A/N: Wee! Lookie I kept my promise! - next chappy up within the week! Hehe, I just love summer! Well, this one is kinda long... meh, it kept me from having to vacuum my pool at least XD
Disclaimer: Don't you ppl get it? Sure it might have taken me YEAERS to update, but u think I own Kingdom Hearts yet? Hehe... I wish....
The Door is Open
Her eyes were close as she became lost in her mind. Suddenly, echoing off the stonewalls, she heard someone call. It was faint and distant. She opened her eyes as the echo slowly became closer and louder.
"Kairi!" It was Sora.
Kairi rose from where she was sitting. She was in the secret place, in front of the black wooden door. When Sora first arrived, she thought she would never have to sit there and dream of her friends return again. But she was here again. This would defiantly be the last day though. Riku would be coming home.
"Kairi! O, here you are," she heard Sora say as he came around the entrance tunnels corner.
"Sorry, I couldn't really sleep," she said with a smile.
"Yea me... not too?" said Sora. They both laughed.
"O how intelligent," said Kairi in a playfully sarcastic tone. After their laughing finally died down, Donald and Goofy appeared.
"Well Sora, today's the day," said Goofy.
"Yea, Goofy and I have to go soon Sora," said Donald, "But we'll wait until Riku's here too."
Sora smiled. "Thanks guys, I'm gonna miss you too!"
With that, he jumped Donald and flung his arm around the ducks neck to give him a proper noogie on his feathery head.
"SORA!" he quacked trying to get away. Everyone laughed.
"Riku!" she yelled. She didn't know what else to do. The only thing she could think about was talking to Riku; she needed to tell him what was going to happen, so they could stop it. She noticed Ansem smirk. Damn it! Bad idea. Ansem shot something at her. She stared wide-eyed. No, it was happening again. She could already see Riku running toward her.
"Riku STOP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She knew he wouldn't stop, but she needed to warn him anyway. But then something surprised her. Riku was slowing down! She almost smiled, but then she noticed something else. His face, he was staring at her really weirdly. First like he couldn't see her at all, then a shocked kind of face as if he had only just realized she was there.
Her confused feeling didn't last long though. It was quickly replaced with an unbearable pain. She screamed as Ansems shot pierced her just below her heart. It felt like fire was spreading from her wound all around her body, engulfing her. It hurt so much. She staggered backward, head dizzy from pain. She looked forward and tried to focus her fogging eyes. Riku was running to her again. But he's safe...
She never thought something could hurt so much. She couldn't think anymore. The darkness was already eating away at her vision. She didn't realize she was still stumbling backward toward the cliff. Not until, somehow through the immense pain burning her, she felt the crumbling edge of the cliff with one foot. Through the fog, she saw Riku reach for her and she did the same. Her movement didn't affect the pain at all; it was too great to be altered by something so small. He was so close. She almost felt his hand grasp hers. But how could she, she hurt too much.
No, he didn't grab her. It didn't matter. He couldn't save her now. She was dying. As she fell backward off the cliff, her head spun so much and she was torn between fighting for consciousness and letting the darkness take her pain away. It didn't matter though, because the darkness won, and her mind went blank.
No, it couldn't be. But Riku was sure of it now. All this time, Mariha had really been Naomi. No wonder he started having those dreams when he met Mariha. He should have been happy. But how could he be, he had still lost her. Naomi and Mariha, though they were the same person, he had lost them again. Staring blankly into the nothingness below, all the memories started flooding his mind now, hundreds of them, all with her when they were little. He didn't even try to hold back the tears that now wet his face.
"NAOMI" he tried to scream at the top of his lungs, but his voice was cracked from choking on sobs. No, he wouldn't loose her again. He stood and wiped his face.
"I'm not afraid this time," he whispered with eyes closed. Without hesitation he jumped off the edge of the cliff and awaited the darkness to engulf him.
But it didn't come. He opened his eyes. Ansem had caught him in mid air.
"You can't get away that easily fool!" he said menacingly, "Not before I have some fun with you." He threw his head back and laughed like a maniac, as his guardian who had caught Riku threw him mercilessly to the rocky ground.
