MAN THIS WAS A LONG CHAPTER!!! I hadn't planned on it but as some of you writers will know (cough…shire…cough...) Sometimes you end up getting in a groove and by the time you are done you have a huge chapter on your hands.
I'm glad that this chapter is done though…
I own Ankoku, Anne, and Yamato…all other characters are property of Square-Enix and Disney…
Well without further delay…
Here is chapter 5!
Chapter 5: The True Power of Darkness
"H…how is this possible?" Sora stuttered out, stunned by the apparition of his past that appeared before him.
Ankoku smiled devilishly at the shocked Keyblade Master. He held out his hand, and a glob of black slime oozed out of his palm. Sora watched as the blob quivered and seemed to morph as he twisted his hand in various ways. When it finally stopped Sora saw that the once amorphous shape had changed into a long, black, sword. The blade curved upwards, branching out into a rounded cleaver. On top of the cleaver, thin spikes jutted out, giving the blade a more defined shape. Sora immediately raised his Keyblade, as did Yamato, in preparation of an attack. Ankoku saw this and chuckled to himself.
"Don't worry…I promise that I won't use this blade on any of you…I have far worse horrors in store for you!" Ankoku stated through clenched teeth.
Ankoku the proceeded to take his newly formed blade, and jammed it hard into his stomach. He let out a gasp of pain, and looked down at the now fresh wound, watching a mixture of blood and black gunk slowly seeped out, leaving a dark stain on his robe. Sora was astonished, wondering why Ankoku would do such a thing. Ankoku looked up into Sora's face with a pained expression. Sora watched his eyes flash, and a sick smile formed on his face. Sora watched in awe as Ankoku pulled the blade out of his stomach. With an unaffected expression, Ankoku pulled down his robe far enough to where the trio could see the wound that Ankoku had created. Sora scanned Ankoku's face, trying to figure out what Ankoku was trying to do. The gasps that emerged around him didn't pull him away, from Ankoku's eyes; but the cry of Roxas did.
"Oh…my…god…!" Roxas said, interrupting Sora's concentration.
Sora turned his attention to where Roxas was staring at. Sora looked on in amazement as the wound began to fill with the black slime and slowly got smaller. The three watched as the wound got smaller and smaller until it completely closed up, with no sign of a scar whatsoever. It was as if he never stabbed himself in the first place! Ankoku dismissed the blade, and pulled his robe back up. He gazed down at the astounded faces below and chortled.
"How..." Sora started before Ankoku cut him off.
"It's quite simple Sora!" Ankoku began with a sneer.
"As you know I was abducted by Ansem's team of scientists; and prodded and probe in many of their experiments…many of which involved the essence of pure darkness." He said, with his eyes showing pleasure at the mention of it.
"It's a fascinating substance, one that has a wide variety of uses…ones that you have seen in action Sora; did you enjoy my Riku duplicate?" He asked Sora, who continued to glare with anger at Ankoku.
"So…you're the reason why these infernal heartless are in this place!" Yamato suddenly stated.
"Yes, those creatures are but one aspect of my full power…" Ankoku said to the sage-like warrior.
"Another one of those powers is the ability to heal oneself from all physical harm…which is the one that I just demonstrated for you…" He said with a sneer.
"Now I will give you some credit Sora…as the blows that you struck me with were far greater than anything that my restorative powers could come back from in the world of light." Ankoku said, before looking around at the environment and opening his arms, seemingly reveling in it all.
"But in this wonderful place…a world of pure darkness…I become invincible!" He said, taking almost orgasmic pleasure in that statement.
"My powers increase, and are now to the point now that you are all no match for me!" He said with a disturbing grin.
"If you thought that I was strong before Sora…well then wait until you see me…AT FULL POWER!" Ankoku roared as his eyes ceased flashing and became deep red.
Black slime began pouring out of his arms, lapping over the heartless that surrounded the trio. Sora and Yamato quickly jumped up to the mound that was situated in the middle of the bamboo thicket and watched the ooze rise up to the point that it latched on to their ankles. They used their Keyblades to free themselves from the ooze, but it continued to latch onto the brave fighters. Ankoku watched this all with great amusement as the two struggled with the ooze.
"Don't fight it Sora! Just accept your fate and DIE!!" Ankoku yelled, before cackling again.
Meanwhile…back in Destiny City:
"Selphie dear…can you make the pie crusts?" Anne stated as she looked up from the onions she was cutting, brushing a tear out of her eye.
"Sure thing Mrs. Uchida!" Selphie cheerfully replied.
Anne sighed and turned toward Kairi and Naminé, who were giggling at Selphie's statement. Anne rolled her eyes and finished cutting the onion, before tossing it into a bowl. She turned to the tray on her left, and picked it up. She turned towards Kairi with the tray in her hands.
