Final Fantasy XV - Kingdom Hearts
Part 42
Summary: Two warriors of Light, the Chosen King and Keyblade Master, face an unseen Darkness.
*Ocean, three days later…*
Leaning against the railing of the ferry in silence, Noctis watched the ruined city of Altissia slowly grow smaller and smaller as they ventured forth into the ocean. He heaves a small sigh of lament, wishing he could have done more for this city that played the stage for all the carnage and hell that went down there.
Sadly, after he was announced a keyblade wielder, they had little time to wrap their minds around the change because no sooner had they returned to the mainland, Camelia had the guards escort them to her estate. As many would expect, she had been rather displeased by the amount of daemons and heartless that had been popping up all over Altissia, along with the Eternal Night taking place. Lunafreya had tried to explain what's happened, with the theory the empire must have done something to kick start the never-ending nights.
That did little to clam her "protector's" anger, however, as she ranted on how not only the city was destroyed (to which Noctis claimed they knew of the Tidemother's wrath to incur such destruction), but the fact that the empire had gone completely radio silent ever since the Rite. Along with that, they have no means of combating the daemons that will resurface and their lights would not work as strong as they used too, not that they did much during the ever-lasting night.
She demanded something from the two, but luckily for them Aqua and Kairi offered to empower their lights with their own set of magic and before even then they had the men lend their services to the guards in helping with the displaced civilians, daemons prowling the area and lending a hand with some reconstruction work here and there. The two keyblade wielders had been using "Lucis magic" to empower the lights for the workers and spent several days powering them up while Noctis stuck with the others to hunt and save.
After the few days spent there, they had finally procured a ferry to take them back to the mainland.
Noctis isn't particularly saddened to leave the city or not even give the secretary a farewell, after everything that's happened his patience for her is at an all-time low. He was more focused on the task that laid bare before him and his company, that being rescuing Sora from Ardyn and Xigbar of course. Still, he thinks of the prophecy he was meant to fulfill, and how he was going to bring back the light to the world without the crystal. Lunafreya had explained it to him again after he obtained his power back, but now without that rock, there is little they could work with.
He pushes aside in his mind however, thinking the solution would come to him in time perhaps. Noctis turns around with his back against the railing, outstretching his hand and with a flick, he summons his keyblade (which he named "Night's Sky"), the weapon appearing in his hand. He stares at the holy weapon of light, amazed by how light it felt yet the strength behind it rivaled Gladiolus' strikes. He thought he'd be clumsy with this weapon given the make of it but strangely he could wield it just fine as if he'd been practicing with this weapon for years.
After he recalled that day with his father and Eraqus, the blue-haired master Aqua had told them what her master did was an old tradition of the keyblade. He bequeathed the keyblade to Noctis to be his successor of sorts, or in this case as Aqua stated since she technically inherited his original keyblade, he would become a wielder of the key when the time was right. It still puzzled them that Eraqus had planned that far ahead of time, but as far as they were concerned, they owed the older master a thanks and prayer for such hindsight.
The king gave his weapon a few swings, pondering what this could potentially mean for him in the long run of this whole ordeal. Noctis can summon all the arms he's accumulated throughout his quest sure, and even the weapons they had bought he could still use. Yet after some talking with Aqua, he was more fixed on wielding this weapon to perfection, maybe even pull off some of the tricks Sora could do.
Noctis could only imagine the fun he'd have with what Sora's abilities entailed.
His musings and wonderings stops when he spots Lunafreya sitting on one of the empty benches near the railings, watching the world pass them by. No longer in her white dress or anything regal that one would have expected from her, but instead her clothes appeared more simple and common. A long grey and black strapless mini dress with grey gloves that covered almost up to her elbow with a black insignia of the Fleuret emblem on the knuckles. A virgin white steel to show the family crest of the sun with the Oracle's Trident below the sung, the emblem had two angel wings.
A pair of black shorts that reached her knees (likely because of the cold the Eternal Night brought) with a pair of hiking boots. She even changed her hair up, having a ponytail rest between her shoulders with that pin holding it together and leaving the bangs loose and free with one hanging over her left shoulder. The prince feels a warmth spreading across his cheeks when he took in her less noble look and admittedly found this a unique look to her. Even as children he couldn't recall her in anything less than royal clothing.
His admiring was halted when he looked at his keyblade, realizing that the woman is still likely trying to come to terms with the changes that had occurred to them. As far as the party had seen while Noctis had regained his Armiger the woman had not regained her powers as the Oracle. After numerous attempts to heal wounds or summon barriers, Lunafreya had came to the sad conclusion that her powers were forever lost to her, and as Eos is concerned, she is the last Oracle they will ever have.
