Kingdom Hearts III: The Final Keyblade Master
KTAH: Ahhh… it feels good to be back!
Jack: Oh, it's you.
Ridley: Where'd you go?
KTAH: Heh, sorry guys, my old computer died. So I got… TADAH!
Jack & Ridley: …
KTAH: A laptop!
Jack: …
Ridley: … a what?
KTAH: It's a portable comput—ah who am I kidding? One of you! Disclaim Kingdom Hearts for me!
Ridley: KTAH doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, but he owns a few OCs!
Jack: Yeah! But seriously KTAH what is this laptop?
KTAH: Nevermind… BEGIN! Oh, and the chapter title changed again.
Chapter 3 – Luxuria, he Friendly Assassin
"It is almost time…" the black cloaked man says.
"M-master!" another cloaked man, clad in violet, calls.
"Hm? What is it, Ira?" the black cloaked man answers back.
"I thought you said that the King would be saved for later? Why did you send Gula after him?"
"Heh, his Majesty, if we allowed him to continue, would have spoiled our plans… it is no trouble."
"B-but Master!" Ira shouts angrily, "I wanted to be the one to capture hi—"
"THAT IS ENOUGH, IRA!" the black cloaked man shouts thunderously.
"…Y-yes, sir. Forgive me," Ira walks into a portal and disappears. The black cloaked man turns to the mirror again. "It is almost time, Leticia… do not fail me…"
The three teenagers are walking back from their shopping spree.
"Oh, I can't wait to try on these new shoes!" Kairi squeals giddily.
"You're welcome, Kairi!" Sora shouts as he watches Kairi speed ahead. "Sheesh, you could've at least thanked me!"
"Ugh, that was so boring!" Riku shouts, yawning.
"Geez, Riku, you're no fun!"
"Sorry, Sora, I'm just a little tired…"
"Well why don't you take a nap then?"
"Y'know what? That doesn't sound like a bad idea… well, I'll see ya later, Sora."
"Yeah, see ya later, Riku!" Sora shouts as he chases Kairi, who is almost to the beach now. Riku takes the trail opposite of them; along the way he looks over his home, the place he had been away from for so long. Suddenly, he hears someone squeal, followed by a loud thump.
"Huh? Oh, L-Lily!" Riku cries, noticing the frail girl on the ground, "I-I'm sorry! Are you ok?" Riku asks apologetically, holding his hand out to help her up.
"O-oh! Ri-Riku!" Lily gasps before she looks away.
"Hm? C'mon, Lily, let me help you up. After all, I was the one that knocked into you."
"O-ok…" Lily whimpers before she grabs his hand. He helps her up, and then he begins to scratch his head. Lily stares at the ground shyly, her hands behind her back as she fiddles with her feet.
"So… uh, Lily, where are you headed?" Riku asks as he stops scratching his head and begins to turn for his pathway to his home.
"I was… I was just walking…"
"Hm? By yourself?"
"Y-yeah…"
"Well, do you want me to come with you? I was gonna call it a day, but if you want me to…"
"Th-that would be nice… thank you…"
"Ok, then. So, where are we off to?"
"H-how about the beach…?"
"Sure! Hey, I think that's where Sora and Kairi were headed! Do you want to meet them?"
"O-ok…"
"Hey, why are you so shy all of the time? You don't need to be nervous around here! Everyone is nice around here."
"R-really?"
"Sure! Here, let's go meet Sora and Kairi! You'll see what I mean!" Riku exclaims as he begins running towards the beach.
"H-hey, wait up, Riku!" Lily calls, beginning to run herself.
"Hahaha, that was really funny! I remember that!" Sora laughs, remembering a time that Kairi was hit with a pie in the face during one of their parties.
"Hey! That's not funny, Sora!"
"Sure it is, Kairi!"
"W-well, yeah… haha, that is pretty funny!" Kairi joins in the laughter, and the two continue to laugh.
"Hey, what did I miss?" Riku suddenly asks, surprising both of them.
"R-Riku!" Sora shouts.
"What are you—hey, who's that behind you?" Kairi asks, noticing Lily hiding behind Riku.
"Oh, this is Lily! She's my new neighbor!"
"H-hello…" Lily greets shyly.
"Aw, she's pretty cute, Riku! Is she your girlfriend?" Kairi teases, and both Riku and Lily blush.
"We just met, Kairi!" Riku retorts.
"I know, I'm just joking! Hey, you guys, why don't you come sit with us?"
