KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH
Kairi and Riku watched helplessly as Oogie's bugs continued to munch on Sora's flesh. The boy had been moved to a rack-like machine and stretched until every movement caused his joints to crackle and tendons to send immense waves of pain at every tiny twitch of movement. Therefore it seemed in the hero's best interest to keep as still as he possibly could manage.
Not being able to move while teeny teeth ripped holes in his chest and throats the size of pins swallowed tender skin caused Sora to give in ever so slightly to the fear that crept on him like a thief. This in turn exposed a tiny bit of his heart, wich the Shadows instantly were interested in and swarmed him.
Namine gasped and Riku turned to her his eyes asking the question his mouth did not want to ask. The girl shook her head sadly.
"Sora is fading. Soon, his Antiform will emerge and consume him, or simply leave, taking Sora's heart with it. You can see it trying to show itself. It looks like his shadow but its more bestaial, with the yellow eyes of a Heartless."
"Sora's Heartless…..Anti-Form is Sora's HEARTLESS. But why now? Why is it emerging NOW?"
"Sora has never given it such a good opportunity. Plus the power of the Keyblade kept it at bay. Now that the weapon is isolated from its master, Antiform feels that now is the perfect opportunity to snatch his hosts heart."
Sora screamed as the dark, monkey-like shadowform of himself broke free of his being. He then screamed as the bugs began to frenzy and ripped stripps of flesh from the emblem on his chest, their mandibles digging deeper, poking harder cutting sharper and their saliva acting like acid as it burned the red symbol.
Antiform gurgled in malicious pleasure as he bounced on his host, dislocating Sora's shoulders with a sickening snap-pop. Slavering, Antiform drooled over the symbol ridding it of bugs and drooled again on his hosts throat. The bugs began to carve a new symbol on both sides of Sora's neck.
Antiform then eyed the prisoners in the cage and galloped over. Kairi pressed herself close to the bars of the cage as far away as possible but the creature still climbed all over her like a monkey, its curious eyes peering over every inch of her as it hissed and gugled.
Kairi tried to pry it loose to no avail,
"EWWW! It may LOOK like Sora but this THING creeps me out!"
"hehehe looks like some things never change." Riku laughed, "Hey Kairi I think it LIKES you."
"GET IT OFF!"
Riku swung the Dawn at the creature and it swiped at the weapon then leaped at him midstrike striking the youth again and again with its sharp claws, drawing blood each and every time it struck. Riku tried to get up but Antiform was standing on his chest slashing mercilessly.
"RIKU!" Kairi screamed frantically, striking the attacking monster with a stick the older boy had given her back on the Island. It proved futile of course and earned the brave auburn haired girl a slash on the cheek.
However the shining white Keyblade that came sailing past the girl narrowly missed the raging being as a snarling voice growled out of nowhere.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE! STRIKE RAID!"
Antiform snarled and leaped for his attacker only to erupt in flames.
"Roxas is off-limits, got it MEMORIZED?"
Namine smiled. "Roxas! Axel I knew I could count on you!"
Suddenly Roxas went limp and fell, getting caught by a pair of gnarled hands. Riku and Axel dove toward the figure but the bars and magic tendrils kept them at bay. A sinister chuckle filled the prisoners with dread as the figure gently lay Roxas down and knelt over the entrapped Keybearer, her disdain for the prone hero nearly palpable as she glared at the hissing, drooling, monkeylike being that sat atop the chest of his shaking but still sickeningly heartstrong host.
The new arrival stroked the boy's neck almost as if petting a dog, her soft venomous chuckle still berating the efforts of the two friends in the cage.
"You fools. My revenge will not be foiled by the likes of YOU. Ah the Heartless has emerged! Excellent. Oh? You cannot speak? No matter. Take from Sora that wich you crave and come, there is much to be done. Once his heart is gone Sora will join my ranks just like his Heartless….and his Nobody. Isnt that right….ROXAS?"
Everyone but Riku looked in horror as the youngest member of Organization 13 stood, his being reeking of Darkness. Axel raged against the bars and his voice was more hurt than angry as he snarled,
"WHY! Does our freindship mean NOTHING to you? You betrayed the Organization first, then turn on your friends AND your Other is THAT it? Before I destroy you, TELL ME WHY ROXAS!"
"Because he has no choice." Riku murmured pointing to the Nobody of his best friend, "Look before you attack blindly. His scent has changed but his eyes can't lie. They're blank. Roxas is nothing but Malefiscent's puppet now. Don't blame him for this behavior, it isn't his fault, Axel. I'm not goibng to stop you but please think about what you are doing. Look at Roxas and try to see PAST the Darkness."
Taking a deep breath, Axel did look past the evil intent in his 'brother's' eyes and saw the true Nobody, scared and confused. The boy was right, Roxas had no control over his actions –Malefiscent was LITERALLY pulling the strings.
Kairi saw it too and shuddered in fear as she imagined Sora also being strung along, a slave to the witch's evil will.
"Sora…NO."