"Here Kairi…go take this veggie tray out there to the boys." Anne said, handing her adopted daughter the tray.
"Sure thing…Mrs. Uchida." Kairi said with a snicker, as she left the room.
"Don't you start!" Anne called out to her daughter, causing Selphie and Naminé to break out in laughter. Anne gave the duo a glare, causing Selphie and Naminé quickly turned away and tried to stifle their giggling. Anne sighed again and turned back towards her work.
Kairi made her way into the family room, where there was loud hooting and hollering going on. Tidus and Wakka were sitting on the couch watching a game of Blitzball. They were really getting into the game, and didn't pay attention to Kairi as she entered the room. This was actually the first time that they had seen Wakka since the Blitzball season began, and he was home for Thanksgiving. He wouldn't be there long, as the team had to leave for Atlantica the very next day for a match. Wakka was still the same, a large hulking figure, tanned, and reddish-orange hair that had tremendous lift in front. He wore a blue, long-sleeved Destiny City Sharks shirt, and a pair of white board shorts, with streaks of silver and blue that ran down the sides. A pair of white and blue shoes and a dark blue headband completed the ensemble.
It had been a long month for everyone, especially following the Halloween episode. Mako and his gang, were found guilty for assault, sexual assault, and the desecration of a world monument; and were forced to serve some jail time. They had gotten out, and were forced to pay damages and perform community service. Kairi had seen them around town, but they seemed apprehensive about testing her again, after the way that she had beat them down. Kairi had been labeled a local hero as a result of the incident, and thus was able to walk away with a little bit of community service, but nothing on her record. She had enjoyed her community service, which was working with younger kids.
Now however, she was just happy that everything was normal, and her life was happy; even though she still missed Sora greatly. Kairi walked in and put the tray down in front of the two. They looked up and gave her a smile.
"Thanks Kai!" Tidus said, and quickly turned his attention back to the game.
"Thanks ya?" Wakka's said in his slight island accent.
Kairi smiled and then walked back into the kitchen. Naminé grinned as she walked into the room.
"Still watching that game?" She asked.
"You know it!" Kairi responded.
"Wakka is really hoping that Tidus gets drafted by the Sharks after school." Selphie stated.
"He's not going to the university?" Anne asked.
"He has a really good chance of getting drafted very high if he goes straight into the WBL (Author's note: World Blitzball League), and he stands to make a lot of money." Selphie stated. "If he goes to college and gets hurt while playing there, he could lose a lot…it would be smarter to get the money now…and then do college later." She finished.
"So…where is he going to go?" Kairi asked.
"More importantly…where do you want him to go?" Naminé interjected.
Selphie thought about it for a bit.
"Well…I would like him to stay here, since I'm going to school here…but Destiny City is doing very well this year thanks to Wakka…so they could end up drafting very low. If Tidus does go into the draft, he would probably go to one of the worst teams…I know that Radiant Garden is heavily looking at him, as is Atlantica…" Selphie stated.
"What happens if he goes to one of those places?" Kairi asked.
Selphie sighed, knowing that this question was coming sooner or later.
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there...but the distance will be a big problem…" She said with a hint of depression, before suddenly smiling.
"But why worry about the future? Today is a happy day!" Selphie exclaimed.
Kairi smiled and nodded at Selphie. Naminé looked up at the clock on the wall.
"So when is Riku arriving with the others?" She asked.
"Well…Twilight Town is a three hour flight by normal gummi ship, but with the ship that the King gave him it will only take him about an hour, so he should be back any minute now…" Anne stated, as she checked the turkey in the oven.
"I can't wait to see Olette!" Kairi said, anxious to see her friend.
"Me either!" Naminé squealed.
"Do you think that Hayner is going to call for another struggle tournament?" Selphie wondered aloud.
"I don't know." Kairi said, remembering how they would always seem to have them whenever they all got together prior to last summer.
"If he does, he might actually have a chance to win, since Sora's not here." Selphie said, before quickly clamping her mouth shut. She looked up with apologetic eyes towards Kairi and Naminé.
"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean too…" Selphie said before Kairi raised her hand to silence her.
"It's okay Selphie…" Kairi said, forcing a small smile.
At that moment, there was a loud slam from the front of the house that startled everyone. Within seconds a blond short-haired teenager stormed into the dining room that connected the kitchen and where the boys were watching television. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the intruder. He had a goatee that wrapped around his mouth, and he wore camouflage pants, and a long black shirt. He wore a thick grin on his face, as his eyes flashed with excitement. Suddenly, the teenager held his hand up to his mouth as if he was simulating talking into a microphone.
"LLLLLLET'S GET READY TO STRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" The teen screamed.
He looked around, but found only blank stares in return. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as the sound of footsteps came up behind him. A teenage girl now entered the room, wearing long jeans, and a light green hooded sweatshirt. She had brown hair, which went down just past her shoulders, and she wore a slightly annoyed look on her face.
