The Resolve of All
Chapter 19: The Fight Continues
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"...Uh... where are we...?" Kairi groggily awakened.
"We're in a cell Kairi."
"Namine?"
"Yeah. Take a look." The blonde motioned.
Kairi got herself back up and realized that indeed they were in a prison cell. A dark and lonely place for two girls, they needed to escape as soon as possible.
"Come on! We gotta get out of here!" Namine stated.
"How do we do that?" Kairi asked.
Namine then summoned an exact copy of Kairi's Destiny's Embrace Keyblade and she slammed it against the cell door.
"...Uh... I don't think that's work-!"
"I opened it!" She beamed.
"Oh... alright." Kairi accepted as she and her Nobody stepped outside and into a hallway. "That seemed a little too easy..."
Suddenly, a blast of energy jetted down the hall, intent on destroying the two girls!
"Look out!" Namine pushed her back into the cell as she took the full force of the attack!
"Namine!"
"You little girls really shouldn't wander off like that..."
"Huh?" Kairi peeked out of the hallway to identify the perpetrator. "That voice..."
"...Otherwise I just might have to teach you a lesson you'll never forget." Vanitas smirked.
"Y-You! Vanitas!" Kairi hissed with a slight blush.
Vanitas laughed. "Or were you just itching to get another taste of me?"
"You freak!" Kairi was furious, but then she noticed that Namine was at the other end of the hall unconscious and wounded. She had to get to her...
"I can't check on Namine with Vanitas here. He'll get to me first." Kairi thought. "I guess I'll just have to fight!"
Kairi brandished Destiny's Embrace and was about to charge at Vanitas when suddenly a blonde blur came swooping out of nowhere and slammed Vanitas so hard he smashed through the wall and into the next larger room.
"What...? Who?" Kairi was astonished by her savior.
"Kairi... you better grab Namine and find Sora and the others... I'll take care of Vanitas." Ven affirmed.
"Ven... Thank you." Kairi nodded as she ran towards Namine to escape.
Ven then stepped throught the hole in the wall to join Vanitas who was being helped up by one of his allies...
"You're too arrogant Van." Fate exasperated as she picked him up.
"But this is just too good." Vanitas grinned. "It's just like old times... Ventus."
"Vanitas... you're my responsibility so... let's just... finish this." Ven sighed as he wielded Wayward Wind.
"What's wrong? Not feeling up for it?" Vanitas taunted. "Well too bad! Your better half will be your undoing!"
"And it's two against one!" Fate added. "You're at a disadvantage!"
"Nope! It sure is three against two now! Right, Donald?"
"You got it Goofy!" Donald quacked.
"You guys?" Ven finally noticed the Captain of the Royal Knights and the Court Mage on either side of him.
"Venquest... uh... Venter... uh..." Goofy struggled.
"Wak! Just call him Ven!" Donald stated.
"Ven's our friend. And friends don't leave each other behind!"
"Goofy..."
"And we're going to blow you big palookas back to where you came!" Donald quacked.
"Donald..."
"Have it your way then..." Vanitas smirked. "Let's fight!"
"Come on!" Ven declared as the three of them charged at the two.
Vanitas and Fate dashed towards Ventus, Donald, and Goofy. Fate splintered off and took on Donald and Goofy while Ven and Vanitas were fighting one another.
"This is meaningless! You've already lost!" Vanitas shouted as he traded blows with the blonde.
"What do you mean?!" Ven pried.
"The Master has already forged the X-blade!"
"No way..."
"Nothing will stop him now!" Vanitas laughed manically.
"Shuddup you big palooka!" Donald quaked as he shocked Vanitas with a thunder spell.
Vanitas shrugged off the lightning as if it was nothing. Then he turned his attention towards the duck in question, and Donald was surprisingly ready to take on such a strong enemy.
"You'll regret that..." Vaintas sneered as he dashed at Donald now.
But then something unexpected happened... in the chaos of the battle, Goofy tripped over his own two feet while trying to throw his shield at Vanitas, but instead it hit Fate and the impact of Goofy's misfired attack knocked her in front of Donald...
It was too late... he couldn't stop himself as Vanitas unintentionally stabbed Fate through her chest...
