Chapter III: Reckoning
Something's… not right.
Sora was sitting up in bed. He had awoken in a cold sweat, full of fear. He felt uneasy, and he didn't know why.
Since he came home, Sora had been having a blast. He finally saw his mother again, and explained to her everything that had happened. With the Keyblade and the king's presence as proof, she believed him. He had spent almost every day at the islands with Riku and Kairi, telling stories of their adventures, filling gaps in each other's tales, and generally having fun. He and Riku sparred whenever they could; with their constant training, they were prepared for any other task King Mickey might send upon them.
Sora stood up and looked out the window at the island. He felt a presence, and it made him uncomfortable.
He got dressed and packed a few keychains. He opened his window and snuck out, heading toward Riku's house. Upon arriving, he saw that Riku was dressed and ready to leave as well.
"You too?" Riku asked.
"Yeah… we gotta go check it out."
"You go ahead, I'll get Kairi and meet you there."
Sora nodded and ran to the pier. He got in his rowboat and made his way toward the islands. The sky was clear, and every star was visible in the dark night sky.
It was calm.
/
Goofy and Donald were growing steadily more impatient. The king was not answering them, only paying attention to maneuvering the Gummi ship. Finally, Goofy could wait no longer.
"Hey, uh, yer majesty? Donald an' I were wonderin' what all the fuss is about. Who did this, an' where are we goin'?"
The king looked back at Goofy, then at Donald.
"Sora an' Riku are in big trouble. We're headed to the Destiny Islands to make sure they're okay."
Goofy and Donald went wide-eyed. Sora, in trouble? They both looked down at their feet, waiting in anticipation for their chance to help their friend.
/
Once the rowboat was settled at the dock, Sora could plainly see the figure standing on the paupou island. He exited the rowboat and cautiously approached the man. After crossing the bridge, Sora stopped and looked at the being in front of him. Obviously intimidated, he managed to build up enough courage to talk to him.
"Who are you?"
Kyurg cocked his head slightly and turned around slowly. He stared at this young boy, puzzled by the fact that that he was so brave for being so intimidated.
"You are not Riku" he said.
Sora backed away a step, then stood firm.
"What do you want with Riku?"
"You are of no use to me. Bring Riku to me." Kyurg turned his back to Sora, facing the sea once more.
Sora, confused and concerned, yelled at him.
"Hey! What do you want with Riku?"
Kyurg, annoyed by this child, materialized two batons, one in each hand, holding them like daggers. Sora, in response, summoned the Kingdom Key.
At the sight of the Keyblade, Kyurg turned and cringed.
Keyblade…
He faced Sora and began to run at him. He raised his weapons in the air and attempted to hack at Sora as he passed. Sora dodged the attack and retaliated with the Keyblade, but Kyurg swiftly blocked it. He attempted an attack with his free baton, but Sora backed out of the way. Kyurg brought his weapons back and ran at Sora again, this time headfirst. Sora put the Keyblade up in a guarding fashion and blocked the headbutt, and then both batons as they swung upwards from Kyurg's side. Then, out of nowhere, a third baton materialized in midair and came crashing down onto Sora's head, knocking him to the ground. He quickly stood and dodged back.
Sora looked at his opponent, and was surprised to see him; Kyurg not only had two batons in each hand, but three more were hovering behind him with the hilts facing the sky. Not only that, but Kyurg was levitating about a foot off the ground.
"Give me strength!" Sora yelled as he clutched his chest. Suddenly his clothing changed; Sora had driven into Limit Form.
Kyurg flew at Sora, but Sora jumped up and slashed at Kyurg a few times, which forced him to block. After the combo, Kyurg was astonished to see the Keyblade aimed at him.
"Let's go!" Sora released dozens of small beams of light, most of which connected with Kyurg immediately, knocking him back to the main part of the island.
Sora glided over to Kyurg's location. He seemed unconscious, but Sora wasn't sure. He approached him carefully.
Suddenly, Kyurg jumped up and kicked Sora in the jaw, sending him flying back a few feet. Before he hit the ground, Kyurg dashed at him and punched him into the ground. The sand flew into the air, obscuring his view.
Sora immediately jumped backward and threw the Keyblade like a boomerang. Kyurg dodged it and threw one of his batons at Sora. Left defensless, Sora braced for impact.
/
"I save you way too often, ya know that?"
In front of Sora lay Way to the Dawn, Riku's Keyblade that he threw to block Kyurg's baton. Riku had just arrived with Kairi, and saved Sora.
"You two gotta leave! He's dangerous!" Sora warned.
Riku observed the figure. "Tall, dark, and not so handsome over there? I think we'll be fine."
Kyurg stopped moving and stared at Riku. His batons disappeared, leaving him with just his strength.
"No, Riku, you don't unde-"
At the sound of his name, Kyurg trapped Sora in a dark shield. Riku, startled, looked at Kyurg, who had already dashed over to him.
He grabbed Riku by the neck and lifted him into the air.
"Riku!" Kairi cried. She ran at Kyurg but he trapped her as well.
Riku, desperately trying to escape Kyurg's grip, summoned his blade and slashed, but Kyurg caught it in his hand.
And broke it in half.
Sora gasped and began beating the shield with his Keyblade savagely, trying to help his best friend. Kairi was also trying her best to destroy the dark energy surrounding her.
Kyurg looked into Riku's eyes.
"You… you aren't as strong as I imagined. Not even close. I'm going to enjoy this."
He then used his dark power to set Riku ablaze in a black flame. Riku began to scream in pain; the fire was everywhere on his body, and he couldn't move.
Sora, with all of his strength, began to cast magic on the shield, hoping to cause it to dissolve. His tears were fueling his rage.
Suddenly, the Gummi ship landed. Both Donald and Goofy jumped out and began to run towards the commotion.
Riku weakly raised his hand towards Sora. It was limp and moved slowly upwards. He then clenched his fist, and the dark shield around Sora dissipated. He ran at Kyurg, Keyblade ready.
/
A loud crack was heard. It stopped Sora dead in his tracks, and King Mickey, who had just left the ship, looked in horror at what had happened.
The fire dissipated from Riku. Kyurg let go of his broken neck and let him fall to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Sora, horrified, fell on his knees and dropped his arms, reverting out of his form. Kairi also fell, numbed by utter shock.
Kyurg backed away. Seeing that his mission was complete, he created a dark portal, and went through it, escaping. The shield around Kairi disappeared.
Sora crawled over to Riku's body.
"Riku?"
No response.
"…No… it can't be happening…"
He shook Riku.
"RIKU! ANSWER ME!"
King Mickey ran to Sora and held him back, keeping him away from the body.
"Sora… calm down…"
Sora looked at the king. His eyes were red from tears.
"…He's okay right?"
Mickey looked at Sora solemnly and shook his head.
"No Sora, it's over…
Riku is gone."
~~end chapter III