Chapter 24
Sora looked around, confused at the question. "Who are you talking about?" Not wanting to be obvious, Geni tilted her head slightly to her front left. Sora noticed the gesture and laughed.
"What?" Geni said, irritated.
"Come on, don't joke like that."
"Who says I'm joking?"
"Geni –" before he could finish his next sentence, King Mickey intervened.
"Geni has missed a few things Sora," he gently reminded him. "Why don't you properly introduce them?"
Sora smacked his forehead. "Of course! I almost forgot!" He grabbed Geni's wrist and dragged her over by Riku. "I think he looks a little different from the last time you met, but he's still the same guy. Geni, this is Riku." They were at the moment standing in front of Riku, but after Sora's little speech he moved over a little so they could say hi.
Geni could only stand there and stare at him. Her face still blushed a faint pink. As hard as she tried, though, she couldn't identify the young man standing in front of her. He had silver hair, aquamarine eyes, and was only a head taller than she was. Geni felt like she knew him, but fear was holding her back. Why was she afraid? She knew Riku, so if this guy was him, why wasn't she saying anything? The key word here is if. Even though Sora said it was Riku, Geni still couldn't believe it with her own two eyes.
Riku, on the other hand, was having his own inner battle. What should he say? What should he do? Geni was staring at him, her blue eyes drilling holes into him. After a moment, he opted to finally (at least) say hello to her. He took a small step towards her, but was rewarded with a look of surprise and her stepping away from him. Is she scared of me? What for? He reached out a hand, then shook his head and put it back down. "Um, hey Geni."
Geni was startled at the change in his voice. Gone was the deep, almost raspy voice of Xehanort's Heartless. What had replaced it was the voice of a young man, one who was still growing into his role in life. She couldn't believe the difference...almost wouldn't. Geni took one more step backwards, which didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the group.
Sora looked on, concerned. "Geni? What's the matter? It's Riku, not some stranger." And then he realized it: Riku was a stranger, at least to her. They all saw the end of the transformation, and had known immediately it was their friend. Also, Riku now looked like an older version of himself, of the person Sora last saw at Hollow Bastion over a year ago. Sora realized Geni must never have seen him in his original form.
Riku's heart fell when he saw her step away from him, fear evident in her eyes. She doesn't recognize me, he thought sadly. How can I show her I'm still the same person? Riku thought hard, thinking of something only the two of them would know. He stepped forward again, this time confident that he could show her his true self. "Please don't be that way Geni. It's really me, even though I look different. Remember? How I told you about it and why I did it?" His eyes pleaded with her, to make her understand.
She paused, hearing his words. What is he getting at? she wondered. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said cautiously, slowly creeping back towards the people she knew.
"Of course you do! When we were talking on the beach, sitting on the roots of the ancient tree at night."
Geni halted in her tracks as Riku clearly described their meeting place inside of their dreams. "How do you know about that?" she whispered.
"Because I was there, remember? Please, Geni, trust me."
She didn't move any farther back, but she didn't move any closer to him either. Geni wanted so badly to believe it was Riku; her heart strained against her chest, knowing what her head did not. "I...I don't...I don't know..." she stammered. "I'm sorry..." she said quietly as she lowered her head.
Finally, Riku had had enough. There was only one definitive way that she would understand. "Shorty!" he said sternly.
She froze. Only one person called her that...only one person whom she allowed to make a reference to her diminutive size...only one person whom she cared enough about to make that name an endearment towards her. She slowly looked up, tears threatening to fall. They stared into each other's eyes before Riku quickly closed the distance between them and forcefully pulled her into a tight hug, trapping her in his embrace. "Please believe me..." he whispered into her ear quietly, begging, pleading her to.
Her arms were pinned to her sides, and her head was lying on his chest as he held the back of her head to him and his other arm her back. Knowing only one way, Geni quietly closed her eyes and let her heart take over. She felt the beat of her own heart, and in a second she recognized the heart beating frantically inside of her friend. Riku felt her relax into him, his head still buried in her shoulder. She slowly allowed her arms to rise and circle around him, finally returning the gesture with an emphasized squeeze. "It is you," she whispered back. "I'm so sorry for doubting you," she said as tears fell from her eyes – for once, not of sadness, but of pure elation.