The darkness was endless. There was no bottom to the gorge, just an infinite space of choking nothingness. Mariha's mind was completely blank, she was falling deeper and deeper into the darkness, both physically and literally. She felt nothing, all her senses being eaten away at by the dark surrounding and filling her. Then, the softest echo of a voice bouncing down from the rock walls reached her ears, not that she could hear it.
Her lifeless body just fell. It would fall forever, the hole never ending. But that soft echo slowly grew, getting louder, closer and clearer. It wouldn't fade away; it chased her body so she would soon hear it as if someone was standing right by her ear talking to her. It finally reached its goal. The sounds of Riku's voice filled her head.
"Naomi..."
Her eyes shot open and she gasped, the life flowing back into her. Like there was still some hope left, like there was suddenly something more to live for. But when her eyes opened, she didn't see the darkness that was feeding on her. Instead, hundreds of pictures flashed before her eyes. It was her, when she was little. She saw the sun, the beach, the sea, and... Riku!
"I... I remember..." she said in barley a whisper.
The unbearable pain had ceased now and was replace with something else. A warm feeling flowed through Mariha's burning limbs, but though warm, it still cooled them from the stinging sensation of pain she had felt for so long. It was familiar though, but this time she didn't try to stop it. Within the blink of an eye, Natia had awakened again.
"Hurry up Sora!"
"Calm down Donald! I need to concentrate!" replied the brown haired teen. Donald had all of a sudden become really annoying... but then again, when was he ever not annoying?
Donald was freaking out because Sora tried to open the door, but it didn't exactly work. He used the Keyblade like he always did, pointing it at the door and focusing his energy to open it rather than close it this time. But not even a spark of light appeared. Nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?" asked Kairi. Sora could hear a tint of worry in her voice.
"Sora's just stalling!" complained Donald making a big I-don't-know-how-anyone-can-put-up-with-him-anyways frown.
"Um, doesn't there need to be a keyhole for it to work?" said Goofy. Everyone looked to the door. It was just like it had always been. Just a big blank wooden door. It had never shown any sign of a keyhole being there. The one time Sora saw that door open, he couldn't see if there was a keyhole anyway.
But Sora was confused. He had the Keyblade now, the keyhole should appear like it had for all the other worlds he visited and sealed. It didn't make any sense. Then a thought hit him.
"Riku..." he said quietly only Kairi heard him.
"What?" quacked Donald, "That better not have been directed at me or-"
"That's right!" Kairi said before Donald could finish. In a huff, he turned to go sit on some rock, muttering to himself.
"Riku needs to release the light within Kingdom Hearts doesn't he?" continued Kairi.
"But... what if he hasn't found it..." Sora didn't know what to do; his hopes of Riku's return were slowly fading away.
"We can't do anything but wait I guess," replied Kairi.
"Yea..."
Riku hit the ground hard but slowly got up to his knees and wiped the blood out of his eyes. It was slowly trickling down his face, bruises already beginning to ripen around his eyes. He ached, he hurt, but he couldn't stop. Ansem killed her. As soon as he found her again, he took her away. He already had such a loathing for that unbelievably evil man, and now it was too large a hate to be controlled. His body resented it, but his mind wouldn't let himself stop from lashing out at Ansem.
"Hahahaha, my dear boy, you are so naïve," he laughed, easily dodging Riku's futile attempts to attack him, "You think you're heart is so strong, but your body begs to differ. Ah I shall enjoy breaking you!"
With that, Ansem raised his arms and his guardian sent a barrage of spinning sharp saws of energy. Riku cried out in pain and was sent flying backward. Lying on his back, his mind began to become clouded with pain.
"No, I won't die," he said though he thought he only said it in his head, "Not until you pay..."
Ansem just laughed. Riku couldn't even get up. The last of his energy was put to keeping the boy alive. Cut and bruised all over his body, blood soaking and staining his already blood stained clothes.
"It's over, you will be mine again, and I will have much fun in breaking your soul!" Ansem roared. But suddenly, he felt something from deep below. It was the familiar aura of power that he had created.
"No that's impossible!" he shrieked.
Riku had no idea what he was talking about. The psycho had finally cracked, but he tilted his head to the direction Ansem was looking anyway. He was confused. He didn't see anything. Nothing was there except for the cliff.
