Something I didn't point out last time, this story had over 1,000 views in the entire month of June.
1,000. In a month. That's insane, and I have all of you to thank for that.
Now, we're picking up where chapter seventeen left off, and we're continuing the story.
So, let's keep going.
"Sora!"
"Sora, wake up!"
...
Sora's eyes opened up. The walls around him were entirely blue, a white mist floating around him.
Play: Sora - KH2
Suddenly, the pod opened up. He could see Donald and Goofy standing there.
Sora hopped down, landing in Donald and Goofy's arms.
"Donald, Goofy!"
The three of them all jumped around, laughing.
...
Jiminy popped out, stretching his arms, "That was some nap!"
He hopped onto the ground, "You mean, we were asleep?"
"I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd be so drowsy."
"When do ya think we went to sleep?"
...
"Let's see," Sora started, "we defeated Ansem...restored peace to the world...found Kairi..."
"Oh yeah, and then we went to look for Riku. I think that's right so far?"
"Then what?"
"What does your journal say, Jiminy?"
He pulled out his journal, "Gee. There are only two sentences..."
...
They said this: Thank Namine.
And Kirux.
...
"Thank Namine. And Kirux. Hmm... I wonder who they are."
The three of them looked around at one another.
Nope. The names had no familiarity.
...
"Some journal that is."
"Well, what do ya say we find out where we are!"
...
They all walked out of the white room.
Stop: Sora - KH2
Play: Night of the Dark Dream - KH Birth By Sleep
Xion floated down, landing on one patch of "land," if you want to call it that.
When she dove in, she had lost sight of Kirux in all of the darkness. He'd floated off, deeper into the realm.
She started looking around, "So, this is the Realm of Darkness."
...
The place was, for obvious reasons, dark. There were patches of land here and there, but other than that, there was nothing.
It was an empty, dark void.
...
Xion got lost in looking around, and shook her head, "Snap out of it. You've got to find Kirux."
She walked forward.
...
Her mind went back to what had happened, on the outside.
...
'So, when I hit Kirux with that beam of light, the darkness that was contained in him created that pool.'
'Kirux fell into that pool, and he ended up here.'
'Did Kirux fall in on purpose, or did Ansem do it just to get back at us for fighting?'
'Whatever it was doesn't matter. I've got to find Kirux, and fast.'
'I don't want us to be stuck here forever.'
...
She knew that finding a way out would be difficult. Getting into the realm of darkness was as simple as taking a step.
But, how to get out of there was something she could not figure out.
'Once I find Kirux, we'll figure it out.' She'd tell herself, but she understood that Kirux didn't have all the answers.
He may have gotten them out of bad situations before, but this? This was different.
This was a situation that even Kirux more than likely couldn't fix.
Xion just pushed it aside, and continued walking.
Stop: Night of the Dark Dream - KH Birth By Sleep
Play: Night of Tragedy - KH Birth By Sleep
Suddenly, Shadows and Neoshadows appeared in her path.
She shook her head, "Must you guys always get in the way?"
Her Keyblade appeared, and she ran at them.
She swatted away the Shadows one by one before she went after the Neoshadows. Unlike their smaller counterparts, these ones were more elusive.
They ran circles around Xion, and she wasn't able to defend herself when they attacked her from behind.
One of them slammed her in the back, making her fall to the ground.
...
She got back up, though incredibly weak.
...
"Okay then."
She lifted her Keyblade up with both hands, and pillars of light shot appeared all around her. They spun around, hitting the Heartless many times. The attack also allowed her to recover from the attacks.
When she looked around again, the Heartless were all gone.
...
Well, all but one.
Stop: Night of Tragedy - KH Birth By Sleep
Play: Darkside Army - KH 0.2
One massive, black Heartless appeared in front of her.
Xion remembered it. It was the same one her and Roxas had fought, the day she first got the Keyblade.
...
"You again?" She said, readying herself.