"Don't be," Riku whispered back. The others watched this heartfelt scene with a mixture of emotions. Sora was happy that his sister and Riku had finally met, Goofy and Donald were sniffing at the two friends, Kairi was slightly bemused, and King Mickey was thinking that they should have brought tissues when packing for this trip. However, their heartfelt reunion was cut short when the ground began to rumble under their feet. Geni clung to Riku as not to fall over, while Kairi quickly made her way over to Sora.
"Look's like our time has run out here. We've gotta get going!" King Mickey said frantically.
Riku nodded, and headed towards the front of the group. Geni and Riku's hands were tightly clasped together, and nothing, save for the end of existence, would tear them apart. "I'll open a pathway," Riku said defiantly. He put out his hand, but nothing happened. "What –?"
"You aren't a part of the dark realm anymore, Riku," Geni said warmly.
"Then how are we to get out of here, your majesty?" Donald asked.
"Hmm..." King Mickey said as he furrowed his brow.
At that same moment, both Kairi and Sora had a strange feeling, and turned around to see a ghostly image of Naminé behind them. She smiled at them, then turned and opened a dark portal. King Mickey felt the surge of darkness, and looked behind him. Shouting with glee, he ran over towards the portal, Donald hot on his tail.
"Who did this?" Donald asked.
"Welp, I'm not sure. But we had better hurry and get through while it holds."
"Bark bark!" Pluto cried as he circled around the two once and dashed through the portal.
"Wait for me!" Goofy yelled as he came barreling after Pluto, almost running over the king and Donald. King Mickey followed right after, and Donald in his excitement only had the forethought to yell for the four teens after he dashed in as well. Sora and Kairi were the first to walk over, followed by Riku and Geni. Neither pair had left each other's side, each wanting to stay close to the one they had found again.
As the approached the portal, Naminé appeared in front of it. "Thank you, Naminé," Kairi said.
"Sure," she said. "See? We met again, like we promised," she said to Sora.
"Excuse me?" he said, a little confused. However, at that moment, an ethereal voice was heard.
"You said we'd meet again, but when we did, we might not recognize each other," Roxas finished as he stepped out from Sora, giving him quite the surprise.
"I did, didn't I?" Naminé said with a small laugh.
"But I knew you," Roxas said.
"Mmm...it's strange, isn't it?"
"I think I finally understand; I see myself the way you remember me, and you see yourself as the way I remember you."
"I always thought Nobodies were destined to fade back into the darkness..."
"Yeah, but you and I didn't. We even got to meet our original selves!"
"So...we can be together again!"
"Right," Roxas said as he went to stand beside Naminé. "Anytime Sora and Kairi are together."
"Then we'll be together everyday, right, Sora?" Kairi said with a knowing smile. Sora nodded and smiled back, turning a little pink. And with that, Kairi and Naminé shook hands and Naminé faded into Kairi with a shimmer of yellow. Sora was astounded, until...
"Look sharp!" Sora straightened, looking around. Roxas closed his eyes, and also faded into Sora with a shimmer of blue. Sora looked around, feeling his clothes. He didn't feel any different, but...
"Don't worry, you're all still you," Riku said with a laugh as he walked up next to him with Geni by his side.
"Let's all go home!" Kairi said, as she walked towards the portal. Geni nodded and walked with her. Kairi and Geni had just stepped inside the portal when Geni felt that something was wrong. Turning around, she realized that the dark portal was closing – without Sora and Riku in it.
"Sora! Riku!" she shouted frantically. The two boys ran, but the last thing they saw before the portal closed them out were the horrified faces of their two friends.
"No!" Riku kept running, trying to find a way to open the portal again. "This can't be happening!"
"Riku, look!" Sora said as he pointed to a glowing orb in the distance. Suddenly, something birdlike broke out of the gigantic orb and began flying around them. Part of its wing clipped the topmost turret they were on and it began to crumble to the ground. Riku and Sora began to slide treacherously of off the building, until Riku saw a glider that had fallen near them. Jumping up, he landed and started the engine right away. It puttered for a moment, making Riku sweat nervously, until it started with a whirr. He glided once around the top of the turret until he came in sight of a pad Sora could jump off of.
