Haha! I'm back! And, heh, I just realized I never reviewed to your comments from Chapter 19. Fail. Totally sorry about that, dudes, but if you also reviewed for Chapter 20, then I might just double-dip. (Edit note: I sent all you dudes replies! Rejoice!) Just know that I still love you guys the same!! ^^; With that said:

Thanks to all who reviewed for the last chapter: NarusaS, muumuu122, ChibixLeon, Ultima Phoenix, CloudedMirror89, Shinimegami7, Aindel S. Druida, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, LiteraryMirage, infinityinmirrors, Silver Butterfly07, xLion-Heartx, FlyingTackle, moontide!

Thanks so much! The voting is still going on! Go back to Chapter 19 if you have any questions! Hope you enjoy!

(Side Note: Mi gemela isn't here to edit this and I'm too lazy, so if you catch any errors, feel free to kindly point to them.)

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Chapter 21


With a breath to steel himself, Riku marched over to Leon and Cloud. The poor wolf spirit was trembling. He appeared to be trying to control his shallow breathing, his chin tilted up and face buried in Leon's thick brown hair. It was a sad sight, especially because Cloud was making such an obvious effort to pull himself together, to try to be the warrior when he was feeling an undoubtedly unbearable amount of pain. For his part, Leon had a tight hold on the eldest prince. He was muttering words in a low rumble which Riku couldn't quite catch, so quiet that they were only meant for the other animal spirit's ears.

Leon didn't even bother to look up as Riku walked up to him, even after he let out a little cough. Finally, Riku frowned and crossed his arms. "Leon, I need your help."

Leon ignored him.

Growling, Riku put his foot down. "This is serious, Leon. Xemnas and Saix are loose in the human world. I need to get back there, to finish things, to keep them from making trouble. And you're the only animal sprit I can rely on right now."

Finally, Leon looked up, stormy eyes frigid as he clutched onto Cloud. "That is not my problem. Right now my place is here so find someone else."

Riku scowled before he felt a small touch on his elbow. He turned to see Sora standing next to him, the other's face pale from exhaustion but concerned. "Riku, what's going on?" Before Riku could answer, Sora knelt down in front of his older half-brother, though it seemed that his legs almost gave out from under him halfway through. "Cloud…"

Cloud winced and turned his face down to Sora. "It's, it's alright. I'll be fine." But he certainly wasn't fine now.

"I'm trying to convince Leon to bring me back to the human world." Riku murmured, answering Sora's first question as the prince reached out to pet Cloud's hair. "We need to finish this fight with Xemnas and Saix, and I can't allow him to be let loose on Destiny Islands."

With a frown, Sora sat back on his heels. He pursed his lips for a moment then sighed. "Leon," he closed his eyes and when he opened them again his expression had turned serious. "Leon, you need to help Riku." When Leon only snorted, Sora continued. "I mean it. He's right, we have to finish this, or else there will always be doubt about what happened to Xemnas, and whether or not he will ever pose a threat again. After everything he's done to my family, and to this world…we need to make sure that he won't hurt anyone again. And that includes humans. I can't go because I have to stay here and regain control, but I know I could trust Riku with you. Please, Leon."

Leon remained silent until Cloud nuzzled the other's cheek. "Go, Squall."

Leon frowned, expression still dark. After a few seconds though, he snorted, still glowering as he muttered. "Fine. I'll go. But I won't allow us to stay long, if we even manage to get through the portal."

This was apparently enough for Sora who smiled happily. "Thank you very much, Leon! I know I can entrust this to you. Take care of Riku, okay? Roxas, Mom, and I will take care of Cloud. Don't worry."

With a snort, Leon looked back down to Cloud, his expression softening to a surprising degree as he ran his fingers through Cloud's gold spikes. It looked as if he wasn't going to move anytime soon. Riku understood his level of devotion, but he really needed Leon's cooperation. Cloud frowned weakly at the touch. He sucked in a shaky breath then shoved Leon aside, much to the lion spirit's vocal displeasure. "Go, Squall. Don't make me tell you again."

