"Roxas?!" Aqua asked over the still raging winds. The spiky haired boy nodded before turning towards where Sora and Xaldin were fighting. He quickly leapt into battle, ripping off his Organization XIII robes to reveal his Twilight Town garb underneath. He landed behind Xaldin and swung both blades at the Whirlwind Lancer's back. Xaldin let out an enraged yell as he turned his weapons on Roxas as well. Aqua was confused to say the least but she knew that she had to help. Before she could do anything though, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, another figure standing on the top of the rock wall. She turned and saw what appeared to be the dark figure from before but his hood was down, revealing a series of strange blue bandages wrapped around his head, revealing a single eye and his mouth. The expression on the man's face was one of confusion, watching the battle in the postern with intrigue. Aqua had to tear herself away from him for a moment and regain her focus on the battle.
Sora and Roxas were easily overpowering Xaldin, Roxas even breaking one of Xaldin's lances with a scissor cut using Oathkeeper & Oblivion. The remains of the broken lance splintered into tiny fragments, dissolving away quickly. Xaldin roared in anger before he snapped his fingers. Aqua quickly looked upward and saw five Dragoon type Nobodies dropping at high speed towards the ground. She raised her Keyblade as the dragoons landed around her.
"Sora, that's your fight, this is mine." Aqua said before she spun into action…literally. Xaldin raised his hand, causing one of the dragoons to fly towards it. In a flash the dragoon became a replacement sixth lance. Sora and Roxas looked at each other with determined glances. They both nodded and in a flash, Sora's clothes became white and black with Oathkeeper and Oblivion floating around him. Sora had entered Final Form while Roxas had disappeared. Aqua briefly stood in awe of her apprentice's sudden rise in strength as he flew towards Xaldin and started unleashing a flurry of ferocious attacks at the Whirlwind Lancer.
Xaldin suddenly started to glow bright white, causing Sora to float back slightly as Xaldin let out another enraged yell. The six lances grouped up to become a massive dragon. Sora had seen this before during his original fight with Xaldin back in Beast's Castle but this time there was no avoiding it. He suddenly remembered something. Just seconds before the wind dragon unleashed a powerful beam of cutting winds, Sora pressed the shoulder guard on his left shoulder and in a flash his armor appeared over him. The wind proceeded to fly at him, cutting into the armor but the armor noticeably softened the blow. Xaldin glared at Sora in disbelief before he leapt at him. The armor vanished in a flash of light and then without warning, Sora's Final Form vanished as well, leaving Sora with only the single Keyblade. A brief horizontal flash of light appeared at Xaldin's waist as Sora landed on the ground in front of the Whirlwind Lancer and his dragon.
All around them, the Dragoons suddenly exploded, leaving the bubble like orbs of magic power behind. In a powerful upward gust of black magic and wind the lance dragon disappeared, leaving Xaldin standing on the ground of the postern. He suddenly dropped to his knees, grunting in agony. He looked over his shoulder to see Roxas kneeling with his Keyblades held straight out to the sides. Roxas had been the one to deal the final blow. Sora and Aqua were both equally as surprised as Xaldin was. With an agonized and enraged roar, Xaldin threw his head back as he started to gradually turn completely transparent until only his agonized roar echoed across the now stilled winds.
"What was that?" Aqua asked. Roxas stood and turned towards the two before approaching.
"That was an absent silhouette." Roxas answered.
"A what?" Sora asked.
"The absent silhouette is the Nobody equivalent to a ghost. They retain all the power of the original Nobody but once defeated, the nobody is gone for good and no trace of them will remain." Roxas explained.
"Well that answers Xaldin, but what are you doing here?!" Sora asked as Roxas shrugged.
"I was pulled from your heart, Sora. Whoever that guy was a moment ago, managed to rip me free from your heart. I don't pretend to understand how he did it." Roxas answered before looking up at the confused Aqua.
"I am completely lost here. Sora, who is this? He says he's not Ven but he looks…and even sounds exactly like him." Aqua asked.
"Oh this is Roxas. He's my Nobody." Sora said as Roxas smiled and nodded at her.