"O-ok…" Lily replies, sitting in between Riku and Sora.
"So, Lily, where did you come from?" Sora asks.
"Well… I… I came from… a small little island… a little… further away from that large one over there…" Lily points to the Island.
"Really? Wow, we didn't know that there were other islands than this one!"
"Y-yeah…"
"Oh, you guys!" Riku suddenly exclaims, "You're not gonna believe how strong she is!"
"What?" Kairi replies, puzzled.
"She doesn't look very strong, Riku…"
"But she is! Lily, would you mind showing them how strong you are?"
"Wh-what?" Lily utters, her face becoming beet red.
"Come on, Lily! Remember what you did this morning! That was amazing!"
"Oh… uh… well…" Lily thinks for a moment, and then decides, "…Ok…" Lily stands up and walks towards a large rock nearby.
"D-don't hurt yourself, Lily!" Kairi shouts to her, worried about her. However, her worries soon end as she watches Lily slowly but surely lift the gigantic rock over her head. "Wh-what the?"
"Wow! Lily, you're amazing!" Sora cheers, amazed by her strength.
"Ggggggrrrah!" Lily shouts as she throws the rock into the water, creating a little patch of land.
"Lily! That was so cool!" Kairi congratulates her as she and the two boys run to her.
"Th-thanks, guys…"
"Geez, now I know not to make you angry, Lily!" Sora jokes, and the teenagers begin to laugh at once.
A few hours later, and it is time for them to head home.
"Oh, man! That was so much fun! Thanks, guys!" Lily says, her shyness almost disappearing completely from the fun she had with the three teenagers.
"Lily, we should go shopping tomorrow!" Kairi offers, and Lily gladly agrees.
"You guys want me to come with you?" Sora asks.
"Geez, that's all you guys ever do…" Riku mumbles, "Well, see ya tomorrow, guys!"
"See ya Riku! Bye Lily!" Sora and Kairi say before they head their way home. Riku and Lily follow the pathway to their houses.
"So, Lily, did ya have fun?" Riku asks the green-haired girl, and she nods cutely.
"Yeah! Those guys really were great friends! Thanks for letting me meet them, Riku!"
"Yeah, you're welcome."
"So, what are you gonna do tomorrow if you're not going shopping with us?"
"Oh, don't worry, Kairi will drag me along anyway, as usual…"
"Oh, that's good!"
"Not really, haha…"
"… Riku…"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Have… you ever heard of something called… a Keyblade?"
"Huh? Where did you hear that from?"
"It was an old story on my old island."
"Y-yeah…"
"Really! What do you know about it?"
"Uhh…" Riku begins to rub his head, "Ok, I guess I can show you…" Riku holds his hand out and summons his Way to the Dawn Keyblade.
"Wh-whoa…" Lily says, being blown away by its sudden appearance. "I-is that… a Keyblade…?"
"Y-yeah… I'm one of the Keyblade masters… then there's Sora, and…"
"Wait, Sora, too?"
"Y-yeah… and there's another, too. He's a King that lives in another world…"
"Haha, that's a good one!"
"No, seriously..." Riku begins to tell Lily of his and Sora's whole adventure through the worlds. A while later, he finishes just before they reach their houses.
"So you went to other worlds?"
"Well… I went to a few, Sora went to more than both me and Kairi combined…"
"Wow! I wish I could go to other worlds… oh, we're here, already!" Lily shouts, noticing that they have reached their destinations.
"Oh, right!" Riku gasps as he turned for his house.
"It's about to rain…" Lily says, and Riku turns to face her and he sees her look up into the sky. He looks up as well and looks at the clouds creeping over the Islands.
"Whoa, you're right, Lily! Gotta remember to close my window I guess… well, good night, Lily, see ya tomorrow!" Riku says as he enters his house. Lily continues to stare up at the clouds, watching them loom over her head. Then Lily enters her house, only to be confronted by the black-cloaked man.
"Luxuria… it is time," the man says.
"Yes, Father…" Lily replies with honor, and a green cloak forms around her before she disappears in a portal.
"Heheheheh… Keyblade masters of this world… I bid you farewell…" the man says before he too disappears in a portal.
BOOOOOM!!!!!
Riku is awoken by the boom of thunder. "Wow... was Lily really right?" he mumbles as he rubs his eyes. He opens his window and sees the dark clouds above in the sky. "Wow, it must be serious…"
Suddenly, he sees a blue light shoot into the sky from the Island, and it slices through the clouds, parting them to reveal a blue, heart-shaped moon looming in the sky.
