Gummi Ship
"Kirito, watch out!" shouted Sora.
"Hang on!" Kirito replied, changing the Gummi ship's direction.
"Hey, you're making me miss these creatures!" Asuna barked.
"Wah! We got hit!" Donald squawked. Kirito gritted his teeth as he maneuvered the ship. The team was racing their way through one of the special gates they missed before, one full of floating islands with gushing waterfalls. Kirito wanted to give it flying the ship a try, so with him at the wheel, and Asuna at the turret, they made their way through the gate. That was when Kirito found out controlling the Gummi ship was harder than it looked.
"We're almost out, papa!" Yui cried, looking at the monitor, "Just a little bit more!"
"Gotta defeat these enemies in front of us first." Kirito stated, as he noticed more opponents in front of them. He went into a steep climb as he aileron-rolled out of the way of the enemy fire while Asuna shot a barrage of attacks at them. They finished off the remaining pack, and Kirito noticed the keyhole in front. He reared the ship over to where it was, and made it through. Finally, they appeared out of the spacial gate, flying towards the next world.
Kirito sighed in relief. "That was a close one…" he said, "Everyone ok?" He looked to where everyone was at. Goofy was ducked underneath his seat the whole time. Donald was flipped upside-down on his seat. Sora groaned as he straightened himself onto his feet. Yui let go of the control panel she was holding onto tight before. Asuna shook her head and looked at Kirito. "Next time, leave the flying to Donald and Yui." she told him.
"Was I really that bad?" Kirito asked. Everyone's groans told him the answer was yes. Kirito looked up, smiling in embarrassment that he screwed up a bit.
Once they had time to calm down, the team looked down at the next world they were at, which looked mostly made of water. "Hey, that's where Atlantica is at!" Sora noticed.
"Atlantica?" Asuna asked.
"It's a really cool place." Sora stated, "It's an underwater area, and get this; I get myself a tail here."
"A tail?" Kirito asked, "You mean…you turn into a merman?"
"Yeah!" Sora answered, "Goofy becomes a sea turtle, and Donald becomes half-octopus."
Kirito looked down at the world. Something about turning into an aquatic being somehow didn't suit him. Then again… Kirito wondered, if Asuna turns into a mermaid… He then started to imagine Asuna, transformed into a mermaid, having the fish tail and with seashells on her…
"I think I'll pass." Asuna stated, and everyone looked to her surprised.
"Why not?" Donald asked.
"We have a lot of friends there you should meet." Goofy told her.
"Yeah. Wait till you meet Ariel." Sora stated.
"No thanks." Asuna answered, "I'd rather stay behind with the ship?"
"And do what exactly?" Kirito asked.
Asuna paused, thinking for an answer, then finally she said, "I was planning on seeing Hollow Bas…I mean Radiant Garden. I want to check up on everyone." Kirito guessed she wasn't going down there for some reason, and he had a funny feeling he knew why.
"In that case, I'll pass too." Kirito told the group.
"What?" Sora, Donald and Goofy cried in unison.
"I'm worried about Sugu." Kirito stated, "And I want to see how the Moonlit Black Cats were doing."
Sora, Donald and Goofy looked to each other, then Sora said, "Ok, in that case, we'll handle this world on our own. You guys go check up on Leafa and the others."
"Ok, but be careful." Kirito told them.
"We will." Sora replied, and he, Donald and Goofy walked up onto the transporter.
"I'm setting in the coordinates." Yui told them, "Be careful down there!" She pressed a button, and with a few seconds, the trio disappeared in a bright light, leaving Kirito, Asuna and Yui all alone.
"Tell me, you just didn't want to go down there because you didn't want to become a mermaid, right?" Kirito asked.
"That, and I noticed a look on your face." Asuna said sternly.
"What look?" Kirito asked innocently.
"You know what I mean." Asuna retorted, frowning at him, "I can tell if your mind gets a little dirty."
"I-I was just thinking about what we would look like in that world!" Kirito defended himself. Asuna still wasn't convinced. "A-Anyways, let's go to Radiant Garden, shall we?" Kirito suggested, turning to Yui, "Yui, set coordinates to Radiant Garden."
"You got it, papa." Yui replied, setting the coordinates in. With that, the Gummi ship took off.
"You know, it's been a while since we've been together by ourselves." Kirito stated, sitting down in his seat.
"Yeah. We've been spending a lot of time fighting together with Sora, Donald and Goofy against the Heartless and Organization XIII." Asuna looked down with a sad expression, "I wonder, when will this fight be over?" Kirito looked to Asuna. He was thinking the same thing as well. They had been fighting so much in this dimension, that even Kirito was starting to get tired of it. And they felt as if they hadn't gotten any closer to accomplishing their goal.
"Don't worry, mama, papa." Yui stated, turning to them.
"I'm sure we will return back. We just have to keep believing that we can. Keep guiding our hearts to the light, and we will arrive at the solution."
Asuna and Kirito looked to Yui with surprise. "When did you start talking like that, Yui?" Kirito asked.
"Isn't that what Sora's usually trying to say?" Yui replied innocently.
They thought about it for a second, then they smiled. "Yeah. That is what Sora would say." Asuna agreed, "And we should follow his advice." Kirito nodded in agreement. Sora optimism certainly helped them come this far, so why should they stop now.
"C'mon, this ship doesn't run on frowns!" Yui convinced them, "We need to keep going to Radiant Garden, so happy thoughts, ok?"
"Ok." Asuna and Kirito replied. With their hearts set, they continued through space towards Radiant Garden.
In Atlantica, Sora, Donald and Goofy arrived back under the sea again. Their bodies adapted to their environment, just as they remembered. However, Sora was struggling to swim well in his merman body.
"Oh boy! Under the sea again!" Donald cheered.
"Un-huh!" agreed Goofy. Sora was trying his best just to stay in one place.
Just then, three figures came out to meet them. The crab paddling his hardest was Sebastian. The yellow fish swimming along was Flounder. And the mermaid with long scarlet hair, green tail and purple shell bikini was Ariel. They stopped when they noticed the trio from a distance. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Ariel greeted them. She swam up to Sora, circling around him.
"Uh…hi there." stammered Sora as he tried to stay afloat.
"You forget how to swim already?" Ariel guessed.
"Kinda, I guess." Sora replied honestly.
"Den you boys got to practice!" Sebastian told them, "You follow Flounder, he show you what to do."
"C'mon, Sora, you can do it!" Flounder cheered for him. For the next couple minutes, Sora got the feeling of swimming around in the sea again, all the while talking with Ariel about why he forgot about how to swim.
"Man, I wonder how Kirito and Asuna would be able to handle this if they came here?" Sora wondered out loud.
"Who?" Ariel asked. "Oh, they're friends of ours." Sora explained, "Their names are Asuna, Kirito and Yui. They have been journeying with us for a while, but they wanted to go somewhere while we were here. Wish they could've met you."
"I wish they could too." Ariel agreed, "It would be amazing to meet more people from other worlds."
"Oh, crab…" moaned Sebastian from a distance as he heard this.
Sora finally managed to get the swimming down right. "You're a quick learner, Sora!" Flounder complimented him.
"That's much better!" Sora sighed in relief.
"Now den…" Sebastian said as he swam in, "What brings you three into de sea? Is somethin' going on?"
"Kind of." Sora replied.
"But everything SEEMS peaceful." Goofy noticed.
"Oh, everything's fine…as long as Daddy's in a good mood." Ariel stated. By daddy, she meant King Triton, ruler of the seas.
"Hey, we got us a concert very soon." Sebastian remembered, "Why don't you sing in my musical extravaganza?" He drew closer into Sora as he whispered, "Please say yes! Ariel's been actin' strange lately. But she might settle down and practice if you're dere, too."
"That sounds fun!" Donald squawked.
"Let's give it a shot!" Sora stated.
"Excellent!" cheered Sebastian, "Now den, I teach you everything you need." With that, Sebastian started teaching Sora how to work in the musical, all the while when the back of his mind thought about the other three, wondering how they were doing.
After an hour of flying, the Gummi ship arrived at the surface of Radiant Garden. Yui set up the transporter for Kirito and Asuna, and the trio dove down to the surface of the world. They arrived in the shopping district of Radiant Garden just like before.
A second passed as they came out of teleportation, then someone shouted, "Kirito! Asuna!" The two turned to see Leafa over at the armor shop.
"Hey, Suguha." Kirito greeted as they walked over.
"Hey, you guys." Leafa replied, looking at the two, then at Yui, "Where's Sora and the guys?"
"They're busy with another world right now." Asuna told her, "We decided that they could handle it while we're here."
"It did look interesting though…" Yui muttered, "It was an undersea world, and Sora did say that it would be fun…"
"An underwater world?" Leafa asked, slightly nervous. Whether she was Leafa or Suguha, she had one problem, and that was swimming. Sure, she had practice, but this dimension might provide a few problems for her.
"Well, don't worry about it." Asuna told her, "So what're you up to?"
"Just getting some supplies." Leafa replied, holding up the bag full of armor, "Sachi and the others got a lot of money right now, but they rarely have time getting armor and accessories for themselves. So I decided to help them out with that."
