Chapter 20: A Storm of Swords
It had all happened so fast.
Cissnei had been sitting at the computer in Merlin's house, working on getting the Claymores up and running again, when there was an incredibly loud explosion outside that caused everyone in the building to pause and grow silent. Before anyone could question what the noise was Merlin's house rocked violently from side to side, causing trinkets and objects of all sorts to fall from their spots and crash against the floor. Yuffie dived to save a book titled Winnie the Pooh from being crushed under a falling shelf while Aerith stabilized a nearby bookcase. Leon helped Cissnei keep the machinery above the computer from falling, and Merlin's hands were full of all sorts of knick-knacks and souvenirs that had fallen from their perches. When the shaking stopped, everyone stood in stunned silence for several long moments.
"…An earthquake?" Yuffie asked at last, her voice squeaking a little from fear. Cissnei wasn't so sure, though; that explosion was definitely not some quake. She opened her mouth to reply to Yuffie, but was cut off by another exploding sound—this one was much closer. Cissnei tensed up, and as her ears stopped ringing the house began to shake once more. There was a rhythmic pounding approaching them
"Merlin, Aerith, get away from the wall!" Cissnei heard Leon shout over the pounding sound; whatever it was, it was coming closer. The two complied, running from their positions at the far end of the large room over near him, Cissnei, and Yuffie. "Everybody get down!"
You don't have to tell me twice. Cissnei could tell that whatever was making that pounding was right upon them, so immediately she leaped out of her seat and tackled Yuffie, knocking both of them to the ground.
"Hey, let me go!"
"Shh!" Cissnei grabbed Yuffie's arms and pinned her to the floor, keeping her from getting back up. Crunch. Crrunch. Crrrrrunch. It was right on top of them. There was a horrible crashing and tearing sound and Yuffie froze up. Cissnei closed her eyes and covered her ears in the deafening storm that tore through Merlin's house. Dozens of tiny objects flew into her face.
And then the pounding kept going, moving on past Merlin's house.
Cissnei slowly opened her eyes to see Yuffie staring, horrified, up at her. Chips of wood lay scattered all over the floor and some were even in her hair. That must have been what hit Cissnei in the face.
"What happened?" Yuffie asked softly. Cissnei could only shake her head, standing up and letting Yuffie climb up to her feet. Leon was rubbing a bruise on his head while Merlin was clutching desperately to the wall was support. And Aerith…Aerith was staring at something that seemed to positively horrify her. Her face was ghost white and she pointed a shaking finger to the other end of the house. Cissnei turned to see whatever it was Aerith had seen.
"Oh my God," she whispered with a suddenly very dry mouth.
Half of Merlin's house was gone, crushed into a pile of wood scraps under something positively gigantic. She didn't have to look far to see the culprit, of course; a Behemoth let out a bestial roar and continued its way through the borough with no regard for the surrounding buildings. Its horned head rammed into the walls around the city, threatening to topple them. High up above, flying Heartless of all shapes and sizes screeched and cawed in the skies.
"Heartless," Leon whispered. "The Heartless are attacking the town. It's just like that day we were kids."
Merlin leaned forward and picked up a book that had been spared from the destruction of half of Merlin's belongings, sitting on the very edge of the pile of rubble. "At the very least the Hundred Acre Wood is alright, I suppose." He placed it on the computer's chair and then pointed at the Behemoth. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take that beast down!"
Yuffie shook her head and slapped her cheeks to bring herself out of her funk. "Merlin's right! So we ran as kids, but we fought thousands of Heartless just months ago! What's a couple hundred more?" In moments a large shuriken was in her hands and she spun it around through the hole in the middle. "Let's go!"
"Yuffie!" Aerith called, chasing after the headstrong ninja as she ran out into the open. Cissnei glanced back at Leon, who still looked shaken.
"Leon?" Nothing. "Squall!" That got a reaction. He looked up at her and Cissnei watched his eyes come back into focus. "We can't have you brooding about the past right now. Hop to it!" She pulled out her own shuriken and ran into the borough after Yuffie and Aerith. Leon's footsteps weren't far behind her.
Yuffie had jumped into action immediately, sending her shuriken flying at the Behemoth's head. Her throw missed its horn but did attract its attention. The purple beast turned away from the wall and let out an angry snort before rearing up on its hind legs. Yuffie jumped out of its shadow as the powerful front limbs fell back down and avoided getting crushed underneath, but the impact on the earth sent circular shockwaves out that sent Yuffie and Aerith flying backwards. Aerith saved herself by casting Zero Gravity and stopping her flight, but Yuffie crashed painfully into the wlal of a house and continued through, breaking a hole in the wood as she landed in the living room.
"Yuffie, are you okay?!" Cissnei shouted, dodging the Behemoth's might steps as it turned its focus toward her. Tossing her own shuriken at its horn as a distraction, Cissnei turned away from the gargantuan Heartless and broke into a sprint toward the house that Yuffie had broken into.
