Chapter 21: It's just like Heaven

Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: The Velvet Room

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greets. On the round table in front of him, he spreads out six cards in an octagonal spread.

"How will you proceed now that things have taken a turn for the worse?" Margaret asks. I roll my eyes. Thanks, Captain Obvious.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor asks.

I smirk. "I've never had any particular doubts or strong belief in it, but knowing how things go in here, I might as well believe."

Margaret flips over a card in the bottom right corner. It's one I'm unfamiliar with. "The Tower. It is an omen of doom and disaster. This is the fate that may await you."

Like its namesake, the card has a tower on it. The top of the tower is struck by lightning, destroying the top. What seems to be two people are falling from the tower.

"There is a way to avert a downfall," Igor tells me. "Find the truths of your world, and look past what's in front of you."

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into fog.

November 6, 2015
Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: Mirror World- Heaven

"Mommy, where are you?"

"Why'd you have to go?"

"How come you left me behind?"

While we search and fight our way through the dungeon, Usagi's voice would echo constantly, slowly driving me insane. The guilt kept on building up, making me move and attack without thought. Everyone is telling me to calm down, rest, and let them handle any fighting, but how can I calm down when someone in my own family could potentially die here?!

This place isn't like any of the other dungeons we fought in. Most of those places had odd vibes to them, riddled with the repressed thoughts and emotions of each of the victims. They were dark and dreary, but this one… It's odd in its own different way.

Everywhere we went, a bright blue sky above us in addition to fog and pure white clouds. Any structures were made of marble, and gardens filled with to the brim with exotic flowers were everywhere. Statues of angels were everywhere, and doors opened to the sound of harps.

It's kind of… Like Heaven.

"Look, over there!" Roxas points to a long flight of stairs. On them, was a man pulling someone with him.

"Usagi!" I scream as I run towards her captor.

Once Usagi and Eraqus reach the top, he stops and faces us. "You followed me here?!" His face is full of worry and is drenched in sweat.

"Give me back my cousin, you bastard!" I yell.

"Are you Eraqus Namatame?" Xion asks.

"And you are?" His face shifts into a crooked smile. "Wait a minute… You're the people I saved!"

"Excuse me? What are you, crazy?" Riku asks. "What the hell do you mean by save?"

"I'm going to save this girl…" Eraqus pats Usagi's head.

"Fuck you!" I run towards him, but he grabs Usagi and runs off with her. We chase after him until he reaches the end of the large, circular platform we're on.

"Eraqus Namatame, you put the people you saw on the Midnight Reflection into the world, I presume?" Xion asks.

"That's right."

"What exactly made you do that?"

"On rainy nights… In the mirror… They signal me to save them…" Eraqus says. "If I hadn't put you inside the mirror, how would have you ended up?"

"Are you trying to say that we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves?" Kairi asks.

"We nearly died when you put us in here!" Namine says.

"Yes… Exactly…" Eraqus rambles.

"This guy is nuts!" Yuffie says.

"I just wanted to save you!" Eraqus defends, if you can even call it that.

"Screw you! 'Save,' my ass!" Roxas yells. "You're just killing people!"

"You're the murderers!" he accuses. "I know that you plan on killing this child!"

"How the hell do you think I could ever kill my own family?!" I yell.

"What are you talking about?" Xion asks.

"I'll save her!" Eraqus raises Usagi by her underarms. Dark energy pulses from Eraqus.

"No, stop it!" I yell.

Usagi looks towards me with tears dripping from the sides of her eyes, a mixture of confusion and fear locked into her gaze. She coughs, barely able to form a sentence.

"I am a Savior!" The darkness overtakes Eraqus and Usagi, forming a large orb of darkness. When the orb fades away, Usagi is unconscious in a large orb of energy and Eraqus is gone.

What replaces him is a set of armor. It's adorned with colors of gold, silver, and black. Sharp points are on different points of its body, most notably its helmet, where three protrude. Above his head is a halo made of golden chains.

