DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the Disney and Square Enix characters. Please support the original works.
Chapter Twenty: Triple Threat
The air was...tolerable. Sure, the realm of darkness was as bleak as ever. Yet, it was less stale. Max and Kairi walked through the endless black abyss. Visually, the realm was exactly as Kairi remembered it. Lonely, desolate, dangerous. Massive jagged stones jutted out from the darkness, their pulsing, purple veins serving as the only light on that terrible place. Yet, as Kairi moved from one floating, earthly platform to the next, she felt less of that strange, itchy feeling.
Since entering the realm of darkness, Max hadn't let go of either of his swords. It had done him good: the duo had been jumped by heartless several times since their arrival. Despite the constant fighting, Kairi just didn't feel the need to be as vigilant as Max. Maybe it was because this was her second time in the realm of darkness. Maybe it was because she was stronger now. That had to be the reason the realm of darkness was much easier to move through.
"Feel anything?" Max asked when the two of them stopped to rest.
Kairi concentrated, closing her eyes. "No light so far."
Max groaned. "We've been walking around forever, and still nothing?"
"It really hasn't been that long. It just feels that way. We're in an ever shifting labyrinth that has no real sense of time. Finding light here really is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Try a hay in a needle-stack. Except there are no needles. Only heartless."
"They're just as endless as the realm itself." Kairi looked up into the black void overhead. "Sometimes, I wonder how many people fell to darkness, and how long they've been trapped here. What's the point of this place? Just to hold darkness in forever?"
"That is way to big for either of us to wrap our heads around," said Max.
"Maybe it is better not to wonder too much. Wouldn't want to overthink, like my Grandpa did."
"Let's just focus on the mission. How exactly did you run into Oswald last time?"
Kairi laughed. "I just wondered around here with Pluto until Oswald saved me."
As she followed Max, Kairi retold the story of how she opened the door at Destiny Island. How she was drawn into it, how she ended up wandering the realm of darkness with only Pluto to keep her company. How Oswald saved her from a group of darkballs. How he tried to teach her fire magic, and how Kairi couldn't summon a fireball to save her life. How the two of them were ambushed by an army of neoshadows. How Kairi had barely been able to chant a water spell after she were drowning in darkness.
But she wasn't drowning anymore. She was...comfortable here. That didn't make any sense, even if she was stronger. Something in the realm of darkness was...nice. The air had a tingle of freshness to it. It was faint, but there, like a flower growing next to a dumpster.
Kairi stared into the darkness, trying to pinpoint just where that strange freshness came from. Without really thinking about it, her feet began to move, in a random direction. She must have been talking to Max, because her mouth was moving. Yet Kairi didn't hear her own words, and her voice trailed off the more steps she took. Her new path was leading her toward something. Somewhere in the darkness, there was...something. Something her heart warned her against.
It's too soon.
"Hello? Kairi!"
Max jumped in front of her face, waving his hand in front of her eyes.
The blur of movement made Kairi dizzy. She rubbed her eyes.
"Are you okay? You just stopped talking and started walking off."
"I thought I felt something," Kairi said.
"Felt what?"
"A light."
"Oswald?"
"No. Bigger. A lot bigger. Like a holy spell, but a thousand times stronger? Maybe?"
"How can there be a light that big in the realm of darkness?"
When Max said it out loud, Kairi realized that it was ridiculous.
"You're right. The realm of darkness does play tricks on you. Last time I was here, the heartless pretended to be Riku, and I almost fell for it."
"Maybe this is what Madame Leota meant. You know, about not being tempted by the light," said Max.
"Makes sense," Kairi agreed.
The two friends jumped off their platform, free falling through the darkness until another winding platform appeared below. A reflect spell softened the landing. The moment Max and Kairi's feet touched the ground, they were surrounded by an army of neoshadows, darkballs, and some weird, umbrella shaped, watery heartless. Kairi wasn't sure how much time passed as she and Max ripped through horde after horde of heartless. In the midst of all the slicing, dicing, and magic throwing, Kairi felt a sudden itch on the back of her neck. The irritation started as small tingle, and then grew into a burning annoyance that just couldn't be ignored.
