Finally: La cool chapter. It took a while, but KoTOR II was quite distracting. Anyways, enjoy.


-

Inside the portal, colors swirled about like a rainbow gotten out of hand. Brilliant hues blended and blurred around her, dazzling her eyes with darkened light and lightened dark. And in the middle of it all, he stood.

She gripped the keyblade tighter, and took a step forwards.

"So, you are alone," came the double-voice, both so familiar. Eriks's body turned to face her, eyes not his own. "Did your friends leave you, as all friends inevitably do? Abandon you to your hopeless fate?"

"No," she stated calmly. "They did not. They did the greatest thing friends can do; they gave themselves up for my sake. Even as we speak, they risk their very lives just so I can be here, so that I have a chance. And it won't be a chance I will waste."

"A chance?" he asked. "If you mean a chance to live, you lost that the moment you returned to the castle." He smiled mockingly at her. "And if you mean a chance to stop me... well, that never existed in the first place."

He stepped towards her, white winged keyblade in hand.

"So... what is it that you want?" he questioned her. "My death? Your home? The release of your friend?"

"I want... the truth," she said simply. "What is this all about?"

"Ah, the truth," he said. "You want to know why I do this. Can't you simply believe I do it out of sheer maliciousness and lust for power?"

"No."

"Well then. Alright."

He told her the truth. She listened. And when he was done, she sighed.
"Do you still wish to stop me?" he asked.
"Yes."

"So be it."

It's hard to kill your best friend.

-

Infiltration.

They had gotten to the actual world of Hollow Bastion easily enough. The warphole had been almost entirely unguarded, and the few Heartless ships patrolling the area had been easily taken care of. They landed in one of the hangars at the back of the castle using access codes that Cid Highwind had given them, and slipped in unnoticed. Now, getting to the throne room would be the next bit of trouble.

-

Ascension.

The four of them had been of two minds on how best to get to the throne room. While Montblanc and Orchid had opted for stealth, Arc and Sora had volunteered a more direct solution, that is, methodically exterminating each Heartless and Shadowless on the level before moving on. Eventually, they agreed on trying to sneak by, but terminating any enemy that got in their way before it could raise the alarm. It worked well, up to a point.

Air soldiers proved more than adept at running away. It only took one to alert the entire castle.

It was at the Grand Crest that Lord Mousseux made his stand.

"You guys go on ahead," said Arc, stopping as the others ran on. "I'll delay these guys."

"No, Arc!" shouted Orchid. "You can't-!"

"Come on," said Sora, grabbing her arm and pulling her on. "He's buying us time, and you're wasting it if you try to argue. Let's make what he does worthwhile, okay?"

"Right, then..." grinned Arc as his friends retreated behind him and enemies, light and dark, advanced. "Bring it on."

Figures of scurrying darkness and forms of burning light shrieked and chattered and raved angrily at him. He pushed up his yellow tinted lenses, and his eyes glinted dangerously. A faint blue shimmer turned about him.

"Wings of the Dragon, fly into the Azure Sky!"

-

Fortification.

The Chapel was empty. It did not seem that the Heartless or Shadowless would willingly reside in these upper levels. However, the trio was more than certain that they would chase them in, forbidden ground or not. They closed the doors behind them, Montblanc erecting a quick barrier over it in magic. They jumped as the door shuddered under the impact of the pressing masses outside it.

"It won't hold long," observed Sora. "They'll break that barrier before we even get to the door."

"Not if I hold it, kupo," said Montblanc.

"Not you, too," moaned Orchid.

"Don't worry," squeaked the little moogle, lines of power already drawing out a magic circle around him. "Just hurry up. The faster you end all this, the less time I'll have to work here, kupo."

"Come on," urged Sora to the young girl. "They are the Guardian and the Mage. It's their role to do whatever is needed to insure your success."

Orchid sighed. Then she nodded.

"Let's go."

-

Initiation.

"The way is closed."

The dark portal was dim and lifeless. It was nothing but a gate, placed against a wall.

"How are we going to get in?" asked Orchid worriedly.

"I think..." started Sora. He summoned his keyblade, the Oathkeeper, then pointed it at the gateway. "Open, Door to Darkness."

A ray of light shot out, and where it struck, the dark portal opened. The Door to Darkness was open.

"I'll hold this open. You go in." said Sora.

"Sora... are you sure? Don't you want to... I don't know... be more than just the door keeper?" asked Orchid.

"I already had my share of 'adventure', if that's what you mean," he said. "Besides. It's your battle in their. Your fears. Your... friend. You'll have to face him. Alone. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

She nodded a little.

"Well then... time to save the world."

"Yeah."
And then she stepped through, and Sora was alone.

