Ch. 7: Making It Look Convincing

Yes, it is yet again, another disclaimer. I wonder what would happen if I didn't put one of these things at the top. shudders at the thought Okay, all characters that don't belong to me belong to Disney and SquareSoft. The rest are mine.

Kairi…

Ziddy's eyes sprang open. The water was dark and cloudy. She began to pull her arms away from the wall, trying to detach the chains that connected her to the stone. Slowly, her wrists started to glow a pale white each time she reached the chain's end. With each tug, the white light became brighter and brighter until it exploded from her wrists. The chains broke free from the stone wall.

"What do you mean she hasn't emerged yet!?" Ansem yelled form the throne room as he received the news from one of the Heartless guards.

Kairi's stomach continued to ache.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Sora whispered, holding his stomach.

"Me too." Riku clutched his stomach as well.

"This is going to be unpleasant." Kairi said, bending over.

"What?"

Smoke exited their mouths and began to swirl about their bodies. The taste was horrible. The smell was still weird but the taste was almost unbearable. Kairi knew what was happening; the boys did not. The spell was over; the potion was leaving them now. The smoke continued to swirl around them, faster and faster. The smoke was not disappearing though.

"I don't understand. Why isn't the smoke disappearing?" Kairi asked aloud.

"I don't know. You're the one with all the mystical knowledge recently." Riku responded, watching the smoke encircle him.

Suddenly, the smoke retreated back into the three teenagers. The reentry knocked them off balance for a moment.

"I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen." Riku announced quietly, regaining his balance.

"I don't get it. The smoke should have disappeared. Our three hours were up. The spell should be over." Kairi said, astounded at what had just occurred.

"You think Ziddy did it?" Sora asked, looking over at Kairi.

Kairi did not answer straight away. She stood in deep thought, staring down at her hands.

'How could she have done that?' she thought. 'She doesn't even know that we're here. How could she have known that we needed more time with the potion?'

"It had to have been her. She's the only one with that kind of power. But I don't understand. How did she know?"

Riku and Sora shrugged.

Ansem stood up from his throne.

"She should have surfaced by now!"

From the side door, a Heartless guard entered and hurried over the Ansem.

"Sire, the tower… it's empty."

"What do you mean it's empty?"

"There is no sign of Ziddy. She's gone."

Ansem sank back down on his throne. There were only two explanations for the young woman's disappearance. She had either escaped and was now in hiding somewhere in the castle, or it was over and the darkness had consumed her body.

"Find her. Search every part of this castle."

"Sire, no human, not even her, could have held their breath that long and then to have.-"

"Find her!"

The guards vanished with his words. He stood in the throne room on his own, watching the darkness in silence.

"Why send them away? You knew I was here all along."

Ansem smiled, trying to hide the fear he knew he was experiencing.

"What do you plan on doing now?" He asked.

"First," Ziddy emerged from the shadows and placed one of her Keyblades on the back of Ansem's neck, "I'm going to kill you, and end this once and for all. And then, I don't know, maybe I'll go back home."

"Giving up again Ziddy?"

"I never…" Ziddy spat but stopped, and lowered the blade. "What did you call me?"

"I'm sorry Ziddy. I'm so sorry."

Ziddy dropped both her blades as the tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Nemon ecken Ziddy?"

Ziddy's head twitched violently once and she blinked.

"Stop."

"Tevroo?"

The words caused Ziddy to violently twitch again. Flashes of that night quickly passed by her eyes, making her loss balance.

"Stop." She repeated, her head beginning to pound.

"Hotena shebeast loni."

"I said stop!"

The Heartless encircled the young woman as she blinked and twitched uncontrollably, and stumbled about. A Heartless rose, and Ziddy fell.

"Hotena shebeast loni."

Ziddy raised her head from the ground and looked around her. She came to her hands and knees, and looked back down at the ground. With a quick snap of her body, a light emerged from Ziddy's body and slashed through the Heartless, destroying them all.