Then suddenly, he thought he saw something black shoot up from its depths. Or maybe he just blinked. His head spun and he struggled to remain conscious. He couldn't die, he wouldn't. But then he heard a familiar voice.
"Don't you know you should pick on people your own size?" It was Natia! O great... now how was he going to get out of this?
"Ah, Natia!" said Ansem delightfully, "Was the girls mind sucked away? Why of course it was, how else would you be here," He smiled sisterly.
She returned the same smile, then flew like a shot over to him and stuck him across the face with such force that he flew backwards. She remained hovering over Riku, now glaring with the most piercing eyes imaginable in Ansems direction. As she did so, Riku thought he saw her glowing a dim blue colour. He realized that the aura began to spread over his body. He expected more pain, but it wasn't painful. It was actually refreshing. Like Natia was giving him her energy.
"Wha -how dare you!" Ansem fumed, "I am you master, how dare you strike me!"
"You don't own me..."
"What?!"
Natia's piercing eyes flickered red as the rage inside began swelling.
"You don't own me! Didn't you learn from your last little experiment you can't control what you create?" she said and laughed, "Look at you, couldn't even control a young boy, and still need a guardian to do your dirty wok!"
Ansem was fuming. "How DARE you disrespect ME!" He shot a dark energy ball at Natia. She simply sighed and stopped it with one hand. Ansem watched in horror as the ball disintegrated, and Natia was left with not even a tiny scratch.
There was a slight hesitation before Ansems next assault, but he had succeeded in singeing off some of Natia's hair. After that, they became two dark blurs of shadow locked in a deadly combat. Riku saw everything, but he was totally blown away. What had happened? Why was Natia helping him when every other time he encountered her she nearly killed him. And what happened to Naomi?
Now able to stand, Riku rose and just watched the blurs collide and break apart. They were going to fast, he couldn't see what exactly was happening. Just standing there he felt kind of bored. No action for him, even though he still had no weapon. Whatever, he didn't need one really...
Meanwhile, Ansem and Natia flew at each other in hopes of knocking the other to the ground. Hits were given and received, but both recovered too quickly to falter much. Natia began to worry; her strength had lessened since she gave Riku some of her energy. But he needed it.
Ansem sensed the slightest distress in her mind and smirked whilst they were momentarily face-to-face, there now brandished blades locked together. She frowned and threw him away from her. They both remained hovering, facing each other a few meters separating them.
"You can't beat me," Ansem chuckled, "I created you!"
He charged at her again but she blocked. Thus creating another moment where there faces were just inches away from each other.
"No matter how you fight it, I still control your mind," Ansem lied coldly. He knew he couldn't control her anymore. He already tried. But he only needed her guard to be down for the smallest moment.
"L-liar!" she yelled but he saw her flinch in the slightest way. Her strength was weakening. He took his chance and quickly summoned another small blade to his free hand. Before Natia could pull away, he swiftly stabbed her in the side.
"Mariha no!" Riku called as he watched her slowly back away from Ansem. She slowly looked down to the wound now gushing blood. She half smiled smugly and yanked the blade from her side.
"Ha, you think that was nothing don't you?" laughed Ansem, "Soon your powers will be rendered useless. I created you remember? I know all your weaknesses, and I installed this one just in case something of this sort was to happen."
She glared at him but could already feel her energy leaving her. She looked down at her side. Covered in blood, she could barely see a dim glow of blue. The dagger he stabbed her with put that in there, and it was eating her energy. She tried to grab it, but an immense pain shot through her. She cried out.
"Mariha!" Riku called again. He felt so useless. Then something hit him. Of course, the light could save them! It was his last hope...
"Mariha you have to remember!" he called and ran closer to her. She tried hard to stay afloat in the air, but she slowly began to descend to the ground.
"Huh?" she looked at him running to her as she landed, head spinning. She barely had the energy now to keep her eyes open. Just as they were about to close, she felt him grab her shoulders and shake her awake.
"Remember, Naomi!" he said. It sounded like he was calling from far away, but the name caught her ear.
"I-I'm her..."
"Yes! Come one stay awake!" Riku said shaking her more as her eyes threatened to shut forever, "Remember, all the fun we had. Remember you dared Sora to climb the coconut tree and he got stuck? Remember when we played hide and seek and I couldn't find you? Remember, come on!"