"That's really nice of you." Asuna stated cheerfully. Leafa smiled at the compliment.
"So where's Recon?" Kirito asked.
"He'll be here shortly." Leafa replied, "He just had to clean up a few stray Heartless near Merlin's place before coming."
"Sounds like he's become more reliant on fighting on his own, I guess." Kirito guessed.
Leafa nodded in agreement. "I guess going to a different dimension really toughed him up." she said, "I'm really proud of him for that." She looked out towards the edge of the shopping district, towards the stairs.
"And you told him that?" Kirito asked smugly.
"Nah, I haven't." Leafa replied, and the team laughed. She then exclaimed, "Hey, I know! Why don't we go spar together? I know of a nice open area in the borough. I want to know just how well my brother has gotten."
Kirito thought on the suggestion, then smiled. "Sure, as long as were safe about it. Plus, we never did finish our match in ALO before all of this."
"Agreed. I almost forgot that we were sparring before that quest was added into Aincrad." Leafa recollected, thinking back to the one moment that changed all of them. She turned to Asuna and added, "I also want to see how much better you've gotten as well. So don't hold back on me."
"Believe me, I won't." Asuna replied.
"Let's drop off these things at Merlin's place, get Recon, and head over to the area I talked about!" Leafa suggested. They agreed and they walked towards the stairs to the borough.
When they got to the corner of the street where Merlin's house was at, Recon was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't even in the house either. Leafa found it strange, but assumed that Recon must've ran after some escaping Heartless. They dropped the supplies off with Cid, who was the only one there at the moment, before walking out into the streets again, going towards Leafa's spot. There were a few more Heartless here and there, but nothing the team couldn't handle.
They finally got to the spot, and it was a simple town square with cobblestone. There weren't many people around. The team did notice a few members of the Liberation Army walk away as they entered in. "Have there been any problems with the SAO players?" Kirito asked Leafa.
"No, things are pretty normal around here." she replied, "The Army and Knights of the Blood Oath have been great support in minimizing the amount of Heartless. Occasionally, there have been a few Nobodies, but nothing we couldn't handle."
Once they got in the middle of the square, Leafa turned to Kirito and Asuna. "Ok, Kazuto, do you want to start first against me?"
"Sounds good to me." he replied, "Asuna, if things get a little too rowdy…"
"I'll step in and stop the fight." Asuna ended him, "Don't worry about it. Just make sure things don't go that far."
As Asuna stepped back to the side, Kirito and Leafa walked to opposite ends of the stage. They bowed to each other, and produced their Keyblades. They readied themselves as they waited for the right moment to strike. Several seconds of complete silence went by before Kirito made the first move. Kirito dashed forward, leapt high and came down on Leafa. She blocked the attack with her Fairy Harp, who she reverted back to as her prime Keyblade. She knocked Kirito backwards, and dashed as he fell. Kirito twisted in the air and blocked Leafa's sideway slash. He used his momentum to project himself away from Leafa, and skidded to the ground.
"Blizzara!" Kirito shouted, shooting an ball of ice at Leafa.
"Aeroga!" Leafa shouted, sending a ball of compressed wind back at him. The two attacks combined, but Leafa's magic was far stronger, and her Aeroga knocked Blizzara away.
Kirito saw the incoming attack, but also noticed Leafa dashing at him as well. "Reflega!" Kirito shouted, and his barrier suppressed the wind magic, and sending recoil damage at Leafa. She was knocked away from him, but she was far from over. Without changing into her Limit Form, Leafa somehow produced her wings, and floated in the air.
"How did you…?" Asuna gasped.
"Working on my Limit Form has its' benefits." Leafa answered, "Although, this form only lasts five minutes in the air. My Limit Form let's me stay up for fifteen minutes."
"Still, that's quite an accomplishment." Asuna said.
"Oh, that's not all I've gained…" Leafa told her. She then started to focus, and she was suddenly doing an Alfheim magic incantation.
"She can do that, too?" Kirito asked, preparing for the worst. Suddenly, Leafa activated her 'Wind Needles' Magic Skill, and she send a barrage of shining emerald needles down at Kirito. The attack was fast, and Kirito didn't have time to put a barrier. He was consumed by the attack, which billowed up smoke into the air. Asuna was certainly surprised to see Leafa be able to do such things, but she also knew Kirito wasn't gonna stay down. Sure enough, Kirito's enhanced jumping skills and double jumping skills he gained from both Valor and Master form helped him get high into the air, and he performed his 'Sonic Leap' Sword Skill at Leafa, who only noticed him the moment he came out of the smoke cloud. She blocked the attack, but the impact was too strong, and she was sent hurdling into the ground. Kirito landed several meters away form Leafa, who groaned as she got up.
"You've really toughened up, Kazuto." Leafa complimented as she got to her feet again.
"Yeah, and you have gotten a lot better with your skills too, Leafa." Kirito replied, readying himself. Leafa straightened up, and got into battle position again. The tension between the two was pretty strong, and Asuna wondered if they were gonna fight even harder now. If that was the case, things would get serious fast.
Just then, a familiar voice called out to them. "Leafa! Kirito! Asuna!" cried Recon, dashing into the square. Everyone looked to Recon, and saw the look on his face. He looked scared.
"Recon, where have you been?!" Leafa asked, "Did a few Heartless get away from you again?"
"No." Recon panted, stopping and doubling over to catch his breath, "But…it's something very serious." He looked up at them, and his face looked petrified. "It's the Black Cats. They've been attacked and critically injured." Everyone was surprised, but none more panicked than Kirito. His pupils shrunk, terrified when he heard Recon say 'critically injured'.
"What happened?" Asuna asked.
"Where are they?!" demanded Kirito.
"This way!" Recon replied. and he led the team out of the square, and towards their destination.
Kirito was frightened and furious. Sachi…everyone… He thought to himself, Who…who could've done this?! He pelted forward to Recon's side as they dashed through the streets.
They made it to the boarding house, and barged right in. They entered a room, and found Aerith, Kuradeel, and Leon there, with the five injured members of the Moonlit Black Cats. Ducker, Tetsuo and Sasamaru looked like they were damaged the most, and were unconscious. Keita was sitting upright in his bed, gasping in pain as Aerith tried healing him. Sachi, who was furthest away from the door, was awake, though very injured as she laid on her bed. Everyone had bandages on them.
"Sachi!" Kirito cried, running to her side.
Sachi turned her head over to see Kirito's face. "Kirito…" she mumbled weakly.
"Sachi, please tell me you'll be ok." Kirito said hurriedly.
Leon put a hand on Kirito's shoulder, drawing his attention. "Don't worry. They'll live." he assured them, "Aerith and Kuradeel are taking care of them right now." Kirito sighed in relief, and he looked to Kuradeel, who was using his Cure magic to heal up Tetsuo's wounds. This new helpful personality was better than his old attitude.
"What happened?" Asuna asked, looking at the injured members, "Was it a Heartless raid again?"
"No…" Keita replied as Aerith walked away from him, "But…we wish it was. Otherwise, we wouldn't be this messed up."
"Then who was it?" Kirito asked angrily, turning his head to him.
Sachi's squeaky voice made him turn back. "I don't know…who his name was…" she groaned, "I remember…he had long, silver hair…one black wing…and a long sword…" Kirito eyes widened, and he turned to everyone, who knew exactly who it was.
"Sephiroth." Asuna said the name that came to everyone's mind.
"Tell me, why did he do this to you?" Leon asked Sachi. Sachi looked at Leon, her eyelids twitching as she tried to stay conscious.
"I can tell you." Keita answered, drawing everyone's attention, "We were just heading back from Ansem's computer, going for home again…"
(Flashback) The five members were walking down the construction site towards the bailey. They were joking around, having a few laughs with one another. Sachi watched them as she walked from behind, smiling at them. Suddenly, she noticed a black orb of energy appearing in front of them. "Guys!" she shouted, and the group turned just in time to see Sephiroth appear from the black orb. He looked at the five in front of him, who were nervous as his sudden appearance.
The two sides both looked at each other for a moment, then Sephiroth asked, "Have you seen Cloud?"
"Cloud?" Keita echoed, "Sorry, but I don't know where he is."
"I see…" Sephiroth sighed, closing his eyes for a second, then opening them as he continued, "Then I want you to send him a message from me."
"Do we look like messenger boys to you?" Ducker asked sarcastically, "Sorry, but you don't look like a guy we should trust." Everyone readied their weapons, prepared for action.
Sephiroth looked to them, then looked down, his eyes shadowed. As Sachi held her spear at the ready, she noticed something, or rather detected something. The overwhelming strength and darkness this guy carried was incredibly powerful. Too powerful. Sephiroth revealed his long Masamune, and in a flash he got close to the team. At the same time, Sachi shouted, "Protectga!" The team's bodies were enveloped in a bright light. Sephiroth took one swipe, and every one of them was instantly knocked back, yelling in pain. Before they hit the ground, Sephiroth snapped his fingers, and five pillars of fire enveloped each of them. Within each pillar came the five kids howls of pain. When the pillars disappeared, the five fell to the ground, singed and cut. Ducker, Sasamaru, and Tetsuo were all knocked cold. Only Sachi and Keita were barely alive.