"Could be better…" Yuffie said, standing up with some struggling. Splinters covered her exposed skin and there was a nasty gash of blood on the back of her head. Cissnei grabbed the younger girl by her shoulders to support her even as the green heal of a Cura from Aerith flowed over her body. The gash closed up though Yuffie's hair was matted and sticky with blood, and as Yuffie pulled pieces of wood out of her arm she watched that skin heal up as well.
"Can you fight?"
"You kidding? This is nothing for the Great Ninja Yuffie!"
Multiple small explosions and a burst of heat came from behind them, and Cissnei spun around worried that a new Heartless may have come to the Behemoth's aid. Instead, Leon danced around its slow movements with Revolver in one hand and Fire magic flaring to life in his other. He jumped back to dodge the Heartless's attempts to impale him on its horn and then charged forward, slashing the weak spot with Revolver and then jumping away again and casting Firaga.
"I could use some help, you guys!" He shouted over his shoulder.
"We're right behind you!" Cissnei tossed her shuriken at the Behemoth, which curved through the air with Yuffie's short behind it. Yuffie's made a direct hit on the horn but the Heartless flinched and Cissnei's ended up smacking into its shoulder instead. With her weapon now lying on the ground helplessly, Cissnei made a dash to pick it up. She dived underneath the Behemoth's body and rolled out of the way of its stomping feet, grabbing her shuriken mid roll and then tossing it up into the monster's exposed underside.
The Behemoth roared in pain and fury, raising its forelegs for another shockwave attack. Cissnei moved out of the way as quickly as she could, just barely escaping the shockwave's range though the wind it caused blew her forward slightly. While the Heartless crouched low and chose a target to charge, Leon jumped up onto its back left ankle and climbed onto its haunches, then its lower back.
"Be careful, Leon!" Aerith shouted, casting an Aero shield on him to be safe.
"Don't make me laugh." Leon's gunblade Revolver flared to life, its silver blade shifting into a blue one and its hilt shifting into a wing shape—Lion Heart. With his new stronger weapon, Leon ran along the length of the Behemoth's back and swung in a wide arc at its horn. Fireballs were left behind in a circular pattern by the attack, and with a simple pull of the trigger on his weapon the fireballs exploded, damaging the horn more.
As Leon repeated the process again, the Behemoth's horn began to surge with purple electricity. Bolts of similarly-colored lightning rained down from the clouded sky, shocking Leon and coursing through his body. Lion Heart fell from his grasp and landed on the earth as Revolver once again, while Leon tumbled from the Heartless's head and fell into a pile of rubble at the base of the wall. The lightning didn't stop there. Bolts rained down all across the borough, destroying some buildings and igniting others on fire.
"I'll get Squall, you handle the Heartless for now!" Cissnei heard Yuffie shout, though she couldn't see her through the flames and smoke that suddenly covered the area. A burst of wind and a splash of water cleared away some of it, and Cissnei looked behind her to see Merlin jumping about and waving his wand with strange gestures.
"Well don't just stand there!" he shouted. "I'll clear away the fires, you deal with the beast!"
"Right." But with it roaring and moving its head around so much, her shuriken wouldn't be of much help. Cissnei bit her lip and looked around for some kind of weapon – a pipe, a plank of wood, or something – and found a glint of silver metal on the ground. Revolver. While Cissnei had handled shortblades and knives before, a sword was unfamiliar to her. But there wasn't too much choice at the moment.
Of course, the Behemoth had chosen to focus its attacks on her. Tossing her shuriken with all her might, Cissnei managed to lodge one of its red blades into the Heartless's eye. It roared in pain and slammed its head against the wall attempting to shake the offending object free. Cissnei took the opportunity to pick up Leon's gunblade and ran at the Behemoth, jumping up its legs and onto its back. Just in time, too; she heard a clatter of metal as her shuriken fell to the earth.
The Behemoth knew she was up there. Energy surged through its horns and blue-green orbs of magic resembling a Gravity spell fell from the sky all around the borough. Though Cissnei dodged the ones that attacked her on the monster's back, others crushed more of the remaining buildings.
"Damn you!" Cissnei shouted, clutching Revolver tightly in both hands and running up the Behemoth's spine. Leon's gunblade swung true, slicing through the horn cleanly and leaving fireballs behind. Cissnei pulled the trigger but wasn't quite prepared for the force of the explosions, which were powerful despite their small size. She was sent flying off the Behemoth's back…
Only to land on something blue and scaled: a dragon had caught her, and while Cissnei thought it was a Heartless or Nobody no emblem was visible on it. Behind its eyes and long white mustache shone ages of wisdom.
"I will hold it off," the dragon spoke in Merlin's voice. "Strike when the time is right!"