"Sora, jump!" he called. Sora nodded, and raced down the ever angling roof until he saw a flat piece of masonry he could jump off of. Landing gracefully onto the side car of the glider, the duo raced off after the bird-like monster. By an unspoken agreement, Sora and Riku assumed that the only way to get home was to defeat whatever remnant of the darkness was left.
Sora slashed as Riku expertly navigated around the dangerous cannons and sharp claws. All too soon, the creature was dropping out of the sky, the Keybearers victorious. However, once the monster reached the ground, it turned the entire surrounding area into a black hole, sucking everything into it. The little glider fought against the powerful pull, but soon the Keybearers were being pulled into the black hole against their will. Enormous pieces of building and rock were thrown at them, forcing the two to slice through them in order to reach the now mutated creature. It was draining the last of the power from the world in order to defeat them, and it looked even more menacing than before: cannons lined the inside of its wings, and its arms were layered with sharp swords.
Riku tried his best to aim for the head, where he could see an open area to land. He assumed its head would be the control center, and how they would be able to stop it. As he pulled up alongside of it, he and Sora quickly jumped off, landing safely inside. As he turned to secure it, to Riku's dismay the glider was already dozens of feet away and had no intent on returning. Well, there goes our way out, he thought. The two warriors of light turned and prepared to battle...the bird king once again. Xemnas's alternate form from their first battle was now reinforced more than ever, leaving no defenses open for them to attack at first. His main attack utilized his long red sword, leaving wide open spaces for them to attack. However, his energy barrier that he deployed did not just send them flying into the wall; it threw them out into the abyss surrounding the exterior of the monster. They had to fly back through the debris field for another attack, all the while having to cut away the remainder of the buildings that the monster threw at them. They used them to force away the shielded arms that protected Xemnas every time he threw them out. After a long spiral jump, both Sora and Riku landed in the creature's head and began the battle anew. After several repeats of this, Sora and Riku simultaneously landed the final blow and an explosion of light blinded them temporarily.
The next, and final battleground, was a mixture of the realm of darkness and the realm of light. White and black met to form gray on the walls around them, and even the walls, ceiling, and floor were a moving mass of nothing. There wasn't anything around them to distinguish something from nothing. Sora and Riku stood facing Xemnas, his black coat of Organization XIII now the mix of black, white, and gray like the world around him.
"Heroes from the realm of light," he said as he began yet another drawn out monologue, "I will not allow it to end this way, not yet. If light and darkness are eternal, then surely we nothings must be the same...eternal!"
"You're right," Riku said, "light and darkness are eternal. Nothing probably goes on for forever too. But guess what Xemnas?"
"That doesn't mean that you're eternal!" Sora finished.
Xemnas laughed. "No more eternal than that radiance of yours." And with that, Xemnas disappeared. He reappeared behind the duo and began to use his black and white vine lightening attack, teleporting in and out and attacking Sora and Riku randomly. His two red light sabers flashing, he seemed to have the upper hand at first – until Sora and Riku pinned him down on the ground.
Xemnas tried using giant balls of darkness on the two, but they easily evaded them and struck at him, toying with him as if he were a yo-yo. All too soon, Xemnas broke away and flew back up into the air. This time, Sora and Riku used their combination attack of Blades on him, spinning their Keyblades dangerously through the air at him. Their Limit Attack of All's End used their Keyblades of light and darkness to unleash their most devastating attack against Xemnas.
The leader of Organization XIII laughed at them. "How long can you stand against me?" he taunted. His maniacal smile widened as he suddenly trapped Sora within an energy ball, draining his life force away rapidly. Riku was thrown backwards, but landing on his feet he immediately charged towards his friend. Xemnas sent barriers, vine lightening, and his clone at him, but it did not deter him in the least. Once underneath them Riku leapt up and thrust his Keyblade between them, and gave Xemnas a swift upper cut to the chin. He used his other hand to push Sora away, then knocked Xemnas around a few times with his Keyblade before he gripped his arm, twirling him, and sending him flying far away from them so Sora could recover using a potion. Sora fell to his knees for a moment before he quickly gulped down a potion, renewing his strength.
"You okay Sora?" Riku asked.