"Yea... I remember you..." She was so tired. Just let her sleep, just for a little while...
"Naomi, that's your name! Why did the heartless call you Mariha?" Riku didn't know what he was saying exactly, he just needed to keep her awake so anything would do.
Ansem however, who had been watching and becoming really amused in the situation suddenly spoke. "No, how could I not see?"
"Light..."
"What?" Riku stopped shaking Natia for a moment. Was he right after all?
"Light... it means light!" said Natia, fully awake again. Riku was right and he smiled. Yes! He'd found it, rather her! But he suddenly felt Natia grab him and shove him aside.
He heard a scream and looked up from the ground. Ansem laughed madly. He defiantly had cracked.
"Yes! I have finally found the light! And now I will finally be rid of it!" he said in pure joy.
Riku looked in horror. Ansem had struck Natia with his blade, right at her heart. He could already see the darkness falling away from her until she finally turned back to whom he was so used to as being Mariha. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. His eyes were locked on her face. She looked at him for a moment and he felt his life being sucked away. It was written all over her face.
"Thank you, you've been the bestest friend ever..."
He didn't know if he had imagined it or if she had really said it. No matter though, he didn't have time to think about it because Ansem soon withdrew his blade and flew up high in triumph. Mariha crumpled to the ground, eyes ghostly blank.
"No..." he couldn't feel anything any more. He felt nothing but a numbing sensation come over his body. They were so close. She was the light. She was his best friend. This couldn't be destiny...
He crawled over to her lifeless body and felt her hand. Icy cold. He couldn't stop himself, totally forgetting Ansem was right above him, he cried. Then he laughed at himself half-heartedly.
"You're not gone yet," he tried to convince himself. Ansem again finding this rather amusing watched and laughed mockingly. But he wasn't there in Riku's mind, "Not until I tell you..."
He paused and bowed his head over her. It was too much for him, he never felt so completely alone in his life. Never felt such sorrow before.
"Not until I tell you... how much I love you..."
Then time seemed to stand still. A single tear fell from Riku's face and landed on Naomi's bloody chest. As it did, a sudden blinding light shone and Riku opened his eyes to look. Ansem stopped laughing, and was now shielding his eyes in confusion.
"What! Where is that?" he said in surprise.
Riku looked into the light. It didn't hurt his eyes at all, which confused him, but he saw where it was coming from. His own heart. A bright light shone from his own heart. He heard a sort of, clicking sound, almost like a key in a lock, and his light faded. But, it was only to be replaced by another. This one he too had to cover his eyes. He only managed to get a glimpse of its source. It was Naomi. The light inside her heart had been released.
He backed away; the lights glare to painful to be so close to. As he did, Naomi's body rose. The wound was gone, replaced with the light. She still seemed unconscious, then there was a sudden intense flash. The light dimmed a bit after that, and Riku took his hand away to gaze in wonder. It was Naomi, but her hair had been undone so it flew around wildly. She was also wearing a dress of some sort. But the thing that Riku was in awe of most was the two brilliant angelic wings; fully stretched out from her back. Her hands were in front of her chest, and between them hovered a small orb of light. The light of Kingdom Hearts. The light of her heart.
Her eyes slowly opened and she spoke, though her mouth didn't seem to move, and the voice coming from inside Riku's head almost.
"Ansem, your time is at an end. May the darkness be vanquished at last."
"What! Never! You cannot rid the darkness, it is everywhere!" he said, still taken aback that the light had even been released after everything that had happened.
"True, but you have thrown the balance off. And so I will rebalance it." A wisp of light, flowing through the air like water, surrounded Ansem. His guardian disintegrated, as so did Ansem.
"No, you will not defeat me! No one can!" he screamed as the last of him faded away into nothing. Soon his voice was only a dying echo.
"Riku"
He looked at her in surprise. He was so surprised about everything that was happening, he jumped at the sound of his name.
"You may finally go home now."
She smiled and something began to materialize just behind her. He didn't know what at first, but then it became clear.
"The door..."
Behind Naomi was the door of Kingdom Hearts, the same one Riku himself helped close when he last saw Sora.