This one wasn't the same as before. This was a lot more powerful than the one she had fought in Twilight Town.
After all, this was it's territory now. The Realm of Darkness had some formidable Heartless in it.
Xion had just run into one of them.
...
It still slammed it's hand into the ground, Shadows appearing from the dark pool that came from it. Xion attacked the hand constantly, ignoring the Shadows. She attempted to run up it's arm, but it threw her off.
She landed on her feet, behind the Heartless. It didn't even bother turning around, as it moved as if it was screaming.
This was where the power of the dark realm came in.
...
Out of nowhere, a shower of lasers formed a shield around the Heartless. Then, more lasers began moving across the ground. Xion was just lucky enough to not get hit by any of them.
She landed again, looking up in pure shock.
"What's making it so powerful?"
...
She realized then, the area she was in.
All around this circle they were standing in, more of the same Heartless she was fighting surrounded the area. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands.
...
She exhaled heavily. She was prepared to give up at this point.
"How am I supposed to deal with this?"
She gave one last look around, and noticed something up in the sky.
A massive, orange and black ball was up there. Some smaller ones were also flying up into it.
The massive, she assumed, was being held up by the one before her.
...
'I see. If I defeat this one, I can destroy that thing.'
'Okay. I can do this. I can do this.'
...
Xion readied herself, then ran at the Heartless.
She jumped up, swinging downward.
...
...
...
She landed on the other side of the Heartless, watching it disappear.
She jumped up again, striking the ball once.
...
It went up into the air, and started sucking the surrounding area into it. All the Heartless around her disappeared, and the remnants flew up into the ball.
Xion struggled to stay on the ground, the harsh winds trying to pull her in.
Just as she was about to fly in, the ball went up into the sky and exploded.
Stop: Darkside Army - KH 0.2
She fell to her knees, panting hard.
...
'Thank goodness that's over.'
...
She stood up, her Keyblade fading away.
As she scanned the area, she noticed something floating in the air.
No, not something.
Someone.
...
She gasped, "Is that...Kirux?"
She jumped up into the air.
Kirux regained his vision.
"Where...am I?"
He looked around, finding himself in a blank void.
...
'Well, this is just great.'
'Stuck in a dark void again.'
...
A female voice rang out, one that he did not recognize.
"You should remain asleep."
He looked around, finding nobody, "Who's there?"
"You won't find anything outside of this area. There's nothing but darkness on the outside."
"If you remain here, you can be safe. The darkness would not be able to reach you."
"I can't do that. I have to get out of here, get back to her."
...
"To who? That puppet girl? Why would you want to return to an empty shell such as her?"
"She's not a puppet anymore!"
"You can say that all you want. All she will ever be is empty, much like yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"You're nothing but a husk of darkness. You're only purpose in existence is to destroy the light."
"You're not allowed to have connections, or develop friendships. Those you do have, you destroy."
"That's not true!"
"Oh, but it is. And you've done it yourself plenty of times."
"Allow me to refresh your memory."
...
The darkness went away, and a new area came into view.
"This is," he started, completely in shock, "Castle Oblivion."
"Yes. The same day you abandoned your puppet friend."
"What?"
He looked down, and sure enough, him and Xion were standing there.
...
'I remember this.'
'This is when we went to find out who she really was.'
'When I...abandoned her.'
...
Kirux knew the whole exchange. They talked a little bit, and Kirux ended up leaving.
He watched as he walked into the portal, but that's not all he noticed.
He noticed Xion's face after he left.
...
'Is she...crying?'
'I knew I hurt her by leaving, but...'
...
He watched her run into her own portal, out of the castle.
"No..." he said.
"That's not all. You've done it many more times."
...
The area changed again, and they were in The World That Never Was.
He saw Memory's Skyscraper, and remembered then.
...
"This is...when I fought Roxas."
"Yes. You fought your own best friend, and for what?"
"I had to save him. They were controlling him."
"Is that really what it was? Or did you have more...dark ambitions?"