The king felt a pang of sympathy to the woman and be this selfishness, he was glad she was freed from the burden of being the world's Oracle. He dismissed his keyblade, mustered up his courage and approached her when he sees no one was around.
'Hey', he greets, softly and friendly. The woman turned to him with a small smile on her face as he took a spot near her. 'Getting some fresh air?', he says with a smile on his face. He inwardly cringed at the question, remembering the plague of the darkness the night brought. Yet the woman merely clasps her hands over her knees and hums. 'My roommate has succumbed to slumber, and I decided it'd be nice to allow myself to enjoy the quiet', she explained.
It figured Kairi would fall asleep the moment she hit the hay; he knew the girl had been running on fumes with her magic being used. The two settled into a silence of peace between them. For the first time since they had met, reunited really, they were alone to enjoy the peace between them. It is strange for the king to be alone with his fiancé…though could he even call her that anymore? The marriage was a means to an end at the start of all this absolutely, and while they may have changed their thoughts on the matter, he still somewhat excepted it was a marriage he was willing to have with her.
Lunafreya looked at her king with curiosity in her eyes, a question lingering in her mind. 'How are you, Noctis?', she questioned. He raised a brow at this question before she gestured to his heart. 'You've regained your powers and have been chosen by the keyblade. I imagine you have a lot on your mind', she clarifies. He lets an "oh" escape him as the king turns to the dark horizon in thought, leaning against the wall with an exhale. He did indeed have so much on his mind about all this, yet instead of thinking on them he chooses to ignore them for now.
'Guess I do. But for now, I'm just grateful we've got a fighting chance to fix whatever it is Ardyn's done', he says calmly, 'And more importantly, we can take on the empire again'. Looking at his hand in thought, he firmly says: 'And we're getting Sora back as well'. Among all the things he needed to do, rescuing that boy came first. After everything, he did for them, and the fact Lunafreya, heck all his brothers were still here because of Sora is enough for the king.
Not only that, but the boy had become important to the king. A constant cheery but strong heart boy who isn't afraid to show what he felt or how important his friends are to him. The journey they been on together, the adventures, the battles, the fun times, they had become important to him. Now he was reunited with his lost love because of the boy but at the cost of separating him from his love. 'The chosen wielder of the keyblade', Lunafreya says.
'Yeah…', Noctis replied, lowering his head, 'And our glue that held us all together'. Losing Sora had not only been a devastating defeat despite their victory over the Tidemother, but it also reminded Noctis how much of a crucial member of the party he was to them. Between Kairi's grief, Riku's distancing of the team and Aqua lamenting her shortcomings, it hit the king hard. Not only that, but he cruelly realized how much they relied on him to pull their butts out of the fire.
All the reason why he needed to master his new weapon quickly.
'His light is still strong', she assures, placing a hand on his own, 'I can sense his heart remains free from their clutches'. He turned to her with a raised brow, curious as to how she would know this despite never meeting Sora face to face. Lunafreya smiles comfortingly and clasps her necklace. 'She doesn't know this, but Kairi's light is constantly anchoring him in place, to keep him safe from the darkness', she elaborated.
Noctis nods, somewhat catching on to what she's saying. It still amazed him she was a princess of light like Kairi. She had revealed this to the others after they had gotten onto the ferry along with several other answers to their questions. Donald and Goofy had told them that the new Organization XIII had been adamant in keeping the newest princesses safe from harm, which would explain why Ardyn didn't harm Lunafreya during the Rite.
The reason he didn't apply that rule to Kairi, however, was to likely provoke Sora into giving in to his anger. The two companions of Sora had told them about his "Rage-Form" and how it worked when Sora gives into his rage to become a nigh-unstoppable force of destruction at the cost of nearly losing himself to the darkness. It disgusted Noctis that Ardyn would stoop that low to use Kairi as leverage for Sora to nearly lose himself in such a horrible manner, only cementing the king's desire to make that man pay for what he's done.
He shook his head, wanting to stop thinking of all this and just enjoy having Lunafreya with him. She may have sensed it because she gave him a warm and gentle smile. 'I heard you were looking at my wedding dress', she teased lightly. He shyly blushes and looks away, earning giggles from the woman who leaned forward to glance at his shy adorable face. She then gestures her new attire. 'To be honest, I was very hesitant to wear these, but Kairi suggested it'd make moving easier without fears of tripping on myself', she explained.
'…you look beautiful in that', Noctis quietly says.
Just a shame he didn't look at her, he would've seen the former Oracle blush profusely and smiling in a giddy manner.