Leon's lip curled up before he seemed to change his mind. He pushed himself onto his feet and picked up his Gunblade with a quiet snort. He didn't even look back as Cloud fell to the ground, the wolf unable to support his own weight. As Sora reached down to help his older brother, Leon walked over to Riku. His stormy eyes were narrowed with irritation. "Well, are you ready to go?"

Riku opened his mouth, shut it, then nodded. "Yes."

Without another word, Leon began to walk toward the palace. Riku glanced back at Sora, the two of them sharing a parting glance before Riku ran after the ruffled lion. Riku knew that he had to do this; for Sora and for Destiny Islands. His new and old worlds. He would find Xemnas and Saix and, somehow, he had to stop them. Him and Leon anyway.

Letting out a hiss, Riku hurried to keep up with Leon, catching up to his side just as they entered the palace. It was a little hard to keep up. Leon was moving at a furious pace, his strides long and purposeful. Riku frowned and jogged up to his side. "You know," he muttered, "You could have treated Cloud a little better."

"Don't test me, Jenovan, I'm not in a good mood."

Riku wisely shut up. He had known that Leon was protective of Cloud, but he really hadn't realized how much until now. But he respected that sort of affection; because he was starting to feel the same way for Sora, starting to feel that same complete and desperate need to protect, on his own merit instead of the Guardian spirit's. So he remained respectfully quiet and followed Leon to the infirmary. The palace was eerily silent as they walked. Riku hadn't noticed before when he had been chasing Xemnas and Saix, but looking at it now, it seemed to be completely abandoned.

He couldn't help but ask aloud. "Where is everyone? All the servants?"

"Hiding in the servants' wing, undoubtedly, waiting to discover the outcome of the fight."

He hadn't been expecting an answer, but it was nice to know that the servants hadn't completely disappeared or anything bad like that.

"And you needn't concern yourself with Cloud's welfare. Our relationship is different that yours and Sora. I take good care of him no matter how much he might hate the attention."

Riku glanced over to Leon's face. He really hadn't been expecting that. Leon was expressionless, all except for his eyes. His eyes revealed a troubled mind if you looked hard enough. They were directed straight ahead but his brown eyebrows were just slightly furrowed. Riku fell a step back. So Leon was unhappy about how he had left Cloud. That made Riku feel a little better, to know that despite Leon's cold exterior, he really was attuned to other people's feelings.

Riku was so deep in his thoughts that he almost ran into Leon when they reached the infirmary doors, just stopping himself from hitting the lion's frozen back. He peered around the lion's shoulder and frowned when he saw nothing but the portal with its shifting edges in the middle of the room. He pressed tentatively against Leon's back. "Why did you stop? We have a job to do, remember?"

Leon twitched at this then stepped into the room though he glanced back to Riku with a scowl and lifted his Gunblade up onto his shoulder. "Just so you know, whatever happens is going to be your fault."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've never traveled through a portal before."

"You don't know how to use it?" Riku was incredulous. He thought it was like some instinctive part of being an animal spirit, to know how to use the portals.

Leon's eyes narrowed, as if he could read the other's mind. "I can sense portals, but using them comes through experience and training."

Riku frowned before his eyes widened at the sight of the portal in the middle of the room. It was beginning to shrink, the edges beginning to fall in on each other. With a tisk, Riku ran toward it, twisting back to wave to Leon. "Come on. If we don't go now, we might not get another chance. I don't think the portal's going to last much longer."

Leon's lips set in a thin line but he nodded sternly. He grabbed Riku's wrist then in the same step walked fearlessly into the portal; all earlier apprehension apparently buried under a mask of indifference. As he was dragged after him, Riku was glad for that mask, because one of them had to look confident as Leon entered a portal for the first time.

It was darker that Riku remembered inside; the usual blinding light looking as if it was coated by a thin black cloud. He could actually see Leon in front of him, not blinded as he usually was. The lion spirit was completely stiff. Riku could almost see him bristling as Leon looked about. He understood why. They seemed to be walking on a surface only halfway-there; the tunnel had never seemed so unstable or ready to collapse when he had been with Namine. Now even the walls were folding and warping around them, seemingly dangerously close to shattering to pieces.

Suddenly Leon let out a quiet snarl. "I don't like this. Something's wrong."

