A/N: It's a sort of a breather. Y'know. BUT IT HAS A PLOT. Yeppers.
Disclaimer: It'd be called a 'claimer' if I own KH, right?
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XXVII: Over theE d g e
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"...what if we gather all the Princesses again?" Rinoa suggested, bouncing slightly on her heels, wings faded away now.
Xemnas shook his head, as he had been doing for almost the whole afternoon. "Kairi's touch will still be tainted. We'd just end up making it worse."
She nodded absently as she got to her feet and started pacing. "Well, we have to find a way, before it's too la--okay."
Strands of darkness rose up from the carpeted floor on the ebony-haired girl's right side, and weaved with each other to form a portal. A hooded figure stepped out.
"Superior," Saïx said hurriedly, lowering his hood. His tawny yellow eyes flickered to Rinoa, and she stared stonily back with her own sorceress-made amber ones. He did not dwell on her, however. The berserker turned to Xemnas. "Axel has burnt down tower three of the Castle."
Xemnas blinked. "The whole tower?"
He nodded. "Yes. We can't get a coherent sentence out of him, and as I left, Axel was going for burning the Left wing. We need help. Eight has never been this violent before."
"If we must, then," Xemnas said shortly. He would like to come back to a whole Castle, as much as possible. He followed number Seven through the portal and into the Addled Impasse. To his surprise, Rinoa had followed them.
"Sorceress Ri--"
"I've always wanted to visit this place," she mused, peering out of the glass windows at the moon that was Kingdom Hearts. "Just didn't know where to get off at the Corridors, though. You're the first beings to come across this World. Of course," she twittered. "It is the World That Never Was."
If that was a joke, Xemnas could not see the humor in it. Sighing, he stepped out into the Proof of Existence.
Crash.
"Axel! Calm down already!"
They hurried into the direction of the shouting and the smell of fire, which was, disturbingly, the Hall of Empty Melodies.
Sure enough, Axel was in the middle of a ring of fire, his chakrams out and leaping high with white-hot fire. A panting number Eleven portalled up to them and crouched to catch his breath.
"S-Superior," he managed to choke out. "Saïx...and whoever you are. He's unstoppable."
"Don't say that--"
"Oh, pssh," Rinoa muttered, vaulting herself over the balcony and landing smoothly on the fire-infested ground below. She held out her hands; blue light coalesced, filled her palms and--
"No!" Marluxia yelled, not even bothering to portal down. Instead the brunet vaulted over just like she did and landed beside the sorceress. "Don't cast any kind of Ice or Water magic; he always counters with a stronger spell!"
Xemnas walked to the edge of the Hall's balcony, Saïx beside him, watching the two try and subdue Axel.
"Who's she?" the berserker asked morosely.
"A sorceress. Rinoa Heartilly."
"...hm. Interesting."
"Very much so," Xemnas agreed, as Rinoa shot number Eleven a glare.
"You have no idea what I can do, do you?" she asked shrilly as wings made of pure power sprouted out of her back. Saïx flinched, and Marluxia yelled, staggering back.
"Rinoa!" Axel said disbelievingly, as if noticing her for the first time. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"What are you doing?" she shot back. "Burning down your home won't bring them back! Wasting your strength like this won't bring her back!"
"What on earth are you talking about?" Marluxia asked, bewildered. He had frozen in the act of swinging his scythe across the wall of flames, intending to clear a way.
"I don't care!" Axel roared, spinning both chakrams and sending pillars of fire blazing up from the marble floor.
Another portal opened behind them, and Xemnas had only time to catch a blur of golden hair before something hurtled past him and clutched convulsively at the railing.
"Axel! Don't do this!" she cried, shaking her head.
"Arlene! Be careful!" a lilac-haired man warned as he dismissed the portal from which they came from.
The din below died down in no less than five seconds, and the three of them, Axel, Marluxia, and Rinoa, portalled up into the balcony. Saïx slapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation. However, the shard of heart seemed to be beating up somewhere in the general region of Xemnas' throat.
"Don't be stupid," she said softly to Axel, but directing her gaze at the floor.
"What is this?" Marluxia exclaimed. "Larxene, why the hell are you wearing white? And...and why did Zexion just call you Arlene?" Panic definitely tinged his voice now.
"I think we owe them an explanation," the blue-haired man said tiredly as Larxene walked to his side and took his hand. "We--"
Rinoa sighed. "Reverted. Right, Ienzo?"
"Miss Rinoa...yes." The former laboratory assistant looked slightly discomfited by the fact that he was speaking to a sorceress.