He turned back to her, looking at her gloves. 'The gloves, where'd you get those?', he asked, certain Altissia, with the empire's iron grip, would never sell something like that. Lunafreya frowns sadly, brushing her fingers gently across the emblem. 'These…were Ravus' wedding gifts…', she says, her voice heavy with sadness. Noctis raised his gaze to her eyes, sadness swirling in them as she sighed a shaky breath. 'H-He said, no matter where I go or what name I take, the Fleuret line shall always be by my side', she explained, 'A little reminder of where I came from'.
Familiar words to the king, recalling his father had something like this to him before he left his home for the first time. He gently laid a hand on her own, brushing the knuckles with a small smile. She softened her gaze, looking at him warmly. 'Noctis…', she starts, but he cuts her off. 'You know you can call me "Noct", right? Luna?', he said with a small tease. She giggled, nodding, 'Noct', the former Oracle says, wording it out in several tones of voices, likely to tease him. He rolls his eyes at her as she smiles playfully.
'…so…what's gonna happen to you now?', Noctis asked, deciding to address the situation. The woman's playful looks turns determined. 'Master Aqua and I have discussed this matter, she will be teaching me some form of magic to protect myself', she explained, 'Without the Oracle's power, I am no more a threat to the darkness than a bug'. Noctis agreed with the idea, though he wondered if he could do something about drawing out the trident she once carried.
'What about the trident? The one you used back at Altissia?', he says, 'Isn't it a royal arm? Couldn't I summon it for you?'. 'I'm not certain if it's possible. You never received it before I did', she hums. Then Noctis gets up and offers a hand, 'Then let's go see if I can help summon it from you', he offers. She nods, taking his hand and letting him guide her to a more open space on the ferry for them to practice.
*Cabins*
'Yeah we're on our way back to Cape Caem', Gladiolus says on the phone to Iris, laying on the bed. 'How bad are things over there?'.
'Pretty bad, Gladdy', Iris replied, 'Ever since the days ended daemons have been all over the place. We've got some of those high-powered repelling lights from Hammerhead thanks to Cid, but a lot of the Crownsguards said we're gonna be migrating to Lestallum once you guys show up'. The shield grunts in understanding, looking up at the ceiling as Iris tells the older sibling what's been happening since they left.
When the night began to rule over, almost everywhere on the mainland was overpopulated with daemons. Many small towns had been abandoned when the scourge of daemons became too much for the lights to handle, a lot of the hunters had been killed in action because of them and slowly but certainly the population of Lestallum had begun to overflow. At Caem, Iris tells Gladiolus that for the first few nights they had some chances of fortifying the place with more powerful lights, but they could only do so much when being constantly on.
'What about Jared and Talcott? They ok?', he asked. 'Jared's been doing a lot for us, mostly comforting Talcott but its starting to get to him', she says, 'The constant attacks have had him bedridden most days'. He grimaced at the news, hoping to get back soon and get them all out of the bay as soon as possible. If Lestallum is indeed becoming more populated with all the refugees, then it may be time for the team to start using the Havens for temporary housing.
'Just stay indoors until we show up, alright?', he says, 'Once we arrive we'll head to Lestallum, but if its too crowded sis, we're gonna have to discuss using the Havens for a base'. 'Camping for who knows how long? Sounds like your dream come true!', she laughed, earning a deep chuckle from the man. 'I gotta go, Gladio. Talcott's trying to make dinner again, bye'. She hangs up after he wishes her well and lays his phone the lamp table near him. With a sigh, he placed his hands behind his head and stares at the ceiling in thought.
He had told her what's happened to them after the Rite commenced, how they lost the ability to use the Armiger, then get it back with Noctis wielding a keyblade, how Ardyn kidnapped Sora and stole the ring, to everything else that's happened to them. Part of him was happy he didn't get to see the broken look on her face judging from her voice when he relayed that bit of info to her, and after she asked about Kairi and Riku too. He had hoped those two would have patched things up by now after their fight, but the shield had noticed the older boy had all but cut himself off from the group, avoiding Kairi.
If they didn't possess magic keys that could open any lock, he would have thrown them both in a closet and waited for them to sort it out.
The bathroom door opened and out came Aqua, in her clothes without the armor and a towel drying her hair with steam rising from her. She lets out a sigh of refreshment, feeling cleaner and ready for the day. The master looked at Gladiolus still laying down before saying: 'Did you manage to call Iris?'. He nods. 'Yeah, it's as bad we thought it was gonna be back on the mainland', Gladiolus reveals. 'Says they're only staying at the bay to wait for us'.
