the witches is what gives you the drive to go on, no matter how much you refuse to accept that reality. That's a fact that you should've never discovered, thanks to Madoka's idiotic nature. As for what I just told you, I suppose you can probably say that none of this exposition will ever make any sense to you," explained Vanitas.
"If what you say is true, Vanitas, then so be it. I'd rather my Soul Gem was corrupted by darkness or ground into dust by your hands instead of being separated from me by over 100 meters," remarked Sayaka, as she changed into her Magical Girl form, and readied her sword.
She turned sharply towards the others.
"Guys, stay back. I'll take Vanitas alone," she said.
"Fine by me, Squirt. But if your soul gem is about to be crushed into dust by his hands, I'm stepping in to make him pay for what he'll do to you," replied the spear wielder, as Vanitas summoned his Keyblade.
"Good. Let's see what you're made of," grinned Vanitas as he stood with Void Gear at the ready, while poor Madoka wept into Homura's chest, as she was being held by him.
(Well, crap. Looks like it's time to play Crimson Cloud by Jeff Rona and Rachel Fannan from Devil May Cry 5 for Sayaka vs. Vanitas, and imagine how this battle will go after you see the lyrics)
"Chorus 1
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Verse 1
If you have to ask, it's too late
Somewhere in between, your character grace
An eye on fantasy, touching nails
Sparks fly, off of me and onto you
Brothers in the dark
Fight for your life
Devils in the dark
Fight for your life
Fight for your life
Fight for your life
Chorus 2
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Verse 2
Devil in my blood, living on the edge
Split myself in two, death is all around
Summoning the power, drag myself through pain
Blood spills, off of me and onto you
Brothers in the dark
Fight for your life
Devils in the dark
Fight for your life
Fight for your life
Fight for your life
Chorus 3
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Breakdown
Crimson cloud
Evening the score
Crimson cloud
Evening the score
Chorus 4
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide
Savior
Bloodstain
Hellfire
Shadow
Heaven on a landslide"
(And the song ends with Sayaka still locked in her battle with Vanitas, as we venture into Sora's heart that's now blackened with darkness)
Inside his heart, Sora was falling into the darkness once more, just as he had in the alternate future where Sombra was waging war with Princess Celestia, thanks to Xemnas eliminating his friends, and after Cinder Fall had allowed Neo Politan to send Yang over the edge, when he heard voices calling to him. His eyes snapped open to reveal Queen Serenity standing before him.
"
"Sora, you have to come back to the light," she said to him.
"Queen Serenity," Sora gasped in surprise.
"My sister is right, Sora. You've allowed Vanitas to break free, and now Sayaka's about to have you killed," Nehelenia said.
"Nehelenia," he spoke in a hushed voice.
"You can't let her do this, Sora. Please, come back to the light, as I once did, even after I passed," said Galaxia.
"But what will Madoka, and most of the other Magical Girls say if I do? Will they ever forgive me for letting them see Vanitas with their own eyes, even after Kyubey told them about how their life force is contained in that soul gem?" Sora asked.
"The revelation may have left them all shocked and dsturbed after Madoka almost became responsible for Sayaka's close shave with death, but you and your friends will find a way to ensure that they never have to die or lose themselves the darkness of despair," assured Usagi's true mother.
"Yes, nothing is ever truly set in stone. I once lost myself to darkness and despair because I was afraid of looking like Zirconia, who I treated like my own personal familiar, just like the witches of this world. Their destinies can still be changed, because you have the power to make their future be bright instead of dark," agreed the other queen.
Upon hearing those words, Sora nodded towards them, his eyes now brimming with determination.
"Somehow, you may be right about how I want to ensure that the future is bright, but I'm more worried about how I can help them come back to the light, just like how I saved Mami from death," he said.
"You'll always find a way, Sora. Because you have the power to save those who were once lost in darkness, just like Riku, Sunset, Starlight, and the Twilight Sparkle who became Midnight Sparkle during the friendship games. And how you even prevented the deaths of Asuka and Homura, and ended Yumi and Fubuki's bitter sibling rivalry, even though they were foster siblings. But most of all, you helped me find peace after my two halves became the real me, and how you hoped Nehelenia became friends with Eraqus and Xehanort in the afterlife, even after Sephiroth killed her, when I was Chaos' vessel, and later, became the host of Omega," assured the former Sailor Guardian.
"I've never forgotten those events, because they've made me more motivated to protect them, and I'm not gonna give up on my friends," declared Sora.
"Good then. Now, take my hand, Sora," said Queen Serenity.
Nodding towards her, Sora did, and in a blinding flash of light, he was now back to his former self, still dressed in the same clothes that the five Goddesses of Seikan University had given him, with the enchantments that Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather paced upon them.
"Sora, are you okay?" Sayaka asked, after she changed back into her school clothes.
"Yeah, and… I'm sorry," he said somberly to her.
But Madoka ran up to him, and hugged him tightly, after she broke free from Homura's embrace.
"Oh, Sora. I'm so glad. I'm so glad you're okay," she sobbed.
Sora nodded, as he hugged her back, and even Sayaka and Mami smiled at him, for being brought back to his normal self, with the combined strength of all of Sora's friends sharing their power with her, so that she could overcome him.
"Okay, you better explain to me what the hell just happened, Spiky. Why did you suddenly become a creepy dude with a dark voice, but then suddenly revert back to normal?" Kyoko asked sharply.
"Because, the shock of Kyubey's explanation caused my anger to explode when he said that you were all lifeless shells thanks to your life force inside your soul gem, as well as Mami and Saykaa's, Kyoko, and that if they were separate from you for far too long, only then would you truly be dead. That's what made Vanitas break free, despite the seal Sailor Moon placed on my heart that was used to keep him locked away, but now that seal is broken again, and I fear that he may burst out again, and draw the attention of any witch that sensed his awakening," explained Sora.
"No way," murmured Yohko Mano.
"Yes way," remarked Mami.