"Van… you? Why...?" Fate whispered.
"...You got in my way..." Vanitas simply stated still holding this position.
But Vanitas held her there for a second too long as Ven took the precious opportunity to get behind Vanitas himself as he stabbed his dark half lethally through the back...
"...I'm sorry Van..." Ven apologized.
The three of them were still connected as Van and Fate were slowly slipping away and fading into nothingness…
"...I lost to you again..." Vanitas admitted. "...I guess that makes me a bigger loser than you..."
"...Thank you all... for freeing me..." Fate stated in gratitude as she disappeared into wisps of light...
Vanitas was the next to go as he slowly faded into a blur of dark colors and then he gave a content kind smile knowing that this was the end of the line for him...
"I want you to know that you still matter Van..." Ven comforted as he pulled his Keyblade out of Van's back to look him in the eyes.
"Hmph, I know that." Van extended his fading hand to his other self. "See you next time, loser."
Ven was only able to shake his hand for a second as Vanitas faded into nothingness himself now...
"Good riddance!" Donald quacked.
"Donald..." Goofy shushed him. "Ven, you alright?"
Ven examined his own hand for a moment before responding. "I'm... okay."
"Then let's hurry up and find the others!" Donald proclaimed.
"Let's go." Ven nodded as the three walked off.
In another part of the Tower, Roxas and Xion were wandering a hallway together looking for their friends. They were able to stay together while everyone else was separated.
"Xion, we have to make our way to the top." Roxas pointed upwards.
"Sounds good." Xion agreed.
But then, as they both walked into a more larger open room, the couple noticed two familiar faces blocking the stairs beyond them.
"Well... looks like we get to fight them again." Mark crossed his arms.
"We're stronger now. We can win for the Master." Alliana added as she and Mark summoned their swords.
"You! You two made Roxas and I fight each other! For that... I'll never forgive you!" Xion cursed.
"Xion... calm down!" Roxas attempted to quell her rage.
"Roxas is back and you're in control again." Mark responded. "I'm interested as to how this all came to be but it matters not..."
"Our existence here is to serve the Master. Nothing more, nothing less." Alliana declared.
"What about your friends?!" Roxas replied. "Don't you care about them?!"
"...The bonds that I had are cut by now...severed by the darkness..." Mark confessed. "I just wish it was a little different."
"Yeah." Alliana agreed. "Ever since we left our world... we all dreamed of returning home. But... that that's not going to happen..."
"Then why are you fighting?" Roxas inquired.
"...Because... we have no choice!" Mark charged at the couple followed by Alliana. "Allons-y!"
Roxas and Xion summoned their Keyblades as the four of them clashed once more. Roxas was mainly fighing Alliana while Xion took out her frustration on Mark. Their power was staggering as the whole room shook with each collision of metal striking metal.
Roxas then noticed that Mark had struck down Xion to the ground. He was about to finish her off when Roxas threw Oblivion in a strike raid motion and the Keyblade impaled itself in Mark's back.
"Argh!" Mark cringed from the blow as Xion stabbed her own Keyblade into Mark's chest... "This is it...?"
"Mark!" Alliana shouted making her distacted. She didn't even notice Roxas firing a beam of light from Oathkeeper which hit its target... and Alliana fell to the ground as well...
The Keyblades were dismissed, and Roxas and Xion watched as Alliana and Mark writhed in despair, coming closer and closer to their demise...
"Alliana..." Mark reached out to his friend.
"What?" She sobbed.
"We can finally go home…" He smiled as he faded away into nothingness first...
Alliana was slipping away too, so she weakly turned her head to speak to Roxas and Xion. She was barely able to get out the words as she spoke...
"Promise me..."
"Promise you what?" Xion inquired.
"Take care... never... stop... caring..." She finally faded into wisps of light and Roxas and Xion were alone once again...
Xion suddenly found herself close to tears, feeling sorry for the people they had to strike down and she found comfort in Roxas's embrace.
"Weren't we just like them once?" Xion cried.
"...All the more reason to stop Xehanort... Let's keep moving Xion." Roxas consoled.
"This is impossible..." Isa clutched his right shoulder in agony. "...How are you stronger?"
