If we were Together: A year has passed since their separation, and Riku and Sora have grown both in size and in mentality. Sora slept in her chamber regaining her memories while Riku watched over her clouded in the gray spaces between light and darkness.
Author's Note: We're starting to get close to the ending of the second installment. It has come to my attention that some viewers may like a Chain of Memories installment. I had decided against it Originally because I didn't think much would change in the way of content at the time, plus it's the one KH game I have a hard time getting through to the end ... it's probably the longest KH installment thus far... ugh.. =_= doors, numbers, running in circles. Still if my readers want CoM they get CoM.
So we have some options.
TOTAL REVAMP! : Basically where I recreate the entire story from scratch with only a few major plot points stayin, including Sora losing memories, Castle Oblivion, and Organization 13.
Short but Sweet: A basic summary of the entire game listed in a series of flashbacks and monologues. I plan on doing this with DDD and this could be a good practice run on seeing how it works.
True to the material: this options is for if you just want me to do as I have been doing and sticking close to the original story as possible. I will be meshing Sora and Riku's storylines so they coincide in the correct timeline but other than that it'll be as if you're playing the game.
Exnay, with honorable Mention: I can do as I had originally planned and give CoM a brief honorable mention in "If We had Hearts" which is the 358/2 days that coincides within the same timeline.
The choice, my dear readers, is yours.
Chapter 18: Sora Vs. Roxas
Sora seemed to be lost in a catatonic state. Donald waved his hand in front of her face trying to make her look up from the remnants of Axel's disappearing body. She touched her lips a tear strolling down one cheek and then down the other. "Axel…"
"Come on, Sora… we can't linger here too long."
"R-Right… mnng… you're right." Sora quickly stood brushing away the tears sighing. "Sorry I don't know what came over me."
They shouldn't have hearts, they shouldn't feel, or show those types of emotions she saw flashing on Axel's face. Were he and Roxas different somehow? Were they really nobodies? She wasn't even sure who this Roxas girl was, all she knew was that they were connected somehow, and Axel wanted to be close to her just one last time.
It made her heart ache.
She couldn't think about that now. She had to continue what she'd come here to do. Stepping through the portal Axel provided the group stepped forward into another world… the land inbetween light and Darkness known as "The world that Never Existed."
"Axel said Kairi was in the castle dungeon." Sora told Mickey as they stared up at the big white castle lingering above the dark city.
"Then we'd better find a way up there. Come on!" Mickey rushed ahead of them.
Heartless oozed from the ground as if conjured by some malicious force. They just wouldn't stop coming. Sora's arms grew heavy ad she made her way through the dark alley, slashing and collecting items from the various chests she found.
She paused before the square taking a moment to use a potiona nd stetch out her muscles and restock her items. "I get the feeling we're approaching something dangerous… I've got that fuzzy dark vibe buzzing all around me, as if we're being watched."
"What scares me is that those hunches of yours usually turn out to be right." Donald whimpered and trembled some. "This places gives me the creeps."
Thunder rolled overhead and rain began to pitter patter down from the sky . Sora's eyes stared up at the large sky scraper, and for a moment she thought she saw someone gazing down at them, but when she blinked a few times the figure was gone.
"Sora!" Donald squawked from behind and Sora whirled around to see her friends had been encircled by Nobodies. She rushed forward to help, but then got that startling vibe again, however this time it came full force. Her body felt cold, and a bead of sweat dripped from her temple. She slowly turned around to come face to face with an ominous cloaked figure. The way it moved, smooth and hippy, indicated hat this figure was, "not riku."
She spoke it aloud.
"Definitely, not Riku." The figure spoke back in a female voice, huskey and full of hate. The girl continued forward. "I did defeat a Riku once, but that's neither here nor there."
"What…" Sora's eyes widened. She gasped when she rushed forward and suddenly began attacking. To Goofy and Donald's eyes Sora simply vanished from sight.
"Sora!"
The two girls seemed to be transported to a destination resembling of that when Sora had first learned to wield the keyblade… the place in her dreams. Sora barely had time to bring up her blade in defense against the twin blades, she'd been shocked that the small organization member was a keyblade wielder, it didn't make any sense. "Who are you?"
She pushed back only to block again and that voice laughed darkly. "Someone from the dark…" She pushed off stepping back and splitting her blades up and twirling them. "I'm not Riku, I'm not any of your friends… but you and I have always been connected, Sora."
"What do you mean… mmmph! Hey! Stop fighting and talk to me! Why are you doing this?" She fought back, purely for the sake of defense. The girl was skilled, perhaps even more so than herself. The twin blades gave her an advantage and left her opened. Without Donald and Goofy there to add as a powerup for her drive mode she was left to rely on her own power.
