A dense fog rippled through the once inhabited town. Debris of once occupied homes and businesses lay in shambles across the city streets, covered in sand and dust. The only sound to be heard were the roaring crashes of the waterfalls that lined the entrance to the grandest castle in the world. Pipes and chimneys stuck out from the castle at every corner, pumping an eerie blue smoke from their vents. From afar, the castle's exterior looked to be split down the middle, with one side made of rusting copper and wires while the other side was made with polished stone and white marble. A massive Heartless symbol was emblazoned on the castle, intimidating enough to send a shiver down even the boldest of spines. There was no doubt in the heroes' minds when they stepped forward on the stone ridge at the edge of the waterfall; Riku and Maleficent surely awaited them here.
"Oh," Goofy said, scratching his chin, "There's something strange about these waterfalls."
Akira walked to the edge, examining the waterfall with a watchful eye. They could hear the crash of water, but they couldn't feel the spray of mist as the water splashed to the ground. She peered over the edge, examining the tranquil lake below the stone platform they had disembarked on. It wasn't even wet…
Her eyes followed the waterfall, and she let out a small gasp. "The waterfall! It's rising."
Sure enough, the water rose to the sky and splashed with vigor above them while the floor below was dry as a bone. Goofy walked to the edge beside Akira, taking in the sight. "Gawrsh, so this is a world on the brink of destruction…" he muttered sadly.
Sora stepped forward, gazing at the castle that loomed ahead. "I know this place…" he muttered. "I wonder why I feel this warmth inside, right here." He put his hand on his heart while keeping his eyes on the castle, his mind lost in thought.
"Aw, you're just hungry," Donald said, flapping his feathered hand dismissively.
"Hey, I'm serious!" Sora yelled.
A deafening roar erupted from the other end of the falls, startling the group as it echoed across the crashing water. "We should probably go check that out," Goofy said, placing a hand over his mouth to mask the fear he felt inside.
He wasn't alone; each and every one of them felt some amount of terror in their hearts. They didn't know what they would find, or what they had to do, but one thing was certain: they had to keep moving forward. They climbed the platforms that lay strewn about in silence, making their way towards the ominous castle.
"No vessel, no help from the Heartless… So, tell me, how'd you get here?" Riku asked, narrowing his eyes at the being that stood before him.
As he awaited the arrival of the Keyblade master and his lackeys at the other end of the falls, Riku had noticed a strange creature make its way across the crystalline platforms as it approached the castle. A great beast covered with brown fur and a violet cape tied around its neck effortlessly climbed the platforms, looking none the worse for wear. It was none other than the castaway Maleficent spoke of previously, and Riku would not allow such a beast to sully the floors of Hollow Bastion's castle. He crossed his arms as the creature spoke, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I simply believed. Nothing more to it," the beast said in a low, gruff voice, "When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!"
Riku sneered at the beast. "Take her if you can," he challenged.
The beast let out another ear-piercing roar as he lunged towards the teen. Riku effortlessly flipped back, dodging the beast's claws with ease as he lightly landed on his feet. While the beast was taken aback by his fluid escape, Riku took the opportunity to charge at him with lightning speed, blade in hand. He hadn't the slightest idea that his visitors had finally arrived and had witnessed the entire fight from the sidelines, watching in shock and horror as the beast slumped to the ground in pain after his attack.
"Stop!" Sora desperately called as the group darted in front of the beast, protecting him from further harm.
Riku smirked at the sight. Finally, some excitement. "So, you finally made it. About time." He ran his fingers through his silver locks. "I've been waiting for you. We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you."
Sora grimaced as Akira let out a small gasp. Could this be what he meant by 'settling things'?
"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters," he said, raising his hands to shoulder-height as his voice echoed amidst the sound of rushing water.
Sora shook his head. This just didn't make sense. "What are you talking about?"
"Let the Keyblade choose…it's true master." Riku stretched his arm forward, curling his fingers as if to grasp something.
All of a sudden, the Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand, and he felt a strange heaviness pull at him as the weapon weighed him down. Before he could take in the blade's sudden appearance, it began to tug away from him. He desperately tried to keep it still with both hands as the pull grew stronger; the Keyblade was pointed towards Riku, and it took all of Sora's power to stop it from soaring into his hand. He gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the ground, but his strength wasn't enough; the Keyblade disappeared from his hands and shot towards Riku with a bolt of light, effortlessly appearing in his hand as if it had been his own.
Donald and Goofy gasped. Akira clapped her hands over her mouth. Sora let out a dejected cry. And Riku's eyes lit up with excitement as a mischievous grin formed on his lips.
"Maleficent was right," Riku laughed, feeling the excitement rise within as he gazed at the weapon in his hand, "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door… and change the world."
