Well! Here it is! After a little over a year chapter 13 is now finally up! I'm actually happy that I finally got around to knocking this chapter out. A couple of the legal stuff to get out of the way: I don't own anyone in this story with the exception of Ankoku, Yamato, Mako, Rei, Ami, and Anne. Everyone else is owned by Disney or Square-Enix!
Enjoy!
Chapter 13: A Battle is Waged
The two warriors stared each other down; their weapons drawn, each hesitant to make the first move. From the sidelines Roxas tended to the injured Sora, while watching the coming battle unfold. Ankoku had gotten over his murderous rage at being thwarted in his attempt to kill Sora, and seemingly relished the new challenge that stood in front of him.
"So…here to save the day eh?" Ankoku grinned. "How very noble of you…your majesty."
Yamato cringed at the mention of his royal title from so many years ago, something that Ankoku was quick to pick up on.
"Ooh, was that a nerve that I just touched?" Ankoku sneered. He peered over at Sora, who still seemed disoriented from the beating that Ankoku had just given him. He looked back at Yamato.
"Is that what this is about?" Ankoku asked motioning over to Yamato's injured comrade. "You think that by saving him, you will be able to do what you couldn't do all those years ago?" Ankoku chided.
Yamato stood firm, but it was clear that Ankoku's words were having an affect on him. Ankoku saw this and pressed on with his verbal onslaught.
"Well! By all means! Hail the savior!" Ankoku mocked, as he began circling Yamato. "The last king of Animus!" He bellowed, with a mock bow for added effect.
Yamato's lip curled up into a snarl, as he bore holes through Ankoku's skull. Ankoku paid no attention to any of this and continued his rant.
"You know Yamato…in my opinion there are three things that make a king." He said, still circling Yamato.
Yamato watched him put his blade away and causally stroke his hair. It was as if Ankoku was completely discrediting his skills as a swordsman.
"The first one is leadership." Ankoku began. "Did he do his people justice? Did he keep them safe? Did the kingdom thrive economically under his rule?" Ankoku asked rhetorically. "These are all questions that one asks when they judge how great a leader a ruler was." Ankoku said, turning and facing Yamato.
Ankoku smirked at Yamato, who remained unfazed by any of Ankoku's words up to this point. Ankoku looked at him, staring deeply into the eyes of Yamato. He wore a sick smile on his face, taking full pleasure in the way he was drilling Yamato with his words.
"I think it's safe to say that the people of Animus wouldn't rate you that highly…" Ankoku began. "If there were any of them still around to rate you that is!" He cackled.
Yamato wasn't laughing. The fate of his people was still a very sore spot for him, and knowing that he may have been the direct cause of its downfall wasn't sitting well with him. Ankoku paid no attention to any of this.
"The second thing is legacy." Ankoku continued with his list. "What great deed did that person accomplish?" What do people remember about him?" Ankoku once again asked rhetorical questions.
He looked over at Yamato with calm eyes.
"Why don't we analyze your legacy for a second…?" Ankoku said glancing at Yamato's Keyblade.
"The Keyblade bearer was a position of great honor in your society… was it not?" Ankoku asked Yamato, already knowing the answer. "The person that wields it is supposed to carry themselves with great honor and uphold the tradition of the blade." Ankoku pointed out. "Not only did you use your blade to bring the downfall of Animus, but you destroyed the prestige of the title Keyblade Master." Ankoku continued; each of his words a small dagger in the body of Yamato.
"Ask Sora how difficult it was for people to trust in the Keyblade again…" Ankoku stated coldly. "It was because of you that a once proud position…became disgraced."
Yamato had heard enough, but Ankoku wasn't finished. Ankoku looked up and finally saw the rage in Yamato. He grinned at the response that he was getting.
"But hey!" Ankoku suddenly cried out. "I have to admit…I kinda envy you…" Ankoku admitted. "You managed to do in one fell swoop, what Maleficent and I plotted to do for months!" He sneered.
Yamato never took his eyes off of Ankoku. His grip tightened on his blade.
"The last thing…is lineage." Ankoku said grinning. "Now…that's a word I'm sure you don't a definition for…" He continued. "It means family…and how your descendants carried themselves based off your teachings." Ankoku stated anyways.
Yamato clenched his fist and gnashed his teeth. If looks could kill Ankoku would have been deep sixed by now.