"I told you, Arlene," she continued. "You'd get him someday."
Arlene blushed as Ienzo shot her a puzzled look. "Yes, you were right."
Marluxia made a choking sound. He was now leaning on the railing and it was the only thing that was keeping him on his feet. "L-Larx..."
"She's safe," Arlene assured him. "Just...gone."
Still another portal opened, this time right behind a stoic-faced Axel, revealing a white-faced Luxord, all color drained from an already pale face. "Superior, Sora is nowhere to be seen. We've searched the entire World, but none of the Nobodies had seen him."
Xemnas felt a raging headache coming on. It was one of the things he had not missed when he was a Nobody; headaches were something of a natural occurance to Somebodies that he was grateful he could not feel before. But now...he decided that Sora gone was the least of his problems, seeing that numbers Six and Twelve were both gone.
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Panting, running, and sobbing at the same time, Kairi stumbled into the Secret Place. It was the only place where she could find sanctuary now. Everything seemed to whirl around her. Roxas' words stung her deeply.
Kairi, Riku, you two betrayed Sora, not the other way around. You Somebodies make me sick.
She wanted to throw up. Something was wrong. The bloodstains on Sora's journal were testament to that. And what did Roxas mean by he's tired of covering up for somebody who wants to kill him? Surely that wasn't Sora.
...but still.
Kairi staggered over in front of the drawing etched in the stone, the drawing that was most important to her in this cave. Two children. Two paopu fruit. Two hearts -- Giving me a shard of his heart and...!
What did he mean, shard of heart?
She's heard of a heart breaking, but she had never known it to break literally.
Oh God, what had she done?
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You are one screwed kidd-o.
Sora twitched in the shadows, desperately trying to keep his bloodlust at bay enough for him to be able to concentrate enough and portal out. Sadly, he was long past the point of tolerance.
Shaking, he drew a fingernail of his left hand across his right wrist, and blood blossomed from the thin line. He put it up to his mouth but he soon found out it was not doing anything.
He needed somebody else's fresh blood.
And right now, the person nearest to him was Kairi.
Lemme take over, buddyboy. Don'tcha want to see her suffer like you did?
"No," he said through gritted teeth.
Somehow, a few minutes ago, Roxas had snapped. And his control together with it. Now it was purely Sora's will who fought with Antiform. Sora would've easily won if his will was paired together with his even stronger heart, but he had no heart to speak of now.
"...I am so screwed," he agreed, gasping and falling to his knees. Kairi whipped around.
"K-kai," he said weakly, darkness clouding his vision. "R-run...!"
The last thing he saw was her stunned and stunning beryl eyes.
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A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the still night air of their island.
Panicking, Riku didn't bother to tie his boat to the dock. Instead, he sprinted towards the sound, towards the Secret Place. That was where he knew Kairi would instinctively go.
Her words stung him deeply, but he knew, somewhere at the back of his mind, it was true. He was blinded by his love for Kairi; he was blinded by the need for competition between him and his best friend.
What had happened to Sora? he asked himself as he ran, staring and not really seeing the grains of sand in the moonlight.
"What the!" he yelled, swinging his head up to gaze at the sky.
Instead of the full moon, Kingdom Hearts glowed above him, bright and pulsing and seemingly angry. Shooting stars rained down all around the island, disappearing into the horizon.
It was terrifyingly surreal.
Summoning his Way to the Dawn, Riku ran on.
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"Okay, let's not get started on the wrong foot here."
Kairi stared. She was positive she had seen a sky-blue eye right before darkness rose up and revealed this...this thing. Which was now currently telling her they shouldn't be starting on the wrong foot. Uhm. Was this weird or what?
It coughed its throat and, from the sound, dusted itself off. "Princess. Kairi. Dalmasca. Leonhart, ehem. I am Sora dot Antiform. Antiform for short. Or Darkie, like buddyboy always says when he isn't mad."
What the hell?
"Huh?" she managed to stammer, backing away into the rock and placing her hands on it.
"I'm a he, okay?" Antiform said thoughtfully. "'cause buddyboy's well...a boy, duh."
"W-what are you...?" she asked in a shrill voice as she stared at it...for it was only the yellow-Heartless eyes she could see; the shadows were ebony black here.
"I just told you. I'm buddyboy's Heartless..."
"H-how--"
"So many questions, Princess! Less talk, more heart!" he yelled, and Kairi managed to run in time to avoid what looked like a claw. It slashed right down the chalk drawing, halving it between her and Sora. "Wow. Look. Buddyboy, you draw like a preschooler. Now with my addition, it looks like your life story."