"Such…power." Keita groaned as he laid face down on the ground, struggling to get up. Sachi was on her side, with one hand sticking out, shaking in pain and fear.
Sephiroth walked forward, and placed his foot onto one of Keita's hands. The crushing noise told Sachi that he was breaking Keita's hand. Keita howled in pain again. "Now that I have your attention, listen to me." Sephiroth said in a calm tone, "Tell Cloud that I'll be waiting for him at the Dark Depths, past the Great Maw. If he wants to see me, tell him I'll be there." With that, he relinquished Keita's hand, and walked away, disappearing in a black portal. Sachi barely saw him leave, then went unconscious. Keita breathed heavily as he struggled to stay conscious. He noticed Recon and Leon rushing up the pass, and he too blacked out. (Flashback ends)
Kirito looked down at Keita's left hand, noticing it strapped and bandaged. "So he wants to see Cloud." Leon summed up, "This is not good."
"I'm sure he'll be fine." Kuradeel stated, "After all, Cloud's a powerful fighter. Sephiroth shouldn't be a problem for him."
"That's what you think." Aerith retorted, "These guys only suffered a shard of Sephiroth's power. If he fought them at full strength, they would've died the moment he struck them." Leafa, Recon and Asuna looked to each other, scared. This was only a shard of his power? He was truly a formidable opponent.
Kirito's eyes were shadowed as he looked to Sachi, who was asleep. He got to his feet, walked past everyone as he headed for the door. "Kirito?" asked Asuna as he made no sign of looking at her.
"Where are you going?" Leon asked. "He said he was at the Dark Depths, past the Great Maw, right?" he recalled. Keita nodded in response, but Asuna and Leafa knew where he was going with this.
"Hold on, you're not actually going there, right?" Leafa asked.
"Kirito, Sephiroth sounds dangerous." Asuna warned him, "We shouldn't go there."
"I'm going anyway." Kirito replied in a soft but deadly tone.
Leafa and Asuna looked to each other, then nodded in agreement. "Well, if you're going, then we're coming with you." Leafa told him, "You too, Recon."
"Ehh?!" Recon exclaimed, "But why?!"
"For additional support." Leafa answered, "We need all the help we can get." Recon sighed. He knew there was no way out of this.
"Kirito, let us go with you." Asuna pleaded to him.
Kirito looked back at the trio before him. Finally, he said, "Ok, fine. Lets get moving."
"Kirito, don't do anything reckless." Leon warned him, "Sephiroth is a more dangerous enemy than you think."
"Be safe, Kirito." Aerith told him.
"Kirito…don't fight him." Keita warned him. Kirito looked back at him, then at the other three members, and finally, Sachi. He turned to the door, and continued his path, with Asuna, Leafa and Recon right behind him.
Back in Atlantica, Sora, Donald and Goofy were asked by King Triton to help Ariel to stop thinking about the human world above the sea. They thought a busy singing schedule would help, but it wasn't enough. Flounder came up with the idea of digging up a statue he found and giving it to Ariel. That only added to her longing. Finally, Sebastian came up with an idea of using a song he created to convince Ariel not to go up there. With Sora, Donald and Goofy's help, they sang the new song for the musical, "Under the Sea". Ariel even sang along with them in the end. It looked like it might have worked.
"So what do you think, Ariel?" Sebastian asked as he swam up to her.
"Oh, I think it's a great song, Sebastian." She replied in a somewhat pleased tone, "It's just…it's not what I wanna sing." Sebastian looked panic-stricken as Ariel swam away from him. "I wanna sing about…how our two worlds can live in harmony; land and sea together!"
"Da Sea King would make chowder outta me if you sang a song like dat!" Sebastian exclaimed.
Ariel stopped next to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "If you won't listen, then I'm not going to sing at all." Ariel retorted, then she swam away.
"A-Ariel!" Sora shouted as he, Donald and Goofy swam after her.
As Sora tried to follow her, he suddenly got a foreboding feeling. It even made him stop. Donald, Goofy and Ariel all stopped to look at him, seeing the expression on his face. "What is it?" Donald asked.
"You don't look so good." Goofy noticed.
"Sorry…" Sora replied, "It's just…I suddenly got this bad feeling." He looked up above him.
"Is it about the surface?" Ariel asked.
"Not really…" Sora answered, "It's more like I'm feeling as if Kirito and Asuna are doing something dangerous." The group looked to Sora for a second.
"Aw, don't worry about them." Goofy assured him, "They know if things are too tough for them, right?"
"Yeah! They're strong!" Donald added. Sora continued to look up, hoping his friends words were true.
In Radiant Garden, Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Leafa and Recon all walked through the bailey to the Great Maw. They passed by Tifa, who noticed the expression on their face. The team walked through the pass, through the Great Maw, dealing with several Heartless as they did. However, Kirito's conviction along with everyone else's fighting skill proved too much for them, and they were defeated easily.
They finally got to the cliff called the Dark Depths. They noticed Sephiroth standing there, his back turned to them, looking beyond. As they drew in close, Sephiroth asked, "What is Cloud doing?"
"Dunno." Kirito responded.
"Hmph." huffed Sephiroth, "By the way, you five…who are you?" He quickly drew his sword and turned it at them. The team backed away as the Keyblade wielders drew their weapons.
"Like we should tell you anything!" Asuna barked back.
Sephiroth looked to Leafa, Asuna, and finally Kirito's Keyblades. "Well… That's an interesting sword you're carrying." He told Kirito.
"It's called a Keyblade." Kirito told him.
"I see… So that's a Keyblade." Sephiroth summed up, "And I suppose you three must be its' chosen wielders."
"What's it to ya?" Leafa asked.
"I wonder if it won't change its' mind, once I defeat the three of you." Sephiroth questioned as he readied his Masamune.
Leafa and Asuna prepared themselves, but Kirito raised his hands to either side, blocking them. "Leave them out of this." Kirito told Sephiroth, "Your fight is with me."
"Kirito, no!" Asuna cried.
"You can't fight this one alone!" Leafa yelled.
"I'd said I let you guys follow me here." Kirito retorted strongly, stopping their arguments, "I didn't say you'd fight with me."
"But Kazuto..." Leafa started, but her brother stopped her mid-sentence, shouting, "No arguments!" He turned to them with a serious face continuing, "As long as I'm alive, I refuse to let any other party member, friend or family die! I would rather give up my own life than to let that happen." Leafa and Asuna were taken aback. That was Kirito's fighting motto. He wanted this to happen. And once he had this mindset in him, there was no stopping him. They had no choice but to agree to his terms.
Kirito looked to Sephiroth, readying himself. "It would seem that you have the same spirit as Cloud." he noticed as he looked at him, "But I wonder if your strength is just as strong."
"Let's find out!" Kirito growled, glaring at this guy. From between them, the others could feel the tension and the power between these two. This was going to be a duel to the death.
Kirito dashed in first, and the two clashed blades. Immediately, Kirito could feel that Sephiroth's strength was far stronger. He tossed Kirito away, and he dashed at him in a blink of an eye. Kirito noticed that he passed him, but he didn't notice the barrage of hits he laid onto him until he finally felt them. He was repeatedly knocked back, but he managed to stay on his feet. "Kirito!" Asuna shouted.
"Damn!" Kirito moaned, feeling how much damage he was given, "This guys no pushover. He's the real thing."
Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by several dark orbs. Kirito jumped up, but the orbs followed him. They started to close in, so Kirito rapidly deflected them with his Keyblade. He landed on the ground and dashed at Sephiroth. The two clashed, and Kirito repeatedly slashed at him. Sephiroth deflected his attack, and went into a slash combo as well. Kirito barely blocked it with his Keyblade. Sephiroth's attacks were smooth and powerful. He might be even stronger than Heathcliff. the black swordsman thought to himself. Kirito saw an opening, parried his sword, and laid several hits onto Sephiroth. It looked as if it did nothing to him.
"Is that all you got?" Sephiroth asked, "Surely you can do more."
"I'm just warming up!" Kirito roared, and he charged once again at Sephiroth. The two engaged into a sword clash frenzy, their movements fast and powerful. Sephiroth attempted to stab, but Kirito dodged to the side. Sephiroth tilted the blade towards him, and attempted a sideswipe. Kirito flipped over it, and shot a Blizzara spell at Sephiroth, which he took. He shrugged it off, and the two ensued their clash.
"Kazuto…" Leafa muttered as he saw the two clash fast and hard.
"Don't worry." Asuna assured her, "Kirito's gonna be fine."
"You can do it, Kirito!" Recon cheered.
"Show him, papa!" cried Yui.
Asuna watched the fight, folding her hands in front. Please don't let me be wrong. Asuna thought to herself.
Sephiroth and Kirito's blades clashed, and the two struggled to push the other. Kirito was having a hard time, but he roared with fury as he mustered up his strength, pushing Sephiroth away. The fallen angel disappeared in a black portal, reappearing behind Kirito. Kirito reacted just in time to stop his sneak attack, and retaliated with a few slashes of his own. Sephiroth was backed off from this attack, but he recovered and sent a barrage of his Shadow Flare orbs at Kirito. They surrounded Kirito, and was about to move in on him. "Reflega!" Kirito shouted, and he not only deflected all the orbs, but sent the recoil damage at Sephiroth.