"Go through, the door is open"
A/N: well, there ya have it! Almost done tear lol not like ppl care :( meh, plz review! Make me happy, n then I'll update more -
Disclaimer: Don't you ppl get it? Sure it might have taken me YEAERS to update, but u think I own Kingdom Hearts yet? Hehe... I wish....
The Door is Open
Her eyes were close as she became lost in her mind. Suddenly, echoing off the stonewalls, she heard someone call. It was faint and distant. She opened her eyes as the echo slowly became closer and louder.
"Kairi!" It was Sora.
Kairi rose from where she was sitting. She was in the secret place, in front of the black wooden door. When Sora first arrived, she thought she would never have to sit there and dream of her friends return again. But she was here again. This would defiantly be the last day though. Riku would be coming home.
"Kairi! O, here you are," she heard Sora say as he came around the entrance tunnels corner.
"Sorry, I couldn't really sleep," she said with a smile.
"Yea me... not too?" said Sora. They both laughed.
"O how intelligent," said Kairi in a playfully sarcastic tone. After their laughing finally died down, Donald and Goofy appeared.
"Well Sora, today's the day," said Goofy.
"Yea, Goofy and I have to go soon Sora," said Donald, "But we'll wait until Riku's here too."
Sora smiled. "Thanks guys, I'm gonna miss you too!"
With that, he jumped Donald and flung his arm around the ducks neck to give him a proper noogie on his feathery head.
"SORA!" he quacked trying to get away. Everyone laughed.
"Riku!" she yelled. She didn't know what else to do. The only thing she could think about was talking to Riku; she needed to tell him what was going to happen, so they could stop it. She noticed Ansem smirk. Damn it! Bad idea. Ansem shot something at her. She stared wide-eyed. No, it was happening again. She could already see Riku running toward her.
"Riku STOP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She knew he wouldn't stop, but she needed to warn him anyway. But then something surprised her. Riku was slowing down! She almost smiled, but then she noticed something else. His face, he was staring at her really weirdly. First like he couldn't see her at all, then a shocked kind of face as if he had only just realized she was there.
Her confused feeling didn't last long though. It was quickly replaced with an unbearable pain. She screamed as Ansems shot pierced her just below her heart. It felt like fire was spreading from her wound all around her body, engulfing her. It hurt so much. She staggered backward, head dizzy from pain. She looked forward and tried to focus her fogging eyes. Riku was running to her again. But he's safe...
She never thought something could hurt so much. She couldn't think anymore. The darkness was already eating away at her vision. She didn't realize she was still stumbling backward toward the cliff. Not until, somehow through the immense pain burning her, she felt the crumbling edge of the cliff with one foot. Through the fog, she saw Riku reach for her and she did the same. Her movement didn't affect the pain at all; it was too great to be altered by something so small. He was so close. She almost felt his hand grasp hers. But how could she, she hurt too much.
No, he didn't grab her. It didn't matter. He couldn't save her now. She was dying. As she fell backward off the cliff, her head spun so much and she was torn between fighting for consciousness and letting the darkness take her pain away. It didn't matter though, because the darkness won, and her mind went blank.
No, it couldn't be. But Riku was sure of it now. All this time, Mariha had really been Naomi. No wonder he started having those dreams when he met Mariha. He should have been happy. But how could he be, he had still lost her. Naomi and Mariha, though they were the same person, he had lost them again. Staring blankly into the nothingness below, all the memories started flooding his mind now, hundreds of them, all with her when they were little. He didn't even try to hold back the tears that now wet his face.
"NAOMI" he tried to scream at the top of his lungs, but his voice was cracked from choking on sobs. No, he wouldn't loose her again. He stood and wiped his face.
"I'm not afraid this time," he whispered with eyes closed. Without hesitation he jumped off the edge of the cliff and awaited the darkness to engulf him.
But it didn't come. He opened his eyes. Ansem had caught him in mid air.
"You can't get away that easily fool!" he said menacingly, "Not before I have some fun with you." He threw his head back and laughed like a maniac, as his guardian who had caught Riku threw him mercilessly to the rocky ground.
The darkness was endless. There was no bottom to the gorge, just an infinite space of choking nothingness. Mariha's mind was completely blank, she was falling deeper and deeper into the darkness, both physically and literally. She felt nothing, all her senses being eaten away at by the dark surrounding and filling her. Then, the softest echo of a voice bouncing down from the rock walls reached her ears, not that she could hear it.