Who is he talking to? Kairi thought, panicking.
"...yep, you're torn apart. Hah." The eyes moved towards her, and a claw slashed out at her again. Screaming, Kairi ran outside the cave, and collapsed backwards on the moonlit sand. She felt him following her, and she screamed again.
The moon was never this bright...
Her gaze swung upwards, and it took all of her willpower not to scream once more. Instead of the moon, the colossal shape of Kingdom Hearts shone down, and meteorites traced their fiery paths across the sky.
"Nice one," the voice said approvingly as he walked into the moonlight of Kingdom Hearts. "Key broken, Kingdom broken. I wonder how many Worlds will fall..."
This time, Kairi screamed. Loudly. The figure of Sora walked out, spiky hair and baggy pants and thin strong limbs -- but drenched in black. Black trailed from his clawed hands, and he left rapidly-fading footprints in the sand.
"Toldja, Princess," Antiform laughed. "I'm Sora's heartless. His dark side. Literally."
"Kairi!"
She scrambled to her feet, and backed away in the direction Riku was coming from. He called out her name again, and she could've burst into tears with relief. "R-Riku..."
"Let me take care of this," he said firmly. He gave her a weak smile and charged at Antiform.
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Riku charged at Antiform, but he dodged it easily with Sora's agility. It hit him like a sixteen-wheeler truck. He was attacking his best friend. He was attacking Sora.
"Yanno, you're a pretty heartless one yourself, pretty boy," he laughed as he flipped over and landed nimbly on the sand.
"Shut up!"
Riku sent a Dark Firaga at the ebony-black figure, but Antiform deflected it right back, laughing even more. He charged at him again, yelling. "Shut u--" he stopped short when he recognized the weapon Antiform was holding.
Silver handle, golden body...the Reverse Keyblade!
"What the...!"
Kairi ran to his side and clutched tightly to his arm. "Riku, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Probably at the horrified expression on his face right now.
"That's...that's King Mickey's Keyblade!" he choked out. "You...you were the one who attacked the King!"
Antiform twirled the keyblade around and let it rest on his shoulder, tapping it in a eerie resemblance to Sora. "You're a bright one, " he said sarcastically. "But it really was buddyboy--"
He and Kairi exchanged bewildered glances.
"--geez," Antiform added, scratching his head. "Buddyboy? Sora? Ring a bell?"
"B-but why would Sora attack King Mickey?" Riku demanded, although he suspected it was because of the note the King sent. But Sora would never attack King Mickey...
He giggled in reply and portalled onto their island within the island, sitting on the paopu tree where they had sat on an eternity ago, thinking about new worlds and then, recieving the note. The note that changed everything. "Are you sure you wanna know, pretty boy?" he called out, Reverse Keyblade shining in the darkness. "Might be too sensitive for the Princess' ears."
This time Kairi was the one who dragged Riku across the beach and up into the bridge that connected the island, but no closer. Her hands were as cold as ice, and so was her voice. "Explain."
"It's your funeral, anyway," Antiform cocked his head, and grinned. "So. Lemme start at the...well...start."
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"So. Buddyboy got King Mick-o's note. You know already know that," he started, making himself comfortable on the tree trunk. "He then went off in search of Twilight Town's Keyhole. But my control, what was his name again...oh. Yep. Roxas. Well, the guy pissed Sora off, so buddyboy then goes berserk and opens Kingdom Hearts. He brings back Org XIII and frees them. The only good thing that came out of that was that Roxas' control slipped...or is that a bad thing."
Kairi urged him to continue, ignoring the sight of Antiform cleaning his fingernails.
"Buddyboy gets locked in Kingdom Hearts, and that is something I'd never forget. Right, pretty boy? Getting locked in there..."
Riku blanched.
"...but Sora actually got out, 'course, he's the Key. But talk about getting out of the frying pan and into the fire!" he laughed, holding up his left hand to the moonlight, apparently examining it for hangnails. "Buddyboy goes to the ball, and bang! Shattered heart coming right up!"
"D-don't say that," she said weakly. "I didn't shatter---"
"Oh." Antiform paused, and furrowed his eyebrows. "Sorry. You shattered his heart much later. I think that night ya just broke it."
"What the--"
"You see, Princess, when you break a Keyblade Wielder's heart, you break it literally. That's one of the few weaknesses of a Master. And in buddyboy's case, well..." he held up four fingers. "On All Hallow's Eve you broke his heart into four pieces. In my opinion, that's pretty much enough. But nooooo, she's not satisfied with it--"
"He left me!" Kairi yelled. "He chose his duty over me!"