Kirito readied himself once again as Sephiroth stood there. "Impressive reaction." he complimented Kirito, "You certainly are skilled. But I wonder if you will be able to avoid this." He spread his black wing, and he started floating in the air. Kirito wondered what he was planning next, and he readied his Keyblade to defend himself. "Descend… Heartless…" Sephiroth chanted, "…Angel!" Suddenly, a halo appeared before Kirito's head, surprising Kirito.
For one second, he wondered what was gonna happen, then his pupils shrunk. He stood there, frozen as Sephiroth landed onto the ground again. Suddenly, Kirito slowly fell to the floor, dropping his Keyblade to his side. a dust cloud billowed as his body collapsed. He stayed there, lifeless.
"Kirito!" shouted the four watchers, seeing Kirito on the ground.
"Seems like it's over…" Sephiroth stated, seeing Kirito's body, dead.
The three girls and Recon were petrified, seeing Kirito's body on the ground. "K-Kazuto, no…" Leafa whispered, her hands covering her mouth.
"This…can't be happening…" Recon muttered, fearful at what just happened.
"Papa…" Yui squeaked, "Papa is…" Asuna was speechless, her mouth open, her eyes shadowed.
"It's hopeless." Sephiroth said as he turned to the party, "No one is able to survive my Heartless Angel strike, let alone him. It was because he didn't embrace the darkness. Only through that could he have gotten stronger. Though, it still wouldn't be enough to defeat me."
Sephiroth slowly walked towards the group, his sword at his side. "So, will one of you step forward, or should I fight all of you instead." All but Asuna looked at Sephiroth fearfully. "Will you stand and fight, or will you run like cowards?" he asked.
Asuna's face turned to Kirito's body behind Sephiroth. "Kirito…" Asuna muttered, "You didn't mean…that you would've given up your life for real…to protect us… You are way more powerful than that. Kirito…Kazuto…you couldn't be dead…you can't…" Suddenly, Asuna's eyes revealed themselves, and they were teary and desperate. "KIRITO, WAKE UP PLEASE! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME! I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH FOR THAT!" she shouted at the top of her voice, "PLEASE, KIRITO! GET UP!" Her scream echoed throughout the cliff and the Great Maw. Asuna gritted her teeth as she withheld the moment of bursting out crying.
Sephiroth readied his Masamune as he came in close. The four were scared at first, then they gasped in surprise. Sephiroth stopped in his track. "And here I thought I finished you." he muttered, not even looking behind him to see what happened. Kirito was on his feet again. He held an empty Elixer bottle in his hand, which he drank down. He dropped the bottle and reproduced his Elucidator Keyblade. The team was surprised, but Asuna led the team as they smiled broadly.
"Kirito!" she shouted happily.
"That attack…certainly was something…" Kirito huffed as he stood there. Sephiroth turned to him, showing a slight sign of surprise.
"I see you survived my Heartless Angel strike." he stated.
"That attack? Please…" Kirito shrugged off, "Sure, it packs a punch, but nothing I couldn't handle. I don't think you know this, but I'm also known as the Death Beater. I've cheated death countless times, both for myself and many others, and I can do it again."
He looked calmly at Sephiroth's face, then to Asuna, who still had tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Asuna." Kirito thanked her, "And…I love you, too. That's why I didn't want you to fight this battle right now."
Asuna blushed at this, realizing he had heard her words. However, instead of knocking the subject away, she smiled instead. "Thanks, Kirito." she replied, then with a serious tone she said, "Now beat this bastard and show him that you were just going easy on him before."
Kirito nodded, and he looked to Sephiroth, who turned fully to him. "So 'Death Beater', shall we continue?"
"Sure." Kirito answered, "But I'm gonna introduce you to how we do things back home. Limit!" Kirito's clothing bursted with energy, and suddenly turned themselves into his SAO garments, with his Oblivion in his other hand.
(Cue SAO OST - Survive the Swordland)
Kirito instantly charged at Sephiroth with a Sonic Leap, and the two clashed swords. This time, Kirito's power was overwhelming to Sephiroth, and he knocked him back. He performed and aerial combo with his sword, and Kirito met his attack with a combo of his own. They landed on the ground, and Sephiroth made a downward slash onto Kirito. He took the hit, and coughed up blood. However, he instantly recovered, and dashed all around Sephiroth, slashing around into a Horizontal Square Sword Skill. The attack took affect, and Sephiroth grimaced. He then produced large fire pillars all around him, and it looked like Kirito was hit by one. The others watched horrified as Kirito looked as if he was succumbed to the infernal tower. Suddenly, Kirito appeared out of it, protected by his blades. He then roared as with a swish of his blades, he dispersed the pillar.
Sephiroth disappeared in a black portal, reappearing behind Kirito again. Kirito saw this, and blocked the attack. He did this repeatedly from every angle, each backslash faster than the next. Kirito continuously blocked all of them, repelling the attack with nothing but brute force. He met the final strike with vengeance, and the two engaged in a furious clash of swords, now faster than before. In fact, the attack was so fast, that their swords were barely recognizable. The others watched with baited breath as the two clashed, their power sending dust clouds billowing from underneath them. Kirito's parried a strike, and attempted to slash him. Sephiroth leapt back, and started glowing as he rose in the air once more. He was about to use another Heartless Angel strike.
"Descend…Heartless…" Sephiroth started, but Kirito leapt up to meet him.
"Denied!" Kirito shouted, and he made a downward slash. The attack made Sephiroth crash into the ground. The moment he ricocheted off the ground, he vanished in a black portal again. Kirito landed a few meters away from the spot, and turned to see Sephiroth at the other end, glowing darkly as he was powered up.
"That's enough." he said, and he flashed right past Kirito like he did before. This time, Kirito was ready. He instantly saw the attack, and he blocked the multiple hits with his Keyblade. The two had their backs to each other, but turned simultaneously to face one another. They charged at one another, and their swords made contact with one another. The amount of power the two had cracked the ground, sending rubble flying in the air around them. The shockwave that came with it nearly knocked the others back, especially Yui, who clung onto Asuna. For a moment, the two struggled, glaring at one another. Finally, Kirito sidestepped the attack, and Sephiroth's blade cut the ground beneath him. The attack was so devastating, that a part of the cliff gave way, sending it falling down to the ground. The party gasped at that power, and the fact that Kirito managed to block such an attack.
From a distance, Cloud walked through the broken wall and saw the cloud of dust made from the attack. He paused to wonder what was happening, then detected a presence from that point. "Sephiroth…" he growled, "Looks like those kids were right. What's he doing?" He walked down the path towards the destination, unknowingly being followed by Tifa, who watched him go.
Back in the battle, Kirito and Sephiroth continued their clash of swords, striking and parrying each attack that was sure to be lethal. Finally, Kirito knocked Sephiroth's Masamune to one side, his Keyblades glowing light blue. "Starburst Stream!" He shouted, and he instantly went into a flurry of attacks, performing his sixteen hit combo attack. Sephiroth took the attack, unable to block his furious strikes. The final hit sent Sephiroth skidding across the ground. Kirito stood there, breathing heavily, his Keyblades at his sides.
"Ready to give up yet?" Kirito growled.
"I admit you are formidable, despite the fact that you don't embarrass the darkness." Sephiroth stated, "Tell me, why will you not use that power to fight. With your feelings and strength, you should've been already succumbed to it."
"The answer is simple." Kirito answered, "If I use darkness as my power, all I will be doing is walking blindly in the darkness. No matter how much of that power I use, all I will be doing is just that; walking blindly on the road I cannot see." He paused for a second, then continued, "But, a good, but really carefree, friend of mine once taught me that if my heart is set on the light, then I will find the path that will lead me to my goal."
"And what goal is that exactly?" Sephiroth asked.
"To protect my friends and stop the darkness from growing!" Kirito shouted, readying his Keyblades again. Everyone watched him, not even breathing due to how tense it was.
(Cue SAO OST 'Swordland')
"Enough." Sephiroth stated, "Your time has come. Let's finish this." He instantly vanished and appeared floating in the air in front of the cliff. He instantly started to summon multiple meteors from nowhere, sending them at Kirito. Kirito instantly moved as the trail of explosions from which the meteors made contact to the ground followed him. He darted around the cliff, which already had minimal area already. Everyone else took cover as the explosions came near them. As Kirito ran, he realized that he could not out run it. He turned and saw more meteors come his way. There was no way of avoiding this. Kirito roared in fury as one by one, he started slashing at the meteors, reflecting them and slashing them in two, the explosions appeared all around him, and he was succumbed to the smoke and rubble around him. Sephiroth ceased firing, and he landed on the edge of the broken cliff. With one swipe of his sword, he quickly blew away all of the smoke, to see Kirito standing there, covered in burns and bruises, breathing heavily, but still alive.
Everyone came out of hiding once the smoke cleared to see the two combatants standing there. Sephiroth smirked a bit, then dashed at Kirito, his weapon raised. Kirito saw this, and blocked it with both Keyblades. Due to his weakened state, Kirito struggled to hold onto the attack without falling to his knees. The two struggled, then with one swift strike, Sephiroth swipe upward, sending Kirito's Oblivion flying into the air, landing head first into the wall above him, out of reach. Kirito looked sharply at where his Keyblade was at, then turned to avoid another slash from Sephiroth.