Sora placed his hand on his heart and tugged at the fabric of his clothes. After everything he had been through, every fight he had won, every Heartless he had vanquished… did any of it mean anything? The Keyblade had chosen him on the islands. To lose something so precious so quickly… he wasn't sure if he had it in him to keep a straight face as his heart swelled with pain.
Akira, on the other hand, saw daggers.
"Is that… what this is about?" she asked through gritted teeth, glaring at the silver-haired teen as she took a few steps forward, "Who is strong enough to save Kairi? That's it?!" She balled her hand into a fist as she locked eyes with him. "You do all this just to stroke your damn ego? I've got news for you Riku: we all want to save Kairi."
"The Keyblade was always destined for me, Akira," he said with a stoic expression, "It's usually polite to return the things you've borrowed."
She let out a frustrated sigh through her teeth. Sora took a step forward, raising his pained gaze to meet Riku's as he summoned whatever strength he had left to confront him. "That's impossible! How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!" he cried.
Riku summoned the Keyblade in his hand. "You were just the delivery boy." In another flash of light, the Keyblade disappeared from his hand and was replaced by something Sora and Akira never imagined they'd see again: Sora's old wooden play sword, nicks and all.
"Sorry, your part's over now," he said with an evil grin, "But here. You can go play hero with this instead."
He tossed the wooden toy, smirking confidently as it soared past Akira and landed at Sora's feet with a clank. And, just as his heart shattered, Sora fell to his hands and knees, truly defeated.
Donald and Goofy watched with mouths agape as Riku drew the Keyblade once more. After all, he was the Keyblade master now, and refusing to follow him would mean betraying the King's instructions. Riku smirked at their nervous expressions, relishing in the mess he caused. "Well?" he asked, gesturing to them as he subtlety showed off his new weapon, "What about you two?"
For a moment, they stood still. Sora kept his pained gaze to the floor, but Akira watched them in his stead, silently pleading for them not to move from their spots. And for a moment, she was almost relieved… until Donald put a single foot forward, and Akira's heart had never sunk further.
Donald softly waddled towards Riku, keeping his gaze fixed on the Keyblade as he avoided Akira's hysteric gaze. He came to a stop between Riku and the rest of his friends, not daring to turn around to meet their eyes. "Goofy. Let's go," he said sternly, "We have to remember our mission."
Goofy nervously placed a hand on his lips. "But wait, Donald, I know the King told us to follow the Key and all, but…"
"Orders are orders, Goofy."
Goofy reluctantly dropped his arms to his side as he too closed the gap between Sora and Riku, taking a spot beside the silver-haired teen, though it still didn't feel right to him. Donald was about to join Riku's side as well but couldn't leave without a final word. "Sora… sorry," he quacked softly.
Sora scratched his nails across the stone, balling his hand into a fist as the sorrow overwhelmed him. Akira slowly shook her head, pleading one last time with him. "Please… don't do this," she said quietly. They had gone through so much together and seen so many things together. They couldn't just throw it all away… they simply couldn't…
Donald tilted his head to the ground and marched forward, taking the other spot beside Riku with overwhelming reluctance. Riku, on the other hand, smirked proudly, looking down at Akira with arrogance in his aquamarine eyes. "You know," he said, "There's still room for one more in my party if you'd like, Akira."
No. This was one thing she was not going to do. "Don't flatter yourself," she muttered with a glare.
"Suit yourself," he answered coolly.
"I hope you find zombies."
"You know, I liked you better when you kept your mouth shut," he snarled as he furrowed his brows.
She tore her gaze away from him as her lip quivered with rage, keeping whatever other insult she had up her sleeve to herself. He snorted before turning around and making his way towards the castle, with Donald and Goofy dragging their feet at his side. "You'll get what's coming to you," he whispered to himself as the sorry sight he left behind was no longer in view.
Akira breathed a heavy sigh when they departed, releasing her fingers from the fists that had formed out of anger. It all happened so fast and now… amidst the crashing roar of the rising falls, she began to realize they were truly alone. It hadn't all settled while she was seething with anger at her old friend's stupid antics; who did Riku even think he was? The Riku she knew from the islands was strong, compassionate, astute, and resolved. He would never dream of breaking their hearts like this…
She placed a hand on her now broken heart as the anger dissipated, feeling nothing but the numbness of pain. And if her heart had simply broken, then the sound of Sora sobbing quietly on the ground behind her shattered it.
She slowly turned around to face him, fighting back tears of her own. If the pain in her heart threatened to overwhelm her like this, she could hardly imagine the sorrow he must have felt. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen Sora cry when they were younger, and it was always due to skinned knees or deep splinters. But this… this was different. These were tears of grief and pain. She could treat wounds and remove splinters, but she could not mend a broken heart so easily.
Yet, as she let her hand fall to her side and solemnly watched Sora as he wept to the ground below him, she realized there was still one thing she could do. Pursing her lips to keep her own sadness at bay, she knelt before her crying friend, and stretched her hand out to him.
