IX
From what the three of them could see, Xemnas's Kingdom Hearts was almost complete, and vast amounts of darkness were seeping out of it. All was silent, other than Xemnas talking to the collection of lost hearts.
"Heroes from the realm of darkness... Why fight against me whn we are the same?" He recieved no response. "Do you not cherish darkness...? Do you not feel its power or hear its cry? Darkness is what rules the heart. No amount of light can stop that." He raised his hands and looked upward at the heart-shaped moon.
"Of course..." A sharp gusting winds blew around the Altar. "It's been a year, and you still haven't achieved what you set out to do... You're pathetic, Xemnas."
The leader of the Organization lowered his arms and turned around to see the three women standing behind him. "Why do you fight against me...the darkness. It's what we are." He quickly glanced at the moon. "Surely you see this...? You cannot fight against it."
Rainthrax stepped forward, growing her nails by an inch. "What makes you think that?"
"It is the simple truth. All things begin in darkness, and all so end... That is the truth..." He glared at Karax. "Isn't that right...Rakal?"
"What...?" She shook her head. "As true as it is, you forget the one thing that Ansem The Wise told us... The heart is a powerful thing. It should not be messed with. Are you so foolish as to forget!?" She summoned her blades, and Arxsen took a step forward. "What do you think that you're doing, Arxsen?"
"I'm going to fight him." A small reddish-orange gem that was placed in the hilts of both swords began to glow. "I just want to see how I match up against him. Do you have a problem with that?" She looked at both of them, not getting a reply from either one. "Since I don't hear any protests, he's mine... Agreed?"
"Knock yourself out."
Arxsen charged toward him, swinging her swords in hopes to hit him. The gems placed inside began to glow a brighter shade of orange and Arxsens eyes changed from the calm grey-blue to a blood-red color. "STAY STILL!" Her swords kept extending from the hilt, hitting points on the ground that were inches away from Xemnas. "Enough of this!" She tossed both swords into the air and they both caught on fire, blazing. They landed, cutting into the ground. Rising up, they began to circle around the young pyro, and eventually, they stopped at her sides. "Ready to burn?"
"Hmph! You can try." Both light sabres appeared and he bagen to counter her every move. "What drives you?"
"My allies..." She was at a standstill, trying to deflect his attack while he was doing the same. "Haven't you ever felt like you had a heart? They make me feel like I do." She pushed him back, inhaling and exhaling heavily. "You wouldn't know what that feels like, would you!?"
"Unfortunately... I don't." He sent out strands of darkness, binding his foe. "You are a fool to believe such things. A Nobody does not feel... A Nobody is incapable of feeling." He laughed. "Can you not see that? Has the light blinded you?"
"Not light..." She sent her swords at him, missing her mark by inches. "Darkness. It's corrupted us all... You're the one who's blind."
"Sora, look!" Riku and Sora had reached the Altar of Naught, seeing the battle that had ensued. "What's going on?"
Karax's head turned toward them, while Rainthrax watched the fight. "I was hoping that we could finish this before you got here, but I guess not..." The leader of renegades placed a hand on her hip.
"Can someone explain what's going on here!?"
"Sora!" Kairi had shown up, but was being held by Rainthrax who had warped behind her.
"Let her go!" Both Sora and Riku had drawn their Keyblades.
"Let me explain..." Both of the kids' heads turned to face Karax. "...and then we can get along and your girlfriend can go free." Arxsen and Xemnas were still fighting vehemently, not paying any attention to what was happening around them. "We oppose Organization XIII as you do. We came here here to stop Xemnas, before you if possible. Rainthrax, Arxsen and myself are not your enemies. Clear?"
Both of the boys nodded, but one question was swimming around in Riku's mind. "Why do this? Why go to all this trouble."
"As Ansem The Wise said... Revenge..." Karax closed her eyes and opened them, looking at the damaged Kingdom Hearts. "When I was whole, I worked alongside Xehanort in the pursuit of knowledge that focused on the heart... I ended up as a test subject... I lost my heart. It had been corrupted... Destroyed... I've been craving revenge for a year now, and at last, I'll finally have it, whether you get invovled or not." A light breeze had swayed by. "Will we be allies in this, or not? If yes, then you've come too late. Xemnas will die here, and it doesn't matter to me which of the three of us eliminates him... As long as he's destroyed."
"Why does eveyone want revenge from Organization XIII?" Sora had lowered his Keyblade, pondering about what he had just asked.
Rainthrax had released her grip on Kairi, and the young princess ran over to her friends. "Karax, Arxsen won't hold much longer." She looked at Sora and his friends, Arxsen, and Karax.
"It was her choice. If she dies, it's her own fault." She sighed. "Maybe I have lost sight of my true objective..."
Arxsen charged forward, shouting at the top of her lungs. Both she and Xemnas were exhausted and neither of them would be able to last much longer. Besides the fact the he was greatly outnumbered, he appeared as though he would be able to fight all of his enemies at once.
"You are a fool... You will die here, right now." Arxsen was on her knees on the ground and her swords were wedged into the ground behind her opponent. Xemnas clearly had the open hand. One of his sabres was beside the woman's head.
She looked up at him, able to see his face. "Just do it. I'm done here. Karax!" She shouted, forcing her new leader to look at her. "It's all on you, I guess. Sorry." Xemnas swung his weapon, and Arxsen faded back into the darkness.