Just as Leon said that, Riku felt a rush of cold wash over him. Knowing what that feeling meant very well, Riku immediately twisted around to face the greatest source of the chill. Three sets of headlight eyes lit up the side of the tunnel behind them and suddenly those eyes pushed out to show three Heartless crawling out of the dark mist.

"Leon!"

Leon twisted around at the same time that the Heartless leapt at them. Riku called Way to the Dawn, gripping the hilt as soon as it materialized and lifting it just in time to rebuff one Heartless which had its claws stretched out for his chest. It was relatively hard to move though, because one hand was firmly grasping Leon's wrist as he fought with the other.

The sound of a gunshot nearly deafened him as Leon fired a shot into one of the other Heartless before slashing through the third. Much to Riku's exasperation, however, more Heartless appeared as soon as the other's had been killed. He didn't even know what Heartless were doing in the portal to begin with! He could only imagine that it was either because of the portal's strange conception or because Xemnas had already been through it, but the dark presence was beginning to become overwhelming.

He winced as one of the Heartless managed to bite onto the arm holding onto Leon. Fighting the immediate response to drop his hand and shake the creature off, Riku attacked it with his Keyblade only to have two jump on his sword arm. He let out a shout as they began to dig into his arm, gritting his teeth as one more Heartless jumped onto him. Leon was doing his best to fight off the Heartless around him as well, but looked over when he heard Riku shout.

"Don't let go!"

Riku really wasn't planning on letting go but his hand was getting sweaty and the Heartless claws were digging in and weighing him down. In a desperate move, he dematerialized his Keyblade and called an orb of dark magic into his hand. It exploded in a small starburst around the two of them but still the Heartless clung on. Apparently they were impervious to the sting of dark magic.

"Shit!" Riku cursed as he finally felt his grip slip away from Leon's arm. Leon attempted to grab for him but he was one inch too far. Riku's aquamarine eyes went wide as he was felt with the sensation of being whipped up by an invisible whirlpool. Without the guidance of an animal spirit he was literally at the mercy of the tunnel and free-falling through the layer of dark fog. The last thing Riku saw of Leon was the lion's shocked face as he was swallowed up by the suddenly non-existent floor.

Riku blinked and suddenly he was falling through a bright, blue sky. Gritting his teeth, he tilted his head back only to see a teal nearly matching the sky getting larger and larger. It took him a second to realize it was the ocean. Two seconds later, he hit water hard, the impact immediately knocking the air from his lungs. He thrashed in the water for a moment to regain his bearings then kicked as fast as he could to the surface. When he broke the surface he spit out a mouthful of salt water only to have a wave crash over his head.

Sputtering, he shook his soaking hair from his face, grimacing as the silver strands stuck to his cheeks and forehead. As he tread the tropically warm water, he looked around at his surroundings. Thankfully, there was an island not a far distance away. It even looked to be the main island of the Destiny Islands chain; it must have been that they were almost through the portal when they had been attacked.

He summoned his strength then started to swim for shore. It took him about ten minutes because of the weight of his clothes and the sting of the salt water on the few shallow wounds he had, but he eventually made it to shore, sore and panting. Closing his eyes, he took a few seconds to catch his breath on the golden beach. His fingers dug into the sand as he coughed up the last of the water in his lungs.

Once he had somewhat recovered, he shakily pushed himself onto his feet to see just where he had landed. He definitely was on the main island. Most of the beaches looked familiar, but he was pretty sure the one he was on was only a fifteen minute walk from his mansion. Taking a deep breath, he spun around to face the ocean then looked up into the air. Leon was nowhere in sight. Riku didn't know what he had expected to see, but his heart did quail a little at the thought of running into Xemnas and Saix by himself. But, there was nothing for it. If Leon managed to reach Destiny Islands, then Riku knew the lion spirit would find him. If something went wrong and he had to backtrack to the spirit world, well, hopefully Sora would think of something. Hopefully nothing bad happened to the lion, but Riku had confidence that Leon could take care of himself.

In his case, Namine was here on Destiny Islands because his brothers had taken her here. If he could locate her then he would be able to get back to Sora and the spirit world.