Her lifeless body just fell. It would fall forever, the hole never ending. But that soft echo slowly grew, getting louder, closer and clearer. It wouldn't fade away; it chased her body so she would soon hear it as if someone was standing right by her ear talking to her. It finally reached its goal. The sounds of Riku's voice filled her head.
"Naomi..."
Her eyes shot open and she gasped, the life flowing back into her. Like there was still some hope left, like there was suddenly something more to live for. But when her eyes opened, she didn't see the darkness that was feeding on her. Instead, hundreds of pictures flashed before her eyes. It was her, when she was little. She saw the sun, the beach, the sea, and... Riku!
"I... I remember..." she said in barley a whisper.
The unbearable pain had ceased now and was replace with something else. A warm feeling flowed through Mariha's burning limbs, but though warm, it still cooled them from the stinging sensation of pain she had felt for so long. It was familiar though, but this time she didn't try to stop it. Within the blink of an eye, Natia had awakened again.
"Hurry up Sora!"
"Calm down Donald! I need to concentrate!" replied the brown haired teen. Donald had all of a sudden become really annoying... but then again, when was he ever not annoying?
Donald was freaking out because Sora tried to open the door, but it didn't exactly work. He used the Keyblade like he always did, pointing it at the door and focusing his energy to open it rather than close it this time. But not even a spark of light appeared. Nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?" asked Kairi. Sora could hear a tint of worry in her voice.
"Sora's just stalling!" complained Donald making a big I-don't-know-how-anyone-can-put-up-with-him-anyways frown.
"Um, doesn't there need to be a keyhole for it to work?" said Goofy. Everyone looked to the door. It was just like it had always been. Just a big blank wooden door. It had never shown any sign of a keyhole being there. The one time Sora saw that door open, he couldn't see if there was a keyhole anyway.
But Sora was confused. He had the Keyblade now, the keyhole should appear like it had for all the other worlds he visited and sealed. It didn't make any sense. Then a thought hit him.
"Riku..." he said quietly only Kairi heard him.
"What?" quacked Donald, "That better not have been directed at me or-"
"That's right!" Kairi said before Donald could finish. In a huff, he turned to go sit on some rock, muttering to himself.
"Riku needs to release the light within Kingdom Hearts doesn't he?" continued Kairi.
"But... what if he hasn't found it..." Sora didn't know what to do; his hopes of Riku's return were slowly fading away.
"We can't do anything but wait I guess," replied Kairi.
"Yea..."
Riku hit the ground hard but slowly got up to his knees and wiped the blood out of his eyes. It was slowly trickling down his face, bruises already beginning to ripen around his eyes. He ached, he hurt, but he couldn't stop. Ansem killed her. As soon as he found her again, he took her away. He already had such a loathing for that unbelievably evil man, and now it was too large a hate to be controlled. His body resented it, but his mind wouldn't let himself stop from lashing out at Ansem.
"Hahahaha, my dear boy, you are so naïve," he laughed, easily dodging Riku's futile attempts to attack him, "You think you're heart is so strong, but your body begs to differ. Ah I shall enjoy breaking you!"
With that, Ansem raised his arms and his guardian sent a barrage of spinning sharp saws of energy. Riku cried out in pain and was sent flying backward. Lying on his back, his mind began to become clouded with pain.
"No, I won't die," he said though he thought he only said it in his head, "Not until you pay..."
Ansem just laughed. Riku couldn't even get up. The last of his energy was put to keeping the boy alive. Cut and bruised all over his body, blood soaking and staining his already blood stained clothes.
"It's over, you will be mine again, and I will have much fun in breaking your soul!" Ansem roared. But suddenly, he felt something from deep below. It was the familiar aura of power that he had created.
"No that's impossible!" he shrieked.
Riku had no idea what he was talking about. The psycho had finally cracked, but he tilted his head to the direction Ansem was looking anyway. He was confused. He didn't see anything. Nothing was there except for the cliff.
Then suddenly, he thought he saw something black shoot up from its depths. Or maybe he just blinked. His head spun and he struggled to remain conscious. He couldn't die, he wouldn't. But then he heard a familiar voice.
