AN: Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated since March. People have been so demanding of me, wanting me to update in DDR elite, so that's where I have focused my attention. But since this fic will be ending soon, I decided to work on it and finish it up. I threw a lot of my ideas for the ending in the trash, so it's been really hard for me to write because I have practically no idea what's going to happen. :sweat: Anyways, hopefully it'll turn out alright. I wish I did a lot of things differently with this fic, but I can't change it now, so I'll just have to work with what I have.
Mr. Moogle: aliasfan didn't own Kingdom Hearts when she started this fic, and guess what? She still doesn't own it!
Aliasfan: Thanks to all my reviewers: Zanisha, Selphie Louise (:shakes fist: You better update in Tome of Lineage, girl!), and Riku of Darkness:huggles: Oh yes, and huggles to Heather (Lady Hitokiri) too (she reads this fic but doesn't review on She's like my editor and makes sure everything's okay before I post.)
Chapter 21: Song of the Dead
"There it is! Don't you see it, we're almost there!" Donald exlaimed. He was happy that they had finally reached the world where they could find the door to the light. Even more so, Donald was happy that he didn't have to hear Mesna's incessant nagging about where it was.
"Really!" Sora asked, running to a window. Sure enough, he saw a small world, black as a night without stars, with swirls of blue and gray surrounding it. "Are you sure this is it? It seems a little…"
Evelsone was standing up behind Mickey's chair. The world could be seen in full view from the cockpit. "Positive."
Donald steered the gummi ship a little to the right, descending slightly.
"I can't believe it…" Jahu said. "Soon we can finally go home. And when the Heartless are gone, the Barbados can be disbanded, and they won't be mad at me for stealing those weapons."
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind a few missing weapons if it means the fate of the world." Sora explained. He sighed sweetly, knowing that soon he'd be home. He wondered what he would do, and what the others would do as well. "What's the first thing you're going to do once you go home to Bendugria?"
Jahu thought a moment. "After sleeping for two days straight, I'll probably go apologize to Mrainer. Because…just…just a little while ago…I used my power on myself. I…heard how mean I was to him. I mean, sure, he was a stalker, but maybe he wouldn't have been if I'd been a little nicer to him."
"Mrainer?" Evelsone laughed. "I remember him. He was an…interesting guy…" Everyone could tell he had a lot more to say about him other than he was interesting, but they decided not to ask.
"Hold on! We're getting ready to land!" Donald yelled from the cockpit. The gummi ship shook slightly as the gears shifted. Donald was careful about where to land, choosing to settle behind a huge boulder.
"Alright, who's coming out?" Mickey asked, walking to the door.
"What? You mean not everyone's going to come?" Evelsone asked.
"Well, we are going to the door to the light. We don't know what's out there." Mickey explained, one of his big ears twitching.
"Mickey's right." Sora agreed, glancing out of one of the windows. "For all we know, Ansem could have an army of Heartless guarding the door, making sure that no one seals it."
Evelsone looked up at the sound of his father's name. "Ansem? He's dead, I know he is."
Dead? Hah, don't make me laugh!
I know, Ansem. Heh, if you were dead, then that'd mean I'd have to be dead too, because you're living off of my heart and the darkness that consumes it.
"How do you know for sure?" Tidus questioned.
"I can just feel it." Evelsone said, folding his arms.
Oh you can feel me alright…
Ansem?
What my evil son?
Shut up.
"Well, let's sort this out." The mouse king said, sitting down on the couch. "We don't know what it'll take to seal the door, so the three keybearers should go."
"That means us." Riku said calmly to Sora.
"And the Mystique Heart should definitely come with. Her powers might prove helpful to us." Mickey continued.
"You think there's a purpose for me?" Jahu asked doubtfully.
"Well, you were written in Ansem's reports. You have to be of some sort of significance."
"I guess so…" Jahu said.