"However… I don't think you have to worry about that…" Ankoku snickered. "You know…with such high marks in all of the categories…it is an absolute wonder why your people overthrew your family." Ankoku scoffed.
Yamato's rage boiled over. Ankoku saw this and went for the final blow.
"Of course…had they not executed your family…I'm sure your family would have died from the shame of being related to you…" Ankoku finished.
Yamato lunged at Ankoku with his blade ready. Ankoku smirked and quickly drew his blade again in preparation to defend against the onslaught.
Destiny Island:
Balloons and streamers adorned the town square as the brilliant summer sun slowly went down over Destiny City. Light pop music was playing, as a gentle breeze moved in from Destiny Island. Kairi's graduation party was in full swing, and many of her friends had been able to make it in for the festivities. Olette, Pence, and Hayner were all there, each with various news and updates. Pence had started some summer courses and his inventions were wowing most of his professors. He was originally going for civil engineering, but some of his professors were trying to convince him to go into aeronautical engineering. The biggest surprise however was the revelation that Hayner and Olette were going to be parents. Upon first glance, you wouldn't have been able to tell, as Olette was only a month in, but the way she carried herself, indicated that she was showing a motherly instinct. While this wasn't intended, it was still something that both Hayner and Olette were greatly looking forward to…and they couldn't have been happier.
The Radiant Garden gang also made the long trek to Destiny City for the event as well. They brought the news that Yuffie was pregnant, and due sometime in the winter. There seemed to be a small bit of jealously in Aerith at this, but she was satisfied with the diamond engagement ring that Cloud had given her and the knowledge that one day she would have her own child. Tidus and his new girlfriend Yuna had made the trip as well. Tidus had been drafted #1 over-all by Radiant Garden, and had signed several major endorsement deals. He had met Yuna during one of his public appearances at the children's hospital. She was a singer, and they quickly became inseparable. There was some concern over how this would affect Selphie, but there were no problems upon their initial meeting; considering that Selphie was now dating a new guy by the name of Irvine. The reigning WBL MVP Wakka was also there, with his new girlfriend Lulu.
The King, Queen, Donald, Goofy, and everyone else from Disney Castle were unfortunately unable to make the trip. Donald and Daisy had their hands full with their new baby, and word on the street was that King Mickey was hard at work getting the Worlds Council to approve new measures for security. Riku had been going back and forth between Destiny City and Disney Castle a lot recently. Apparently there were a lot of various activities going on in the World that Never Was. Riku assured everyone that it was nothing major, but given the recent events, everyone was a bit skeptical. Kairi was sitting off to the side enjoying herself with a nice cool drink.
"Kairi this is a wonderful party!" A female voice called out to her.
Kairi turned to see where the voice was emanating from. A girl, about her late teens, early twenties, was walking up to her. She was fair skinned with middle length black hair. Her eyes were soft, one green and the other was blue. She wore an outfit with contrasting blues; she wore a silver frilled navy blue blouse, which was cut up the middle, laced together with black lace. She wore a metallic blue and silver frilly skirt that cut off at the knee. Brown leather boots and matching navy fabric gauntlets completed the ensemble.
"Thank you Yuna!" Kairi responded, smiling at Tidus's new girlfriend.
"It's just sooo nice to be able to relax and not worry about paparazzi or anything like that!" Yuna sighed. "It seems like ever since Tidus and I started dating, we haven't had a break!" She bemoaned.
Kairi nodded in understanding.
"Well...you are a pop star, and Tidus is a popular blitz ball player..." Kairi pointed out.
"Yes, but the whole fame and fortune thing...it's nice at first but it drains on you..." Yuna explained. "I never grew up in the limelight...I grew up on a small island with maybe a hundred people, so this whole big city life is a new thing for me." She said glancing around at the small city. "In fact, this is bigger than anything on my island!" She said.
Kairi smiled. She personally had loved the big city atmosphere of Radiant Garden. All the restaurants, shops, and events that the city held were fascinating to her. However, she was merely a tourist; to be hounded by paparazzi had to be draining.
"If it's so rough...then why not just quit? I'm sure you've made quite a bit of money in your career..." Kairi asked.
Yuna smiled.
"I do it for the music...its my passion." Yuna said, almost serenely. "In song...I can share all of my feelings, my hopes, and my desires." She said again, closing her eyes, imagining herself on stage. "When the lights come down and all my fans are cheering, I just get a rush, like no other feeling that I have ever felt before..." She said before opening her eyes.
