The Darkness in My Heart
Showdown: Sora vs. Scar!
Author's Rantings
Okay, I know that this is late, and I'm really sorry! I kept having issues and stuff, and it took me forever to write a draft that I liked. Plus, I have another story in the works, a new one that I will probably post soon. It's a SoraRiku fic, and I like it. I also redid my bio page, if anybody wants to visit it. There's some info about some new stories, and more about yours truly. Plus, it didn't help that the new Harry Potter book came out, because I've been reading that a ton! So here is the next chapter, and all Riku fans will probably be after me when they get to the end. Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to R.A. Pointless, Duelwelder, abeutifuloblivion, Inumaru 12, and Sai-ryo Aura Feena. Thanks, you guys are the best! Well, on with the show!
Sora and Simba rejoined the others in the clearing, and found Nala, Pluto, Timon, and Pumbaa chatting away.
"Hey," Sora said as they approached the group. They immediately stopped talking, and turned their attention towards Sora and the large lion next to him.
"So, Simba, what is your decision?" Nala asked, looking at Simba. The large lion looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"I … um … I think I will go back to Pride Rock," Simba muttered after a great deal of consideration.
"Wonderful!" Nala said, standing up in excitement.
"No, not wonderful," the haughty Mir cat said, leaping down from his post on top of the warthog. "He can't go! He already lives here, with us! We have Hakuna Matata!" Timon exclaimed, starting to ramble on.
"Timon! Timon, calm down," Simba said, trying to get the Mir cat to settle down. "I'm sorry, but they need me. The pride needs me. It's my duty as heir to the throne" he said.
"Well … uh, Timon," the warthog started. "We could go with Sora, Simba, and Nala," he finished, looking at the Mir cat who obviously hadn't paid any attention to what was just said. In fact the Mir cat looked thoughtful, slowly pacing back and forth on the ground in front of Sora.
Suddenly, it appeared as if a sudden thought struck him, and he said, "I know, we can go with Simba! That's so clever! I'm so glad that I thought of it!" Timon jumped on top of a disgruntled warthog, which seemed to have realized that the creature on top of him had just stolen his idea. The strange scene that had just happened earned a strange look from Sora, Nala, and Pluto, but it seemed not to faze Simba or Pumbaa; they must have been used to it. They all set out of the forest, and they eventually reached the edge of the desert.
"Great," Sora grumbled, starting out across the desert.
"Wait!" Simba said as he jumped in front of Sora, who had started to go ahead. "It will probably take a long time to cross the desert if we have to walk with you, because we can't leave you behind," the lion explained.
"Yeah, you two leggers can be awfully slow, even when running," Nala said.
"Hey!" Sora and Timon exclaimed at the same time, both giving disapproving looks at the lion, which carelessly licked clean her paw.
"Well you know it's true," she said, nonchalantly.
Sora sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said, grudgingly agreeing with the lioness. "But can we do?"
"Here, climb on my back," Simba offered, bending down lower.
"Uhhh … I can't …" Sora said, a little nervous.
"Why not?" the lion asked simply, like if what he had been asking was as casual as asking how the weather was.
"Because where I'm from people don't generally ride on the backs of lions," Sora said, slightly sheepish towards the lion. "Besides, won't I hurt you? I'm not exactly light, you see …"
"No, of course not," Simba said, bending down once more. Sora stood there for a second, before hesitantly getting on. As soon as he was settled, they took off through the desert, speeding quickly through terrain that would have taken them a couple hours to walk. They sped along, making great time, and soon enough, Sora could see Pride Rock in the distance. From this far away Sora could see that it looked dark and sinister, exactly the opposite of where Sora wanted to go. But nevertheless they continued forward, Nala, Pluto, Timon, and Pumbaa not far behind.
After awhile, the strange little group arrived near the large intimidating rock, stopping a little ways before the rock and hiding in a large group of the trees and bushes.
"So what's the game plan, guys?" Timon asked from his perch on the out of breath warthog.
"I don't know," Simba said as he let Sora down from his back.
"Well we do need a plan," Pluto said.
"Well, we can't just charge in, that probably won't work," Nala said as she licked a sore paw. Just then there was a spark in Timon's eyes as an idea popped in his head.
