Keys of Destiny

Chapter 13:

A group of NeoNobody appeared out of thin air, surrounding Riku and Namine. Riku drew out his keyblade and cleared them before they could get close. More appeared around them and in the sky above. Omega was generating more NeoNobody by the minute. Not too far away was the generator. It looked similar to the wrap machine at the computer room in the haunted mansion and was flashing constantly. A single NeoNobody was generated at each flash. Riku calculated it wouldn't take long before there was an army strong enough to wipe out all the living. They only had one goal – Kingdom Hearts – and they would do anything to achieve it. The Royal Library that was carrying Kingdom Hearts was flocked with countless NeoNobody. Returning to the computer, Riku was reminded he was stuck on. He took out the last page. There wasn't much written on it. Basically, it explained the procedure to trigger self-destruction of all NeoNobody in case things went out of control.

He felt Namine pulled his sleeve. "Riku, Sora and Roxas are not looking good," said Namine, sounding concerned.

Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, Riku saw Sora being sent flying a fair way. Roxas was facing Kurix alone. "Just give me a minute," said Riku as he read the last lines of the page. Namine read along with him. It wasn't long before they heard Sora.

Startled by the scream, Riku and Namine spun around frantically. The first thing that hit them was an eruption of brightness from Sora and Roxas' direction. A bright light pierced through the air, blinding both of them. Gradually it dimmed. Riku and Namine squinted to see what was happening.

A beam of white light appeared from Sora and Roxas' heart position. It then expanded to the rest of their body. The light filled the dark cracks on Roxas' body, healing him instantly. At the same time, all of Sora's wounds were mended.

Kurix was forced to release Roxas as the intense light burnt his hand. Sora and Roxas stood still with heads hang down. The light had almost completely faltered, but a faint glow was left on them. Their cerulean eyes were half opened and cloudy, as though they were in a trance. Sora's black outfit changed to silver, into his final form. Roxas' clothes didn't change. Though they were both floating slightly above ground.

"Incredible," said Namine, bewildered by what was occurring.

"What is happening?" asked Riku, who was equally stunned.

"It looks like Sora and Roxas are able to sense each other by their soul. They are at a state where they're nearly one, but still remain separate. I think it is the light. It responded to Sora," explained Namine.

With keyblades in both hands, Kurix charged at the seemingly half-awake Roxas. With the need to look up, Roxas smoothly glide to the side, evading his opponent. Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in his hands simultaneously. Meanwhile, Sora drew close to the two by gliding in the air in similar manner. Ultima Weapon and Fenrir were rotating rapidly on each side of him.

Alongside Roxas, Sora engaged back into battle, circling around their opponent. Their movement reminded Namine of butterflies – rhythmic and elegant yet unpredictable and unorderly. They were so fast sometimes that all others could see was a blur of silver. Namine could tell Kurix was struggling to locate the two. Every time he managed to evade strikes from one of them, he was always hit by the other. His shields were of no use, for that he couldn't see when they would come. Riku doubted he was holding back any more. His Nobody couldn't even lay a finger on Sora and Roxas. Riku noticed although their eyes were fully opened, the cloudiness remained. It was like they were not seeing – they were sensing – sensing the battle rhythm and the presence of one another.

It was were mesmerizing that Riku and Namine almost forgot about the danger around them. They were nearly taken by a NeoNobody sneaking up from behind. Riku fought off some more that were too close to ignore. Their number was increasing at an alarming rate. More filled the air each time they looked up. Then, without warning, they screeched.

Namine covered her ears, wincing in pain as the horrible sound penetrates her eardrums. Riku felt his soul being tore apart, like someone was cutting him up into pieces. The pain was unbearable. The last time it happened resulted his Nobody. This time, he was afraid it was going to take his life. Struggling just to walk, Riku went back to the monitors in shaky steps. He vaguely remembered the clue he read on the last page. "The ultimate goal of all Nobody" That was what Xemnas left for them. On the screen, there were five spaces. Riku typed in the word "heart". In the blink of an eye, all the NeoNobody they could see vanished without a trace.

As sudden as it came, Riku's head stopped hurting. He felt like he was someone who was about to be choke to death by hanging but the rope above snapped miraculously. Before he could enter commands into the computer to take down Omega, Riku saw several shots of Thundaga heading his way. Riku hurled out of the way just in time before the entire control panel exploded into bits. Though he avoided the direct hit, Riku was thrown back by the shockwave. Those shots of Thundaga were the most powerful he had ever seen. It alarmed Riku to realise that Sora meant that to hit Kurix. He was not holding back his power, even if it might hurt bystanders.

Omega stretched out its neck and roared loudly. It twisted and turned, as though it was in agony. Suddenly, Riku found himself standing on nothing. He desperately tried to grab onto anything he could, which turned out to be the edge.