Noticing the shadow her hand cast on the ground, Sora lifted his head, his red and puffy eyes meeting her own gentle gaze. "W-why?" he choked amidst his tears, "I lost everything. Everything I did, everything I gave, everything I sacrificed to get here… what was it for?"
She didn't know how to answer that. She kept her hand out for him to take, keeping her composure as stoic as she possibly could.
"Aren't you scared too?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.
"More than you know."
"So, why –"
"You haven't lost me, Sora," she said, feeling her voice crack in the back of her throat. No, no, no, this can't happen yet. She can't let her own fears and doubts overwhelm her. Sora was in a worse state than she was, and she needed to be the stronger one of the two.
"But… I have no weapon. I can't fight the Heartless," he said, his voice growing hoarse.
"Then I will fight them."
"Th-this isn't fair! You can't hide it from me. You're just as afraid and upset as I am. I can't just make you fight the Heartless alone. We don't even know where Riku went! We don't know where Kairi is!"
She wasn't surprised he saw right through her façade. Eyes never lie, but stubbornness sometimes prevails. "Then we'll find them together, if you'll just take my hand, Sora."
She smiled amidst the apparent pain in her eyes. He softly gasped, lowering his gaze to her outstretched hand. This was a terribly strange feeling for him; usually he was the cheerful one, giving others his hand in reassurance. But friendship… it goes both ways. And it was okay to need a hand to hold once in a while…
He sniffed and took her hand, gripping it tightly. She mustered her strength and pulled him to his feet, keeping his hand clutched in hers as he used his other hand to wipe what tears remained on his face. He let out an incredulous chuckle as he met her gentle gaze once more. "Where do we even start?" he asked.
"Well," she said, cupping his hand between both of hers, "We've got a big ol' castle to look through. What do you say?"
He gave her a toothy grin and nodded. And he didn't feel so alone anymore. Perhaps broken hearts don't heal quite that easily but having someone to lean on truly helps. "Thank you," he whispered softly, though he wasn't sure she could even hear him. He'd have to show his appreciation another time, when he wasn't so broken himself…
A low groan caught their attention as the beast had finally risen to his feet behind them. He slowly trudged past them, willing his feet to move amidst the pain from his battle with Riku. Sora and Akira exchanged nervous glances as he limped further; if he continued to push himself in this way, he could severely hurt himself…
When the pain finally took over and the beast fell to his knees, Sora quickly scampered to his side, gently placing his hand on the beast's shoulder. "Don't move! You're hurt," he cried as Akira rushed to the beast's other side.
Even when on his knees, the beast towered over the two teens, easily tripling their size. Yet, he spoke with a soft and gentle voice, begetting the kind heart he held beneath his rough exterior. "Why… why did you… come here?" he spoke with a pained voice, "I came to fight for Belle."
They recalled the person he had spoken of during his conversation with Riku and couldn't help but sympathize. To give up everything he had, everything he knew, to find someone that meant so much to him… they knew that feeling all too well. "There's someone here we need to fight for as well," Akira said.
"I see…" he replied with a groan as he brought himself to his feet, "Though I am on my own, I will still fight. I won't leave without her. And that… is why I'm here."
He groaned in pain once more as he continued on, limping his way towards the castle, though his will was stronger than any pain he felt. Sora shifted his gaze to the wooden sword he had left on the ground, taking in the beast's words. Even after having lost everything, the beast was still willing to fight. And Sora… he hadn't quite lost everything yet. He straightened his shoulders and marched over to the sword, bending over and picking it up. If this was the only weapon he had, then so be it.
"Me too. I'm not going to give up now," he said as he rejoined Akira and the beast, "We fought so hard and came all this way to find someone very special to us. I'm not about to give up without having tried my best."
Akira smiled at him and nodded. She felt the same way, and it was uplifting to see her friend in much higher spirits. The beast gave a small grin of his own, as much of a grin as his protruding fangs would allow. "I see we are in the same boat, then. You may call me Beast," he said, introducing himself.
"I'm Sora," he responded, pointing his thumb at his chest, "And she's Akira."
"Please to meet you," she said with a playful grin.
"Well then, we should get going," Beast said in a low growl.
He plodded forward, limping much less than he had before as the pain slowly began to fade from his leg. Akira began to follow him but stopped as she felt Sora's gaze. She turned to face him, perplexed. "What is it?" she asked.
He kept his eyes locked with hers, smiling gently. He had no weapon, but he felt like he could take on the world. It was truly astounding what friendship could do; even in his darkest moment, he still found strength in the friend whom stood at his side. He didn't need a Keyblade, nor a wooden sword. "I think… I finally realized something very important," he said.
"What's that?"
He playfully put a finger on his lips, smiling all the while. "Secret."