Lea panted. "I was just about to say the same thing..."
"Imbecile! I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" Isa coldly responded.
"Nah... I see things going a different way Isa." Lea raised his hand, about to snap his fingers. "But really, no hard feelings... got it memorized?"
Lea snapped his fingers and Isa burst into red flames. As he burnt to a crisp, he fell down to the ground and dismissed his claymore. The flames were dying down, and Isa was defeated...
"I hope that in death you'll finally see the light." Lea sighed. "I didn't want this to happen to you..."
And as Isa faded away before Lea into the darkness, he muttered. "...I'm sorry."
And then Lea was all alone again, and the pyro could only keep moving forward to find the rest of his friends...
"Are you giving up already Brendan?" Syler inquired.
"No..." Drex finally meet his opponent's eyes and Skyler was unnerved and startled at what he saw.
"So... what are you going to do...?" Skyler nervously questioned.
Drex continued to stare him down with blood-red eyes as he barred his sharpened teeth. "I'm going to kill you..."
"-!" Skyler was astonished by the bloodlust and the rage in those eyes, what was he?! "Are you some kind of monster?!"
Before he could get a response Drex clutched his head with both hands in clear agony and despair.
"Argh! No! I won't…! It hurts... so much! The pain... why... why is this happening...?"
"Maybe you really are cursed." Skyler responded. "If you'll allow me... I'll do you the service and put you to rest!"
Skyler dashed at the writhing Drex with his new Keyblade in hand. He jabbed at him, but at the last second Drex dodged it and jumped out of harm's way.
"You don't want this?" Skyler inquired. "After destroying our home... putting an end to Mona... did any of that matter to you...?"
Drex did not give a response as he was still struggling with the war that was going on inside of him.
"Brendan, why do keep on fighting?!" Skyler demanded.
"...Because..." Drex put his hands down to his sides. "...Because my resolve won't let me quit..."
"Huh?"
"I fight because my friends need me!" Drex declared with proud brown eyes and he re-summoned his Keyblade. "Nothing will stand in my way!"
"...Then prove it." Skyler got into his battle stance. "One more time!"
The two friends clashed at one another. The speeds of both opponents were incredible as they dashed and chased each other all around the room. Cutting and slashing, both sides made their marks on the other...
Drex slashed across, but Skyler blocked it with Lost Abyss as they held each other there. The memories of the two's past standoffs rippled through their minds. This was it for them... their final bout...
"You..." Skyler gritted his teeth as he pressed against Drex's Keyblade. "You need to press onward, help the others, stop Xehanort, and end this war!"
"And what about you?" Drex responded.
"...I'm going to make you go!" Skyler declared as he formed a darkness bomb in his own hand!
"No!"
Drex had no choice but to cast a reflecting spell and jump back to avoid the blast zone. The bomb in Skyler's hand exploded and he was obliterated into the dark abyss...
Then the silence permeated throughout the room from the aftermath of the battle...
"You stupid idiot... no..." Drex fell to his knees in disbelief.
Drex knew this had to come to an end, but that doesn't make it any less painful...
Drex sighed and picked himself back up. "...I'm so tired... so tired of fighting... Please... let this end soon..."
And he wandered forward, heading towards the peak of the tower...
Aqua was running down another hallway in another part of the spire when she came across the one man she had hoped to find. He was waiting for her in a large white room...
"Terra..." Aqua momentarily forgot that this was not Terra.
"Pitiful... You still believe he is here." Terranort stated. "However it will be rather amusing to fight you again..."
"Good! I'll make sure Terra returns! I swear it!" Aqua proclaimed.
"-! You!" Terranort's eyes widened in surprise and he looked... scared.
"Huh?" Aqua turned around and she gasped at who it was.
There beside Master Aqua... was a Lingering Will... and after ten years he may finally get his body back...
A/N- I apologize for the short fights, but I do not feeling like writing out 10 chapters full of fighting. Forgive me if this seemed rushed, but I hope it makes up in dialogue.
Many have fallen in this chapter, who will be next? Will Kairi and Namine run into friends or enemies? Could there be a way to bring back those who have met their ends? Things are coming to a head as the climax of this story will continue next time! :) A few reviews couldn't hurt ;)