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Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts & Final Fantasy characters (c) Tetsuya Nomura
: Disney characters (c) Walt Disney
Claimer: everything else (c) me
Chapter Four: Confrontations
Looking down upon the ocean of Heartless and Nobodies, Yuki sighed, crossing her arms.
"Well… this won't be easy…" she commented.
Riku's Keyblade appeared in his hand. "Never said it would be," he retorted with a smirk.
Her own Keyblade shimmered into appearance, and it was in the form of the Kingdom Key. Taking out a white-wisp-like keychain, it was clipped onto her Keyblade automatically, glowing before transforming into a beautiful elegant white Keyblade that was strikingly similar to Xven's "Soul Stealer" Keyblade.
"Whoa," Riku murmured, "what Keyblade is that?"
She smiled at him. "The 'Soul Reviver' Keyblade," she told him. "Yours will come in time, believe me."
Moving forward before kissing her lightly, he smiled back at her, his forehead touching against hers as he stared deeply into her golden eyes. "I will always love you."
"I love you too," she whispered. "Now… let's do this."
In union, they both leapt down from their higher ground into the midst of the Heartless-Nobody chaos, a bright white light flaring around the both of them as they began to fight against the multiple creatures surrounding them.
After defeating at least 1000 Heartless and Nobodies each, both seemed exhausted as they backed up against each other. There were still hundreds of various Heartless and Nobodies surrounding them.
"Just how many more do we have to go through? This is just crazy!" Yuki panted as they leapt apart, wincing at a spark of pain in her right arm before her Keyblade suddenly vanished as a dozen Heartless leapt at her.
"Yuki!" Riku cried as she vanished under the pile of Heartless before a flash of light blew them away, Yuki wincing as she held her right shoulder, her face scrunched in pain. It seemed like the wound caused by the Nobody back at Destiny Islands was acting up and affecting her ability to use the Keyblade.
Suppressing the pain, she released her shoulder and forced her Keyblade to appear, stabbing it into the ground and a ring of white light erupted from them, instantly vanquishing all nearby enemies and the Heartless and Nobody in the area.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he raised his arms to shield himself from the force and light. As he lowered his arms, he watched as her eyes widened in shock.
"Riku!" she suddenly cried out, running towards him with her Keyblade drawn before pushing him out of the way.
Without warning, a bolt of blue lightning shot down from the sky and struck Yuki as she screamed in mortal pain as the powerful volts of electricity shot through her body.
"YUKI!" Riku screamed in horror as he recovered from her push, Keyblade poised to direct the blue light.
All of a sudden, it ceased, and she collapsed forward unconsciously with a quiet groan, smoke drifting from her burns as her Keyblade vanished. Riku caught her with one arm, lowering her down next to him as he set her upright.
"Yuki! Yuki!" he shouted to her unconscious form before hearing evil chuckling, looking up to see Larxene laughing at them.
"One down, one to go," she cackled evilly. "Oh… she was just too easy to pick off. Just placing her loved one in danger, and of course, she goes to become the big heroine and protect him. Must be killing you to know that the reason why she's hurt is because she wanted to save you."
Pain sparked in Riku's light aqua eyes as he looked down at his unconscious girlfriend. "Come on, Yuki, wake up," he whispered. "Don't leave me, okay? I'll come back to you as soon as I can."
As Riku set her down, he quickly leaped to attack the Organization XIII member. In the meantime, Xven appeared at Yuki's side, brushing the back of his gloved fingers against her cheek.
"Yuki…" he murmured softly, lowering his face to kiss her very softly. "I remember now. I know who you are. Though the rest of my memories are so fuzzy, only you appear so clear to me. You don't need to feel this pain."
Pressing his hand against her forehead, he began to send healing waves through her body, causing the angry red burns on her body to fade. But a single thin black line would not disappear on her right arm.
"Strange…" he muttered, running his fingers over the imprint, "I wonder what this could be? I don't recall seeing it before though when we met at the alley not that long ago."
