Keyblade of Darkness
A few days passed by as the friends continue their journey. Raheem seems to have calmed down a bit. "Oh man…that was some battle we had back there." Sora commented as they walked. Everyone nodded in agreement. "So Raheem…you never told us. What made you go to the castle?" Riku said. Raheem shrugged. "I don't know. I thought I saw someone." Everyone except Raheem looked at each other. "Who was it? Was it King Mickey?" Questions flew out from everyone. Raheem shook his head. "No…I thought I saw…a friend." Kairi put a hand on his shoulder as he looked down.
"Don't worry. I'm sure whoever it is you're looking for will turn up." She said with a smile. "Eventually, all things do." Riku said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded. "Yeah, I guess you guys are right. I'll find her soon." Raheem said getting a bit more cheerful. As they walked through the forest night began to fall. The sounds of night creatures could be heard as they walked. The group started to walk closer together, unsure of what was in the night. "I don't like this place guys. We better find someplace for shelter quickly. I'm getting a bit creeped out by how dark it is." Kairi said moving.
As the group huddled closer a pair of eyes watched them. A pair of pale thin lips curled into an evil smile. "That indeed, Kairi. That indeed." They stopped in a decent area of the woods and decided this is where they would make camp. "Okay, this spot should do us fine for tonight. Kairi: you, Donald, and Goofy should try setting up camp here. Raheem, Riku, and I will go get firewood." Sora said brandishing his keyblade. Raheem and Riku also summoned their weapons. The trio then headed for the woods. "We'll be back soon!" Raheem called over his shoulder to Kairi and friends.
Kairi searched around their campsite to find stones to place in a circle for the campfire. Donald and Goofy tried making tents but seemed to fail miserably. Goofy accidentally fell on Donald and Donald yelled in his non-coherent speech. Kairi sighed and thought to herself "I hope they get back soon. I feel like I'm babysitting these two." She then went to try and calm Donald down. Meanwhile, Riku and Sora were talking amongst themselves as they picked up small branches ahead of Raheem. Raheem sighed and began thinking to himself. "I wonder what they're talking about." A cold wind blew past him.
"You…" A voice whispered and it brung chills down his spine. He spun around and summoned his Kaos Keyblade. "Who's there? Come out!" he said. Sora and Riku turned around and summoned their weapons also and ran towards Raheem. "What is it? What's going on?" Sora said as he and Riku neared. "I don't know. I heard someone out here. They whispered in my ear." Riku and Sora looked at each other and than looked around. "Are you sure you heard something?" Riku asked and Raheem nodded. They waited for a minute or two but heard nothing. "We should be getting back."
Raheem sighed, dismissed his Kaos Keyblade, and picked up the wood he dropped. Sora and Riku had already started ahead back to the site. As Raheem began to walk back he got that cold chill again. "See…they don't trust you." The voice whispered. Raheem spun around again and dropped his few pieces of wood. He summoned his keyblade once more and looked in all directions around him. "I'm not afraid of you!" he yelled. "No…you shouldn't be. You're too brave for that." The voice whispered again. "Who are you? Show yourself to me! Show me now!" he yelled almost insanely.
A dark form appeared and started towards him. He prepared himself for battle. As the form began to materialize, Raheem lowered his guard just a little bit. "Maleficent! What do YOU want?" he said bringing his guard back up. "Oh…nothing much…really. Just to help you out." She smiled wickedly. "Oh no…I'm not going to fall for that! What do you want? Tell me!" Raheem said fiercely. Maleficent tapped her staff on the ground quickly and Raheem flew off his feet. "Now, relax child. We're all friends here, aren't we?" Raheem got back to his feet and held tightly to his keyblade. "No."
Raheem jumped at her and began a variety of slashes with his keyblade. She blocked his attacks with her staff and laughed. Raheem soon began to tire himself out from all the attacking he was doing. "Are you quite done yet?" she said yawning. She waved her staff at him and he was lifted off the floor. She waved it again and a mirror appeared. "Care to see how much your friends care about you?" Meanwhile, Riku and Sora were near the camp when they noticed Raheem wasn't behind them. "What's he up to?" Riku asked looking back and Sora shrugged. "He's probably on his way now."