"Riku!" Namine yelled out, arm outstretched. Using all her might, Namine pulled him back up. With the main computer destroyed, Omega ceased all movement. All of a sudden, they found themselves falling down towards the land outside the dead city. Riku caught a glimpse of Sora and Roxas. They didn't seem to notice the changes of Omega at all.

Sora could feel the power of light immersed in his body. Roxas was right there with him. At that moment, Sora didn't think there was anything that could stand in their way. He was able to move anywhere at any speed he wanted. He could see with his own eyes and through Roxas'. He didn't have to see – listening was enough. He heard Kurix's battle rhythm loud and clear. He knew precisely what Kurix was intend to do and where he was going to move. There was only one thing in his mind. His heart told them they must eliminate the threat that almost killed them. Everything else seemed far away. People were shouting out to him, calling his name. But their voices were distant. He sensed changes around him. The floor was tilting and shaking. Everything besides defeating Kurix was insignificant.

Adding a spin to it, Sora threw out Fenrir, aiming for Kurix. At the exact same timing, Roxas threw out Oathkeeper. Kurix dodged the spinning Oathkeeper, but Fenrir cut his shoulder. Sora caught Oathkeeper the moment Roxas caught Fenrir. Not about to give Kurix chances to recover, Sora directed consecutive hits of Blizzaga at him. None missed. Dragging the tip of his keyblades on the ground as he ran, Roxas leaped up and struck at their enemy. Kurix barely blocked it the impact sent him skidding a fair way. Sora and Roxas followed him. Looking down at the unconscious Kurix, Sora put Ultima Weapon on his neck. Just one shove would be it.

"Sora, don't!" Someone rushed to Kurix's side, arms spread out protectively in front of the dark-hair youth.

Sora paused, staring at that person with his cloudy eyes. So did Roxas. That light blond hair and blue eyes was familiar.

"You can't kill him. He's Riku too," she pleaded. He was forgetting something important. Her name slowly came to his mind. The cloudiness in Sora and Roxas' eyes began to fade away, returning to their usual clear state. The white glow surrounded Sora and Roxas dimmed and faded away. Sora was changed back into his usual black outfit. He looked around him. Omega had crash-landed onto solid ground, a clearing away from the deserted city. Sora wondered why he didn't remember any of the crashing part.

"What happened?" Sora asked Roxas. Roxas shrugged.

"Riku, what happened?" Sora asked Riku said when he joined them.

"Just as I thought, you don't remember anything do you?" Riku sighed. "Hell broke loose and you and Roxas fought through it." They were lucky that Omega was hollow inside, so a large portion of the impact force was absorbed when they hit the ground. Seeing Sora's stunned face, Riku grinned. "Why that face? You beat him."

"I guess we did, didn't we Roxas," said Sora, looking over to Kurix, who was being tended by Namine.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed.

Kurix's body began to grow transparent. Namine turned to Riku. She looked rather anxious.

"There is no time, Riku. Listen to me," she said, staring into his aqua pupils. "I know that darkness had caused you a lot of pain and regret. But you need it just like you need air. You can't live without it. There is darkness because there is light, and vice versa. There is always light in the pitch-black darkness, just like there is always darkness in blinding light. You can't lose to either. Because within you, there are both darkness and light. Please Riku, don't reject darkness."

Kurix slowly opened his eyes. "You are right, Namine. There are some things we can never change," hiis face showed a defeated but satisfied smile. "But it didn't hurt trying, did it?"

Namine returned a sad smiled. "We're not going to disappear," she said softly. Roxas stood beside Sora. Though they just defeated Kurix, Roxas didn't look happy at all.

"I know," said Kurix, before closing his eyes. A thin layer of light wrapped around Riku as Kurix vanished into thin air. Riku stared the glow, surprised.

Sora felt the sadness from Roxas. He felt sorry for the Nobody. Surely, there was nothing wrong with wanting to stay existent?

"Sora!" A few voices called out to him in unison. It was King Micky, Donald and Goofy. They brought Leon, Aeris and Yuffie along. Kairi was with them too.

"Leon, Aeris, Yuffie!" Sora said in delight. "You came to help?"

"Yes, the King called for our help," Leon replied.

Yuffie crossed her arms. "But we missed out on all the fun!"

"She tried her best," said Leon. "When she saw all the NeoNobody swarmed on land, she jumped down the gummi ship with a parasuit and ended up stranded on a tree."

"Hey Leon you're not suppose to tell them!" Yuffie complained.

"Has Kurix been defeated…I mean, returned?" King Mickey asked Riku and Namine. Namine nodded in reply.