Right now, though, it seemed as if he was on his own. Riku frowned, grimacing as he took a step forward to find that his clothes were already drying annoyingly rough because of their salt-water soak. He needed a change of clothes, no matter how desperate the need to find Xemnas and Saix. It's not like he knew where they were anyway, so visiting his mansion for a change of clothes wouldn't really hurt his strategy any. And, surprisingly, he kind of wanted to see his family. To pay his respects to…to Kadaj.

Riku's eyebrows furrowed at the thought. Damn, he never thought he would feel grief if he heard that one of his brothers had died. He had resigned himself to hearing that news a long time ago, actually, since his brothers went to so many clubs and drank and occasionally did drugs.

But dying in battle was a different thing all together.

Lost in his thoughts, Riku managed to stumble off the beach and onto a paved road. His steps became steadier as he walked, as he continued to recover from the fall into the ocean. He ignored any and all cars that passed by, though the first had startled him with the noise of its engine. He could only imagine what he looked like; disheveled, clothes rumpled and slightly bloodied, hair all in his face. He would have never been seen like this before. He still cared about his appearance, certainly, but right now he had more important things to do than worry about how random drivers thought of him.

The walk to his home went by quicker than he had imagined. For some reason, when he reached the main gates, his throat tightened with an unidentifiable emotion. It felt so strange to be home again. Of course, it could be argued that this was never really his true home.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, he walked over to the intercom. He had never actually used it before, since the gates had never been closed for him before, so he had to stare at the system for a moment to try and figure it out. After a moment he frowned and pressed one of the buttons. He let out a sigh of relief when his butler's voice came over the intercom.

"Jenovan residence. Who is this?"

"It's Riku. Open the gates. And could you ready a change of clothes for me?"

There was a silence before Riku heard the heavy click of the gates unlocking and a second later, they began to mechanically swing open. Riku didn't bother to wait until they were completely open, choosing instead to slip through as soon as the gap was wide enough.

He had never noticed before just how large their driveway and front lawn were until he had to walk up it. Usually he would have entered the estate grounds by car, he had never actually walked in before. Strange. Still, he was enjoying the greenery and colorful flowers. His father's gardener really did do excellent work; his father must have searched hard for him because the composition really was on par with the palace gardens in the spirit world.

As he walked up the long drive-way, Riku wondered just how he was going to approach his family. Technically, it was his allies that had killed Kadaj; would his father and brothers even want to talk to him? He slowed to a halt at the thought. His father showed no particular interest in taking sides, but surely, if one side killed his son he would get angry. Frowning, Riku shifted in his uncomfortable clothes. He could just see the mansion up ahead, over a sloping hill. Was he going to be welcome there?

"Is the young Jenovan having doubts about facing his father?"

Riku twisted around, blood chilling at the voice. He knew it all too well. His body tensed as Xemnas appeared behind him with a dark orb, Saix stepping out of the nearby trees and bushes.

Xemnas must have seen him tense because a dangerous smile spread across his lips. "Getting ready for a fight?" The spirit's hand was still bloody, most of it hidden beneath his billowing sleeve. Saix looked rather beaten up as well, Roxas had probably given him tit for tat during their fight. "You show so much courage toward fighting your enemy and yet you are a coward when you face your family. You seem to be nothing less than a walking contradiction."

Riku glared at him as he summoned Way to the Dawn into his hands again. The sword was slower to come in this world, the magic felt more sluggish in a way, less reliable. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't still try to fight. "The way I see it," he growled, "You are the coward here because you were the one who ran from the first fight."

A dark aura seemed to grow around Xemnas, dulling the colors of the plants and flowers around them as the older spirit scowled. Riku had just enough time to blink before a red energy sword appeared from Xemnas' good hand and he attacked. Riku grit his teeth and held his ground as their swords clashed. He felt his feet give at the initial impact and he slid back a few steps before he regained his traction and pushed back.

Xemnas' sword was crackling, the red energy showering both of them with red sparks. Seeing that this wasn't going to get him anywhere, Riku gathered his strength for one large shove then jumped back a step. The added distance allowed him to swing his Keyblade again but Xemnas blocked the attack easily.