A light pink blush formed under her cheek. She glanced over at Tidus, who was showing off some blitz ball skills to Riku and Hayner.
"Well...almost every feeling." She giggled.
Kairi followed her gaze, and laughed heartily. The two continued to chat off in the corner; little did they realize that they were being watched by a pair in the distance. Selphie was watching the two intently. Unbeknownst to Selphie she was also being watched by Naminé.
"Why don't you go talk to her?" Naminé asked, startling Selphie.
"I said hi..." Selphie trailed off, still continuing her watch of Yuna and Kairi's conversation.
"You don't have to dislike her...she's actually really nice!" Naminé stated.
"I'm sure she is..." Selphie stated bluntly.
Naminé sighed.
"Look...I know you aren't happy that they are dating...but is it really her fault?" Naminé asked. "I mean...she didn't know you, and I think if there is anyone that you should be mad at for jumping right back into dating its Tidus." Naminé pointed out.
Selphie didn't say anything. Naminé looked over to where Tidus was, and found him talking very cheerfully to another teenage boy. They appeared to be engaged in a lively conversation and were seemingly enjoying each others company. He was rather tall, thin boy, with soft brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair to match it. He wore a pair of ripped up boot cut jeans, a plain white t-shirt and a cowboy hat. A silver necklace draped from his neck. Naminé turned back to Selphie.
"Is that Irvine over there talking to Tidus?" Naminé asked.
Selphie's head immediately whipped around, fearing the worst, but was surprised to see them getting along. There didn't appear to be the tiniest bit of jealously in his body. Naminé saw Selphie's shocked expression and smiled.
"See? He's not bitter about Irvine being here!" Naminé exclaimed.
Selphie turned back to Naminé, and seemed to ponder all of this. She looked back over towards Kairi and Yuna. She sighed and stood up. She turned to Naminé and gave her a look of submission. She then walked over to Kairi and Yuna, who both smiled and eagerly chatted up the new entrant to their conversation. Naminé watched Selphie start slowly at first but soon was freely chatting with both of them. Olette saw them all chatting and soon joined in, and was quickly joined by Lulu. Naminé smiled and approached them all as well. Selphie caught Naminé out of the corner of her eye. Naminé smiled an "I told you so" smile, which was returned with a rolling of the eyes. Naminé laughed and happily joined in the conversation. Over on the other side of the party, all the guys were conversing about the large object that Wakka and Riku had obtained for the party.
"Do you think that Kairi and the girls will like the karaoke machine?" Tidus asked.
"I don't have any doubt that they will…but I'm not sure if we are going to like it…" Hayner said.
"Why is that?" Irvine asked.
"Well…Olette…isn't the greatest singer…its…its awful really…" Hayner admitted.
"The thing about it is that she thinks that she's really good…" Pence added.
"Did either of you ever tell her that she's not that good?" Riku asked.
"No…she'd kill me!" Hayner cried.
The group shared a laugh. All of a sudden, there was a beeping that interrupted the conversation. Riku looked down at his special communicator watch. His expression turned to one of slight disappointment.
"That's King Mickey…he needs me to head over to the castle…" Riku said, bummed slightly.
"Aw…you'll miss the surprise yah?" Wakka asked.
"Yeah…hopefully someone here will record it for me." Riku stated as he excused himself.
He walked over to where the girls were chatting. Kairi saw him approaching and smiled.
"Hey Riku!" She said cheerfully. "Why the long face?"
Riku smiled.
"I just got a communication from Disney Castle…King Mickey needs me for something." Riku said.
Kairi's smile drooped a little.
"You have to leave now?" She said, slightly disappointed.
"The party was just getting started…" Naminé said, also a little down.
"I know…but something is going on in the World that Never Was and he needs me to check it out." Riku stated.
Kairi sighed.
"Alright…be careful." She said.
"I always do!" He said cheerfully as he raced off.
