OOOOO
She Will Light The Way
Chapter 5
Boss Battle
Kairi's body had begun moving before her mind even realized what was happening.
She ran at full speed towards the train station building, ignoring the various grunt Heartless, and the one gigantic, monstrous Guardian Heartless – Camazotz.
The Blackheart Stone sat atop the station's Clock Tower. She was the only one who could destroy it. And, if she did, she would save everyone in Twilight Town from further pain and terror, and restore peace to the sleepy little villa.
She would be one step closer to Sora.
"Rikku! Go with her!" Paine barked. While Kairi ran to the station, the battle had broken again. The various Heartless buzzed and moved and struck, while Camazotz removed itself from it's perch, taking to the wing and flying in a wide circle around the terrace. Paine chopped down a few Heartless, whereas Yuna blasted some more, also taking potshots at the gigantic bat overhead.
"Yeah, yeah! I'm on it!" The blonde slipped away from a group of approaching Heartless and began her sprint to the station. A small group of Heartless moved in to intercept the two girls, imposing themselves in the space between the terrace and the entrance. "Looks like you're pretty popular, Red!" Taking out another one of her black and silver studded ice bombs, Rikku hurled it into the group, unleashing it's freezing mist and turning the Heartless into the world's ugliest ice sculptures.
"Oh, lucky me." Kairi launched a trio of small Fire spells, little jets of flame that exploded upon impact, burning and shattering the frozen Heartless and fully clearing their path.
With their head start, Kairi forced her way through the glass doors first, entering the long abandoned station, though Rikku was not far behind. Across the lobby was their destination, a door labeled 'Clock Tower Access'. As the two crossed the room, the entire building began to shake and rattle, as if some large force was battering against the train station.
They know I'm here. The young Key Bearer thought, as Rikku forced the door open. That thing knows I'm in here. She had to hurry.
The accessway took the form of a great staircase, made of wood and metal, that wound it's way up the square tower, seemingly forever. A loud BOOM rocked the place, the tower began shaking in the sound's wake.
"I'll take lead on this, Rikku!" Kairi declared, beginning her ascent, taking it two steps at a time.
Rikku swore under her breath at the prospect of such exertion, before following after. "You suddenly seem real gung-ho about this, Red." She huffed. The tower trembled once more, as the two girls climbed and talked.
"I-I just realized," Kairi said in between breaths. "There's more at stake to this than just Sora. If the Heartless are all over town, people could get hurt. If we destroy the Stone, it all goes back to normal, so let's go!"
Kairi reached down even deeper inside of her, putting her body into a whole other gear she didn't even realized she had, increasing her pace even more, leaving the blonde girl in her wake.
"Hey, wait up!"
Kairi ignored her and kept going, only to be quickly stopped by a sudden roadblock. Mere feet ahead of her, a bladed talon pierced through the stone of the tower as it were nothing, shredding portions of the stairway as well. The redhead grit her teeth and skidded to a stop, careful not to touch the blade, as to alert the Camazotz Heartless to her presence.
"Man, this is getting nuts!" Rikku declared, now moving at a much more measured pace. The talon was withdrawn from the tower, leaving a massive jagged rent behind, but the Guardian Heartless was far from done. Continuously, the talons began to impale the structure, all up and down the length of the tower, at random intervals and height, Camazotz desperately and blindly trying to strike at it's prey.
Despite this, and the racing of her heart, her fear, and the pain in her muscles, Kairi pressed on. Her body was trembling, but she forced her spirit to be redoubled. She needed to be strong here.
"I'm going up top! We can face it on equal ground, there!"
"No, Red!" Rikku cried out from below, still moving at a much more cautious gait. "Wait up for me, I've got an idea!"
Kairi paid her no mind, and soon came to regret it.
As the apex of the tower came within sight, one of the talons crashed in through the wall just behind her. With the speed she was moving at, it didn't strike her, but the sheer impact and momentum of the attack caught her, sweeping her up and throwing her over the guardrail. A scream bunched up in her throat but was never released. She must have been forty or fifty feet up at this point...
Thankfully, Rikku was on point, leaping towards the edge, but keeping herself braces against the railing, the hands of the Al-Bhed girl snapping shut around Kairi's forearm. Kairi let out a sigh of deep relief, as Rikku reeled her in from over the edge, depositing her back on the stairway.
"Thanks, Rikku..."
"Hey, Kairi." Rikku was fishing through one of her bags for something. "I know that you're afraid and uncertain, and you really want to help others and finish this as soon as possible, but I gotta let ya know." The blonde grabbed what was undoubtedly another bomb, this one pentagonal with a tiny bit of pink gel stuck to the end. Another one of the blades stuck through the wall, about twelve-feet above their head. "Right now, you're not fully ready to do everything by yourself. You gotta listen to me and the others. All we're trying to do is help you, 'n make sure we get out of this mess in one piece."
