Disclaimer: I don't own the game!! Wow, there goes two seconds of my life that I'll never get back….
Authoress' Notes: I don't like Kairi…at all. Especially, when the little slut doesn't seem to mind that her friends, Riku and Sora, are rivaling each other over her. I can tell that she can't wait to get older so she can get laid by both guys. Riku, Sora, you two need to raise your standards and find another girl. Some of the names mentioned in the fic are mine. You'll know when you read it. I'll take any and all good comments and criticisms or ideas for this fic. Such as what world the heroes of this fic will go that has not appeared in the games. Wow, this may end up as pretty long story. All flames will be either be ignored, or sent to Sephiroth for him to use in Kairi's big bonfire! Enjoy, the fic! (Yes, they will be cursing, though I don't know how bad.)
Final Note: I'M SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG DELAY IN THIS CHAPPY! But I'm still under a writer's block for the whole thing. Which is odd since I barely got a chance to start it. This chappy is mostly a recap of KH2 for those who haven't played the game or something. That and I'm just putting together what I thought had happened, and placed in my own explainations on some stuff, okay? So sorry!
I figured out how badly they're going to curse... It'll be pretty bad but I have this at rated T or something.
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Chapter Two: The Return of A Trio of Shadows!
Leon and Riku quickly but carefully ran up the stairs while Yuffie carried Cloud on her back as Aerith continued to shriek. They entered the room and saw the flower girl point at the tiled floor and cry out. "There's two! Oh, god, there's two!" she cried out as she moved aside to let them see.
(A/N: I know Aerith is a calm, collective girl but come on, when you see a mirror image of your friend attacking and kicking some serious ass, you gotta panic.)
Leon staggered over and stared in confused shock, "What the hell?" What the hell is this? One is Sora but who in the hell is the other guy?! Riku walked over and blinked in surprise.
"Roxas?!" he yelped as he knelt down next to Sora's Nobody in amazement. The others looked confused about the matter and Riku sighed. "Ah, that's right. We didn't tell you."
"Tell us what?" Yuffie asked as she set Cloud down for Aerith to tend to him and Leon leaned heavily on the Gunblade, looking rather annoyed.
"Who is he?" the Gunblader asked angrily.
"This is Roxas. He's Sora's Nobody." Riku answered, turning the boy over so he was lying on his back, and looked a little sad. They blinked in bewilderment, obviously not getting this.
"Sora's what?"
"Sora's Nobody." the silver haired teen said, "When a person loses their heart, they split in two. The darkness of the heart is used to form the Heartless. The shell it leaves behind, moves on its own will and becomes a Nobody, a being with no heart."
Leon and Yuffie stared at him, stunned. Their friend had a Nobody? When did that happen? Aerith paused in her tending and listened. The ninja shook her head, puzzled by all that was being said.
"Whoa, wait! Sora never lost his heart to the Heartless until now. But if what you say is true, then there can't be two bodies! One is Sora and the other is this Roxas." she said, jerking her thumb at the two prone forms on the floor. "How can that be?" Riku shrugged.
"That, I don't know." he murmured, "But Sora did lose his heart to the Heartless once."
"WHAT!?" Leon and Yuffie cried out in horror. Sora lost his heart to the Heartless before!? If he did, then why is he still here as himself?!
"How did he lose his heart?!" the Gunblader asked. Before Riku could answer, a voice answered for him in the form of a question.
"It was that black Keyblade, wasn't it? He used the damn thing on himself, didn't he?" Everyone turned in surprise at Cloud, who was awake and glaring at Riku, who blinked back at him in shock. "I saw how you stared at the damn thing like it was the worse thing than hell itself."
The teenager lowered his eyes.
"So he did do it, little idiot." the lone wolf muttered, shifting to get more comfortable then flinched when he moved a bit too much. Aerith placed a hand on his chest to still his movements, the touch was gentle but firm.
"All right, mister tough guy, no more moving. You cracked a few ribs and they'll puncture you lungs if you keep moving." the girl lectured.
"He killed himself with a keyblade!? A black one!?" Yuffie snapped, placing her hands on her hips and scowled. Riku sighed at the reactions he was getting, rolling his eyes heavenward.
"No, he didn't kill himself with it. He opened his heart to the darkness with that cursed thing."
"FOR WHAT!?"
"To save Kairi."
"What...?"
"Before you guys came to Hollow Bastion, Sora and I were already there. Sora was there to save the Princesses of Heart and close the keyhole. But I, under the control of the fucking fake Ansem, was there to open it to the darkness with the Dark Keyblade."
"Which was made from the hearts of the Princesses." Leon put in, beginning to understand a little.
Riku nodded.
"Right. But it was made from six of them, not all seven." the teenager corrected, "The seventh one, Kairi's heart, wasn't there. It was with Sora the entire time."
"But how does that fit in with what's going on now?" Aerith asked as she applied ointment on one of Cloud's many wounds.
