Part Eight: True Key Bearer
hadows. He saw Lycole, Caliga, Terra, Kevaul, and Lutian fighting together with all their strength and might. He saw Yuffie and Leon carving their way through the ranks. But his heart quailed when he saw Riku, and Kairi. They fought together, side by side.
Sora closed his eyes. Why do they fight? He wondered. There is no hope anymore. Unseen by Sora the heartless grew, their antennae thrown back to become a mane, arms lengthened, a great hole opened in their chests. They became darksides. The group of warriors looked up at their changed foes. All knew that there was no way they could win this battle now, but none showed it. They all took firmer grips on their weapons looking at the Heartless with stony eyes, now was the time to finish it.
The darkside made short work of them. Sora could see it in his mind, they picked up various people. Throwing them into buildings but now matter how hard the blow was, they got up again and kept fighting. Sora couldn't see them anymore he was sinking away, sinking away from everything he was. Darkness entered his soul, greedily eating away at his heart.
A darkside landed Kairi a particularly nasty blow. She was thrown against cold stone, Oathkeeper flying from her hand. She slid to the ground, feeling her life drain away from her. "Sora…" was her almost silent plea. "Sora…why?"
A light erupted out of the murky depths that was darkness. Sora's heart rebelled in anguish, he was letting all that he held dear fade away. Sora's eyes flew open light roaring behind them. A light that was different then anything else. It exploded out of nowhere, the darkside threw up their hands to shield their eyes.
Lycole got to his feet panting and offered a hand to Caliga. Caliga took it and let his friend pull him to his feet. Kevaul hauled Terra to her feet, and Yuffie was steadying a dazed Leon. All their eyes were on the beam of light that has exploded out of nowhere. It was still there, pulsing. The darkside were cowering away from it, as it slowly moved and formed itself into a shape.
The light died and in its place stood a gigantic being. It was made of rippling darkness, but light shimmered around it. Emblazoned on its chest was a different mark then that of the heartless. The great creature opened its mouth and out of it cascaded a great beam of light. It struck the darkside, who instantly perished.
"The darkness is fighting for the light" Riku said awed. The creature looked around then spotted its quarry. It reached out and picked up a limp figure, slowly it laid it at Riku's feet, it was Kairi. "Kairi!" Riku cried shaking her as the others came over to him. Trembling hard he said. "She's dead" He looked up at the creature, and felt a voice roar through his mind.
"I am sorry that I was unable to do as you asked" The voice shook Riku to the bone, but it was vaguely familiar. "So I give you what you were entitled to all along." It held out a paw. Shimmering there against the creature's dark flesh, was the Kingdom Key. Riku took it in trembling hands, "Sora" he breathed. A single tear fell from the creature's eye as it turned away. The tear landed on Kairi, sparks of light flew in all directions. Riku turned away covering his face.
When he looked back the creature was gone and there was a shimmering aura around Kairi. Her chest heaved and her eyes flew open, she sat up coughing. Riku rushed to her side. "Are you all right?" he asked her.
Kairi took a deep breath of air and looked at Riku. "Yeah I think so" she said hoarsely and got to her feet. Kairi surveyed the rest of the group, she swallowed. Both Lutian and King Mickey were gone.
Sora was falling again, falling back into that fathomless void. But he did not fall this time with a heavy heart. No his heart was light, and he was smiling. Sora reached into his pocket and his fingers closed around the strange key chain.
"Life within death," he whispered "Light within darkness." His voice trailed off and he heard again that voice which had been with him all along.
The voice of his own heart, "Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light." Sora's eyes flew open as he realized what he had to do.
Goofy and Donald didn't know what to do, except sit. Suddenly the outline of a keyhole lined with light appeared in front of them. They leapt to their feet weapons ready. Someone staggered out of the light, it was Sora.
"Sora!" Cried Donald and Goofy at once.
"Hey guys" Sora gave a weak grin. He shuddered and stood up strait. "I know what we have to do now" he said.
"You do? What?" Goofy asked curiously. Sora told them.
"You're going to do what?!" cried Donald in alarm. "Sora! You can't do that!"
Sora glared at his friend. "I have to, or things will go on as they always have."
"And why is that such a bad thing?" Donald asked.
Sora's eyes darkened, Donald took a step back. "Because if I don't do what has to be done. No one ever will, everything will just wither away and die. Darkness, light, all of it." Donald dropped his gaze when he saw that Sora was shaking. The duck hadn't thought about what it meant for Sora to give up what he intended to.
"So where do we go?" Sora opened his mouth to answer, but Goofy interrupted him with a shout.