With deft and precision, Rikku hucked her explosive at the talon, the gel end making contact against the surface and sticking to it. Soon after, the blade retracted, and was followed by a audible and tangible, roaring, fiery explosion, hopefully wreaking havoc against the Heartless. Rikku pumped her arm in victory.
"Yeah! That'll fix your wagon, dick face!"
The two then continued their ascent, moving somewhere between Kairi's frantic pace and Rikku's cautious one. "I'm sorry, Rikku," Kairi said. "I just, I dunno, something feels like it's pushing me in this direction. I want to go in that direction, but sometimes my body moves faster than I can think or feel."
"Ooh, you got that 'hero instinct' bad." Rikku commented. "Just like Yunie way back when."
"But, I just have to ask, do you hate me?" Kairi looked behind her to see Rikku's quizzical expression. "I mean, ever since we met this morning, all you've done is make snide comments about me. Heck, I think that was the first time you used my name."
"I don't hate ya, Red." Rikku said after a long pause of consideration. "I just... I'm the kind of person who likes to push people's buttons, right? And you seem like the kind of person who I can easily wind up. It's kinda fun!"
I wish she said that with less relish. Kairi thought, dimly. The door that led to the rooftop was right in front of them. Just a few more steps.
Rikku continued. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not your biggest fan or anything. You hear all this and that about the Keyblade and it's chosen, and then you get one? I mean, gimme a break!"
Kairi bristled as her hand fell on the door knob. She did not need to hear this right now. "Rikku, I-"
The blonde's hand fell upon the knob, too. Kairi's vision was met by Rikku's. "But, hey, I'm open-minded. Impress me. Show me what you got, Red!"
Together, the two opened the door and exited back outside.
High atop the roof of the train station, they found themselves on the opposite end from where the Blackheart Stone. One the plus side, there was a catwalk skirting along the left-hand side, which would leave them right towards the balcony underneath it. On the down side, hovering in the airspace around the Stone was it's Guardian, Camazotz flying in wait, three of the blades on it's left side having been smashed into smithereens by Rikku's bomb.
Upon their exit, Camaztoz reared back, beams of dark energy firing from the tips of it's remaining talons, streaming and ripping across the surface of the roof, all of their paths leading to Kairi and Rikku.
Red roof tiles were sent flying into the air, as the two girls dove for cover behind a steepled rooftop, trying their hardest to maintain their footing on the loose surface of the tiles.
"Yunie! Give us some covering fire!" Rikku cried out the moment the bat Heartless' attack died down.
"I'm on it!" They heard the voice of the brunette gunslinger call out from down below. "Paine, watch my six!"
The sound of Yuna's magical bullets making impact with the giant Heartless gave them reason to pop out of their hiding place, to assess the situation. Camazotz's attention was indeed drawn to the ground, unleashing it's dark beams as Yuna peppered it with gunfire. But it still had not vacated the area of the Blackheart Stone.
"Boo! Boo! Don't give me that puppy guarding crap, you loser!" Rikku jeered at the Heartless, who made no move it heard her. Kairi, meanwhile, had her eyes focused on more pressing matters.
"What are we gonna do now..." She winced when she saw the entire length of the catwalk had been destroyed by the Heartless' most recent assault. Her eyes surveyed the remainder of the rooftop, all the warped tiling and holes blown into it, trying to come up with some sort of plan. The moment they approached the Stone, it's Guardian would be aware – she didn't doubt that fact – and with the roof in such ruined condition, their movement would be hindered, and it would make for an awkward battlefield. Yuna's suppressing fire wouldn't hold it off forever, they needed to know their next move, and fast!
Finally, after much deliberating, Kairi turned to Rikku and asked. "Hey, Rikku. Do you think you can distract that thing?"
Rikku looked taken aback. "What? Me? Be loud and annoying? Perish the thought." She said in a mocking tone, a wry smile spread on her lips. Then, her tone became more serious. "You're gonna charge the Stone, right?" Kairi nodded, leading to the blonde rummaging through her pouches again. She produced a small black, plastic tube with a hook extending from one end. "Take this, it's a grapple-wire." Rikku began explaining it's functions. "Press this button to fire the line, this button to retract it. Hold on tight when you do that, the motor has a hell of a kick."
Kairi took hold of it in her free hand. "Thanks. Stay safe, don't too anything too reckless."