The rest of the party continued, but Kairi watched him leave and couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
In the Dark Realm:
Surprisingly, at least in Ankoku's eyes, the battle was fairly even. In Ankoku's prior dealings with Sora, he was forced to deal with somebody who was younger, faster, and more resilient than he was. The difference between Yamato and Sora was easily the speed. At Yamato's advanced age there was no way that he was going to be quicker than Sora, but he made up for it with a vast amount of experience. As the two battled back and forth, their blades repeatedly crashing against each other, Ankoku was shocked to see that Yamato was able to keep up with him, and seemed to anticipate his movements. Yamato seemed to give no indication that he was fighting in a rage. His movements were crisp and calculated. Ankoku slowly realized that this was not the cake walk that he had envisioned. Yamato kept up the attack and it was Ankoku who was slowly finding it difficult to deflect Yamato's attacks. His sporadic attempts at offense were becoming increasingly desperate. Yamato attacked again, attempting to pierce his opponent with horizontal slashes and stabs, but Ankoku was barely able to dodge them. Ankoku then tried to counter, but upon missing with his attacks, his frustration boiled over. He let out a cry and unleashed a powerful slash at Yamato's abdomen. Yamato was just able to get out of the way, but the slashes continued to rain down on him. After the third or fourth one, Yamato decided on a counter. Ankoku once again brought another slash towards his abdomen, but Yamato was quick to duck under it. Ankoku let out a small cry of surprise as he was upended by a leg sweep from Yamato.
Ankoku crashed to the ground, and Yamato was quickly back on his feet. He tried to bring his saber down on Ankoku, but Ankoku was too fast and moved out of the way. Yamato's blade pierced the soft earth and lodged into it. Ankoku contorted his body and unleashed a powerful kip up that actually sent him over Yamato to his backside. Ankoku went for a quick strike to Yamato's neck but Yamato had successfully retrieved his blade and blocked the attack, while still with his back to Ankoku. Ankoku, surprised by this latest counter, didn't see Yamato's right elbow crash backwards into his face. Ankoku screamed in agony as his nose throbbed, broken by the blow. Ankoku staggered backwards trying to see through the pain and stars that were blurring his vision. He caught a glimpse of Yamato running up to spear him with the blade. Ankoku timed it right and jumped up with a flip. He whirled around upon landing, expecting to see Yamato's back, but was stunned to find not a trace of him. He turned back around and was met with a hard right cross on the bridge of his shattered nose. Ankoku screamed in pain again, clutching his nose. Yamato wasted no time delivering a huge knee to the gut, taking the air out of Ankoku, and grabbing Ankoku by the hair and slamming his battered face into Yamato's knee. Ankoku staggered back, his face turning puffy from the damage that had been done. Yamato wasn't through though and unleashed a slash that caught Ankoku on the abdomen. Ankoku roared in anguish, and flew upwards into the sky, before settling on a branch, a considerable distance away.
"YOU BASTARD!" Ankoku screamed, as he felt his deep wound across his stomach.
Dark liquid was seeping from the cut at an alarming rate. Ankoku snarled at Yamato as he held a hand over his wound. Slowly the wound closed, at which point he shifted his hand to his bruised face. Slowly the puffiness went away and his nose realigned. Once this was done, he looked back down at Yamato who was in a determined stance.
"Damn!" Ankoku thought to himself. "Why am I not stronger than he is!" He wondered to himself.
He was in the Dark Realm where he did possess enhanced abilities that allowed him to decimate Sora, but for some reason Yamato was not only able to keep up with his attacks, but to do serious damage to him.
"Time to switch up the tactics…" He thought to himself.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Sora, still woozy from his earlier assault.
"Perfect!" He thought to himself.
He quickly recalled his blade.
"Well done!" He called out to Yamato. "Truly you are a master of the blade!"
Yamato said nothing in return, eyeing Ankoku intently and waiting for the next assault. Ankoku smirked.
"I may not be able to match your swordplay…but let's see who will win out when I bring forth someone of equal skill!" Ankoku said, holding out his hand.
A blackish-purple glow emanated from his hand, and Yamato watched a gooey ball of ooze rise up from the ground in front of him. It twisted and contorted in the air, until it formed an exact duplicate of Yamato. Yamato's clone quickly went on the assault, forcing Yamato to be on the defensive.
Destiny City:
The party was still in full swing, even as the clock rapidly approached the midnight hour. All the adults had broken open the booze, and some were having a bit more fun than others…namely Wakka. Still everyone was having a good time and chatting. Hayner and Tidus walked up to the slightly inebriated Wakka.
"H-hic-Heyyyyy!" Wakka said, waving to his friends.
"Hey Wakka…" Tidus said, laughing at his sloshed friend.
"Hey drunkie!" Hayner began. "We need to get the surprise…" He finished.
Wakka pondered what he said for a moment, as if he was trying to rattle the thought around in his brain. Finally it came to him.