"Merlin?!"
Merlin did not respond, flying high into the sky and forcing Cissnei to clutch at his scales or fall to her death. He swirled around before moving downward, breathing streams of fire on the Behemoth. Of course Cissnei knew Merlin had transformation magic – she had seen him become a fish and a squirrel before – but she had never witnessed something on this scale.
Merlin's assault was combined with a volley of Fira spells and a sailing shuriken from Leon and Yuffie down below. The Behemoth faltered, losing its balance and falling onto its side. This was her chance. Gripping Revolver tightly, Cissnei leaped off of Merlin's back and dived down toward the horn. The instant the blade made contact she pulled the trigger, letting loose an explosion that blew her back into the sky. But a pillow of air caught her and lowered her gently down onto the ground, and Cissnei flashed a thankful smile at Aerith for the Aero spell.
The Behemoth faded away into darkness, but of course without a Keyblade among them it released no heart. Thunder roared up above and Cissnei glanced up as the grey cloud that had been hovering over Hollow Bastion all afternoon grew darker still and finally let their cargo loose. It began to rain.
"Here." Cissnei turned to Leon and handed over his gunblade. "This belongs to you." Leon took it without a word, instead gazing with empty eyes at the utterly ruined borough around them. The rains put out the fires, but before their very eyes one of the buildings that had previously been aflame groaned and collapsed under its own weight. Leon's fists tightened.
"All that hard work," he said softly. "We were so close to remaking Radiant Garden. Now we have to start all over again." Cissnei and Aerith looked away with frowns on their faces, and even the usually cheery Yuffie was silent. Leon, more than anyone else, had been working hard toward restoration. And now all of it was for nothing.
x-x-x
The Guardian in front of her burst into flame despite the heavy rain, falling apart into shards of darkness and fading away. Kairi wiped wet hair out of her face and turned to see Donald and Goofy – both as soaking wet as she was – dealing with their own opponents. Donald stood defiantly in front of Scrooge's shop, defending his nephews and uncle from any Heartless or Nobody that dared approach. Goofy, meanwhile, fought in the main square of the marketplace, spinning around and tossing his shield at Assassins, Neoshadows, Dusks, Armored Knights, and more.
Kairi, for her part, was on the stairs leading up to the Gummi hangar. While fighting in the rain was certainly not enjoyable (not that fighting ever was), it did allow her to think much bigger with her Water spells. Throwing her hands out in front of her, Kairi gathered up puddles of rainwater that had formed in the marketplace and brought them around her as orbs of water hovering in the air. When a squad of Soldiers accompanied by a Defender stormed up the stairs, Kairi unleashed the water. A makeshift waterfall poured down the steps, forcing the Heartless to tumble to the bottom. Before they could recover a geyser shut out of the cracks in the paved earth and knocked the Heartless into the air, which was then followed by a wave that pushed them over the edge of the wall where they tumbled into the ravines far, far below.
But more than just Heartless fought in the marketplace today. A duo of Assassins burst out of the earth and caught Kairi by surprise, sending her tumbling down the flight of stairs. Soaked in blood and rainwater, Kairi barely had time to roll out of the way before being impaled on one of the Assassins' blades. Climbing up to her feet and muttering a Cure spell under her breath, Kairi looked for an opportunity to put some distance between her and the Nobodies only to find that she had ended up in the corner of the marketplace without a safe route.
"Fine then. You want me, come and get me." Glaring defiantly at the approaching Assassins, Kairi flexed her hands and felt the beginnings of a Thunder spell dance at her fingertips. The Assassin's flew forward, bladed arms ready to pierce her, but then something slammed into them from behind and knocked them off balance. Kairi watched with surprise as Goofy caught his rebounding shield, which he had thrown just in time.
"Thanks, Goofy!" Taking advantage of the Assassins' momentary stun, Kairi unleashed Thundara, striking the two of them with multiple bolts of lightning. The electricity surged through their bodies, amplified by the water, until they vanished in black and white wisps, but it didn't stop there. The voltage traveled from their bodies onto the soaked ground of the marketplace, traveling through the water and across the entire square. Heartless and Nobody alike were shocked by the electrical surge, the rain on their bodies conducting the spell until they died like the Assassins. While Kairi and Goofy were safe because of the rubber soles of their shoes, Kairi did see Donald jump up in surprise and land on the wooden counter of Scrooge's shop.
"Watch what you're doing!" he shouted angrily, waving his staff around in the air to emphasize his point.
"Sorry, Donald," Kairi called back to him.
After that, a fourth voice cried out in anger and a string of curses. Kairi spun around and stared up at the direction it came from, at the Gummi hangar.
"Cid!" Kairi broke into a run, moving up the stairs, her feet splashing in ever-growing puddles as she ran. Cid wasn't able to fight anymore. And with that cane, it wouldn't be easy to run either. If Heartless or Nobodies had found him, then without help he was doomed. Behind her Kairi heard the awkward pounding of feet that belonged to Goofy; he was following her up to Cid.