"I'm getting to it. Anyway, Sora couldn't close the keyehole because it was incomplete. The Hallow Bastion Keyhole needed the seven hearts to complete itself but only six were awake and accounted for. Kairi's heart was what was needed to get the thing open, but she was just a comatose doll without her heart. Sora had her heart within his own and his keyblade was useless to opening hearts..."
"So he used the Dark Keyblade, which I'm assuming is used to open hearts?" Cloud muttered, frowning at the bandages that was covering his upper body.
"Right. Just as Sora's keyblade has the power to close hearts, the Dark keyblade has the power to open them. To awaken Kairi and free her heart to complete the keyhole, only one thing came to his mind." Riku sighed and a look of pain crossed his eyes, "He had to open his heart to darkness in order to free the seventh heart."
Everyone looked appalled at the news of had happen. How could Fate force a young person to do that to himself? Not only is he forced to save the worlds but he had to sacrifice his young life to the darkness to achieve this? That was like adding insult to injury! He comes a long, tiring way to save lives, his innocence torn apart, only to learn near the end that he had to "die" to save everyone?
"That's so wrong..." Yuffie murmured in disgust, looking a Sora's small, prone form in sorrow. He looked so calm and carefree in his sleep, that one wouldn't know that he's a mere pawn in destiny's game. Riku looked a little pissed at the idea.
"Tell me about it." he growled, "After he opened his heart, Kairi's heart was freed and completed the keyhole. But before he could close it, he disappeared into darkness and his heart turned into a Heartless; which pursued after Donald, Goofy and Kairi. Only this Heartless was different."
"How different?"
"The Heartless didn't attack them, merely followed. A normal Heartless will pursue the target and attack no matter what, but this one didn't do anything when it reached them. It just stood there and stared at them. Kairi knew that it was Sora and protected him when the other Heartless came to attack them. She didn't want to believe that he was gone for good and held his memory in her heart. Her heart was the light that guided him through the darkness, which resulted in him reverting back to his normal form."
"That still doesn't explain anything now." Aerith reminded him, mending Cloud's scarf.
Riku sighed, "Even though Sora was a Heartless for a short time, it was still enough to create his Nobody. When he reverted back without his Nobody, the Nobody was trapped in the dark realm and Sora lost half of his power and half his identity."
"Come again?" Yuffie asked, looking puzzled again.
"When he defeated the fake Ansem, the worlds began to reform and take back the people that were missing from them. Do you remember what happened to Kairi while Sora was at the End of the World?" Riku asked them. They blinked in confusion, trying to remember. Leon thought hard and snapped his fingers when it came back to him.
"We left Kairi in the care of Merlin, but he told us that she disappeared, hours after Sora said he was at the End of the World taking on Ansem." he replied and the teenager nodded.
"Right, she disappeared because Sora defeated Ansem and the worlds were reforming. Destiny Islands, our world, was returning to normal and bringing back its citizens with it, therefore warping them back to the world. Do you know why it didn't warp Sora or I back to it?"
The others thought about it and looked at each other. Good question. Why didn't their world take them back while it was rebuilding itself?
"Um, because you were on the other side of the Door to Darkness? Sora, um, refused to go back until he got you and King Mickey back?" Yuffie tried out, looking a little clueless.
Riku half smiled. "You're half right. The real reason is because it didn't recognize us."
"What?!" Leon yelped, obviously not believeing this.
(A/N: This is my explaination as to what happened at the end of KH1.)
"It didn't recognize either of you because you weren't yourselves." Aerith replied calmly, looking at the group after she checked over Sora and Roxas. The latter will be awaking soon.
"Correct. It didn't recognize Sora because he was missing half of himself, which he didn't know. And it didn't recognize me because I was in the darkness for too long, therefore becoming a member of the darkness." Riku murmured, "We were finally ourselves just before our final fight against Xemnas. Roxas returned to Sora, making him whole again and I was released from the dark realm. So we were finally able to get home, but Sora had to be king of Kingdom Hearts while the rest of us have to be the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts."
"Then this shit happens." Leon griped, looking at Roxas, who was stretched out alongside Sora and sighed. If it ain't one thing then its another. The Nobody stirred, groaning and opening his eyes a crack. Everyone looked toward him as he shook his head a little and sat up slowly. He blinked a few times as if trying to get the sleep out of his eyes and looked around in confusion. He blinked a few more times becoming more alert then began to take in to what's around him with wide eyes. Obviously, he didn't know where he was or what he was doing here.
"What the hell?!" he yelped, staring at everyone in shock, "What the hell am I doing here?!" Cloud looked at him through narrowed eyes. With the lower half of his face hidden behind the scarf, he looked a lot more intimidating.
"That's what we're trying to figure out." he growled, flexing his clawed hand slowly. Roxas glared at him and then at everyone else too.
"Whoa, whoa! If you think I had a hand in this, then you're damn nuts!" the Nobody snapped, not moving from his spot on the floor. "I was asleep damnit!"
Leon frowned at the mention of that. "Asleep?"