-

Confrontation.

Inside the portal, colors swirled about like a rainbow gotten out of hand. Brilliant hues blended and blurred around her, dazzling her eyes with darkened light and lightened dark. And in the middle of it all, he stood.

She gripped the keyblade tighter, and took a step forwards.

"So, you are alone," came the double-voice, both so familiar. Eriks's body turned to face her, eyes not his own. "Did your friends leave you, as all friends inevitably do? Abandon you to your hopeless fate?"

"No," she stated calmly. "They did not. They did the greatest thing friends can do; they gave themselves up for my sake. Even as we speak, they risk their very lives just so I can be here, so that I have a chance. And it won't be a chance I will waste."

"A chance?" he asked. "If you mean a chance to live, you lost that the moment you returned to the castle." He smiled mockingly at her. "And if you mean a chance to stop me... well, that never existed in the first place."

He stepped towards her, white winged keyblade in hand.

"So... what is it that you want?" he questioned her. "My death? Your home? The release of your friend?"

"I want... the truth," she said simply. "What is this all about?"

"Ah, the truth," he said. "You want to know why I do this. Can't you simply believe I do it out of sheer maliciousness and lust for power?"

"No."

"Well then. Alright."

He told her the truth. She listened. And when he was done, she sighed.
"Do you still wish to stop me?" he asked.
"Yes."

"So be it."

It's hard to kill your best friend.

-

Immersion

Whether they fought for days, or minutes, or years, they could not tell. Time blurred and flowed together as they fought, there in that timeless place, that roiling void of colors. The distinction between one blow and the next, one strike and one parry, one block and one counter, disappeared altogether as they became meshed together in a seamless flow, a dance of sorts. Spells ignited and were extinguished by other spells. Fire met ice, lightning met time, nightmare flowed together and clashed with light. And the weapons? There were two. One was of fair hair, eyes flashing blue. The other was of dark hair, eyes black as the night sky, deep pools in which stars gleamed. And in their hands they held keyblades, one of white, natural simplicity, the other of unearthly complexity. The Judgement Lotus and the Angel Wing. These were Keyblades of World, of Heart, of Life and of Light. There, before the Door to Darkness, before the gate behind which is Kingdom Hearts, they fought.

-

Fruitation.

"The power is mine!" roared Morpheus with stolen lips as he charged forwards and swung. His blade was met by another, and they were both thrown back by the burst of power. "Blessed Blade!"

And suddenly, he was behind her, and light was all about her. Orchid cried out as the energy, wave upon wave of holy magic, burst around her, spiraling up in a pillar of power. Then it was over, and she turned to face him, hurt, but far from finished.

"Eriks... you don't have to do this, Eriks," she pleaded as she walked towards him.

"Fool. That boy is beyond your reach. The person you knew as Eriks is no longer," assured Morpheus.

"You lie!" shouted Orchid. She ran forwards and swung at him with the keyblade. "Meteor Barrage!"

The Judgement Lotus clashed against his blocks as he backed away. Blow upon blow rained down upon him, though each was expertly parried and blocked, swept to the side, stopped in its tracks. But the glow around the living keyblade only grew brighter.

"Apocalypse!"

She slammed down upon him, and the chaos of colors on which they stood shook with her impact. He blocked, but only to be thrown backwards and go flying into the air, into the infinite dimensions of the void. He halted midair, hair flapping wildly in the roiling wind-like energy of the void, jacket sizzling mildly. He raised his hand up, and in it glowed a white light.

"Serephim, Rain of Angels!"

The energy burst apart into a million burning stars, white hot in their intensity, and shot down at the girl. She did her best to block, but there were simply too many; he was simply too powerful. Hastily erected barriers of wind shattered under the holy barrage, and she cried out in pain as the burning lights struck her.

"You are... persistent," observed Morpheus from his spot in the air as Orchid slowly stumbled to her feet. He watched calmly as she healed herself and erected a shield. He started to prepare a barrier of his own, but stopped in surprise as something came hurtling his way.

"Shooting Star!"

He blocked and spun in the air as the flying keyblade struck off his own, then came around and returned to its master's hand. He dodged nimbly from one side to the other, moving erratically through the air, all the while moving closer as she tried her best to hit him.

"Wi-!"

Orchid stopped as he suddenly dove, and was there, in front of her. He easily knocked her keyblade to the side with his own, stepped forwards, then reached up and grasped her throat. Orchid stared down into Eriks's face, into eyes that were not his as she was lifted off the ground, struggling helplessly against an inhumanly strong grip. They rose up into the air, her held above him, hands at her throat prying at his hand.