"Mmm…" she moaned, half-blinking open golden eyes. "R-Riku?" she rasped, her voice filled with pain.
"It's me, Yuki," he said gently, resting two fingers over her lips. "Don't speak. You're still a little weak. I'm sorry Larxene attacked you both like that. I tried to tell her not to, but she wouldn't listen to me."
"X-Xven?" she groaned in realization.
He shook his head. "Kira…" he corrected with a smile, "you can call me Kira…"
"But you're not him…" she whispered, causing him to feel a shock of pain in his heart at the remark. "Not until you've regained all your memories, or until you've returned to him… wherever he is. Until then… you're still Xven…"
Xven couldn't help but smile at that.
"And don't forget that Organization XIII will be keeping a close eye on you if you show any signs of hesitation for hurting me," she reminded, slowly sitting up with his assistance. "It'll put the both of us in grave danger if it is known that you remember your true name, especially you."
They both glanced at their fighting allies. Apparently both Riku and Larxene were so wrapped up in their fight that they paid no heed to Yuki and Xven.
Yuki looked at Xven. "We should probably start fighting. If any other Organization XIII member comes to see you here with me, you might be in some trouble."
"You sure you're strong enough?" he asked, forest green eyes glimmering with deep worry.
"Yeah," she replied with a smile as he helped her up to her feet, "thanks to you."
Leaping back, he narrowed his eyes in false wary, holding his hand out where his Soul Stealer Keyblade appeared into it. Yuki grinned, her own golden eyes narrowing as her Soul Reviver Keyblade phased into her grip.
"Let's do this," he said.
Take it as practice, Yuki thought as she surged forward, locking Keyblades with her friend's Nobody.
Meanwhile, as Riku and Larxene circled each other, weapons poised to strike. Riku had already been badly cut and burned, while Larxene was tiring out, badly bruised herself.
"Why don't you just give up, little boy?" The blonde taunted, meeting his aqua eyes with brutal icy ones. "Just surrender her to us, or else let her die."
"Never," he hissed. "I'm not going to give her up to the likes of you so easily. I'd rather die than allow her to be given up to Organization XIII."
"That could be arranged…" she chuckled, flashing forward to stab her knives against Riku's Keyblade as he blocked her attack. Glancing over at the duelling Yuki and Xven, who were locked Keyblade to Keyblade, she grinned. "Let's see how well your little 'Maiden of Light' can handle this situation."
Knocking Riku down with one surge of energy, she hurled several electricity-charged knives at the girl.
"Yuki!" Riku shouted in alarm.
Almost instantly Yuki twisted in a full rotation to push Xven out of the way before her hand extended towards the blades, and they slowed before coming to a halt before dropping harmlessly to the ground. Larxene growled in bitter frustration and anger.
"Rotten witch!" she snapped, sending a violent blue lightning flashing towards her.
In one fluent movement, Yuki's hand twitched and glowed before shooting a blast of white light from her palm, impacting against the lightning and vanishing into a flurry of white and blue sparks.
"You've done enough damage here, Larxene," the 16-year-old declared boldly before suddenly appearing in front of Riku with her back turned to him. Her eyes flashed with a silver glint in them, and there was suddenly a pressuring tone in her voice, causing Larxene to feel her knees crumple under the weight of Yuki's power-induced words. Yuki's outfit transformed into a long white spaghetti-strap dress, a pair of tiny white feathered wings appearing on her upper back, a pair of silver bands tinkling on both her wrists as two twinkling diamond earrings sparked onto her earlobes. The crystal heart pendant continued to hang around her neck, and it glowed a faint pink light. A silver band rested on her ring finger. "Leave, now."
Both Riku and Xven were in utter shock and were glued to their spots.
Larxene hissed, "You've no right to command me like this." Forcing her feet to carry her forward, she made one last attempt with her knives poised towards the Keyblader's neck, but that's all she could reach.