Slicing through a row of darkballs, Kairi ran toward the edge of the platform. She skid to a stop, looking down. Below her was a mass of darkness, one so big that it was causing invisible, itchy welts all over her skin. Max was still cleaving through heartless, trying to regroup with Kairi. She ignored him, and the battle raging behind her.
A galaxy of darkness swirled far below her platform. It grew, almost as though it were responding to Kairi's presence. Kairi turned back around, charging back into the battle. She grabbed Max's wrist, pulled him to the edge of the platform, and jumped off. They fell toward the swirling vortex of darkness. Kairi grit her teeth. The itchy feeling on her skin was gone. Now, she burned. They fell through layer after layer of darkness, nearly going into shock as the burning turned into icy cold.
They were in a storm of dark clouds and purple lightning. There was no way to tell what was right side up or upside down, until darkballs and invisible heartless appeared all around them. Hanging upside down, Kairi summoned a reflect spell. Because he was holding Kairi's hand, Max was down one sword. Yet, even topsy-turvy, he cut through heartless while Kairi provided defensive magic.
Frying another group of darkballs with lightning, Kairi waited for the next set of heartless appear. In the few seconds of peace that occurred between one group enemies and the next, Kairi felt an electric tingle on the top of her head. Gasping, she threw her head back, looking down, deeper into the vortex.
"Max, this going to be crazy."
"When do you do something that isn't crazy?"
"Hold your breath."
"What?"
Kairi lay flat in the air, on her back. She threw out both hands and shouted. "Waterga!"
A massive ball of water slammed onto Kairi and Max, throwing them down and down, straight through the thickest cloud of darkness. The heartless dove after them, but Kairi could care less. All she could focus on was the electric tingle she had felt before, a tingle that was getting stronger and stronger. The unmistakable rush of magical energy, excitable wit, and faithfulness reached her heart. The water spell faded, and Kairi took a deep breath of both air and light.
"Max, get your swords ready!"
"I'm always ready!"
"Good, because there he is!"
Max focused on where Kairi was pointing. Straight ahead, on a platform, defending himself with an aero spell, surrounded by invisibles, was a rabbit with black fur, a white dress shirt, and blue shorts.
"Going to turn you into a pin-ball!"
Max grinned. "I've always wanted to try this! Bring it!"
Kairi cast a reflect spell on Max. With all her might, she slammed her sword against the magic glass. The reflect spell shattered on impact, but it rocketed Max through the air. His momentum and expert sword skills sliced the invisibles into nothing. Oswald jumped back, eyes wide at Max's sudden appearance. His surprise didn't last long. In the next second, a reflect spell came crashing down on his head. Using his powerful legs, Oswald leaped up into the air, avoiding getting crushed by the reflect spell.
Jumping up had put him in the company of all the heartless that had been chasing Max and Kairi. Before Oswald could even think of casting a spell, there was a furious shout from the platform below.
"Oh no you don't! Thundaga!"
Lightning rained down on the heartless, giving Oswald only a second of breathing room before another barrage of enemies appeared. But it didn't matter. In the next second, a Kairi leaped up into the air next to him and grabbed his hand. Oswald turned, joy in his smile, laughter shining in his eyes as he looked into Kairi's ecstatic expression.
The heartless must have felt a powerful light because they all converged on Kairi and Oswald, eager to eat up the warmth that was shining from them. From down below, Max watched as the heartless closed in on Kairi and Oswald. The heartless' bodies blended together, until they formed an almost seamless sphere. Yet, from between the heartless' black and purple bodies, a blue light shined.
"BLIZZAZA!"
Two voices had shouted the spell. Sharp blades of ice burst out from the center of the heartless' sphere, spearing through them. Riding on a trail of ice through the sky, holding hands, Oswald and Kairi flew around the heartless, throwing one spell after another, blasting through battalion after battalion of heartless. They flew by Max and he jumped onto the ice sheet. Strangely enough, Oswald and Kairi's combined magic magnetically pulled Max's feet against the ice, keeping him from slipping off.
The three friends flew through the dark vortex, destroying all manner of heartless. Darkballs, invisibles, water cores, and some strange, bat like creatures, were completely decimated by sword strikes and expert magic. The dark vortex began to get weaker, but Max, Oswald and Kairi kept flying, destroying neoshadows, earth cores, and shadow heartless next.
