Akurei-Shinzo: Sorry it took so long to update! Please forgive me! It was a mixture of being grounded and having a lot of homework! Here's the next chapter! I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other anime/manga (except for a few) I used in this fic! Please R&R!
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Chapter 18: Catastrophe
Riku looked at Zeero, who was in fox-form, the kitsune was curled up into a fuzzy reddish-brown ball and was snoring slightly. That dream couldn't have been right, there was no way Zeero would try to attack him…would he?
Riku sat by the campfire and looked into the glowing red flames, which flames reminded one of a python's flickering tongue. That dream… what was it trying to tell him?
"Nothing is what it seems anymore…" said a dark voice.
Riku jumped up is surprise and turned to see a figure cloaked in black, it was a young man who looked to be about eighteen years old. On top of his midnight blue hair rested a black, pointed hat. His eyes were strange brown color, or at least his left eye was, his right eye was covered by his bangs. He was very pale and a cloud of gloom seem to hang around him.
"Who are you?" demanded Riku.
"Wouldn't you like to know," said the stranger.
"Well, if you won't tell me who you are, then tell me why are you here!"
"Do you trust me?"
"…No…"
"Good, for I have given no reason for you to trust me…Even if I did would you trust me?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Should you trust all of your companions?"
"Why not?!"
"You are too trusting… It could be dangerous for you. The third enemy may show up soon."
"Third enemy? Who are they?"
"Who is the third enemy you ask? They are the nonexistent. Well, they exist, but they don't. They are alive, but they are also dead. They are the darkness, yet they are the true light…"
"What are you trying to say?"
Suddenly, without warning, the stranger vanished. As Riku stood on the ground, confused, little did he know he was being watched. Zen and Sin, Zeero's 'friends' were hidden within the shadows watching the group.
"That was interesting," said Zen. "I wonder how he knows about our … 'situation'…"
"He is a friend of Amano," answered Sin. "They might have seen 'it'…"
"Perhaps, but we can't afford anymore close calls such as that anymore…"
Sin nodded and the two of them transformed into devil foxes and disappeared into the darkness…
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"Yawn…" yawned the kitsune as he awoke. "What a good night's rest! Hey Riku, something wrong?"
"Huh?" said Riku, startled. "No, nothing is wrong…"
"Are you sure?" asked Yami. "You look troubled…"
"I'm fine," said Riku, smiling sadly. Something that guy said was in fact true, maybe he had been too trusting… But, these were his friends… Could that guy have been trying to turn him against them? Riku decided to put all of that aside, for now, he was sure that Yami and Zeero were his friends and that they would never betray him.
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"When did all these guys show up?" asked Yami. They had been walking along minding their own business, when suddenly a group of Heartless popped up out of nowhere and started attacking them.
"Time to see what this summon can do," said Riku. "Haku!"
A pale blue light shot forth from both Keyblades, which reminded one of a gentle river. A dragon with a head of a wolf, body of a snake, and bright, water-like scales appeared. The river spirit let out a howl and a flood of water started to move towards them, washing away the Heartless. Riku and Yami had to hold onto nearby crystal towers to keep from being swept away. As soon as all of the Heartless were gone the water began to reside and the dragon returned into the Keyblade.
"Yami," asked Riku. "Where's Zeero?"
"Help!" screeched the demon. The two of them looked up and saw the poor kitsune stuck on top of a crystal; Zeero hung onto the crystal for dear life. "Don't just stand there! Help me!"
"What are you doing up there?" asked Yami.
"I can swim, so I climbed up here. But then I realized I'm also afraid of heights…"
"Sigh, just stay there," sighed Riku. "We'll get you down…"
"Who goes there?" shouted a voice. Riku and Yami turned to see a young girl with short black hair and dark eyes. She wore a sailor outfit and in her hand was a staff. Zeero fell off the crystal because of the girl's sudden appearance.
"Who are you?" questioned the girl.
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"So that is why we are here," said Riku as he finished explaining his story to the royal family of Crystal Tokyo, or those who were there at least. The only ones who had survived the onslaught of Heartless attacks were the king, the two princesses, and the girl they had met earlier, Sailor Saturn. Oh yes, and there were also the three cats, but other then that, everyone else had perished. Queen Serenity might have survive the attacks, but her current whereabouts were unknown.
"I see," said the King, Darien. "Do you think you're able to save this world? It may be too late."
"If he goes into the Heart of this world there may still be a chance," said Zeero.
"The problem is," said Yami. "How do we get there?"
