Chapter Thirty Four: Burning Ambitions

"So... think you can take both of us on?" Xehanort's Heartless asked.

"This... is an unfair game..." I muttered, breathing a little heavily.

Even with my new Keyblade... Dawn... can I take them both

"Let me even out the scales a bit," a familiar voice called out. Axel... the Organization's Number VIII... walked up the stairs. "After all... it's not like I have anyone to be."

"Axel..." I muttered as he walked up and stood by my side.

"What?" he asked, summoning his chakrams.

"Thanks..." I said, then turned back to face Xemnas and Xehanort's Heartless. "His Heartless is mine. That's the one I'm after."

"Okay. Xemnas, let's go," Axel said, throwing one of his chakrams at Xemnas. The two jumped into the air; Xemnas was levitating with his power, while Axel rode a stream of fire.

"Now it's just you and me," I said to Xehanort's Heartless. "I defeated you once before... I can certainly do so again."

"Then... let's see if you've got what it takes now," Xehanort's Heartless sneered. I dashed at him... but he faded into wisps of darkness, then reformed behind me.

"Coward. Without your Guardian Heartless, you're nothing," I taunted. I dashed again, this time shooting Light Firagas to stop him. He seemed crippled in pain, and after a few strokes, he fell over.

"Is that all you've got? I'm disapponted..." I taunted, holding my Keyblade over his head.

"You think it's over?" he asked. I felt the ground beneath me beginning to crumble... I did my best to dash to the stairs leading up to the altar, but it was too far... the ground crumbled, causing me to fall all the way down to the Hall of Empty Melodies.

I got up, shoving aside some rubble, and looked around. Roy was still collapsed on the floor, while Xehanort's Heartless floated just above the balcony. In the sky I could see Axel and Xemnas going at it.

"You see... darkness is the heart's true essence!" Xehanort shouted. I dashed from side to side, evading dark flares, before throwing Dawn at him. He seemed to block it with some sort of invisible barrier. Characteristically it came back, but felt odd...

His darkness... how deep is it?

I dashed from side to side, eventually leaping up to the balcony. I moved to strike Xehanort's Heartless over and over again, but every blow was blocked with his bare hands.

I jumped back.

"Unsure of why you can't harm me?" Xehanort's Heartless sneered. "It's because though you've gained the power of light, it's a tainted light."

"Tainted light..." I muttered.

Can my darkness ever be purified?

I dashed again, shooting Light Firagas. A flurry of those seemed to do a little bit of damage, and so I moved in for a strike. Xehanort's Heartless tossed dark energy at me, but I blocked all of it with Dawn.

After that, I moved in closer, making several high-speed strokes. It was enough to hurt him a little, but I was soon blasted back by a Dark Firaga to my gut.

I slammed into a wall, then staggered to my feet. Xehanort's Heartless slowly moved over toward me.

"So... still think you're so superior?" he asked. I looked into his sinful yellow eyes...

I'm not giving up, no matter what!

I blasted him with more Light Firagas, which he countered with an equal number of Dark Firagas. We then attakced and parried each others' blows; Xehanort's Heartless used little more than his fists, though he never managed to land a hit. Unfortunately, the hits that I did manage to land seemed ineffective.

After an exhaustive round of attacks and parries, I knelt down for a moment. Xehanort's Heartless seemed just fine...

He is a Heartless, after all. No wonder he doesn't tire.

Just as Xehanort's Heartless moved in for the deathblow, which I could have parried, I heard a loud clanking again.

The Black Knight...

The Black Knight walked in from Naught's Skyway, then stood in front of me again.

Is he... shielding me?

"Sir Knight, step aside," Xehanort's Heartless commanded.

The Knight didn't budge.

"Would you like me to divulge your identity to these people?" Xehanort's Heartless asked. The Black Knight still didn't budge; in fact, he raised his sword.

"I see... so that's how it is," Xehanort's Heartless muttered. He blasted the Black Knight with Dark Firagas, but it didn't seem to do anything but push him back a bit.

The Black Knight moved to attack Xehanort's Heartless, and I went along with him. We flanked him; though he was wearing massive and undoubtedly heavy armor, the Black Knight was able to move at the same speed as I was. We attacked him from both sides, and Xehanort's Heartless summoned a polearm Soul Eater to counter us.

Using some awesome strength, Xehanort's Heartless knocked both the Black Knight and I off of the Hall of Empty Melodies' balcony. I looked up after I heard a crashing sound to see Axel and Xemnas still going at it, though Axel had been knocked through a window. He landed beside me, then kept battling Xemnas as I was forced to contend with Xehanort's Heartless along with the Black Knight.

After a few minutes of intense combat, we had pinned Xemnas and Xehanort's Heartless back to back. Axel had one of his chakrams at Xemnas' throat, while the Black Knight and I both held our sword and Keyblade, respectively, at Xehanort's Heartless' throat.

"It's over," I said.

"Is that what you think? Foolish boy..." Xehanort's Heartless snickered. Before anyone could react, Axel had been impaled with an Aerial Blade.

"Heh... sorry I wasn't good enough..." Axel muttered. "Take him down for me, and for himself. Got it... memorized...?"

Axel faded into the darkness.

"Now it's fair," Xemnas muttered, turning around to face the Black Knight. The two fought, though I couldn't comprehend just how the Black Knight moved so fast in that heavy armor.

"I am your opponent," Xehanort's Heartless said. I turned around just in time to block several strikes from his Soul Eater polearm, though it was a bit tough.

"I won't let you get away with this!" I shouted at him, blasting him with Light Firagas. He knocked them aside with ease, then whirled Dark Firagas out of the Soul Eater polearm.

I blocked them all, then stood still. The Black Knight was soon behind me, barely managing to keep up with Xemnas (not for lack of energy, but simply because he couldn't move as fast).

"It's over now," Xemnas proclaimed. He readied his Aerial Blade to whack the Black Knight with, and I braced myself to block Xehanort's Heartless' stroke...

"No... not yet," I heard Roy mutter. We all looked over to see him stagger to his feet, sword drawn. "I won't let it."

"Three heroes... how poetic," Xehanort's Heartless said to Xemnas.

"Should we show them the true meaning of fear?" Xemnas asked.

"Why not?" Xehanort's Heartless replied. Before anyone could react, the two gathered dark energy in their palms, then slammed it into the floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies. The ground crumbled, sending the Black Knight, Roy, and I falling into the Realm of Darkness, along with several chunks of rubble and Lexaeus' dust...