"Sora, Riku , are you two all right?" Kairi asked.

"Perfect condition," Sora grinned.

His innocent grin made Kairi feel guilty. "Sora, I'm really sorry about pushing you do–"

"What? I've already forgotten about that," Sora winked. Kairi smiled at him gratefully.

Riku looked away when Kairi turned to him. "I'm fine," he said plainly. Kairi lowered her head in disappointment.

"Riku," Namine spoke up. "It was Kairi who helped me back then. She untied the ropes on me. But a little after that Kairi lost her footing and slipped. You shouldn't be angry with her. She was only trying to protect you."

"But why did you tamper with Sora's memories, Namine?" asked Roxas, crossing his arms. Riku looked at Namine in surprise.

It was Namine's turn to lower her head. "I…"

"That was because it was the only thing you could do for Riku at that time, wasn't it, Namine?" Kairi answered for her. Looking at the others, she continued. "Namine's power couldn't save Riku. She knew Riku didn't want Sora to be lured into traps because of him. That's why she erased Sora's memories of me. If he didn't know me, he probably wouldn't trust me so easily. She understands Riku better than I do."

Namine looked at Sora apologetically. "I ended up causing more trouble than helping."

Roxas finally understood why Namine glared at him back then. He blamed her when she tried to help, not knowing she couldn't help the one she wanted to help the most. "Namine, I'm sorry," he said.

Namine shook her head. "No, I was at fault too."

"Namine, There's something I don't really understand." Kairi cupped her chin with a hand. "Why did Riku's Nobody came to be on this very planet? You and Roxas were thrown into worlds that me and Sora weren't in at that time. Also, Riku was in Heartless form for time not much longer than Sora, but his Nobody seemed to know a lot?"

Before Namine replied, Roxas cut in. "It was only coincidence."

"I think so too. Where Nobody end up is completely random," Namine agreed. "As with his memories…I would say the Soul Shatter that triggered the split had something to do with it. You're right. Normally, he wouldn't remember much about Riku. Just like Roxas didn't know he was Sora's Nobody to begin with."

Everyone started talking to each other. Aeris and Yuffie asked about the events they missed. Donald and Goofy retold their stories. King Mickey and Leon was discussing something with seriously. Kairi was uttering apologies to Riku while Namine was busy explaining Kairi didn't mean any harm. Sora paid little attention to their conversation. There was a lot on his mind. He needed to know.

Taking a deep breath, Sora stepped closer to Roxas, looking at him face to face. "Roxas, there's something I've been wanting to ask you," he said. He looked down to his shoes. "Do you…hate me?"

It was all it took to quiet down everyone, even Yuffie. Sora and Roxas became the center of attention. Roxas stared at Sora for a long while.

"I did," Roxas said. There was little emotion in his voice. Sora winced. He knew Roxas was speaking the truth. "You have everything I ever wanted, Sora. You have friends and family. There are people thinking about you, and people who are waiting for your return. You have a life. You have a future."

Sora felt his heart ached. Summoning up his courage, he looked at Roxas in the eyes. Roxas' expression was unreadable. Sora didn't feel changes in emotion within Roxas through their link.

"Roxas…" Namine began but trailed off. Her face showed hesitation.

Roxas closed his eyes and opened them again. "All of that was taken away from me when I finally found you. I did hate you, but only for a second," he said. "I was envious of you, Sora."

"Namine?!" Their conversation was interrupted when Donald and Goofy cried out in surprise. The colours on Namine were fading away. She was gradually becoming transparent.

Namine looked down at her hands. She could see through them. "This body can't hold up much longer," she said.

"Roxas!" It was King Mickey this time. Similarly, Roxas was becoming transparent as well.

"We have to do something!" Sora cried urgently. "We can't let Namine and Roxas…" He paused. What was it? Deep inside, Sora knew the answer.

"Thank you, Sora." Namine smiled at him gratefully. "But there's nothing anyone can do. This is fate. We're Nobody – nonexistent beings," She noticed Kairi was walking towards her.

"Sora's memories have all been restored. There's nothing you have to worry about," Namine told Kairi.

"That's not what I want to ask," said Kairi, shaking her head. "Isn't there something you want to tell Riku?"

Namine's azure eyes widened, stunned. It wasn't quite what she expected from Kairi.

"There must be something we can do!" Sora yelled in frustration. Everyone was looking at him sorrowfully and he didn't like it. Why couldn't they be thinking instead of feeling sorry for him? He turned to the King, eyes pleading. "You know a way, don't you King Mickey?" The small King looked at him sympathetically. "No I don't."

"Namine?" Riku called her name.