"Hey, I've got an idea …"
Five minutes later, they were all hiding around the back of Pride Rock, crouching low in the weeds.
"I can't believe that we're just going to charge in," Nala said disapprovingly as they waited for their moment of attack. "If we get killed, I'm blaming you," she said to Timon, who only grinned sheepishly back at her. Suddenly Simba leapt out of their hiding spot, Sora, Nala, and the warthog right behind him. They ran out in front of the rock, and Simba let out a loud roar. Scar came running out on top of the large rock, and Simba just looked up at him.
"Scar, you're a liar, and a thief! That place atop the rock and king of the pride does not belong to you! Either prepare to give it up peacefully, or I will take it back with force!" Simba roared to an appalled and shocked Scar.
"But – but –," Scar started, and then seemed to regain his composure. "Seize them!" he roared, and hyenas and Heartless seemed to come out of nowhere and started coming closer and closer to the small group of friends. Sora backed away from a particularly vicious shadow, and bumped into the large lion. "So, Simba, it is quite a group of friends that you have there. Associating with humans, traitors, dogs, Mir cats, and pigs? Why the very thought of calling those creatures your friends!"
"Hey!" Sora, Nala, Pluto, and Timon yelled.
"To you that's Mr. Pig," Pumbaa said defiantly.
"Who my friends are is none of your concern, Scar," Simba snarled, and leapt over the advancing hyenas and Heartless and up to the mocking lion. That left the others to deal with the hyenas and Heartless, and Sora knew just how. He summoned the Keyblade, and started bash away any creature that leapt at him or his new friends. Following suit, Nala leapt at a nearby hyena, taking it down. Sora fought his way up the side of the rock, leaving his other friends behind. He knew that they could take care of themselves; they were all pretty intelligent, although he wasn't to sure about the warthog and Mir cat …
Sora worked his way to the top fighting every hyena and Heartless that came at him. He had finally reached the top, and he saw the two lions snarling and circling each other. Suddenly he saw a mess of black and brown fur leap from its spot across from Simba, and land on top of the giant lion.
Thunder rumbled, and lightning crashed as Simba roared and shook the giant lion off of his back. Sora jumped right in to the jumble and started smacking the mean lion on the back. It immediately turned on Sora and leaped at him. He slashed at Sora and he blocked as the lightning crashed down below, starting a large fire on the dry weeds down below. His adrenaline was pumping and his heart was beating faster than a humming bird's, but he didn't dare take a break.
Slash, clang! Slash, clang! Sora blocked each assault, his breathing hard and fast. He missed one assault and felt claws on his chest as pain shot through him, making him stumble. He hadn't realized it, but he had been getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. He glanced down, and saw the fire climbing its way up the side of the rock, and Sora was dangerously close to it. But taking his eyes off of Scar even for a minute was a mistake, because he barely missed the claws swiping in front of his face. He jumped back, and felt the blue gem fall out of his pocket. He quickly grabbed it up, and felt the coolness of it against his skin. It contrasted weirdly against the feeling of the flames that were slowly ebbing its way up the sides of the rock and surrounding the three upon the rock. Sora jumped out of range of another set of claws, and looked for where Simba was. He was blocked by a wall of flames, leaving Sora and Scar trapped with each other.
Well, one thing was clear to Sora; he was going to have to make the flames go down if I want to live. He jumped up, once again missing a bunch of claws. He aimed the point of the Keyblade at the flames dividing him from Simba, and the words came to him as if he had known them all along.
"Deep freeze!" he yelled. The blue gem glowed, and millions of ice crystals emitted from the tip of the Keyblade, and doused the fire blocking him from Simba. He turned and saw an angry black and brown lion about to slash him in two. He prepared himself to block, but instead saw a flash of orange fur, and heard a mighty roar. He opened his now closed eyes, and saw Simba doing battle with Scar.
Sora looked down, and saw that the fire was now surrounding Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and Pluto. Sora aimed the Keyblade at the circle of fire, and yelled "Deep freeze!" at the flames. They instantly dispersed as the ice crystals made contact, and satisfied, he turned his attention back to the snarling lions. He watched as Scar threw ashes into Simba's face, making the other lion yell in pain. "Hey! That's cheating!" Sora yelled over the roar of the flames.