"It'll take more that that." She said, her voice weak and weary, as she stood up. "You need me to have that, remember? It doesn't work without it."

"Are you ready to do what must be done now?" Ansem said, turning to face the young woman.

Ziddy's breathing had become deep and heavy with pain.

"He was here. He's stronger than you Ansem. He'll come back. And when he does, you'll be nothing but a memory. And once you're gone, I'll put everything back to the way it's supposed to be. I'll make everything right again! It'll all be done for nothing! You'll be gone forever. No one will remember. I'll fix it once and for all."

Ansem bent down and picked up Ziddy's Keyblades. He held them out the Keyblade master, and smiled that smile.

"But until then," he let go of the Keyblades and Ziddy caught them, "you'll do what you're meant to do."

Ziddy stared at her Keyblades, black as night itself. She nodded slightly.

"I'll do what I must."

----

Kairi, Sora, and Riku walked along the hallways of the castle.

"Riku, what's the matter with you?" Sora whispered.

Although he was breathing silently, Sora could tell that Riku's breathing was fast and heavy from fear. Sweat dripped down the silver-haired boy's skin.

"I've been here before." Riku squeaked.

His head twitched and he blinked, painfully. A quick vision flashed before Riku's eyes. He was being dragged through the very hallway they stood in now by a number of Heartless. He was blindfolded and gagged.

"Riku?"

Again, Riku twitched and blinked. He saw himself being chained and strapped to a wall. Ansem stood in front of him.

"What's happening Riku?"

Riku grabbed the sides of his head and yelped in pain. He saw himself writhing in pain, stilling attached to the wall. The vision disappeared and reappeared differently. He saw himself being surrounded by a dark blue light that formed a sphere around him.

"Riku, what's going on?" Kairi repeated.

"Keep quite. They'll hear you." Sora warned.

Riku yelled louder.

Kairi grabbed Riku's shoulders.

"Riku?"

"He's remembering."

Kairi and Sora spun around to find Ziddy standing a few feet behind them, her Keyblades resting on her shoulders.

"Ziddy!" Kairi let go of Riku and turned to her cousin.

Before she could run over to Ziddy, Sora gripped her arm and held her back.

"Remembering what?" Sora asked, sensing something different in Ziddy.

"Remembering what happened to him when he came here. After you left him behind the door." Ziddy said, taking a step toward the three.

Sora pulled Kairi back. Riku's pain faded away quickly and he released his head. Ziddy began laughing quietly.

"Come on Kairi." She said.

Ziddy disappeared into a swirl of smoke and reappeared behind the three.

"Let's play a game."

They turned quickly.

"Why are you doing this?" Kairi asked, beginning to panic.

"Because this is what I was meant to do Kairi! I've told you this before!" she yelled in fury, forcing her laughter to continue.

Again, she disappeared into the swirl of smoke and reappeared by a flight of stairs at the end of the hallway.

"Come on Kairi!"

Ziddy ran up the stairs. Kairi freed herself from Sora's grip and ran after her cousin. Sora and Riku pursued as well. The three teenagers chased Ziddy until they reached, what seemed to be, the throne room of the castle. When they entered, there was no sign of Ziddy anywhere. Instead, they found Ansem, standing at the top of a flight of stone steps.

Neither Sora, Riku, nor Kairi ascended the steps.

"Princess, so good to see you again, and alive too. Riku, welcome back my boy. And Sora, it has been too long." Ansem said, bowing slightly to the three.

Sora's Keyblade quickly found itself in the young master's hands. Riku's was taken out as well. Kairi backed up behind the two boys and put her hand on Sora's shoulder.

"You are pathetic Keyblade master." Ansem snickered.

"And why is that?" Sora spat back.

Ansem replied in laughter.

"Where's Ziddy?" Riku demanded, grinding his teeth in fury.

Ansem laughed harder. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me anymore Riku."

"I don't."

"How does that have anything to do with Ziddy!?" Sora yelled.

"Oh my boy, you've gone and gotten yourself tangled up in the darkness again. You as well young master Sora. More than you'll ever know."