Aqua places the towel on the table near the desk before she joined him on the bed, sitting down on the edge. 'If Altissia is any indication of what's happening to this world, then I'm dreading how bad things are on the way to Niflhiem', Aqua says. Gladiolus hummed in agreement, realizing they were still quite a ways from the imperial lands, and like Altissia before, taking a long car drive wasn't an option for them.
A frown etched on his face when he thought back to the Regalia, realizing that their main driver is no longer capable of driving. He felt a hand planted on his stomach, making him look to Aqua. 'You're thinking about Ignis', she says knowingly. The shield nods, confirming her thoughts. The man had been taking his loss of sight well for the most part, much to the amazement of the others. Though he is finding it easier to cope with the lack of sight and having Prompto, Donald and Goofy constantly checking on him, while it could be them just being overprotective, he was grateful the three were keeping an eye on him.
'I dunno what we're gonna do, Blue', he says, placing his large hand on hers, 'I don't want to leave him behind but…'. 'Do you think Noct is going to let that happen?', she asked exasperatedly with a shake of her head. Gladiolus huffed at that, knowing she is right. Blindness be damned that man would still go to hell and back for his king, and as much as Gladiolus respected the man for his stubbornness, he wished he'd just do what was best for himself. Then again when it came to stubbornness almost everyone was almost the same.
'I wish we could heal his eyes, but our magic isn't that powerful to restore sight', she laments, looking at the floor. 'You did all you could do for him', Gladiolus assured, patting her hand, 'Saving his life is more than enough'. She smiles gratefully at him, before she kicked off her boots and socks, then laid down beside him, resting her head on his chest. He almost immediately wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her close to him.
Together they laid on the bed in silence, enjoying this small haven of peace for them. After rescuing the others and bringing them back to heal, the two of them had no time to finally take time and rest for themselves. If Aqua wasn't busying herself with healing the others, then Gladiolus was helping with guards with whatever they needed him for. If Gladiolus isn't hunting down the dark monsters than Aqua was empowering the city's lights with magic.
He needed this, to hold her with him and finally allow a reprieve from all the chaos they put up with and enjoy her company. Sub-consciously he started to stroke her bare shoulder as she held onto him, gently breathing and slowly relishing the peace between them. For now, there is no eternal night, no daemons to fight with, it was just them in their room of silence. Aqua starts to shift and slowly propped herself on her elbow to look at him.
She smiles softly at him with that smile, the same one she gave him when he accepted her as his. She shimmied up to him and placed a hand on his cheek, brushing against the rough patches of his stubble before she leaned in and captures his lips. Closing their eyes simultaneously, he helped her lay on top of him, her knees resting on each side of his hip as he placed his hands on her hips. A warmth spread through their bodies as they tasted each other, the shield rubbing her sides as she moans softly.
He lowered his lips to her neck and started to gently suck her, making the master moan and arch her head up to grant him more access to her neck. Sitting up with her in his lap while she wraps her legs around him, Gladiolus kisses her neck and cheeks while she runs her hands through his hair. The man was careful however not to push further than foreplay, peppering her with affection as opposed to instilling arousal within her.
Their last night in Lestallum wasn't anything risqué or sexual, they fooled around certainly by touching, nothing more. Even as intoxicated and with drunken bravery taking over the two, he ensured nothing explicit happened that night given how incredibly shy the woman is. Aqua moans his name before she cupped his cheeks and kissed him passionately. In an act of bravery Aqua's tongue prodded his lips, begging for a dance with his own.
He opens his mouth and their tongues dance together, wrapping one arm around her waist as he runs his hand through her hair. She hums with approval, before letting out a surprised gasp when Gladiolus rolled them on her back. Using his elbows to prop himself to make sure he didn't crush her; he immediately saw the hesitance in her eyes despite the excitement of making out. As he expected, he gently rubs her cheek with his thumb, smirking at her. She, in turn, pouted at him, she loathed him teasing her shyness.
Yet she offers no resistance to him continuing with their little session as she kept her legs around his waist and threw her arms around him. He chuckles. 'You know, we're gonna be in a compromised position if someone knocks', he teases. Aqua however shrugged. 'I've got that covered', the master replies confidently. 'What? Did you put up those hanging signs that said, "do not disturb"?', he laughed.
Aqua says nothing, looking away shyly. '…maybe?'.
This woman is too adorable for her good, he thought before he continued to shower her with affection. For all they knew, this may be their last chance at peace before plunging back into battle.
*Cape Caem*
Finally arriving at Cape Caem, the ferry docked nearby one of the docks in the area, unable to dock were his majesty's original ship was due to the size of the thing. Once everyone got off and bid the captain a thanks and good luck, they make their way back to the small house on the cliff near the lighthouse.