"Formerly number thirteen in Organization XIII, the Key of Destiny." Roxas added. Aqua looked deep in thought for a moment before it suddenly clicked for her.
"So…ah now I get it. Sora, I think Ven's had a more noticeable impact on you than you realize." Aqua said, earning confused looks from Roxas and Sora.
"Huh?" they both asked.
"Let me explain. I mentioned that Roxas looks and sounds like Ven, right? I believe the reason for that is because of the fact that you have Ven's heart inside of you. When Roxas was created, Ven's heart provided Roxas with a sort of…blueprint to work with in terms of developing a physical body. I'm not making sense am I?" Aqua asked as Sora and Roxas looked at each other in silence for a moment, both deep in thought.
"No, I think you may be right." Sora said after a moment, touching his chest, "Ven's heart has been inside me for almost eleven years. I remember the whole thing. And when I lost my heart to protect Kairi, I lost Ven's heart too. But I got it back. Ven helped to create Roxas, making him look just like himself, to let anyone who both knew Ven and encountered Roxas realize that the two were connected somehow."
"And that you were the connection." Roxas added, reaching the same conclusion.
"Exactly." Aqua said as she knelt down onto one knee, looking at Roxas.
"Can you tell us anything about Ven's heart? You've been inside Sora's heart so you might know something. Is there anything?" She asked hopefully. Roxas closed his eyes and lowered his head trying to remember.
"I remember…remember seeing him. He was asleep, sitting on a throne I think. Before I was pulled from Sora's heart, I noticed him stirring slightly. Sora's well on his way to waking Ven up." Roxas answered as a tear of joy rolled down Aqua's cheek as she smiled.
"Ven." She said silently before she quickly composed herself and wiped the tears away. Roxas reached in his pocket and handed Sora something.
"Here, take this. Whenever you need me, just use this and I'll come and fight for you." Roxas said as a blue aura started to appear around him and he started turning transparent. He then walked into Sora and vanished, causing the aura to transfer to Sora for a moment before disappearing. Sora looked down in his hand and saw a simple blue sphere with the number XIII etched into it. The sphere was the same as from the struggle trophy. Sora smiled before putting the sphere in one of his pockets.
"So then…what do we do now?" Sora asked as Aqua smiled.
"The plan is still the same. We need to get you trained. I know of a few places that we can go to that should still have people there that can help. At the very least, the places will point us in the direction of those that can help." Aqua said before she paused and looked at Sora curiously for a moment.
"What is it?" Sora asked, noticing her curious look.
"I seem to remember someone that relied on something called a gummy ship for travel. Am I correct?" Aqua asked as a light bulb appeared over Sora's head…figuratively speaking of course.
"A gummy ship! We can as Cid if he has a spare one that we can-." Sora said as he attempted to run down the path back towards town but Aqua stopped him.
"Whoa hold on there, Sora! The days of using a gummy ship are over. You're a Keyblade wielder, and now you're my apprentice, and all Keyblade wielders in my day traveled using the very weapon they used in battle." Aqua said, earning a confused look from Sora.
"You mean the Keyblade can unlock pathways to different worlds?" Sora asked as Aqua looked thoughtful for a moment.
"That's…one way to look at it I suppose. But really what I mean is that the Keyblade can actually become the vessel that carries you between worlds. It is essentially a gummy ship in itself." Aqua said as Sora looked at his Keyblade curiously.
"You mean…The Keyblade can become a gummy ship?" Sora asked as Aqua nodded.
"Observe." She said as she held her Keyblade out in front of her and closed her eyes. In a flash of light blue light, her armor appeared around her and a pair of large crescent shaped metal platforms appeared floating in midair, the larger one floating over the lower one. The top one was made of a dark gray metal with a single sideways square made of silver in the middle of the crescent. The lower platform was a darkish blue and was very reminiscent of the tooth on Aqua's Keyblade. (A/N: For a good visual reference, I suggest going to the KH wiki and searching for "Keyblade Rider.")
Sora stood amazed at the sight of the strange device as Aqua stepped onto the lower platform and grabbed a hold of the upper platform.