After one round of strikes left both of them in a stalemate, Xemnas paused then let out a low chuckle, the sound harsh on Riku's ears. "Perhaps," Xemnas said, "It would be more prudent of me to stop this fight now, else I exhaust myself before I reach the rest of your family. I was planning on asking them again to join my side but I think I will retract that offer because of your impudence."

Riku's eyes narrowed as the spirit lifted his bloodied hand. He could feel his heartbeat increasing as a chill began to soak through his body. Whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be good.

"Come, Xehanort's Heartless. Arise again from your forced slumber and take control of your host."

Riku looked down to see that his hands were already shaking horribly. His breathing was coming out faster and shallower now as he fought a mist beginning to overcome his senses. Xemnas was standing smug over him, and when he took a step forward, Riku fell back.

Much to his horror, Way to the Dawn dissolved in his grip as a dark laugh echoed through his head. "It's been a while, Jenovan, and now its time for my revenge."

Shit. He was losing control way too quickly if he could already hear Xehanort's Heartless. And why had his sword disappeared?! Gasping in as deep a breath as possible, Riku tried to call his Keyblade back to his hand, but it wouldn't come.

"Your sword won't come to you now, Jenovan. Your precious prince added his light magic to it and with Xehanort's Heartless in control you are far too dark a creature to wield it now."

Riku stared up at Xemnas as the other continued.

"Now that I have you under my power, I will teach you your place. Bow to me, just as all lesser spirits should."

Riku was about to retort when he found his knees falling forward against his will. As his palms hit the ground he realized it was just like that time when he had hurt Sora. He had no control. However he was not going to let that happen again; he had nearly killed Sora and had been forgiven for whatever reason. But he was not going to forgive himself if he destroyed his dignity like this. Even with Xehanort's Heartless, he had too much pride to be Xemnas' puppet.

Clenching his jaw tight, Riku dug his hands against the rough driveway then forced himself up. His mind was fighting against his body, and he struggled inch by inch but he was fighting it. A second later, Riku cried out as a foot came in contact with his rising shoulder. He fell back to see Xemnas' dark expression.

"You still insist on opposing me?" When Riku only glared, Xemnas' brow furrowed.

Finding it easier to move, Riku scooted back. He still felt Xehanort's Heartless strong in his mind, but he attempted to ignore the presence, eyes warily locked onto Xemnas, waiting for the other to make a move.

Finally Xemnas snapped his fingers. "Saix. Rip him apart."

Saix's eyes flashed with a feral glint as Riku paled. As the wolf spirit leapt he scrambled to his feet. With Xehanort's Heartess in his head, moving his muscles was like trying to run through sand but with Saix hot on his trail he had good motivation to sprint as hard as he could toward his house.

He had to find a weapon. He had to find someone to help. His feet thumped hard against the grass as he cut across the lawn, dodging to the side just in time as he heard a pause in footsteps behind him to avoid being tackled by Saix. As the wolf spirit hit the ground just a few inches away, claws flashing, Riku pushed himself harder.

He cursed as he was tackled to the ground a moment later, face crashing hard into the dirt and grass. Gasping, he tried to twist over, crying out in pain when he felt sharp claws digging into his skin. In a last desperate attempt, he blew Saix back with a Dark Shield. It allowed him a second at least to catch his breath but a moment later he found a blue wolf attacking the shield.

His head was killing him, a terrible migraine beginning to swell from the stress of trying to fight back against Xehanort's Heartless. He just wanted to close his eyes and rest. "Giving up already? How pathetic. I honestly expected more from you after that little display of rebellion back there."

"Give me a dammed break-!"

Riku was cut off when he heard a crack above his head. He looked up to see that Saix was clawing at his shield and had actually managed to put a dent in the opaque shell. Sucking in his breath, Riku tensed as the crack became larger. The shield was going to shatter soon and he was mentally exhausted. It was not a good situation. He needed help because his Keyblade still wasn't appearing. His mind was racing for options; he was only a few yards from the house. It would be possible to scream loud enough-

He was distracted from his thoughts as Saix lunged at him. By some act of Fortune he managed to catch Saix's muzzle in his hands. The wolf spirit snapped at him, lips curled up around razor-sharp canines as Riku did everything in his power to throw Saix off. Not even a Dark Orb deterred the other spirit from his attack; in fact that last ditch effort only seemed to enrage the wolf more.