"Why? Huh… I should be the one asking the questions." With a grunt she brought down her blade smartly across Sora's nearly knocking it out of her hands but Sora rolled and ducked away before leaping in the air and meeting her in another clash. "Why have they all chosen you? Why did it have to be you?"
"You're not making any sense!" Sora flicked her blade and somersaulted in the air landing on her feet. She stared up at Roxas who hovered in the air staring down at the stain glass platform…
"Huh… I see…" The eyes hidden beneath the robe eyed the various faces, Riku and Kairi's likeness standing out most and pulsing strong with light. "That's why." Her heart, that's why she was chosen. It was the missing piece of the puzzle of everyone's actions towards her. It was why she could never measure up, She was a nobody, she didn't have a heart… and that just pissed her off even more. "RAUGGGHHH!"
She landed and attacked with fervor, Sora reduced to her knees by the unrelenting force, pushed by the girl's rage. Her keyblade went flying and she made a leap for it but stopped as the dark blade pointed right at her, the second twin stamping right into the hilt of it.
Out of options, Sora clenched her fist and bowed her head about ready to meet to defeat.. but then her palms tingled and she flicked her glance to her blade and reached for it. Within seconds the blade disappeared and reappeared into her hand, and with just a single shocked response the girl was caught off guard and Sora's blade slice right into her.
~Roxas~
She stumbled forward, blue eyes widening from her own loss and she felt her mind going fuzzy, and she bowed to her knees her hood flying off her face. The familiar warmth of a sunset heated her face and she felt as if she were back on the clock tower above the station, waiting…
"Bout time you woke up." Axel's voice woke her, Roxas uncurled herself from the step confused and wondering how she got here… was she dreaming?
"Axel!" Her chest ached and she struggled not to jump from her spot and hug him. He stood on the edge staring at the sunset and smiling.
"Or…" his words kept her in her place, though he smiled she sensed sadness in his voice and eyes. "Maybe I've got it wrong… maybe it's time to sleep, soon we won't be able to talk like this anymore."
Was that it… was this the calm before the merge… until she finally faded into Sora's heart? Her eyes turned away from him staring down at her gripped hands. "Does that mean… it's time for me to go back where I belong?"
Axel looked down at her, so serious and sad he just had to smile. Always thinking too much, that was his Roxas. "You know…" he sat down and pulled her in by wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I've been thinking something Namine' said." He tilted her face up to stare at his. "Roxas, are you sure you don't have a heart?"
The question caught her offguard, Roxas' eyes drifted off his face a moment and she leaned all the way in so her forehead right into his chin. "I don't know… I can't just look inside."
"Yeah…" Axel rested his cheek atop her head now breathing her in. "I guess you're right."
"Still…" He felt her lay a hand on his chest gripping the fabric of his robe. "If there is something there…. we'd feel it wouldn't we?" And she was feeling it, full force, knocking against her ribs and chest. An ache and a longing she'd had since they'd first met.
"Sora will find the answer… I'm sure of it… because she's me." She smiled and closed her eyes. She was ready to accept it now, because not only had Axel touched Sora's heart, but Sora had touched Axel's… she knew it was there… somewhere, just waiting to be discovered.
"Here…" Axel brought something from behind his back nearly poking her in the nose with it. She sat up laughing and taking hold of the sea salt ice cream bar.
"Thanks."
With hands still linked they ate their ice cream, and watched the sunset as they had done many times before. "Man I missed the old days… still got it memorized?" Axel teased. "On the day we met, and you got your new name, you and I sat right here and ate ice cream."
"I remember, vividly." She squeezed his hand. "We also sat in this very spot when you kissed me for the first time… and you tasted just like the ice cream… sweet and salty at the same time." She giggled.
Axel laughed and sighed and set his ice cream aside to grasp her chin and kiss her now. Roxas' own ice cream bar slipped through her fingers and she touched his hand on her face. She felt their presence in this world between beginning to fade… and as they pull back her eyes slowly opened and she smiled at him.
"Take care...okay?" her body sparkled and began to disapperate in his arms. Axel returned the smile and nodded.
"You too… Roxie." Before he could stop it, the tear slipped from his eyes and as their forms disappear the tear splattered on the brick below.
~Sora~
Sora wondered if she'd broken her… the girl just sat there staring off into space for what seemed like an eternal moment. Suddenly Roxas rose up to her feet and Sora lifted her blade again ready to fight again if necessary… but Roxas only smirked and looked over her shoulder blue eyes shining with pride. "You make a good other."