In its hands is… Another Keyblade! It has a smooth, cylindrical, grey shaft that tapers outward at both ends. It has a boxy guard, made up of two small, light grey boxes and copper rod. The Keyblade's teeth are in the shape of a capital 'E'

Everything that makes up the Heartless signifies Light, but an aura of powerful darkness radiates from the armor.

"I will save her!" Eraqus says.

"PERSONA!"

I charge forward at Eraqus, Izanagi gliding behind me. Eraqus raises his Keyblade, and a bright light flashes before my eyes. When the light fades away, I attempt to run towards him, but my body can't move! On my wrists and ankles are chains made of light.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Roxas asks.

My body begins moving on its own, disobeying what I want it to do. My body makes me face toward my friends. As my hand raises itself, Izanagi readies his Keyblade. "Guys, run!" I warn them.

Izanagi raises his Keyblade, and a large burst of flames erupts from the tip of it, exploding on the ground in front of them. When the smoke disappears, Namine's Persona, Konohana Sakuya, appears. It summoned a wall of blue flames and protected the group. Everyone else's Personas are summoned as well.

"What has gotten into you, Sora?" Yuffie asks. Her Persona, Tomoe Gozen, launches her four-point shuriken. Izanagi summons a large dome of energy, reflecting her attack.

"The enemy is controlling him!" Kairi says.

My hand raises, and Izanagi turns back into a card. The card shatters, and Ursula appears. She's clothed in purple with tentacles for legs, and a golden trident in her hands. She has a crown adorned with jewels mixed with various shades of purple, and has white hair.

Ursula raises her trident, and a whirlwind materializes, sucking my friends into a vortex. Roxas is able to break free of the hurricane, him and his Persona rushing toward us.

"Sora, hold on!" he yells.

"No, Roxas! Don't do it!" I warn him.

Ursula turns into a card, and a red genie appears in black smoke. He raises his hands, and red lightning strikes Roxas and his Persona. As he screams in pain, I try to stop the genie, but my body still won't listen to me.

After the genie incapacitates Roxas, he turns back into a card. He's replaced by… Crap… "Guys, watch out!" Sephiroth appears in a powerful inferno. He raises his katana, and meteors fall toward us.

"That's right, keep fighting! I won't let anyone get in my way!" Eraqus says. "I won't let anyone stop me!"

"Stop it!" I scream. "I don't want to do this!"

"Big Bro, don't fight them."

Out of nowhere, my left hand grabs my right forearm. Usagi? The meteors above somehow stop falling.

"Sorry 'bout this, Sora!" Roxas yells.

"Ditto!" Yuffie nods, as hers and Roxas' Personas rush at me.

Yuffie's Persona brandishes a pair of daggers, and Roxas' Persona, Twilight Thorn, launches a large blue and purple orb of energy. Once it connects with Sephiroth, Tomoe Gozen rushes in with the daggers, slashing at him with quick but precise strikes. As Sephiroth staggers back and slowly falls to the ground, the meteors above us disappear.

Sephiroth isn't going down with a fight, though. My arms continue to move again, and Sephiroth strikes back with his large katana. He raises his weapon, and large pillars of fire send my friends back. Namine's Persona then comes flying in through the inferno, its wings adorned with blue flames and unscathed by my rogue Persona's fire.

"Attack, Merlin!" Donald points his wand at Sephiroth, and his Persona flies toward him. As his Persona flaps its wings, fireworks appear in front of it. When the fuses are lit, they blast off stars trailing behind them. The fireworks make contact with Sephiroth, and they explode into multicolored bursts of light and flames. The attack is able to make Sephiroth shatter into mirror fragments.

"Now's our chance to attack Eraqus!" Xion points at the Usagi's captor, and her Persona, Poppet, soars toward him at a breakneck speed. Poppet brandishes its sword, and it dives and attacks Eraqus multiple times. He staggers, but he's able to create a dome barrier made of golden chains, effectively blocking Xion's attacks

"Now's my turn!" Riku's Persona, Dark Follower rushes in and shatters the barrier protecting Eraqus. It then grabs Eraqus, and then repeatedly pummels him. Dark Follower then throws Eraqus onto the ground, and plunges its sword at him again and again.