"Hayner…" She said, addressing the blond-haired boy; "Do you have to do that every time?"
Hayner turned and grinned.
"You know it babe!" He said, and then walked over and said hello to Tidus and Wakka.
The girl meanwhile turned towards the kitchen with a big smile on her face.
"Kairi! Naminé! Selphie! I missed you guys sooo much!" She said as she raced into the kitchen, where the girls were able to shake off their initial shock, and welcome their long overdue friend.
"We missed you too Olette!" Kairi said squeezing her friend.
"Hey…where's Pence?" Naminé asked looking around.
"Did someone call my name?" asked a rotund teenager that entered the area. The teenager wore a pair of blue jeans and a wine and gold basketball jersey over a long-sleeved white shirt. His head band made it so that his hair fanned out like the top of a pineapple. He smiled at the girls as he entered the kitchen.
"Hey Pence!" Naminé greeted her friend.
"Hey guys…long time no see…" Pence said, as he seemed to be paying more attention to the food that was on the counter then his friends.
"Thinking about food again Pence?" Kairi said coyly, placing her hands on her hips.
Pence grinned. "You know it!" He then walked out of the kitchen and joined the rest of the guys in the living room.
"What's the score?" Riku asked as he suddenly appeared in the dining room.
"Twilight Town is up by two!" Hayner yelled out to Riku.
"Make that one…Radiant Garden just punched it in!" Pence called out merely seconds later, which was followed by an audible "Damn!" by Hayner.
"What did I say about being a guest Hayner!" Olette snapped from the other room.
"Sorry!!" Hayner called from the TV room.
Olette sighed, as the other girls giggled, and began to chat away. Riku began to walk over to where the guys were, but Anne held him back for a second.
"Riku…are your folks going to be joining us?" She asked.
"No…they're on vacation right now; we did our thanksgiving last week." He told her. "They send their best though!" He smiled, and joined the rest of the guys in the room.
"Ah…okay then." Anne said as she turned back into the kitchen.
The girls continued to talk about life and various things, while the guys watched the game in the other room. When it was halftime, the men all marched through the dining room and out the front door.
"What's going on?" Anne asked with confusion.
"Struggle tournament!" Pence exclaimed.
"Guess that answers that question…" Naminé said to Selphie, who giggled.
"What are the match-ups?" Kairi asked Hayner as he passed by.
"Well…since the reigning champion isn't here…Riku gets a bye into the final round. As for the four of us…I'm taking on Wakka and Pence will be facing Tidus in the first round. Then whoever wins those matches will face off for the right to challenge Riku. Winner of that match will be the new struggle champion!" Hayner said as he exited the room.
The girls looked at each other, and laughed. Anne smiled and turned to the girls.
"So who wins?" She asked.
"Riku." They all answered in unison.
"The only person that Riku ever lost to was Sora…so unless Hayner and Tidus got a lot better; Riku should take it." Kairi explained.
"He was training a lot, but I don't think that he's good enough yet…" Olette admitted.
"Well I guess we shall find out…" Anne said as she went back to cooking. The other girls soon followed suit.
The girls continued to cook, while the sounds of the struggle tournament raged on outside. After few minutes; the men came back inside, and plopped down on the couch, just as the second half was starting.
"Naminé, can you go and see what the results were?" Kairi asked her friend, who nodded and floated into the next room. She examined the combatants and other than Pence who looked to be out of breath, there were no apparent injuries to any of them.
"So, what were the results?" Naminé asked.
"Well, we got through the first round…" Riku started. "Tidus defeated Pence 156 to 44, and Hayner defeated Wakka 132 to 68…so after the game, we will have the semi-final match, which will be Hayner vs. Tidus." Riku told her.
"So Hayner and Tidus…okay…anything else?" Naminé asked.
"Yeah…we decided that since I get to sit out this time, I'm gonna face both Pence and Wakka, to earn the right to face the winner of Hayner/Tidus…and if I lose then Hayner/Tidus will be the championship match." Riku stated.
"Okay! Thanks!" Naminé said, as she left the room.
She floated back into the kitchen. The girls all turned towards the blonde-haired girl, awaiting the news. Naminé looked around, and in her best announcer voice declared the winners.
"By a score of 132 to 68…the winner is…HAYNER!!!" She said in a low voice.
The girls laughed and applauded, with Olette giving a small cheer. Naminé cleared her throat.
"By a score of 156 to 44…the winner is…TIDUS!!!" Naminé announced.
This time it was Selphie who gave off the small cheer.
"Following the game…two matches will take place… first up…the semi-final match will take place…HAYNER VS. TIDUS!!!" Naminé loudly yelled.