The two burst into the hangar to find that, indeed, Cid was surrounded by Soldiers and backed into a corner. Goofy leaped into action immediately, knocking several of the Heartless away with his shield while Kairi ran up to the older man.
"Cid, come on. Let's get you back to Merlin's," she said while grabbing his arm.
"Hell no!" Cid shouted, biting down hard on his cigarette. "I ain't giving up all this work spent on your ship for a few little baby-boy Heartless!" Cid grabbed a strange metal hose hanging from his side, and for the first time Kairi saw he was wearing something on his back. It looked like a strange vacuum cleaner to her eyes. "Goofy, clear the way!"
Of course his warning didn't do much, as the instant he said that he pressed a button on the hose and a stream of fire flew out; that was no vacuum, but a flamethrower. Kairi backed up and shielded her face from the heat while Goofy jumped away in surprise. The Soldiers weren't so lucky, and the fire consumed them until there was nothing left. As the flames died out, Cid reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
"Now," Cid said while putting a freshly lit cigarette into his mouth. "Who's going back to Merlin's, again? Go on, the Heartless ain't gone yet. I can hold down the fort here, head back outside!"
x-x-x
Somewhere in the middle of the fighting, Cloud realized, Sora and Xion had become separated. It was really inevitable, as the slums were a maze of destroyed buildings. To be quite honest he was surprised it hadn't happened while they were out on patrol. He wasn't too worried, of course; the two of them could more than handle themselves.
The Keyblade's chosen ones…they were lucky kids.
Cloud glanced up just in time to see a Neoshadow diving at him with its razor-sharp claws ready to dig into his chest. He held up his sword in a defensive position, ready to parry the blow, but at the last moment the Heartless was knocked aside by a powerful flying kick.
"Cloud, stay on top of things!" Tifa shouted while she slammed a fist into the Neoshadow's face, knocking it back into the wall of what had once been a bakery.
"Sorry." Cloud slashed his sword cleanly through a Sniper Nobody that got a bit too close to him while taking aim at a Guardian. As if in response, a swarm of Dusks popped up around him and closed in. Cloud grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes, swinging the Fusion Sword in circles as he cut down Dusk after Dusk, but more were always appearing. Soon enough Armored Knights joined in, turning their little corner of the battlefield into a three-way with Cloud caught in the middle.
The blade of an Armored Knight pierced a Dusk through the head, skewering it as the Heartless moved forward and struck more. Soon enough it had a shish kabob of Nobodies, but the weight of the empty husks slowed it down. An Assassin slid out of the earth behind the Armored Knight and sliced its head off cleanly, scissoring the Heartless between its two blade-arms. Cloud took the Assassin's momentary distraction as it scanned the battlefield for another target to run it through the gut with his own sword, then spun around and tossed the Nobody's fading corpse into a Red Nocturne that was attempting to attack him from behind.
Tifa, meanwhile, knocked a trio of Wizards away with a roundhouse kick before backhanding a Creeper into a wall. As other Heartless and Nobodies surrounded her Cloud moved to help, but a wall of Defenders appeared before him with their shields raised, cutting Tifa off.
"Fine. Let's go!"
Cloud charged at the Defender nearest to him, swerving out of the way as it swung its heavy shield offensively and then slicing right through its arm when he had an opening. The dog-face shield fell lifelessly to the ground, allowing Cloud to run his blade through the unprotected Heartless's throat. Two more Defenders approached Cloud from behind and he pulled apart the Fusion Sword, dual wielding smaller blades and deflecting the latest onslaught.
Unfortunately for Cloud, although his divided swords were quicker they didn't hit as hard as the combined form did. The swords pierced helplessly against the shields, so Cloud moved around to attack from behind. However, a third Defender approached from Cloud's blind spot and shoved him onto the ground, knocking him through a building wall. Cloud landed in a puddle on the floor with a splash and his two swords fell some yards away.
"Damn…" Cloud grumbled, pushing himself up to his knees and looking for his swords. A Defender roared and Cloud whirled around with his arms crossed in front of him, but an attack never came. A loud shing broke through the torrent of rain as a long, thin sword sliced through every Defender in the area. One slice and they were all gone. Muttering thanks to his savior, Cloud climbed to his feet and moved to gather up his weapons. Recombining them into the single Fusion Sword, he looked around for Tifa. She must have still been outside.
"How rude; I save him and he doesn't say a word." The voice of Cloud's savior was baritone and stoic, and it made Cloud freeze mid-step. A chill ran up his spine. "Do you always ignore people, Cloud? No wonder you don't have any friends."