The fight stretched on and on, an endless supply of heartless spawning from the darkness, only to be cut down a second later. The spells began to slow, as the high volume of heartless slowly chipped away at the spell casters' stamina. But there was one thing the heartless didn't count on. One thing that that spelled their doom. The sheer, unbridled joy of the moment.
Holding onto Max's and Oswald's hands, Kairi felt a zing of light as the excitement from her reunion and the adrenaline from the fight bubbled over. Oswald too, felt the rush of powerful light and magic. Even though Max had never casted a spell in his life, right then and there, he was akin to a master level mage.
Three voices shouted into the dark.
"GRAVIJA!"
A massive ball of purple, gravitational force surrounded the vortex of darkness. Like a black hole, the purple sphere collapsed in on itself, pulling the heartless and darkness inward, until they were all crushed under the enormous weight of the spell.
Max, Oswald, and Kairi sailed away on the blizzard spell until the ice melted and the magic ran out. They crashed onto a platform somewhere. Lying between Max and Oswald, still holding their hands, Kairi's gasps for breath soon turned into uncontrollable giggles. Her exhaustion completely forgotten, she jumped up, grabbed Oswald's hands, and spun him around.
"Ozzie! I found you! I knew I would find you!" Kairi stopped spinning and pulled Oswald in for a hug. "I'm so happy!"
Oswald dangled helplessly in Kairi's arms. He was so overwhelmed by emotions that his long ears flopped behind his back. He could only muster up the strength to wrap his arms around Kairi's back. She hopped around, so full of energy and happiness that she didn't know what to do. Oswald, for his part, was lost for words. He just closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment until Kairi stopped jumping and put him down. But she refused to let go of his hands.
"You came back. You-" Oswald whipped his eyes with his sleeve. Then he grabbed Kairi's legs in a hug.
Leaning down, Kairi patted the top of Oswald's head.
"I can't believe you're actually here."
"Did you think I'd leave you here? All alone? Not a chance."
"But you had to go find your friends. What about your mission?"
"Done, and done. Getting you out of here is my mission now."
Oswald looked up at Kairi, his ears shooting back up. "I'm not leaving," he said in a low tone. "Not without-"
"Ortensia, right?"
Oswald blinked. Letting go of Kairi, he turned to face Max.
"Hi." Max waved awkwardly.
"Who are you?"
"That's Max. He's my friend. He taught me how to use a sword."
Oswald tilted his head at Kairi. "You can use a sword now?"
"Actually she can use two," Max interjected.
Oswald narrowed his eyes at the young knight.
"Play nice," said Kairi.
"Did you teach Kairi magic too?"
Max laughed. "No. Mary Poppins was her magic teacher."
To everyone's surprise, Oswald snorted. "Mary? She doesn't teach. Magic just happens when she's nearby."
"Maybe that's a good thing. Kairi can get too into her own head when practicing. She'd focus more on my sword then on her foot work and lose her balance. I had to do the same tripping technique a hundred times before she got it right."
"When I tried to teach her a fire spell, she concentrated so hard that I was sure her head would pop. Couldn't even make a puff of smoke."
Kairi pouted. "Hey! I got it eventually."
Max and Oswald glanced at her.
"The foot work?"
"The fire spell?"
"Both!" Kairi pursed her lips, looking at one grinning face to the other.
Max and Oswald exchanged a look and then laughed.
"You meanies! I'm right here, you know."
Oswald sat down on his fluffy bunny tail, looking like a child that was about to be told some grand story. "Show me."
Kairi pointed into the darkness, shouting. "Firaga!"
A ball of blazing flame burst out of her hand. It flew through the darkness until it was out of sight. Oswald clapped.
"You actually did it! You became a full fledged mage, just like you promised." Turning toward Max, Oswald said, "Thanks for teaching her to be quite the powerhouse."
"She never would have gotten this far if you hadn't gotten her started," said Max.
Oswald extended his hand. Reaching down, Max grabbed the rabbit's hand and pulled him up. The two of them shared a smile, shaking hands.
"Any friend of Kairi's is a friend of mine," said Oswald.
"Ditto."
Kairi put her hands on her hips. "Great! Intros are done. Now all we have to do look for our other lost friend."