"The Keyblade should lead you to it," answered Zeero. "Summon them and see…"
Riku awkwardly summoned the two Keyblades, they slowly began to vibrate and then a flash of light shot forth from both tips. The light went straight through the wall in the throne room.
"The Heart is in there?" asked Darien. "It can't be, there is no way to get in there…"
Zeero turned into his fox-form and began to sniff around. Then he started to push against the wall. Riku and Yami, though confused, went over and help the demon push against the wall. Soon the wall began to crack and then the crystals gave way and a doorway was revealed.
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"Why aren't you coming Zeero?" asked Riku. He, Yami, and Darien were all set to go to the Core, but for some reason the fox-demon refused to step through the door.
"I have no right being there," Zeero answered simply. "Go on before it is too late…"
"Are you sure?"
"…Riku, you said once before…that you opened your heart to the darkness for power right?"
"Yeah."
"What would you prefer? Having all the power in the world, but being unhappy? Or no powers at all, but being perfectly content?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it was a stupid question…"
Riku paused for a moment, and then ran off to catch up with Yami and Darien. What did Zeero mean when he said he had no right being there?
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"There's something up ahead!" said Yami. They had been running through the tunnel for who knows how long, and now they had just spotted a light up ahead.
"I hope we're not too late," said Riku.
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'Strange,' thought Zeero. 'I feel as though I want this world to die… Is it because I'm jealous of its innocence? Is it because my world, our world is…'
"Zeero?" asked Rini, pulling on the demon's ears.
"Huh?" asked Zeero, as he came back to reality. "Oops. Sorry… What's that?"
Suddenly the Konig Wolf appeared in the throne room. The two princesses of the moon hid behind Zeero. Luna, Artemis, and Diana, the cats, also hid behind the fox-demon as well. Shadow was also there as well.
'Why are they there?' thought Zeero. 'How did they? Oh no!'
"Get in!" ordered Zeero as he lifted the two princesses into the Zoid. "Stay in there! Oh no… it's too late! Riku! Yami!"
After getting Sailor Saturn and the three cats into the Konig Wolf, Zeero rushed towards the door. He stopped at the entrance though, and wouldn't take another step inside.
"Riku! Yami," he yelled. "If you can hear me! Get out of there now!"
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"Serena!" exclaimed Darien. The three had reached the core of the world. And there, right next to the dying heart, stood the queen. She turned and looked at them with sad eyes. Eyes that were lost in darkness and despair.
"I see you've made it to the heart of this world, Keybearer," said Serena. "But now, it is too late…"
Before anyone could more any further, the Heartless that was shaped as the bubble appeared behind her. It shot a beam straight through her body and left her with a dark hole that replaced her heart. As she collapsed onto the ground, the Heartless entered into the heart of Crystal Tokyo.
The crystals that surrounded the room began to darken and turned into stone. The world was falling apart, literally!
"We have to go," said Yami. "If we don't go then we'll be trapped here!"
"Darien!" shouted Riku. "We have to leave!"
"No," said the king softly. "I'll stay here. Until the end…"
"But…"
"Riku!" shouted Yami. "There's no time!"
Riku hesitated for a moment, and then turned and fled with Yami. He hoped that they'd somehow be able to escape this place before the world collapsed.
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"Riku!" yelled Zeero once more. "Yami! Get out of there!"
This was bad; the whole place was beginning to fall apart. Zeero would have fallen into an abyss that had cracked underneath him if he had not leapt out of the way. Just now, a boulder was about to crush him, but he managed to dodge it.
"Riku! Yami!" yelled Zeero once again. Then he spotted them, trying somehow not to get crushed under the rocks that were beginning to cave in on them. "Hurry up!"
Once Riku and Yami got out of the doorway the entrance to the heart of Crystal Tokyo was seal up by rocks that had just fallen down. The trio scrambled to get into the Konig Wolf, while Shadow fused with the Zoid's core. The Konig Wolf was started up and they raced towards the world exit.
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"This is bad!" moaned Zeero. Even though they had made it past the world exit, Crystal Tokyo had now become a vortex and was trying to suck them into its darkness. "We're not going to make it! I can't die yet! I'm too young! I didn't even have any SAKE TODAY! WAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Quit moaning!" shouted Riku. "I'm trying to concentrate!"
The Konig Wolf, Sieg, was desperately trying to pull out of the vortex's grasp. With a howl and a little extra power from Shadow and its boosters, Sieg managed to get away from the vortex before it exploded. From a distance, the group looked at what used to be Crystal Tokyo, it was now and empty void of darkness…
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Akurei-Shinzo: That's all folks! See you later!