"If you were in his place, what would you choose, Princess? One person, or the realm of light?" Antiform said slyly.
She fell silent.
"Anyway, moving on. Remember the beach thing where you and that blonde chick had a catfight? Well, when you said you'd rather forget buddyboy," he held up three fingers. "Three of the original pieces broke further into four shards. So three times four is twelve, plus the remaining original piece...that makes thirteen. And that is called a shattered heart."
She fell to her knees. "T-thirteen shards?" she stammered. "But...but that's..."
"That's not even half of it," he chuckled, now holding up his right hand. "The Knighting's the best part. King Mick-o's guilty, but you, Princess, are guilty too. What about you, pretty boy? Why didn'tcha say something about the sword?"
Kairi narrowed her eyes and turned to Riku, who scowled. "I thought it was something else."
"Pretty boy, the Dark Keyblade is never something else."
"The sword! The one King Mickey made all seven Princesses touch!" Kairi realized. "It's just to make sure the knight swears fealty to the Kingdom, Antiform."
"Nuh-uh," he shook his head. "That ain't no sword; it's the Dark Keyblade, hidden by magic."
"The Keyblade made from--"
"Yeppers," he nodded this time. "And it binds you to the Light."
Riku choked. "Then why the hell am I still alive?"
"'cause you ain't letting me finish!" Antiform exclaimed, scowling. "Princess' touch here saved both your lives. Since she felt extreme hatred for Sora at that time, her touch twisted the light of the six other Princesses and turned it into darkness. Really, really dark darkness. So when it touched ya, pretty boy, it did no nothing. Buddyboy, however...when the Keyblade tried to bind him to the Light, he struggled. He asked me for help... And yeah, he set me free by doing that."
"Oh Creator," Kairi breathed. Riku knelt down beside her.
"It's gonna get better! So pretty boy punches buddyboy after the Knighting thing. I just want you to know," he grinned, white teeth shining in the pitch-black of his face, "The guy who you thought insulted Princess? That wasn't Sora. That was me."
"You...you were the one who said that?" the platinum-haired Wielder asked weakly. "Sora...he really didn't?"
"Nope. I hafta give credit to you, 'cause of you, Sora panicked. 'cause Sora panicked, he lost. To me." He sighed happily. "I almost killed him that night."
"You what?" Kairi screamed.
"I. Almost. Killed. Buddyboy," Antiform repeated. "Yanno, instead of just wondering where the hell buddyboy was, you should've went and searched for him. Such a waste. So anyway. I was thisclose to getting all thirteen shards of buddyboy's heart--and I tell you, Princess, you shattered his heart good--when King Mick-o suddenly gets into the scene with that silver-haired guy. Like yours, pretty boy. Only shinier."
"Silver?"
"Whatever," Antiform said. "I wanna get to the good part. So to get away from those two idiots I fall back into Sora. Then the silvery-haired guy...I think something like Xemnas...brings buddyboy to their castle, whatever. And this is the best part!"
Kairi was almost too afraid to hear what it was.
"Sora...buddyboy...killed himself," he whispered conspiratorically.
Silence hung in the air, during which Antiform had taken to sharpening his nails on the edge of the Reverse Keyblade.
skreek
skreek
skreeek
"Would you please stop doing that?" Riku said irritably.
"Sorry, pretty boy."
skreeeeeeeeeeeeek
"You're doing that to annoy me."
skreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek
"He killed himself?" Kairi whispered fearfully, ignoring the scowl now pasted on Riku's face. "Sora...he's dead?"
"Yeppers!" Antiform said cheerfully. "Lifeless as a squished cockroach. The blood you saw on King Mick? That's Sora's blood. He just didn't want you people to know, 'cause that'll lead to the Dark Keyblade, and the Dark Keyblade is forbidden magic."
"King Mickey lied?" Riku bit his lip. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
" 'cause! Where else would the blood on him come from? Heartless weep blood, not shed blood." As far as Kairi could see, Antiform rolled his eyes.
She wanted to throw up, at this point. Sora died. Sora dead. But...who was the one she saw at the Mansion? She looked up, and found Antiform observing her. He grinned and made a dismissive motion with his hand.
