A/N: This story is built on the premise that Sephiroth and Aeris were dead and had no previous involvement in the saga of Kingdom Hearts.
? POV
Darkness. Black, cold, daunting, and unrelenting. It surrounds me hoping to devour what's left of what I desperately call an existance.
Even so I pay it no mind and let my thoughts drift since it's all I have. And I'm home and I can breath the air. It isn't exactly fresh but it's real enough. The darkness shifts and turns into a room with walls, and then it shifts again. Light pierces through a newly made window as it expands and cut's off into four pieces. The room expands and forms several smaller rooms along with a stairway. Carpets appear under a wooden table and chairs with two plates and a pitcher filled with tea. Artificial sunlight filters through the windows where it dances on the tiled kitchen floor. I hear a door open and I smile knowing who it is before she makes herself known. A middle-age woman with light brown hair, my mom, Elmyra is home from another tiring day at work and collapses on the couch.
I frown as I place my basket on the counter knowing I didn't sell as many flowers as I would have liked. Oh well.
"Hi Mom!" I call out. She turns to me and gives the slightest hint of a smile and nod before she zones out at a blank tv screen. It wasn't unusual for her to do that. Most people tend to zone out for a bit after a tiring work day anyway. I walk towards her but then I shiver. Turning around, the windows open letting in a gentle breeze. Locks of chocolate brown hair fall in front of my eyes and I brush it away with my fingertips.
And a smile forms.
And I'm talking with my mom. She tells me a joke but I don't remember the words. I laugh anyway though and stand up going for the pitcher. I pour a glass for both her and me. She takes a sip and puts the glass down. I take a sip too and feel a distinct warmth but no real taste. Inwardly I frown but instead pay attention to mom who's speaking to me but no words are being said. I understand it anyway though and laugh.
And we sit there and talk like that for what seems like an eternity. I can't hear what she says but I know what she speaks. And I feel both warm and cold inside. Then I notice a plate of muffins right before me and I smile. It doesn't matter that I don't remember making them. It doesn't matter that they weren't on the table a minute ago. Mom doesn't seem to care about it either. So neither do I.
I grab a hold of one of them and I know that it's warm and moist. And I know it'll be sweet when I taste it. Mom grabs one too and we both eat. It's delicious but it tastes like nothing. I want more though and take another bite.
Except I miss and my eye sight is hot and blurry. And tears run down my cheeks where they drop and land on the wooden stairway I find myself sitting on. Sobs are caught in my throat but one escapes in a pathetic whimper of a cry. Instantly I know mom's making her way down the stairs and that she's with me.
And the planet whispers to me.
And the tears continue as I try to hide them with my hands.
"What's wrong?" Mom asks me bending over and holding me in an embrace. I don't hear her words but I know that's what she said. I try to speak but the words get caught in my throat.
And I want to tell her. I want to tell her so much but I don't know how.
And the planet comforts me but it only makes me feel worse.
"What's wrong?" mom asks me again but there's nothing I can say to her And I only want to cry harder now.
And the planet whispers to me.
I blink and the room fades. And my mom smiles just before she fades too. The house fades and instead I'm kneeling at a flower bed. And my smile returns as I water the flowers. They don't need it of course but it makes me feel better. I touch one and it seems to bloom right in front of me.
I love flowers.
"Don't you agree Cloud?" I ask and turn to see the ex-SOLDIER. He stairs blankly at the hole he very well made himself with a blank expression.
"I guess" he says taking note of his surroundings. An abandoned sanctuary with the floor boards uprooted. The rest of the church is made of old cobble stone that reaches half way towards the podium and then stops . A pillar of artificial light erupts from a hole in the roof while high wooden beems keep whats left of it intact.
"I guess? That's all?"
He just simply shrugs at that. Not knowing what to say myself, I just turn my attention to the flowers again.
But the flowers are gone and we're moving inside a cart. Cloud and me. And I see him smiling. Actually smiling! He stares at me for a moment and then turns to a window at the side of the cart. I look too and gasp. The stars shine so brightly I could swear it was all for me. Brighter still as I hear a booming noise and watch as several stars shoot outward and explode with so much color I'm nearly overwhelmed. I love fireworks!
Maybe Cloud does too?
I turn back to Cloud who's still staring out the window. His smile is gone but I can tell he's still quite relaxed. I smile. It's really hard for him to let his guard down and I know we're eventually gonna have to stop Sephiroth but I'm just glad that atleast for now he can stop and enjoy himself. If only for a little while.
And the planet whispers to me.
No! It's too soon! I leap from my seat to embrace Cloud but I'm not there in time. The world and my memory shatters. I feel like I'm falling. All the warmth I felt before is gone and a chill bites deep into my fingers. And I cry out for all it's worth but I know no one hears me.
Alone... once again. Realization dawns. Sephiroth is dead. Cloud killed him and stopped Meteor from destroying all. As a cetra, my duty was to protect the planet. I did what was asked of me and prayed for Holy with the white materia. And it worked sort of because Holy wasn't enough and the life stream was needed in the end. And I helped there too because I couldn't stand to see the planet I love so much die. To see everyone die. To see children die. To see my friends die. To see Cloud die.
