"Where the heck did Aleisa run off to?" Sora asked as he stepped onto the floating stones that ascended over the limitless waterfalls and lakes.
"I dunno," Goofy said. "She seemed real excited about something."
"Why do you figure she was?" Donald asked.
"Sora," Squall called from behind. Sora stopped and turned to him before stepping onto the next hovering stone.
"Yeah?" Sora answered.
"Aleisa ran ahead while you were napping on the Ragnorak," Squall explained. "She said she felt a strong aura, but nothing bad."
"You don't think" Goofy started.
"Kairi?" Sora finished.
Squall shrugged. "Who knows? This is her birth place, after all. Or so, that's what I've heard."
"Thanks for the ride, Squall," Sora waved, and quickly stepped onto the next stone before it arose without his presense. He wanted to see if Kairi was, indeed, here.
At the end of the catwalk, he stepped forward under a set of golden gates and was transported, along with Goofy and Donald, to the front gates of the lavender Castle doors. High above the sky and clouds, Sora focused ahead, his heart pounded to see Kairi, but he also tried to ignore his fear of heights. He stepped forward into the double doors, whilst Donald and Goofy stayed behind. However, Goofy and Donald couldn't pass, as a force field repelled them.
"What the" Donald quacked.
Sora turned to them. "Hey, what the heck?" He backtracked to touch the invisible wall, finding himself unable to leave. He shrugged. "I'll be back shortly."
"Wait, Sora," Goofy started. "Doesn't this seem a little familiar?"
"Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine," Sora said with a smirk, and turned from them. He sprinted further into the labyrinths and past many grand rooms. He found himself at a stop point, the Keyhole to the next Galaxy. It illuminated brightly and swirled as a plasma of rainbow colors, a dark keyhole imprinted in the center. Six vales were lined along the walls. Sora remembered this is where the princesses had been imprisoned, where their souls were gone, but their hearts remained locked away.
Soon to be unlocked by Kairi's.
He ascended the stairs and for the keyhole at the end of the room. He gawked at it and looked around, expecting Kairi to be in his presense. He looked behind to a balcony out of reach, where Kairi, her eyes closed, was leaned against the now empty chest where he obtained Oblivion.
"Kairi!" he shouted.
He ran for the balcony and about to risk a jump when the slamming of the double doors stopped him in his tracks.
"Who's there?" he demanded, and ran to the end of the scaffold to see a young boy who had entered the room.
"I've been waiting a long time for you," he spoke.
"Who are you?" Sora asked, heading for the stairs cautiously.
"I am called.." He looked up to Sora, his blonde bangs hanging over his eyes, which were burning with anger. "..Cheisu. I'm assuming you are Sora."
Sora was a little hesitant to move at first. "How do you know me? Are you.."
"Don't be foolish," Cheisu scoffed. "We're not related. We just happen to look alike." Cheisu swung his keyblade from his side, and Sora backed from the doors. Cheisu smirked and headed for the stairs. "They say everyone has a counterpart, a dark side. Some have a personality such as this," he explained. "Then there's a time when that split difference is separated into two people. I suppose you can call me your evil twin." He paused. "But whose to say that I'm the evil one? You're depriving me of my treasure."
"What are you rambling about?" Sora warned, bringing his keyblade out front.
"So it seems that you are just like me. Riku said that only he of pure heart and he of pure Darkness can obtain a keyblade." He quickened his pace for the staircase. "Let's just see who is who."
"Wait, this is all about Kairi?" Sora asked.
"What are all of these riddles? Of course it is."
"Why fight over her? It's senseless!" Sora said.
"Are you calling her worthless?" Cheisu laughed. "You really don't care."
"Of course I do! Why do you think I've traveled this long to find"
"Shut it!" Cheisu yelled, wavering his keyblade towards Sora. "I protected her for a year when you left. Who mattered more? Riku or Kairi?"
"I had to save Riku! He's my friend!"
Cheisu slammed his keyblade against the hard ground, sending a piercing metallic "klank" into the air. There was silence for a moment. "Enough talk. We will see who is the better half!"
Cheisu picked up his blade and ran for Sora. Sora dodged quickly away from him and stabbed inward, but Cheisu had similar agility.
"So you care more about your friends than the one you love?" Cheisu challenged.
"I care about them both," Sora yelped, clanking his keyblade against Cheisu's.
"It matters not now," Cheisu said. "He who is pure will survive. There will only be on keyblade wielder!"
Cheisu swung up and backed down. He sprinted in for Sora, who high jumped over his head and performed a summersault in the air, kicking Cheisu onto the ground and on his face. He regained his balance and sprinted to his side. As Cheisu rolled over to push himself off the ground, he found Sora's blade pointed at his face, an inch from his nose.
"Back down," Sora threatened, panting from exhaustion.
Cheisu gritted his teeth and found his blade while staring into Sora's eyes. He swung upward, narrowly missing Sora's face, and used this distraction to regain his ground. He spun around and swung his blade aimlessly, but managed to nick Sora's arm. Sora gasped when he heard the material rip. He looked down to his bleeding arm. Cheisu had knelled for a moment to catch his breath.
Riku stood atop a gargoyle that was imprinted into the wall above the colorful keyhole and watched as both Sora and Cheisu had stopped dueling temporarily. His head throbbed and he felt the familiar aura of a Darkness that he had felt from one year ago.
"Leave me alone," Riku mumbled loudly.
"Look at that fool," a voice called in his mind. "He's doing the job too slowly. Finish off the boy and you'll have both hearts within your posession."
Riku removed his hands from his forehead, and his eyes began to glow a red tint. "Yes, sir," he said aloud.