Mickey thought for a moment. "Well, we'd probably get lost trying to find the door, so of course we have to bring the only one who knows exactly where it is." Evelsone nodded slightly.
Donald turned around from his position in the cockpit. "The rest of us should stay here. Don't ya think?"
"Hmm…" the king said. "Yep, I guess that's it."
"Well," Sora said, standing up. "Let's go."
Riku yawned. "We'll be back soon." Jahu and Evelsone quickly followed after him.
"Wait!" Vern exclaimed. She ran up to the group. "I wanna come too."
Mickey and Sora glanced at each other, then shrugged. "Sure, why not."
Vern smiled and started to walk out, but Tidus pulled her back. "What? You want to go with?"
"What's wrong with that? I'm gonna be fine." Vern said.
"Listen," Tidus explained. "Remember you told me you didn't know what was going to happen to you once the door was sealed? Well, if I never see you again, I just wanted to tell you…goodbye…"
Vern put her hand on Tidus' shoulder. "Fate will decide where I am to go. Even if it's not with you and your friends at Destiny Islands, I'm sure Fate would give me one last goodbye before I left." With that she jumped out of the hatch and ran to the others.
"Alright, Mesna, does this area look familiar to you?" Sora asked.
Evelsone glanced around. It was exactly how it was when they tried to extract Ansem from him. "Yes, it does." He noticed a large dark cave to the right of the group, and pointed to it. "That's where we have to go."
Jahu looked up, a worried look on her face. "In there?"
Evelsone nodded. "In there…"
-----
The cave entrance was very small, and everyone had to move in a single file line. The cave was dark, but still light enough for everyone to see where they were going. After walking a little bit, the group was able to walk side by side as the path grew wider.
Vern rubbed her arms. "Brrr! It's so cold in here!"
"Well, there aren't any openings, so no sunlight can get through." Sora said, glancing around the cave for confirmation.
"Mesna, how much further do we have to go?" Mickey asked.
Evelsone coughed. "From what I remember we shouldn't be too far away. Just keep following me."
They continued to walk in the cave, waves of happiness, sadness, sureness, and doubt all mixed into one. The group was walking at a steady pace until all of a sudden Evelsone stopped.
"What's going on?" Jahu asked. Everyone turned to look. There in front of them was a fork in the road.
Oh no…Evelsone began sweating. Which…which path is it?
"Is something wrong, Mesna?" Riku inquired.
"I…" Evelsone said with a shaky voice. "I don't remember which way to go…"
Riku grumbled. "Oh great, now we're gonna get lost."
"Riku, don't say that!" Jahu said, sympathizing with her best friend. "Mesna was going through a terrible ordeal when he was here. The Heartless were torturing him. How can you expect him to remember everything?"
"That's true." Sora said. He turned to Evelsone. "Just take a deep breath, Mesna, and try to remember which way they took you. If you don't know, we'll just have to choose one of them."
Evelsone closed his eyes. Damn it! Why can't I remember! I must've been knocked out or something. But…I need to get them to the door to darkness. I don't want them to end up somewhere else…
"Well?" Mickey asked. "Is it left or right?"
Evelsone shook his head. "Um…"
Choose the right path…
What, Ansem, are you sure?
No, but you have to choose something.
Evelsone thought a moment, then turned to the group. "Uh, it's the right path. C'mon let's go." Evelsone said, quickly walking in that direction.
"Hmm…" Sora said. "I hope the right path isn't the wrong path…"
The group followed Evelsone's lead, whether they were heading to the door or not. The path was long and winding.
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust
Our lives of beauty are now of disgust
"I think I'm becoming delusional. I'm hearing things." Jahu said, shaking her head.
"Then I must be delusional because I'm hearing it too." The king said. Everyone else agreed.
Evelsone kept walking. "What? Why are you stopping? I don't hear a thing!"
You say that we have brought you shame
Be careful or you'll be the same
"There! There it is again!" Vern exclaimed.
Evelsone grumbled. "I still can't hear it. Let's just keep moving."