"Quiet down in there!" Hayner yelled from the other room, causing the girls to erupt in laughter.
She then cleared her throat and continued. "Also…since the long wait has been deemed an advantage for Riku, he will put his final spot on the line against BOTH Pence and Wakka…and should he lose…then Hayner vs. Tidus will be for the championship!" She finished.
Anne laughed to herself at her daughter's commentary.
"So ladies…" Anne began, "Who emerges from the Riku vs. Pence/Wakka fight?" Anne asked.
"Riku." They all said without hesitation.
"Okay…how about the other one?" She asked.
Both Selphie and Olette were quick to answer, and chose their respective boyfriends. They both gave each other a glare, as if to admonish the other for picking against their man. Naminé saw this and immediately whistled an old west standoff tune, causing both Anne and Kairi to burst out laughing. Selphie and Olette looked at them, and then slowly joined in. Anne looked at her daughters.
"What about you two?" She asked.
"Hmmm…I'll go with Hayner…due to the experience in struggle competitions." Kairi said.
Olette smirked at Selphie.
"I'll take Tidus, I think he is the more polished fighter…the only reason that he really ever lost in the previous tournaments was due to the fact that he faced Sora or Riku in the first round all the time." Naminé stated.
Selphie returned the smirk.
"Well…I guess it will be very interesting…" Anne said and went back to cooking.
Back in the Dark
Realm:
Sora and Yamato were trying to fight off the ooze that was slowly working its way up towards them. They constantly had to slash at the tentacle like ooze, but they also were fighting off the dark balls that Ankoku had summoned to assault them from the air. Roxas sat and watched his friends battle off the assault.
"Come on guys!" Roxas shouted encouragingly.
Ankoku heard the cry, and turned towards Roxas. Roxas felt Ankoku's evil eyes looking at him and turned to face the sinister Ankoku.
"Ah…the nobody of Sora!" He said with a glint in his eye.
"Shut up you monster!" Roxas lashed out.
"Touché…but tell me…how will it feel to no longer exist in no more than twenty minutes when your friend Sora suffocates?" Ankoku sneered at Roxas.
Roxas's eyes grew wide.
"You no good…I'm gonna…" Roxas seethed, the rage overtaking his body. Ankoku saw this and feigned being afraid of Roxas.
"Oh no…the nobody is going to flail at me with air!" Ankoku said sarcastically. Roxas growled at him, which caused Ankoku to laugh even more.
"Well…if you didn't like that…then you will love this!" He howled.
Ankoku's eyes flashed red again and Roxas watched in shock as the strands of black ooze shot up and latched on to the arms and around the neck of both Sora and Yamato. They couldn't use their blades, and soon, they were having major difficulty breathing. Roxas watched in horror as the ooze began to slowly drag Sora and Yamato down into the depths. Roxas watched with a pained look. Sora and Yamato were down there suffocating, being dragged to their deaths, and there was nothing that he could do about it. Roxas screamed for Sora and Yamato to fight back, but there was no response, as by now they were both knocked out.
"SORA!!" Roxas cried as he saw his friend's head slip under the sea of slime.
Ankoku watched this scene, and laughed sadistically.
Back in Destiny City:
"He took them both out?" Anne said with some shock.
"Yeah it was unreal…Wakka and Pence were trying so hard to beat him, but they couldn't even catch up to him." Hayner said.
The girls had joined them outside, primarily to inform them that dinner was ready. They were gathered around the front door, listening to the results of the semi-final matches. Riku had obliterated Pence and Wakka by a score of 192 to 8. Kairi, Naminé, and Anne were all impressed by that result; but Selphie and Olette were at attention waiting to hear the result of the Tidus/Hayner match-up.
"Sooo?" Olette said, leaning in towards Hayner. "Did you win?"
Hayner looked away, with a slightly miffed expression. Selphie saw this and immediately ran up and gave Tidus a big kiss.
"I knew you could do it!" Selphie said.
Tidus looked away kinda sheepish, which confused Selphie greatly.
"You…you won right?" She asked.
"Not exactly…" Tidus admitted.
Olette then let out a cry of joy and gave Hayner a big kiss. Hayner smiled when she released.
"Thanks…" He said, grinning.
"Well you deserved it you won!" Olette said, her arms still draped around his neck.
"But…Hayner didn't win…" Pence said breaking the happy mood.
"What?" Selphie asked, confused.
"So wait…Hayner and Tidus didn't win? Then what happened?" Kairi asked.
"It was a draw ya? They finished with a hundred!" Wakka said finally.
"They both finished with 100 orbs a piece…" Riku added.
"So what does this mean…Riku is the champion by default?" Kairi asked.
"No! I don't want it to end that way..." Riku stated.
They all sat there for a minute while they thought about what to do. Finally; Pence cleared his throat, and they all turned to see what he had to say.