But the other lion obviously didn't hear him or didn't care, because at that moment Scar pushed Simba over the edge. The orange lion scrambled on to the side of the mountain, and the older lion went over to stand over him.
"How did you think you could ever beat me? I'm twice the lion you'll ever be, and the only reason that your father was king of the pride was because I he happened to be born first. If only he wasn't, then he might be here today. You see, he was in my way, and I wanted to be king. But you were in the way too. When sending you to the elephant graveyard didn't work, it was perfect that you believed it was your fault that Mufassa died. And all those years spent in the jungle wasted," Scar said, looking down at the lion who was clawing in the dirt and ashes, trying to get back up on the rock.
"W – What do you mean?" he asked, still clawing.
"What I mean, is that," and he leaned down real close to Simba's ear, so that Sora had to strain to hear, "I killed Mufassa." That made Sora and Simba snap. Sora leapt at the large lion before he could knock Simba off the edge, and smacked him thoroughly on the back before he was knocked off. Simba managed to climb back on the ledge, a murderous look on his face.
"You killed my father!" he roared, and leapt on him. Thunder boomed as the two lions clashed, both determined to win. Sora aimed the Keyblade at Scar, and fired another blizzard spell at the large lion. The spell connected, and sent the large lion flying. He landed hard on the ground, and Simba pounced on him. There was more roaring, and the large lion leapt off the ground, a few claw marks on his face. He lunged at Sora, and he jumped back, but landed at a funny angle, making him trip. The big brown lion leaped into the air, determined on hitting his mark. Sora saw this and rolled out of the way, then jumped on to his feet with the same move that Riku had always used against him on the island.
Scar growled, and leaped at Sora once again. He gained a lot of air on this one, and if he hit he would knock Sora off the edge. Sora remembered his dream with the wyvern, and he remembered the attack that he had used against the large Heartless. 'I winder if I can use that attack?' he thought.
He looked at the lion that was about to land, and he yelled, "Strike Raid!" and the Keyblade glowed, and was flung from Sora's hand and knocked into the lion, sending it flying. The Keyblade returned to the stunned boy, and he caught it, and then flung it again. It hit him a second time, then returned. Sora, who figured that was enough, caught the Keyblade and just held it, amazed at the power that he had just released from it. He watched as Simba pounced on the large lion. The larger one got on top, and Sora was about to charge in when he saw the black and brown lion go flying off of the younger one and off the cliff. He scrambled to get back on, and he was about to succeed when Simba came over.
By that time Scar was nervous and started groping for any excuse that might save him. "I didn't really want to kill Mufassa or you, the hyenas made me do it," he explained, lying once again.
Simba only looked at him coldly, staring down into the terrified face of his uncle. "Enough of your lies, Scar," he said, and knocked him off of the cliff. Sora went over and watched as the hyenas gathered around the frightened lion, all of them very ticked off.
"Our fault, Scar?" said one of them, as the rest of them started to pounce. Not wanting to watch the gruesome scene below, Sora turned away, and concentrated instead on the many flames engulfing Pride Rock.
He aimed the Keyblade at a group of flames crawling up the sides, and said "Deep freeze!" putting out those flames. He looked around for his other friends, and saw them also trying to put out the flames. He aimed another blizzard spell at some flames that were starting to overwhelm Pumbaa and Timon, and another that was starting to surround Pluto.
He continued putting out fires as other members of the pride helped. With each spell that he cast, he felt himself feeling weaker and weaker. He put one after another, working his way down the rock. He reached the bottom as the rain started to fall. He kept putting out the flames as the ground grew muddy, the rain helping put out fire. He doused a flame that was starting to engulf a lion cub, and everything started to go hazy in his eyes. He put out one more as a faint voice in his head that sounded peculiarly like Mickey said, "Use it wisely, for you can only do so much at one time." And then everything went black as he remembered the King's warning a little too late …
"No, you can not, eat him!" said an appalled voice as Sora came to. He slowly opened his eyes. There he saw Nala arguing with a particularly grumpy looking lion, who was staring hungrily at one of Sora's legs.