"This is bad!" Leafa gasped as Kirito leapt away, only to be surrounded by more Shadow Flare orbs, "Kirito can't fight at his best without his second sword. He's got to get to it!"
Asuna watched as Kirito deflected all the attacks with his Keyblade. She then produced her Lambent Light Keyblade, and looked down at it. "No…" whispered Asuna, drawing the others attention, "He can't get to his Keyblade. So right now, he needs a replacement."
Kirito blocked another fatal strike from Sephiroth, but he grimaced under the sheer power of his attack. "Kirito!" cried Asuna's voice. Kirito turned to see Asuna wave her Keyblade in the air. "Here, catch!" she shouted, and she hurled her Keyblade high into the air. Kirito realized what she was doing. He knocked away Sephiroth's sword, hopped onto it, and sent himself flying into the air. He was at level with the spinning Lambent Light, and reached his hand out. He grasped the handle of the Keyblade with one hand, and he could instantly feel the surge of energy it possessed. But it wasn't just that. It was as if Asuna's soul was also in the Keyblade. She was fighting along side him. Sephiroth made a leap for Kirito, ready to slash him with a combo once more. Kirito instantly struck the sword, getting grazed on the side as it passed his waist. The Lambent Light made his attacks much faster, and he went into a flurry of slashes as he sent Sephiroth hurdling into the ground. The moment they landed, Sephiroth summoned more fire pillars around him. Kirito jumped back, skidding to a halt as he witnessed the fiery blast that surrounded Sephiroth. He then closed his eyes and concentrated, waiting for the right moment. Sephiroth appeared out of the attack, surrounded by flames as he flew right at Kirito's position. The others gasped as they saw Sephiroth come at the still Kirito. Finally, Kirito opened his eyes, and the Keyblades glowed yellow and green individually.
"You are done." Kirito muttered, "The Eclipse!" Instantly, Kirito parried Sephiroth, removing the flames that consumed him. For the first time, Sephiroth looked totally surprised at this. Kirito glared as he instantly went into his most devastating combo. He slashed at him continuously, backing off, then slashing at him more, making twenty six hits onto him. The twenty seventh hit was a delayed explosion onto Sephiroth as Kirito turned away. The attack sent Sephiroth flying backwards, tumbling on the ground until he landed onto his feet, stopping himself at the edge of the cliff.
Kirito's Limit Form wore off, and he reverted back into his normal form. He turned to Sephiroth, who straightened himself up, brushing the dust off his shoulder. "You satisfied yet?" Kirito asked him in a calm demeanor.
Sephiroth stopped his brushing and turned to Kirito. "I admit you're very skilled…" he accepted, "But apparently, Cloud is the only one who can eliminate me."
"No way." Recon gasped. Did that mean all that fighting was for nothing? Sephiroth sheathed his blade, turned his back to Kirito, facing the Heartless castle out in the distance.
"Tell Cloud to come here." he told them, "Tell him Sephiroth is looking to settle things."
Kirito made a wide birth of Sephiroth, walking over to his friends.
"Thanks, Asuna." Kirito thanked her, giving back her Lambent Light, "You saved me again." Asuna smiled in response. Kirito looked up to where his Oblivion was stuck at before, but it disappeared the moment Kirito returned to normal.
"No need to send that message, Sephiroth!" shouted a voice. Everyone turned to see Cloud walking up the chasm towards Sephiroth, his Buster sword at hand. Everyone stepped aside as Cloud passed them, walking towards Sephiroth, who turned and walked towards him.
"Cloud…" he addressed him, "You'll never let go of the darkness…"
"Shut up." Cloud replied in a calm demeanor as he raised his colossal sword. Sephiroth raised his sword in reply.
"You'll never let go of your past…" Sephiroth told him.
"Shut up!" barked Cloud as he pelted forward, slashing his blade down on Sephiroth. He flew up into the air to avoid the attack. Cloud jumped up and the two clashed swords in the air.
"Cloud! Get him!" Leafa shouted. Recon gasped as Cloud was pushed back towards the wall. Cloud jumped off that, and soared even higher into the air. Sephiroth climbed up to meet him. Cloud turned and the two met swords again. Sephiroth continuously flew around Cloud, slashing at every angle. Cloud barely held on, blocking every attack with his Buster Sword. Sephiroth went above Cloud and downward slashed him. Cloud blocked it, but was pushed back to the ground once more, where he landed onto his feet. He made a run for the cliff wall, ran along it, and jumped to meet Sephiroth's attack. The two crossed paths into the air, and they landed onto different sides of the area.
"Careful, Cloud!" Asuna shouted as Sephiroth whipped around to meet him. Cloud did the same, and the two clashed blades again.
"Absurd." Sephiroth said as they were at a standoff, "Defeating me is meaningless. You know that more than anyone, Cloud. No matter how many times I fall, your darkness keeps calling me back!" He pushed he Masamune harder into Cloud's sword. Cloud gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold on.
"Wrong!" shouted another voice. Everyone turned and was shocked to see Tifa standing there.
"Tifa! Stay back!" Cloud shouted.
"How can I?" Tifa asked as she walked forward, "I wanna help you." Cloud jumped back from Sephiroth's blade, his Buster Sword at the ready again.
"You can't." Sephiroth told her, "He'll never let go of the darkness."
"He doesn't have to." Tifa retorted, "He just needs someone to surround him with light." Kirito suddenly felt something at these words, and looked to Asuna. Come to think of it, Asuna was doing something like that for him. Especially during the fight, when Asuna gave Kirito her Keyblade. Cloud and Tifa were exactly like him and Asuna.
Sephiroth redirected his blade towards Tifa, who jumped back a bit. "The darkness will be there, Sephiroth. But in a place you can't reach."
"Is that right?" Sephiroth asked, "Let's see what this light of yours can do." Sephiroth brought down his sword onto Tifa, who side stepped it. She made a leaping punch, but Sephiroth avoided it by turning.
Cloud felt as if he was hit by a bright light, just like before. "No!" Cloud shouted. Tifa dashed at Sephiroth again, and made a flurry of attacks at him. Sephiroth avoided all of them, and used his power to push Tifa back. She skidded to a halt, and started avoid all of Sephiroth's slashes. Cloud seemed to adjust to the light that was hitting him. Sephiroth saw this and turned to attack Cloud.
"Look out!" Kirito shouted. Cloud made a leap, landing right in front of Tifa, his Buster Sword raised.
"Cloud, you can have my light." Tifa assured him.
"The light doesn't suit you." Sephiroth stated.
"I just…don't know." Cloud said silently, and he started to glow a bright light for a moment.
"Stop!" shouted Sephiroth, leaping at Cloud with his sword raised. Cloud looked ready for this, and he started to glow even brighter and longer. Sephiroth stopped in mid attack. Cloud made a leap into the air, and Sephiroth followed. The two soared high into the air, and suddenly, their was a burst of white light. It blinded everyone in the vicinity. When the light stopped, they saw that Cloud and Sephiroth disappeared, and Tifa stood there, looking out to the town.
"What the…?" Leafa asked, looking around.
"Where'd they go?" Recon asked. Everyone looked to each other.
"Maybe they went back to their own world?" Yui guessed.
"They went somewhere else…" Kirito corrected her, and the group looked to him, "Cloud went to fight a great battle; to defeat the darkness inside him." Kirito looked to Asuna, and he smiled at her. After all, it was thanks to her that he defeated the darkness within himself during those two years before.
The group turned to see Tifa walk up to them. "Gone again." she sighed.
"What will you do now?" Asuna asked.
Tifa thought about it for a second, then answered, "Guess I'll keep looking."
"Got any leads?" Leafa asked her.
"Don't worry…" Tifa assured them, "Light is easy to find." She walked up to Kirito. "I gotta go." she told him, "Here. This is for helping me." She held out a Keyblade keychain for him, and Kirito took it. It was silver, with a strange pendant on the end of it.
"That's the Fenrir." Yui explained, "It had incredible power and range, but you can't do as many combo attacks with it." Kirito pocketed the Keyblade, thinking of maybe using it for his Valor Form.
Kirito then thought of something, and asked, "Wait a minute, when did we help?" The team thought about it, then looked up and notice Tifa walking away into the chasm, and out of sight.
"I hope she finds Cloud." Recon said.
"Me too." Leafa agreed, "Funny how they remind me of you two." She turned to Asuna and Kirito.
Asuna looked somewhat puzzled, and looked to Kirito. She noticed just in time to see him fall to the ground, unconscious. "Kirito!" Asuna cried as the group surrounded him. He passed out from the fight, no longer able to hold on.
In Atlantica, a lot happened while Kirito fought against Sephiroth. The team, along with Ariel, went up to the surface to see the prince stand there, who Ariel was in love with. When the prince left, he accidentally dropped a pendant into the water, and it went in between some rocks. Sora used his Magnega magic to retrieve it for Ariel. However, King Triton found out from Sebastian that Ariel was in love with a human, and he got infuriated. He confronted Ariel, and in an attempt to stop this fantasy, he destroyed the statue the group found. Ariel was very sad from this, and ran away from her father.
