A/N: So…yeah. Remember when I said it would be a while until I finished the next chapter. Well, I wasn't joking. To be fair, I had intended to try and get this done long before now, but real life took a turn for the worse and things became very chaotic between school and work for me. Sorry for the delays and for those who continue to read, even after the delay, I appreciate each and every one of you because you're the reason I want to get this written. Anyway, now we're finished with this note and I do hope you enjoy this, the next installment of the Last Crusade and let me know your thoughts as well as any suggestions for improvement.
Fighting For a New Future
At the Destiny Islands
It had been going on for hours without end it seemed. They slaughtered heartless and nobody alike with speed and precision but never did it manage to make a difference. For every slice of their blade, two more were needed to deal with newly arrived heartless. No matter how many times they destroyed them, more came. Mickey, Leon and Cloud had been forced against each other's back in a circle. Jack Sparrow and Will Turner were some ways off, dashing through mobs of heartless and cutting through their bodies with grace and authority. Then there was Tarzan who was leaping through trees and rooftops while stabbing with his spear. Locked on the smaller, adjoining island off the play island were Riku and Kairi. Kairi was trying her best but Riku had to pick the slack for her lack of experience with a blade. She had talent, nobody who had survived the battles of the previous years of battles lacked talent. Still, she hadn't been tried in fire like Sora and Riku, forced to become a master of the sword. The rest, Mickey had no clue. He knew several were on the main island, trying to keep any heartless and nobody battalions from reaching the world's civilians and the evacuated civilians from the other worlds. Yuffie and Tifa had been here but had been separated in the chaos of battle, the same with Jack Skellington.
Already the play island, once so colorful and full of life seemed dead and cold. The once clear ocean was a tinted in a mix of purple and black. The sand had turned hard and cold. The air was thick and Mickey felt as if he could choke upon it if he breathed in too much of its foul taste.
Suddenly brought out of his thoughts by Leon's voice yelling his name, Mickey ducked under a Samurai nobody's blade just before it would have met his ear. A reflex now drilled into his mind, the reverse Kingdom Key was driven home into the nobody's chest a split second after his dodge and the grayish white creature evaporated back into nothingness.
Glancing at his two stoic companions, it was all too obvious that despite their skill in battle, they were struggling to keep up this level of intensity for such a long period of time. He had long since lost track of how long this had been going on. The attacks never seemed to stop for more than a minute at a time before a new wave emerged. Already, they were covered in their own as well as each other's blood and their clothing was in tatters. The lion heart symbol around Leon's neck was stained in blood and sweat and the bandages around Cloud's blade were soaked in red blood. In part he wanted the attack to end briefly so they could regroup and make a plan for better defending the island rather than being split up like this. However, he also dreaded it stopping because he was terrified of finding out how many were injured or worse, dead.
They needed Sora back. They could destroy the heartless, but only his Keyblade could fully unlock the hearts they kept them bound to this world. The numbers would never decrease without his help. Furthermore, for all his strength as the King of the once proud Disney Castle, Mickey could feel his energy slipping, and Maleficent had not even sent any of her top commanders yet. Some of her smaller commanders had made appearances and been beaten back but they were merely small pieces in the game. If she sent the Beast in, Mickey wasn't sure how long they would be able to hold off his incredible strength and stamina in their current state. More than ever now, he regretted chancing sending Sora off into the realm of darkness along without any way to get in contact with him. He had been sure Maleficent would not dare strike so soon but he had miscalculated. Of course she would sense Sora's presence in the Realm of Darkness. His light would be the equivalent of shining a flood light on him and announcing his presence on a bullhorn. Maleficent was careful but also never wasted an advantage. With Sora gone, she would know the battle was hers and would strike immediately. He had played right into her strengths.
Now their only real chance for survival was somewhere far off in the Realm of Darkness.
"Sora, please…" Came the soft whisper from the rodent king's mouth as he performed a reversal and sliced through a group of shadows that had snuck up on him from behind "We need you here. Now. Hurry…"
Within the Dark Realm
A timely Aero spell had helped him to land easily on his feet at the base of the cliff. The strange arena rested in front of him. Making his way into the center of the arena, he stopped at the altar-like structure, resting on it for a moment and then casting his eyes around him expectantly.