Oswald beamed at Kairi.
"Do you have any idea where Ortensia might be?" Kairi asked.
Oswald looked down at the stone platform they stood on. His wand lay on the floor nearby. Kairi realized that he must have dropped the wand when she was busy hugging him. When Oswald picked up the wand, Kairi noticed that a small bubble of light was glowing at the wand's tip.
Oswald held up the wand, pointing at the glowing light. "I have some idea of where Ortensia is. There was a vortex of darkness, like the one we just fell through. Except this one was bigger. So wide that it was all I could see. When I got close to it, the light at the end of my wand glowed brighter, but then I was attacked by heartless. The vortex vanished while I was fighting. I've been looking for it since."
"Can I see that?" Kairi pointed to the wand.
Oswald held out the wand. In one brief second, the two of them held the wand at once. The wand lit up. Like the tail of a shooting star, the the bubble of light at the wand's tip, lengthened. Oswald and Kairi watched as the light bubble stretched, turning into an arrow, one that rotated like the hand of a clock.
The arrow of light stopped, pointing into the realm of darkness. Oswald waved the wand around, but the beam did not move, pointing in the same direction.
Max, Kairi, and Oswald all looked at each other, a mix of curiosity and resolve settling over their faces. Wordlessly, the friends each agreed on what they had to do. Oswald took the lead, holding the wand over his head. The team hopped from platform to platform, following the beam.
For a long time, no one spoke. No one even thought to wonder if they were going in circles. The realm of darkness hardly changed as they explored. They followed the arrow of light until something appeared in the abyss. A swirling vortex, much like the one Kairi and Max had fallen through earlier. Yet, the more the friends moved toward it, the bigger it became, until it was all they could see before them.
In the center of the swirling, whirlpool of dark clouds was a hole. It resembled the pupil of an eye, a pupil that was surrounded by purple and black darkness. The beam on the end of Oswald's wand pointed right into it.
The rabbit stopped on the platform that led into the eye of the storm. He turned toward his friends, and was happy to see no fear on their faces. Kairi and Max pointed into the eye and then to Oswald.
Wherever you go, I'll follow.
Understanding, Oswald stepped into eye in the sky.
Dust, smoke, and ash was the first thing to greet them on the other side. The realm of darkness had always been an inhospitable wasteland, but the section the three friends now found themselves in was a whole new kind of unforgiving. They stood on the edges of a massive, black lake. Garbage, oil, filth, and plastic floated on the surface of the lake, which was filled, not with water, but with ooze. Sections of the lake were on fire. The flames were not natural. They glowed a black and purple.
The beam on Oswald's wand flashed. It lengthened, flowing out over the lake. The beam curved, pointing down, into the center of the lake. Then the beam flickered, and went out.
Oswald lunched forward, his feet inches away from the oozy liquid of the lake. A pair of hands grabbed his arms, stopping him.
"Ortensia could be down there," Oswald protested.
Max and Kairi didn't let him go.
"Look," they said.
Bubbles boiled in the center of the lake. They grew wider, popping, letting the black liquid sprinkle down into the toxic crater. Five sharp points rose out from under the black bubbles. A long, black arm, with grey, glowing veins, came out of the lake. Then, there was another arm, then a third, a fourth, a seventh, a ninth. A long, wide torso and chest appeared next.
As the massive creature rose out of the lake, three heads appeared atop its thick neck. Six glowing eyes peered at Max, Kairi, and Oswald. The mutated darkside turned its body to face the horrified fighters on the lake shore. When it faced them, the heart shaped hole in its chest came into full view. Unlike other darksides, this one had something in the heart shaped hole. A spiderweb made of black, oily rubber was woven into the hole and at the center of the web, cocooned in solidified darkness, her eyes closed, was a cat.
The fur on Oswald's stiff ears stood up, making him look like he had been electrocuted. Raising his wand high, Oswald shouted.
"Triple Firaga!"
Three comets of hot fire sailed across the sky, one for each of the darkside's heads. The creature raised its nine arms, covering its face. Rather then hit the heartless, the fireballs changed color when they touched the darkside's black hide. The red fire darkened until it was as black as ash. The darkside spread its many arms.