"No! You're not gonna play that game with me."
...
The area changed again, and they were up by the Altar of Naught.
This was when he fought Xion.
...
"You knew that your actions would lead to her destruction."
"Don't you see it now, child? You've done nothing but grow the darkness inside you."
"It's about time you let it all out."
"Tell me," he yelled, "Who are you?!"
The voice laughed, "You want to meet me? Well, I'd be honored."
...
...
...
The scenery changed once again.
Hollow Bastion, inside a room he hadn't been to.
A person appeared before him. They were wearing a black cloak that covered everything apart from their face. They had gray skin and held a long staff.
"Alright," Kirux began, "Who are you?"
"My name is Maleficent. The one who put your friend Riku on the path of darkness."
...
'So that's who it was.'
...
"After all that I have shown you, it is a wonder why you have not succumb to the darkness inside."
"That's not gonna happen! I'll never give in to the darkness."
"Oh, but you will. Eventually, the darkness will over take you, and your heart will be sent into the deepest depths."
Kirux's anger grew.
"See? Your anger only fuels the dark fires within you."
"Stop talking!"
"Don't be a fool, boy. Your path was set for here from the very beginning. Ansem made sure to that."
He shook his head, "No. I'm not going to go down that path. She's the one that got me off of it."
"Who? That puppet?" Maleficent laughed.
She pointed at him, "Tell me, boy. How could a girl love anybody that has so much darkness within him?"
"Especially the one being that destroyed her."
She smiled evilly.
...
Kirux had had enough then.
"JUST SHUT UP! You know nothing about me! I'll fight the darkness!"
"And it starts with you, Maleficent!"
Maleficent scoffed, "You belligerent fool. Do you really think you can defeat me?"
She raised her arms into the air, "It's time I showed you the true darkness!"
Play: The Deep End - KH1
Green fire erupted from around her as his Keyblade appeared in his hands.
When the fire and smoke cleared, Maleficent wasn't there.
A massive dragon had taken her place, and it roared loudly at Kirux.
He wasn't fazed in the slightest.
...
The dragon slashed at Kirux, missing entirely. Kirux jumped up and began striking it's head.
It snapped at him, trying to bite him. This attack also failed, but it caused Kirux to be a little more cautious.
Kirux continued to attack the head, dodging anything the dragon attacked him with.
Well, that was until it spat green fire over the ground.
...
Kirux was good at avoiding the attacks, but the fire was all over the ground.
The only safe area was close to the dragon, and staying there didn't pan out well for him.
The dragon swiped and bit at him even more, with some of these attacks connecting. Kirux got back up, his body in a lot of pain.
The fire had disappeared in the right time. Kirux was able to distance himself from the dragon.
...
'I'm not getting close to that thing anymore.'
...
The dragon summoned balls of fire in the air, which all honed in Kirux. He was able to dodge them, but doing all of that only put him in more pain.
...
'How can I finish this thing off? I said I'm not getting close anymore.'
He looked down at his Keyblade.
'I've got it.'
...
He threw his Keyblade at the dragon.
It landed right in it's chest, causing it to move frantically around.
The Keyblade reappeared in his hand, as the dragon landed on the ground.
...
Stop: The Deep End - KH1
...
The area began to fade away, as Kirux fell into the dark void again.
...
...
...
"Now I can finally be...one with the darkness."
His Keyblade slipped from his hand, only for it to be caught out of the air.
He heard her voice.
"Kirux, are you okay?"
He saw her, floating beside him. She guided him towards the ground, but Kirux was still stunned.
"Xion, how did-"
Play: Hunter of the Dark - KH Birth By Sleep
She noticed something behind him, and handed him his Keyblade.
"No time to explain." She said, summoning her own.
When he turned around, he saw Shadows.
No, this was different.
The Shadows, they were all piling together, forming a tower of sorts.
"You up for this?" She said to him.
Kirux smiled, raising his Keyblade, "How could I turn down this challenge?"
