Kingdom of Chaos
Chapter 11: Obscure Assurances
Author: Sketchy Sunshine of OSTOCOM
Rating: PG-13, just to be on the safe side
Author's Note: Happy St. Paddy's Day!
See chapter one for summary, disclaimer and other goodness. Otherwise, here's chapter eleven! XD
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The ground was alive. It moved like a thousand black snakes over hot coals, making it difficult to stand properly. The air was full of a thick, bluish fog. It seemed the world was trying to constrict itself; wring chaos out of light and darkness alike.
But the shifting terrain was the least of King Mickey's worries.
"Give it up, Ansem!" he called into the darkness. "You know you can't keep me here forever."
Ansem's laugh echoed back to him. However, even in his laugh he couldn't hide the weariness. "Foolish king! Here, forever is arbitrary. There is no escape."
The fog to Mickey's left shifted, indicating that Ansem's next attack was coming from that direction. Mickey dodged the flare of dark energy that came spinning at him, and it dispersed into the fog. Ansem mentally cursed to himself. For how small and nonthreatening he appeared, the king was surprisingly spry. It was difficult to keep track of his movements, let alone land an attack on him.
"You will be annihilated…" Ansem thundered again. Mickey responded with his own attack: a swift strike with the inverse Keyblade that sent Ansem reeling.
"It's not foolish to fight you," Mickey countered.
Ansem stumbled back into the dark, his breath ragged and quick. He narrowed his eyes at his miniature yet skilled opponent…it was clear a change of strategy was needed.
"Perhaps not…" Ansem gritted. "But I wouldn't say the same about your persistence with my old host."
Ansem disappeared from view, leaving Mickey searching blindly in the fog. "Let go of Riku!" Mickey shouted back. "He's not yours anymore."
"He does not belong to anyone except darkness," Ansem said, feeling his strength slowly return. "You would've been better off staying by the Keyblade master's side…I'd imagine he's less of a burden."
Mickey sensed an impending attack, and dodged accordingly. However, Ansem still did not reappear. "Riku is my friend. He never was a burden, and he never will be."
"And yet he relies so much on you. When you're not around, he depends entirely on the darkness. There is no light within him to draw strength from. Does that not make him a burden on you?"
Mickey didn't answer immediately. It was becoming difficult to determine which direction Ansem was in now. "I believe Riku can make his own choices," he finally said.
"And you're just along for the ride, of course," Ansem laughed. "You and I are not so different, Your Majesty. We both see the power of the Keyblade and its master. And we both vie for the soul of Riku. But there is one difference between us…"
Mickey gripped the Keyblade, waiting for the attack he knew was coming. He didn't even realize it until Ansem was directly behind him.
"And that is the power of Chaos!"
Ansem's fiery eyes pierced the darkness, and he raised his hands to deliver another spell. Mickey spun, holding the Keyblade defensively, although he knew he couldn't block the attack in time.
When suddenly, a third figure appeared between them.
Ansem immediately recoiled at the figure as if having been burned. Even from the back, Mickey recognized him: tall, built, and almost completely wrapped in red bandages and belts.
"You…" Ansem hissed, his voice full of both malice and despair. "Why are you here?"
"Not for the reason you think," DiZ said calmly. "I am here for His Majesty."
Ansem made sure to keep a fair distance from the two of them…and DiZ seemed only happy to oblige. Mickey looked between both men…and slowly realized that their eyes were almost exactly the same. "You are too weak to do anything of consequence," Ansem said.
DiZ's mouth twisted slightly in a bitter smile. "Yes…it is true that I am weak. But it is through your choice that I am weak…and we are both incomplete."
"I do not need to be complete to take all Kingdoms," Ansem said as if trying to convince himself.
"So you make up for it by pursuing Riku…and when that fails, at least your other dozen followers do what you ask," DiZ sneered.
The dark fog rippled around Ansem, his presence charged with fury. "You are nothing without me!"
DiZ remained deceptively calm. "And you are nothing without will. The will you have lost to the darkness."
Ansem's patience snapped. He brought his hands together, creating a sparking ball of dark energy. As he did, DiZ took a step back and placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder. Ansem released the energy blast…and it sailed off into the fog. DiZ and Mickey were gone.
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When Mickey opened his eyes again, he found himself in an ice-cold room with a high ceiling. Surrounding him and DiZ were large, glass, flower-shaped structures.
"This is Castle Oblivion!" Mickey exclaimed.
DiZ paced around the room slowly. "The castle only appears when someone with the power wills its existence. We'll be safe here for now."
Mickey
breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one." He
studied DiZ closer, and sensed something familiar. He recalled again
how he remembered seeing DiZ before.
"Why are you helping
me?"
DiZ turned away from Mickey, and instead stared up at the lifeless glass cocoons. "I am merely protecting myself. It is all anyone can do in this Kingdom."
"You must know where Riku is," Mickey said. "Please, I need to go to him."
"I know you do…but not yet. This time is not right yet," DiZ answered.
"Why? I thought…"
"Ansem cannot be defeated any longer. He cannot be destroyed." DiZ sounded especially bitter. "Neither can the Organization. All that can be done is to level the playing field…to return to your own Kingdom. From there, a final course of action can be made against this Kingdom."
"You know how to do this?" Mickey inquired.
"I know that you cannot meet Riku at this time," DiZ turned back to Mickey. The king felt somewhat unnerved under his swathed gaze. "To do otherwise could compromise everything you've worked for."
Mickey's face fell. "Then it seems this time you're making the decision for me."
"Only because I know already you would choose to rejoin Riku. And in turn, that will affect Riku's decisions."
Mickey studied DiZ again. His eyes were indeed similar to Ansem's…but they were heavier, calmer, like a fire that had begun to die out. "I have met you before…" Mickey said slowly.
"That you have, Your Majesty," DiZ sighed. "At a time when I was as you are. But fortune was not so kind…or perhaps my choices were less appropriate."
Mickey didn't answer for a moment…he had to soak in what DiZ truly meant. "So…Ansem did more than just open the door to darkness."
"You understand why you cannot be with Riku or Sora yet. Kingdom Hearts leads to all things: light, darkness, existence and chaos. It was far more than Ansem ever could have imagined. And he got far more than he bargained for."
"I might not be able to see them now…" Mickey reasoned, "But I still need to help close the door. If we'll have to open it again, anyway. And I gotta explain things to Riku before then."
DiZ observed the king before him just as Mickey watched him. He understood now why Ansem had taken such an interest in the king…he was more than just a wielder of light. He was a being of authority untouched by the dangers of power, tapped directly into the source of creation…and yet still in control of it. He's what Sora can become…and what Riku has always needed.
Mickey's next statement only proved his beliefs further. "If you are who I think you are…you'll have to face Ansem sooner or later."
"I've already faced him…" DiZ breathed heavily. "And I lost."
Mickey stared around at the icy flowers that surrounded them…the chamber seemed a museum, a vault where untold memories were locked away from the world. It didn't help put his mind at rest. "Does leaving Riku by himself mean stayin' here?"
"The Organization will try to return here soon," DiZ said. "If we take control of Castle Oblivion by then, and if we're ready for them…we might be able to give Sora and Riku the edge they need."
Mickey nodded. "I understand."
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Done! Good thing; this one was a bit difficult to write…but at least it's done! Next chapter should be up real soon. More Axel next time! XD
Check it, I'm doing fanart-ish-type things for this fic here: http : lynxgriffin . deviantart . com (spaces added so that the addy wouldn't be deleted.)
Reviews are greatly appreciated! XD