Roxas nodded, rubbing at his eyes, "Yeah, I have to be asleep for Sora to get full power but I do obtain his memories to keep myself up-to-date."
"Really?" Riku looked interested at the fact. So, Roxas was still there somewhere within Sora's mind. Apparently, the teenage king didn't want him to fade away into nothing. The Nobody blinked for a minute and looked at everyone.
"Where's Sora? He's still here, you know." he said, "If he really wasn't here, then I'll be in complete control and I'm not. I can still feel Sora's presence, it's faint but still there."
Everyone was completely shocked. Sora was still here? But if Roxas was here then Sora wouldn't be. Especially when that shadow thing jacked his heart. Well, whatever Roxas was saying about Sora's presence explained why the two are able to stay in the same realm together.
Normally, if Sora was here Roxas would be bound to the back his mind. And vise versa if Roxas was here. But there they were, two halves of the same person on the same realm, defying the laws of light and darkness. No one answered Roxas' question and the Nobody noticed.
"What?" he asked nervously. He didn't like the way they were keeping quiet. His eyes widen as a horrorified thought crossed his mind. Good god, please don't tell me that I've already taken over Sora' body! I, or Sora, don't want to go through this again!
They still didn't say anything, instead they looked to his left and their gaze sadden a lot more. Roxas blinked in confusion and looked to his left and paled. Sora's body was lying on the floor like a doll, his skin pale and losing color quickly. Roxas could literally see his "life bar" in his mind and it was going down pretty damn fast. The Nobody jumped to his feet and freaked out.
"OH GOD! Quick! We have to get him to the Altar of Naught!!" he screamed, already picking up Sora's prone form. Everyone jumped in surprise at his outburst. Riku said nothing but rushed over to help Roxas, despite his broken arm. Cloud blinked in confusion, trying to figure out what the hell was Roxas' problem.
(A/N: He looks sooo cute when he's confused. -dreamy sigh-)
Yuffie rushed over, told Riku to get away before his messed up his arm even more and carried the teenager in her arms. Aerith told the injured men to stay put, then turned to the Nobody, who was still freaking out.
"Why do we have to get up there for?" she asked as she began to follow him to the door. Roxas still hadn't calmed down yet, too set on rescuing Sora's life.
"Because he needs to go up there and go there now!" he cried, pushing Yuffie to the door. The ninja, however, planted her feet and didn't budge. She wasn't going anywhere 'til she got an straight answer. The Nobody noticed that she wasn't moving and ran around to looked at her, panic still in his eyes.
"What are you doing?! Hurry up! We have to get him up there! Gogogogogogo!" Roxas yelled, waving his arms wildly to get her to move.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why we need to go."
"Please just listen to me and go! We really need to get up there!"
"That's not an answer."
"I don't care if its not the answer you want! We need to go now!!"
"Not good enough."
"Damnit, will you just move your ass?! If we don't get him up there soon, you're going to regret it, believe me! Please!"
"Are you threatening us?!"
"NO! I'm telling you the truth!"
"Just part of it." the ninja growled, still holding Sora's body, "I still want an answer."
Roxas watched in horror as Sora's "life bar" continued to fall and screamed in fury at the fact that Yuffie, any one of them, didn't believe him. They wanted the whole truth, then by all fucking means they've got it. Maybe then they'll get their asses in gear and go.
"HE'S DYING!" Roxas shrieked, surprising the group once again. They blinked in horror. What did he just say?! Sora is...dying?!
"He's dying, okay?! He's dying and if we don't get him up to Kingdom Hearts now, he'll die! If he dies, then everything on the realm of light will be fucked!" the Nobody screamed, "If he dies, I die, the Keyblade will disappear, the doors to all the worlds will open and the Heartless and the left over Nobodies will take over! In layman's terms, if Sora dies, you're all fucked!!"
Evidently, that got Yuffie and Aerith moving to the door faster than Roxas had thought and he ran after them. Riku, Leon, and Cloud were completely petrifed at the idea of someone they had secretly thought of as a younger brother dying. It... it just didn't make sense! Someone so young dying this early? The hero and true guardian of Kingdom Hearts dying before he could reach his potental? Dying when the worlds needed him most? Light hearted, optimistic, happy-go-lucky Sora... dying?
"How cruel the Fates are to him..." Cloud muttered out loud to no one in particular. Riku and Leon nodded in understanding, still too stunned to say anything.
---------------------------------------------------
"Get to the roof, get to the roof, get to the roof..." Roxas chanted as the trio ran up numerous levels of the castle to get to the roof, where the altar was located. When they reached the final door of the castle, (Roxas mentioned at if Sora lived through this that he should consider putting an elevator somewhere) they headed straight for the altar. Once there Aerith told Roxas to stay by while she and Yuffie delt with Kingdom Hearts. Roxas nodded in agreement, even though he was puzzled by what she meant. Deal with Kingdom Hearts? What's that supposed to mean?