"Sephiroth," Cloud growled, turning around and pointing his sword at the other man's smug face. He was a surprisingly good-looking man, with long silver hair flowing down his back and glowing blue-green eyes that matched Cloud's. A long black coat was open to expose his chest, and from his right shoulder grew a large wing covered in blue-black feathers. Sephiroth shifted his long sword, Masamune, behind him as he spoke.
"I heard you calling my name earlier. Have you been looking for me?"
Cloud grit his teeth. He hadn't, but this was an opportunity he wasn't about to pass up. "Once I get rid of you, the darkness will go away."
"Can you do it? That darkness comes from your own dark memories." Sephiroth chuckled, drawing Masamune and pointing it forward, parallel to the Fusion Sword. Its razor-sharp blade gently caressed Cloud's neck. "Do you think you can erase your past?"
Cloud shut his eyes, shivering at his suppressed memories. Weeks spent sitting in a dirty cell, lying on an operating table as a man with bright green eyes and long blond hair toiled over him. Horrible, unimaginable pain…and then several more weeks where he could barely lift a finger and had to be cared for live some pathetic infant.
"Shut up!"
Sephiroth smirked. "Face it—you turn your back on the present and live in the past. Because the light of the present is too much!"
"You don't know me!" Cloud swung his sword for emphasis, but Sephiroth simply took a step back to avoid the attack.
"I know. Because...I am you." There was that awful, smug smirk again. Sephiroth had been born that day beneath the castle, the same day where Cloud's fuzzy memories began. He could barely remember anything between when he saw the silver-haired teenager form from his own darkness and when Tifa had found him crying over that sword in the slums.
He could barely remember it, but he could remember some.
"Boy oh boy, the price of freedom is steep."
"We're friends…right?"
"You'll be…my living legacy."
"I told you to shut up!" Cloud roared, charging forward and swinging at Sephiroth will all his strength. Sephiroth parried the blow easily and then knelt down, striking upwards with the flat of his blade and sending Cloud flying through the ceiling, onto the second floor. Sephiroth jumped up after him and then fell down, attempting to skewer Cloud from above, but Cloud rolled out of the way. Sephiroth landed with a smile, extending his arms.
"I'm a part of you, am I? Then join me in this eternal nightmare untarnished by light."
Cloud jumped forward and Sephiroth followed, both oversized swords locking together in the middle of the empty second floor. Cloud pulled away first, leaping backwards and then charging forward again, but Sephiroth once again parried that blow. Cloud used his momentum to somersault over Sephiroth, landing behind and swinging his sword out, but Sephiroth extended his wing and flew out of Cloud's reach.
Cloud was not deterred. He followed Sephiroth into the air, even if he couldn't fly, and swung wildly at his hated foe. Though he succeeded in clipping some of his stupid silver hair, Masamune successfully deflected every swing before it reached Sephiroth's body. Cloud backflipped away, using Masamune as a springboard, and slammed his feet against the wall. From there he pushed forward, bringing the Fusion Sword down on Sephiroth with an overhead swing. Sephiroth wasn't at an angle to intercept.
But he didn't need to. The man faded away, vanishing in a flurry of blue feathers and purple energy. Cloud landed on the ground and looked up to see Sephiroth reappear with his sword pointed downward, ready to pierce Cloud from above. The attack tore at Cloud's clothing and cut a clean line of red blood down in his back, but missed for the most part. With both on the same level once again, Cloud ran at Sephiroth and swung his sword out for another go. He finally got the advantage. Through a combination of the right angle and force, Cloud broke through Sephiroth's defenses and knocked him into the air.
"Sephiroth!" He jumped up above the man in black and swung his sword down. "It ends here." Sephiroth was sent flying, crashing through the floor and landing on the ground level. "Go back to sleep." Cloud jumped down after Sephiroth with the tip of his sword pointed at him, following Sephiroth's own favored method of attack and dropping from above. However, at the last possible instant Sephiroth spun in the air, landing on his feet some distance away from Cloud's targeted location.
"Accept it!" Sephiroth shouted, swinging Masamune in a wide arc. Cloud was sent flying into the far wall as razor winds called up by Sephiroth's attack assaulted him. "I am the one who guides you—forever." Cloud landed on his side on the floor, his fingers still holding onto the hilt of the Fusion Sword, albeit limply. Sephiroth walked over to him with that smug smile on his face.
"If it's despair you want, then I shall provide."
"What I want most," Cloud said, glaring up at Sephiroth and climbing to his feet, "I'll find myself!"
Cloud swung at Sephiroth, who once again simply jumped away from the attack. Breaking off one of the smaller blades in his Fusion Sword, Cloud tossed it like a dagger at Sephiroth. It only tore at his coat, but its only intention was to serve as a distraction. While Sephiroth glanced down at the hole it had left, Cloud broke off a larger blade and came down on Sephiroth with two swords, cross-slashing him and sending him flying into a wall.