"How about a three-way match?" He offered.
"A what?" Hayner said.
"A three way match…" Pence said again.
"What does that mean?" Tidus asked.
"Well…" Pence began; "Since Hayner and Tidus tied, neither one technically lost. Now Riku doesn't want the title by default…but we can't pick Hayner over Tidus or vice-versa…" He continued.
He looked around to see everyone nodding along. He cleared his throat and continued.
"So… why don't you give each of them 100 orbs, let them fight it out, and who ever amongst the three has the most orbs at the end is the new struggle champion!" Pence explained.
"That's a great idea Pence!" Kairi clapped.
"I like it too ya!" Wakka added.
Riku, Hayner, and Tidus all nodded in agreement. Anne smiled at the decision.
"Well! Now that that's out of the way…how about you all come in to eat?" She said.
The group all agreed, and marched into the kitchen for the feast. However; Naminé remained outside. She looked out into the distance, and saw the island. She watched it in the slowly setting sun, as the wind picked up a tad, gently blowing her hair around. She remembered back to when Roxas had first asked her out on the island…
Flashback…(Naminé's perspective)
He was giving Sora and Kairi a demonstration on how to struggle. She sat there watching him show the two the basic ideas of the game. Eventually after Sora and Kairi had gone off to practice, he came over and sat next to me…we looked out on the setting sun…the waves lapping against the beaches…everything was calm and peaceful. The sun was setting, and several stars had come out in the early evening. We could hear Kairi and Sora laughing off in the distance. I smiled at the sound.
"I really hope that they get together…" I remember saying.
"Yeah…heh…me too…" He stammered back.
I was confused by his tone, I could see that something was wrong, like he wanted to tell me something, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Kairi had told me something that Sora had said…maybe this was it…I decided to press the issue…
"What's wrong Roxas?" I asked him as innocently as I could…but my heart was fluttering. I noticed that he was trembling a bit, and blushing too, something very uncharacteristic of him. I smiled and grabbed his hand. He looked up at me and our eyes met…
"Naminé…I have a question for you…" He finally stuttered out.
"Sure! You can ask anything!" I said…
"No! Was I too quick there? Did he sense it? Shut up Naminé shut up! He's going to say something!" My mind battled back and forth…almost as nervous as he was.
However, the statement seemed to build up confidence in his face and body, and he turned to me with a determined look on his face. He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes…my lip was now trembling too…
"This was it…" I thought to myself…
"Naminé…will you go out with me?" He finally choked out.
End Flashback…
Naminé smiled as she remembered their date, which consisted of Sora and Kairi taking them to the movies. She remembered looking at him; and literally falling for him in that very theater. After Sora and Kairi had turned in…they snuck out for a walk, well float really, on the beach; where they had their first kiss under the stars…it was truly a magical evening.
All of these feelings and memories, along with the longing to see him again came washing out of her. She thought about his cheerful smile and his unparalleled zaniness; and felt the pain of knowing that he wasn't here. It hurt enough that he wasn't there… but it was amplified by the vow that she had made to herself. She wouldn't let her feelings for Roxas allow Kairi to feel bad about Sora.
"NAMINÉ!!!" Anne yelled from inside the house.
She sighed and realized that she had to go inside. She took one last look at the island, the sunset, and closed her eyes. She clasped her hands together and held them up to her chest.
"Roxas…if you can hear me…let me just tell you…I love you with all my heart…" She said, as she opened her eyes and saw a few seagulls floating in the sky.
"Come back soon…" She said silently.
She then turned around and went inside to join the rest of the party for dinner.
Meanwhile…in the Realm of Darkness:
Roxas had to do something quickly, or else Sora and Yamato were as good as dead. There was one problem…he had no way of doing anything. He frantically searched around, looking for anything that he might be able to use to help out his friends; but found nothing that he could use. Ankoku on the other hand was enjoying what he was seeing.
"Die Sora!!!" Ankoku screamed with glee. Roxas glared at him with unbridled rage.
"SHUT UP!!" Roxas screamed at Ankoku.
Ankoku merely laughed at Roxas, but didn't take his eyes off of the scene below. Roxas was starting to panic, not really knowing what to do.
"Damn! Why am I so useless!?" He thought to himself.
As he thought this; a strange feeling washed over him…it felt calming and warm and helped to soothe his rage. He leaned back his head, and allowed the feeling to wash over him. His vision started to become blurry, and fell out all together.
"Am…I…dying…?" He thought to himself.
Suddenly he heard a voice in his head:
"Roxas…if you can hear me…let me just tell you…I love you with all my heart…come back soon…"
"Naminé…?" Roxas thought.
