Chapter XLIII- Hollow Bastion (Part 4)
The group continued their way into the grand hall quietly. It was covered in ornate rugs and flaming torches, like some dark ritual was performed here.
They walked past these six glass caskets lined up against the walls, each containing beautiful young maidens.
"Glass shoes?" Donald tilted his head in confusion looking at a blonde woman in a glittery white dress. There were two other women next to her, one has pale white skin black hair and wore a dress that was yellow below the waist and blue above. The other woman had golden blonde hair, luscious red lips, and wore a elegant purple dress though it almost looked like the dress was switching between pink and blue.
"Psst, Sora..." Koga pulled his brother aside. He whispered quietly to him, not trying to disturb the other two. "These women look familiar?"
"Yeah, they were the ladies in the glass floor from that shared dream." Sora said, realization in his voice. He thought to himself, were they testing them that day, to see if they are up to this quest?
"Sora, Koga! Over here!" Goofy called urgently. The twins, hearing his distress, rushed over to his side. He pointed to a glass case and their eye's widened.
"Alice!" Koga said, pressing his hands on the glass. The girl they befriended from Wonderland was sound asleep in the case. All this searching and she was here the whole time.
"And Jasmine!" Sora pointed to the adjacent case. The princess Aladdin wanted them to find was here as well.
"Why did Maleficent capture them?" Donald asked. "Jiminy, do you have anything?"
"Hold on, give me a second!" Jiminy Cricket pulled out his journal and brisked through the pages, hopping onto Goofy's shoulder. "Let's see... Back in Agrabah Jafar said that Jasmine was part of seven princesses that were needed to open a door."
"That must have something to do with that Final Keyhole." Koga said to himself.
"What is wrong with them?" Goofy asked.
"Rik-, that person controlling Riku took their Hearts." Sora said.
Wait, if their Heart's are missing then why didn't they turn into Heartless? Koga thought this to himself. Matter of fact, Kairi didn't turn to one either, what if she...
"Wait, there's only six of them." Donald said. He was right, there were only six princesses here, one was missing.
"That doesn't matter now. Come on!" Sora said moving forward. They ran up the stairs, Donald and Goofy following behind. When they reached the top they saw against the wall was a large man made Keyhole in the shape of a Heartless Emblem. Darkness seemed to be coming from it but it was so little not even a Shadow could come through. It still pulsed with potential dark energy.
Sora turned to the side and saw none other than Kairi laid unconscious on the ground.
"Kairi!" Koga jumped at his brother's outburst. Together they ran to her side. Koga lifted her and shook her gently.
"Kairi, wake up!" Koga begged. After all this searching they finally found her. Only she's not awake to celebrate with them. "Come on please, open your eyes!" Kairi didn't budge at all, not one response to her friend's voice. As lifeless as a puppet. He put a finger to the girl's neck. "She's got a pulse." He then hovered his hand over her mouth. "And she's still breathing."
"Then what is wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?" Sora said.
Koga said nothing as he pulled the girl to a desperate hug, his body shook as he held her tightly.
"It's no use..." The group turned and saw Riku, or the Riku impostor, leaning against the Final Keyhole, Keyblade of Heart in hand. "She lost her Heart, and without it she cannot wake up."
"Come to gloat or do you have something to say?" Koga said putting Kairi's body to the ground and got into a protective stance.
The Riku impostor jumped and floated down gently closer to them. "The Final Keyhole cannot be completed, so long as the last princess of Heart still sleeps."
"The princess?" Koga tilted his head in confusion. Then realization dawned on his face and his eyes widened and he turned his head back to the girl. "No..."
"Kairi's a princess?" Sora said surprised.
"Yes, a princess who's Heart contains no inch of darkness. That is why when the darkness has come for their Heart's they did not turn into a Heartless. And without their power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete."
"Look whoever you are let Riku go!" Sora said angrily. "Give him back his heart!"
The Riku impostor smirked. "But first, you both must give the princess back her Heart!" He pointed his Keyblade at them and a strange energy pulsed from the tip.