'I hope Iris and the others are ok', Prompto muses as he guided Ignis, 'You think they've dealt with some daemons?'.
'She told me they've gotten some lights from Hammerhead to keep them away from the house, but those things have to be running 24/7', Gladiolus remarks, 'She's not sure how much longer they'll last here'. As the party spoke amongst themselves, Kairi trailed behind quietly while looking at Riku occasionally. A pang of guilt smacked her heart whenever she glanced at him, hating the silence and awkwardness that lingered between them. Since their spat back in Altissia, they had been avoiding each other with every chance they got.
The princess admittedly did those two days of avoidance out of her own volition, both out of anger for him and awkwardness that she partly created between them. Then on their third day, she tried to approach him, not wanting them to be at odds with each other during the remainder of their journey on Eos. Especially with Sora's safety being the main reason. Yet anytime she tried to speak with him, he'd leave her in the dust or just flat out refuse to speak to her.
She hates this, and while she will take responsibility for her actions that caused this rift between them wholeheartedly, she wished Riku would stop this lone wolf garbage and just speak with her. Kairi lets a small sigh leave her mouth, gently clasping Sora's crown over her heart. Since her talk with Aqua, she had donned this chain as a keepsake, better it around her neck than in her pocket if those pesky goblins were any indication. But more so importantly, she felt a warmth wash over her whenever she clasped it.
It is as if Sora was enveloping her into a warm hug whenever she does like he's still with her no matter how far apart they are.
Reaching the house, they see much of the landscape had seen so much destruction from the daemons. Trees were broken and reduced to splinters while some were caked in soot, leaves dead and withered. The ground split and torn apart like an earthquake had occurred, even the lighthouse was demolished into a ruin, probably thanks to an iron giant. The house where they used as a base of operations had been roughed up, but fortunately, it still stood tall.
The withered door opened to show Iris peeking from it before she opened it fully to greet the others with a relieved smile. 'Welcome back', she says, putting down (to Gladiolus' horror) a shotgun near the frame. The shield immediately went up to her when they see the girl had seen some action during their trip to Altissia. She had her right arm in a sling and cast, a bandage on her cheek that was keeping the skin and flesh together.
Even her attire was in what looked to be a modified Kingsglaive uniform, without the coat of course. A black t-shirt that still had some form of magic within the seams, black pants, and boots. 'Are you alright?', Gladiolus questioned, checking her for any other wounds. Iris sighs. 'I'm fine, just a few scratches here and there. The arm was a parting gift thanks to a giant', she revealed, gesturing her sling. 'But other than that? Nothing else thanks to the lights'. She then turned to the others with a tired smile.
'Everyone ok?'. The moment she looked at the party, she frowns when there is no spiky-haired boy among them, confirming Gladiolus' story. Iris gave Kairi a look, but she merely nods, a small but sad smile in return. 'Its been a rough trip for us…', Noctis says, shaking his head. Iris nods in understanding, gesturing the others to enter the home. 'We're just packing up what we had moved in before we get going', she explained. 'Need any help?', Noctis asked, folding his arms. 'Yeah, just a few things', she says.
Iris then turned to Aqua. 'We've got the cars nearby, the daemons just ignored them', she says, digging through her pockets to pry the keys out. 'I asked Dustin to bring them over when we heard you were on your way back'. Aqua nodded in understanding, catching the two keys and turned to Prompto. '…Prompto', she starts, not taking her eyes off Ignis. The blind man waved off her concerns, likely feeling her gaze on him. 'Try to drive carefully Prompto', he says.
The blonde pats his shoulder comfortingly and assuring, taking the keys and following Aqua to the cars with Donald and Goofy going to back them up in case of the daemons or worse. 'Is there anything we can do?', Kairi asked, gesturing herself and Lunafreya as Gladiolus went to help Noctis move the requested items. Iris shakes her head, gesturing to Ignis. 'Not really, maybe just get ready for when we gotta head off?', she recommended, subtly hinting at Ignis. She nodded and the former Oracle guided Ignis to a spot within the light, suggesting Kairi start teaching the woman some magic.
Riku was the only one remaining, which Iris smiled at warmly before she took in how weary he looked to her. Gladiolus had told her what happened to Sora certainly, but he only gave her a brief idea on what's going on between him and Kairi. She got down the steps and approached him as he finally looked at her. She could see the tiredness in his eyes, the frustrations that swelled within him and concealed pain. 'Are you ok?', she asks.