Maleficent laughed scornfully and leaned down to Sora's ear, shooing Antiform away with a dismissive hiss and then smiled down at the boy, her hypnotic, sickly sweet voice confident as she began her work.
"Sora hear me. The time has come for you to realize your true potential—the potential to weild the Darkness as you do the Keyblade! With both powers combined you can make sure nothing ever happens to your friends ever again. Stop fighting the Darkness, child! JOIN with it!"
The Boy shook his head as best he could with a sneer on his lips, holding onto the Light emanating from his friends and the small bit left inside himself as he forced the temptation that crept up on him—the urge to join the Darkness in order to protect the ones he cared about. NO! I'll NEVER give in to the Darkness! NOT EVER!
"I don't NEED Darkness to help me Maleficent. It's like I told Xehanort's Heartless years ago; my friends are MY power and right now its all I need! Let Roxas go, RELEASE him from whatever spell you entrapped him with, he's not a part of our fight!"
The witch laughed and released Roxas, and the Nobody fell on the ground, clearly unconscious.
"Very well. Your Nobody was simply the guinea pig. Sooner or later, Keybearer, your heart will give in to the Darkness and when it does, I shall return towatch your downfall, my pet. Farewell until that GLORIOUS day! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The Dragon Lady disappeared the way she had come but her voice remained to give her final commands,
"Oogie leave the boy alone for now. Roxas…..dear Roxas…..I've grown quite fond of you. You will not be able to return to your vessel at this time, my boy. You also will realize your TRUE power that I can give you, Taste it now, and perhapse then you will fully understand!"
Roxas rose, his body surrounded with Maleficent's green aura, his hands outstretched as he once again tried to summon the Oblivion. The weapon shimmered, shook, and finally broke free of the magic that separated it from its weilder. The boy smiled then fell again, the green mist no longer powering his movement.
The eerie fog settled on Sora, the voice of Maleficent finally penetrating the boy's defenses and flowed through his being carrying her poison through his will until at last, Sora gave in to the fear that had been building up since his capture.
"Sora—I also grant YOU a taste. Those shackles cannot hold you—free yourself and save your friends before they are consumed by the Shadows!"
The boy fought the Darkness but it was no use—his defenses had been shattered by his desperation as he saw the millions of Heartless swarm the cage and attack his comrades. It would have been fine and Riku would have taken care of everything—had Kairi not screamed.
That scream sent Sora into a frenzy and he was instantly one with the Darkness that grew from his rage, desperation, and fear. The shackles that bound him shattered into dust, and several Shadows met their end as the rage of the Keyblade and the Keywielder cut through their ranks like they were paper.
Riku saw his worst fear unfold in front of his eyes as his friend continued to slaughter the Heartless., his Antiform merging with him and Sora basking in his shadow. The Keybearer was stark raving mad amd it nearly tore the older boy's heart to shreds to see his friend cross the line that he himself swore NEVER to cross.
"Sora! Sora come on don't do this! Sora come ON, you're not giving in already? I thought you were stronger than THAT."
The taunt that usually sparked life, courage, even rivalry/playful rage from Sora had very little effect on the young hero this time, making Riku's heart sink in despair. Kairi also saw the change in her friend, and cried. The monster before her—it couldn't be Sora…it WASN'T Sora! It was an enemy that was using Sora's body to do its bidding-a parasitic Heartless maybe but not—
"No Kairi." Namine's soft voice whispered sadly. "It IS Sora. He has given in slightly to the Darkness and that Darkness feeds on his rage, making it stronger and more consuming. If he gives incompletely—"
"Then he'll end up like I did when our adventures first started," Riku finished, dread lacing his tone as his voice stuck in his throat, "He'll be a slave to the Darkness."
Axel shuddered at the mere thought of what Riku had just brought to the groups attention.
"Great, just what we need, a HEARTLESS KEYBOY. You know how bad this will be for US if he goes turncoat, right?"
Namine nodded,
"He would turn into the ultimate Dark Warrior, stronger and bigger than Darkside, his heart is that strong."
Axel snorted "DARKSIDE? HA Darkside would be a TOY compared to him!"
Riku shiuddered and suddenly pointed.
"Hey, is that SUPPOSED to even be possible?"
The group paused to look and gasped at the scene that folded out before them. Sora was ATTACKING his Nobody, having dealt with the swarm of Shadows, and the two were locked in a high speed Key fight—Sora trying to actually SNUFF his Nobody and Roxas trying to calm his Other down and SURVIVE at the same time.
Namine suddenly realized an important role Roxas could play in this situation, and got the blond Nobody's attention quickly.
"Roxas! Roxas please you may be Sora's last hope! You are the ONLY ONE who can reach him! Please Roxas…BRING SORA BACK!"
"But Namine I'm a Nobody how can I—"
"Please Roxas! I believe you have the power to bring Sora back to himself!"
With his girl counting on him and his Somebody trying to slaughter him, the Nobody had no choice but to thrust his weapons forward and force Sora to battle him where it really mattered, as he had done in The World That Never Was about two years ago.
In the Station of Awakening. It was time to dive into Sora's heart…..
TBC