"You're nothing but a puppet." Sephiroth pressed the soles of his feet against the wall and rebounded off of it, flying straight at Cloud. He hit Cloud hard with Masamune—not the blade, but the hilt. Cloud landed in a corner in a puddle, struggling to get up. But Sephiroth stomped down on his wrist, digging his heel into the floorboards. Cloud cried in pain. Sephiroth smirked again before stepping back and kicking Cloud in the gut.
"I'm done with you for today." Sephiroth turned away and made his way to the exit of the dark building. "By the way, you should be careful of what you touch in the slums. Rainwater can't make it inside closed spaces, Cloud."
"What are you-" Cloud heaved over, gripping his gut as his stomach churned. He coughed violently, drops of liquid falling from his mouth. Cloud's eyes widened. It wasn't blood; blood would have been bad enough already. This liquid was black. Cloud glanced down at his surroundings with frantic breaths.
It wasn't water he had landed in.
x-x-x
"Xion, behind you!"
Xion turned around just in time to see a Dragoon diving at her with its lanced mere feet from running through her neck. Seconds before impact, a silver figure flew in from out of nowhere and caught the Dragoon's weapon between its twin swords, before moving its arms suddenly upwards and knocking the lance out of the draconic Nobody's hands.
"Th-Thank you," Xion said with surprise to the Samurai, the sole remaining Samurai that had come to save her. It silently glanced over its shoulder before driving its right sword through the Dragoon's torso and cutting its head of with the left one.
"You okay, Xion?" Sora asked, running up to her.
"I could be better."
After seeing the Heartless and Nobodies attacking Hollow Bastion, Xion and Sora had been attacked from behind by a squad of Shadows and Soldiers. Though no real threat, the attack did manage to knock them off their footholds on the hill of rubble and tumble down into a much larger battlefield, separated from Cloud and Tifa. Since then they had fought their way through the slums, trying to find their way back to the borough and Merlin's house. Xion thought they had left the slums already, but at the moment pretty much everything looked like it: filthy, piles of stone and wood everywhere, and collapsed buildings, some of which were on fire.
They stood now in and area Xion thought she recognized; she was pretty sure she had seen it from a distance at the marketplace. Of course it was hard to tell, as all the houses had largely been destroyed. The neighborhood was right up against the large wall that had been constructed since her last visit to Hollow Bastion, which meant the people who lived there were rather limited in the direction they could flee.
"Goocha! Ah-chooga moopa!"
Which is why Xion had used the charm around her neck and summoned Stitch. While she and Sora fought the Heartless and Nobodies that were causing so much chaos, Stitch worked to blow a hole in the wall so the people could escape. Judging by his shouting now, the hole was complete. Xion spared a moment from the battle to glance behind her, where Stitch was waving people through to safety. For whatever reason, the Heartless weren't attacking outside the wall. They were only interested in the town.
"He sure catches on to things quick," Sora said beside her.
"Yeah, I was worried that he would be too happy to see me to realize what was going on. But he got to work fast."
Xion's Keyblade sliced cleanly through an approaching Wizard, and next to her Sora cast Fira on a trio of Creepers. The Samurai's own hands were full with swarms of Shadows which leaped at it more quickly than they fell, so as Xion and Sora found themselves surrounded on all sides by Zip Slashers and Bolt Towers, a blue ball of claws and fur crashed down between the two Keybearers.
"Detaka!" Stitch roared at the nearest Zip Slasher, extending his extra arms and revealing his antennae and spines for a tiny yet threatening appearance. The Zip Slasher fell for the taunt, charging at Stitch with its blades surging with power. Stitch cackled and leaped up as the Zip Slasher approached him, grabbing on to one of its arms and hanging there as the Heartless swung at what was now empty space. A second Zip Slasher made its way to the pair of them and attempted to run Stitch through on its sword, but the little alien jumped away at the last second and the Zip Slasher impaled its companion instead.
The other Zip Slashers closed in on Xion and Sora while Stitch too his fight to a squad of Snipers. The two of them stood back to back, Keyblades outstretched, and Xion began channeling wind through hers. Behind her there was an explosion of heat as Sora's became enveloped by flame. The two of them tossed their weapons, Strike Raid boosted by the magical coating. After wind and flame tore through the Zip Slashers, their Keyblades came together and formed a fiery tornado that sucked up any Heartless left behind.
"Xion!"
"I got it!"
Xion sprinted past the few remaining Zip Slashers and gabbed both Keyblades in her hands, then spun on her heal and struck the Heartless stragglers through their chests. A Berserker jumped down from above, its heavy hammer poised to flatten Xion like a pancake, but the Samurai leaped into action and severed its head with a cross-slash.
"Thanks," Xion said to the silent Nobody. It nodded slightly and turned around, keeping an eye out for any more enemies to approach its 'Mistress XIV.' "Sora!" Xion tossed the Kingdom Key back to its rightful owner.