When she suddenly reappeared before Donald and Goofy, Sora just stared into space trying to contemplate the situation. "What… just happened?"
"Well you just disappeared, and Donald and I had to fight some nobodies."
"She said… she defeated Riku." Sora touched her chest.
"Who said it?"
"That girl… in the black coat!" Frustrated Sora turned around to face her friends. Hadn't they seen her?
"Nobody could defeat, Riku…" Donald pointed out… no one but Sora that was… he added in his mind.
"A black coat means the Organization… she must have been trying to trick ya." Goofy agreed finding the story a little hard to believe himself.
"Yeah, that must be why we didn't see her." He saw the startled look on Sora's face. "You must be tired, Sora." He pat her hand. "Come on, I think I saw the king run ahead. We'll find a place for you to sit and rest a moment."
Sora didn't want to rest, she didn't want to move from this spot till she'd cleared her head. The events that had just happened still racing through her mind, and emotions circling her heart causing it to ache. Was Riku really okay? What about Kairi? What did the organization know about them that she didn't? Why wouldn't the King tell her about what he knows?
She took a few steps to follow her friends, then heard a clinking sound at her feet. She looked down and picked up the item examining it. It looked like one of the charms she'd collected from the various worlds… the kind she attached to her blade to enhance its abilities. However, this one was new and the design reminded her of the charms she'd seen Roxas wear in the picture she had in her pocket.
She attached it to her blade, watching it transform and glowing in her hand. She gripped the handle firmly closing her eyes. She felt so strong holding this blade, confident and refreshed from the fatigue of the battle before. She heard a small giggle in the back of her mind and it made her smile. She imagined holding the blade with someone else, a presence that had been lingering with her since they'd started this journey.
"Could it really be you… Roxas? Have you been here with me the whole time?"
"Let's go Sora, we've work to do."
"Right…" Sora's eyes opened and she let the blade fade from her hand and rushed after her friends.
~Kairi~
Why was she here? Why had they taken her? Better yet who were they?
Kairi had so many questions running through her mind as she sat in the square shaped cell staring off into space. Pluto, the dog beside her, had guided and protected her as she journeyed off in the dark portal to escape from Axel… only for both of them to be captured again by Saix.
What sort of trouble had Sora gotten herself into now? Better yet, where was Sora now?
She heard footsteps outside her cell and she jumped to her feet running to the bars. She found Saix pacing the room standing guard. "What are you going to do with us?"
His eyes slowly scanned her direction, harsh and gold, his face sober as he spoke. "You're the fuel that fires sora's anger. We're going to put it to good use." He spoke simply and wandered off.
Kairi's eyes widened and she clasped her hands together in a lil prayer. "No… Sora's in trouble because of me."
Pluto barked causing her to turn, and she saw a dark portal open up, a blonde female standing just inside it. "Hurry, this way."
"Who-"
"Believe in yourself…" Namine called out to her in a hush whisper and stretched out her hand to grasp hers. Though she wasn't able to transport them far, Namine pulled them from the Cell and with her hand in Kairi's the two of them escaped down the winding path of the castle.
Namine felt a presence beginning to surface and she pulled Kairi back just in time before Saix appeared before them again.
"Namine, there you are." With two bodyguards at his side he stepped towards them, both of their guards going up. "Kairi, I'm afraid leaving is not an option." He holds out his hand. "Come with me, and I'll take you to Sora."
When she refused to let her guard down his frown deepened. "You don't want that?
"I do… more than anything." She wanted to see her best friend, wanted to help her and be with her… "but not with you around!"
"Heh, if I had a heart this is where I would die of laughter." Saix's stray remark was echoed by the sound of a blade slicing through matter. he turned to see his Nobody guards falling and faded into the grey.
"You? Didn't Roxas take care of you?" Saix frowned at the figure, the dark blade easily recognizable to him and his colleagues.
"You can take it from here… Riku." Namine stood straight now smiling. Kairi gasped and turned her eyes watching the figure cloaked like the rest of the organization, but battling against its member. Could it really be him?
She stepped forward… running when he was about to follow Saix into the black. "Wait!" She panted and followed his retreating figure laughing. "Is it really you?" She reached up, pulling down the hood… and gasping when the face she found wasn't his. "Ansem…"
Another chapter done, and faster than I thought it would be! Yay! Hope you guys enjoyed the little Akuroku moment I added, I couldn't help myself!
Next Chapter: The Ultimate Soriku Chapter
lolz just kidding
Next Chapter: Reunited