Sora quickly stood up, completely replenished. "Yeah. Let's finish this!" They quickly ran after Xemnas, who had also revived quite quickly. After one more round of vine lightening and a Limit Attack, Xemnas flew high into the air and began to produce a large ball of dark energy between his hands. Forcing it upward, it covered the entire area around them, blocking all sources of light. From within the darkness, thousands of points of light appeared. Sora and Riku quickly moved into a defensive stance, for in the next moment the points of light turned into deadly accurate laser beams. Using reflect continuously, the two managed to evade almost every hit. They were moving so quickly, it was hard to see them with the naked eye.
Once the laser beams ran themselves out, Sora and Riku were in for another surprise. Xemnas had appeared directly in front of them and sent Riku flying with a large explosion. Xemnas had his light saber poised, ready to deal Sora the finishing blow. He gripped his Keyblade, fear running through him like a poison. As Xemnas's hands went up and were quickly gaining distance between himself and Sora, Sora closed his eyes and waited for the final blow, knowing he couldn't avoid it. However, as nothing happened, Sora opened his eyes to see Riku blocking his attack. He quickly shoved Sora away, and while he was spinning back to face Xemnas, Xemnas quickly struck him on his side, earning a loud gasp from Riku.
Sora saw Riku take the blow meant for him, and his eyes turned dark. As Riku flew backwards, Sora dashed forward. Riku held out his Keyblade, and with both the power of light and darkness, he pummeled Xemnas practically back into oblivion for the pain he had caused his friend. As he tossed Xemnas up into the air with the crossing of their Keyblades, he landed next to Riku and held out his Keyblade. Riku nodded, grimacing in pain, and placed his hand upon it. The tip of the Keyblade began to glow, and a stream of light exploded from it, hitting its target straight through the chest. Within moments, Xemnas had disappeared with a roar of anger into a dusty cloud of black and white.
"We did it!" Sora cried, happy that all of the evil was finally gone for good. However, Riku had a feeling in his gut, and his suspicions were affirmed when hundreds of Dusks began to pen them in.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," he said warningly. He and Sora went back to back just as the first Dusks began to attack. Even though they used the same tactics over and over, the thousands of Dusks quickly wore the already tired fighters out even more so. After the last few had been defeated, Riku fell to his knees in exhaustion. Sora heard a thud, and quickly turned around to see his friend breathing hard, sweat rolling down his face. Of course, Sora was the exact same way; however Riku's full power had not completely returned to him yet because of his transformation earlier and because of the wound Xemnas had given him.
"Riku!" Sora said as he kneeled down by his friend.
"Sora," he said weakly, grasping his side, "I can't..."
"Don't say another word! It's not over, and we aren't home yet. What about all of the people waiting for us? What about Geni?" he said.
Riku looked away, ashamed of his weak body. There was still someone waiting for him, someone who had been waiting a long time to see him, and he her. He steeled himself, and looked up at Sora. Sora nodded, and carefully helped Riku to stand up, favoring the leg Xemnas had cut into. There was still a gash in the fabric, but the wound had been of the heart and spirit, not of the flesh. As Sora shifted his friend onto his arm, and they balanced each other, Riku broke the silence.
"...Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"You lead."
"Got it." And with that, the two of them headed towards who knows where, only hoping that they might find a way home. As they walked in silence, Riku limping on his bad leg and Sora supporting him as best he could, it allowed Riku to think of how to phrase what he was going to say to Sora. He had many things to atone for, especially to him.
"You know," he began, "I always figured that I was better at stuff than you were."
"Really?" Sora replied nonchalantly.
"Are you mad?"
"No...I've kind of always thought you were better at everything too." The boys chuckled at this. Sora looked away from his friend, only to see something strange in front of them. "Riku – look. What's that light?"
Riku turned his head and saw a bright epicenter of light that was slowly folding outwards to engulf them in its warmth. However, what they were left with once it disappeared was a dark, barren, wasteland next to a black sea.
"End of the road," Riku said quietly.
"Guess so," Sora added. A bright moon shone in the distance, illuminating the softly lapping water on the sand. It pained Riku to relate it to the one in his dreams, where he had met Geni so often.
