Chapter Six-Raheem's Realization

A young Raheem, about 15 years old, was standing in a doorway of a dimly lit room, keyblade in hand. His back was turned to a girl of the same age but there was a look of sadness on his face. "Nicole, please don't do this. Not now, I have to go."Raheem seemed to beg. "Don't go! Please come back." She whispered. Raheem turned around to her. "Don't let me roam…I love you. But wouldn't that mean I have to become a bother? Soon we're older and you'll understand what I meant when I said, 'No. I don't think life is quite that simple.'" Raheem went to sit down in the chair at the table. Nicole walked towards him and pulled a chair up from the table to sit in front of him. "The daily things, like this with everyone, that kept you and I busy are confusing me now," she said grabbing his hand. "Please don't leave me!" she added kissing Raheem's hand. Raheem sighed an unhappy sigh. He took his hand away from her and stood up and picked her up as she began to cry. He stared directly into her eyes and said, "Wish I could prove I love you. But does that mean I have to walk on water?" Nicole smacked him and began to sob uncontrollably as she turned her back. Raheem spun her around to face him and grabbed her tightly, shaking her a bit. "One day we're older you'll understand it's enough when I say so…and maybe…some things ARE that simple." He finished and let go of her. She hugged him tightly and replied with a tearful smile, "Hold me. And whatever lies beyond this morning, is a little later on. Regardless of warnings, our future doesn't scare me at all. It's nothing like before." Raheem put his arms around her and hugged her as tight as possible. "Promise me. Promise me…you won't forget me." She said. "I…I promise. I won't forget." As Raheem walked out the door he turned around and smiled a tearful smile. "I'll come back to you! And I will always find you!" he called out to her and hurried away as quick as possible, unable to bare the pain of leaving his soul mate behind. Nicole stood in the doorway, tears rolling down her cheeks and with a tearful smile, waving. "I know you will." She whispered. 'I know you will.' Echoed aloud in his head.

Brick awoke in sheer annoyance. "This is getting annoying." He thought to himself. He looked across the room from him to see Lance still asleep in a chair. They were still in the hospital. He got up and went over to the bed. Brooke, still asleep from the previous day's fight, mumbled in her sleep. Brick brushed some hair out of her face. "Don't worry Brooke. I'll get that bastard for doing this to you. He'll pay for this." Brick said kissing her forehead. "Only one question Romeo: Where are we gonna find this bastard?" Lance said catching the end of Brick's little pact. He got off the chair and stretched out. "He has to be around somewhere." Brick said.

As Brick crossed over to him Lance went to check on Brooke. "Let's think for a minute. If he was able to open a portal from wherever he was then that must mean that there's a door somewhere in the mall." Lance said after looking over Brooke. "You're right. But the police won't let us through. They already think we've been smoking crack. Whatever that is." Brick said with a slight chuckle. "Gee…I wonder why." Lance said sarcastically to him. Brick put his hands up in defense. "Hey! I was telling them the truth! They asked what happened and I told them honestly!" Brick said laughing. "Oh…right. Like telling the police that you're from another world?"

"Hey, truth hurts." Brick said. "Or telling them that you have to get revenge on your evil twin who just escaped through a portal?" Lance continued. "Or how about this one: 'A guy I've been dreaming about finally showed up today. He attacked one of my friends and then attacked me. He jumped through a portal into another world and told me that he and I will fight again some other time. Man, I hate him! He's gonna pay for hurting her!'" Lance said with a slight laugh of his own. "Alright, alright. I get it. Don't rub it in." Brick said. "You're lucky they didn't arrest us." Lance commented after coming from the bathroom. "Yeah…yeah. Whatever." Brick muttered.

"Uhhh…" Brooke stirred in the bed and Lance and Brick ran to both her sides. "What happened? Where am I?" she asked. "You're in the hospital. How are you feeling?" Lance asked taking one of her hands as Brick took the other. "I'm feeling fine. A slight headache, but other than that, I'm doing fine." She replied sitting up in bed. "You gave us quite a scare there. I thought I was going to lose you for good." Brick said hugging her tightly. "You mean WE." Lance added and Brick nodded. "He's gonna pay for this. I swear he'll pay." Brick said pounding his fist into the wall. "Calm down or they'll have the police in here." Lance said flicking Brick on the ear. "Ow!"

"What did I miss? Did anything else happen?" Brooke asked starting to get more energized. "No…but you did miss Romeo's little speech about payback though." Lance joked. "Speech about payback huh?" Brooke said smiling. "Payback about what?" she added with a smile. Brick looked down, blushing. "Payback. Abo…about hurting you." He said shyly. "Oh don't pull that shy crap on us now Hero." Lance joked again nudging Brick as Brooke gave a little giggle. "Aww…my hero." She said giving Brick a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, I helped too!" Lance joined in and Brooke gave him a kiss on the cheek too. "Now…explain why I hear the police think we smoke crack."

Meanwhile, in the distance of a dungeon like place, a young girl cries ferverently for help. "Help! Help me! Please!" she cries out. A dark figure shadows over the door and she stops calling for help. "Oh! Let me out you mean old witch!" she said stomping her foot. A familiar evil laugh is heard along with the door opening. Maleficent stands in the door way before the young girl. "Let me out, witch!" The young girl yelled at her. "Oh my. Such a mouth on you." She said waving her staff at the girl. The girl flew backwards. "Now child. Why would I want to do a thing like that?" she laughed. "Oh! He'll snap out of that little trance soon enough you know."