Max, Kairi, and Oswald scattered like ants. Three comets of darkness crashed into the platform, forming bubbling holes where Kairi, Max, and Oswald had been standing mere moments before. They burned deep into the platform, like acid digging through the thick crust of the earth. And the smell, like burning rubber mixed with formaldehyde, filled the air, making Max and Oswald cough, their eyes and sensitive noses turning red.
Max blinked through tears. The moment his vision focused, he spotted another torpedo of darkness flying his way. Ducking and rolling to the side only pulled him further away from his friends. On the far east side of the bank, Kairi ducked as one of the darkside's arms tried to reach out and grab her in its fist. To the west, Oswald jumped up and over another of the darkside's hands. He landed on its muscular arm, running up to the darkside's shoulder.
At point plank range, Oswald fired a lightning spell right at one of the darkside's heads. Sparks of electricity zipped across the darkside's eyes and over its tentacled hair. The darkside reacted faster then any other darkside Kairi had encountered before. One hand thumped hard on the shoulder that Oswald was standing on. The rabbit was just as quick, using his strong legs to jump onto the darkside's middle head.
"Blizaga!"
Spears of ice smashed through the darkside's head, the sharp points sticking out from between its eyes. Despite the total brutality of the spell, the darkside didn't seen the least bit affected. Three hands smashed down on top of its head, and Oswald jumped up, only avoiding the big hands by an inch.
While Oswald assaulted the darkside with one fury fueled spell after another, Kairi had been running along the edges of a lake. She tried to find a path to make it safely across the goo, all while avoiding all the black torpedos the heartless was still firing off its body.
Swimming toward the darkside was out of the question. The darkness was so thick that not only did it weigh down on Kairi's bones, but she could actually smell it. The horrible stale stench burned her nose and sinuses. For a brief moment she wondered just how Riku could stand the smell. If she jumped into the lake, Kairi was sure she would never make it out.
Right behind the darkside there was a series of boulders jutting out of the lake. Kairi leapt onto one of them, slowly, but carefully moving toward the darkside. On the other bank of the lake, Max waved his swords, trying to catch the darkside's attention.
"Hey! Tall, dark, and ugly! Is that the best you got? You missed me!"
The lake ooze splashed as the darkside stomped through it, moving closer to Max. It spread its arms wide. A ball of dark energy gathered in front of the heart shaped hole on its chest. With its attention on Max, it couldn't stop Oswald from blasting it with another blizzard spell. The ice momentarily froze the darkside, keeping it still, but the spell that had gathered at its core burst out, zooming toward Max. He lunged, avoiding the attack, but the hood of his jacket got caught by the dark flames, and Max had to wriggle out of his hoodie before the dark acid could sear his skin. Standing in nothing but his red T-shirt, Max gasped, trying to gather his wits.
As all this was happening, Kairi spotted something in the heart shaped hole in the darkside's chest. Ortensia. She was moving. The little cat wriggled, thrashing her head, her eyes squeezed shut, her teeth clenched. Then she stopped wriggling, her head hanging limply to the side. At the same time, Oswald jumped onto the darkside's shoulder, climbing down its back to get to the heart-shaped hole in its chest. Kairi watched in horror as the darkside's nine arms rotated. Like a contortionist, the darkside's arms bent behind its back. Three hands got a hold of Oswald, trapping him within the thick fingers.
Kairi heard Oswald yell a reflect spell, but she knew the magical glass would not protect him forever. Jumping onto a higher platform, Kairi threw her sword. Then, she pointed her hand at the sword and shouted.
"Firaga!"
The fire spell hit the handle of the blade, powering it up with more force and speed. It stabbed the central head of the three headed creature. More movement from within the darkside's heart shaped hole. Ortensia's whole body thrashed this time.
The darkside's hands released Oswald. They moved to pull out Kairi's blade. The darkside fell to its knees, its fingers were too big to pull out the blade that stuck out of the back of its middle head.
Oswald fell. Kairi threw a water spell at him. The magical water caught him in mid-air and washed him up safely on a nearby shore. When Kairi and Max reached Oswald, he was panting, but back on his feet, pointing his wand at the darkside.
Kairi grabbed Oswald's wand. "Wait! We have to stop attacking it."