"Put me down, I can walk," he said to Sora. Sora looked at him questioningly, but obliged. As soon as he let go Riku stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance. He smiled, and Sora nodded before going to check out the waterfront. Unbeknownst to Sora, it was taking everything Riku had to stand on his own two feet. The wound Xemnas had given to him was worse than he thought.
"You know, maybe the darkness has gotten to me too," he heard Sora say quietly before he fell to the ground in pain. Sora turned at hearing the strange noise. "Riku!" she shouted as he ran back towards his prone friend. Riku struggled to his hands and knees, and rested there a moment as he looked out upon the world they were stranded upon.
"This world is perfect for me," he began slowly. "If this is all the world really is – just this – then maybe I should fade back into the darkness. If the world is made of light and darkness...we'll be the darkness."
With a sigh, Sora sat down next to him. "Yeah. The other side, the realm of light, is safe now. Kairi, Geni, the King, and the others are there."
"That's what I mean," Riku said softly. He paused for a moment. "Sora?"
"Hmm?"
"Could you help me? I want to get down to the water." Sora nodded, standing up. He helped Riku pull himself to his feet, and allowed him once more to lean on him as they walked the few feet to the shoreline. Sora didn't see it as they walked, but Riku's bad leg barely moved at all. Whatever Xemnas had done to him was getting worse.
Riku was quiet, listening to the sound of the ocean. "At least the waves sound the same," he said softly. He himself didn't even know if he was referring to his home or to his dreams.
The two boys sat and allowed their bodies and minds to rest, the waves gently caressing their feet. They were tired, but neither wanted to close their eyes and find out that this dark place was their reality and not a bad dream. After many minutes of silence, Riku finally spoke. "What I said back there...about thinking that I was better at stuff than you...to tell the truth, Sora...I was jealous of you."
Sora looked up at his friend with a puzzled face. "What for?"
"I wished that I could live my life the way you do, just following my heart."
"Yeah, well, I've got my own share of problems too, you know," Sora said lightly.
"Like what?"
"...Like, wanting to be more like you." Riku started, hearing this from his friend. The person he had always teased, always made him feel small and insignificant, the one person who had always been there for him no matter what – wanted to be like him. Riku turned away from Sora so he couldn't see the sad smile that graced his face.
"Well, there is one advantage to being me...something you could never imitate," he said suggestively.
"Really? What's that?"
"Having you for a best friend."
Silence. "Then I guess...I'm okay the way I am, because I have something you could never imitate as well." Sora smiled at his best friend, and Riku smiled back. The teens sat in silence, enjoying the small, salty breeze. They were oblivious to everything else, trying to make the best of a grim situation. However, Riku was just starting to doze off when he felt something hit his left foot. Surprised, he looked down to see a glass bottle floating on the waves. He picked it up, and saw that there was an old piece of paper and a white feather inside of it. He took off the cork with a pop! and gently pulled out the paper and the feather. Looking once over at the paper, he smiled and nudged Sora.
"What?"
"I think this is for you," he said as he handed over the paper. The feather he kept to himself. It brought him a sense of déjà vu, a sense of calm, which washed over him and made him feel like he had never been injured in the first place. He held onto it tightly, staring at it like something would click in his mind and remind him of where he had felt or seen this.
Sora, however, had taken the paper and begun to read it out loud:
Thinking of you wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end,
and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows:
Starting a new journey may not be so hard
or maybe it has already begun.
There are many worlds,
but they share the same sky –
one sky,
one destiny.
As Sora read, he swore he could he Kairi's voice. At the same time, the white feather began to glow softly, and Riku suddenly knew who had sent it. As soon as Sora finished reading, a bright light unexpectedly appeared in front of both of them, a thin line at first but ever growing into a large rectangular shape.
"Light," murmured Riku.
"The door to light…" mumbled Sora as well. Suddenly, he stood up and reached his arm out to Riku. "We'll go together!"
Riku looked at the awaiting hand, attached to his best friend. All the thoughts of what he had done, all the terrible things, were forgotten as he took it. "Yeah," he said, smiling. He stood up, the pain in his leg long gone. Clutching the letter and the feather, the two heroes of light walked into the doorway and to their unknown destination.