"Oh, come on, Nala! He looks dead! Just one leg! He won't miss it … much …," the lion said, angrily.
"No, and that's the final answer! Do you have any idea what would happen if Simba heard you talking about eating the Keyblade bearer? Especially think of what King Mickey would do to you! Besides, I'm sure that he would miss it very much, seeing as he only has two legs!" Nala argued irritably and angrily.
"You're right, I would!" Sora yelled as he sat up, yanking his legs away from the lions reach. "Seeing as I need it to, you know, WALK!" Sora yelled as he jumped up from his spot, fuming. The grumpy lion just stalked away with a scowl on its face.
"Fifth one today," Nala said irritated as she groomed herself. "I'm glad to see that you've woken up. Hungry lions keep coming in asking if they can eat 'the dead human', although I keep telling them that you're not dead. But since you've been out for a week, I was starting to wonder myself –"
"Wait! I was out for a week!" Sora yelled in shock.
"Yes, and would you please stop yelling? I am a lion, and I do have sensitive ears," she said with chagrin, continuing with her grooming.
"Oh, sorry," Sora said, grinning sheepishly. He walked out of the cave that he was in, and realized that his shirt was missing. He still had his undershirt on, but he still wanted his shirt back. He walked down the side of the rock, and looked around. Everything was singed and burned, but it seemed that life was starting to turn back to normal on the Pride Lands. Sora gazed out at the trees and animals, and everything seemed to have a brighter air to it, and Sora immediately recognized what had been lifted from the air. The evil was gone, and it seemed that things were going to get better.
Sora continued down the path, and he saw in the distance Pluto trotting over to him, a package in his mouth. He gave the package to Sora, and told him to open it. He did, and inside he found a newly patched shirt, a letter, and a strange bracelet that he didn't know what it was for. Sora slipped the shirt on, and opened the enclosed letter, noticing the King's seal on the back.
Just as Sora was about to open it, Pluto said, "King Mickey was by when you were knocked out. He told me to give you this, and to tell you that you should probably seal this world and then go visit Riku. Something's … happened," Pluto said, and then trotted off before Sora could ask any questions. Frustrated, Sora opened the letter and read the contents.
Dear Sora,
I'm sorry to hear about you collapsing the other day. But an excess of magic using will do that. I've given you a bracelet that will show you how much magic and health you have. How much magic you can use is represented by a blue meter called MP. It also has a green meter that tells you how much health you have. If you get too low on health, it will start to glow red and warn you. I hope this will help you in your quest, and help you not to collapse from over using your magic.
Now, you should leave soon, and when you camp for the night, please visit Riku. He has been involved in an accident, and has been calling for you. Please be careful when entering his dreams, so you don't make him any more sick, and give him one of your elixirs, so it will help him regain his strength and health. Good luck with your journey and stay safe.
Your friend,
King Mickey
"I wonder what happened to Riku," Sora cried, worried about his best friend. "If I remember right, elixirs are the strongest healing potion. It must be really bad if he needs that!" Sora put on the bracelet, and then set off down the way, looking for his friends so that he could say goodbye. He eventually found Timon and Pumbaa hunting for grubs down by the watering hole.
"Hey guys!" Sora yelled, as Pumbaa sucked up a bunch of grubs from a log.
"Hi there, Sora," Pumbaa yelled back, his mouth full.
"Hi ya, Sora! Care for a bug?" Timon asked, holding out a large beetle.
"Uh … no thanks," Sora said, edging away from the slimy bug. "I just wanted to say bye, guys, and thanks for a great time. I had a lot of fun with you guys," he said.
"Wait! Why are ya movin'," the Mir cat asked. "Why don't you stay here with us?"
"Well, for a couple of reasons," Sora said. "For one, a friend of mine got hurt and I have to go visit him. I've known him since I was a little kid. Another reason is that I'm a Keyblade bearer. I have to go help others in need. And one last reason is that there's somebody waiting for me. I promised her that I would come back, and I would rather die than break that promise to her. She is very special to me, and she will always be in my heart."
"Aww, that's so sweet," Pumbaa said, on the verge of tears.