"OH YEAH!" He screamed, so everyone in the city could hear.
Hayner and Tidus looked around and saw everyone looking at them. Tidus rubbed his head sheepishly. Hayner gave a meek smile, before quickly turning back around to Wakka.
"Quiet ya lush!" Hayner scolded his friend. "Now where is it?"
Wakka pointed out to the back.
"It's out there yah?" He slurred.
Hayner and Tidus quickly walked back towards where Wakka pointed. Immediately questions began to arise, as people looked at Wakka for answers.
"S-Shhhh" Wakka stammered out. "It's a surprise for Kairi yah?"
This only served to further the questions. Wakka did his best to quell the questioning, but it wasn't until the duo came back with the karaoke machine that people finally realized what was up.
"Alright!" Olette squealed upon seeing the machine.
"Thanks a lot guys!" Kairi said, running up to Wakka and giving him a hug.
"It was Riku's idea…" Tidus stated.
"He got this all together yah?" Wakka stammered out.
"We should have a contest!" Naminé suddenly chimed in.
"That's a great idea Naminé!" Selphie added.
"I can be a judge!" Yuna offered.
"So can I!" Anne volunteered.
"Well…I'm not much of a singer…but I can judge." Irvine said.
"Alright it sounds like a plan then!" Hayner said. "Once we get this up and running… we will start it off!"
"Alright this is going to be so much fun!" Kairi squealed with delight.
Back in the Dark Realm:
The clone was giving Yamato a nice challenge, but Yamato was still able to stay one step ahead of it. From his perch, high atop a tree, Ankoku watched the proceedings. He wasn't surprised that the clone wasn't doing the job; Yamato was too good a swordsman. What he needed to do was to up the ante, and make it a little bit tougher. With that thought process concluded, Ankoku held out his hand again, much as he did before. Similar to before, another clone sprung up from behind Yamato. Yamato was able to realize that he had another opponent to deal with at the last moment, and went back on the defensive. Ankoku watched the proceedings this time with a thin smile on his face.
"That's better…" He thought to himself as he watched Yamato defend against the two clones.
The battle intensified with Yamato constantly defending against the onslaught of the two clones. He never could catch a break as the clones would alternate attacks, making any kind of a breather a rare occurrence. Yamato started to slow down, and that's when the clones made their move. A bombardment of double team attacks left Yamato barely able to block some of their shots. Yamato still was holding his own which again caused Ankoku some agitation. With the clones still unable to land any blows, Ankoku decided to take matters into his own hands. Ankoku held up his hands, and unbeknownst to Yamato, black tentacles shot up around him. They latched to different parts of his body, rendering him unable to do anything. With Yamato incapacitated, the clones went to work with their fists and feet. They pummeled Yamato with kicks and peppered him with lefts and rights. Strangely they didn't use their blades, but that was due to Ankoku holding them back.
"After-all…" He thought to himself. "Why should the clones have all the fun?"
The beatings continued, and Ankoku slowly made his way down from the tree. Yamato was grabbed by the jaw and held up by the two clones to watch Ankoku's movement. Ankoku snickered at Yamato and causally made his way over to the fallen Sora. Yamato saw what was going on and struggled to break free of the grip. A quick shot to the jaw squashed that attempt. Ankoku slowly approached Sora and Roxas, who could do nothing to defend themselves. Roxas hovered above Sora, in an effort to protect him but Ankoku just laughed and walked right through him. He grabbed Sora by the throat and held him aloft. Sora writhed in the grip of Ankoku and tried mightily to break free. Ankoku laughed at the fruitless effort. He looked over at Yamato, who watched on with a worried expression. Ankoku sneered at Yamato, and held out his hand to Sora. Yamato's eyes grew wide. Ankoku said nothing, but a purplish black aura seemed to grow out of his hand.
"NO!" Yamato cried out.