When alone, she was confronted by Ursula, the sea witch, who said that she could turn her human so she could meet the prince, in exchange for her voice. Ariel agreed and signed a contract. Sora and his friends tried to stop her, but it was too late. Ursula used her magic, and Ariel's voice was stolen away into her conch shell necklace, in exchange for her to turn human. With Sora's help, they quickly got Ariel to the surface. It was night when the prince, whose name was Prince Eric, found Ariel in rags on the beach shore. The two met, and Ariel, though unable to speak, gave back the pendant to Eric. In return, Eric brought her to his castle to help her. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Flounder and Sebastian all agreed not to tell King Triton about this, but to help Ariel in her attempt for her and the prince to kiss each other.
At the end of the conversation, Sora, Donald and Goofy grouped together alone. "So I guess we're gonna be here for a while." Sora stated.
"Gawrsh, I wonder if Kirito and the girls will be ok about this?" Goofy wondered.
"They'll be fine." Sora replied, "I'm sure they're having fun with Leafa and the others as we speak."
If only he knew. In Radiant Garden, Asuna, Leafa, Recon and Yui all took Kirito into the same boarding house as the Moonlit Black Cats. He was still unconscious, and Aerith said that it was due to over-exhaustion and injuries. By her estimate, it would seem Kirito would be out for a day or two. Asuna and Yui decided to take care of him by themselves. Leafa and Recon were suddenly called upon by a familiar figure, and they decided to leave.
In Atlantica, Sora and the team decided to go check up on Ariel. With Flounder and Sebastian with them, they went to the surface, and watched as Eric led Ariel around the beach, talking to her. Ariel was now wearing a dress with light blue sleeves, a black bodice, and a blue skirt, complete with a big blue bow on her head and black heels.
"So we just float here and watch?" Sora asked.
"Have you got a better idea?" Sebastian questioned him.
"We could make Ursula fix all of this." Sora suggested.
"Hah! She ain't gonna bother aid you." barked the crab.
"Hey, you never know until you try!" Sora retorted.
"Hmm… You may be right." Sebastian agreed, "It's gotta be better dan doing nothin'. Can I trust you to take care of Ursula?"
"Of course!" Sora replied and with that, he dove underneath with Donald and Goofy, leaving Flounder and a worried Sebastian alone.
For the next couple days, Sora, Donald and Goofy started looking through the sea, searching for Ursula, while Sebastian and Flounder kept an eye on Ariel, waiting for her to kiss the prince. At the same time, Asuna and Yui were taking care of Kirito's injuries, waiting for him to wake up. However, both sides were getting failed results.
On the second evening, Eric and Ariel went on a boat ride together, and Flounder was keeping watch. Suddenly, Sora, Donald and Goofy appeared out of the water next to him. "Hey! Where's Sebastian?" Sora asked Flounder.
"Uhh…oh…well…" stammered Flounder, "King Triton wanted him at the palace."
"I wonder if it's about Ariel." Goofy asked.
"If King Triton finds out what happened, we're in hot water." said Sora, "Especially since we kept it a secret."
"What about Ursula?" Flounder asked.
"She disappeared." Donald answered.
"Well, how's Ariel doing?" Sora asked, "She's only got until sunset tomorrow, right?" The others drew concern at how much time they have left.
"Hey, look!" gasped Flounder, looking towards the boat Eric and Ariel were at. They were drawing in close, about to kiss each other. Sora was excited, and he jumped onto Flounder, covering his eyes. "I can't see!" he cried. Ariel and Eric's were only an inch away, then the boat shook violently, and the two lost their balance. Ariel fell onto Eric as the two tried to stay in the boat. Sora wondered what caused it, but noticed two eels next to the boat. It was Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's henchmen and eyes.
"They're okay!" sighed Flounder.
"Man…they were so close." moaned Sora.
"Well, I think we oughta get back to lookin' for Ursula." Goofy suggested.
"Yeah, good idea." Sora agreed, and the trio dove into the water once more.
It was almost noon in Radiant Garden, and Asuna and Yui were fast asleep next to Kirito's bed. Leon was leaning on the door, watching them. Suddenly, he noticed something; Kirito started to stir. He moaned and slowly opened his eyes. Leon gasped as he saw him awaken. "Asuna! Yui!" he barked.
Asuna was woken abruptly, while it took a little more time for Yui to wake up. "What?" Asuna asked, looking around. Then she noticed Kirito, who was trying to wake up. "Kirito!" Asuna gasped in relief, smiling as he tried sitting up.
"Papa!" cheered Yui, diving at Kirito's chest and hugging him.
Kirito rubbed his head as he looked down at Yui, then at Asuna. "Hey." he greeted them.
"Hey? Is that all you can say?!" Asuna cried, "You had us worried sick!"
Kirito braced his head from Asuna's yelling. "Ow, take it easy." he moaned, "How long was I out for?"
"About two and a half days." Asuna replied.
"Really?" Kirito asked, confused that he could be out for that long.
"How do you feel?" Leon asked, walking into the room.
"Like I got whacked on the head by a Hammer Frame Heartless." Kirito answered.
"Well, it could've been worse." Leon stated with a smirk. Kirito nodded in agreement.
"What about everyone else?" Kirito asked, "Where's Sugu and Recon."
"They had to leave." Asuna replied, reaching over to the night table next to them, "She did leave this for you. She told me not to open it in front of Sora, but he hasn't arrived back from Atlantica yet." Kirito took the letter and opened it up.
Kazuto,
Sorry I had to leave you, but it's an emergency. Namine contacted us, and said that she might have found where Kairi is at. We went back to Twilight Town with her, and were gonna go look for her. Don't worry about me. I have Recon with me, along with a friend of Sora's named Riku. Though that probably won't stop you from following me. Go to the computer room underneath the mansion. I'm sure the answers are there.
Your sister,
Suguha, a.k.a Leafa
Kirito put the letter away and looked to Asuna. "Wait, so she knows Riku?" Kirito asked, "Wasn't he a guy that Sora was also looking for?"
"Yeah." Asuna answered, "Apparently, she's been keeping a secret from us we didn't know. I'm sure she has her reasons."
Kirito looked down at the letter, re-reading it, then looked up again. "We should get moving." Kirito stated, "If Sugu's after Kairi, then I bet she's heading to the Organization's stronghold. That's where they're keeping her."
"And where Gouxus is at, too." Asuna growled, standing up. Kirito crawled out of bed and got to his feet as Yui flew off him.
"We need to get to Sora and the others." Kirito stated. Asuna and Yui nodded in agreement. They turned to Leon. "We're leaving." Kirito told him, "And if by any chance we don't come back…"
"I'll tell Sachi and the others you will be ok." Leon ended his speech, looking at the crew, "Kirito. Asuna. Yui. Take care of yourselves, ok? Tell Sora and his friends the same thing."
"You got it." Kirito replied. He made sure he got everything, then the group moved out, heading to a point where they could get back to Sora.
Back in Ariel's world, it was late in the afternoon, and the sun was setting. Sora, Donald and Goofy popped out of the water again. "No sign of Ursula anywhere…" Sora moaned.
"I wonder where that sea witch coulda gone?" Goofy asked. Donald made a moaning noise as he looked towards the shore. Ariel was sitting at the edge of the shore, curled up and crying. Flounder was at her side. The team drew in until Flounder heard them.
"What's going on?" Sora asked.
"Ariel's been crying for a long time." Flounder explained. The team wondered why until they heard Ariel's singing voice coming from a distance. They turned and saw Eric walking along the shoreline with someone that looked somewhat like Ariel, but with black hair. The team hid themselves in the water, with their eyes and up only showing. They watched the two come their way, and noticed something was off with the prince's eyes.
"Hey, what's up with the Prince?" Sora asked.
"Look! There!" Flounder said, pointing at the woman with Eric. Around her neck was a familiar conch shell necklace. Ursula's necklace.
"It's Ursula!" Flounder exclaimed, "She…she must've turned herself into that girl!"
Sora was now pissed. "Okay, that's it!" Sora growled, brandishing his Keyblade. He pointed it directly at Ursula, and shot a beam of light from it. It shot at her necklace, which was knocked off her. It fell onto the ground and broke, releasing a light that was Ariel's voice. It flew towards Ariel, and went into her throat. Ariel realized what happened and gasped in relief. Eric suddenly stirred, and the color in his eyes came back to him. The hypnotic spell Ursula planted onto him was vanquished.
"What…what happened?" Eric asked, rubbing his head and looking around. He then noticed Ariel walking up to him.
"Eric!" cried Ariel happily.
Eric rushed over to her. "You…you can talk…" Eric noticed, "You're the one… The girl who sang to me."
"Oh, Eric, I wanted to tell you." Ariel replied.
"Of course! It was you!" Eric realized, "You're the one who…who saved me that night in the storm!" Ariel smiled and nodded in response. "Oh, Ariel. I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner." Eric apologized, "You're the one I love."
"Eric…" Ariel sighed.
"Not so fast!" shouted Ursula. The two turned to see Ursula, now her normal form once again. "Do you see what I see?" she asked, pointing into the horizon. The two turned and saw the sun setting before them. Ursula laughed as she crawled to them. "You're too late!" she said, and she grabbed Ariel and dragged her into the sea.