Riku felt himself losing his grip and strength fast, fingers clenching the wolf's mane becoming so sweaty that the strands were beginning to slip through his grasp. Suddenly the fur slipped from his grip completely, but Saix was not bearing down to rip his throat out but was instead flying to the side.

He had been rammed to the side. By Loz. "What an unfortunate turn of events, but don't think you're safe just because someone came to your rescue!"

There it was. Riku had completely lost control of his body. But it wasn't moving like before. No, Xehanort's Heartless had instead frozen it in place. His entire body was still; he could even feel his lungs and heartbeat beginning to slow to a stop. Xehanort's Heartless really was trying to kill him!

Riku's eyes widened as Yazoo appeared in his field of vision. "Can you stand?" His brother asked coolly.

Riku tried to ask for help with his eyes and it seemed to work because Yazoo turned off to the side. "Loz, something is wrong. Pick him up and take him to Father. I'll take care of this creature."

Only a small grunt escaped Riku as he found himself scooped up by two trunk-like arms. He assumed it was Loz slinging him over his shoulder; he couldn't really tell because he couldn't move his neck. It was a little embarrassing being carried, but the mental distress of being in full paralysis with his organs slowly shutting down had more weight on his mind right now.

Riku could feel his throat constricting, Xehanort's Heartless' laugh in his head as he was carried somewhere. All he could see was Loz's back and the grass rushing underneath them as they ran. It looked as if his brother was still dressed in the battle outfit from the spirit world. Three times he heard the sharp crack of a gunshot from a ways away, signaling that Yazoo was still fighting Saix. Riku tried to keep himself occupied and calm with these sorts of observations but really, he was scared. Feeling his body slowly shut down like this was worse than being stabbed or shot.

He was already gasping for air when Loz suddenly stopped walking. It was hard to focus at this point. He imagined that was because his heart rate was slowing. His blood pressure must be dropping. Shit. He had to get control from Xehanort's Heartless. "You would do just as well to submit yourself to death. You will be dead before you can wrench the power from my grasp. Such a pathetic death-"

The voice in his head suddenly cut off with a searing scream, making Riku scream as well as his body switched back over to his own control. His fingers dug into Loz's back and he heard Loz grunt as his whole body heaved, desperate to move its limbs and get fresh air into its lungs. Riku panted as he realized that he could feel a broad hand on his back. He felt exhausted but coughed then craned his head back to see his father standing in front of Loz.

Sephiroth's gaze was hard but unreadable as Riku twisted around, pushing himself away from his older brother. He just barely managed to stand up on his feet as they hit the soft grass, and ended up having to cling to Loz's arm as he turned to their father. He wasn't going to be strong enough to fight Xemnas anymore, but Sephiroth was.

"Father…Xemnas is on the property! He, he wants to kill you, and Loz, and Yazoo…"

Riku trailed off as Sephiroth put a hand on his shoulder, patting it once before the older man disappeared in a flash of black light. Pursing his lips, Riku then turned back to Loz. "We should go and help him."

Loz shook his head. "You go if you want. I'm going back to Yazoo."

As his brother ran back to where Yazoo was, Riku realized that he was going to have a difficult time walking on his own. But, if he took things step by step, maybe he could reach his Father and Xemnas fast enough to see the outcome of the fight. He truly wasn't sure who would win the fight. True, Xemnas was injured, but his father hadn't used his magic or fought in at least four years.

He had just taken three steps down the driveway when a black light suddenly swelled from the tropical trees and plants. Riku watched in awe as Xemnas and Sephiroth suddenly appeared high above his head. They were slashing at each other with lightening speed; Xemnas with his red energy blade and Sephiroth with his long katana. They were fighting at a ferocity that Riku had never seen before, both of them glowing black. Sparks of dark magic showered down each time their swords made contact.

Riku looked down at his hand then tried to call Way to the Dawn to his hand, beyond relief when the sword slowly materialized into his hand. It turned out to be a good idea because right after one of their series of attacks Xemnas turned those amber eyes on him. The next second, Riku found the other dark sprit right behind him, red energy blade at his throat.