"Don't you know you should pick on people your own size?" It was Natia! O great... now how was he going to get out of this?
"Ah, Natia!" said Ansem delightfully, "Was the girls mind sucked away? Why of course it was, how else would you be here," He smiled sisterly.
She returned the same smile, then flew like a shot over to him and stuck him across the face with such force that he flew backwards. She remained hovering over Riku, now glaring with the most piercing eyes imaginable in Ansems direction. As she did so, Riku thought he saw her glowing a dim blue colour. He realized that the aura began to spread over his body. He expected more pain, but it wasn't painful. It was actually refreshing. Like Natia was giving him her energy.
"Wha -how dare you!" Ansem fumed, "I am you master, how dare you strike me!"
"You don't own me..."
"What?!"
Natia's piercing eyes flickered red as the rage inside began swelling.
"You don't own me! Didn't you learn from your last little experiment you can't control what you create?" she said and laughed, "Look at you, couldn't even control a young boy, and still need a guardian to do your dirty wok!"
Ansem was fuming. "How DARE you disrespect ME!" He shot a dark energy ball at Natia. She simply sighed and stopped it with one hand. Ansem watched in horror as the ball disintegrated, and Natia was left with not even a tiny scratch.
There was a slight hesitation before Ansems next assault, but he had succeeded in singeing off some of Natia's hair. After that, they became two dark blurs of shadow locked in a deadly combat. Riku saw everything, but he was totally blown away. What had happened? Why was Natia helping him when every other time he encountered her she nearly killed him. And what happened to Naomi?
Now able to stand, Riku rose and just watched the blurs collide and break apart. They were going to fast, he couldn't see what exactly was happening. Just standing there he felt kind of bored. No action for him, even though he still had no weapon. Whatever, he didn't need one really...
Meanwhile, Ansem and Natia flew at each other in hopes of knocking the other to the ground. Hits were given and received, but both recovered too quickly to falter much. Natia began to worry; her strength had lessened since she gave Riku some of her energy. But he needed it.
Ansem sensed the slightest distress in her mind and smirked whilst they were momentarily face-to-face, there now brandished blades locked together. She frowned and threw him away from her. They both remained hovering, facing each other a few meters separating them.
"You can't beat me," Ansem chuckled, "I created you!"
He charged at her again but she blocked. Thus creating another moment where there faces were just inches away from each other.
"No matter how you fight it, I still control your mind," Ansem lied coldly. He knew he couldn't control her anymore. He already tried. But he only needed her guard to be down for the smallest moment.
"L-liar!" she yelled but he saw her flinch in the slightest way. Her strength was weakening. He took his chance and quickly summoned another small blade to his free hand. Before Natia could pull away, he swiftly stabbed her in the side.
"Mariha no!" Riku called as he watched her slowly back away from Ansem. She slowly looked down to the wound now gushing blood. She half smiled smugly and yanked the blade from her side.
"Ha, you think that was nothing don't you?" laughed Ansem, "Soon your powers will be rendered useless. I created you remember? I know all your weaknesses, and I installed this one just in case something of this sort was to happen."
She glared at him but could already feel her energy leaving her. She looked down at her side. Covered in blood, she could barely see a dim glow of blue. The dagger he stabbed her with put that in there, and it was eating her energy. She tried to grab it, but an immense pain shot through her. She cried out.
"Mariha!" Riku called again. He felt so useless. Then something hit him. Of course, the light could save them! It was his last hope...
"Mariha you have to remember!" he called and ran closer to her. She tried hard to stay afloat in the air, but she slowly began to descend to the ground.
"Huh?" she looked at him running to her as she landed, head spinning. She barely had the energy now to keep her eyes open. Just as they were about to close, she felt him grab her shoulders and shake her awake.
"Remember, Naomi!" he said. It sounded like he was calling from far away, but the name caught her ear.
"I-I'm her..."
"Yes! Come one stay awake!" Riku said shaking her more as her eyes threatened to shut forever, "Remember, all the fun we had. Remember you dared Sora to climb the coconut tree and he got stuck? Remember when we played hide and seek and I couldn't find you? Remember, come on!"