He mustered all the strength that he had and broke away from the grasp of the clones and was somehow able to snap a tentacle. He called forth his Keyblade. A massive, quick spin attack spelled the end of the clones. He slashed at the remaining tentacles and flew over to Ankoku who was ready to unleash an energy blast in the face of Sora. Yamato raised his weapon to attack Ankoku, but it was a trap. As soon as Yamato got close enough to Ankoku, Ankoku dropped Sora, and crushed Yamato with a clothesline. Yamato slammed hard to the ground and his Keyblade flew from his hand. Yamato staggered back to his feet, woozy from the brutal takedown. Ankoku wasted no time taking the advantage with three left jabs, a hard right cross, and a devastating sidekick to send him to the ground. Ankoku then pounced on Yamato and started wailing away with lefts and rights. Roxas watched, helpless to do anything. Sora was still unable to see, rendering him unable to fight. Ankoku lifted Yamato up by his throat, and threw him away from Sora. Ankoku slowly began stalking the writhing Yamato. He stopped for a second and turned back to Roxas and Sora.
"Don't worry, I'll be dealing with you soon enough!" He sneered.
Yamato slowly dragged himself to his feet, facing away from Ankoku. Ankoku promptly walked right up to him and landed a hard forearm to the back of Yamato's skull. Pain shot through Yamato's body as he fell to the ground. Ankoku wasn't finished though, as he began stomping away at Yamato, taking great pleasure in every kick. Ankoku then raised his hand, which was pulsing with energy. Black tentacles shot up from the ground again lifting Yamato up in the air. Ankoku twisted his hand, and the tentacles contorted so that Yamato now was face to face with Ankoku. He grinned as he looked at Yamato, who was near unconscious.
"Be honest…did you really think that you would be able to defeat me?" Ankoku laughed. "You never stood a chance!" Ankoku sneered.
Ankoku then waved his arm violently. The tentacles then chucked Yamato towards the nearest tree. Yamato flew back, smashed through the tree, and landed against a rock. Yamato's body crumpled to the ground, and laid there unmoving. Ankoku smiled, dusted his hands off, and slowly trotted over to the fallen Yamato. Yamato staggered to his feet. As Ankoku drew closer, Yamato threw a desperation shot. He lunged at Ankoku with his right, however Ankoku side stepped him and brought his knee crashing into Yamato's gut. Yamato's eyes bulged out of their sockets. Yamato fell to the ground gasping for air. Ankoku smiled at this.
"Well I must be honest…I'm actually getting tired from beating on you!" He chuckled.
He watched Yamato slowly start to crawl away from him.
"Aw…are you trying to get away?" He mockingly asked. "Well…we simply can't have that!" He stated.
He examined Yamato as he crawled, and slowly walked up to him.
"Let's see now…" He began. "I guess your legs should be the first thing to go!" He said as he grabbed one of Yamato's ankles and began twisting it.
Yamato screamed out in pain. Roxas cringed as he watched this. Sora could only hear what was going on, but was rubbing his eyes furiously to regain his sight. Ankoku continued to twist the ankle, taking great pleasure in the pain he was inflicting. Finally he stood and dropped the ankle. Yamato tried to reach for his ankle, trying to do anything that he could to alleviate the pain. Ankoku saw this and snickered.
"Sorry!" He exclaimed. "But we can't have that!" He said as he brought his foot down full force on Yamato's ankle.
There was a sickening snap, and Yamato felt pain shoot up from his leg through his body. He screamed in agony. Ankoku laughed. He watched Yamato crawl away from him. He looked up to see where he was crawling to, and saw that he was heading towards Sora and Roxas.
"Aw…what's wrong; you miss your friends?" Ankoku chided. "Well…I was going to reunite you with them once I had killed you…but I suppose watching them die will work too!" He concluded as he raised his hand to deliver the killing stroke.
A black ball appeared from Ankoku's hand.
"Well, it looks like for once, evil triumphs over good!" Ankoku stated as the ball got bigger.
Yamato turned around and saw this.
"No…" Yamato thought to himself.
"GOODBYE!" Ankoku said as he launched the ball towards Sora.
Roxas saw this and closed his eyes knowing what would happen. Sora's sight was slowly returning to him. He opened his eyes, and was shocked to see Yamato in the air, having somehow completely ignored the pain that shot through his shattered ankle. He caught Yamato's gaze, which was almost serene, as if he had accepted his fate. He smiled at Sora, who watched the proceedings in horror. Sora watched Ankoku's black ball smash Yamato right in the back, and how Yamato's body convulsed in the air. Sora watched, horrified, as Yamato crashed to the turf, motionless.
"YAMATO!" Sora screamed as he scrambled over to his fallen friend.