Namine turned to face Riku. The colours on her body had almost completely faded. She spoke softly. "There was something I wanted to tell you a long time ago. I regret it when I couldn't say it to you before I left last time." She smiled at Riku one last time. "I'm so glad I met you, Riku." Then she turned around, hugging Kairi, who hugged her back. For a moment, Kairi's body was surrounded by a bright light. And then, Namine was gone.

"This can't be…" Sora dropped to his knees in despair.

"Sora," the King spoke in a gentle tone. "Namine and Roxas are Nobody. They can't exist without a heart."

Roxas crouched down on one knee. "Sora, do you know my real name?"

Sora looked up to him. His heart was screaming out the answer, but he was blocking it out deliberately. "What…what are you talking about, Roxas?"

"Roxas isn't my real name. Xemnas made it up," Roxas stared into Sora's eyes. "My name is Sora."

Standing back up, Sora shook his head furiously. "NO! You're all wrong!" he shot back, not realising he was shouting. "You too, Roxas. You're not me. We're different, not the same. We think differently, talk differently and fight differently. You're not just a Nobody. You exist – you're right here!"

Roxas froze in astonishment. Sora just said something no one had ever said to a Nobody. That moment, he felt something changed. He couldn't quite grasp it. He wished Namine was there to hear it.

"You and Axel are both idiots," said Roxas, a small smile hang on his lips. They were the only two who ever tried to stop him from the fusion, even when they understood perfectly well it wasn't possible. Long ago, Axel had once asked if he had a heart. Roxas said that it was up to Sora to decide. And now, Sora had.

"Why are you willing to give up your life for me?" asked Sora bitterly, tears streaming down his face. He could hardly make out the outline of Roxas, who was almost translucent. "Don't you want to see Hayner, Pence and Olette again?"

"I'm not giving up my life, Sora," replied Roxas earnestly. "But if it was you, I think you can live my part for me."

"But…" There was so much Sora wanted to say. He didn't know anything about Roxas, but Roxas know a lot about him. There was so much he wanted to ask Roxas. How did he join Organisation XIII? How did he befriend Axel? How did he find him? The more things he wanted to say, the more difficult it was to decide where to begin.

Roxas smiled at him. "I won't disappear, Sora." He offered his right hand to Sora. "We'll meet again, ok?"

Vision blurred by his tears, Sora looked at the hand numbly. He knew Roxas and Namine would not simply disappear or vanish. He just didn't want them to leave. His hand reached out. The moment their hands clasped, a white glow enveloped Sora just like it did to Kairi and Riku. A warm sensation embraced him. It was like taking an afternoon nap under mild sunlight. An unexpected sleepiness persuaded Sora to close his eyes. He felt at peace. Roxas wasn't feeling any pain. Sora knew Roxas was gone.

He found everyone was staring at him when he reopened his eyes. Donald and Goofy came up to him with worried faces.

"Are you ok, Sora?" asked Goofy.

"We're very sorry about…Roxas and Namine," said Donald.

It took Sora a while to find his voice. "…I'm ok," he answered before turning his back to them and began to walk away.

"Sora," Aeris began, stopping Sora on his track. She walked up to him so only he could hear her. "Remember that I spoke to Roxas in Radient Garden? I asked him what you just did. I asked him why he was helping you, and what he was going to do. He said me that I wouldn't be able to tell if he was telling the truth anyway." Sora wanted to smile. That sounded like Roxas. Aeris continued. "At the end he just said to me that he doesn't hate you. He said that if he had been the one with the heart and you were his Nobody, you would've done the same thing. And he is glad his somebody was you."

Sora wiped away his tears and looked up to the star-filled sky. It was a fine night.

Author's rambling: Long waited chapter 13! I know, I took ages on this chapter. This is the last one so I had to tie everything in. And for this reason allow me blab on a bit more than usual. I'm planning to write an epilogue for this story. But I have this Kingdom Hearts challenge fic dueing in soon (a Livejournal community activity) that I've been putting off. So I got to do that first. I do have a title for this chapter (for once!), but it'd spoil the ending, so I'll add it later.

Some readers are probably puzzled about who the main character is - Sora or Roxas? In fact, they both are. Another thing worth mentioning is that Riku and Namine played more important roles than I initially planned (back at early stage). About the pairing, it's not official really, as official KH pairings are. I have nothing against RokuNami or SoraNami. Perhaps the reason I'm fond of RikuNami is that it seems much more romantic and tragic than than the other two. Am I a sadist?

Thank you very very much for those who give me continuous support by commenting and reviewing. This story received so many hits I'll be lying if I say I'm not proud of it. A lot of time and planning had been put into this. But still, there are some errors that I hope you won't notice sweat-drops.

Last but no least, please review! They are better than the Wii, Pirates of the Carribean and blue-tac put together.