He took his hands out of his pocket and shook his head. 'Could be worse…', he muttered. Iris gently patted his arm, making him face her properly before she guided him to the ruined lighthouse, likely for privacy and to give him some space to himself.
With the destruction around the beacon, only one powerful source of light was beaming on it, so they were at least safe from any daemon invasion. Sitting together on the bench, with the girl letting out a small hiss some aches, she turned to Riku sitting there. The quiet emitting from him felt unnatural to her, usually, he was cool around her, chill and easy-going with a hint of that shy boyish attitude of his. To see him looking so down in the dumps and beaten reminded her of Noctis when they were kids. He rubbed his wrists, grunting.
'Gladio told me about Sora…', she starts slowly, hesitant. 'Why wouldn't he? My best friend taken by the empire and I couldn't do jack to help him', Riku chastised, staring into the horizon of darkness ahead of them. 'Well, no…he didn't say that…', Iris said, patting his shoulder, 'He said you did ALL you could do for him, but…that chancellor guy or whatever his name is stopped you'. She was a bit foggy on the details since Gladiolus had this annoying habit of keeping her out of things like this regularly.
She was amazed she managed to even learn Prompto's name on his first day on the job…
Iris gently rubbed his back, comforting him as Riku hissed in anger, running his hands through his hair. She sees the stress in his body, his hands clenching when he clasped them together like he was trying to crush something in between his palms. The tension in his shoulders when she brushed her fingers against them like he is close to snapping in two. 'I was there Iris…he was right in front of me…and I couldn't save him', he glowered, bowing his head.
'Riku…', she tried but then he got off the bench and started to pace. 'I was supposed to bring him and the others back home! I was supposed to keep them safe! But I still screwed it up!', he rants. Those memories of the battle will forever haunt him, not just the chaotic destruction of the city, not the soldiers he had taken down nor the wounds he's sustained from it all. What tore his heart is seeing Ignis losing his sight, unable to even dare to comprehend the agony that man had to endure to protect Noctis and the others from Ardyn.
Shaking him to his very core was seeing those two precious to him, the only two who never gave up on him from the very day their world was lost to the darkness. Even after everything he had done to them, the amount of times he tried to show up Sora and how cruel he treated the boy, Sora still did everything to rescue and help him. He wasn't even sure how much of their rivalry was known to Kairi during that time, he didn't dare to think of how horrified she'd be if she knew how he treated Sora. Yet even after all this time, they still held on to him.
Reuniting with them in the world of nobodies, Kairi pleading him to stay with them despite the form he donned that year, to Sora crying with joy of finally finding him safe. If they weren't in the middle of what he thought was the final battle he probably would've broken down too. Having them back with him after a year of separation, to see how much they grew in that time, it both warmed his heart but also hurt him too. So much had passed between them all and they had no time to even catch up on it.
This journey with them, the adventures they had, seeing the world for what it is brought that life dream of theirs to life. Despite at the time he was the only one taking their predicament of being stranded on the world seriously, seeing those two excited they were all on a big adventure together like this brought that spark of adventure alive within him. Now a horrible douse of reality had come and smacked him in the face. A reminder that they were in the middle of a battle, a war even, between light and darkness.
The moment he thought they'd lost Kairi, it felt as if his own heart had been crushed to dust. Seeing her still form, her lifeless body devoid of the joy and light she'd bring to them, fearing they will never hear her voice, her laughter, her teasing. It was for the first time since this whole idea of light and darkness started, he thanked the light for sparing Kairi a short life. A permanent haunting for him to know she is killable as he, Sora and the others are.
Losing Sora to Ardyn, not knowing what that man of a daemon is doing to him with Xigbar at his side, scared him to near death. It was so much like their exam, where he tried so hard to protect Sora from Xehanort's manipulation, and if he hadn't gotten help from the others, he could've lost Sora to the darkness the old master could use. Now for all he knew Xigbar was doing the same thing to the boy, trying to manipulate the darkness within him, using Kairi as leverage and fearfully Riku might end up fighting him again.
He grabbed the metal railings with a small yell, gripping it tightly his inhuman strength bent it slightly and if he was alone, he'd probably rip it off and throw it into the abyss below him. 'I failed him again…I failed Kairi in keeping them both safe', he lamented, his anger subsiding and slowly sorrow took its place. Riku couldn't even face Kairi after all of this, even after telling her what happened was like he tore her heart out, stomped on it and shoved it back in. Treating her like trash also didn't help him either, lashing outwards and unfortunately for him she was the only person he took it out on.
As much as he frowned on her actions, he couldn't blame her for acting like that either. If he had lost someone close to his heart and his only memento of them was taking from him, he'd probably tear the city apart to find it. Ripping into her, he wished he could take that back and just hold his anger within, she's already dealt with enough already she didn't need her best friend at her throat.