Yuffie and Aerith ran to a ritual table that Sora had set up a while back. The table was about the size of a single twin sized bed that was draped over with a light blue and silver silk. The two quickly laid Sora's dying body on the table and backed away from it by about three steps. They knelt down, clasped their hands together over their hearts, and slightly bowed their heads. Roxas watched them from his spot near the stairs. Were they going to pray to the heart-shaped moon?
Together the girls chanted:
"We call upon the ruler of Hearts!
O Kingdom Hearts,
Heart of all worlds,
Source of Heaven, Earth and everything in between,
We summon thee!
Come, Goddess of Hearts!"
Roxas stepped back in surprise as several hearts leaped from the moon along with a streak of silver light, and headed for the altar. What the hell?! he thought in shock as the hearts and streak of light turned into a whirlwind of pink and silver. He turned away to keep himself from going blind as the whirlwind of hearts and light glowed brighter and brighter and then there was a soft explosion. The Nobody blinked trying to rid of the light spots from his vision and turned back to the altar and froze.
There was a figure he didn't recognize but Aerith and Yuffie did, as they had yet to rise from their kneeling position. He stared at the female figure, trying to find out who it was. Then it hit him like a slap to the face. He had overheard stories passed from the higher ups of Organization XIII, especially from Xemnas, about some goddess. Were the stories true? He gazed out at the altar and the figure again.
A woman like no other he had seen in his life, or Sora's for that matter, stood before Aerith and Yuffie. Masses of silver hair framed a face that was alluring as it kept its secrets. Yet by the wide, gentle golden eyes, she seemed to request that others give her all of theirs. Her clothes, made of brightly colored, flowing silk, were outworldish, like no well-bred woman in the all the worlds would have worn. Yet they suited her perfectly. She was exotic and entrancing as if she had fallen from a star.
Roxas couldn't stop staring at her as his mind took in all that was going. She did fall from a star... Err... well sort of. She came out of the moon actually. The Goddess looked at the two girls and smiled gently.
"Didist thou summon me?" she asked gently, her voice sounding like the twinkling of the stars. Both Aerith and Yuffie nodded in respect, never moving from their spots. "Ah, then what is it thou request of me?"
"O Goddess of Hearts,
Please heed our wish.
We wish for you to help our friend,
Sora, the Choosen Keyblademaster.
He is dying and we wish for you to keep him alive.
Will you grant our wish?"
The Goddess gazed at Sora's form and smiled. "Ah, so he is the Keyblade's Choosen one. He is much more handsome than I hath thought." she said gently, "As thou wish, I shall dost what I can."
She looked at the teen's wilting body and held her hand out to him. Several little hearts floated over to the boy's body and circled it, lifting him off the table and into the air. The Goddess added a few more hearts as the first few carried him to the floor and adjust his body so that he was floating a few inches off the floor. (A/N: Which means he's "standing".)
The added hearts danced around his body slowly then picked up in speed. The hearts' dance soon bloomed into a whirlwind that completely covered Keyblade Master's body. There was another explosion of light and there stood a large rainbow colored crystal with Sora trapped within.
Aerith and Yuffie blinked in surprise as the Goddess smiled at the crystal. This wasn't what they had in mind. They thought that the Goddess was going to heal Sora, not put him in a crystal. The Goddess of Hearts turned to them with a sad smile.
"I know what thou art thinking and I apologize. Tis all I can dost for him. Without his heart he will not last." she murmured sadly, "Dost not worry, this is Heart Crystal. Tis made from many hearts this one has freed and saved. They will protect his life but he will not awaken til his heart is returned."
She stroked the smooth surface lovingly and the crystal plused softly in return. Yuffie and Aerith stood and walked over to the crystal tomb and looked at it. True to the Goddess' words the tomb was made of Heart Crystal. Hundreds of tiny hearts were linked together and circled Sora's body protectively, allowing no one to pass through. The Goddess clapped her hands suddenly and seven more crysytal tombs appeared and circled the perimter of the floor. It was the Seven Princesses of Heart! Each crystal had one princess and bore only one color, the seven colors of the rainbow!
"Dost not worry, the Princesses of Heart have the same fate as Sora. The Heart Crystal will keepest them alive but in deep slumber. Their collective power giveth the Keybearer's life a chance to heal." the Goddess explained as she gazed at the two girls. Aerith and Yuffie breathed out sighes of relief, thankful for the Goddess of Hearts' help.
The elegant woman watched them then gazed at Sora. "Pray tell, whom dost thou plan to send to fetch Sora's heart?" she asked as she returned her golden gaze to the two girls. They blinked in surprise then looked at each other in worry. They knew they had forgotten something. Cloud, Leon, and Riku can't go running around looking for Shadow Sora, they were too injured to move. They couldn't go because... well, they don't have much in combat experience and they have to look after the guys. So who can go? Wait... they can ask the Goddess to heal them... right?
Aerith knelt down in front of the Goddess and asked for her help.
"O Goddess of Hearts,
Please heed my wish.
I wish for you to help my friends,
Cloud, Riku and Leon.
They are badly injured and I wish for you to heal them.