"This is a Keyblade Rider. It is how I got from place to place between worlds back in my day." Aqua said as she hopped off again and in a flash the Keyblade Rider vanished and became a Keyblade again. Aqua's armor disappeared too.
"So how do I use mine?" Sora asked as he held up his Keyblade.
"Well it's kinda tricky. It may take a few attempts to truly activate it." Aqua said as Sora shrugged.
"It's okay. I'm going to keep trying until I get it right." Sora said as Aqua smiled and gave an affirming nod.
…
"I GIVE UP!!!" Sora yelled as he threw down his Keyblade in frustration. Aqua blew a strand of blue hair out her face in irritation. He had been trying, and subsequently failing, for hours now. She hopped off the postern wall and approached him.
"Obviously this is something we're going to have to really work on. You can't summon the Keyblade Rider like this. You need to have a calm mind when doing it for the first time. Maybe we should take five for now." Aqua said as Sora sighed and plopped down on the ground. Aqua sat down next to him, Indian style, examining her lucky charm quietly.
"So what do we do for now?" Sora asked.
"I dunno. Perhaps we should get to know each other a little better." Aqua suggested, earning a somewhat odd look from Sora as he leaned away from her.
"Uh, no offence but aren't you a little um…old, for me?" Sora asked, causing Aqua to giggle.
"Oh Sora, I didn't mean like that, silly. But I am kinda into younger guys…Ven especially." Aqua said, looking away slightly, blushing a little bit at the same time.
"Wow, how old was Ven when you knew him?" Sora asked.
"How old are you?" Aqua asked.
"Fifteen, why?" Sora asked as Aqua smirked.
"He was fifteen too." She replied, again earning the same look from Sora. This caused her to laugh.
"Relax Sora, as cute as you are, I'm not interested in you. My heart lies with Ven. Besides it would be grossly unethical of me, as your instructor, to even consider a romantic relationship with you, my student." Aqua said as Sora breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Okay, for a moment there I was trying to figure out what to say to my friends when I got home." Sora said. Aqua suddenly looked at him. If she had dogs ears they would have perked up at that.
"Home? You've never mentioned your home before. Is it nice?" Aqua asked as Sora nodded.
"Oh it's awesome. But for some reason I…nah never mind." Sora said waving off the comment.
"No-no, what is it?" Aqua asked.
"It's something weird about my home. I love it yeah but…for some reason, I've always had this urge to…I dunno, go out and see the worlds. You know?" Sora asked as Aqua smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. I do." Aqua replied. (Music Cue: "Go the Distance" - Disney's Hercules).
"But my home…it's like some place out of a dream when I come back. It's just so…magical." Sora said as he stood up and stared up at the sky.
"Tell me about it, Sora." Aqua said as Sora smiled up at the sky. He then started to sing…
"I will often dream,
of a far-off place,
where a great warm welcome
will be waiting for me.
Where the crowds will cheer,
when they see my face
and a voice keeps saying
this is where I'm meant to be."
Sora sang as Aqua stood up behind him. Sora continued singing…
"I will find my way.
I can go the distance.
I'll be there someday
if I can be strong.
I know every mile
will be worth my while.
I would go most anywhere
to feel like I belong."
Sora finished singing as Aqua placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Sounds like you get kinda homesick on these adventures huh?" Aqua asked as Sora looked up at her.
"Don't you?" Sora asked as Aqua sighed heavily and nodded. Sora caught a glimpse in her eye that made him realize that it was a sad subject for her.
"What happened to your world?" Sora asked. Aqua looked sadly up at the sky before replying.
"It…was destroyed…but it's still out there…waiting for me to come back to it. But I can't, not until we've found everyone we're looking for." Aqua said as Sora took hold of her hand. She looked down at him as he gave her one of his trademark grins.
"Then we'll find everyone together and we'll both go home. No matter what happens to it, your home will always be home." Sora said as Aqua smiled at him as they both looked up at the sky and Sora started singing…
"We'll be on our way.
We can go the distance.
I don't care how far,
somehow we'll be strong.
I know every mile
will be worth our while.
I would go most anywhere
to find where we belong."