"Right back at ya, Red." Rikku adjusted her goggles, then pulled out a few more bombs. "I don't know how long I'll last against it, so you better act quickly."
On a silent count of three, the two broke rank and charged, Kairi going left and Rikku going right.
Standing her ground, Kairi took aim with the grapple-wire, but her concentration was momentarily broken by Rikku and her distraction.
"I am the night!" Rikku screamed at the top of her lungs, hurling bombs at the Heartless. She looked like the picture of a mad woman. "I am... BATMAN!"
Kairi was drenched in a flop-sweat. Well... I think I found her wheelhouse when it comes to combat.
Camazotz was buffeted by the explosions, slowly flying away from where it was attacking Yuna, reorienting itself so that it now staring down the charging, screaming, lunatic Al-Bhed girl.
With the Guardian distracted, Kairi took aim once more. She was unable to get a clear shot at the apex where the Blackheart Stone was, so instead chose to aim lower, targeting the balcony beneath it.
That was the balcony Roxas fell from...
With one press of the button, the hooked end fired out, latching on securely to one of the pillars in the area. Easy as that. As soon as she pressed the retract button, however, she felt her entire being pulled through space at ludicrous speed, holding on to the little tube for dear life. "Hell of a kick", was an understatement, as Kairi was snapped like a rubber band across the rooftop, roughly crashing on the stone floor, chest first.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Kairi hissed. Magical clothing or not, she felt that. That was going to bruise come morning. Standing up, she turned around just in time to see the Heartless fire all five of it's lasers at the same target: Rikku. Kairi almost cried out in fear, as the girl had no real place to dodge, and she chose what seemed like the worst: to the right, into open air.
Fortunately though, as the lasers crashed and tore through the roof once more, Rikku pulled out her own grapple-wire, firing it to hook onto the edge of the roof, and then swinging back down the plaza grounds, gracefully and to safety
Unfortunately, to Kairi, "safety" seemed to be as faraway as her home on the Islands was, right now.
With Rikku taken care of Camazotz turned it's attention back to her, charging it's beams once more.
Pointing Destiny's Embrace at the bat monster, Kairi unleashed a flurry of spells, unloading everything she had learned today. Sharp ice missiles and gouts of flame, she even managed to fire orbs of electricity for the first time ever. But, the attacks seemed to do little other than to stun the Guardian and dispel whatever energy it used to charge it's attacks. Assaulted with the hail of spells, the Heartless took a to a different method of getting rid of it's mortal enemy. Extending it's wingspan to maximum length, it took a massive flap, charging dead forward to Kairi and her position, intent on ramming into her and the tower.
Now, Kairi was faced with the same decision Rikku had just moments ago. She couldn't turn back. If she jumped left pr right, she would fall to the ground, and she had dropped the grapple-wire and didn't know where it currently was. That was not an option, she couldn't afford to move away from the Stone after all the effort it took getting here. And, so, Kairi went the only way she saw left open to her: Up.
Jumping as high as she possibly could (which was a fair bit higher than normal, thanks Keyblade!) Kairi cleared over the body of the rocketing Heartless, who smashed into the stone of the balcony, unleashing a massive shockwave in all directions. The force caught Kairi from beneath and sent her flying upwards with even greater rapidity, her movement gone out of control.
Camazotz quickly recovered from it's own attack, latching on to the side of the building, head thrown back, jaws wide open, lying in wait for Kairi's inevitable descent.
Kairi flew so high she passed by the Blackheart Stone and reached her apex above it.
She could hear all three of the Gullwings call out her name.
And then, time seemed to slow down to her.
Deep down inside herself, Kairi felt something. It was different from her mana, which, admittedly, she had only learned how to channel earlier this morning, but there was a distinct difference. Because she had felt this thing within her before. Way, way back on Hollow Bastion, when she grasped onto that Shadow Heartless, pulling Sora out of the abyss and into her arms. It felt...amazing! Calm and warm and brilliant and powerful. So incredibly powerful, that even a doubting newbie like her could feel this and then turn around and take on the entire Organization.
"This is... this is my Light."
She had heard everyone talking about it for what seemed like an eternity. The shining power that lay dormant with the Princess's of Heart. A unique and rare ability that was beyond compare, that, when used properly, could change the course of the world around her.
"So why is it reacting so strongly now?"
Because you understand what you're fighting for? It's more than just Sora. Riku and Aqua and mom, everyone back home. Everyone here in town. Roxas, wherever and whoever he was. The Gullwings and the people back on Hollow Bastion. Everyone everywhere is relying on me.
An iridescent white aura formed around her body.
And your power, it was made to protect and save others. Just like you saved Sora that one time. If you did it that one time, surely you can do it again, Kairi.