He saw a faint glimmer of light in the darkness, but as soon as it was there, it vanished. Roxas suddenly felt a huge rush overtake him, as if a lightning bolt had just surged through his body. He slowly came back around, and saw that he was alright. He felt heavier for some reason, but was still floating in air. He opened his eyes, and looked down at his body. He was floored when he couldn't see through himself anymore. He quickly looked up at Ankoku and noticed that he was still watching what was going on below. Roxas used his hands and felt his body, for the first time in over two years.
"I...I'm…whole…" Roxas said in silent awe.
He felt another surge, this one was generated specifically in his right hand. He felt a heavy object form in his hand, and he had to hold on to carry it. He looked over to find a silver and black Keyblade in his hands. He stared at the blade, seemingly remembering that he had seen this blade before. He examined the blade which had a black rounded handle, which jutted out on both sides. The silver part of the blade stretched out, and then overlapped itself at the top, so that it looked like part of the number four. The blades were black and white spikes, and the resting in the center of the handle was the symbol of Organization XIII. He looked at the blade, as if he was enchanted with it. He then quickly snapped out of it and turned towards Ankoku, who seemed blissfully unaware of Roxas's recent transformation.
"Well…I don't know how this happened…but I might as well do something with it!" Roxas said to himself.
He charged at Ankoku, who still was unaware of him. By the time Ankoku heard Roxas approach, he was already on top of him, and let loose with a vertical slash, catching Ankoku on the right shoulder.
"Augh!" Ankoku screamed in pain, losing his concentration in the process.
The ooze that covered Sora and Yamato slowly dissipated, and the two of them lay there hacking and wheezing for breath. Roxas landed on the ground next to them, checking to make sure that they were alright. Several dark balls flew at the fallen Keyblade Masters, but were quickly dispelled by Roxas. Sora had regained some level of consciousness, and slowly got to his feet. He turned and saw Roxas standing there, poised with a Keyblade. He stood there with a shocked expression that was soon shared by Yamato once he had also come to.
"Roxas?" Sora asked in awe.
Roxas turned and smirked at Sora.
"Get ready Sora…I think he's mad now!" He said.
The three Keyblade warriors looked up at the now furious Ankoku. He raised his hands and more legions of heartless sprang up. The three looked at the army of heartless, but this time they were ready for it. Ankoku was less than pleased with the outcome of events.
"You shall pay dearly for that!!!" He roared as the heartless approached the trio.
Meanwhile…Back in Destiny City:
"Wow! You ladies definitely outdid yourselves!" Tidus exclaimed, as his eyes jumped from one dish to the next.
"Well thank you very much!" Anne said, as the rest of the girls smiled in appreciation at the kind words. The boys began to start passing around plates before Kairi cleared her throat which stopped them. They turned towards Kairi who got up apparently to say something.
"I thought that before we started dinner, we could say what we are thankful for…I mean…it is Thanksgiving…" She said quietly.
The rest of the group looked around at each other, and nodded, relenting to Kairi's request. Wakka stood up, and all eyes fixated on him. He cleared his throat.
"Well…I am probably most thankful for all of you ya? I'm also thankful the sport of Blitzball…and me family ya?" He said as he turned to Tidus who was seated next to him.
"Your turn brudda!" He said slapping him on the back.
Tidus in turn got up and repeated what Wakka had said, and then turned it over to Selphie, who repeated both Tidus and Wakka. On it went down the line: Olette was thankful for all her friends and family, Pence the same, Hayner was thankful for everything that made him happy in life, Anne was thankful for both of her daughters, and Riku gave thanks for every peaceful day that they have. Everyone turned now to Kairi, who slowly stood up to address the rest of the table. Kairi looked around at all the smiling faces; and slowly began to speak.
"I am greatly thankful…for all of you and all of our friends that are on other worlds that can't be here right now…" She began. "I would like to give a big thanks to my mother for taking care of me and all of the support that she has given me over the years…I know that it hasn't been easy…" She said with a smile towards Anne.
"But when is raising teenagers ever easy?" Anne said with a grin. This drew a laugh from everyone at the table. Kairi waited until she had regained her composure before she continued.
"I am thankful for both Riku and Naminé…you two have been my anchors for the past few months…and I don't know how I would survive with out you both…" She said, as both Riku and Naminé, who had tears in her eyes, gave an appreciative nod.
Kairi then looked down to the ground, before lifting her head back up to speak. There were tears forming in her eyes and her lip began to quiver. Soon, there were several people at the table with tears forming as well. Kairi finally opened her mouth to speak.
"There is one other person that I would like to thank…and I'm sure most of you know who I am talking about." Kairi said, as several people at the table nodded, wiping away tears.
"Without Sora…none of us would be having this dinner right now…or even be alive more than likely. Because of Sora's selfless sacrifice…we are allowed to still be together…and I would like to thank him for not only that…but for being the best friend that I ever had…and I hope that I will see him soon…" She said, with tears now flowing freely.