Suddenly Sora and Koga felt a sharp pain in their chests. They collapsed onto the ground, the pain overwhelming. Donald and Goofy tired to keep their friends on their feet but kept their eyes on the enemy.
"Wha- What's happening, I feel like my chest is going to burst!" Koga whimpered.
"What did you do to us?" Sora asked.
"Don't either of you see yet? The princess's Heart is responding. It's been there all along, split by intertwined destiny, Kairi's heart rests withing you!"
"Inside us... Kairi is inside us?" Koga's face flushed red, the pain being so intense.
"I know all that there is to know."
"Tell me, who are you!" Sora demanded.
The Riku impostor smirked and raised his arms like he was expecting applause. "It is I, Ansem the Seeker of Darkness!"
Koga paused temporarily in the middle of him writhing in pain. Ansem, the person who ruled over Leon's world, the person who studied the darkness and created the Heartless making machine. All this time he was watching events from the shadows such as Maleficent spreading darkness over the worlds, he probably even used her to help finish the Keyhole. And another thing clicked, he was the man who visited Sora and Koga the day their world was destroyed. Why was he there that day, how did he know these two kids would become Keyblade wielders?
Donald and Goofy stood in front of Ansem and blocked him from getting to the twins. With a simple flick of his wrist, Ansem knocked the two and Jiminy off the platform onto the stairs. Before they could get back up, he created a magic barrier preventing anyone from getting out or getting in. They banged furiously on the barrier, calling out to their friends.
Ansem was a few feet away from the boys, Keyblade over their heads. "So, I shall release you now, princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me to the everlasting world of darkness!" He raised his blade to do a downward slash on the twins still catching their breath. Time seemed to go in slow motion as Sora and Koga made no move to block the attack, the pain in their chest was too much.
"Sora-Koga!"
Suddenly the pain vanished and they both felt something compel them to summon their Keyblades and both block Ansem's attack. They looked at each other and nodded before they pushed Ansem back and stood on their feet. They glared threateningly at their opponent.
"Forget it, there's no way you're taking Kairi's Heart!" Sora growled.
"And you will not control Riku anymore!" Koga snarled.
Riku's body gave a haunting laugh as Ansem took a battle stance and did a beckoning gesture with his free hand, taunting them.
"Do not let that Keyblade hit us." Koga said to Sora who grunted in agreement. They charged together and tried to slash at Ansem. The Dark seeker jumped back just enough for them to miss, then he slashed at them. Sora awkwardly blocked it while Koga did a palm thrust to Riku's face, which was now under Ansem's control. He stumbled back before glaring at the boys.
"Foolish..." He threw a Dark Firaga at them widening the distance between them and then his free hand started crackling with dark energy as he covered the Keyblade with it. "Now witness true power!" He slashed his Keyblade and shot crescent shaped wave of energy at them. While the two countered Ansem launched himself at them and slammed his Keyblade downwards. The twins jumped to the left and right of him. Then darkness erupted from the group hitting them both.
Sora recovered midair and slashed at Ansem who spun around with his Keyblade out knocking Sora off balance. Koga fired Firaga at Ansem who easily deflected it with his Keyblade and countered with a Dark Firaga. Then he quickly turned and blocked Sora's swings again, kicking Sora back. While his back was turned Koga charged at him with his fist up to punch him square in the skull. Just before his fist made contact Ansem moved away at lightning speed and while Koga was recovering from the missed punch he lunged towards the boy and snatched him by the throat.
Koga hissed in pain as Ansem's hand was still covered in dark energy. He was lifted up in the air as he struggled to breathe. Then he was flung across the platform and he fell on his back. He tried to catch his breath but then sensed something was wrong.
"Koga look out!" Goofy called out.
He looked up to see Ansem diving at him with him Keyblade pointing at him. He didn't have time to react as it pierced him square in the chest.
"KOGA!" Sora screamed. He watched as Ansem lifted him up, and smirked.
"Riku was correct, you are weak. Now join him in the darkness!"
"No!" Sora angrily ran towards him, nearly blinded by the recent tears.