A spark of energy formed deep within the center of her pupils.
Save everyone.
Protect those you love.
Fight against the monsters who would harm them!
[RADIANT FINISH: Holy Calibur!]
Destiny's Embrace was suddenly engulfed in a similar brilliant halation as it's master, taking the form of a sword's blade. Kairi took her Keyblade in both hands and wound up, as her perception of time returned to normal, herself plummeting towards Camazotz.
"You want this so bad, huh? Then take it!"
Kairi let out a guttural, primal roar as she swung Destiny's Embrace in a wide arc, unleashing a crescent of pure, holy light energy. Moving at a blistering pace, the Heartless had no time to react, as the blade sliced through it's jaw, severing it in half, passing through and then lopping off the remainder of it's bladed talons! Without anything to latch onto the station, and half it's face suddenly gone, Camazotz began to fall back down to earth.
Kairi twisted her body around, ignoring the wave of wooziness and exhaustion that was over her, her Keyblade now aimed at the Blackheart Stone. "And one more!"
She unleashed another arc of energy, which cut through the obelisk as if it were just air, cleaving the top half of the spire in twain.
All at once, Kairi, the Heartless, and the portion of the Stone all fell from the station.
Both the Heartless and Stone dissipated into black smoke, but Kairi continued to fall, as her aura died out.
I did not think this through! The redhead called out in panic as she continued to hurtle towards a world of pain, before being suddenly caught by a woman named Paine.
Letting out another sigh, as she found herself cradled in the arms of the strong swordswoman, Kairi went to offer her gratitude. "Uh, than-"
Paine roughly deposited her to the ground.
"You're welcome."
As Yuna and Rikku helped Kairi up to a standing base, the remainder of the Blackheart Stone began to pulsate and glow, eventually breaking apart into black particulate, unleashing a wave of energy throughout the terrace. As the wave spread, the remaining mook Heartless seemed to vanish, either beating a retreat, or forced away by the destruction of the Stone.
"Well, it was a little touch-and-go, but I think that went pretty well." Yuna surmised cheerily. "For a first mission, that is."
Kairi looked up at the wreck of the train station, knowing it was at least tangentially responsible. She grimaced. "If you say so, Yuna." Her head throbbed, as the corners of her vision blurred. Why did she feel this tired? Was she even less physically cut out for this than initially thought?
"Don't sell yourself short," Paine said, sheathing her sword and shield. "You were able to figure out where the Stone was, you charged headlong into danger to clear the objective, and you took on that giant Heartless by yourself." Paine's red-eyes looked Kairi up and down. She tried her hardest to look brave and confident, but almost withered under the dark woman's critical eye. "Not bad."
Kairi blushed at the compliments, not feeling they were earned. "Eh, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you three."
"True. Doesn't take away from what you did, though."
"Still, thank you all the same. You were a big help."
"Hey, hey! We're your support team right!" Rikku came up to Kairi's side, playfully punching her in the shoulder. "We gotta make our heroine look good! And, uh, yeah, not bad." Rikku pulled up her goggles, revealing her bright green eyes. "I might just come around to you, yet, Red." She winked and clicked her tongue.
Before Kairi could respond, a new set of voices called out.
"Hey, Kairi! You okay?"
"Is everything safe, now?"
"Man, that was awesome! I never knew you could fight like that, too!"
Kairi turned to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette approaching from the entrance to Market Street, Olette and Pence looking cautious and concerned, but Hayner was excitable and in awe.
"Guys!?" Something clicked in the back of Kairi's head, as she took a sterner disposition. "Hey, I thought I told you to get to somewhere safe?" She scolded the trio. "How much did you see?"
"Basically everything from when that giant bat monster first showed up." Olette explained.
"And then you kicked it's ass!" Hayner cheered, jabbing at the air. "That was so damn cool, I never expected you had it in you! Why didn't you pull that out on that cloaked freak?"
Kairi stammered. "Well, I... this is kind of a recent development and..." Her emotions swung about like a pendulum, but she was eventually able to catch herself and calm down. "Look, that's not important. What matter is, the town should be safe now. That black tower was what was drawing all those Heartless in. With it gone, you should be okay."
"Thank goodness." The three teens looked incredibly relieved.
Kairi looked back at the Gullwings, Paine making jerking motions with her head, signaling it was time to go. "And, I really wish I could spend more time here, with you guys, but there are other Stones about. Other places and people need help, too, and I guess..." Very briefly, Kairi reflected on the whirlwind events of the last few days. The rollercoaster her emotions had been through. How far she had traveled in just three days. Both physically and spiritually.