Rainthrax extended her claws and waved her hand in a horizontal motion toward Xemnas. "Do you fear the darkness?" Her nails flew through the air and pierced into his neck. He recoiled, attempting to pull them out. "Too late, the poison is already in your body. Enjoy the darkness, Xemnas... You'll be stuck there for eternity."
"No..." He walked to the edge of the altar, staring up at the moon. "Why... Kingdom Hearts...? Why must we be parted from each other so soon...? Kingdom Hearts...where is my heart?"
"Xemnas..." A portal had opened behind the group, with a young woman emerging from it. Burgundy hair...silver eyes...a double-edged lance as her weapon... "Your death won't be in vain!" Xanamas had caught the very end of Xemnas's battle, and she now wanted to end Rainthrax's life. It was her revenge.
Sora, Kairi and Riku had retreated to a safer area. They didn't want to get invovled in any vendetta, but Riku had gone back. He wanted to end things, even if it required him to put his life on the line.
Rainthrax was on her own against Xanamas. Somehow, she managed to erect some kind of field that surrounded her and her target, forbidding entry by anyone, even her leader. Her weapons were her nails... Nails against a double-edged lance? It seems obvious who would be victorious.
"What's going on?"
"She's made this a personal battle." Karax crossed her arms. "I can't interfere, and neither can you."
"But...she'll be killed."
"What does it matter? Everything dies at some point in life, doesn't it? We were born, only to die." She sighed, sitting on the edge of the altar. The shield fell, opening the battle to the four of them.
"I could...use...a little help!" She ducked and stepped to her left in order to avoid being hit. Poisoned nails were flying in all directions, threatening to hit either Riku or Karax. Riku ran in, wanting to help, while Karax stayed on the sidelines. Moments after he entered the battle, he was thrown out, losing consciousness.
Karax shook her head. "Idiot..." She summoned her blades and went in, tossing them at her former friend. "We trusted you..."
"So what? The Organization offered a better deal! What does it matter to you!?"
"I found you wandering the darkness!" She combined both of the blades, forming a shield. Rainthrax had no part in the conversation, so she jumped out of the fray and sat beside the still unconscious Riku. "I trusted you with everything, and you still went behind my back! WHY!?"
"I never wanted to listen to you!" She threw her lance, aiming for Karax's left arm. "I always opposed you! I HATED you!" She grabbed her lance from where it had pierced the ground, and tossed it at Karax again. "You and the others all hated me too; I could feel it! Are you forgetting what the Organization had?"
She detatched her blades from one another and backed away. "What do you mean?"
"Kingdom Hearts!!!"
Karax laughed. She even dropped her blades and fell to her knees, laughing. "Kingdom Hearts!? That's what you wanted? Heh... Ah ha ha! HA! Do you know how funny that is? OMG!" Rainthrax was glaring at the wind scion, trying to understand what had happened in the past. Karax stood, closing her eyes and focusing her strength on Xanamas. "Binding Winds..." Xanamas had been constrained, not knowing what to do or what to think. "Rainthrax, now!"
The young silver-haired woman swung her hand and five of her nails went flying, three of them getting lodged in Xanamas's neck.
She was released from the wind and fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. She was breathing heavily. "You... I'LL KILL YOU!!!" She made one last attempt to strike at Rainthrax, but while running toward her, she dropped her weapon and fell. "Why...?"
"Because..." Karax now stood in front of her. "Anything that is ruled by darkness needs to be balanced by light. When the balance is broken, things get out of control. There can only be as much darkness in the worlds as there is light. Before Organization XIII formed, the balance was perfect. Even if Rainthrax and I continue to...live...things will still be unbalanced... All things born of darkness must return to darkness. Don't you remember the Repliku?" She looked away, staring at Riku who had woken up. Black flames were rising and fading from her former ally. "Don't you understand? Yours and the Organization's treachery ends here."
Rainthrax looked up at the sky. "Suddenly, the darkness doesn't seem so bad..."
Sora and Kairi had returned, kneeling down beside Riku to see if he was alright. "So...what'll both of you do now?"
"Who knows...?" Karax looked at Rainthrax and nodded.
"We'll return back to our realm and keep both the remaining Nobodies and Heartless at bay. You'll still have to fight a few of them, but we'll keep things under control." Rainthrax looked over to where Xanamas was. She had completely faded, but something still remained.
"Sora... About all of the hearts that were taken..." Karax looked over to the moon. "I'll return to Radiant Garden and try to figure out a way to return the hearts to who they belong... Sorry about all of the trouble that this had caused. We never wanted to get you involved..." Her head turned to Rainthrax. "Let's go. We don't have any reason to be here..." Both of them opened up portals to travel by. "See you..."
With those as her last words, Karax and Rainthrax vanished from the trio's sights, leaving behind something that was never there.
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WOW!!! I can finally say that I'm done this fic!!! But there you have it. My way of how Organization XIII was destroyed. BTW... Kairi and Namine met, along with Sora and Roxas... I just didn't add it in because the chpt seemed long enough already. But there! IT IS FINISHED!!! YAY!!! Now I can get back to my novel, homework and other fics! (not to mention my video games and fan art!!! MARLY HAS BEEN COMPLETED!!!!
So, until my next fic or until I pop out from under your bed or in closet, this has been Riakui, Guardian of the Moon!! See YA!
Oh! Reviews and and ideas for my other fics are greatly appreciated!!!