Will you grant me my wish?"
The Goddess considered it for a while then teleported the three men to altar. They looked around in confusion, finally took notice of her and bowed their heads respectfully. She smiled gently as she waved her hand before them, inspecting their injuries magically. She froze and blinked in surprise, caught off guard by something. She passed her hand before them again and looked concerned.
"Ah, I cannot." the Goddess informed them, "Tis the work of dark magic. A force that only the Keybearer can match equally."
Yuffie sighed, "So only Sora can heal them?"
The Goddess nodded solemnly and the group sighed in defeat. Well that was just great. The young king is the only one capable of healing them but he's stuck in a comatose state. What are they going to do now? The Goddess read their minds and blushed a bit.
"To speakest the truth, thy injuries art caused by Fate. I cannot intervene with her work. Thou art not choosen by Fate to taketh this journey." she said softly, "Only the Keybearer canst go. Or..." She angled her head to the side and smiled at Roxas, who was standing over there.
He blinked in surprise as soon as he noticed her looking directly at him. How in the world did she know-? No,wait... Roxas shook his head, She's a goddess. And as one, she can sense him. So that shouldn't surprise anyone. She smiled softly and motioned him forward.
"Cometh forth, young one." she purred as the Nobody stepped forward nervously, "Art thou Roxas?"
The young Nobody nodded and bowed in respect, not wanting to get her upset. She only smiled at him and that relaxed him. "Ah!" she giggled softly like the stars that twinkled above them, "Thou art Sora's Nobody?"
Again, Roxas nodded.
The Goddess clapped her hands in joy. "Ah! Then thou shall goeth forth and reclaimeth Sora's heart." The Nobody's mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at her. He's going to do what?! He had to run around and look for Sora's heart?! Wait... how did he...? He whirled around glared at the group, his blue eyes flashing angrily.
"What the hell happened to Sora?!" Roxas snapped, "How in all the freaking worlds did he lose his heart this time!?"
The group winced, except for Leon and Cloud, and sighed. Another thing they forgot to do. They forgot to tell Roxas what had happened since they were all too intent on saving Sora's life. Yuffie tried her hand in it, even though she didn't quite understand herself.
"Um... a Heartless took it?" the ninja guessed, shrugging her shoulders in obvious confusion. Sora's Nobody stared at them with a mixed look on his face. It was a mixture between shock, confusion, and rage. The three emotions flashed across his face for several seconds before finally choosing one to use on them. And it was rage.
"A FUCKING HEARTLESS?!" he shrieked, "You mean to tell me that some fucking Heartless walked in, jacked Sora's heart, kicked your asses and left!?"
"Um, bascially... yeah. That's what happened." Yuffie answered. The group glared at her as the young Nobody let out a strangled growl of frustration and she glared right back. "Hey, I'm not gonna lie to him. He's half of Sora and you know how Sora is to liars."
Roxas sighed and waved his hand at dismissively, a signal to just drop the subject and get back to the matter at hand. And that is to find the Heartless that took Sora's heart. The teen Nobody ran his hand through his sort, spikey hair and thought about what was going on. He had told the others that he always was up-to-date by looking through Sora's memories and that is completely true.
Only one problem...
For some reason he can't access the last bit of Sora's memory that led to any clues as to what happened earlier today. He remembered the Tournament for sure... it had been a blast to watch. The Winner's Party, Sora enjoying his time and then him getting sick. And... well, that's it. The memories ended right there and he didn't know why. Sora had always allowed him to shift through his memories no matter what, whether the memories were good or bad. But... oddly enough the last bit of the memory had been pretty bad. He remembered Sora feeling some pain but that was it, the rest was blocked. It was as if something else is blocking the memory from his access point.
The Nobody shifted his weight to one leg, folded his arms across his chest and scowled slightly. He didn't like it, this blockage in memory, it was like torture. The last bit of Sora's memory may hold a vital clue as to what Heartless or whatever stole his heart. He bit his lower lip and chewed on it out of Sora's habit. He didn't like that feeling either. He felt as though someone reached in and stolen his heart as well and they did... sort of. He and Sora are one and the same... but they felt more than just being one. He and Sora felt like they were twin brothers and Roxas like the idea of it. Sora never had a brother and neither did Roxas for obvious reasons.
If only...
"Roxas..." someone called out softly, breaking his thoughts and causing him to look up. The Goddess was watching him but when he looked at her she turned slightly away and giggled lightly. He raised a brow at her action then looked at the group, who grinned at him. They were sad smiles but smiles none the less.
"What?" he asked as the group kept watching him.
"Do you have any idea how much you act like Sora?" Aerith asked as the rest of the group seemed to drift off into small daydreams.
"Uh, yeah... because I'm half of Sora."
Riku grinned, "Yeah, but at the same time your not. You actually think things through, unlike Sora. You realize that he chews on his lower lip when he's in deep thought, even though that's a bit rare for him?"
Roxas shook his head lightly, "No, I didn't."