"What the hell are you talking about Ansem!?"

"Sora…" Kairi whimpered softly.

"How have we 'gotten tangled up'? What does that mean? We haven't got anything to do with you Ansem or your darkness. The only reasons we are here is to save Ziddy and destroy you… again." Sora argued.

"You've everything to do with me! You see, you've become involved with the darkness by being with that one person who's connected to the darkness more than me! The one person who has more ties to me than anyone else in any of these damned worlds! You've gotten yourselves involved by being with Ziddy," he outstretched his hand and Ziddy appeared in a swirl of gray smoke, "my daughter."

Sora and Riku stumbled a bit in confusion.

"No, that's not true. He's bluffing." Sora whispered.

Ziddy turned her head to Ansem. "You promised you wouldn't tell!" she yelled.

Sora's knees gave out, causing him to lose balance. Riku stopped breathing for a moment.

"That… that can't be… true… he's lying…" Riku managed to utter once he remembered to breathe again. "He's… he's making her say that…"

Even though she knew she was going to regret it, Kairi stepped forward. Before she had time to speak, Ansem grabbed Ziddy's arm and shoved her toward the stairs.

"Finish them." He demanded.

"My head hurts." Sora whispered, still stumbling for balance.

Ziddy looked down the steps at the three at the bottom.

"Ziddy, don't." Kairi yelled up the steps, watching her cousin reached for her Keyblades.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Riku grasped his stomach.

"Do it! Finish them!"

"That's enough Uncle Ansem!" Kairi screamed.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh princess, theatrics won't bring him back. Pity doesn't work anymore, something you should have figured out the first time I had you killed." Ansem turned to Ziddy again. "Do it!"

Ziddy unsheathed one of her Keyblades and began to descend the stone steps.

"The Keyblade master first I think." Ansem waved his hand through the air and sent Kairi and Riku crashing into the back wall.

"Riku! Kairi!" Sora yelled, watching his friends lift themselves off the rock ground.

"Sora! Look out!" Kairi screamed.

Sora turned back around to see Ziddy standing right in front of him. She quickly gripped the young man around the neck and lifted him off the ground.

"Zid… Ziddy… sto… don't… plea…" Sora managed to squeak in between gasps for air.

"I don't have a choice. He's my father whether I like it or not. I can't lose him again."

Only three tears managed to escape from Ziddy's maroon eyes. With all her might, the young woman threw Sora and he landed a few feet away.

"Don't do this." He said, rushing to his feet.

Ziddy unsheathed her other Keyblade and walked toward Sora.

"Unsheathe your Keyblade and fight. I won't tell you twice." She said, twirling her blades around in her hands.

Sora did as he was told, backing away from the young woman. Ansem watched with that smile as Ziddy and Sora danced around each other, their blades clanging together every so often.

Finally, the battle began. Sora and Ziddy rushed at each other, their Keyblades making the most horrible sounds as they collided. They dodged and ducked and pounced and slashed. Bruises were blackened and blood dripped from newly formed gashes on their skin. Once again, the two Keyblade masters circled each other.

"I don't want to fight you Ziddy." Sora said softly.

"And you think I want to fight you?" Ziddy shouted in a whisper.

"Then why?"

"To make it look convincing."

Unexpectedly, Ziddy winked and smiled at Sora. He stood, stunned, for a moment. At last, he caught on. Simultaneously, Sora and Ziddy lifted their blades straight up and cried out "Curaga!", and all their wounds were healed.

"What?" Ansem whispered.

Heartless began to rise from the floor on all sides.

"What do you want me to do?" Sora asked, quietly.

"He'll figure it out any second now. Keep on fighting no matter what happens. There's something I have to do and you'll just have to trust me. Keep fighting, ok?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get my father back once and for all. But in order to get him back… just promise me you'll keep fighting, ok?"