The rest of the people sat their in silence, reflecting on what Kairi had just stated. Finally Riku broke the silence by standing up and holding his glass aloft. He looked right at Kairi.
"To Sora…" He said softly.
"To Sora!" Wakka said as he stood up, raising his glass.
Anne, Selphie, Pence, Olette, and Hayner soon followed suit, each raising their glass for their absent friend. Naminé was the last to get up, and she had tears in her eyes as well. She struggled to speak, much like Kairi had done earlier.
"To Sora…and Roxas…" She said finally.
"To the stalker too!" Hayner said with a grin.
This drew a laugh from everyone at the table. The table repeated Naminé's toast, and then sat down to their dinner, which now had much more meaning than it did before.
Meanwhile…Back in the Realm of Darkness:
"What the hell is going on?" Ankoku screamed angrily.
A small golden aura had begun to form around the trio, causing the heartless to back off from them.
"What is this?" Yamato exclaimed as the aura got bigger.
"Roxas?" Sora asked his friend.
"Not a clue Sora…" Roxas said, staring at the fast growing aura.
The golden orb began to encompass many of the heartless, and upon touching them, reduced them to dust. Ankoku watched with horror as the orb grew bigger and was slowly approaching him.
"NO!" Ankoku screamed as it approached him.
He shielded himself from the flash, but the force knocked him back against a wall of bamboo, and he fell to the ground. He had also caught a glimpse of the flash, thus rendering him unable to see very well. Sora and Roxas were also forced to cover their eyes from the attack. When they opened them they looked out and saw all the heartless gone, and their attacker was knocked to the ground, stunned but still moving.
"We should finish him off!" Yamato cried out.
Sora quickly charged the fallen Ankoku, who was lying in front of the bamboo, rubbing his eyes furiously. Sora leapt high in the air and was poised to deliver the final blow to Ankoku. Ankoku squinted and could barely make out the shape of Sora in the air ready to attack. He raised his hand, and concentrated his energy. In a puff of smoke; Ankoku disappeared and Sora's Keyblade sunk into the wall of bamboo. He pulled out his Keyblade and looked around for his adversary but didn't see him. Sora sighed and turned back towards the rest of the party. He looked at Yamato who looked back at him with a concerned face.
"He's gone…but we should get out of here while we have some breathing room…" Sora said.
"So…mind telling me how you are whole…Rox…" Sora said as he turned towards his friend, but his voice slowly trailed off as he saw his friend, no longer whole, but the ghostly apparition that he had been for the past two years.
Roxas looked down at his hands in disbelief. Tears began to well in his eyes.
"No…I…I was whole again…" He muttered with a shell-shocked look on his face, not looking away from his hands.
Sora's heart went out to his friend, but realized that they needed to put some substantial distance between them and their aggressor.
"Come on! The way to the tree house is over this way…I'd bet that the access point is somewhere around there!" Sora said, urging his two companions along.
Yamato quickly followed Sora, but Roxas was still numb. Sora looked at his friend.
"Roxas…I know…but we need to get out of here!" Sora urged again.
Roxas finally looked up at him, and slowly nodded. However, he opted to head inside Sora rather than walk alongside him.
"I'm sorry Roxas…" Sora thought, knowing that Roxas would hear it; but was saddened when no response came.
"Come on Sora!" Yamato called out to his lagging companion.
Sora sighed and quickly raced out of the thicket, towards the hippo lagoon.
Meanwhile…Back in Destiny City:
"I AM THE CHAMPION…MY FRIENDS!!! AND I'LLLL KEEP ON FIGHTING…TILL THE END!!!!" Hayner sang at the top of lungs as he ran around the yard.
Olette was clapping, while several jaws hung wide open. Riku merely smiled at Hayner's celebration, while Tidus wore a miffed expression, obviously disappointed in himself. Everyone had expected Riku to take the title, but it was actually Hayner who snuck out with a victory. The final tally read: Hayner – 104 Riku – 103 and Tidus – 93. It was a fast paced match-up, with Tidus and Hayner teaming up to take out Riku, who actually lost quite a bit of orbs in the initial onslaught. Soon they turned their attention to each other, but as soon as Riku got back into the match, they went back to their strategy of a two on one assault. As the match approached the time limit, they were all deadlocked in orbs. As the final seconds ticked off, Hayner turned on Tidus and attacked him while his back was turned. He scooped up the fallen orbs, right before the clock expired. After the final tally was counted it was revealed that Hayner had defeated Riku by one orb.
"I told you that I would win!" Hayner said triumphantly.
"I still can't believe it ya?" Wakka said with disbelief.
"I guess it actually pays to play dirty…" Tidus said, looking rather upset with the result.
"What's that supposed to mean!? It was every man for himself!" Hayner protested.