"Roxas, thou dost not have time to dawdleth long." the Goddess said softly, "Whom shall goeth with thee?"
The Nobody frowned slightly, which earned another giggle from the Goddess of Hearts. He raised a brow to her actions again but went back to thinking. "To tell the truth, I don't know. Leon, Riku and Cloud are too injured to come. Aerith and Yuffie have to stay to make sure they recover and protect Sora's body." he murmured sadly but then an idea began to form, "Maybe...?"
Leon looked toward the entrance of the Altar of Heart and whistled harshly. Two heads looked around the corner and shrank back slightly. "Donald, Goofy. Get over here!" the Gunblader griped when the two shot back behind the wall. "Don't try to hide! We know you're there!"
The duck wizard peeked around the corner as well as the Knight Captain. "Do we have to?" Donald asked shakily. Cloud glared at them and flexed his gloved hand, the golden claws scissoring together lightly. His blue eyes telling them he wasn't kidding around.
"Now." the lone warrior growled out and the companions of Sora scurried out and stood in attention before the group. Riku stood and walked towards them, his broken arm in a sling, and sighed.
"You two are the only ones that are capable to go with Roxas on this journey. Are you ready to take on the Heartless and Nobodies again?" he asked seriously and the two nodded eagerly. The silver haired teenager smiled. "Good, that takes care of that problem..."
Donald and Goofy turned to their future partner for the time being and froze. One look at Roxas and his stance and the two began to wail in sorrow. The Nobody blinked in confusion, noticed his stance and shifted out of it as the rest of the group stared at the wizard and knight.
"Donald, Goofy, what's the matter?" Aerith asked as the two continued to cry. Donald tried to speak but was too choked up to form words correctly. Goofy was too busy crying and staring at Sora's little tomb and wailed louder. The teenage Nobody sighed and ran his hand through his light brown hair again.
"I think I get it." he said as the group looked at him, "They don't want to come with me."
"But they battled alongside Sora..." Riku began and Roxas shook his head.
"That's the problem. They're too attached to him. I'm only half of him but at the same not him. They're gonna end up mistaking me for Sora and when they realized it, they're fall right down and cry." the Nobody replied, "I think it's best for them to stay here and look after Sora. That way they can be near by to fight off any Heartless that may pop up and attack."
Goofy wiped at his tears, "Garwsh...th-thanks..." he sniffled as Donald followed suit.
"S-sorry..." the wizard stammered through his tears. Roxas smiled. He couldn't blame them, they went through a lot with Sora and the trio went the tightest of friends. It was no surprise that they didn't want to go with someone else. It'll take more than an order from King Mickey to make them budge. The Nobody grinned inwardly. Not even the Goddess of Hearts can make them go and he admired their friendship with Sora.
The Goddess sighed, "Thou cannot goeth alone on this journey."
Roxas flashed her smile and the Goddess automatically turned away slightly, another giggle escaping her mouth. He arched a brow and stared at her for bit before getting to his idea. "I know I can't but I've got an idea on who can go with me."
The Goddess blinked at him in surprise. "Pray tell, whom shall goeth with thee?"
Roxas smiled as he knelt down before her, clasped his hands over his... um... heart and spoke softly in prayer.
"O Goddess of Hearts,
Please heed my wish.
I wish for Axel and Demyx
To return to the realm of light
And accompany me to rescue the
Choosen Wielder of the Keyblade.
Will you grant me my wish?"
The Goddess blinked in surprise at the wish. Was he really asking her to bring two more Nobodies into the realm of light to help him? She considered it, juggling the idea with logic and Fate's Design. She wasn't sure if Fate was willing to accept the alternative. She was told by Fate that Donald and Goofy were to accompany Roxas on his journey but they had refused to leave the Keybearer's side.
Well, Roxas has understood their feelings and accepted the fact they weren't going anywhere. The Goddess smiled a bit. It seemed as though Fate has underestimated Donald and Goofy's feelings to Sora and created an error in her design. Well, the Twin of Darkness hast asketh of me kindly and he does needeth a companion on this journey. Yea, I'll giveth thee what he wished for the saketh of the worlds.
"Thy wish shall be granted." she answered wisely, "Standeth back." Roxas blinked at her as he rose to his feet and backed away as she turned from them and raised her hands to the Kingdom Hearts and sang beautifully.
"O Kingdom Hearts!
Hearts of young,
Hearts of old!
Hearts of past,
Hearts of future,
Heed my power!
Bringeth forth the ones born in darkness!
Axel, born of darkness's wild flames;
Demyx, born from darkness's surging waters;
Cometh forth to the realm of light!
Be born in the thine forms of power!
Axel, cometh to me in form of gentle flames;
Demyx, cometh to me in form of calmest waves,
Thou's companion asketh for thy help and power.
Cometh and aid Roxas in his time of need!"