As they attack him, I take the chance to force my hands to break the chains on my wrists. As I force my arms to move, they flare with pain, but I fight through it. Once I grab a hold of the chains on each of my wrists, I can feel the flesh on my hands burning, but I'm able to break them off. I summon Izanagi, and he launches his Keyblade at the orb holding Usagi, shattering it.

I have Izanagi carry me, and he flies into the air. As Usagi falls, and Izanagi rushes me to her, time seems to slow down. For the first time, I'm extremely scared that I'm going to fail…Sure, I felt fear when I fought everyone else's Heartless, but I finished the job. Since this is my own family we're talking about, there are so many other emotions flowing through my heart. Not to mention, I promised Zack that I would save his daughter, my cousin.

I can't break that promise!

"USAGI!" Despite the air practically punching my face, I'm able to catch Usagi just in time. As Izanagi descends, he holds the two of us in his hands. I bring Usagi into a deep hug, and a tear of relief and joy escapes my eye.

"Big Bro…" she mumbles.

"It's okay, I have you now… You're safe…" Ignoring the pain in my burnt hands, I pull her into an even deeper hug, if that's even possible.

"Give her back!" Eraqus yells. He raises his Keyblade, and chains of light appear from the tip. They wrap themselves around all of my friends' wrists and ankles.

"Oh shit…" Roxas says.

"My body! I can't move it!" Riku says.

Everyone's Persona gets into their respective battle stances. I raise my right arm to summon another Persona, but the adrenaline rush I had has already left me. I feel the full pain of my burnt hand.

"I am going to save that girl!" Eraqus yells. "I WILL SAVE HER!"

Eraqus raises his hand, and everyone's Personas gains a dark aura. I can sense that their power has been raised exponentially.

Just when my arms are about to give out from the pain, a strong hand grabs right arm. I look to my left, and Zack appears in a comforting blue light, almost as if he's a ghost.

"Sora, please save Usagi." Zack helps me move my right hand to the left, summoning six Arcana cards in an octagonal formation. Underneath me, a large blue magic circle appears. As everyone charges at me for an attack, the four cards shatter, and a large dragon appears.

It has darks scales all over its body, and spikes of what seem to be made of bone adorned on its head and tail. Its claws are even sharper than Sephiroth's sword, reflecting any light that touches it. It has large black, translucent wings, its veins visible on its skin.

"Jabberwocky!" Zack and I shout in unison. He helps me raise my hand, and the large dragon flaps its wings and breathes fire, sending my friends' Personas back. The fire breath congregates in the air, and forms a large ball of fire. The ball then explodes, launching small fireballs at the chains binding them. They're able to destroy the chains and free my friends.

"Daddy…" Usagi mumbles as Zack fades away, a warm smile on his face. Jabberwocky fades away, turning back into a card. Everyone starts attack Eraqus, overpowering him with the same energy that he bestowed upon them.

I extend my hand out, newfound adrenaline pumping in my veins. "White Queen!" In a blue light, a woman dressed in an elegant white appears. Her hair is pale and her skin is ghostly to the point that it's like snow! She's surrounded by white chess pieces, and holds a sword that's as reflective as a mirror.

The Queen raises her sword elegantly, and the chess pieces flies toward Eraqus, distracting it. The White Queen disappears, and is replaced by Izanagi. I lay Usagi on the ground, and we run toward Eraqus. Izanagi slashes him with the Keyblade, destroying the armor and sending Eraqus flying.

I let out a yell as my fist connects with his face. I repeatedly pummel Eraqus, my vision slowly becoming red. Around me, I hear faint noises, but I don't stop until I pulled away from him. My vision returns back to normal, and Eraqus is on the ground unconscious and bleeding. He has a bloody nose and his mouth is the same.

Behind me, someone is crying. I look up, and Kairi's tears fall on my face. "Sora… Please stop… You're not yourself…" she says in between sobs. I look at Izanagi, and his eyes shine a bright yellow. His black coat has dark particles rising from it. Compared to the regal way he carries himself, he's twitching and his hands are shaking. His hands… Are bloodied. I look at mine, and they're the same as his.