"Yea... I remember you..." She was so tired. Just let her sleep, just for a little while...
"Naomi, that's your name! Why did the heartless call you Mariha?" Riku didn't know what he was saying exactly, he just needed to keep her awake so anything would do.
Ansem however, who had been watching and becoming really amused in the situation suddenly spoke. "No, how could I not see?"
"Light..."
"What?" Riku stopped shaking Natia for a moment. Was he right after all?
"Light... it means light!" said Natia, fully awake again. Riku was right and he smiled. Yes! He'd found it, rather her! But he suddenly felt Natia grab him and shove him aside.
He heard a scream and looked up from the ground. Ansem laughed madly. He defiantly had cracked.
"Yes! I have finally found the light! And now I will finally be rid of it!" he said in pure joy.
Riku looked in horror. Ansem had struck Natia with his blade, right at her heart. He could already see the darkness falling away from her until she finally turned back to whom he was so used to as being Mariha. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. His eyes were locked on her face. She looked at him for a moment and he felt his life being sucked away. It was written all over her face.
"Thank you, you've been the bestest friend ever..."
He didn't know if he had imagined it or if she had really said it. No matter though, he didn't have time to think about it because Ansem soon withdrew his blade and flew up high in triumph. Mariha crumpled to the ground, eyes ghostly blank.
"No..." he couldn't feel anything any more. He felt nothing but a numbing sensation come over his body. They were so close. She was the light. She was his best friend. This couldn't be destiny...
He crawled over to her lifeless body and felt her hand. Icy cold. He couldn't stop himself, totally forgetting Ansem was right above him, he cried. Then he laughed at himself half-heartedly.
"You're not gone yet," he tried to convince himself. Ansem again finding this rather amusing watched and laughed mockingly. But he wasn't there in Riku's mind, "Not until I tell you..."
He paused and bowed his head over her. It was too much for him, he never felt so completely alone in his life. Never felt such sorrow before.
"Not until I tell you... how much I love you..."
Then time seemed to stand still. A single tear fell from Riku's face and landed on Naomi's bloody chest. As it did, a sudden blinding light shone and Riku opened his eyes to look. Ansem stopped laughing, and was now shielding his eyes in confusion.
"What! Where is that?" he said in surprise.
Riku looked into the light. It didn't hurt his eyes at all, which confused him, but he saw where it was coming from. His own heart. A bright light shone from his own heart. He heard a sort of, clicking sound, almost like a key in a lock, and his light faded. But, it was only to be replaced by another. This one he too had to cover his eyes. He only managed to get a glimpse of its source. It was Naomi. The light inside her heart had been released.
He backed away; the lights glare to painful to be so close to. As he did, Naomi's body rose. The wound was gone, replaced with the light. She still seemed unconscious, then there was a sudden intense flash. The light dimmed a bit after that, and Riku took his hand away to gaze in wonder. It was Naomi, but her hair had been undone so it flew around wildly. She was also wearing a dress of some sort. But the thing that Riku was in awe of most was the two brilliant angelic wings; fully stretched out from her back. Her hands were in front of her chest, and between them hovered a small orb of light. The light of Kingdom Hearts. The light of her heart.
Her eyes slowly opened and she spoke, though her mouth didn't seem to move, and the voice coming from inside Riku's head almost.
"Ansem, your time is at an end. May the darkness be vanquished at last."
"What! Never! You cannot rid the darkness, it is everywhere!" he said, still taken aback that the light had even been released after everything that had happened.
"True, but you have thrown the balance off. And so I will rebalance it." A wisp of light, flowing through the air like water, surrounded Ansem. His guardian disintegrated, as so did Ansem.
"No, you will not defeat me! No one can!" he screamed as the last of him faded away into nothing. Soon his voice was only a dying echo.
"Riku"
He looked at her in surprise. He was so surprised about everything that was happening, he jumped at the sound of his name.
"You may finally go home now."
She smiled and something began to materialize just behind her. He didn't know what at first, but then it became clear.
"The door..."
Behind Naomi was the door of Kingdom Hearts, the same one Riku himself helped close when he last saw Sora.
"Go through, the door is open"
A/N: well, there ya have it! Almost done tear lol not like ppl care :( meh, plz review! Make me happy, n then I'll update more -