Sora nodded. He watched as Ziddy snapped her fingers, starring over at Kairi. In Kairi's hands, there appeared a Keyblade; one embedded with gold and different colored gems. Kairi gazed down at the Keyblade in awe and confusion. What the hell was Ziddy thinking? She did not know how to handle one of these things.

"Remember when I stole your favorite necklace and accidentally dropped it into the bay!?" Ziddy asked Kairi, turning to the stone steps.

"Yeah." She yelled back, still in awe and confusion.

"Pretend that's what they did."

More Heartless rose from the rock floor. Kairi gripped the Keyblade tightly, feeling the anger she had once felt toward her cousin again. Riku joined her at her side, his Keyblade out and ready as well. The two charged the Heartless and began slashing through them. Sora had already begun picking off the Heartless, three at a time.

Ziddy ascended the stairs and smiled at Ansem.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked, fury growing inside him.

"I'm finally doing the right thing." She answered, still smiling.

The young woman tossed one of her Keyblades to Ansem, who barely caught it.

"I don't understand. You wish to fight? Me?"

Sora, Riku, and Kairi cut through Heartless after Heartless. As the dark creatures' numbers started to dwindle, Sora stole a glace up the stone steps. His mouth dropped as his eyes fell upon Ziddy and Ansem dueling. Kairi saw Sora's mouth drop and quickly turned to see what had distracted him. She felt her heart sink a bit as she watched her uncle and her cousin fight.

"Ziddy! Stop!" she cried, trying to run toward the steps.

In between blows, Ansem addressed Ziddy.

"What is it that you hope to accomplish by doing this my child?"

Ziddy merely smiled back at him, thrusting her blade toward him.

After a while, the Heartless stopped rising from the ground. The remaining Heartless seemed to turn their attention to Ansem and Ziddy. Sora, Riku, and Kairi ceased fighting, standing among the few dozen creatures that remained without a care. Ziddy and Ansem soon came to a stop, the blades locked together as they each pushed forward toward each other.

"You are stalling child." Ansem said, struggling to keep his ground. "With your physical skills combined with your magic, I should be dead by now."

"What are you playing at?" Ziddy spat, pushing forward with all her might.

"No my dear, what are you playing at? How do you expect to get him back this way?"

"By making him feel the greatest pain a parent could ever feel." She answered.

"Is that so? And what is that?"

Ziddy looked up into the man's eyes.

"This."

Ziddy relaxed her muscles and stopped pushing. Ansem lost his footing, falling forward a bit onto Ziddy. Her stomach jolted as the blade entered her body, piercing through her completely. Ansem did not notice what had happened right away, but then he saw the blade protruding through Ziddy's back.

"No…" he gasped, holding onto the girl as her knees gave out.

"No!" Riku screamed.

"Ziddy!"

"NO!"

Following their screams, the Heartless reared their heads back and let out a terrifying screech. Off across the distance in a dark forest, Adaman let out the same terrifying screech. It was over.

Ansem laid Ziddy down, panicking a great deal. He backed away quickly, pulling the blade along with him. Blood dripped from it and his panic rose. Ziddy's body twitched uncontrollably as she covered the bloody hole in her stomach. Staring down at her, Ansem felt Riku and Sora grab his arms, and watched Kairi fall to her knees next to Ziddy.

Ziddy managed to murmur something, but Ansem could not hear her due to the fear and pain until Sora and Riku jerked him back to reality.

"Say my name." she whispered, blood dripping from the side of her mouth.

Kairi stroked her cousin's hair, tears pouring form her eyes. Sora and Riku, at the moment, felt more rage toward Ansem than sadness toward the dying girl in front of them.

"Say… my name." Ziddy repeated.

Ansem was unable to speak though. Kairi looked up at him, her pain becoming rage as well.

"Say her name, Uncle Ansem!"

Ansem remained silent.

Sora and Riku continued to jerk Ansem about, pulling and tugging on his harder and harder. All color left the man's face as he continued to gaze down at Ziddy.

Kairi could no longer feel Ziddy twitching as she stroked her hair. Frightened to look down at her cousin, she began to feel around for Ziddy's shoulders. She was no longer moving anywhere. She placed her hand over Ziddy's mouth. Either she was breathing extremely slowly or not at all.