"But we just got it," Max protested.
"We have to hit it while its down," Oswald said at the same time.
"No! Listen to me. It's feeding off her light. We hurt it, and it hurts her."
Oswald was aghast. The white fur on his face somehow got paler. "Then what do we do? We can't just let her stay trapped in it."
"There's only one way. Max."
He stood to attention. "What do you need?"
"Pin-ball. Loop around behind it and get Oswald close."
"You got it. What are you going to do?"
"Well, if it's light the darkside wants, then I'm the perfect distraction, right?" Kairi leaned down, putting her hands on Oswald's shoulders. "The rest is up to you."
"How do I get her out of that dark oil?"
Kairi pulled him in for a hug. "Don't think." She squeezed him. "Just do what your heart tells you. I know that you love her more then anything. Follow those feelings. It worked for me when I had to save Sora." Oswald didn't look so sure when Kairi pulled back from him. She held onto his hands. "You the first friend to ever believe that I could fight. I have faith in you too."
The little rabbit nodded, resolve shining in his eyes.
Kairi let him go. Running toward the other side of the bank, she jumped up and down, screaming.
"Hey! You triple headed menace! See this? Curaga!"
The magic of the spell both rejuvenated Kairi and lit up the dark atmosphere with a healing glow. That caught the heartless attention. Having given up on pulling Kairi's sword out of its head, it slowly rose up from its kneeling position. The ground shook as the heartless stomped, turning to face Kairi.
She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. "You want light you giant moron? Well, I have light for days! Come and get it!"
Nine arms flashed out to try and grab a hold of Kairi. She barely managed to roll, jump, and duck under the thick hands. One hit from a giant fist and it would be all over. Sparks of electricity and the glow of fire could be seen in between the heartless' many arms as Kairi kept its limbs back with magic.
Max grit his teeth, watching Kairi fight. He dug his heels into the dirt, raising both swords. In front of him, Oswald kneeled, summoning a reflect spell around himself.
"Ready?" Max asked.
Oswald's fist tightened on his wand. He looked over his shoulder at Max. "Give me your best shot."
Max swung both swords, smashing them against Oswald's reflect spell. He hit it out of the park. The magic glass shattered and Oswald rocketed over the lake, landing right on the heartless back.
The darkside twitched when Oswald landed. It pulled four of its hands away from Kairi.
"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME!" Kairi jumped onto one of the darkside's hands, stomping her feet. "Don't you know I'm a princess of heart? You want one measly rabbit and cat when you can have me? Just how stupid are the heartless?"
"Don't forget me!"
Max ran under the arms that Kairi stood on, slicing through the heartless' muscles with both his swords.
By this time, Oswald was right above Ortensia. He saw her kicking her arms and legs in a cocoon of darkness. Oswald jumped into the heart shaped hole. He began pulling at the thick, rubbery tendrils of darkness that were wrapped around Ortensia's body.
Back on the shore, Max and Kairi climbed onto the heartless' arms. They argued, screaming.
"Over here, big oaf!"
"No! Take me! I'm cuter!"
"I'm tougher!"
"Since when? Didn't you just see me take down this thing with one sword?"
"You're still at seven wins, thirteen losses against me! Come on, Ugly! It's me you want!"
"No! It's me you want! Max is only ahead of me because he cheats!"
"I don't cheat! You just don't have my skills!"
The joy of their friendly shouts completely distracted the heartless from what Oswald was doing. Rather then pull the rabbit away from Ortensia, it used its nine arms to try and grab Max and Kairi. The two friends had no choice but to use magic and swords to defend themselves as they jumped from one thick arm to the next, all while being careful not to fall off the darkside's body and into the lake ooze below.
Oswald watched as Ortensia struggled. Each attack against the darkside made her face contort in agony. Her cute, white face and button nose wrinkled, her cheeks reddening in pain. Oswald summoned fire spells to burn the dark cocoon. He tried slicing through it with razor sharp ice spells. He tried casting a wind spell around Ortensia's body to push the darkness away from her. Nothing worked. Instead of pulling off the rubbery mass, it only tightened around his beloved.
Desperate, Oswald put his hands on Ortensia's cheeks.