...
The two of them ran at the tower, both striking it at the same time.
Every time one of them hit the tower, one of the Shadows would fade away. Unfortunately, one would just take it's place.
No matter how many times Kirux and Xion hit the tower, whether it was physical or magic, they wouldn't even make a dent.
...
Kirux didn't back down though, and he kept attacking.
He jumped back, avoiding one of the tower's attacks.
"We're not getting anywhere like this." He said to her.
"Got any ideas?"
"Just one."
He raised his blade up into the air, and dark energy surrounded him. He rushed the tower, striking it time after time again, before slamming into the ground.
The shockwaves, and attacks, did little to stop the tower.
...
Before he could land, the tower sank into the ground. It reappeared beneath him, and hit him hard into the air.
"Kirux!"
He landed, his Keyblade clattering on the ground next to him. She over to him.
"Kirux, are you okay? Please say something!"
He got up slowly, "I..."
He collapsed back on the ground.
"Xion...I can't..."
...
She stood back up, and ran at the tower.
She jumped once, slicing the tower in half with one swing.
The Shadows faded away.
Stop: Hunter of the Dark - KH Birth By Sleep
Her Keyblade faded away, and she ran back over to Kirux. He was on his hands and knees now.
"Xio-"
"Don't say another word." She interrupted, helping him up.
"Tell me, please," he said, "How...did you get here?"
They started walking forward, Xion holding him up.
"I jumped into that same pool, the one that you fell in."
"But why?"
She smiled, "Come on, Kirux. You really thought I was going to let you get stuck in here? No way."
"Besides, you saved me from the darkness once. I...wanted to return the favor."
...
He laughed lightly, "Of course you did."
"If you want, I can leave you on your own."
"Come on, I was only kidding."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
They both laughed.
"But...seriously. Thank you, Xion."
The two of them found their way to a beach. Once Kirux noticed it, he gasped softly.
"This is...that place in Namine's drawing."
"Huh?"
Kirux walked forward on his own, holding his side.
"Back in Twilight Town, Namine had a drawing of this place. The two of us were sitting here, on this beach."
"I...didn't think that that would actually show us the future."
...
He grunted in pain, Xion immediately ran back to his side.
"Take it easy." She said, sitting him down on the sand.
Kirux continued to hold his side, even on the ground.
...
"Xion, I want-" He stuttered from the pain.
...
"I want you to get out of here...without me."
She was stunned, "What?"
"Maleficent was right. My actions have done nothing except groom the darkness inside me."
"I can't let the darkness I have be unleashed in the outside world."
He looked out at the "sun," "A dark entity like me...only belongs in this realm."
"Please, Xion. Just go, leave me behind."
"I don't want to hurt you, not like I did before."
...
...
...
She shook her head, "No Kirux. You're wrong."
"You don't belong in this place."
"I d-"
She grabbed his face, and made him face her, "No! Don't say that."
"You're not like the Heartless or Ansem. There's no light inside any of them."
"But you, I know that there's light in there. You may not notice it, but I do."
"I just...I-"
...
Kirux didn't expect what she did next.
She kissed him, softly. Before he even had the chance to respond to the action, she had pulled back.
She rested her forehead against his, "I can't lose you, Kirux. Not again."
...
...
...
He was speechless.
He just nodded.
And that was all she needed from him.
...
The two of them sat there, on the beach. Xion had her head resting on his shoulder.
Just like Namine's drawing showed.
...
"One day," he said, "We'll get out of here."
She smiled, "As long as I'm with you, I'll stay in here forever."
He laughed lightly, "Hypocrite."
She elbowed him lightly, "Shut up about that."
They both laughed.
...
'Things are going to be okay, as long as I have her.'
'We'll get out of here, someday.'
So, what do you think?
Leave me a review, telling me your thoughts. I'm glad to take any suggestions you have about the story from here on out. I want to keep it going well into the series.
Until next time!
-Broncozfan623