Ansem effortlessly threw Koga's body at Sora knocking them to the ground. Sora sat back up and looked at his brother. The starry eyed youth had a face of panic as he started at his chest. Where Ansem stabbed him light and darkness was spilling out. The darkness was gradually spreading across his body as the light flew away in sparkles. He turned to his spiky haired brother with dread.
"S- Sora, I'm sorry... for not being stronger..." He said.
"Don't say that!" Sora yelled tearfully. "It's not over, it can't be. Don't leave please!" He begged, as if Koga had a say in the matter.
"If you would like I can have you join him in welcoming oblivion!" Ansem said as his body glowed and he floated into the air Keyblade pointed up. Sora, sensing an attack, push Koga against the machinery so he wouldn't get hit. He then turned to the person who wounded his brother. The space around them twisted into darkness as Ansem charged at Sora and slammed into him with full force. He then teleported around Sora and slammed into him again, and again, and again. When it was over Sora nearly fell over. Ansem pointed his Keyblade just below his head. "Your story ends here Keyblade wielder." He raised his Keyblade to unleash the final blow on Sora.
Then someone grabbed his wrist in a firm grip.
Ansem snapped his head back and saw Koga glaring at him with intense fury. More than half of his body was covered in darkness as his other hand was clutching his chest trying to prevent the light from escaping. The darkness covered almost all of his face except his right eye which was burning with wrath.
Koga's Heart is on the verge of separating from his body, any moment he will become a Heartless. The darkness was consuming and destroying him, but he can feel the surge of strength it gave him. Knowing that it's too late for him, he will use it to stop Ansem in what little time he has left. His mind was clouded, his muscles burned, and his heart was skipping beats. He kept mumbling the only things that are keeping him from losing his grip.
"Sora... Riku... Kairi..." Koga tightened his grip on Ansem.
"What!?" He was then thrown across the room like a ragdoll and crashed hard into the magic barrier. Koga rushed towards him and slammed his knee into his face with superhuman strength. Ansem lifted his Keyblade up to attack but Koga grabbed it and stabbed it into the barrier so hard that it punctured through it. Cracks spread across the entire thing before it finally collapsed. Koga lifted Ansem up and tossed him again, this time aiming for the Final Keyhole. Ansem hit the energy field of the unfinished Keyhole as lightning crackled across his convulsing body. Suddenly there was a burst of light from Ansem, when it faded he was no longer there.
Koga breathed heavily as he fell on his back. Sora ran to his side Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy now able to join them.
"Koga, hang in there!" Sora said. Donald tried to use cure on him but it had no effect. The light from his chest was getting brighter. Koga was fighting a losing battle just to buy a few more moments.
Koga's eyes went wide as he turned to his brother. "Sora... No time... Kairi Heart, not ready..."
Something flew out of Koga, it looked like a Heart but it was cut perfectly in half. This was Kairi's Heart, the one that attached itself to Koga when Kairi vanished from the island. As it flew up he realized what Koga is talking about. It can't go back to Kairi, not when it's only half. There's no way Kairi can survive with only half a Heart. If he doesn't think of something quick the part of Kairi's Heart will vanish. He bit his lip as he looked around the room. His eyes targeted the Keyblade of Heart that Ansem left behind. It was cracked by the damage it took, perhaps when it breaks it will release the Heart's of the princesses.
"A Keyblade that can unlock people's Hearts..." He mumbled to himself. He knew exactly what he had to do, and he knows if the roles were reversed Koga would do the same. With no hesitation he stood up and picked up the Keyblade. He turned to them with a sheepish grin.
"Take care of Kairi for us."
"Sora!" Goofy exclaimed realizing what Sora was about to do.
"Sora, wait!" Donald shouted, the two of them rushed towards him.
Sora turned his head to his dying brother, ready to surrender his Heart.
"Together?" Koga mumbled.
The spiky haired boy nodded with a sad smile. "See you on the other side brother." He said as he plunged the cracking Keyblade into his chest.
And together they both released their Hearts.
HAVE FUN!