Time of Day: Morning
Weather: Foggy
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital

When we returned, Usagi was put in an Intensive Care Unit, and Eraqus was taken by the cops. We currently wait outside her room. They even cared for and bandaged my hands, but… They won't stop shaking.

Everyone is quiet. "To think that she still didn't fully recover from her cold… Then going through something as stressful as this…" I put my hands in my face. "Usagi is only six, how did she even survive?"

"Since Usagi was so young, her other self didn't appear like it did for everyone else," Donald says. "To believe she got caught in all of this craziness…"

"He just had to have that stupid armor! Was that even his Persona or his Heartless?!" Roxas asks.

Riku punches the wall. "There's no way she could've handled that, dammit."

"Why'd I have to waste time listening to what Eraqus had to say?!" Xion scolds herself. "If I hadn't tried to engage him in conversation, and we'd rescued Usagi immediately…"

"Xion, it isn't you fault," Namine comforts her. "You just-"

"I prioritized solving the case over Usagi's safety! Because of that, Usagi is…" She throws her hat on the ground in frustration.

Riku sighs. "Enough of this pity party. Is feeling pathetic and consoling each other gonna solve anything? We just have to hope that she'll get better."

"Yeah, we have to get it together!" Yuffie says. The way she says it though… I think she's trying to tell herself that, too.

Xion picks up her hat, and wipes a tear away from her eye. "Sorry… You're right."

"Listen Xion, even I could tell you were desperate to save her," I tell her. "Thank you. I'm glad you were there."

Xion looks down, her face becoming red. "Thank you…"

Roxas gets up from his chair. "C'mon, guys! Acting all gloomy won't solve anything! Think how Usagi would feel if she saw us all like this."

I put on a brave smile. "Yeah, he's right!" I say that, but… I don't think I mean it.

Place: Destiny Islands- Public Park

"Hey, thanks for meeting me here, Kairi," I tell her.

"What's wrong, Sora? You look horrible!" Kairi sits down next to me. "You're so pale… And why did you undo your bandages?"

"Oh yeah…" I look at my burnt palms. "Just… Thinking."

"I'm pretty sure you can think without having to hurt yourself even more."

I give her a dry smile. "Looks like even when something like this happens, I can count on you to to be sarcastic with me."

"Now really, what's wrong?" Kairi asks.

"It's just… I'm scared. I'm scared that I could have lost my cousin. I'm scared that I could've hurt you guys. I'm scared we couldn't stop the culprit. My hands have been shaking nonstop…"

"Sora, that's natural. Anyone would be scared in that situation," she comforts.

"But… But…" I put my face into my hands. They sting like a bitch, but it's nothing compared to the hurt in my heart.

I feel a hand stroke my head. "C'mon… You know that if anyone else were to see you like this, they'd become depressed too," Kairi says. "You have to pick yourself up, Sora."

I understand that, but… "But after something like that, how could I? You guys could've been killed!"

"So? Since when have you guys not been on the brink of death fighting Heartless?"

I open my mouth, but once again, Kairi has stumped me. "Why does this always happen when I'm with you?"

Kairi flashes me a small grin. "Going past that, you only feel guilty, because you were forced to attack us. We all know it wasn't your choice, you were being controlled. Heck, even if you try to apologize to everyone because of what happened, they'd say the same thing as me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely positive!"

I can't help but shake my head with a chuckle. "You know, I'm really glad that you're my friend."

"Hm? Where did that come from?"

"Don't worry about it." I smile as I stand up from the bench.

"Hey, you can't just say something like that and be like, 'Don't worry about it!' What do you mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it!"

"Answer my question dammit!" As Kairi trails behind me, I break into a run and she continues to follow as I laugh at her expense.

November 21, 2015
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Foggy
Place: Destiny High

"The fog seems especially thick today," Xion says.

"Yeah, it's been getting worse and worse," I agree.

"How are your hands by the way? You're not wearing your bandages today either."

"Well they stopped hurting every time I moved a finger or grabbed something, so they're probably okay at this point. Plus, the doctor said that these burns would heal in two to three weeks, and it's practically been three." My burns may have healed, but they left scars. This'll be a tough one to explain to Mom and Dad.