"Guys we got company!" Sora and Donald whirled around. There was a group of weird creatures running toward them. They wiggled and stretched as they moved. Donald drew his Mage's staff, Goofy his Knight's Sheild. Sora's hands were empty, for he no longer had the Keyblade. With an expression of grim determination they attacked. Sora had only magic to use he used it lightly. But to no avail the creatures were strong! Donald went down, and Goofy shortly after. Sora was thrown backward, landing hard on the stone. The silver things circled the three of them wobbling and flipping.
High above unnoticed by all, stood a black-coated figure. He had watched the battle through narrowed eyes. The creatures jerked and lunged for Sora and his friends. But something came hurtling down out of nowhere and made quick work of creatures. Sora's eyes widened he leaned forward mouth agape in surprise. Donald and Goofy made startled noises behind him and they jumped on Sora's back to get a better look.
"Your Majesty!" they cried.
Mickey turned to face them, his Keyblade glinting. "Donald I thought I told you to stick with the Key Bearer!" Mickey growled.
"But we did!" Donald protested. "Sora's a Key Bearer!"
"He is not the true Bearer, and you had a chance to stay with the one who is! Riku, why didn't you stay with him?"
Donald looked at the ground sheepishly, but Goofy said defiantly. "We stayed with the one who had the heart to wield a Keyblade. And the Keyblade went back to him, didn't it?"
"No it didn't" Sora and Mickey said at the same time. They glanced at each other, and Mickey sighed.
"I'm sorry Sora, just things aren't actin' the way they're supposed to. I got myself in deeper than I wanted to."
"Join the club" Sora muttered. Mickey grinned. "I know how to stop this now, but I think we'll have to go through Ansem to do it." Sora said quietly.
Mickey shuddered "Are you sure?" Sora nodded. "Very well then. What do we have to do?"
Kairi was sitting on one of the rocks that littered the beach. A small breeze toyed with her long red brown hair. Her eyes fixed on the ocean, reflected the moon light. There were no clouds to cover the sky this night.
Kairi didn't turn when she heard footsteps behind her. Riku stood at her side as he too gazed out across the ocean.
"Seeing other worlds isn't like we imagined it would be is it?" She asked, her voice sounded a little thin.
Riku shook his head. "No, I never imagined it would cause so much pain." He looked at the ground remembering what he'd done two years before.
Kairi's eyes fogged over as an old memory came to her. She was little, about the time she'd just come to the islands. This had been on one of the days when Riku hadn't been around and she and Sora were bored. She scrambled over a dune, a wooden sword clutched in her hand.
Sora was standing by a palm tree. A sack with a scribbled face on it was tied to the tree. "What took you so long Kairi?" Sora demanded. He went over to her, hefting his own wooden sword over his shoulder. "Can we do it? Against that?" His eyes were glittering excitedly.
Kairi lifted her sword. "Together, we can do it together"
Kairi shook her head, trying to clear it of that painful memory. "Do you think things will ever be the way they were?" She asked Riku hugging her knees.
Riku shook his head, "I don't know" he replied. Suddenly they both felt a tug at their hearts. They looked at each other in alarm.
"Sora" Kiari said quietly. There was a moment of silence, then they both ran.
Caliga felt a great shift in the worlds boundaries. "Lycole! We're shifting!" He shouted jumping to his feet.
Lycole had seen Kairi and Riku run. "Come on" he yelled. "We have to go after them!"
Kevaul gripped his arm. "You know what this is" he hissed, "If we go anywhere, we'll go together"
Lycole nodded. "Yes, we'll go together."
Terra came running down the stairs, followed by Leon and Yuffie. "Come on" she growled and the six of them ran after Kairi and Riku.
Kairi and Riku were running blindly toward a portal. They were aware instantly when they passed through it, because they suddenly found themselves on the Destiny Islands. In front of them towered the door to Kingdom Hearts. Standing at the foot of it, his back turned to them, was Sora.
A storm was wildly raging, cracks of lightning split the air. But strangely there was no rain. "Sora" Kairi cried out she waved her hand. But it stopped in mid-air. They were behind a barrier of some sort. "Sora!" she screamed louder.
Riku had gone all tingly, the hairs on the back of his neck had risen. He gripped the Keyblade hard. Sora turned around, there were tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Kairi but I have to do this. I have to take this path because no one else can see it!" Kairi mouthed openly at him.
"What's he doing?" Riku asked quietly as Kairi lowered her hand.
Kairi swallowed then whispered. "He's walking the third path."