Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
"Okay, Oogie! Where's Kairi?" I shout, barging into the room. The building is void of people, though. There is just a bunch of odd furniture including a ragged couch and a strange machine covered in levers.
"That killed the moment!" Vanitas laughs. I ignore him and explore the little space the small building offers.
"Now what?" I groan mentally. There doesn't seem to be any way to proceed!
"Try the levers, genius!" Vanitas suggests rather rudely. I pull one of the levers down and the sound of clanking metal fills the area. I look outside to see a large metal cage being lowered in between two parts of a bridge.
"That must be where we need to go!" I exclaim.
"Thank you, captain obvious! You're so much like that idiot!" I feel a wave a rage emanate from Vanitas and throughout me. I start shaking with anger and an uncontrollable orb of dark energy forms in my hand.
"Cut it out, Vanitas!" I accidentally yell aloud. It's not like anyone can hear me anyway.
"You're just lucky I didn't accidentally create an unversed. That would have been a problem. I do love mayhem though..." He seems lost in his own private thoughts, so I travel down the tree until I reach the large bird cage. I jump the large gap between the bridge and cage, but barely make it. I then try the next jump and somehow make it without a hitch.
I continue down the path until I reach a green door. It must lead somewhere important, so I go inside.
"This guy has some serious problems!" Vanitas says as we behold the strange sight that awaited us in this room.
The entire area is designed like a giant roulette game. The different slots for the 'ball' are all red and blocked off from each other by large, spiked poles. Of course, on the other side of the room is what interests me the most; Kairi.
She's slumped over seemingly asleep or unconcious. But that doesn't matter, we're finally together again. Now I just need to find Sora and Riku and we can go home!
"Kairi!" No response. "It's me, Kaze!" Still no response. I try to make my way over to her, but a set of poles sprout up, preventing me from doing just that.
"Kaze, look out!" Vanitas warns. "Behind you!" I spin around and see a large heartless shaped much like a knight. It is about three times my hight and looks exactly like the zip slasher from Deep Jungle. The only differences being the hight and color, for this one was mostly red.
Before I can dodge, the heartless stabs its blade hands right at me, knocking me down into the roulette table. Almost immediately, the wheel begins to spin and I begin to lose my sense of balance. I fall over within a few seconds and eventually, the wheel spins so fast that I am thrown painfully against the bars.
The spinning stops, and I see I'm right in front of the heartless. "You're going to pay for that!" I snarl once I regain balance. I jump out and stab the heartless on its forehead. Cloaked Light sinks right in and a sudden pulse of darkness races from my hands and into the heartless.
The heartless and I are thrown violently away as a large explosion erupts from Cloaked Light. Fortunately, only the heartless lands in the roulette wheel. As with me, the wheel begins to spin of its own accord. The heartless is thrown into the bars and darkness begins to leak from its helmet. It manages to stand up, though.
"You want more!" I taunt. "Then come get me!" The heartless jumps into the air and positions itself over me. I try to dodge, but the heartless barrels down on me no matter which direction I run. I roll out of the way instinctively just as the heartless collides with the ground, creating a small shock wave.
"Fira!" I cast. The fireball connects with the heartless, but doesn't seem to do any damage. "Try some lightning!" Likewise, lightning doesn't do any damage either. I dodge out of the way of its stabbing attack and try more spells, but it doesn't seem to do any damage. "Why aren't my spells doing anything?" I ask Vanitas.
"You don't know any other spells? Here, try this one." Vanitas lifts Cloaked Light with my hand and fires a blast of wind from it. The heartless is knocked back down into the wheel and is beat up once more. When it arises this time, darkness is leaking from every chink in its armor. If heartless could look angry, this one fit the bill.
The heartless leaps out of the roulette wheel and creates another shockwave, throwing me into the metal bars surrounding us. It then poises its blades for an attack, but instead of attacking right away, it waits. I can see its blades beginning to glow and absorb light within them. I manage to stand up, but just as I do, the heartless stabs both blades into me.
I fall into the wheel like before, and am thrown wildly about. By now, I am almost finished. I can always manage a little extra, though. "Got any more tricks?" I ask Vanitas.
"Just one. You may not have enough control over darkness to use it, though."
"Whatever it takes!"
"Fine. You asked for it." As I climb up, I see my reflection in the shiny metal. My eyes fade from their usual blue to a bright gold. "That will go away eventually." Vanitas says. When I reach the top, Vanitas takes control.
I jump into the air and am cloaked in darkness. I aim Cloaked Light at the ground and dive right in. The next thing I know, I pop up out of the ground right under the heartless. The heartless is thrown to the ground and I go under once more. In a second, I'm bursting from the ground damaging the heartless once more.