"So, Eraqus woke up today. He confessed to everything. The case is… Over." Xion shakes her head. "I'm in slight disbelief about it, even though I was told personally."

"Yeah… To think I've been going at this case since I moved here." I smile. "Well, to add to the good news, we can visit Usagi now."

"Is that so? Have you told everyone else, yet?"

"Yup, you're the last. I had trouble finding you since we don't share any other classes."

"Makes sense. Anyway, while the hospital is our topic, do you remember what you told me there?" Xion asks.

"What'd I say?"

"You said that you were glad I was there. Thanks for that."

"No problem, but why does it seem that you're so hung up on it?"

"I think… That I just wanted to be needed. It's probably why I was trying so hard to solve the case. If you take away my ability as a detective, I have practically nothing." Xion smiles. "It made me happy to know that you guys gave me a place where I belong."

I return her smile. "You'll always have a place with us. Don't ever forget that. Anyway, c'mon. We were planning to visit Usagi once Roxas finished his after school stuff. You wanna come with?"

Xion nods her head. "Yeah, sure."

Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Foggy
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital

"Hi there…" Usagi says weakly.

"Hiya!" I grin. "It's good to see that you're better."

"What about me?" Zack laughs. His arms and head are wrapped in bandages and he's in a wheelchair. "Anyway, Usagi isn't able to talk that much as of now."

"Zack, why are you out of your room?" a nurse says as she walks through the door.

"Oh, well, you see…" Zack sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

"I understand that you're worried about your daughter, but you still need your rest too!"

"S-Sorry…"

"I'll wheel him back to his room immediately." Terra chuckles as he pushes Zack's wheelchair away.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Zack asks.

Usagi shows a weak smile. "Hey, Big Bro?"

"I'm right here," I tell her.

"Yeah, I'm so glad."

"Hey, guys," Terra says in the doorway. "Can you come out here for a minute, I need to talk to you about Eraqus."

"Yeah, sure. See you in a bit, Usagi." My friends and I leave Usagi's room and follow Terra into the waiting room.

"About Eraqus… The guys are saying he's still mentally unstable, but we're slowly piecing together his story."

"Anything new?" Xion asks.

"Well, this is a secret, but I guess I can tell you guys." Terra leans in. "There were entries about Ms. Yamano and Larxene Konishi in the diary we found."

Roxas raises his eyebrows. "What'd they say?"

"It seems that Eraqus had been making advances on Ms. Konishi. We think that could be connected as to why he killed her."

"That son of a bitch!" Roxas' tightens his fists and a dark expression appears on his face.

"W-Well, I probably shouldn't say much more, so I'll just head off now." Terra heads out the door.

"Hey, you okay Roxas?" Yuffie asks.

Roxas loosens up, and relaxes his face. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm just fine."

"You shouldn't bottle it in like that," Namine tells him.

"I'm not bottling it in, I'm just being tame about it… I guess." Roxas shrugs.

"Anyway, Eraqus has been caught," Riku says. "He can't hurt anyone now."

Place: Destiny Islands Streets

"What is with all the people gossiping about this fog lately?" Riku asks.

"I dunno…" Kairi answers. "I've heard a bunch of things about it."

"What, like it being poisonous?" I ask. "Or that it's some weird bio-weapon?"

"Trust me, that's not even scratching the surface," Yuffie says. "Apparently some guy is-"

"RUN!" a man yells. "EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! THE FOG IS POISONOUS!" He has a gas mask on, and even an oxygen tank on his back.

"... Is running around with a gas mask screaming like hell."

"The idea that the fog is poisonous is just plain stupid," Roxas says.

"But it is true that people are getting increasingly worried," Xion says. " And not just here, cites and towns nearby are talking about the fog too.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it reached national headlines," I say. "With how some environmentalists are, they'd find a way to chalk the situation up to global warming and climate change."

"It's amazing the fog has lasted this long," Namine says. "It's almost like the fog on the-"

"Other side?" Riku says. His glasses for the other world are on. "You guys might want to put on your glasses…" Riku has an extremely serious tone.