Sora caught his Keyblade just in time to cut a Dusk that Stitch had tossed toward him in half. As the Nobody faded away he was attacked by another Berserker, but Sora moved forward quickly, striking it in rapid succession and then leaning back with his Keyblade pointed forward. Orbs of light formed in a ring and Sora flicked his Keyblade slightly, sending them forward. Ragnarok's rays of light pierced through the Berserker and rained down all over the battlefield, destroying what few Heartless and Nobodies remained. Stitch cackled happily and clapped his hands even as he began to fade away, the time on Xion's summon charm used up.
"Bye-bye!" Stitch called, waving his four hands with a smile on his face. He vanished, leaving Xion, Sora, and the Samurai standing in the rainy neighborhood's remains.
"Thank you for coming when you did," Xion said to the Samurai, placing a hand on its head. "You're always there when I need it."
"What caused this, do you think?" Sora asked. Xion turned away from the Samurai as it vanished, facing her friend instead. "I mean, the Heartless had all left Hollow Bastion before suddenly swarming all over," Sora continued. "That's not their normal behavior."
"Maleficent, probably." Xion wiped some wet hair from in front of her eyes, though it fell back into place anyway. "Though I have no idea why. I mean, I don't think she-" Xion paused, having caught sight of something up on the wall.
"What is it?"
"Who's there?" Xion called out. It looked humanoid, and big; certainly it could be a Large Body, but she doubted it was a Heartless at all. And it wasn't white, so it wasn't a Nobody. "I know you're there. Come out. Don't be afraid."
"I am not afraid," came the chilling reply. Xion immediately dropped into a battle position, and Sora did behind her. They both knew that voice well. Speak of the devil, Maleficent walked out of the shadows, standing atop the wall with her familiar smile on her lips. Next to her was Pete, who must have been the large person that Xion saw.
"Maleficent, were you behind this attack?!" Sora shouted up at her.
"Indeed I was. Though to be honest, I never expected to see you children here while it was underway." Her smile turned into a sneer. "Were you not searching for Riku? Why stop here?"
"That's none of your business," Xion shot back at her.
Pete laughed. "Hey, let's not go tossin' words at each other! I'm itchin' for a fight, so get ready to tussle with the mighty Pete!" He stepped forward, flexing his arms, but Maleficent held a delicate hand in front of his chest and kept him from jumping down. She glanced up at the dark sky and Xion heard a faint cawing sound, like something from a bird. Maleficent's grin returned.
"It's been a wonderful visit, but I'm afraid our time is up." She took a single step backwards and green flames begin to snake their way up her body, licking at her cape. "But I am afraid I have achieved everything I wanted to in this visit. Hollow Bastion is in ruins, and more importantly I have the object I came for."
"We do?" Pete asked, scratching his head. Maleficent didn't do him the honor of answering his question, vanishing into green flames. Pete nervously glanced down at Sora and Xion before opening a corridor behind him running away.
"Damn it," Xion hissed, stabbing her Keyblade into the earth. "What could they have been after, do you think?"
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Sora dismissed his Keyblade. "Come on, let's get back to the others. I'm sure they're back at Merlin's."
"…Yeah. Okay."
x-x-x
Pete emerged from his corridor of darkness to find Maleficent standing in the room that Organization XIII had once called the Addled Impasse. Its large windows were long since shattered, giving a view of the endless churning void below where the Dark City had once been. Large black vines covered in thorns snaked their way along the walls, courtesy of Maleficent's sharp eye for interior decorating. And the witch herself stood on the edge of the chamber, dangerously close to falling off into the abyss. Her eyes were locked on the heart-shaped moon hanging above, the one with a massive hole blown through the middle. Pete coughed and Maleficent turned her head ever so slightly, acknowledging his presence.
"Now, uh, Maleficent," Pete began slowly. "I ain't no strategizer, but surely if we were after somethin' in the castle we shouldn't have been attackin' the town?"
"It's called a 'distraction', you idiot." Maleficent shook her head and turned to face her bumbling lackey. "Once my Heartless caught the Nobodies' attention and drew them out, I had an agent infiltrate the castle."
Pete frowned and scratched his head. "…Who besides me is workin' for ya?" He flinched. "I mean, not that someone wouldn't! But uh, I've only ever seen me 'round here."
Maleficent's lips turned upwards in a sly, knowing smile. "You've met him plenty of times already."
"I-I have?"
"Indeed. In fact, here he comes now."
A bird's caw called out from the endless void that the Castle That Never Was sat in. Pete squinted into the darkness, searching for the source, before finally making out a raven flying toward them. The raven's feathers were pitch black, like the skin of a Shadow. Pete only noticed him because of the yellow beak and talons.