Ankoku watched the scene with great glee. He watched Sora shake Yamato's body, trying desperately to get a sign of life. He grinned even more at the realization that there was nothing that Sora could do to help. Sora looked up from Yamato's motionless body with murderous eyes. He laid Yamato down and took his battle stance. He called forth his Keyblade, and stood in front of Yamato's fallen body. Ankoku saw this and laughed. He raised both his hands, and his eyes flashed red. More pulses came from his hands, and a loud rumble shook the ground. Sora watched as a small army of Sora clones sprang up around him. Sora's face hardened.
"There are at least twenty of them…" He said grimly to himself.
Ankoku rose up in the air above his battalion of clones. He laughed as he looked down at his concerned adversary.
"I told you before, and it looks like your friend had to learn the hard way!" Ankoku chortled. "This is MY realm…and you can't ever hope to defeat me!" He finished.
Roxas floated up to Sora.
"How are you going to fight them Sora?" Roxas whispered. "I don't like the chances here." He said, confiding to his friend.
Sora didn't take his eyes off of Ankoku.
"I know Roxas." Sora admitted to his friend. "But I don't have much of a choice…"
Destiny Island:
The karaoke machine was an instant hit among the party goers with everyone belting out their favorite song. The Twilight Town folks tried their hand at singing, but were for the most part unsuccessful as was such with the folks from Radiant Garden. The judges were polite for the most part; really the only bad review was Wakka's drunken rambling. Still everyone was having fun. As everyone took their turn, the one who hadn't sang yet was Kairi. She watched all her friends go up and give their all, but she seemed to be waiting for something. Finally after the last person had gone, Irvine stood up and asked if there was anyone else who wanted to go. Kairi stood up and nodded. Kairi said nothing but caught Namine's gaze. Naminé gave her a smile, and Kairi returned it. Kairi got up from her seat and slowly walked up to the machine, as everyone watched her. She selected a song, and waited for the lyrics to start. As the melody overtook her she began to sing.
You walked with me, footprints in the sand
And helped me understand where I'm going
You walked with me when I was all alone
With so much I know along the way
Then I heard you say
I promise you, I'm always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
I'll carry you when you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand
(This next part will rotate between the light and dark realms: Author's Note)
Sora and Roxas stood firm against Ankoku and his army, but the odds were not looking good. Ankoku was powered up, and he had twenty Sora clones to boot. It seemed an impossible task. As he pondered his first move, a relaxing feeling slowly came over him. It was slow at first, but the sensation continued to grow, and soon it was accompanied by a heavenly voice.
I see my life flash across the sky
So many times have I been so afraid
Naminé began to sing as well, and floated up to Kairi who smiled at her nobody as the two continued the song.
And just when I have thought I lost my way
You give me strength to carry on
That's when I heard you say
Ankoku was slightly baffled. Something was happening around him. He saw one of the trees start to vanish, and then noticed a few rocks did as well.
"What the hell?" He wondered aloud.
Sora and Roxas paid no attention to any of this. There were in a trance, completely succumbing to the sirens that were calling them with their song. The voices were beautiful, and they had a warm and inviting feel to them. Roxas had his eyes closed, and his mouth was turned into a grin.
"Sora…" He stated peacefully. "I hear Naminé…"
I promise you, I'm always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
And I'll carry you when you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand
The girls prepared themselves for the big crescendo.
When I'm weary, well, I know you'll be there
And I can feel you when you say
I promise you, I'm always there
When your heart is filled with sadness and despair
I'll carry you when you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand
"Kairi…" Sora breathed, intoxicated by the song.
Sora felt a strange sensation, different from the heavenly one before. Roxas was apparently going through a similar one as he began to convulse as if ten thousand volts of electricity was coursing through his body. This feeling washed over them, enveloping them with a golden light. Sora's Oathkeeper Keyblade was glowing with its own pure white light as well. Ankoku was freaking out by this point.
"MY ILLUSION!" He bellowed as he watched the remaining trees, rocks and even his clones vanish as the golden light glowed brighter.
Yamato's hut faded away, and in place of all the forestry, waves and a sandy beach replaced it. The moon peeked out over the clouds; as Ankoku watched his illusion completely fade away. Sora and Roxas opened their eyes as the light dissipated. They were stunned to see Destiny Island's dark side where the forest once stood.
"We…we are here…" Sora stammered.
"Home…" Roxas said, looking over at Sora.