He feels a hand rest on his, making him look at a frowning Iris. 'So, what are you gonna do about it?', she asked, 'Because it sounds like you're giving up on yourself after one shortcoming'. Riku opened his mouth to argue despite in some ways she spoke truthfully. 'I know it sucks that you couldn't keep them both safe from whatever happened, but that shouldn't mean one screw up means you're useless, right?', she says.
Iris gives the older boy a friendly look and cupped his cheek with her usable hand. 'Those two mean so much to you, it's painful to be away from them both, right? So, shouldn't that be enough for you to get your butt in gear and get him back?'. Riku looked at her as he sub-consciously places his hand on hers, almost depending on her warmth to warm him and stay off those thoughts of inadequacy. 'You can't hold that grudge against yourself every time you mess up, I mean it wasn't like you just let them get away with Sora, right?', she said teasingly.
'No…I didn't…', he hummed, remembering that desperation in his movements, how his body was doing all the thinking itself while the brain was fixed on saving his best friend. That wild surge of emotion coursing through his body, like everything around him slowed down while he moved. The power he tried to draw out despite how battered and weary he was. 'See? Sora's still alive, and I bet he's just waiting for you, Kairi, everyone to come rescue him', she encouraged. 'I mean, that's what the plan is, right?'.
'Damn right', he assured, facing her. Iris smiles back before she turned to the left. Following her gaze, he sees Kairi awkwardly standing there, looking away. 'S-Sorry, I…I'll just go', she muttered, nearly backing away. 'Nuh-uh', Iris said, stepping away from Riku, 'I think you two need to hash this out before you go anywhere'. Before either of them could stop Iris, the younger sibling of Gladiolus walks away with a wink to Kairi, walking down the slope back to the house.
Alone, Riku rubbed his neck awkwardly as Kairi approached him, her eyes hard to read. He hated this friction between them, the fact they had become so awkward with each other it felt so unnatural to him, like when he discovered Sora had a good grasp on maths. The princess stood before him, no longer were her eyes alit with anger but now they gentle glowed with some form of remorse for her actions. The master before the red-head closed his eyes and exhaled, trying to push those negative thoughts aside.
As much as he wanted to put it off, Iris had a point about resolving this before they make their way to Niflhiem. Kairi rubbed her left arm, looking away. '…remember when we used to be able to talk to each other?', she asked softly and low enough Riku nearly missed that. As much of blow as that was, he knew the girl felt the same resentment to this friction that caused them to grow apart from each other. Even as kids, well smaller kids, Kairi was the one person he never got upset with or even went quiet on like he did with Sora.
'…yeah…I also remembered when it was usual you who had to make me and Sora kiss and make up', he chuckled weakly. His humor earned him a small smile from her, and she turns to him. 'Except nowadays those lips of his are mine to touch', she says with jest. Riku nodded, before smirking. 'Pfft, your loss I guess'. Kairi raised a brow at him before she crossed her arms. 'Don't be jealous that he's a better kisser', she mocks playfully. 'And how would you know he's better than me?', he accused, 'Last time I checked I never touched yours with mine'.
Kairi gave him a mock disgusted look and even gagged. 'Gross, you're like my brother, dork!', she says. Soon their faces melted into peace before they both started to laugh together, enjoying this brevity that they had so desperately needed since that day. For a moment between the two old friends, they could act like young teens without a care in the world. How he missed these moments, the chill vibes between them even without Sora. When their mirthful laughter died out, they looked at each other with regret and remorse.
'Riku…back there, what I said…', she started lamely before he raised his hand. 'Kairi, I get why you did it, believe me, I do', he says softly, gesturing the necklace around her neck. 'I'd be no different if that was all I had of him'. Kairi frowns at the forgiveness, almost like she thought he was going easy on her, but she clasped the necklace, realizing in some way he was more apologizing for how he spoke to her. 'Look, *sigh* I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, especially when we were both still in less than ideal mindsets'.
He replayed those words in his head, hating how cold and dismissive he was towards her. As angry she made him when she once again threw herself headfirst into danger, he knows just how much the team somewhat underestimates her. 'Its…not that I didn't deserve some tongue lashing though', Kairi softly argues, 'I didn't think how much losing Sora affected you too…'. Riku gave her a forlorn look that looked identical to her own, both no longer hiding their pain. Kairi opened her arms, a peace offer hug. He took it and pulled her into one.
He felt her bury her face into him as he held her tightly, unable to recall the last time he and she shared a hug like this. 'I miss him so much…', Kairi whispered, whimpering. 'I know Kai…I miss him too', he says with sadness, 'But we'll get him back, you know we will'.