Maleficent laughed even harder. "Not exactly, my dear. You see, he has dependency on friends. Now that he thinks he doesn't have any friends, he'll want to stay with me. His ONLY friend." She gave a high- pitched cackle. "You let him go! He's done nothing to you!" the girl yelled. "Oh contrary dear. He's my perfect little warrior. He's doing an EXCELLENT job. He's spreading darkness like the little son I never had." She said pretending to wipe a tear away. "You witch! When he snaps out of it, he's gonna kick…your…" they last part was muffled by ropes starting to tie her up. "Now, now. In due time dearie, everything happens for a reason, Nicole."

Back on earth, Brick and co. were leaving the hospital when they saw cop cars speeding down the street. They ran to the nearest television they could find, in a convienient store. "This is Tracy Lang for channel 7 news! I am coming to you live on the scene where a young man just appeared out of nowhere! And he released a horde of dark creatures left and right! People ran as frantically as they could to their safety. Wait! Wait! He's saying something!" Tracy reported. "Fear me and cower at my power!" the kid on tv said. "I know who that is! That's Raheem. And now," Brick summoned his keyblade, "he'll pay dearly for what he's done to us." Brick ran off.

"Brick! Wait!" Brooke started but Lance jumped in. "No. He's right. We've only met this guy a few days ago and already he's pissing us off. It's time he got what was coming to him!" Lance summoned his Kama w/chain and ran off after Brick. "You don't understand!" Brooke called out to them but they were too far to hear. "I know how to get him to listen to us." She said lowly to herself. She summoned her two short swords and speed walked after them, still feeling a little pain. When they arrived at the scene they all saw heartless running around scaring people. "You wanna finish that game now?" Lance asked but Brick shook his head. "No. I have a date."

Brooke had just gotten there when Brick ran off towards Raheem in the distance. "Wait! I know how to get him to listen to us!" she said. "And how do you propose we do that?" Lance questioned her as they began to do their infamous slash-and-run attack. "I don't know exactly. A little voice in my head told me that he would listen to me." Lance stared at her for a minute. "We're gonna die aren't we?" Brooke shrugged. Lance sighed heavily and said "I knew it'd be your fault." He laughed and ran and attacked a few heartless creatures head on. "Hey! I resent that!" Brooke followed suit. Raheem stood in an area by himself, watching as Brick came to him.

"We have a date, don't we?" Raheem said smiling evilly as Brick approached with keyblade in hand. "That depends. You payin' or..am..I!" Brick yelled swinging his keyblade at Raheem who countered with his own. "Hmm…I guess this is a cheap date!" Raheem countered Brick's second attempt at hitting him. "I hate you! You've ruined me!" Brick yelled as he fought valiantly. "Poor…baby!" Raheem yelled back slashing at him. "You don't know what it's like!" Raheem added. "No me importa!" Brick yelled and Raheem seemed to get even more upset. "Tu vida…es mia!" Raheem said when they clanged keyblades. "Yo no pienso tan!" Brick said angrily.

Brooke and Lance fought as best they could to get to Raheem and Brick. "There's too many of them!" Brooke shouted. "I know! If something's going to happen then it needs to happen now!" Lance shouted back. They began to get surrounded by heartless. "Let's do this!" they both shouted and jumped at the heartless. Raheem and Brick were really battling it out. Raheem knocked Brick's keyblade out his hand and Brick then knocked Raheem's keyblade out his hand. "Seems we're keybladeless." Brick said with a slight smile as he wiped sweat from his face and Raheem did the same. Raheem then threw a kick to Brick's head and it was blocked. "Nice block." He said.

"Thanks. I learned it from…you!" Brick said throwing a few punches at Raheem. "Oh come on. I know I taught you better than that." Raheem said blocking the punches. "Yeah, you…did!" Brick said leg-sweeping Raheem. "You catch on quick." Raheem said doing a hand-spring to his feet. "Learned from the master." Brick smiled and jumped at Raheem throwing various kicks and punches. Raheem blocked everything thrown at him though a few kicks and punches got him good. "I'm getting tired of this." Both Raheem and Brick at the same time. Both held out their hands and both keyblades flew to their respective owners. "Great minds think alike."

As they were being backed against each other Brooke and Lance began to grow tired. "We can't keep this up. We're tiring out." Lance said and Brooke nodded. Brooke dropped from exhaustion and so did Lance. "Please help us." Brooke whispered and she stood up immediately. "Raheem…help…me!" Brooke shouted and both keyblade wielders looked at her. Both jumped back and looked at each other and then at Brooke. "Help..me! I'm being held prisoner!" Brooke shouted again though not in her voice. "Ni…Nicole?" Raheem said in shock as he approached her. "Yes. There's not much time. You have to save me! Mal..Ahhhhhh!" she shouted.

"Nicole! Nicole!" Raheem shouted and ran to the slowly falling Brooke. "Nicole, please! I'm sorry! Come back to me! I miss you." He said shaking Brooke. "No! No! NO!" Raheem yelled when Brooke didn't answer. "No!" he shouted as tears began to fall from his eyes. "Is he actually crying?" thought Lance and Brick. "No! I can't lose you. Not again." Raheem said banging his fists on the ground. "So you do have a heart." Brick said smartly approaching Raheem who looked at him evilly. "Of course I have heart. It belonged to Nicole. Maleficent…" Raheem started but stood up slowly. A portal opened and he entered through yelling "MALEFICENT!"