A/N: So sorry for the long wait ,but here's a super long chapter to make up for it.
Chapter 4: Love's Resistance
My head was pounding as I slowly opened my eyes and rapidly blinked my eyelids to clear my blurred vision. While my vision cleared, I gently sat up and looked around at my surroundings. Sora, Donald, and Goofy laid close by and were stirring slightly. As I stood up, I noticed a small light not too far away. The others were now on their feet as well, rubbing their heads and groaning in pain.
"Is everyone okay?" I worriedly asked them.
"Yeah, no thanks to him." Donald grumbled while pointing at Sora.
"Me?" Sora asked in irritation.
Before they could say anymore, I stepped between them. "Now isn't the time to be fighting." I advised and they reluctantly agreed, "We should follow that light over there and find out where we are."
Angel's right, hayuck." Goofy agreed.
We headed in the direction that the light was coming from. As we got closer, we discovered a lantern was the source of the light. It was coming from the remains of a boat that two people had made into their temporary home. There was an old man with gray hair and mustache, and beside him was a small boy…no, a puppet. The old man introduced himself as Geppetto and the puppet as his son, Pinocchio.
After introductions, I politely asked, "Can you tell us where we are?"
"Why, we're inside Monstro, the whale." Geppetto explained.
"We're inside a whale?" Donald squawked.
While we were distracted by Donald's outburst, a certain puppet boy slipped away. A few minutes had passed until Geppetto noticed his son's absence. When we couldn't find him anywhere nearby, Geppetto feared he went further inside Monstro. We agreed to look for Pinocchio and bring him back to Geppetto. After hours of searching through the maze inside of Monstro, we finally found Pinocchio.
"There he is, Sora." I pointed out as Pinocchio jumped in surprise.
"What are you doing?" Sora asked as he approached Pinocchio, "Come on, let's go back."
"You know, Geppetto's awfully worried about you." Goofy said.
"Pinocchio, stop fooling around!" Sora scolded him when he didn't come, "This is no time for games!"
Pinocchio cautiously crept toward us. We turned around to leave thinking that he was following us. Suddenly, I sensed an aura of darkness from behind me. I abruptly turned around to fight off any Heartless, but there was nothing behind me. While searching for the source of the darkness, I spotted Riku up on a higher level with Pinocchio by his side and detected the darkness coming from within Riku. He glared at me before turning his attention to Sora's retreating figure.
"But, Sora, I thought you liked games." Riku mocked, "Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?"
Completely oblivious to Riku's mocking tone, Sora asked in shock, "Riku, wh-what are you doing here?"
"Just playing with Pinocchio." Riku said coolly.
"You know what I mean!" Sora retorted before asking, "What about Kairi? Did you find her?"
"Maybe." Riku taunted, "Catch us and maybe I'll tell you what I know."
"Riku! Please leave Pinocchio out of this!" I cried out to him.
But it was too late, Riku was out of sight and he had taken Pinocchio with him. We quickly took off after them, taking out any Heartless that stood in our way. There was no telling what Riku had planned for the puppet boy so we had to get there soon, but the Heartless were slowing us down. After delving deeper into Monstro, we entered a dead end room that was occupied by the escapees.
"There's no where else to go, Riku. Now, just hand over Pinocchio and we can all walk away unharmed." I proposed to Riku.
Riku backed away and set Pinocchio down before shaking his head. "I don't think so." he said in a stern tone.
"Riku!" Sora cried in disbelief, "What's the matter with you? Do you realize what you're doing?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora." Riku said coldly as hurt flashed in his eyes, "You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi?"
Sora dropped his head and mumbled, "I do."
Before Riku could respond, Pinocchio's scream caught our attention. He had been captured by a giant Heartless and its belly consisted of a cage that Pinocchio was in. He continued to cry out for help as the Heartless lunged at us.
"You up for this?" Riku asked as he came to stand by Sora.
"No problem." Sora replied smugly before summoning his Keyblade, "Let's do this!"
"That's the spirit!" I shouted, elated that they were working together.