"I'm saying that I don't think you could have beaten either Riku or myself without first agreeing to team up with me to take out Riku…only to turn your back on me when I wasn't looking!" Tidus said, lashing out at Hayner.
"Is that a fact!?" Hayner roared back, ready to go for one more round.
The two got nose to nose, before Riku and Wakka stepped in to separate the two.
"Well…I think that I would like to see that match…and the title defended as well…" Selphie said.
"Me too ya!" Wakka added.
"Unfortunately it doesn't appear that you are going to have a whole lot of time…" Naminé said, pointing to the sun, which was now just barely peeking out over the horizon.
"What if we settle this with a new tournament next month…when we all meet for Christmas?" Kairi proposed.
"That's fine with me!" Hayner said with a huff.
"Me too!" Tidus said.
"Fantastic!" Olette said cheerfully.
"Well then why don't you two boys shake hands, and then we shall see who the winner is next month?" Anne suggested from the porch.
Hayner and Tidus were hesitant but at the prodding of their girlfriends, they reluctantly shook hands, though neither one of them kept their eyes off of each other. The gang said their goodbyes, and departed the house. Naminé yawned and made her way back into the house. Riku was about to leave to give the Twilight Town gang a lift home, but Kairi stopped him for a second, once the others were out of earshot.
"Why did you hold back?" She asked him.
Riku looked at her with a stunned look on her face. He thought of something to say, but he could see that she wouldn't buy it.
"I wanted to let those two have their moment…" Riku started. "I knew I could beat them…but there was no point…I mean without Sora…there's no challenge…you know?" He finished.
Riku walked off, while Kairi smiled as she understood what Riku had meant with that last statement. Anne watched her daughter, and felt a small chill up her arm.
"Kairi…you should come in dearie, its starting to get very cold." She said.
Kairi watched her friends walk off into the distance, before turning around and heading into the house. Kairi walked to the kitchen and was going to help with the clean-up job, but Anne shooed her away.
"Go to bed sweetie…I can take it from here."
Kairi looked at her mom, and smiled.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
Anne nodded.
Kairi yawned and walked over to get a glass of water before scurrying off to bed. Anne began wrapping up some of the leftovers that were scattered on the table. She looked up at her daughter who was in the process of leaving the kitchen.
"Did you have fun today?" Anne asked her departing daughter.
Kairi turned and smiled at her mom.
"Yeah it was fun today…" She said, before she looked down at the ground.
She looked back up at her mom with a smile, but it was a noticeably sadder smile than before. "Though I wish that one more person could have been there…" She said.
Anne nodded understandingly to Kairi. She smiled as she looked at the piles of food in front of her.
"I know sweetie…I wish he was here too…there would be a lot less leftovers!" She said with a grin.
Kairi laughed at that statement, and knew that it was the truth. She walked over to Anne and wrapped her up in a hug. They pulled apart and Anne smiled at her daughter.
"I know it's hard…but be strong…and keep the faith, and someday he will come back…a good man always will…" Anne said.
Kairi smiled and nodded. She turned and began to walk up the stairs. Kairi peered over the banister and looked at her mother, and smiled.
"Thanks mom…goodnight!" She said.
"Goodnight angel…" Anne replied.
Kairi raced off to bed, while Anne continued to clean up. She took a look at her face in the mirror, noticing the wrinkles that had come with her age. She looked back up at the stairs and smiled.
"Now if only I could find a man like that…" She said to herself.
Back in the Realm of Darkness:
"There it is!" Sora exclaimed almost breathlessly, as they entered the tree house.
The access point sat in the center of the house, though it was by no means easy to get up there.
"Let's get out of here before that man comes back." Yamato suggested.
"Fine with me…how about you Roxas?" Sora said.
Roxas still gave no response; which caused Sora to sigh. Yamato sensed the gloom in his young partner.
"Relax Sora…he'll be fine…right now though we need to get out of here…" Yamato said to Sora, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Sora nodded in agreement and walked to the center of the room. He stepped into the access point, and Yamato was quick to follow him.
Elsewhere…
Ankoku sat seething as he rubbed his eyes. Slowly but surely his sight had returned to him, and he was livid at the missed opportunity.
"I was so close!!" He screamed to no one in particular.
He looked around, and tried to see if he could sense Sora in the area, but there was no trace of him. He narrowed his eyes, and his lip curled up into a sneer.
"I don't know how you did it Sora…but you will not get away with this…" He said through clenched teeth.
"I rule this realm…and it will be a cold day in hell before I fall to you again!" He roared, and with a wave of his hand, he disappeared into the far reaches of the darkness.
End of Chapter 5
Well we have now set up a few interesting storylines, and giving a few more backstories as well. That's good, because I need a little break from writing now for some school work. I would guess that the next chapter will be up sometime next week or the week after. Until then…Happy V-Day!