"Say her name damnit!" Riku yelled.

The two boys heard Kairi begin to sob and whisper "No…" over and over again. They looked down and saw her cradling Ziddy in her arms. Together, they released Ansem's arms. As Riku continued to stare down at the two girls, Sora turned his eyes back to Ansem.

"She's dead…" he whispered to him.

Ansem felt his stomach drop.

"Ziddy!" he screamed, his eyes finally releasing tears.

In that moment, Ansem's body was covered in a pale white light that absorbed into his skin. He fell to his knees and hung head, crying. Kairi placed Ziddy's body down carefully and crawled over to Ansem. She placed a hand on his shoulder, still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Uncle Ansem?"

Ansem lifted his head and looked up into her eyes.

"I killed… my daughter." He sobbed.

Riku and Sora watched as Kairi wrapped her arms around the man. He looked exactly the same, yet something was different about him. He was no longer Ansem, ruler of the darkness; he was Ansem, a father and an uncle. Although the hatred for Ansem would never fade, they understood that this man was no longer him. They understood that, somehow in that moment where he screamed Ziddy's name, he had gotten his life back; his heart back. He had found his light. They did not know how they knew all this, but they did. They would have liked to believe that it was Ziddy's doing, but they knew she could no longer interfere for the better.

"Now what?" Riku asked quietly, staring back down at Ziddy's body.

"How could she think it could end like this? How could she think she could just leave like this?" Sora chocked back his tears. "How could she-"

But Sora was not able to finish his sentence. The ground shook violently. From the ceiling of the throne room came streams of what seemed to be blue flame. The flames crashed into the ground, causing it to shake even more violently. Try as they could, the two boys could not keep on their feet. They fell, and tumbled down the flight of stone steps. Kairi and Ansem were sent flying down the stairs as well. Heartless of all shapes and sizes began to rise from the rocky floor, letting out that screech as they emerged from the darkness.

Although they knew they had to get up and fight off the Heartless, neither Riku nor Sora could move from the fall. They moaned as the bruises on their skin darkened. Kairi rolled over on her side, feeling a sharp pain run through her left arm. The pain increased as she tried to move it. Ansem was able to crawl over to her, but he collapsed back down as soon as he reached her.

The Heartless continued to rise from the stone ground.

"Sora…" Kairi groaned.

Riku felt something wet drip down onto his eye, making everything blur a bit. Try as he could, he could not move anything below his waist. Panicking, he began to find it hard to breathe. Sora lay in between consciousness and unconsciousness, unable to move anything.

The blue flames crashed into the ground, barely missing the four. In a matter of a few moments, everything seemed to go silent. The Heartless were still rising, and the blue flames were still firing, but it was all without any sound. Then, it all began to slow down. Objects blurred and became fuzzy as they slowed down.

The blue flames came closer and closer to hitting Sora and the others. The silence became deafening. Riku watched as a blue flame shot down toward him. Unable to move, he allowed the flame to hit him. Strangely enough, the flame did not hurt. Instead, the flame landed on his stomach and seeped into his skin. Suddenly, breathing became easier and the pain melted away. Finally, he felt the strength to sit up. He saw that Sora, Kairi, and Ansem had also been hit with blue flames. Their bruises were gone; all their pain had vanished.

Remaining silent, the four stood up. The Heartless had frozen in mid-attack. The blue flames still fell.

An instant later, the Heartless began to move again. They charged at the four with all intensity. No matter how fast they came, the Heartless never reached any of them. Before the Heartless could come close to any of them, they burst into fire or ice or they were struck by thunder.

Sora's mouth dropped.

"Ziddy…"

At this word, Kairi and Riku turned their eyes to the stone steps. On top of the stairs stood Ziddy, firing spell after spell at the Heartless.

"Ziddy!"

AN: Don't ask, just keep reading. It'll all be explained in the next and final chapter! Woot!