Donald, Goofy, and I summoned our own weapons and attacked the Heartless. Because Pinocchio was inside the Heartless, we were careful with our attacks. It wasn't long before we had weakened the Heartless. But to our dismay, he spit Pinocchio out and into a hole in the floor. Riku was the first to follow and jumped into the hole after Pinocchio. We immediately followed after them and appeared in the room that we met Geppetto and Pinocchio.
"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Geppetto called out in distress.
Fear gripped at my heart as we ran to Geppetto's side as fast as we could. I didn't know what to expect until I followed his line of vision. A gasp escaped my lips when I saw Pinocchio's unconscious body hanging limply in Riku's arm. Riku stood on a high ledge looking down at us.
"Please give me back my son!" Geppetto pleaded with tears in his eyes.
"Sorry, old man," Riku scoffed, "I have some unfinished business with this puppet."
"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!" Geppetto defended proudly as the tears fell freely from his eyes.
"He is unusual. Not many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure," Riku's whole demeanor changed before he continued, "but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."
Sora's eyes widened in fear as he asked, "Wait a minute. Are you talking about Kairi?"
"What do you care about her?" Riku asked incredulously.
Before Riku could stalk off, I shouted at him, "Riku! I-we can help you with whatever trouble you're in."
He simply ignored my pleas and walked away with Pinocchio. I turned to Sora and saw his downcast expression which broke my heart. Donald and Goofy noticed as well, but thought it was best to leave him alone. As I laid my hand on his head and ruffled his hair, he looked at me with determination in his eyes.
"I have to find him before it's too late!" Sora burst out before running off to catch up with Riku.
Donald, Goofy and I took off after him before he could get too far ahead. As we chased after him, Sora's words kept repeating in my head. Those same words were spoken by a blonde boy who was worried about his friend succumbing to the darkness as well. My mind drifted back to that day and my surroundings changed. Soon I was running through the halls of a broken down castle.
Flashback
Ven and I ran down the long hallway with three fairies following close behind us. Earlier they had informed us of their princess having her heart stolen by an evil sorceress, Maleficent. Ven insisted that we help them. I turned to him and scowled, remembering Master Eraqus' orders to bring Ven back home. But like Ven, I couldn't possibly refuse to aid someone in need of help. I returned my full attention to a doorway ahead that led to a dilapidated throne room.
"Someone has released Aurora's heart. Tell me, was it you two?" an eerie voice startled us.
"Maleficent!" one of the fairies exclaimed and pointed to an evil looking woman that held a staff in one hand.
"Only 'cause you stole it in the first place!" Ven countered before attacking her.
"Wait!" I yelled at Ven, but Maleficent disappeared before he could strike her.
"A Keyblade…" Maleficent mused, alerting us to her position that was before a throne.
"You must be Ventus," Maleficent said before studying me, "and of course you have to be Angel."
Ven clenched his fist and asked, "How do you know about us?"
"And how do you know about the Keyblade?" I added.
"My powers ensure I'd know of the key to bringing me hearts. Terra gave me a demonstration." Maleficent explained with a malicious grin.
Ven's eyes lit up and he expectantly asked, "Terra? He was here?"
Something wasn't right so I pressed further, "What kind of demonstration?"
"Why, yes." Maleficent replied as her smirk broadened, "In fact, it was he who stole Princess Aurora's heart."
My blood started to boil and I went off, "How dare you!"
"That's a lie!" Ven yelled in defense of his friend.
Maleficent laughed maniacally before unleashing an onslaught of spells at Ven and I. We quickly dodged every spell and waited for our chance to strike. After weakening her, the three fairies conjoined there powers to help us deliver the final blow. Maleficent staggered back and leered at us amusedly, as if the whole battle was a joke.
"There's no way Terra would hurt somebody like that!" Ven exclaimed confidently and I nodded my head in agreement.
"You don't believe me?" Maleficent asked in mock disbelief, "That's unfortunate, for he agreed so easily."