Far away, the sun was setting on a water filled world. The birds were chirping, the waves were crashing, and no one noticed when two points of light began to fall out of the sky from behind a white, fluffy cloud. The two falling stars, or so they seemed, were rushing faster and faster towards the water until sploosh! they landed and went under. Moments later, two heads popped up: one with spiky brown hair, and one long silver hair. Looking around and coughing up salty water as they shook the water out of their hair, they were unsure of where exactly they were, until…
"Sora! Riku!" The two boys quickly found the source of the call. Kairi was standing on the beach near them, waving madly at them. Behind her was their island, the island where everything had started so long ago. Sora jumped for joy, or as much as he could while floating in the water, and started to swim quickly for shore. Riku followed close behind, just as excited.
As soon as Sora could touch the bottom, he stood up and began running through the waist-deep water as fast as he could, his lanky arms swinging behind him. Kairi chuckled to herself, trying to remind herself that this was the legendary Keybearer, after all. Suddenly hearing sandy footsteps, three blurs quickly ran by her and two of them glomped Sora. Goofy jumped on him first, followed by Donald, before all three of them landed in the water. King Mickey ran over to Riku and jumped so high that Riku caught him and spun him around his head like a little child. Goofy and Donald were still hugging Sora, making sure all of him was there. As soon as they let him up, he saw Kairi standing right in front of him. Quickly, he reached into his left pocket and brought out a five-pointed star made from thalassa shells, Kairi's good luck charm.
As Sora and Kairi looked at each other, they could feel the happiness of Roxas and Naminé inside of them. Sora smiled, then finally managed a "We-we're back."
"Welcome home," Kairi said, extending her hand to him. Sora grasped it, the lucky charm connecting their palms to each other. This time, no sudden earthquake jolted them apart. As Sora stood up, dripping wet, he and Kairi hugged each other like there wouldn't be another tomorrow. Sora had fulfilled his promise; his friends and his family were finally home and together.
Riku, on the other hand, had just set King Mickey down and was looking around. King Mickey saw his searching gaze, smiling. "She's over by the paopu tree," he said casually. Riku looked at him, and then realized what he had said. Racing through the water, he ran across the sandy beach and into the old shack, dashing up the stairs, and threw open the doorway. Framed by the sunset was a girl standing on the edge of the little plateau, her hand resting on a coconut tree while she surveyed the ocean. Her brown braid trailed down her back, and she was still wearing her battle worn clothes from before. Riku slowly walked over the wooden bridge, its age showing through its small creaks. As he stepped upon the sand once more, he stopped.
Geni heard someone walking around behind her, but didn't bother to turn around. The footsteps had been heavy over the bridge, so she assumed it was Goofy. "Goofy, I said I'm –" she began as she turned around, but the words were caught in her throat as she saw him standing there. The hand that had been leaning against the coconut tree fell limply to her side, while a white feather was clutched tightly in her other hand. "Riku…"
"I'm back," he said, slightly rhetorically, as he smiled at her. Geni unclenched her fist, allowing the feather to drift lazily on the wind. She stood there, the breeze playing with her spiky bangs as her blue eyes blinked with disbelief. "I…" Before Riku could get in another world, Geni had dashed over to him and was clinging to his vest.
"Please," she sobbed, almost begging him, "don't leave me like that again." She was crying, hiding her face against him, her fists balled up in yellow fabric. Her tone suddenly softened; "I don't know what I would do without you."
Riku smiled, and pulled her close to him. They stood there for what seemed like ages, time forgetting them as it flowed ever on, as Geni's crying slowly ebbed. As soon as he could barely hear her, he slowly pushed her away. Surprised, Geni looked up; tear tracks covered her face and several splotches on Riku's vest. "Riku?"
"As long as I have breath in my body and a Keyblade in my hand, I swear that I will protect and watch over you. No matter how far apart we might get, no matter what happens – you will never be alone. I'll always be here for you, Geni."
Geni's eyes misted over once again, hearing these tender words. "Riku…" she whispered.
Their eyes locked, aquamarine lost in ocean blue. He placed a gentle hand upon her cheek, wiping away a few stray tears. Outlined by the vibrant rainbow of the swiftly setting sun, Riku and Geni shared their first kiss of young love. Simple and clean, sweet and chaste, but lasting until the stars blanketed the night sky far above them.