"Ariel!" shouted Eric. Sora, Donald and Goofy all dove in after her.
Ursula was dragging Ariel, now a mermaid again, further into the sea. "Stop!" Sora shouted, and Ursula turned to meet him and his crew.
"Stay out of this, you fools!" barked Ursula, brandishing the glowing contract, "Triton's precious little daughter signed a contract! Now, dearie…" She looked to Ariel clutched in her hand, "let's see how beautiful you are when I'm through with you!"
"That contract's no good!" Sora growled.
"Let her go!" boomed King Triton voice.
"Scuse me?" asked Ursula, and not a second past before the contract she carried was hit by beam of light, sending her hurdling against a rock. The team turned to see King Triton floating there, with Sebastian at his side. The team looked at where Ursula was at, and noticed that the contract was carrying was unscathed.
"Now, now, even the great King Triton can't go around breaking binding contracts." said an amused Ursula, "Why, it just wouldn't do, would it?" She swam over to King Triton as she continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some loose ends to tie up." She raised her hand as she turned to Ariel, who's arms were bounded by Flotsam and Jetsam's bodies.
"Wait, Ursula…" King Triton said abruptly, "You win. Just promise you'll let my daughter go."
"But we had a deal, unless, of course, you're offering to take her place?" questioned Ursula, turning to Triton, brandishing the contract.
"I'm afraid…I have no choice." Triton responded, waving his trident at the contract, and shooting a beam at it.
"Your Majesty!" shouted Sebastian, but too late. The beam of light changed Ariel's signature into Triton's.
Ursula cackled madly as magical lights surrounded Triton, shrinking him and transforming him. Ariel gasped. Sora, Donald and Goofy swam closer to see the light disappear. Triton looked more like a small plant with a face than anything, and his trident laid right next to him.
Ursula reached down and picked up the trident, grasping it into both hands. "At last!" she declared, staring at the fork of the trident.
"Daddy!" cried Ariel.
"Ha! Who's the 'mighty ruler' of the seas now?" barked Ursula, pointing the trident at him.
"You…you monster! Let him go!" Ariel shouted.
Suddenly, a javelin came out of nowhere, grazing Ursula's shoulder and causing her to bleed. She turned and saw Prince Eric himself, swimming underneath the ocean. "Eric!" cried Ariel.
"How dare you!" shouted Ursula, "Pitiful, insignificant human!"
Flotsam and Jetsam relinquished Ariel and swam after Eric, who started swimming away. Just as the two eels got in close, Sora, Donald and Goofy got in their way. "Hey! That's enough!" Sora warned them.
"Ha ha!" laughed Ursula as she was being surrounded by black smoke, "Now you all bow to me!" Sebastian and the now appearing Flounder gasped in fright. Ariel swam up to the surface, catching up with Eric.
Sora saw that Ursula was getting bigger, and bigger. "We gotta help Ariel and Eric fight her off!" Sora shouted to the others, and they two went to the surface.
Meanwhile, the Gummi ship sped itself through space, flying towards Atlantica. "Can't this thing go any faster?" Kirito asked Yui.
"If you smile more, then yes!" Yui retorted. Kirito sighed and tried his best to smile. Asuna was smiling along with him, and the Gummi ship was moving faster.
It took ten minutes, but they finally arrived at their destination. They looked out and noticed something was wrong. On the surface of the world, thunderclouds were billowing. From their view, they could make out a fat, purple, female head with white hair and a golden crown.
"What's happening?" Asuna asked, dropping her smile and looking down.
"To put it lightly, it's a battle. And Sora and the others are in the middle of it!" Yui explained.
Kirito looked down at what was happening, and turned to Asuna. "We have to go down there and help them!" Kirito declared. Asuna nodded in response. They rushed over to the transporter, readying themselves.
"Just to tell you, our bodies will adapt to that world, and we have to be underwater for us to appear." Yui informed them.
"We got it! Just do it!" Asuna said to her. Yui pushed a button, and the trio teleported down to the surface.
Giant Ursula was in the middle of swirling waters, and Sora, Donald and Goofy were glaring up at her. They were in the middle of a fight with her, and they were winning. Prince Eric was on a boat, holding on for dear life. Ariel was on the other end, away from everyone. Ursula cackled madly, despite she was being beaten by them. "Fools! There's no way you can defeat me!" she boomed to them, "It's not over until Ursula has won!" She directed the trident down at Ariel, and begun charging it.
"No!" Sora shouted, realizing how far away they were from her.
"Thundaga!" shouted two voices. Lightning struck down onto Ursula, stopping her attack. Ariel gasped and turned to where the voices came from. A few meters behind her, Kirito and Asuna swam there, their Keyblades raised.
"Kirito! Asuna!" Sora cheered.
"We came in time…" sighed Asuna.
"Wish it was a lot easier using these tails." Kirito said, flipping his above the surface.
Kirito's top half was bare, while his bottom half became a black, orca-type tail. Asuna tail was a lot like Ariel's, only light blue, and she had on a white seashell bra on her with pink straps, with a white water flower on the side of her head. Yui flipped onto Kirito's head, revealing her light pink, angelfish tail and fins, her fairy dress was still there.
"Sora! Finish her off!" Kirito shouted. Sora nodded and turned to Ursula.
"You're through!" Sora shouted, diving under the water in order to leap out at Ursula. She turned to meet Sora's Keyblade with her trident, but Sora struck her hand, and the trident was sent spinning in the air. It shrunk and landed point first into Eric's boat.
"No…it's not possible!" gasped the sea witch.
"It's over, Ursula." Sora stated before diving back into the water.
Ursula turned to Eric, who picked up the trident. "That belongs to me!" Ursula shouted.
"All right, then…you can have it!" Eric shouted, and he threw the trident like a javelin. It became a shining beam of light as it pierced right through Ursula. He gasped in pain, then yelled in agony as she sunk under the surface, billows of black smoke consuming her. Everyone watched as she sank down, the last parts being her large tentacles. They flailed in the air, then sank along with her. Ursula was defeated.
Ariel sighed in relief, then turned to the trio that came to their aid. "You saved me. Thank you." she thanked them.
"Don't thank us." Kirito waved off, "It was Sora and that guy on the boat who saved the day."
"Well now, starting to get a bit humble?" Asuna asked smugly.
"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?!" Kirito sputtered.
"Oh, nothing." Asuna replied.
"Yeah, nothing." Yui echoed from on top of Kirito's head.
"Oh come on…" Kirito moaned. Everyone, including Sora, Donald and Goofy, laughed at Kirito's expression of annoyance.
After the introductions to one another, they noticed the sky clear up, revealing the starry night sky, with the moon glowing off in the distance. The team backed away as Ariel and Eric drew in closer.
"Please, Ariel… You can come out now, it's okay." Eric said to her, his hand outstretched. Ariel looked nervously down, then closed her eyes. "Ariel?" Eric addressed. Ariel looked to one side, then dove underneath. Eric grasped the edge of the boat, fearing of her drowning. For a moment, there was silence. Suddenly, Ariel leapt out of the water, revealing her full form in the moonlight to Eric. Everyone was surprised to see her do this, except for Kirito, Asuna and Yui, who had no idea. Ariel dove into the water again, leaving Eric standing there, stunned. Ariel's face came out of the water again.
"You see, Eric…this is why I went to Ursula." she sadly explained.
"This can't be…" Eric gasped.
"I would have told you sooner…" Ariel started, but she stopped herself.
"To think…" Eric muttered.
"Eric…goodbye." sighed Ariel, turning away.
"I had all that time and I didn't work on my swimming." Eric said in a puzzled expression. Ariel turned back to him, surprised. Eric dove into the sea, swimming himself before the little mermaid. "Well, I guess it's never too late to learn, right?" Eric asked in an amused tone, "Will you teach me?"
Ariel beamed in happiness. "I'd love too!" she answered. The two embraced and kissed each other.
"All right!" cheered Sora, splattering water as he raised a fist.
"I don't what's been happening here…" Kirito started, "but I'm glad it's a happy ending."
Asuna was looking admiringly at the couple. "So Sora, mind telling us what's been happening?" Kirito asked.
"I will if you tell us what's been going on with you." Sora replied.
Kirito, Asuna and Yui looked to one another. "Whoo, we got a lot explaining." Asuna stated.
As they dove down back to Atlantica, a light appeared in front of Sora, revealing a new Keyblade keychain. It had a golden chain, and a seashell for a token. "That's the Mysterious Abyss." Yui explained, "It's a strong Keyblade that enhances your blizzard attacks." Sora put the Keychain away, and continued on.
Kirito looked to Asuna. Now that the conflict had passed, he was able to have a clear mind to see just how gorgeous Asuna was as a mermaid. Asuna could tell she was being examined, and said, "K-Kirito, don't look at me so hard."
"S-Sorry." Kirito replied, "It's just...you look really beautiful as a mermaid."
Asuna blushed hard, before shouting, "Oh, Kirito! You idiot! This is too embarrassing!" She swam harder to get away from him.
"What?! Asuna, what did I say?!" Kirito asked, swimming after her.