"Wh-what is that!" he exclaims. He throws on some clothes and jumps out the window, heading for the Island. A few moments later he reaches the boats and prepares to head out when he sees Kairi running towards him.
"Riku! What's happening?" she asks him frantically.
"I don't know, Kairi! You should go back to your house! It might be too dangerous!"
"No, Riku, I'm coming, too!"
"Kairi! It looks dangerous! Go to Sora's house and stay there!"
"B-but Riku—"
"Kairi! Please… I don't want my friends getting hurt anymore… Sora's been through enough, I'll handle this!" Riku shouts as he shoves his boat into the water and begins heading for the Island. Kairi holds her hand out and prepares herself to call out to stop him, but she stops, seeing the determination of protecting her and everyone else in his eyes. She nods and begins to run for Sora's house.
Riku arrives at the Island shortly after, and he jumps off the boat and looks up at the "heart." He holds his hand up towards it and he draws out his Way to the Dawn Keyblade. "What is that… is that… this world's heart?" he says to himself. Then, he hears a noise from the front of him and he jumps back; he barely dodges an attack from a Neoshadow.
"Wh-what? Heartless!" he shouts as he slashes it away, beginning to run towards the "heart," and as he does more Neoshadows spawn around him. He defeats them all with single slashes and continues his pursuit. However, about halfway to his destination, he is confronted by at first what looks like a Samurai Nobody; however, as he approaches it, it turns out that it is a new kind of Nobody.
"There's Nobodies, too? What's going on?" he says as he fiercely strikes the mysterious Nobody, which blocks his attack and attacks him back. Riku blocks it and he kicks it down before stabbing it, and it dissipates away. Riku stops and looks at the island where he and Sora used to duel, now being surrounded by a luminous aura. Riku rushes towards the island, taking down a few more Nobodies and Heartless, and he finally reaches the bridge connecting the small island to the large part of the Island. He spots a green-cloaked figure sitting on the tree he used to sit on, and Riku slowly approaches them.
"Keyblade Master Riku… do you see it?" the person says, a female voice.
"What is that? And how do you know my name?"
"It is the heart of the world… isn't it beautiful? I can almost sense the beating of it…"
"I said how do you know my name!"
"But Riku, don't you recognize my voice?" the girl says, and she removes her hood…
"N-no… wh-why…?" Riku gasps in shock as he faces the girl's true identity.
"What do you mean he told us to stay here?" Sora shouts, being told what Riku told Kairi to tell him back at his house.
"He said that… he didn't want his friends being hurt anymore…"
"But what if he can't handle whatever's out there alone? We need to help him, Kairi!" Sora exclaims as he rushes out the door towards the Island.
"S-Sora, hold on!" Kairi calls as she chases after him.
"Riku… what do you think you're doing?" Sora thinks to himself as he rushes for the Island.
"Are you surprised?" the green-haired girl asks Riku back at the Island.
"L-Lily?" Riku says as he faces the cloaked girl.
"Oh, that's not my real name… the name is Luxuria, and I am the Friendly Assassin!" Luxuria shouts as she jumps down from the tree.
"You… why are you doing this? What are you planning?"
"Heheheh… my dear Riku, I am a Savior of the Worlds, a servant that travels the worlds searching for those who wield the Keyblade… so I can destroy them!"
"What!" Riku shouts as he is attacked by Luxuria. He blocks her swift yet powerful attack, and he notices that she is wielding a heart-shaped axe. She snarls and shoves him back before jumping towards him and attacking again, but he blocks it, causing him to roll across the ground and hitting a tree.
"You're such a fool, Keyblade Master!" she taunts as she prepares for another assault.
"Why… why are you doing this?" Riku mutters as he stumbles up, only to be forced to block again when he is attacked.
"I'm doing this because it was the Keyblade Wielders who destroyed my world!" Luxuria roars as she trips him and attacks downward. However, she misses him and he uses this opportunity to slash at her, only to miss when she jumps away. "All of you… you may seem like good people at the beginning… but I've learned that all of you are corrupt! All that the Keyblades bring are destruction to the worlds, and I will stop all of you!"
"Lily! Listen to me! Sora and I are not what you think!"
"Heh, that's what they all say…" Luxuria snickers from behind Riku, and a sharp pain surges through Riku's body.
"GAHHH!"
"Farewell, pessum ire…" Luxuria whispers as she pulls her axe out of his back.
"Ehh…" Riku's eyes become heavier and heavier with every strain he feels, and finally he falls to the ground.