"And now, Keyblade Master, you are mine," he said. "And you, just as this boy, shall serve me down the worn paths and unworn paths, down ways hidden and forgotten, and together, we three of Arcadia shall open Kingdoms Hearts, and my goal... my dream... will be realized."

His grip tightened.

"Now... give in to me, for that is the path to life, to power."

She suddenly stopped struggling.

"Give in."

"I...will..." she gasped slowly.

He grinned in satisfaction.

"...never give in!"

Morpheus's stolen body gasped in surprise and agony as her foot flew up and came striking right into his gut, knocking the wind clear out of him. She tore away from his grasp and began falling.

"Fine, then!" raged Morhpeus as she plummeted downwards. "Die!"

I will not die, thought Orchid as she fell toward the firmament, eyes closed. I will not die.

"Once you are gone, all of Kingdom Hearts is mine!"

I will not die. The ground was rushing up at her. I will... I will...

Her eyes snapped open.

"I will live!"
There was an explosion of light. And then, Orchid was gone. In her place stood a being of burning golden light in her shape, keyblade in its hand.

"That light... Sunstrike..." murmured Morpheus as he stared down, eyes widening. Suddenly, a snarl tore across his face. "You...you can't do this to me... Kingdom Hearts is mine!"

He came diving down, fast enough to demolish solid stone, yet the golden flame, all aglow, blocked deftly and easily, as if he were of no moment. There was no hesitation, no pause for a girl to regret having to hurt her best friend. No, here was power, raw and final, unleashed in an ultimate form. There was no humanity, no morals. Just power.

Eriks's body went flying back up into the air as it was struck away by the burning form's keyblade. The shining star came flying up after him, keyblade in hand, and there, in the heavens of that roiling no-place, their blades clashed, and battle was made. Energy rippled out from them at every strike, every blow, power radiated as the magician fought with the sun.

"I won't let you do this!"

He struck. And was stopped. There, delicate wing behind it, his keyblade was held firmly, steadily, despite all his power, by its hand. In the hand of the burning star in Orchid's form.

Suddenly he was flying down, flung away. Eriks's body crashed hard against the ground, bouncing and rolling to a stop. He scrambled onto his arm's support and turned to look at her as she stood high above, floating, shining. And then the glow intensified, the brightness became a harsh, burnind glare. A star in the roiling, rainbow sky when shooting off, turning, then coming back, crashing down. And he knew where it would land.

"That power!" he exclaimed as he stumbled to his feet, and stared, wide eyed at his approaching doom.

Eyes afire, power glowing, his death aproached in the shape of a girl, and made of power.

There was a flash of light, and she stood before him, just a normal girl, face downcast, keyblade held limply in one hand.

"What?" asked Morpheus in surprise.

Eriks only stared down at her, and in that moment, his eyes were his own.

"I love you," said Orchid. Then she leaned up, and their lips softly met.

-

Emancipation.

There are no words to describe what happened then. But one may endeavor to do so anyways. It was a like a million fireworks, each a different shade of happiness, set off in what had once been eternal darkness. It was like feeling chains, long since rusted shut, shattering like ice after an eternal winter. It was like waking up to the dawn of the universe, and hearing all of life's song. It was an amazing display of lights and sounds and other overloads of the senses. It was like the taste of freedom, made visible. It was like the day when finally, finally, everything is truly all right. It was simply, and truly, good. Choose any of the above, and you may be right.

-

Conclusion...?

"Orchid," whispered Eriks softly. He held her tightly, free for the first time since he left Arcadia. And there were tears in his eyes.

"Eriks...oh, Eriks..." She clung to him desperately, wanting never to let go. And there were tears in her eyes.

"Is...is it finally over?" he asked.

"I...I think it is..." she answered softly. "He's gone. We're free."

"So...it's finally done," he sighed. "It's finally...all...right."

She merely smiled and clung tighter.

They froze as a voice pierced the silence.

YOU... ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL... THAN I WOULD HAVE IMAGINED. BUT IT IS NO MATTER. I GO NOW, TO OPEN THE DOOR TO LIGHT, TO RELEASE KINGDOM HEARTS. I LEAVE. BUT SO SHALL MY SERVANT.

Orchid cried out as she felt Eriks pulled away from her, as if grasped by some unseen force. She clung tightly to him, but he slid away, as if he was mist, as if he were nothing. And he was. She ran after him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and he tried to reach her, but he was insubstantial as smoke, and what pulled him was all too real. And then he was gone. It was just her, alone, inside the portal, where colors swirled like a rainbow gotten out of hand.

I GO NOW TO THE END OF THE WORLD. THAT IS WHERE ALL THIS SHALL END.

A tear fell. It went unheard, unmourned.