Sora and the others watched one chase the others, their voices carrying up to them as Asuna was showing how embarrassed she was in such lack of clothing, and for Kirito to defend himself and his honesty. "Why is Asuna so embarrassed around Kirito? Aren't they a couple?" Sora asked.
"You're too young to understand." Donald replied. Goofy chuckled at the display.
"Mama's can be a tsundere, sometimes..." Yui muttered, while Sora was incredibly confused.
For the rest of the evening, once Asuna calmed down, the six stayed in the water, talking to one another. Kirito's team started with their story, and Sora was extremely surprised that Kirito single-handedly fought Sephiroth, even though Kirito stated that Asuna helped him in the end. They did forget to mention the letter, however. Sora, Donald and Goofy then begun explaining what happened in this world. Upon hearing the story, Kirito, Asuna and Yui all realized this world was highly based off of a story they remembered in their world called 'The Little Mermaid'. However, it seemed to branch off quite differently, as Ariel's story would end in unrequited love, and for her to become nothing but bubbles. They much rather prefer this place than to the grim story. Asuna and Yui were quite intrigued by the musicals that they did, unlike Kirito, who wasn't as intrigued, especially since his singing skills were less that skilled.
It was morning, and still they were talking about all the events they went through. "Prince Eric is a great guy, and he's really brave, too!" Sora acknowledge.
"Yes. But he IS human." Sebastian stated, swimming towards them.
"Oh brother. Not again…" Donald moaned.
"Human or not, that doesn't mean they can love each other." Asuna pointed out.
Just then, Ariel and Flounder swam up to meet the crew. "How'd it go with your father, Ariel?" Sora asked.
"Great!" she answered happily, "Thanks for your help. I gotta go. I'll see you later!" With that, she started swimming up to the surface, going to see Eric again.
"I'm happy for them." Kirito acknowledged, looking to Asuna.
"Hey, wait…" Sora said, watching her leave.
"I almost forgot, Sebastian!" Flounder remembered, "King Triton said this year's festival is so important that the musical better be your best ever!"
"My best ever?" Hmm…" Sebastian started to think.
"All right, what's going on?" Sora asked the two sea animals.
"You gotta do me a favor." Sebastian begged them. He swam to the crew, and whispered something to them.
"What?" Sora was taken aback.
"Huh?" squawked Donald.
"But how?" Goofy asked.
"And even us?" Asuna asked.
"Ehh…" Kirito voiced his unsureness.
"It does sound a bit difficult." Yui assumed.
"And it was gonna make de song perfect, too…" Sebastian moaned. The team looked to each other, then looked to Sebastian.
"All right. Let's do some practice!" Sora declared. Everyone cheered in response. Kirito sighed and quietly followed.
For the next several hours, the team started to practice for the musical, with Sebastian's help. They had to work on their cues, their lyrics, and movements. Kirito was having the most trouble, but Ariel came down in time to help him out. The team eventually got it down and approved by Sebastian. They continued practicing until it was evening, the time of the performance. Kirito was very nervous. It was odd that he could be in front of a stadium of people for a duel, and not even sweat. But put him on a stage in front of mer-people, and he started to get butterflies. If it hadn't been for Yui's support, he didn't know if he would make it through this.
The people and creatures of the ocean gathered to watch the musical. Sebastian made his way over to the podium, and got his sheet music out. He looked to the orchestra, and he started the musical.
Ariel's Sisters:
Welcome the dawning of a happy age of new beginnings
Land and sea have come together
Joined in peace and harmony
Fairytales and miracles
Are what we're singing of
Our dear princess Ariel
Truly fell in love
With a prince, a human prince
Who lived so far above
Ariel:
Wishes really can come true
If you want them to
And this happiness inside
I owe to every one of you
Ariel's Sisters:
How about an introduction
To these lovely friends of yours?
Ariel:
Come take a bow
Donald, Goofy and Sora!
Donald:
Congratulations, dear princess, to you
Goofy:
You found your first love, and he found you too
Sora:
We were glad to help you out
And very proud, it's true
Sora, Donald & Goofy:
Seeing how we made you grin
Just makes us want to twirl a fin
Ariel:
Wishes really can come true
If you want them to
And this happiness inside
I owe to every one of you
Ariel's Sisters:
Show us to these brand new friends
who helped you out until the end
Ariel:
Come show yourself
Kirito, Yui and Asuna!
Kirito:
Thank you, dear princess, to let us come today
Yui:
We really happy for you, that's what we want to say
Asuna:
Were proud you now have someone
That made you ha-art sway
Kirito, Asuna & Yui:
Seeing how we made you beam
Just makes us want to ride a stream
Ariel:
Wishes really can come true
If you want them to
And this happiness inside
I owe to every one of you
Ariel's Sisters:
Be so kind and introduce
The King and these, his loyal friends
Ariel:
Please say hello
Daddy, Sebastian, Flounder
King Triton:
Ariel, I'm so very happy for you
Sebastian:
Yes, happy endings are so rare and so few
Flounder:
We were glad to help
And very proud, it's true
King Triton, Sebastian & Flounder:
Seeing how we made you grin
Just makes us want to twirl a fin
Ariel's Sisters:
Any other friends of yours
That might be waiting in the wings?
Ariel:
Come say hello
All my friends from ev'ry corner of the world
All:
A new day is dawning of a happy age of new beginnings
Land and sea have come together
Joined in peace and harmony
Fairytales and miracles
Are what we're singing of
Our dear princess Ariel
Prince Eric from above
A happy end, forever after
Full of joy and love
When the musical ended, everyone was on each platform; Donald, Asuna and Ariel's sister Andrina were on stage left. Goofy, Yui and Attina were on stage right. Sora, Ariel and Kirito were in the center. There was a round of applause from the audience, and everyone bowed to them. Kirito tilt his head to where Asuna was at. Asuna's eyes met his, and she winked at him. Kirito blushed, both happy to have done well and grateful it was over.
Suddenly, small bubble started to come together into a bright light that appeared, forming a large bubble. The light was something the team haven't seen in a while. Kirito, Asuna and Sora got together, their Keyblades at hand. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the bubble glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the bubble suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio twirled back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.
Suddenly, four objects came down from where the keyhole was at; three magic orbs, and a special gem. "Hey! That's an Orichalcum +!" Kirito exclaimed, grabbing the gem.
"And three more Blizzard Elements." Yui explained, "That means your Blizzara has now become Blizzaga."
They looked up to where the Keyhole was at before as Ariel came to their side. "Sora, Kirito, Asuna, what's happening?" she asked.
"A new pathway has opened." Sora replied.
"Meaning it's time for us to go." Yui added, coming to Ariel's side.
"What? You gonna go? Dis is goodbye?" exclaimed Sebastian.
"I won't do it!" squawked Donald, "We'll never say goodbye!"
"That's right!" Goofy agreed, then looking to Donald and Sora, "A-one, two, three four:"
The trio, and Yui began to sing again. "Even though we're hittin' the road, our worlds are all connected"
"Which means…" Sora said, and the quartet continued to sing, "We are free to come and go…"
"And sing!" Donald added.
"So don't be sad, and always know we'll come back soon to say hello!" The trio swam up to Ariel with their final note. She looked happily at them.
Kirito and Asuna watched them. Kirito raised his hand to his face. "One musical is good enough for me." Kirito moaned.
"Oh I don't know." Asuna contradicted, "You actually are quite good at it."
"Nope. Not doing it." Kirito stated firmly, crossing his arms.
"You know, we really should open up to stuff like this." Asuna stated, "It's actually quite fun."
Kirito turned away, but he did hide a smirk. In truth, it was kind of fun. "I-I'm just glad Klein didn't see me do this." he said thankfully, "He would never let it up." Asuna laughed at the thought.
Kirito smiled as he shook his head in wonder, then suddenly became shocked. "Oh, crap! We forgot!" Kirito exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention, "Asuna, the letter!"
Asuna blinked, then gasped. "Oh, no! How could we forget something that important?!"
"What?" Sora asked, confused.
"I just remembered; Sugu and Recon left us a letter back at Radiant Garden." Kirito explained, "They believe they found a way to the Organization's stronghold, and even more importantly, Kairi!"
"What?!" Sora, Donald and Goofy shouted in unison.
"Why didn't you say anything?!" demanded Sora.
"I forgot, sorry. Things just got out of hand." Kirito stated. Sora looked down, worried.
"At least Leafa and Recon are on it." Asuna told him, "We should catch up with them!"
"Right." Sora replied, and he turned to Ariel and the others.
"Sorry, but we gotta move."
"Okay, I understand." Ariel replied, "Find your friend." Sora nodded, and the group swam away to where they could teleport out.
They got back up onto the Gummi ship, and hurried to their seats. "Yui, set coordinates for Twilight Town!" Kirito declared.
"You got it!" Yui replied, hurriedly tapping at the control panel. The Gummi ship started moving at a high speed, and everyone was showing signs of seriousness.
Hang on, Kairi. I'm coming for you. Sora thought to himself.
Sugu, please be safe. Kirito hoped.
It's time we settle this, Sugou. Once and for all! Asuna said silently. The ship blasted off to their next destination; Organization XIII's Stronghold.