"That's one down. Now to find the other one—"
"RIKU!" Sora calls, just arriving at the Island.
"Where are you!" Kairi adds, following closely behind Sora.
"Well, well, you've saved me the trouble of finding you, Keyblade Master…"
"L-Lily? Wait… how did you know I was—"
"Silence! It is time for you to meet the same fate your friend met!" she shouts, and Sora's eyes open up.
"Wh-what do you mean…?"
"What did you do to Riku, Lily!"
"Heheheh…" Luxuria jumps away and lands on the tree, and Sora and Kairi notice Riku's body on the ground.
"R-Riku!" Sora yells, rushing for him.
"No, Riku!" Kairi follows, tears blooming in her eyes. However, both of them are stopped by Luxuria, who appears in front of them again.
"Not so fast, Keyblade Master!"
"Get outta my way!" Sora shouts, drawing the Kingdom Keyblade out and slashing at her, but she disappears and reappears on a treetop.
"Keyblade Master! This is where your life ends! Prepare yourself!" Luxuria shouts as her axe forms in her hand and she lunges at Sora. Sora blocks her attack and hops over her low swing, and he swings at her head, but she ducks and slashes upward. However, he blocks it with the Keyblade and, being pushed up a little by the impact, flips frontward and slashes at her from above. She is surprised by the attack and is struck in the arm. "Ack!" she teleports to the treetop, holding her shoulder. She growls and she lunges at him again, but he blocks it again. However, while she was lunging at him he drew out the Oathkeeper Keyblade, and so now he is dual-wielding. "T-two Keyblades?"
"Grahhh!" Sora roars as he begins to deliver a barrage of strikes on her. She tries to block with her axe, but her axe cracks and shatters when the Kingdom Keyblade transforms into the Oblivion Keyblade. He continues to strike her until he smashes her away with a twin Keyblade strike, which causes her to fly back and crash into a tree, which she smashes through and she skids across the ground.
"H-how did you…" Luxuria mutters. Suddenly, another cloaked person, in goldenrod, appears in front of her.
"Luxuria! The Boss wants to see you! Retreat for now…"
"R-right…"
Sora rushes after them, "Get back here!" but they disappear. He slows down gradually and then stops. He drops the Keyblades and they dissipate away.
"R-Riku…" Kairi whimpers, sobbing near Riku's lifeless body. Suddenly, the clouds surrounding the "heart" begin to close. Sora stares up at it, a single tear falling from his left eye. The clouds completely close, and the luminous glow disappears. Sora turns and walks to Kairi and Riku's body and he drops to his knees. Kairi begins to cry even harder and she throws herself into Sora's chest.
"Why, Sora? Why would she do this?" she sobs. Sora stays silent, staring at Riku's body. Sora closes his eyes and begins to cry.
"Luxuria, my daughter, are you all right?" the leader of the Saviors asks, kneeling next to her as she spits out blood.
"That one boy… his eyes…"
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"The survivor… his eyes were blue… but when he attacked me they changed to yellow…"
"Wh-what?"
"Father, what could that mean?"
"…"
"F-father?"
"Nothing, Luxuria… now please, rest…"
Sora and Kairi stay beside Riku's body for the whole night, still sobbing. Suddenly, Riku's body disappears into light.
"S-Sora!" Kairi screeches as she watches his body disappear.
"R-Riku…?" he says as he watches the light orb lift into the air before a body falls from it. It is a black-haired boy, with the younger Riku's hairstyle. The boy lays on the ground for a while, and Kairi and Sora approach him cautiously.
Suddenly, he grumbles, and he struggles to sit up. Kairi helps him, but he jumps away and hides behind a rock.
"Who are you?" the black-haired boy asks shyly.
"Huh? Sora… doesn't he look like…"
"R-Riku? Is that you?"
"Hm? Who's Riku?"
KTAH: I think we'll end it at that, leave a little suspense… still though I think I messed up.
Jack: Did that guy really die?
KTAH: Mebbe… hope I don't get flames for that though…
Jack: What's gonna happen now?
KTAH: I dunno… I have to think about it for a while now… I hope people still like it though… well, this is KTAH and Jack signing off.
NEW FEATURE: PREVIEW FOR NEXT CHAPTER
Is Riku really gone for good? Why did Sora's eyes change color? Who is the mysterious black-haired boy that bares a striking resemblance to Riku? Where did he come from? What will Sora do to avenge Riku? Some answers may be answered next chapter…