(End music)
Sora sang as Aqua smiled with a contented sigh.
"You really know how to bring someone out of a bad mood don't ya, Sora?" Aqua asked.
"I always like to stay cheerful. My friends say that it's one of my good qualities." Sora replied. Aqua smirked and tapped her chin in thought.
"Then perhaps you should try summoning the Keyblade Rider again, but keep that attitude when you do it." Aqua said as Sora took a deep breath and raised his Keyblade. The Keyblade suddenly started to glow and in a bright flash of white light the Keyblade vanished and Sora's armor appeared around him before a giant black, red, and yellow metal platform with decorative fixtures on it appeared floating in midair. Leon and the Restoration Committee had arrived just in time to see it appear and were noticeably stunned. (A/N: As with Aqua's Keyblade Rider, check out Ven's on the KH wiki but imagine it re-colored red, yellow, and black)
"Aqua! LOOK I'M DOING IT!!! I'M DOING IT!!!" Sora exclaimed as he hopped onto the Keyblade Rider like it was a skateboard. He immediately started flying around at high speeds, not even falling off and making several laps around the castle. The Restoration Committee watched in amazement. Cid let out an impressed whistle.
"Well would ya look at that!" Cid exclaimed. (Music Cue: "Go the Distance (Reprise)" – Disney's Hercules)
"He's flying!" Yuffie exclaimed.
"How is he doing that?!" Rikku asked.
"Atta boy Sora! I knew you could do it!" Aqua exclaimed as she summoned her Rider and quickly caught up with him.
"Aqua this is so awesome! I have got to show this to my friends!" Sora exclaimed as they flew through the air.
"Then lead the way Sora! Let's go pay your home a visit!" Aqua said as Sora grinned from under his helmet and the two Keyblade Riders streaked into the sky as the two sang…
"We will beat the odds!
We can go the distance!
We will face the worlds
fearless, proud and strong!
We will guard the Hearts!
We can go the distance!
Till we find our heroes welcome
right where we, be-lo----------------------------------ong!"
Elsewhere…
"How annoying! That little brat is still alive, even after that guy summoned those Absent Silhouettes!" Pete grumbled as he crossed his arms, looking at a large floating sphere showing Sora and Aqua flying off on the Keyblade Riders.
"Patience is required here. He is still only just learning the true ability to wield the Keyblade." Maleficent said as she looked calmly at the sphere.
"Even at his current strength, he is strong." A calm and dark man's voice from the shadows said.
"And what do you, a lowly worm, know of the boy's true strength?" a snobbish but just as dark man's voice asked.
"Enough to know that he's not going to go down easily." The dark and calm voice replied.
"I'll be the judge of that. And I'll be sure to execute him properly as well." An eloquent man's voice said.
"HEE-HAW-haw-haw-haw-haw!!! Those goody two shoes are in for a world of hurt!" an insane man's voice laughed.
"It seems I drew the death card when I looked into his future." A deep bass male voice laughed.
"Oh-ho-ho a game of death! I love games, especially when the losers DIE!!!" Ah-he-he-he-he-he-(Snort)." A frazzled old woman's voice laughed insanely.
"Whoa-whoa! Guys! Re-lax. The game's only just beginning. The kid's going to the underworld this time for sure." Hades said as he casually strolled onto the scene.
"And what of that no good girl?" Pete asked as Maleficent and Hades both looked down at the sphere more carefully this time. Maleficent's eyes widened this time in anger.
"No! It cannot BE!!!" She exclaimed angrily as she recognized Aqua. Hades proceeded to ignite into flames in anger.
"RAUGHHHHHH!!! It's that girl! The one who defeated the Ice Titan years ago!" Hades vented before he calmed himself down. "Okay fine-fine-I'm cool-fine. SO her dreams are all so noble. Well what's say we put an end to that huh?"
"I concur…Pete, you know what to do." Maleficent said with a dark glare as Pete cowered and bowed out of the room as the villains started to laugh sinisterly which evolved into maniacal cackling.
End Chapter 5.
The songs above were slightly altered versions of "Go the Distance" & it's reprise, both from Disney's Hercules, which I do not own.