"Ortensia, it's me. Please open your eyes. I've been searching for you for so long. Please wake up."
Ortensia's eyelids trembled, but her eyes didn't open. The darkness around her tightened, but Oswald refused to let go. So the darkness began to cocoon around his body as well. Pressing his forehead against Ortensia's, Oswald whispered.
"I won't leave you. Even if I sink into the darkness. You've been fighting all alone for so long. I will never leave the realm of darkness without you."
The oily tendrils of darkness wrapped around Oswald's head and ears. The darkside's muscles tensed. Its arm speed quickened, and before Kairi and Max could stop it, they were both gathered up in the darkside's fists. The fingers began to squeeze, but neither Kairi nor Max paid attention. They watched as Oswald and Ortensia completely disappeared into a sphere of darkness. Then all they felt was pain as the darkside began to crush them within its fists.
The pain only lasted for a few seconds. The fists loosened. The darkside's three heads looked down at its chest. A beam of light burst out of the oily mass in its chest. Then another beam sliced through the darkness. The oily darkness dried up and crumbled. Oswald, his arms wrapped tightly around Ortensia, fell against the wall of the heart shaped hole.
Ortensia's eyes slowly opened. She nuzzled her cheek against Oswald's shoulder. "Honey Bunny? You're here?"
Oswald bent his knees. Pushing off the the heartless' chest, he flew up into the air, high above the heartless' heads, lifted off his feet by pure joy. In the air, Ortensia floated above him, her eyes wide.
"This isn't a dream, right?"
"No it's not!" Oswald cried. "It's better!"
Ortensia reached out, pinching one of Oswald's ears between her fingers. Oswald winced, but his big, dumb smile never left his face.
"You weren't supposed to come after me!" Ortensia scolded. "I didn't push you out of danger just so that you could go diving headfirst back into it!"
"Did you really think I'd give up on you? Not a chance! Besides, I'm lucky, remember? I can handle the darkness!"
"Y-you stubborn, reckless-"
The rest of Ortensia's sentence faded as emotion completely took her over. She fell into Oswald's arms. The two mages began to glow. The darkside reared backward, looking up at the star that was shining above its head. That star spelled its doom.
From within the star, two mages joined hands, raising a wand together.
"METEOR!"
There was a reason Yen Sid had said that Oswald and Ortenasia had a rare gift for channeling magic. What he hadn't said, was that the true source of their immense strength was their love for each other. Thousands of massive, boiling, hot chunks of extraterrestrial rock bombarded the three headed heartless below, burning through its body on impact. The heartless' fingers weakened, releasing Max and Kairi from its tight grip.
The two friends wasted no time. They ran up the heartless' arms, each stopping on its wide shoulders. Raising their swords, Max and Kairi sliced through the three headed darkside's neck. The heartless' body began to disintegrate.
Max, Kairi, Oswald, and Ortensia fell toward the dark lake. In the ten seconds they were all in free fall, all four of them reached for each other. Kairi grabbed hold of Ortensia's hand.
"Hi! My name is Kairi! And this is Max. We're Ozzie's friends!"
"Nice to meet you," Ortensia shouted back.
"We did it!" Oswald boomed. "We did it!"
Ortensia leaned her head against Oswald's shoulder. All of her strength faded and she fell into peaceful slumber. Oswald grabbed Kairi's hands and screamed "thank you" over and over. Max kicked his legs in the air and pumped his fists in triumph. The moment Oswald, Kairi, and Max grasped each other's hands, light rushed all through their bodies. Chanting a holy spell had never been so easy.
They never splashed into the oozing darkness of that horrible lake. In fact, the lake no longer exists. All the pollution, filth, and stank of darkness was washed away by a blast of powerful light. The force was so strong that it tore through the realm of darkness. When the light faded, Max, Kairi, Oswald and Ortensia collapsed on top of a hard, cobblestone floor.
Rolling over on their backs, they watched the golden clouds in the sky, felt the heat of summer pressing down on their cheeks, and smelled the sweet cinnamon of a nearby restaurant. A few people appeared above them, staring down at the four oddballs that were lying down in the middle of the street.
A moment later, Eiko came barreling through the crowd. She waved her arms dismissively.
"Nothing to see here. They just fell over, that's all. Go about your business."