"Pumbaa, don't cry!" Sora whined, patting the warthog on the back.
"Fine, just don't forget us, alright," Timon said, climbing on top of the warthog. "Come on, let's go find Simba," he said.
"Guys, I could never forget you. I promise that I won't," Sora said as he followed the warthog.
"Hey, uh, Sora, you might want to get up next to the warthog, because you don't want to be down south of Pumbaa after he's been eating those banana slugs," Timon said with a grin. Realizing what he meant, Sora ran to catch up with them. They found Simba near Pride Rock, helping to get some of the ashes cleared away from around so that new things could grow. Simba spotted Sora, Timon, and Pumbaa as they came walking up, and ran over to meet them.
"Hey guys," Simba said as he came over. "Pluto just told me that you have to go soon," he said.
"Yeah, he has a special girl waiting for him," Pumbaa said with a grin.
"Pumbaa!" Sora yelled.
"Oh, I get it," Simba said.
"No! No, it's not like that!" Sora said, blushing, "You see a friend of mine got hurt, and I have to go see him," he concluded, his face six shades of pink.
"Okaaaayyyy," Simba said, wondering why Sora was pink. "Well before you go, there is something that I want to show you. Hey, Pluto!" he called over his shoulder, and the dog came running up. "We're going to go see the Keyhole."
"Alright, let's go," Pluto said, and they started walking.
"So where is this Keyhole?" Sora asked as they walked.
"It's not to far from here," Simba said as they walked over a ridge. But what he saw when he got there was one of the most incredible things he had ever seen. It was a giant tree, and it looked to be hundreds of years old.
"Whoa," Sora exclaimed as he looked at the towering tree.
"That's the Tree of Life," Simba explained as they drew near, the giant tree right in front of them. "My father used to take me here when I was younger. He told me how everything is connected to each other in the circle of life, and how this tree has seen it all. He told me that all of the past kings are looking down upon us, and guiding us everyday. This tree connects us to them, as it connects them to us. One day when my father took me here, I found a Keyhole in it, but of course I didn't have the Key. Keyblade bearer, you need to lock this Keyhole," Simba said, as they arrived.
"But I don't know how to –" Sora started as the Keyhole revealed itself. The Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand, and a light shot out of the tip, locking the world. "Okay," Sora said, a bit shocked.
"Wow, Sora that was really cool," Pumbaa said, as they watched the Keyhole disappear.
"Yeah, neat trick," Timon said, scratching his head. They all went back to Pride Rock, where Sora gathered up his things. As he turned to leave, he saw all of his new found friends waiting there.
"Goodbye, Sora," Nala said with an affectionate nuzzle.
"We're sure gonna miss you," Pumbaa said, his eyes glazed over.
"Yeah, we're gonna miss you kid," Timon said.
"Sora, remember that you can always call upon the help of the lions when you are in need," Simba said, and gave him a present wrapped in leaves. Sora opened it, and found a claw on a leather string. "You can use that to call us in a time of need," Simba said.
"Thanks guys," Sora said, smiling happily. "I promise I'll never forget you. Any of you," he said.
"I know you won't," said Nala. "Now you should go visit your friend if he needs you."
"Okay! Come on, Pluto. I have to go visit Riku and Kairi," he said, as the dog sat next to him. They walked out of the cave, and found a glowing circle. Sora stepped on it, and he and Pluto were transported back into the tunnel of darkness and light. "Well, here we are," Sora as he got out the tent. He set it up, and then got out his Dream Mirror. "Time to visit Riku," he said.
Author's Ranting
Okay so how was that for a chapter? Did you like the cliffie? Poor Riku! Mwuhahahahaha! Next chapter: A Friend in Need
Riku: What did you do to me?
Sora: Yeah, what did you do to him?
Me: I guess you'll just have to wait! Ha ha!
Riku: But I want to know what happens!
Me: Well you'll just have to wait until next week, won't you?
Sora: Wanna bet? pulls out duct tape and rope
Me: Uhhhh … got to go! runs Remember, review and Ja Ne!
P.S.: I have a new one-shot out, called My Broken Love is Pulling Me Under. It's a songfic, sad and sweet, also a yaoi! Also, another yaoi called Escaped!