It was burning against his pale skin and Riku snarled as he tried to swing his Keyblade back. He managed to land a blow, though he didn't know where as Xemnas grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

Sephiroth landed right in front of them, his expression deadly. He dug his sword into the ground. "Release my son, Xemnas, or I really will show no mercy."

His voice had been a dangerously low rumble but Xemnas wasn't shaken. Instead, he laughed. "Don't try to fool yourself, Sephiroth. You've lost your edge. Of course even at the height of your strength you were less powerful than me. It would be kind of me to kill all three of your remaining sons simply to end your pitiful bloodline. You should be thankful Kadaj was killed."

The air began to crackle around Sephiroth, the sky darkening above them as a chill swept through the warm tropical air. Riku's face paled as his father lifted up into the air. Xemnas had gone too far. Even Riku knew that. Fighting in Xemnas' grip, Riku finally just swung his head back. His head connected with Xemnas' and the second the other's grip loosened on him, Riku twisted out of his hold.

He kicked away just as dark clouds covered the sun, turning day into night with the same strength of an eclipse. Hovering up in the air, Sephiroth rumbled. "You have taken this too far, Xemnas. I was willing to forget when I left the spirit world but I will not forgive you leading my son to his death. You had no right to mislead my children to your twisted schemes or to implant your perverse Heartless creature into my youngest. Though I made my request for complete disassociation clear when I left, you disregarded my request. Taking my son hostage as you just did has sealed your fate." Sephiroth raised his sword into the air, clouds swirling above its point as thunder rolled across the sky. "You will die this afternoon."

Large orbs of dark magic crackled and grew around Sephiroth, growing to the size of a grown man before they hurtled down toward Xemnas. Riku had to scramble to get out of the way of their large diameter, twisting around quick enough to see them all slam into Xemnas at the same time. The last he saw of Xemnas before they hit was the spirit throwing up a Dark Shield.

Riku bet that wasn't going to be enough to protect him.

Sure enough, the black orbs blasted straight into the ground, so hard that Riku was showered with clods of grass and dirt. Before the dust had even settled, Sephiroth was flying down, not more than a blur as he struck into the crater with his long sword.

When the dust cleared, Riku saw that Sephiroth had buried his sword halfway into an empty crater. Xemnas was nowhere in sight. Both he and his father turned their heads at the same time, both feeling the chill of a dark presence behind them. Xemnas was behind them now. With an almost professional precision, Sephiroth immediately kicked off of the ground, sword glinting as he attacked Xemnas. His father really did have previous military training. The fight was similar to that between Xemnas and Xigbar before, but this time, both were dark spirits, and both were filled with murderous intent.

Sephiroth was landing more hits than Xemnas, and the amber-eyed sprit looked to be getting desperate. When those eyes fell on him again, Riku knew what was coming. Xemnas was coming after him again. Xemnas disappeared in a dark orb and Riku closed his eyes to focus better. It was like when he had been fighting with Cloud, it was more reliable not to use his eyes.

A sudden hint of cold behind him and Riku thrust Way to the Dawn back. He stiffened when he felt something solid form around his blade and heard a low exhale. Already dreading what he would see, he twisted around. He indeed had anticipated Xemnas' appearance but his sword had made it before the other spirit. Xemnas had appeared right around his weapon, spearing himself on the end of the Keyblade.

Riku stared as Xemnas stumbled back before his vision was blocked by a solid body. It was his father. Riku could only listen as Sephiroth gave the finishing blow. He knew when Xemnas had died though. He could feel it. A weight lifting from his shoulders and mind as Xehanort's Heartless completely vanished. He hadn't realized how light he would feel when that parasite finally disappeared. It was such a relief.

After a few seconds of silence, Riku stepped around his father to see that Xemnas really had died; his body had vanished, turned to dust, but there was a red stain on the grass and their two swords were lodged into the ground.

Riku stared at the sight for a moment before his father shifted, the older silver-haired man pulling his sword out of the ground. Footfalls coming towards them caused Riku to look up to see Loz and Yazoo walking to over to them. By their untroubled expressions, Saix had also fallen. With his three remaining sons gathered around him, Sephiroth finally spoke up. "This will be the last time I think of him. It's a tragedy that I had to lose a son in order to finally end this." He looked at each of them with serious eyes. "Never move on without finishing all of your previous business or you will only pay for it later. In a matter much worse than anticipated.'