Roxas was stunned by what he saw. Sora had changed, his hair had silver streaks in it now, and he wore the clothes of his final form, only this time it had a golden trim to it. There were some slight modifications, most notably the silver heart that appeared on his forehead. He was floating and there was a white aura around him. His eyes had changed from their ocean blue and were white. His keyblade underwent a transformation as well, now looking like a cross between the Ultima Keyblade and Kairi's Keyblade. The hilt of the blade was white with gold trim, and formed a heart. A similar design to the Ultima Keyblade made up the shaft of the new blade, only the color scheme was sliver and white. The blade seemed to form half of a heart, which was jagged on the edge. The blade was sliver with a gold trim. Sora was also dual wielding. Roxas was stunned.
"Sora…you look different…" Roxas stated.
Sora looked over and was shocked to see Roxas's transformation. He matched Sora for the most part except his color scheme was black and silver. Everything from the heart on the head to the Keyblade was the same, with the only differences being the end of Roxas's Keyblade having three spikes for the blade, there were streaks of jet black through his hair, and instead of white eyes; Roxas's eyes were silver. However in spite of all this Sora was more stunned about something else.
"Roxas…you're whole…" Sora stammered.
Roxas looked down and was shocked to see not only his changes, but that he was in fact whole again. He felt his body, from the fingers to his blade in his hands. He looked up out over the water.
"Naminé?" He wondered. "Did you do this?"
I promise you, I'm always there
When your heart is full of sadness and despair
I'll carry you when you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand…
The song ended and the crowd sat there in stunned silence. Kairi paid no attention to the shocked looks that people gave her and Naminé, opting to glance up at the stars above. For a fleeting moment, she felt whole again, as if Sora was standing behind her. She felt warm, like she was in the midst of an embrace. She gazed into the night sky, fixated on a particular star. She watched the star began to shoot across the night's sky. She closed her eyes.
"Come home Sora..." She said softly.
Naminé caught this and smiled. She too felt warm, as memories of Roxas flooded her brain.
"You too Roxas..." She said quietly.
The warmth was soon replaced with applause and congratulations from her friends and family. Everyone was lauding her performance, with some of the girls moved to tears. The result was a no brainer as Kairi & Naminé split the prize. As Kairi went back to her seat, she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and saw that Riku had sent her a text message.
Hope you like the surprise!
Kairi smiled, and texted back:
Thank you so much! It was wonderful! Is everything ok?
She waited a few minutes before she felt the phone vibrate again.
Nothing I can't handle! Everything's fine.
Kairi had some concern, but she trusted Riku's ability. Soon some of her friends joined her and they continued to party until the wee hours of the morning.
Back in the Realm of Darkness
Even more shocking then their recent transformations, was the bright white light that shot out in the distance. Sora recognized the source of it immediately.
"That's the door!" He cried. "That's the door to home!"
Roxas and Sora were ecstatic. They had journeyed for so long and had worked so hard and now the end was in sight. Before the celebrated too much, a murderous roar brought them back to reality. They glared at Ankoku, who's eyes were flashing red, and he looked ready to blow his top.
"THIS IS MY REALM!" He screamed at the transformed duo. "HOW DARE YOU DESTROY MY ILLUSIONS!"
"Illusions?" Roxas asked, confused.
"All of this..." Sora said. "He tried to trick us by contorting the darkness; he tried to break our spirit..." Sora explained.
"Your spirit is not the only thing I'm going to break!" Ankoku bellowed.
His eyes flashed red, and soon he was dual-wielding his blade. He fired two dark energy balls at Sora and Roxas, but the aura that surrounded them dissipated the blasts before they even reached them. Sora and Roxas stood firm, the spirit of a warrior firmly planted in their attitude. Sora looked down at Yamato. He had given himself up in order to save Sora from a potentially fatal attack. Sora's eyes hardened, fixated on Ankoku.
"I will avenge you Yamato!" Sora said to himself.
Ankoku screamed again, this time amping his power up to the max. Sora and Roxas got their blades ready and adopted their battle stance. The final battle between good and evil; was about to begin.
End of Chapter 13
Wow! What a way to return to writing! This was a massive chapter all things considered, but I am actually pleased with how it came out! The song in this chapter is called Footsteps in the Sand and it is by Leona Lewis off her Spirit album. So whoever owns that song that is who it is copyrighted for! Well we only have a few more chapters to go with this story, so hopefully you guys will stick around for the remainder! I promise that it won't take a year for the next one! Chapter 14 should hopefully be up later this month or early July at the latest as long as nothing pops up. Until then take it easy!