Several little hearts leaped from the moon and danced in front of the goddess. She smiled and touched each one. The hearts twirled at her touch and danced around each other before they flashed with power. Half turned blue and the other half red and they broke into two circles. The little hearts danced and whirled about in joy as the Goddess waved her hands at them, casting powerful magic on the little hearts. The tiny hearts seemed to titter and coo as they danced again, going ever faster in front of the group.
Roxas and the others watched in amazement as the dancing hearts whirled about faster and faster, transforming into twin tornadoes of blue and red. But what caught their attention the most were the small items trapped within each whirlwind. There was a tiny flame, which grew in size with the whirlwind fanning it, in one and a tiny bubble of water that stretched within another. The two items grew bigger as the dancing hearts twirled around them in blinding speed, working furiously to give the two elements a form.
The group also noticed that the glow was getting brighter and knew the spell was nearing completion. So they all turned away in an effort to keep them from going blind as the twin tornadoes exploded in bright red and blue lights. It didn't work since they were still blinded by the light and weren't sure if the spell worked until...
"Headrush. What the hell is going on?" one voice griped.
"Dude -like- we're alive." another voice exclaimed.
"I know that, you dumbass! What I want to know is why!"
Roxas' eyes lit up in enjoy upon hearing his two friends after such a long time. He couldn't help but yell out in sheer happiness as he brought his arms down and ran to them. The two new comers blinked in confusion as they looked up to see their old friend run up to them at full speed. The younger Nobody leaped forward and tackled the two to the floor.
"Axel, Demyx!"
"Roxas!?"
"Little dude!"
"I'm so glad you guys are here!"
"Uh, thanks. Where exactly is here?"
"Axel, dude, I think we're back at the Palace of Empty Hearts."
"WHAT?!"
"Yup, you guys are back!"
"Why are we at the Palace of Empty Hearts?!
"Roxas, did Xemnas kill Sora?"
"No, Demyx, he didn't."
Riku stepped up to the heap of bodies and grinned wryly. The elder looking teen with red hair, which he assumed was Axel, glared at the blonde teenager to his right. And that teenager, which the silver haired teen guessed was Demyx, merely looked around in surprise then grinned stupidly. And Roxas was right between the two, giving them both a fierce hug. Riku smiled a bit, Sora acted like that around everyone and loved nothing more than to give hugs to friends he hadn't seen in awhile. So, they really are one and the same.
"I think we can fill in the gaps for you guys as soon as Roxas lets you up." Riku snickered as the one he spoke of, blushed and hurriedly stood and helped his two friends up. Axel brushed himself off and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for the explainations to begin. Demyx was a bit more interested seeing the noticable changes to the world he once called home.
"All right, we're listening." Axel said dryly and listened as carefully as possible. Even Demyx took it seriously. Riku, and the group explained everything they could to them. Everything from Xemnas' defeat, at which Axel praised Sora for, to what was going on now. Roxas stared at the group with a horrified look on his face as Cloud tried to explain as to what had happened to the young Keyblader while he was checking up on him. But even then the lone warrior had no idea what happened.
So it wasn't a Heartless but some shadow thing that took Sora's heart? the young Nobody thought with horror, Why does that sound familiar? He looked at the group after all the explainations were done. "Does anyone know what this shadow thing is?" he asked and everyone shook their heads. "Great."
Leon paused and remembered how Donald and Goofy had shrank away at the very sight of the creature when it showed itself. If it had been a Heartless, those two would have been on it faster than Pluto on a steak. He narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze on them. "We don't know what that thing was but..." he said, "Donald and Goofy do."
Everyone zeroed in Sora's companions, who automatically began to shift uneasily under the collective stare. They looked at each other and trembled in fear in remembrance of the shadow creature. Their eyes took on a distant look. Goofy had a mix of horror and sadness on his face and his lower lip quivered as he fought back tears. Donald had the same exact look but had tighten his grip on his wand and seemed to ready himself for battle.
"Guys?" Riku called but they had already gone to their horrified memory.
"We promise Sora, we promise..." they murmured solemnly as Yuffie waved her hand in front of their faces but got no reaction from either one.
Cloud sighed, "Well, they're gone."
"Yuffie, don't do that. You might scare them into a fight." Riku muttered, eyeing the two carefully as they continued to stare out into nothing.
"How?"
"Memory backlash. Apparently, seeing this shadow thing may have forced them to remember something that they thought was best forgotten."
"Wait, they said they promised Sora something." Leon said as he watched Donald and Goofy as well.
"Yeah, so?" the female ninja questioned dryly. "They always promise Sora something."
"Roxas, you said you can access Sora's memories, right?"
"Yeah?"
Cloud grinned, "I get it. You're going to want Roxas to shift through Sora's memories and find out exactly what this "promise" is."
Roxas scowled at Leon and Cloud as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey! Do I look like a Time Machine here?!" the teen Nobody griped, "Do you have any idea how long its going to take to shift through all Sora's memories to find that promise?! It ain't like I flipping through a magazine!"
Riku grinned, "Better get started on it, huh?"
The sixteen-year-old's scowl worsened. "Do you guys have any idea how many freaking promises my lighter side made?! A ton! It will take forever to find it!"