Especially not Cloud.
And knowing that I had the power to stop all that...
And then I see Cloud again but he's not smiling anymore. I stare right into his eyes, as crystal blue as they are but he doesn't notice me. His hands drop uselessly to his sides but someone grabs a hold of one of them. I look up to find Tifa who is smiling at Cloud sadly. He stares at her for a moment but his expression doesn't change. He doesn't speak but I hear the words "It's all my fault.".
Is that what he thought?
I blink and feel pain lance through my back and stomach. I look down with almost detached amusement to see a silvery sheen soaked in blood. And with it, I feel my life slip away. Blood continues to flow, running down my dress and staining it red. I know the pain is agonizing but it feels so far away. Everything is so far away. I look up and see Cloud who is simply stunned pale with disbelief. I smile sadly and feel my eyelids begin to close. My breathing is light and shallow and my heart beat slows. I feel tired. So very tired. I try to fight it but the pain is too much. And I feel myself sleep. Even with my eyes half open.
Cloud's so very far away.
The darkness returns and I blink away tears that don't really exist. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to sleep anymore.
Alone... so alone.
"Please!" I cry out desperately. "Someone please hear me!"
A passing glimps...
A flicker so dim I almost didn't notice it. But all feeling I had before is lost. I try to move but even that is lost to me. Even so somewhere deep down, I know someone did hear me. A rigid chill runs up and down my back and my eyes flash open.
And a hand is reaching toward me.
Sora's POV
I swung hard with my blade knowing instantly that my opponent ducked under the strike with the ease I expected him to. I twist around this time going low, extending my right arm to cleave just above the disturbed sandy turf where his shin would be. He leaps away in a back flip while I regain my footing and press forward bringing my arms back and wooden sword positioned for a piercing strike.
"Nice try." He taunts as I miss the white and yellow vest he's wearing by a hairsbreath. White, silvery hair caked in sweat, Riku breaks left and behind that oh so incredibly annoying palm tree. I break off my attack just in time as my sword (little more then a sharpened wooden stick with a hilt)misses just short of the palm tree's bark. Riku leaps on top of a branch and leaps again, his own wooden sword brought behind his head, he crys out in a would be powerful leaping slash.
I leap back too as Riku's wooden sword slaps the ground hard. He's not one to miss an opportunity either as he dashes forward in a blur of silver and gold. I leap up high and throw all my momentum into a backflip. Then I curl inwards and stick my sword out. I smirk as I feel a hard impact and hear a grunt. It's a signature move of mine as well as a great counter and Riku falls for it pretty often. My silver haired friends charge is stopped and I kick off the sand upon landing.
Our swords clash hard but I break it off quickly bringing my own sword back to strike his side. His sword is there quicker then mine and deflects it away. He twists around trying to land a hard elbow at my jaw but I let his attack pass harmlessly over my head. I take my sword in both hands and thrust the flat into Riku's chest.
He feels it worse then I do for obvious reasons and falls to the ground with a dull thud.
"That does it!" He barks and finds his feet alot sooner then I would have given him credit for. But then again, this is Riku we're talking about. Master of the impossible. He charges at me again much faster then before for a slash at the waist. I deflect it away but Riku takes it in stride spinning around to hit my bicep. I block that too but Riku's fluid strikes are getting faster and much more unpredictable. I'm frantically flailing my sword in a hasty defense but Riku's damn fast and manages to clip my leg and get a good hit at my ribcage. I grunt with the pain but otherwise bare with it.
That's not the end of it though. Riku switches to his left hand while twisting to strike my shoulder. I bound left and just under the strike and counter it with an upwards slash of my own. He expectantly blocks and I pull my blade back for a thrust. He dodges right and I redirect my blade towards where he bounds. Desperately he brings his own sword to block again but I've left him off balance. I twist in the opposite direction and kick his legs out from under him. Riku falls again and rolls away just in time to avoid being pierced by a childrens toy.
At this point we're both breathing heavy. Not to mention that the sun is aggravatingly hot.
I'm panting heavily as I bring my blade forward to face Riku. He's doing the same but I catch the smallest glimpse of a smirk forming. He's enjoying this quite a bit.
"What d'ya say Sora? Shall we take this up a notch?"
I blink, but a grin begins to form on my face to match his own.
"Sure. Why not?"
"Rules?"
"Magic and skills. No drives. No summons. No items."
"How about Limit Breaks?"
I didn't think too much on it.
"Okay."
"First one to call it quits loses."
Of course, I probably should've.
I have no time to think much about it either as Riku's wooden sword disolves and a much more intimidating weapon forms. His blade was a demonic wing that conflicted with the more angelic formed hilt. A second angel wing rested just before the tip of the guilded keyblade. A sword of darkness in constant struggle with the light. As was Riku's fate. A way to the dawn. Fitting. My own arm vibrates anxiously as I flip a mental switch in my mind. Instantly I feel power coursing through my vains. My own wooden sword disappears to be replaced by a new cooler weight. It forms with a golden hilt that splits off into a key top. A slight blue groves separates the gold from the silver that forms instantly. A keychain of the King's symbol forms within pure silver. The tip forms not as an edge but a potent silver rod shaped at the end as a key.