I couldn't stand her lies anymore. "That's enough! Stop trying to turn Terra into the bad guy! We know him better than that!" I cried out in rage then turned to Ven, "Right, Ven?"
But Ven remained silent as he hung his head low and began to doubt Terra.
"Ven! Don't be fooled!" Aqua warned as she entered the room and came to stand by us, "Angel's right."
A smile spread across my face as Ven and I cheerfully exclaimed, "Aqua!"
Aqua gave a nod in return and assured Ven by saying, "Terra would never do that. You know that as well as Ang and I do."
Ven instantly perked up and ecstatically agreed, "Yeah!"
It made me happy to see Ven back to his old self and to see Aqua here. And it seemed to lift up my spirits and replenish me with a new strength. But, of course the wicked witch had to ruin our serene moment.
"Ah…The truth can be most cruel, even amongst the closest of friends. After all, one never knows the secrets of another's heart." Maleficent paused for effect then turned to us with a sly grin, "I'm sure you'll agree, Ventus…Aqua…Angel."
The three of us gave her cold glares but decided to ignore her. We knew she was just rambling meaningless words.
Aqua turned to Ven and said, "The Master sent me. Ven, let's go home."
"But, Terra…"Ven argued.
"Terra's not ready to leave yet." Aqua tried to explain.
Ven looked hesitant so I tried to persuade him, "Don't worry about Terra. He'll be just fine."
"Sorry, Aqua, Angel. But I can't go with you. It's just…" Ven struggled with his words before blurting out, "I have to find him before it's too late!"
He suddenly ran off causing us to call after him. We started to follow him but were brought to an abrupt halt by Maleficent's voice.
"I see you, too, wield a Keyblade." Maleficent blatantly pointed out.
Aqua gasped in shock and asked, "How do you know about the Keyblade?"
"I was wondering that myself." I mumbled under my breath.
"A source of power…a key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds and allows one to obtain anything and everything. Such a power I find most fascinating." Maleficent ranted with a lust for power gleaming in her eyes.
"So, Terra…he really…" Aqua said before drifting off, unable to finish her sentence.
I stared at her in disbelief. Her distrust for Terra felt like a knife being stabbed right through my heart. She actually believed this witch that she had just met over her own friend she's known for years.
"Aqua!" I managed to choke out, "Do you honestly believe her?"
Maleficent grinned triumphantly at the scene before her and said, "Of course he did. Now, my dear, would you like to assist me as well?"
Aqua immediately refused, "Never."
"I see, Xehanort was right. You are the most stubborn girl." Maleficent said dully and turned to me, "And your loyalty to Terra is undoubtedly hard to waver."
"That explains a lot." I mumbled and suddenly everything made sense.
But still confused, Aqua bewilderedly asked, "Master Xehanort? How do you-?"
"It seems you need time to consider my offer. Fortunately, I have the perfect place." Maleficent interrupted.
Maleficent raised her staff and a purple mist surrounded it. Immediately following, the floor below us crumbled away causing us to fall into a dungeon . After recovering from the fall, I scanned the room and noticed a young man chained to the wall. Aqua and I exchanged names with him and discovered the reason behind his imprisonment.
"To prevent me from breaking her evil curse. I was to meet the most beautiful girl at a cottage in the glen, but now my true love lies in an eternal slumber," he took a deep breath before continuing, "and only I can break the spell."
"You must really love her." I said softly as I thought of Terra.
The three fairies then appeared behind us and one of them asked, "Is what you said true?"
"Yes. Maleficent told me." he replied confidently.
"Oh, Prince Phillip!" the fairy cried with relief and unlocked his chains with her magic.
"Now, Phillip. The road to true love may be barred by many dangers which you alone will have to face." the fairy warned.
Her words felt as if they were directed to me even though she was speaking to the prince. She was right. When it comes to love, there will be obstacles along the way. But with love's resistance, I know I can overcome this obstacle that I'm facing right now. We helped Prince Phillip fight his way back to the castle where Princess Aurora laid in a deep slumber. Before we could reach the entrance to her castle, everything instantly became covered with thorns and blocked our way inside. Maleficent appeared in front of us which explained the thorns.