"Well come on! Do your super secret magic stuff! I don't have time to wait around"
As if from all around him, he heard voices however. He recognized Roxas's voice, but it seemed distant and there were others he couldn't fully recall either. They seemed familiar though, from so very long ago.
"It's time Roxas; I have to make you a part of me too. Don't you see? This is why I was created?"
"I am ME!"
"A nobody does not have the right to know, just as it does not have the right to be."
"My heart belongs to me!"
"Nobody will miss me…"
"Why are you dressed as one of us…" "To make sure my best friend sleeps in peace"
"You can't fight fire with sparks."
"How many times do I have to beat you!"
"Can you feel Sora?"
"Looks like my summer vacation is over"
"Roxas! You won't disappear, you'll be whole!"
"Not exactly awesome being your nobody is it huh Sora? I give up everything, you get all the rewards? Who decided you're the one with the right to exist…to have a heart"
Whipping his head around, Sora suddenly realized the arena was gone. Instead they were on a Statue of Awakening. On the stained glass was a heart in the center, half the heart was black and half was white, the backgrounds of each side were the opposite. A jagged line ran down the center. The darkness in the heart was still balanced but was still equal. Furthermore, rather than the normal pitch black abyss around them, there was also an eclipse blocking a sun. Finally, there across from him…was Roxas…
"I…Roxas, when did you get here?"
"I've always been here Sora. This is your heart after all. Or, I should say my heart. I'm the only one leaving this place. You can play second fiddle forever, I want a bit more. You created me, this is my heart, so hand it over or pay the price!"
Even as he spoke, Roxas's voice went from calm to utterly enraged. Darkness poured off his body and eventually the Organization XIII cloak appeared over him.
"You knew this was coming Sora. I'm not just gonna hang around in nothingness forever! Just sit and chat with you forever! I want more, I want a life! The life I had before it was stolen from me by Ansem the Wise!"
"Roxas! Don't do this! You know we have to create this x-blade to save everyone back home! I don't want to fight you! You're my friend."
"Well sorry 'friend', but this is my shot to have a life of my own again. You're weak and I'm at my best. You've fed me your fear and depression all this time, channeling it back to me, the unseen side of your heart. When we merged, you were stronger but now I am the true Keyblade master and I'm going to prove it to you by defeating you right here!"
In a flash of light and darkness the Oathkeeper and Oblivious formed in Roxas's hands. As Sora tried to forge the Oathkeeper however, he found only the regular Kingdom Key would appear despite the proper keychain being attached. As he stared at his trusty weapon in confusion, Roxas's sneering mock reached his ears.
"Did you forget Mr. Keyblade Master? Those keychains are tied to your memories, your bonds. Your relationship with Kairi is strained and painful now, more negative than positive now and the negativity is a part of me Sora. Without my power, you can't summon it. You're so lost in your own self-pity, you've let this happen and now you pay the price because all those friendships you've locked away in fear of letting people down and with the negativity tied to them, their powers went to me while we're here. All you have is the regular Keyblade while I have all your Keyblades at my disposal.
"That's impossible!" Sora screamed in fear as he willed the Keyblade to transform like normal. 'Just because Kairi and I are a bit odd right now doesn't mean we aren't still friends!"
"Of course you're friends you stupid idiot. However, you stayed away in fear; you tied that friendship to fear. That fear feeds me and now dominates your relationship with her and in turn, you gave away that power to me since we're no longer one. Now I think I've been patient for you long enough!"
In the blink of an eye, Roxas vanished and rushed at Sora in what the boy vaguely recognized as a Sonic Blade. A barely successful Aeroga saved him from sure death as the boy bounced off, apparently unscathed or even winded.
Yen Sid certainly hadn't been kidding. Sora could feel his powers weak and drained but Roxas was more powerful than Sora had ever seen him. Roxas drew his powers from both light and darkness, was this what he could do if he embraced his own darkness like Riku?
"Hey, I'm still here!"
The shout came just before Oblivion slammed down on the Kingdom Key that had been raised only just in time to block. However, in his preoccupation, he failed to notice Oathkeeper also aimed at his exposed chest where a powerful Blizzard spell connected him, sending him in the barrier the edge of the platform. As he collided with the unseen wall, his vision swam and he fell to the floor. This was hopeless. Roxas was just too powerful. If he couldn't even defeat his other half how could he ever have a chance at defeating Maleficent or winning this war? Maybe Roxas was right; he deserved the right to a life more than Sora did. He had failed to protect the worlds.