Axel sighed irrtitably, "Ah, a stroll through memory lane...how cute. Does anyone mind telling me why Demyx and I were brought back to life?"
The Goddess stepped in, seeing how much time had been wasted on talking. "I shall tell thee. Thou were summoned to help Roxas. His journey shall be dire and he needeth his friends to help him." the Goddess of Hearts explained. Roxas opened his mouth to speak but she held up a hand. "Before thou asketh, I cannot reveal the shadow's identity. That goeth against Fate's plan, forgive me. Donald and Goofy shall reveal it in due time and that time is not now."
"Great." Cloud muttered. The Goddess smiled sadly at his word as she reached out and touched each elder Nobody just below their collar bone. Axel raised a brow at the action as Demyx just grinned.
"What was that for?" the fire wielder question. She only smiled gently.
"To keepest a link to thee. Thy life is only borrowed and it shall be quick to deplete so thou must keepest a tie to Kingdom Hearts. Only it canst keepest thee alive. And..." She held out her hand and two beads of energy floated from her hand and landed squarely over their hearts. The beads soon transformed into two necklaces that each bore a different insignia.
Wrapped around Axel's neck was a chain much like Sora's and Roxas' but it had the symbol of fireball on it. Around Demyx's neck was the same thing only it was in the shape of a wave. The Goddess reached over and tapped Roxas' chain that held an X shaped charm. The younger Nobody touched it in question.
The Goddess giggled at his expression. "Dost not worry, Roxas. I merely just given ye three powers much like Sora's. His transformation powers and magic are the only things I canst giveth thee. Each one hath these gifts. Only thee, Roxas, I hath giveth the powers of Thunder. It is thou's main power now." she told them as she held out her hand to Roxas, who stared at her in confusion. "Taketh the Keyblade, Sora's weapon, with thee. Thou art the only one that can wieldst the power it has."
She placed the shrunken magical weapon into his hand. Roxas opened his palm and gazed at the tiny key that shone brightly to him. He hung it on his chain and blinked in surprise. The Keyblade pulsed softly as it recognized him as half of its former master and it hid itself behind his other charm. He grinned a little. Well, now he knew where the Keyblade disappeared to when Sora was't using it.
"Thank you." the trio Nobodies replied as they bowed to her. She turned slightly away and giggled then summoned the Gummi Ship to start their journey.
"Taketh the Gummi Ship, Ultima. Tis Sora's most powerful ship he himself created. It hath seen much battle and knoweth the realm well. It shall protect thee much liketh done with Sora. May thee hast a safe journey and good luck!" she giggled before disappearing into thin air.
"Was she blushing?" Roxas asked to no one in particular. For awhile no one said anything just stared at the empty space the Goddess had occupied earlier. No one knew why but the Goddess of Hearts had acted a little strangely toward Sora and Roxas. All were confused but one.
Leon smirked as he strode, the best he could at the moment, over to Roxas and grinned. "Yeah, she was."
"Why?"
"Because she's got herself a crush."
"On who?! Sora?!"
"Yup."
"The Goddess of Hearts has a crush on Sora?!"
"Yup."
"Sora, dude, I feel sorry for you."
The Gunblader's grin grew wider. "You better start feeling sorry for yourself."
Roxas stared at him, "Why?"
"Because she's got one on you too."
"WHAT!?"
"Well, you are half of Sora."
"Is that why she keeps looking away everytime I look at her?!"
The Gunblader nodded with the smirk still playing on his face as the young Nobody wailed that he wasn't ready to have girls chasing after him. Axel grinned like the Chesire Cat about the ordeal and Demyx praised the fact that Roxas had a powerful entity wrapped around his finger. The teen yelled at both of them to shut up as his cheeks burned in embarrassment.
"Ohh, ye-ah! Let's get ready for this road trip!" Demyx cheered as he summoned up his guitar and strummed a few cords.
"Way a head of you." Axel shot back as he twirled his twin Chakrams in his hands, "Be prepared. P-R-E-P-A-R-E-D, got it memorized?"
Roxas grinned as he extended his right hand out to his side and the Keyblade automatically appeared in full battle mode in his grip. "Let's do this!"
"YEAH! FOR SORA!" everyone cheered and the trio of Nobodies raced for the Gummi ship, eager to start their adventure...
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WHOO! I finally completed chappy TWO! Hooray for me!
Wow, I suck. It took me several months to make one chapter...that sucks.
Anyway, I think I dragged this chappy way too long and I apologize for that, I didn't know how to end it. Well, now that the guys are about to start their journey... where will they go first? What will happen?
Just give me some ideas here. Full fledge ones please and don't worry, I will give you credit for your idea when I post up your idea. I know for certain that they'll go to Halloween Town and the Pride Lands sometime later. Which world do you guys think they should go first? Remember the world has to be a Disney one, it can be from the game or a Disney movie Square Enix had yet to place in.
I hope you enjoy the chappy and I'll chat with ya later!