"I guess I'm the one to do it. No... I am the one to do it!"
"So it's goodbye again, then?" Pence asked. "At least this time we get to depart on better terms."
"Take care of yourself, Kairi." Hayner offered with a friendly wave. "And keep on fighting, ya hear?"
"And maybe the next time you swing by, you and Sora can come enjoy the town. Together." Olette gave her a knowing look, causing Kairi to blanch.
"Uh, yeah, that is... um..." Kairi coughed, causing the brunette to giggle. "Just, stay safe you three. I'll be back before long, I promise."
This was only the first in a series of protracted goodbyes, as it took Kairi another fifteen minutes to reunite with the Gullwings and depart from this world. To head to parts unknown. To find more Stones to destroy and more people in need.
The day could have gone better. It was rough and uneven and not pretty. And, in the end it was just a very small step forward. But, small or not, it was the first step towards something much bigger.
That, Kairi knew was the truth.
She would become better, because everyone was depending on her.
And so Kairi's journey begins in earnest, with a victory and a bloom of hope. It may be just a small first couple steps, and the roads before her is long and perilous, but it's a big step forward for our heroine.
-So, obviously, Kairi's Light as Princess of Heart is going to play a big role in this story, in her journey. I think it's an element that has been very unfortunately underplayed in the games, in that we only really see Kairi use it, and she's only really ever used it to pull Sora out of the darkness (three times now, and it keeps getting progressively worse, maybe the games can do a little something different with her, huh?). Her Light is going to be a very big asset to her throughout the quest (particularly early on), but she's going to have to learn how to harness this innate power. We've seen her use it a little bit in times of need, but she'll need to push herself later on to master it. Stay tuned on that front...
-With this story, I sort of wanted to get away from the "Calling Your Attacks" trope. Not entirely, obviously, as Yuna did it a bit in the prior chapter, and not as a knock against the trope- there's a reason why it's so pervasive in so many forms of media – just as a personal thing, a personal attempt to eschew the trope for the time being... Even if I have names for some of the moves in my head as I write...
-That being said, you'll probably notice the very noticeable declaration of Kairi's finishing blow, her Holy Calibur. Her Radiant Finish. I like Tokusatsu shows, and in most modern Toku shows, the devices and gears and weapons talk (sometimes they talk a lot; sometimes they talk too much...) including, usually, announcing attack names, versus the characters doing it. So, I wanted to draw upon that for this story. Where the voice is coming from... I'm not so sure. Yet. Or ever. I'll let you decide whether it's Kairi saying it; or some sort of spirit inhabiting the Keyblade declaring it; or it's not an in-universe verbalization and it's just something for the reader's benefit; or something else, or a combination of the above. Your license, your choice.
Just when you read it, make sure to do it in your best Norio Wakamoto or Akira Kushida impression.
-Also, note for the future, both Sora and Riku will be getting their own unique finisher supertitles to go along with Kairi's Radiant Finish. Eventually.
Power Levels
Don't take this section too too seriously. Anything written in these columns are not hard and fast "this number is bigger than that number, so the first number wins", but rather a comparison of skills and abilities between our band of heroines and their counterparts in the game, as well as the enemies they face, to give you – our faithful reader – a measure of where Kairi is in her journey.
Kairi is basically Sora in II, fresh out of Twilight Town and just arriving in Hollow Bastion. Maybe a little stronger, as she has a slightly deeper palette of spells, as well as her Light, but she at the start of her journey is comparable to Sora at the start of his second.
Conversely, the Gullwings are much stronger than Donald and Goofy would be at this point. They are probably close to what D&G would be like by the second visits to say The Pride Lands, or Space Paranoids. So, Kairi is walking around with late game party members in mid-game.
Due to the presence of the Blackheart Stone, the Heartless in Twilight Town are stronger than they would be by this point in II. The various grunt Heartless are probably on par with the ones found during the second visit to Port Royal, ie about halfway through the second world loop. Camazotz, comparably, is far stronger than any boss Heartless faced in II. Or I, for that matter. Maybe not as strong as Kurt Zisa or The Phantom, but a fair bit stronger than Storm Rider or Groundshaker.
-Beyond that, not much more to talk about in this one, I think it's speaks for itself. But what about you guys, how do you want to speak for yourselves? What did you think of the action? Of Kairi's first performance in battle? Her burgeoning friendship with the various Gullwings? Any predictions of our next world or whatever other twists I have planned? Either way, please drop a line – review, comments, critiques and anything constructive is welcomed! I'm glad to be back and would love to hear from you guys on how my return is going.
Beyond that, thank you once more for you time, and take care of yourselves everyone!