I put on my glasses, and… It's all clear!

"What the hell's going on?"Roxas asks. "Why can we use these here?"

"These glasses are meant to help us see through the fog in the Mirror World," Xion says. "Putting that aside, no glasses would improve visibility in a fog under normal circumstances."

"Could the fog from the other world be leaking into ours or something?" Yuffie asks.

I think about it. "You could be right… But would that even be possible?"

December 3, 2015
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Foggy
Place: Dojima Residence

Geez… Not having Zack and Usagi in the house for so long is depressing. I think I kinda miss Drunk Zack. He always made the night interesting. It's a good thing I have everyone else to keep me from dying of boredom.

"All this fog does remind me of the other side," Donald says. "But beyond that, I'm clueless!"

"I see… Hey Xion, the case against Eraqus hasn't been going well, right?" I ask.

Xion nods her head. "Yeah. According to Terra, little to no progress has been made with Eraqus' interrogations. It seems that he's still confined to his hospital bed, so further investigation has yet to commence."

"The fog isn't leaving, and the interrogation isn't going anywhere," Kairi says. "We solved the case, but I still feel super bummed."

"Hey… Can I still stay here?" Donald asks. "I mean, you guys did find the culprit, so things should be peaceful on my side, so I really should be leaving."

"Donald, we've been over this," Yuffie says. "You can stay here as long as you want!"

Roxas taps Donald's head. "C'mon, get it through that thick skull of yours! Of course you can stay! Who else is gonna help me move boxes at Moogle Co?"

Donald chuckles. "You guys really mean it?"

"Yeah, of course we do," Riku says.

"It wouldn't be the same if you left us." Namine smiles.

"You can stay here forever, Donald," I tell him. Someone's phone rings. I check my pocket, and Terra is calling. "Yeah? What's up, Terra?"

His breathing is panicky. "Okay, so keep calm, and listen to me."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"There's been a sudden change in Usagi's condition. Hurry over to the hospital!"

December 3, 2015
Time of Day: Night
Weather: Foggy
Place: Destiny Islands Municipal Hospital

Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

The hallway is silent except for the sound of the clock's hands moving, and my foot constantly tapping the floor. Everyone else is in a separate waiting room, while I'm by the door to Usagi's ICU.

My heart is racing. It has the same feeling as when… We were fighting Eraqus. But now isn't like that time. Usagi's going to be safe, right?

"Are you a family member," a nurse asks.

I stand up. "Yeah, I am."

"Follow me." The nurse turns around, and leads me through the door.

I pass through a curtain, and Usagi lies on a bed. The heart rate monitor beeps slowly, but it hasn't stopped. Her skin tone is a sickly white, and her eyes are unfocused. She's wearing an oxygen mask, and there's a needle in her arm that leads to an IV bag.

"Usagi? Can you hear me?" the nurse asks her. "Your big brother is here."

"Big bro?" Usagi mumbles. "Where are you?"

I grab her small hand. It's… cold. "Here! I'm right here."

Usagi moves her eyes, but it's like she's looking past me. "Big bro?"

I feel my eyes tearing up. "Daddy will be here soon, okay? He's coming!"

"Daddy…"

"So please, hang in there Usagi! I even looked for a new heater to replace the broken one at our house. We have to go buy one together, remember? Remember our promise? You were supposed to visit me in Traverse Town and make snowmen when it snows! We promised that'd we'd play together a ton!"

"Big Bro…"

Tears run down my cheeks. "We'll be together forever… I'll stay with you forever!"

"I'm scared… Big Bro… Daddy…"

Usagi slowly closes her eyes. The monitor has a continuous beep sound. One after the next, as if a truck was backing up on the street, alerting anyone near by. Then just out of nowhere the monitor changes its tone. This time, the sound was constant.

No breaks in between the beeps.

Just a long flat piercing sound, penetrating my ears.

Yes, I just wrote about a six year old girl dying right in front of her cousin. I'm such a monster, aren't I? You could say I'm Heartless.

Also, I made a playlist for the fanfic. Feel free to check out the link in my profile.

Anyway, this will just be a short A/N. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you in the next one.