"Something went wrong, however. Buddyboy used the Dark Keyblade to stab himself, so instead of dying like every Somebody does, it's as if a Heartless took his heart. But a new Nobody can't be created 'cause he's already got Roxie. So somewhere in the middle of the mess Sora turns half-Heartless, half-Nobody. His shards of heart got spread out into Org XIII, 'cause it's their castle! Good thing you split it into exactly thirteen."
Silence.
"And yeah, Roxie split his shard with the blonde chick. Just so you know."
Silence.
Antiform jumped off the tree and started pacing, tapping his Keyblade on his shoulder. "The guy who attacked your school's quad and the King? That was Sora. Yep, he did that of his own free will. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't? Find your bestfriend dating your girl? Like hell yeah, kill 'em."
"But the students who were taken by the Heartless!" She stammered, getting to her own feet. "Those...those were my friends!"
"So?" Antiform grinned.
"You cold-hearted murderer!" she screamed, lunging blindly at him. Hatred lent her strength. Tears clouded her vision as she slapped him hard in the face. "I hate you!"
"Kairi, no!" she heard Riku yell, and she looked back indignantly.
"What, Riku?" Kairi yelled shrilly. "King Mickey! All those students! So--"
Something in his pallid gaze made her look back to the face she had slapped.
Oh God, no!
"K-K--" Sora stammered, staggering backwards into the paopu tree. "K-Kairi..."
Beside him, Antiform was whistling with his fingers laced behind his head.
"J-Just when I fought him and actually won, Kairi," the brunet said brokenly, holding a pale hand to his left cheek. Both sky-blue eyes reflected hurt. "You...you..."
"It wasn't you, Sora!" she insisted, wringing her hands. Her heart pounded painfully as a wide-eyed, disbelieving Sora followed her every move. "It was Antiform! I hate Anti--"
"Nuh-uh, you don't, Princess," Antiform snickered. "I told ya, it was Sora who sent the Heartless after the quad. So yep. It is him that you hate. Even if ya hate me, I'm still Sora, whatever you say."
"I didn't--" she backed away right into Riku, who clutched her shoulder painfully. Sora fell to his knees in front of the paopu tree and screamed.
"I...I thought you would understand...how...how betrayal feels..." the brunet sobbed, gasping. "Of all the people, Kairi! What did I do to deserve this?"
"Buck up, buddyboy." Antiform whispered urgently, taking Sora's arm and placing it around his shoulders as her helped the Wielder to stand up. Kairi did not miss the knowing smirk Antiform shot her. He had probably let Sora take over just when she had burst out; just in time to recieve the brunt of her rage. "Sora...come on. Stop it."
"Don't listen to him, Sora!" Riku yelled, but it was too late.
"Fine," he said coldly, head bowed as he clung even heavier to Antiform. "I see how it is."
"Yanno, Princess," Antiform tilted his head thoughtfully. "You give a whole new meaning to the word 'heartless'."
And with one last grin, Antiform merged into Sora. Swirling blackness stained the left half of the brunet's exposed skin, and Kairi watched, stunned, as his left eye swirled with sickly yellow, the white and the sky-blue vanishing completely. His left hand was completely black in a matter of seconds, and sharp claws sparkled in the light of Kingdom Hearts. Cinnamon spikes turned ebony and darkness crept across his face, tainting the left half black. The Dark Keyblade flashed to life in his hands.
"Kairi..." Riku whispered in a horrified voice. "What have you done?"
"C'mon," Sora beckoned, narrowing his eyes. "Let's have another...chat."
He charged.
She suddenly felt Riku pull her backwards, and they fell into the Corridors. The last thing she saw before the portal closed was a snarling Sora, headed right for them.
"Riku!" she whined. "Why'd you---"
"That...that's not the Sora we knew, Kairi," he said urgently, leading her along the blankness of the infinite Corridors of darkness. "Didn't you feel it?"
"That's Sora, Riku! We can't just--"
"Did you see Kingdom Hearts?" he pressed on. "Sora must've snapped, and Kingdom Hearts is breaking apart. Darkness is breaking free! I can't...I still don't know if he...if I can defeat him!"
"So where are we going?"
"To the place where we can get answers."
Riku held his hand up in front of him and another portal opened. Kairi shut her eyes and stepped through with him, into the threshold of Disney Castle.
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CLIFFIE.
Program to make. Sorry.
WILL KING MICKEY STOP PRETENDING THAT EVERYTHING'S HUNKY-DORY?
WILL SORA EVER FORGIVE KAIRI?
and more importantly...WILL ANTIFORM EVER GET RID OF HIS FASCINATION WITH HIS OWN FINGERNAILS?
uhm.
Stay tuned.