"This is almost just too pathetically easy. I knew you wouldn't last long, but I thought the great Keyblade Master would at least put up a decent fight."
At Roxas's taunt, Sora managed to re-summon the Kingdom Key and shoot a moderately sized ball of fire at Roxas who merely batted it away with what seemed to be little effort while walking towards his fallen other.
"I take what I said at the castle back. You're a pathetic other. I don't know how you ever managed to save the worlds but oh well, this is my heart now. Enjoy living in my head forever Sora. No hard feelings but you lose!
As the oblivion came down towards his exposed neck, Sora finally managed to roll and duck under the blade and get back to his feet. Still, even before he had solid footing, Roxas was charging forwards and attacking relentlessly. It was obvious however what the difference was in their styles however. Sora attacked brutally and with energy. Roxas was more like Riku to an extent. He attacked with force but also cunning. He attacked until he saw the tiniest opening and then fully exploited the opportunity. Without doubt, he was the best fighter Sora had ever faced. He could see pieces of everyone he met in Roxas's style. Pieces of Mulan and Jack's sword work, Jack Skellington's maneuverable and flexible footwork, Mickey's acrobatic and swift strikes, it was almost impossible to keep his eyes on him, let alone keep up. Still he was managing. Every time he parried though, Roxas was already blocking his counter the second he thought it up. When he saw an opening to Roxas's stance, he found the nobody feinting and driving forward once Sora had taken his bait.
It was only after about ten minutes of serious fighting that Roxas truly began taking it seriously and discontinued the mocking for the most part. Even if he was still dominating the fight with ease, it was obvious that Roxas didn't want to make a mistake again as he had when he and Sora had fought in the World that Never Was.
Finally though, Sora got an opening. His vision blurred from sweat and pain, he ducked under Roxas's second strike and used the shaft of the Kingdom Key to jutt Roxas's in the chin and knock him backwards in a daze. However, just as he brought his weapon up to strike the decisive blow and finish Roxas, he hesitated. Could he really kill his own nobody? He understood where Roxas was coming from after all; he just wanted his own life, his own heart, to exist on his own again.
Before he had time to think over the problem more thoroughly, he was brought back to the reality of the situation as the handle end of Oblivion was slammed into his gut and, from the feeling and sound, cracked a rib or two.
"You say you want to end a war, but you're afraid to do what's necessary. You're no Keyblade master at all. You're just a scared little boy. No wonder it was Riku who was chosen to wield the Keyblade. You're just a second best; second best to Riku and now permanently second best to me."
As the brunette boy gasped to try and fill his lungs with air once again despite the pain, he couldn't help as despair gripped his soul. Was Roxas right? How could he ever manage to beat Maleficent if he couldn't even win this one fight and be willing to strike down his other half for a chance to turn the tide if the war?
Still, everyone was counting on him. King Mickey, Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, Jack Sparrow, Will, Elizabeth, Tidus, Wakka, Tifa, Wendy, Mulan, Riku and Kairi, all the worlds that had fallen and they needed to restore. Peter Pan had done what was necessary. He'd given up everything to give his friends a chance. A chance to get to the Destiny Islands, to Sora, how could he ever let him down and risk Wendy's safety and all the rest. He was the Keyblade Master. He was supposed to keep the worlds in balance, not sit here whining about things. This wasn't something he should do; it was what he had to do. There was no other option.
Ignoring the throbbing across his entire body, he rose back to his feet again, his eyes hardening with steel but also radiating light. A groan of pain and light erupted from his body. Once it clear, his clothes had turned pure white and Oathkeeper and Oblivion were in his hands as well.
"You got me to question myself. It doesn't matter what you say Roxas, they're my best friends and my friends are my power. They're always with me and a part of me and I'm always there with them! You can't take that power away! This is my heart, no one else's and I'll protect the world's from anything I have to…even you."
The remorse filled words were accompanied by a blast of pure light that collided with Roxas as he crossed both Keyblade in front of his face. The force still pushed him back several feet, but he managed to stay on his feet before forcing it off to the side where it collided with the barrier and dissipated. However, as Sora looked on with pity and resolve at his other half, Roxas's Keyblade began to shift. As the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in Sora's hands became clearer and more defined, Roxas's lost their form and returned to two standard Kingdom keys before reforming as Two Become One and Aublade.