"Maleficent!" Aqua shouted, "What did Master Xehanort tell you?"
"Whatever it was, he was lying to you." I tried convincing her.
Maleficent shook her head and reproved, "Such a pity that neither of you have Terra's gift for obedience. Nor can you see how easy it was for him."
"Terra would never do anything to help you!" Aqua refuted and the grip on my Keyblade tightened in anger.
Maleficent laughed mockingly, "Quite the contrary. He fully embraced the darkness within himself."
"Stop lying!" Aqua cried with rage.
"I've had enough of your lies!" I screamed and charged straight for Maleficent.
I was suddenly thrown back by an invisible force as green flames engulfed Maleficent. When I got back on my feet, she had transformed into a dragon. Together we attacked her with all our strength, but Prince Phillip had to be the one to finish her off. As he stood before Maleficent blocking her swings, a magic surrounded his sword to help guide it. When the sword struck her heart, she transformed back into her human form. All of the thorns disappeared, allowing Prince Phillip entrance to the castle. He hurried off inside to awake his love while Aqua and I dealt with Maleficent.
"It's the power of true love that defeated you." Aqua informed.
"I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love." Maleficent spat venomously.
"On the contrary, love is the most powerful feeling and it fills you with overwhelming hope and faith." I corrected.
Aqua gave me a smile and added, "You're too clouded by darkness to see that there's something greater. Try all you want, but you'll never defeat a heart filled with light."
"Perhaps, but remember one thing," Maleficent sneered, "as long as there is light, there will be darkness. And in time, many more will be drawn to it. Then they will all belong to me!"
With a maniacal laugh, she disappeared in an explosion of green smoke. Aqua and I exchanged worried glances but said nothing. Something told me that wasn't the last time I would see Maleficent. And a nagging voice kept telling me that she wasn't completely lying about Terra. I didn't want to lose faith in the love of my life so I chose to ignore the voice.
Flashback ends
Maybe if I had listened to that voice I could have saved Terra. And now I could see Riku slowly falling into darkness just like Terra. There's still time to save Riku but he's being extremely resistant which we'll make things much harder. My surroundings turned back to the inside of Monstro and we had tracked down Riku to the belly of Monstro. Pinocchio was perched up against the wall opposite of us.
"Hey, let Pinocchio go, Riku." Sora demanded.
"A puppet that's lost it's heart to the Heartless. Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi." Riku thought aloud before turning to face Sora, "How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it, together."
Sora had a troubled expression on his face as he thought about Riku's offer. Then it was replaced with a confident look as he summoned his Keyblade and took a fighting stance. Donald, Goofy and I followed suit as Riku stared at Sora in astonishment.
"What? You'd rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?" Riku asked in disbelief.
"Heart or no heart, at least he has a conscience." Sora replied proudly.
Riku scoffed, "Conscience?"
Sora nodded and replied with a strong voice, "You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!"
"Then you leave me no choice." Riku said darkly and took out his own weapon.
In attempt to stop the two from fighting, I pleaded, "Riku, please don't do this. Just come with us and we can help Kairi the right way."
Suddenly, the giant Heartless from earlier dropped in and startled all of us. I noticed Riku disappearing into a portal behind the Heartless. But I didn't have time to go after him because of the Heartless that was trying to crush us right now. We swiftly dodged it's oncoming attack and countered. In no time, we had defeated the Heartless by using our gathered knowledge from our previous battle with it. But our victory was cut short when it exploded causing a chain reaction. The room began to shake so Donald and Goofy decided to get Pinocchio out of there before the room collapsed.
I noticed Sora looking around and yelling, "Riku, where are you?"
"Come on, Sora! We have to get out of here!" I shouted over the loud explosions.
Sora hesitated before following me out of the room but not before glancing back one last time. As the walls began to crumble, it reminded me of the hardships I've faced in my life. Even when my world came crashing down around me, love kept me strong and allowed me to resist the darkness that threatened to extinguish my light.