A powerful force was binding Larxene in place as Yuki stood less than a meter in front of her, eyes unflinchingly meeting hers.
"H-How are you doing this?" the Organization XIII member growled as Riku stood up, momentarily hesitant to approach his girlfriend. "Is this the Maiden's true power?" she gasped.
Yuki could help but crack a smile. "It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with," she answered. "Until I can deal with the rest of you rather annoying Organization members… this prison will have to suffice." As Yuki raised a hand in front of her, a row of 13 diamond crystal tombs set upright appeared into view.
"W-What are you doing?!" Larxene cried out as her arms were forced to her sides, her body being pushed back to lay in the 12th tomb before a transparent crystal wall shimmered over it to seal it off.
Almost instantly the blonde's eyes slipped close before she fell into a deep sleep. The set of tombs vanished in white sparks.
"W-What happened to her?" Xven choked in astonishment. "What did you do?"
"She's been placed in a deep sleep, similar to how Sora, Donald and Goofy were placed in for one year," Yuki answered. "In any case, Larxene's guess was correct. This is the power of the Maiden of Light."
Not before long, Yuki's pure white outfit transformed back into her normal clothes as she fell sideways with exhaustion. Riku swept in to catch her before her head hit the ground.
"Yuki, Yuki!" he shouted at her.
"I-I'm okay, Riku," she reassured in a stammer. "Sorry… I'm just a little tired. Summoning this form takes a whole lot of energy. So just to warn you, I'll probably have a habit of this every time I transform like that, so that would be at least 10 more times, one for each Organization member, obviously excluding Axel." And Xven, she added mentally.
Xven approached them, and Riku's Keyblade appeared as he glared up at the 17-year-old warily.
"No, no, it's alright, Riku," Yuki assured quietly. "He's a friend. He remembers who he is. He's on our side now."
As the Keyblade vanished, Xven kneeled down next to them. "Yuki, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah… I'll be fine," she said. "Don't worry about me. No offense, but you should be getting back to the castle. Make it seem convincing like you've just been beaten up and Larxene has been captured and held prisoner."
"Got it… take good care of her," he told Riku before giving a curt nod and opening a portal back to the World That Never Was, leaving the two 16-year-old teens alone again.
"Mmm…" Yuki moaned, sitting up carefully while leaning against Riku's shoulder.
"Can you walk?" he asked worriedly.
"I-I think so," she answered unsurely.
Very carefully he helped her up, supporting her by wrapping an encouraging arm around her waist. Taking a step forward, she stumbled. Riku kneeled down and eased her onto his back, keeping a secure but loose grip onto her.
"Riku… it's alright, I can still walk. You can put me down," she told him quietly as she loosely wound her arms around his throat.
"You're still a little disoriented," he replied calmly. "If you're worried about being heavy, don't. You're really light."
Sighing, she rested her cheek on top of his shoulder, her hair tickling at his left cheek. "Thanks, Riku…" she murmured, glancing down at her pendant, which had a light rosy tint to it. "I guess that Sora and the others have taken care of the rest of the infestation."
"I guess so," he agreed. "In the meantime, let's get you back to Merlin's. I think you've got a little explaining to do with the others about all that 'Maiden of Light' issue. They're gonna want to know about how you can seal up Organization XIII members like that."
She chuckled quietly. "Probably," she murmured, suddenly raising her head to look at him a little better. "Hey Riku… You remember Xion, right? Do you think she could also possibly be alive? If she is, we need to tell Roxas and Axel."
"I don't know," he replied honestly. "From what I remember hearing, she was just a clone created from Sora's memories, designed to wield the Keyblade and collect hearts for the Organization."
"But even a clone has thoughts and feelings, Riku, even a Nobody clone," she argued. "Your clone did too. Almost how like Roxas, Naminé and Axel feel more than other Nobodies. They're unique compared to the others of Organization XIII, because they've realized that they are Nobodies yet they feel the emotions of the heart, and they question it. Xven's beginning to be like that too. I guess it's because I reawakened his true memories."