Two halves of the same whole, two users of the same power, two exceptional wielders but to forge the X-blade, the fusion had to take place and to do that, one had to fall here in the Realm of Darkness. As one, the two met each other's eyes, all jokes ended and talking over before finally accepting the unspoken challenge with a simple…
On the Destiny Islands
"I think it's over for the moment your Majesty." Came Cloud's quiet and respectful voice.
Glancing out at the destroyed island, Mickey couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for what had happened to this world. It's innocence was forever tainted. Blood stained the sand. In the distance, he could see Riku attempting to tend to a wound on Kairi's shoulder even as she waved him off and told him to go take care of others rather than such an insignificant wound.
However, he also had to wonder if Cloud could be right. It didn't fit. She had them in a corner both literally and figuratively as Leon, Mickey and Cloud had their backs to the old shack when the new waves finally stopped coming and allowing them to push back the ranks of heartless and nobodies on the beachfront. Why would Maleficent stop her attack when she was likely close to victory? She had to know they were close to breaking. She had surprised them with the attack and they had no time to prepare after all. So why stop attacking…
Even as he wondered the matter, a barrier erupted around the portion of the beach the three quiet warriors stood in. Well used to such barriers erupting when Maleficent trapped them into battles, the three had redrawn their weapons in a heartbeat. He could see Riku and Kairi attempting to get to them but new waves of heartless and nobodies were attacking the two on the small islet.
Three flashes of dark corridors emerged on the beach in front of them before three forms moved out. The first was one Mickey knew had to be coming eventually but also dreaded. In front of them was the strong willed Beast turned human. His sword was unsheathed and his yellow eyes bore directly into the soul it seemed.
Across from him stood a silver haired man wielding a long broadsword wearing a confident and almost indifferent smirk on his face. He didn't even seem to be there except for his own amusement and serving his own ambitions. As he and Cloud locked eyes it became clear to Mickey that despite Cloud having returned to aid them, his feud was still far from over. Still, on top of everything could they possibly handle Sephiroth?
Finally, the dark witch herself emerged in a flurry of green and black. Her demonic face sent chills down the spine of all three and the casual and almost relaxed tone of her voice made Mickey's blood boil in rage. So much death and despair and she was just so calm, as if nothing had ever happened! Before he could engage the witch however, to his surprise Leon shot past him. His gunblade already drawn, he brought it down to be casually blocked by her staff before she snapped her fingers and blew him aside before advancing towards Leon's prone form on the ground as he struggled to rise.
"You…You destroyed Radiant Garden, my home. You destroyed everything we worked so hard to rebuild! You ended lives, you stole the hearts of children! Forget about making Sora bother with it, I'll destroy you myself!"
"Leon no! We need to do this together!" Mickey's words fell on deaf ears however as Cloud rand towards Sephiroth who had moved further down the beachfront to give them room to clash. With that, it left only Mickey and the Beast facing one another in a calm and calculating manner. Finally though, he raised his Keyblade and took a fighting stance before Beast…
Blue eyes met blue eyes in a clash of a mark of Mastery
The will of the lionheart swears to avenge the fall of his home and end Maleficent's life now
A young man who dreams of finally ending his eternal battles with his archfoe so that he can finally be at peace
A king and a corrupted prince who are both determined to succeed in their goals and see the end of the day.
All with different dreams and different goals, yet from across different realms they spoke as one.
"Let's go!"
AN: I have to admit I don't like how this turned out, so I beg your forgiveness in advance but I couldn't think of how to improve it without making it come out anymore random than it already it. Anyway I do hope you liked it. Next time we see the conclusion of Sora's battle with Roxas and just what happens to Mickey, Cloud and Leon. As a special request, I'd like you all to vote on Mickey, Cloud or Leon in a review if you want and whoever of the three gets the most vote, I'll do a full account of that battle instead of just a summary. So either Mickey vs. Best, Leon vs. Maleficent or the 1 millionth installment of Cloud vs. Sephiroth. Stay tuned, we are getting close to the climax of the first arc.
Next Time: Standing Tall