Once again, I go into the metal, but when I emerge under the heartless this time, many fireballs fall onto it. I land on the ground to see the heartless slowly fade away, releasing the crystal-like heart within. The heart floats up and out of the building, never to be seen again.
With the heartless gone, the metal polls surrounding our battle field immediately sink back into the ground. I look at the reflective metal of the floor and see my eyes going back to their normal color. That attack took a lot out of me though.
Unwillingly, Cloaked Light vanishes from my hand out of exhaustion. I try to walk over to Kairi, but my tiredness gets the better of me and I fall to the ground. As my eyes close, I see a person hear into the other side of the room.
"So Maleficent was fight after all!" He exclaims. "He did come to save her." Before I can hear any more, I pass out.
Once more, I am falling through water. I begin to panic, but then I realize I can breathe. This is just like the dream that started all of this! I continue to fall head first until I slowly flip onto my feet.
Like before, I take a a small step and dives fly out of the darkness below me, revealing the stained glass platform beneath. Only this time, the platform is different. Instead of the woman usually depicted, I am shown here. Around my head are six circles, each showing one of my friends: Sora, Kairi, Riku, Matt, Yen, and Raven.
The glass is mostly blue-green and around the rim is a ring of circles. They all show the crown symbol neckless Sora and I wear.
"I told you that attack would use up too much darkness." Vanitas says. I don't hear it in my head though. It's like he's really talking to me. A dark corridor appears and out steps a figure wearing a mask that covers his face. His outfit seems to be composed of living darkness in the shape of veins or vines, coming around his body. It is red and black, and makes an imposing heart in the center.
"Who are you?" I demand, jumping back. I summon Cloaked Light into my hand and get ready to attack.
"Don't you recognize me?" Wait a minute, that was Vanitas's voice! The visor covering his face fades away, leaving just the metal parts around the rim. When his face is revealed, I stare in horrified shock. He looks just like me!
"Surprised?" Vanitas asks. I can only nod. "Yes, I guess it is strange to find someone who looks exactly like you, but you have a twin. Shouldn't you be used to this?"
"Why do you… Why do you look like me?"
"Why should I tell you? Besides, you'll find out about my origins soon enough. Ask Yen Sid or Mickey. They'll tell you everything."
"Why do you look like me!" I demand even more forcefully. I charge at him in anger, but when I hit him, he freezes only to appear above my head. I look up and he brings down a strange Keyblade upon my head. I can't get a good look before my world fades out once again.
I open my eyes. I seem to be in some sort of dungeon, only the walls are made out of wood. What am I doing here? Then I remember exactly what had happened. Who was that guy? And why did he mention Maleficent?
"I told you it was a trap." Vanitas taunts.
"Shut up, clone!" I mentally yell.
"We're two different people. I'm not a clone."
"Just help me find a way out of here." Vanitas stays silent, so I guess I'm on my own. I look around my cell, but there doesn't seem to be a possible way out.
"Keyblade!" Vanitas sighs. I feel myself blush slightly at that obvious solution and unlock my cell. I walk out to explore the dungeon. After walking for a little, I finally see Kairi in another cell. I quickly unlock hers as well and try to wake her up.
"Kairi! Come on, we can go now!" I plead. She doesn't move, though. I try to shake her awake, but that doesn't work either. I hang my head, but then I hear a strange twinkling sound. I look up and next to Kairi is a Wayfinder. The one she made while we were still at home.
I pick it up and it turns into a Keychain. "How did that happen? And why won't she wake up?"
"The girl's heart has left her," a familiar voice says. A green flame sprouts from the ground and Maleficent steps out. "She will not wake unless you find it for her."
"Why should I trust you? For all I know, you did this!"
"You are wise not to trust me. After all, I do side with the darkness."
"I'll save Kairi without you!"
"I'm afraid you won't." A Corridor of Darkness forms around Kairi and she disappears. "Kairi is part of a much bigger picture. Come to me in Hollow Bastion if you must save her."
With that said, Maleficent fades into her green flames. I am seething with anger. A ball of darkness appears in my hand involuntarily. I gaze at the Wayfinder Kairi gave me and the darkness disapates as I am filled with a warm light. I will save my friends, even if I have to travel the universe!
However, I will not use the darkness any longer. I can do it with light! And my friends, Matt, Yen, and Raven. I was stupid to leave them, but they could be anywhere! I'll just have to go on until we meet again.
Suddenly, a violent tremor racks the building. The wooden walls of the tree somehow turn to a dirty cloth and the room begins to fill with bugs. "Are you sure you don't want to use any darkness?" Vanitas asks, disgusted. The bugs were now up to my knees.
"Maybe just one Corridor of Darkness."
"Coming right up!" A wave of darkness envelops me and everything goes black.