They soon entered the camp. They witnessed Kairi in the middle of Donald and Goofy. She had a hand on Donald's head and one on Goofy's chest. "Calm down guys! Donald, he said it was an accident!" she said trying to hold him back with all her might. "It really was. I didn't mean it, Donald." Goofy said apologetically. "Oh yeah? Then how come it happened three times in a row?" Donald said angrily. "Hey guys! What's going on?" Sora said as he and Riku dropped the wood down. "Oh…nothing really. They're just having a disagreement on accidents." Kairi said trying her best to smile.
"Where's Raheem?" Donald asked a few moments later. "We think he's getting more fire wood." Riku said as they all sat around the fire started by Donald's Firaga. "That's nice of him, but isn't getting a little dark?" Goofy said. "Yeah, it is getting pretty dark. But if he's in trouble, I'm sure he'll send us a sign." Sora said and everyone nodded. Raheem, on the other hand, stared into the mirror and was witnessing something completely different. "He's ALWAYS in trouble!" False Sora said back at the false campsite. "Yeah…he can't do anything for himself." False Riku added laughing.
The group of false friends laughed heartily. "Yeah, don't even know why he's with us! He thinks he's so big and bad." False Kairi said and everyone laughed. Raheem's mind soon began to wear down. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No! That can't be true! It just can't be!" he yelled and Maleficent dropped the hold she had him in. Tears began to well up in his eyes. Maleficent smiled. "He's buying it. Just a little bit more." She thought. "I won't believe it. I just won't!" Raheem said looking at her tearfully. "Sad, but it's true. You heard and saw for yourself." Raheem sat on his knees.
He layed down on the ground and curled into a ball. "They…don't…need…me." He said softly and Maleficent smiled. "I know it may hurt but look at it this way. You and I could always be friends. Really GREAT friends." She smiled helping him up. Raheem wiped the tears from his face. "Do you mean that? Do you truly mean it?" he asked and she nodded. She stuck out her hand and Raheem slowly reached for it. "Raheem! NO!" Sora yelled. He and the gang all jumped on the scene with their weapons readied. "Maleficent! What do you want?" Riku yelled angrily.
"Oh…I'm just making a new friend." She smiled. "Raheem! Don't do it! She's just using you! That's what she did to me, remember?" Riku called out to him. Raheem turned around, his entire face blank of expression. "What did you do to him? What did you do?" Sora demanded as the group slowly got closer towards them. "I didn't do anything. YOU all did." She pointed and accusing finger at them all. "YOU all never trusted him or believed in him. And now he has a friend that actually will. Isn't that right, Raheem?" Raheem slowly nodded. "Don't do this man! She's nothing, alright! Don't."
Maleficent held out her hand once more to Raheem and he reached for it and shook. His clothes went all black and his keyblade summoned itself. It turned itself black and red. A light slowly came out of his chest and disappeared. "Raheem, no!" Kairi yelled. He turned to face the group and Maleficent smiled. "You'll pay for this!" Sora yelled as he and the group ran at Maleficent. Raheem quickly appeared in front of Maleficent and took a big swing with his demonic keyblade and knocked all of them back at once. Everyone flew back in different directions screaming wildly. "Wonderful."
Maleficent laughed evilly. "He's the perfect little warrior I need to get me my control over this world." Everyone slowly got back up to his or her feet. "No! You can't do this! Leave him alone!" Riku yelled. "I don't think Raheem likes you yelling at me. Do you, dear?" Raheem shook his head as his blank stare continued. "You're giving up so easily Raheem! Fight it! You're stronger than this! We're your friends!" Raheem blinked a few times and his emotion seemed to come back for a minute, Maleficent summoned a portal. Before entering, he smiled evilly and said, "I don't have any friends."