"Diablo?" Pete asked as the raven flew in through the broken window and settled on the floor. However, his skepticism fell to the wayside and his jaw dropped open when Diablo began to change. Smoke lifted from the bird's body and its form contorted, growing larger and larger as the smoke began to consume its form. When he reached a height just shorter than Maleficent the smoke faded away, revealing a deathly pale man with black hair and scars across his face and exposed chest. The man who had taken Diablo's place bowed to Maleficent ever so slightly before reaching into his shirt and pulling out a book with stiff, yellowing pages.
"As you commanded," he said while handing it over to Maleficent. "From Cid Lufaine of Radiant Garden, written a century ago at the very least. He calls it Project Manikin. It's everything you wanted and more."
"Thank you, Diablo," Maleficent said calmly. "You are as loyal as always."
Diablo smiled and bowed once more before turning left and making his way out of the Addled Impasse. He stopped for a moment next to the completely dumbfounded Pete.
"This is where things get serious," he whispered.
x-x-x
"Oh my God," Xion whispered as they rounded the corner to into the borough. She felt the blood drain from her face. Nearly every building lay in ruins, and Merlin's house in particular had the left half smashed into pieces. The Restoration Committee, as well as Kairi, Donald, and Goofy, all sat outside while speaking in hushed tones. The rain still hadn't let up.
"What happened here?" Sora asked as he and Xion sprinted the rest of the way to Merlin's house.
"Sora!" Kairi cried, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him. "I was so worried. You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine," Sora said, replying to Kairi's hug with one of his own. "What about you? Did you get caught up in this?"
Kairi pulled away and shook her head. "Donald, Goofy, and I were up in the marketplace." Sora's face softened with relief and he sat down with Kairi next to him.
Xion, for her part, noticed a certain lack of something. While Cissnei, Merlin, and Cid went over the damages and Tifa and Aerith passed around blankets and hot drinks to everyone – including refugee citizens whose homes had been destroyed – someone was missing.
"Where's Leon?"
"Brooding," Cloud replied. He took the cup of hot chocolate that Tifa handed him, but his movements were slow and he didn't look up at her. He didn't drink it either, preferring to stare into the steaming liquid. What was up with him?
"Out of all of us, Leon's taking the destruction the hardest." Yuffie sat on the ground, her back against the wall and her knees hugged tightly to her chest. "He was always the one leading things, you know? We all wanted to restore our home but for him it was pretty much all he thought about."
"Aye, the poor lad," Scrooge said softly.
"Are you talking about me?" Leon asked. He walked in from the direction of the bailey, which still stood proud against the destruction. But he looked like he had seen better times, with his jacket hanging loosely from his frame and his wet hair matted against his face. His gunblade was limp in his hands. "The Heartless are gone and the Nobodies have retreated to the castle. Not a single one is left." Leon slammed a fist into the wall of Merlin's house, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes. "I couldn't do anything."
Xion bit her lip and glanced at Sora, who nodded.
"Leon, there's something we need to tell you." Leon looked up at Xion, raising a questioning eyebrow. It was so weird, so heartbreaking, not to see him calm and collected like usual. Xion swallowed. "This wasn't just some freak attack. Maleficent was behind it."
"What did she want?" Leon didn't seem surprised by the news. It wasn't really much of a shock. "Was it not enough that she took my home away from me when I was younger? Did she just want to rub salt in the wounds?"
"Calm down, Leon," Aerith said. Leon grumbled in reply.
"We don't know what she wanted," Sora said. "But whatever it was, she got it."
"Well them, what are you five waiting for?" Xion, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi all looked up at Leon with confusion. "You know where Maleficent's based, right? The Organization's old castle? Get out there and show her she can't mess with us!"
"It isn't that simple…" Donald said, staring down at his hands. "You saw how many Heartless she commands. We can't fight that with just five people."
"What about Riku?" Tifa asked. "That's the friend you're looking for, right? Could Riku help?"
"That's the plan," Goofy said. He notably lacked any of his usual cheer.
"He wouldn't be a game changer, but every little bit helps." Xion sighed. "And at the very least he can open corridors of darkness."
"Then get going," Leon snapped angrily—surprisingly out of character for him. "Find Riku, go to the Castle That Never Was, and make Maleficent pay."
"You got it," Sora said softly. "Just…don't let this consume you, Leon. Okay? We'll make things right."
Leon was silent in reply.
Diablo's human form… I am extremely wary of the Maleficent film coming up because of conflicts with Disney's Sleeping Beauty: the three Good Fairies are supposed to be "superficial and neglectful", Maleficent befriends Aurora instead of searching sixteen years for her, and some other changes. But whatever my final opinion on the movie ends up being once it comes out, I like the idea of Diablo being a shape-shifter and I also liked the look of those plant monsters Maleficent created in the trailers. We'll see how much of the film besides Diablo's shifting ends up entering the story, but at the very least I expect the plant monsters will at some point.