Riku frowned, tentatively reaching down for Way to the Dawn. The sword was cool but quickly warmed in the palm of his hand. That warmth reminded him so much of Sora. That thought sent a rush of anxiety though him, a need to get back to the spirit world. He bit his lip then glanced up at his brothers. "What did you do with Namine?"

"We only locked her in her room," Yazoo said smoothly.

Sephiroth met Riku's gaze. "I would hope that you would remain here for your brother's memorial though."

"Of course…" It was the least he could do.

Still, Riku had immediately gone to Namine afterward. She had been overjoyed to see him whole and healthy, and to hear that Xemnas was finally defeated. It was clear that she also wanted to return to the spirit world as soon as possible, but the memorial service for Kadaj was going to be held in three days. They decided to wait, mostly because that was what Riku wanted.

Thinking back on his father's words, Riku took the few days before to visit his friends one last time. Again, it was strange to see how different humans really were from spirits, but he tried his best to be sociable and considerate for once. Kairi had been the toughest person to face, only because he knew that he probably wouldn't see her again. He guessed that she knew something was off when he had given her a quick hug at the end of their time together, but she didn't say anything and neither did he.

The memorial service was a solemn and private event. It was mainly his small family, their servants, and a select few of his father's co-workers. Riku could barely look at his casket, but he managed to gather himself to approach it anyway. It felt as if he needed to say a few last words. Biting his lip, he put his hand on top of the casket, pausing a moment before he murmured. "I'm sorry, Kadaj. I didn't want any of this to happen, and I really, I really did think that you were a good brother. I really did…"

"I think he would be happy to hear that."

Riku turned to see Namine at his side, the delicate spirit's black dress strange considering her normal white palette. "I meant it." He stared at the casket for a second then looked back at Namine. "Why is it that Kadaj didn't turn to dust like Xemnas?"

"Your brother was not as tainted as Xemnas." Namine replied, her eyes trained on the casket. "Xemnas, Xemnas had given himself to the Heartless a long time ago. There was barely any humanity left within him, so he turned to dust. Your brother was still mostly whole, if not misled." At his continued silence, she asked quietly. "Do you want to go back to the spirit world now?"

Riku nodded. He really wanted to go back to Sora. The world seemed dull and dark without him, and this memorial service had only made him more depressed. Determined, Riku took Namine's arm and led her to the door. On the way, he caught his father's attention. Sephiroth, who had been speaking to one of his associates, only nodded to them, but Riku knew that his father understood that they would be leaving. Tearful or long-lasting farewells were not part of the Jenovan vocabulary.

Still dressed in their formal black suit and dress, Riku and Namine walked down to the beach on Namine's instructions. She held his hand the entire way there but when they were down on the beach itself let go to explore the area.

Riku frowned as she searched. "Nami, when Leon and I were coming here, we were attacked by Heartless in the tunnel. I'm not sure if it's safe yet."

"Since Xemnas is dead, it's probably fine." Namine's pale eyebrows furrowed as she tip-toed into the waves. "But then again, something does seem a little off. I can almost sense it, but its very weak. We could wait for another portal to appear…but, I think we both really want to go back, right?"

"Right."

"Okay. Well, let me step in first, just to make sure it doesn't collapse first."

Riku watched as she reached forward, touching a patch of empty air to reveal a silvery twisting vortex. She stepped into it first, her body disappearing. Riku waited a moment for her to explore then smiled as her slim hand reached back out for him.

But just as he reached out to grasp it, the silvery doorway sucked into itself, collapsing around her hand. Riku tried to lunge for it but her hand was pulled back into the portal before he could grasp onto it. Heart pounding, Riku lurched forward as the portal disappeared into a shower of glittering lights, crying out as he fell straight through and into the warm ocean behind it.

Starting to panic, he stood up, water washing against his knees and thighs. "Namine! Namine!"

He fumbled around for a few minutes but it was painfully clear that he had been left behind. He was stuck on Destiny Islands.


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