Kairi nods into him as he loosened the hug so she could look at him. 'I'm sorry', she says genuinely. 'Me too…', he replies.
One more hug between them, bonds restored before they returned to the others…
*Station, a day later…*
As many had expected, Lestallum had indeed become a more densely populated location than ever which forced the party to relocate to Old Lestallum. Despite the daemon population take over, they were quickly dealt with thanks to the three keyblade wielders and soon the party started to use the lights Cid had loaned them all to repower the town. Using magic from Lunafreya and Kairi after some lessons with Aqua, they managed to create the perfect source of daemon repelling lights.
Old Lestallum became a new home for Iris and the others while likely more would flock to this final piece of sanctuary, they managed at the very least provide some form of safety. Yet the main party would not be able to enjoy this, for, after some map reading and guidance from the former Oracle, they learned the only way to the imperial capital would only be possible by using the trains. Therefore, the party would have to venture across the seas once to reach the imperial land. Fortunately for them, by the time they arrived at the Galdin Quay there was a ferry waiting for them.
Courtesy of a supposed amateur jeweller who apparently "always keeps his word".
They've loaded up the Regalia and Wayfinder II into the cargo hold and got to their seats after some farewells and promises to return. Standing on the lane before the train, Riku and Iris were saying their farewells. The Amicitia girl gave the boy a fond smile as he gave her the update on his and Kairi's situation, thanking her for pushing them.
'So, I guess this is it, for now, huh?', she says with regret. 'Yeah…I'm sorry we've gotta get going so soon', he apologizes. If things had worked out more in their favor, he would've gladly taken her on another date the moment he saw her. 'It's ok, a "hero's" work is never done, huh?', she teases cheekily. Riku rolled his eyes with a smirk, not used to the whole quote-unquote hero role everyone teased him to be these days.
Iris' eyes shifts into a softer look. 'Look out for Gladdy, you know how stubborn that guy can be', she requested. 'I think the guy's more likely to be watching out for us', Riku jokes while assuring Iris at the same time. 'Have you seen him punch someone? I think he broke the jaw off an imperial magitek one time!'. Iris rolled her eyes, believing Riku regardless. As the ferry's horn rang out to signal it was taking off, Riku glanced at it before turning to her again.
She nods in understanding. 'I'll…see you again soon', she says hopefully. Riku smiled back, wrapped his arms around her and then planted a kiss on her lips. Iris stiffens from this but quickly melted into the kiss and kissed him back with equal passion, unknowingly kicking a leg up behind herself.
Breaking the kiss, Riku smiled at the star-eyed girl. 'Compensation for our short reunion', he says, 'Next time we come back, I'll make up for lost time'. She grins. 'I'll hold you to that promise, buster!', she states confidently. He nods as he breaks their hug and gets on the ferry, waving as it starts to move. He waves goodbye to Iris and the rest as they grew smaller and smaller until they faded from view.
On the deck of the ferry, the party were all seated and ready to continue with their journey, bonds renewed and strengthened as Kairi stares out the to the sea, Sora's necklaces shining from the light of the car above them. As she gently clasped it, feeling her strength grow as well as the promise she made.
"We're on our way, Sora".
A/N: This was a hard one to do…I'm not good at writing drama!
Our heroes have put aside their issues and now venture to the imperial lands to rescue our lovable hero. What sort of dangers lie in wait for them? What does Xigbar have planned for Sora? And will Ignis be able to rise above his new disability? Find out…NOT next time.
Next time we're going back to Cindy and see what she's gotten up too!
As always, if you have questions ask away! Sorry this is a short chapter, I just didn't know how to extend it without padding.
The name of Noctis' keyblade was suggested by Carman, so massive thanks for that!
Here's mine:
Q1: What do you think of Noctis' keyblade?
Q2: Do you wanna see more of Noctis and Lunafreya?
Q3: How do you feel about Lunafreya joining the team for the rest of the journey and what did you think her clothes? I was going with a mixture of Kairi's KH2 look with a bit of XV cosmetics.
Q4: How was Iris and Riku? Wanna see more of them?
Q5: Is there any character you wanna see more of?
Q6: How do you find the lengths of these chapters?
Q7: Do you wanna see Riku and Kairi bonding more?
So I've been thinking while writing this, but would you all like a collection of short stories consisting of this universe? Like they'd be ideas I had but didn't make it in the main story with a few requested chapters here and there? Again that won't happen until after this story is finished.
As always, thanks for reading! Stay awesome but more importantly stay safe!