Vivi wriggled through the crowd next. The moment he squeezed through the the tightly packed bodies, he fell over. Lucky for him, Zidane came through next. He hauled Vivi to his feet before addressing the crowd with Eiko.
"Sorry folks. The light show is over."
The residents shrugged, deciding to go about their day and letting Tantalus Delivery handle whatever was going on. When they were alone, Oswald stood from the ground. His ears picked up the people's chatter, the sounds of the trams moving over the street, the distant soft ringing of jazz music. Spicy and savory scents rushed into his nose. For the first time in years, his stomach growled. The air moved around him, flowing through his black fur. He looked down at Ortensia, who was still slumbering in his arms.
She nuzzled his chest, purring in her sleep. Her black fur was matted, but her cat ears were lowered, showing that she felt completely safe. The sunlight shined down on her pink, floral dress.
"We're finally free," Oswald whispered.
His eyes closed, his body swayed, and he tumbled forward.
Zidane reached out, catching Ortensia as she fell out of Oswald's arms. Meanwhile, Oswald fell back, his head landing on Kairi's arm.
Zidane straightened up, carrying Ortensia like a baby. "What's going on?"
Max, and Kairi, who were lying down on the floor, gave him a weak thumbs up.
"Let's just say we won a battle that was three times as hard as hard as we thought it would be," Kairi explained.
Max snickered. "And we took three times as many licks."
Eiko stood over them, clicking her teeth. "Let me guess, you went all out too?"
"Is there any other way to fight?" Max asked.
Eiko rolled her eyes. "You're just like Zidane."
"Skilled?" Zidane offered.
"Nope. Reckless."
Vivi bent down and grabbed Kairi's shoulders, pushing her up into to a sitting position. "I'm glad you two are okay. But why are you alone? Where's Sora? And the others?"
"We got split up," Kairi replied, "but I know they're okay."
Max groaned when Vivi helped him up next. "Ow! Watch the head."
"S-sorry."
"Guess that's my cue," said Eiko. She walked around, casting healing spells on Max, Kairi, Oswald, and Ortensia. When the bunny and kitty didn't wake up, Kairi cast Eiko a worried look.
"They must be really tired," Eiko explained.
"Did they use a lot of magic?" Vivi asked.
Kairi nodded.
"Healing can take of the physical stuff, but too much magical use means the body needs more time to rest," Vivi said.
"Wow, you're so smart."
Vivi intertwined his fingers. He didn't meet Kairi's eyes as he spoke. "Merlin always says that a strong mind means strong magic. I try to learn what I can."
Kairi had to fight the urge to bend down and give Vivi a big hug. The boy was so modest, it was easy to forget that he was a magical powerhouse. In an attempt not to coo, she turned to Max. While everyone else had been talking, Max had gotten down on his knees and picked up Oswald, carrying him piggyback. The poor bunny's cheek rested on Max's shoulder, his ears flopping over Max's chest.
"Sorry about your hoodie," said Kairi, pointing to Max's red T-shirt.
"I got a spare," Max replied. "So what now?"
Kairi sighed. "We'd better get Oswald and Ortensia to Master Yen Sid. Then we have to figure out a way to regroup with Sora and the oth-"
Something on Kairi's hip burned. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the star charm she had found in the haunted mansion. It glowed, heat radiating off it. What was once a peaceful summer night in Twilight Town turned into absolute chaos as a sudden, powerful quake terrified the residents. Vivi and Eiko fell over. Max and Zidane lowered their stances in a desperate attempt to keep their balance and not drop Oswald and Ortensia.
With everyone distracted by the shaking, none of them could reach out and grab Kairi. Her feet left the ground. In the midst of all the confusion and screams, she went up, falling into the sky. The star charm was still glowing. It burned Kairi's fingers. As she flew further and further away from Twilight Town, the shock knocked her out.
Jiminy's Journal
Ortensia (First Appeared in The Banker's Daughter, 1927): This little cat is one of Master Yen Sid's apprentices and a powerful mage in her own right. She fell into darkness after trying to protect Oswald from the aftermath of Marluxia's failed attempt to destroy the realm of darkness. Now that she and Oswald have been reunited and free, how will Master Yen Sid react upon their return?