"You make it sound so easy," he teased, "but remember, Xion had to disappear in order for Sora's memories of Kairi return to him." Glancing back at her, but her eyes had closed. "Hey, Yuki? You still with me?"
Blinking open her golden eyes, she glanced at him with a soft smile. "Yeah, just needed to close my eyes for a moment. I'm fine."
His aqua eyes softened in relief. "Good," he sighed. "We'd better hurry back before the rest of the others start to worry that we've been killed over here or something. Hang on tight."
He began to quicken his pace until he was practically sprinting with her on his back. About half-way there, a tentacle-like hand shot out from below the ground and wrapped around Riku's foot, causing him to trip, Yuki flying from his back and tumbling to the ground 10 meters in front of him, groaning in slight pain.
"Yuki, are you okay?" Riku called.
She struggled to get to her knees, but the fatigue from using her true powers was really taking a toll on her. All of a sudden, an invisible force pressed down on her back, sandwiching her to the ground as she let out a brief cry in pain.
"Yuki!" he cried out. A haze was visible above her, and a Super-Mega-Shadow fazed into view, standing on top of her, restraining her even though there was really no need.
Quickly leaping to his feet, he drew his Keyblade and ran at full speed towards the Heartless, tackling it with his shoulder as it was knocked away to a short distance as Riku landed swiftly on his feet as his girlfriend tried to get up onto her hands and knees, groaning quietly all the while.
"Take it easy," he advised her gently. "I'll take care of this."
Leaping forward, he parried at the Super-Mega-Shadow, weakening it until finally it vanished in rolls of smoke. Grunting in satisfaction, he turned back to look at Yuki. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving from her position on the ground, her body and cheek pressed against the cold rocks.
"Yuki?!" Riku gasped in fear, running over to pick her up in his arms. "Yuki, wake up! Are you alright?!"
She didn't respond, as if she was in a deep sleep. Her head tilted limply away from him, and he noticed the heart crystal pulsing with a pink light that was darkening gradually. Picking her up, he ran, carrying her the rest of the way back to Merlin's house.
Come on Yuki, he thought urgently, hang on just a little longer!
- - - -
When he arrived, he was met by the others.
"Riku! Yuki!" Sora exclaimed.
"Hey, is she okay?!" Donald exclaimed.
Leon's eyes hardened. "We'll take her inside," he instructed, giving a nod to Riku as he carried her inside the house.
"Oh my," Merlin gasped. "Lay her down over here," he chided, gesturing towards the empty bed.
Very gently, he lowered her down onto the soft mattress, brushing hair away from her eyes. Looking at the crystal, it had darkened to a soft purple.
"We're running out of time," he told them, his voice strained and urgent. "Do you have any idea what could be causing this?"
Cid swung himself into his chair and looked up at his tracker, typing quickly at his keyboard as he looked up for any signs of Heartless and Nobodies. "Oh… damn…" he breathed.
"What is it?" Sora inquired.
"Maleficent and her Heartless are roundin' up at the same place as they were the last time down by the castle. Nearly by the millions, almost," he announced, his face stoic.
Riku's face darkened. "We need to get Yuki out of here, now. This overwhelming darkness will kill her if she stays here too long," he growled.
"But we can't just leave without taking care of the Heartless!" Donald protested.
Leon's face softened as he glanced at the dying girl. "Go," he said. "The rest of us can take care and hold down the fort. Yuki's more important because she's the Maiden of Light, not to mention one of our allies."
"Are you sure, Leon?" Sora asked, searching his friend's face to find any deception. There was none.
"Go," he said. "We'll alert you guys if things may get out of hand."
Giving their friends a nod, Riku swept Yuki back up into his arms as they boarded their Gummi Ship and departed Radiant Garden.
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