Everyone followed Evelsone's orders, though the words they heard still lingered in their ears.
The path was getting a little wider, branching into a small room. "Wait, I see something up ahead…" Evelsone said.
"The door to the light?" Sora asked.
"No, there's something on the ground. I don't know what it is…" he replied.
"Why, it's…it's…" Mickey whispered.
"Corpses…" Vern said sadly. Everywhere they looked, they saw them. The ground was littered with thousands upon thousands of dead bodies.
A tear rolled down Jahu's cheek. "W-what is this? Some massive grave?"
"More like a massive war zone." Sora said.
"What?" Jahu asked.
"Look at these people. They've been mutilated." Sora bent down at some dead bodies. "Look, some of these have no hearts."
"You mean they're Heartless?" Riku asked. "But they're human."
"That's right. After all, Heartless really are just humans without a heart." Sora explained.
Vern shivered. "So, this was a battlefield?"
"Between the Heartless and humans." Mickey added in.
Jahu hung her head down low. "I guess, no one won…"
"I…never really realized that when I was killing a Heartless, I was killing a human…" Vern said in a low voice.
"I know…" Sora said. "It makes me not want to kill Heartless. They were just innocent people. They used to be just like us. But instead of trying to save them, we kill them."
"Is there a way to save them?" Jahu asked.
Evelsone sighed. "Can we please go! We have no time to waste and-"
"Wait, do you hear that?" Sora asked.
Evelsone shook his head. "Hear what?" An eerie music began to fill the air as sad voices began to sing a song.
"Listen…"
If I should walk but just one mile
To feel your touch, to see your smile
I'd turn my worries into wings
And fly to where you are
If love should fall as summer rain
And wash away my doubts and pain
I'd choose to give up everything
And wish upon a star
But tonight the sky is empty
As my heart has now become
For you have taken all of me
And made me come undone
"Where is that music coming from? Who's singing?" Jahu asked, frightened and confused by what she was hearing.
"I think the dead are singing it…" Sora said softly.
Evelsone sighed. "I still don't hear-"
"Shhh…."
The shadows choose to follow
And the darkness enters in
It's just too much to swallow
For I must end, I now begin
When I was born I was destined to die
It is the same for you
You can't get out of it, you cannot try
There's nothing you can do
"I can feel the strain in their voices." Vern said quietly. "It sounds like they've been singing ever since they died."
"That very well could be the truth." Mickey responded. "They're singing for those that have died and for those that will…"
Love can seem so far away
My body decays with each passing day
For the young are now old, and the old are older
Who will cry on my dead, withered shoulder?
The attacks aren't over, they've just begun
Hope seems as far away as the sun
Who can save the hearts of men?
Who will end this requiem?
The group stood there silently, waiting for the dead to sing more, but they did not.
"Is it over?" Riku asked.
"It's never over for them…" Sora said.
"What?" Jahu said, on the verge of tears. "You mean, they will never stop singing?"
"Not until the dying ends." Sora lowered his head. "But maybe sealing the door will do something. Maybe we can end all this."
"Well, we'll never end anything if we don't start doing something!" Evelsone yelled.
Mickey walked up to Evelsone. "Hmm…I wonder why you didn't hear the song of the dead…"
"I-" Evelsone began, then paused. "I...don't know…"
"Trust me…" Vern said, wiping her eyes, "You don't want to hear it…"
"Well," Sora sighed. "We better get a move on like Mesna said." The group started to walk amongst the corpses, making sure not to step on any of them.
"W-wait." Evelsone said.
"What now? I thought you wanted to leave!" Riku gruffed.
"I did, but, I don't remember this place. I think we were supposed to take the left path."
Mickey glanced at the group then back at Evelsone. "Well then, let's go back."
The six of them headed back to the left path in silence. The strange, depressing music still seemed to echo against the walls of the cave. The voices of the dead still rang in their ears.
Who will end this requiem?