The kingdom key in all it's infinite glory. Actually, it's appearance was rather plain in comparision to the other keyblade forms at my disposal. But this was simply a sparring match. Not a gore fest. There was no need.
In an instant the two of us are at eachother again at blinding speeds. I take the initiative early weaving the keyblade in complex V slashes then twisting around to strike a third time at the shins. Riku blocks each shot before pushing me away and following through with a powerful arcing strike. I deflect it away, albeit barely and counter with three quicker (weaker) slashes at waist height. Riku's even faster now, deflecting veteran strikes as if they were clumsy reckless flailing. I'm not one to give up either though so I pick up the pace. Kingdom Key is a blur of silver and gold as it spins around repelling my rival. I spin right along with it in complete harmony with my blade. The momentum I build is intense and my focus sharpens. Left to right. Down to up. Instinct takes over while tension rises. In jagged figure-eights I slash and continue to pick up speed. Even Riku is having trouble keeping up with me now and compensates by backing away. I leap quickly in pursuit and for the first time that I've seen him, Riku panics. His own instinct telling him to rely on his magic for the time being. And so he does as blue-ish purple flames consume his left hand. He unleashes it as an orb of blue flames the size of a basketball.
He used it first not me.
"Reflega!" I cry out as the flames bounce harmlessly off the barrier I created and out of harms way. Desperate, Riku leaps forward to meet my charge. Our blades bounce off each other hard. For an instant my arm goes numb but I ignore it opting to gain ground on the silver haired boy instead. Riku's Dark Firaga magic works itself into his blade as it bursts into a blazing sword of magic.
I swing hard to throw my opponent off balance. It works but not as well as I hope. Regardless I leap high as several more bursts of Dark Firaga miss me by mere inches. A fourth blast is right on target only to be deflected midair by my Kingdom Key.
If it's a magic war he wants...
I call upon my mana reserves as an orb of darkness begins to from.
Then it's a magic war he'll get.
"Graviga!" I cry out as the expanding orb falls down to Riku. The blast impacts hard as the silver haired boy struggles to fight the magic with his own power. I don't care though because he won't be ready for this. I call upon my magic again, this time as rath from the heavens.
"Thundaga!"
Thunderbolts split the sky in a devasting display of power heading towards the expanding orb of Graviga where it's absorbed into the distorted gravity. A wave of frosty warmth fills me while air heats within the orb that has become a vacuum of explosive energy. Riku doesn't even realize it until it's too late.
Few would find themselves sleeping this hour. But even if they were, they're wide awake now. The initial shock wave caused the ground to shake immensely. The blast that followed was something that easily rivaled the best movies had to offer. And poor Riku is sent flying back first and out cold where he hits the sandy beach in a dull thud.
I land just shy of the smouldering crater I caused. About fifteen feet in diameter and considerably deep.
Perhaps I over did it a bit?
Oh well. Game over. Looks like I win.
I rush over to Riku who is still out cold. The sea rolls in and out just missing the boy by a few feet. Once I make it over, I kneel down grabbing his shoulder.
"Hey Riku! You okay?"
I'm sure he'll be fine. He's been through alot worse then that fireworks display I just pulled off. My silver haired friend's eyes open slowly and I'm met with a souring groan.
"Ugh... what was the number of that truck?" I smirk.
"That be me."
He laughs.
"Figures. The damn spikey haired runt is kicking ass."
"Your ass."
"Yeah my ass." He huffs. I offer him a hand and he takes it.
"Holy cow!"
We both turn to see Tidus and Wakka who are looking at us with expressions bordering awe. I blink as does Riku.
"That was awesome! You two definitely gotta teach me some moves." states the blonde.
"You were watching the fight?" I ask. Then slap my head. Of course they were.
"Right from da beginning man." Wakka answered for Tidus who glared at his friend in return.
"Ah Sora?" The blitzball maniac continues. "You may want ta fix dat pot hole. Cause some problems later on ya?"
Riku and I blink again. Yeah... I might just wanna do that.
"Hey Sora?" Tidus asks this time. "What's with the ribbon?"
"Huh?" I ask. What ribbon?
"You know. The one on your arm."
My arm?
I blink again and stare at both arms. The one on my right is perfectly normal save for some bumps and bruises from sparring. The one on my left though...
Just past the darkened sleeve is a thin pink ribbon tied and wrapped around my arm.
What the heck?
Who are you? Someone calls to me.
A/N: Wow, this took alot longer then I hoped. Several problems here. For one early lack of reviews did hurt my inspiration as shallow as that is. Second was I got struck with the Flu. Even as I post this chapter, I'm still not completely over it.
So how's my fight scene attempt? I tried to get a feeling of Advent Children here but I think I fell short. Oh well. R and R guys. I'll try to get the next chapter up as fast as possible.