Chapter 3 – The Keyblade Graveyard

The Keyblade Graveyard was exactly the kind of place Kairi thought it would be. In every direction, there was nothing but red-brown earth, the dust from it swept up by the wind into cloudy gusts that clogged her nose and throat and made her eyes water. Every now and then, they passed a jutting outcrop or a dried ravine as they continued on towards the cliffs in the distance.

She glanced at Sora. There was a natural elegance and grace to the way he carried himself, something that had become especially apparent after fighting beside him. His hood was pulled up over his spiky brown hair in an attempt to protect his neck from the hot sun. When she reached for his hand, he twined their fingers together and smiled.

He wasn't her only companion. To her right walked Donald and Goofy, and before her strode Aqua, the leader of their little group.

For Aqua, this place no doubt held bitter memories. It was where her friend Ventus had fallen into a deep sleep, and where Terra had lost control of his heart and body. While the former had been saved and was currently training with Merlin to regain his strength, the latter was still held prisoner by Xehanort. It was for him that they had come today. Kairi hoped they would find something, anything here that would help him.

Presently, they reached the area that had given the Keyblade Graveyard its name. Countless Keyblades were stuck upright in the barren soil, silent memorials to their deceased owners. A shudder ran down Kairi's spine at the sight of them. The suffering and death in this place was palpable, testament to the horrific conflict that had taken place here so long ago. She walked closer to Sora, holding tightly to his hand. Until they passed a pair of Keyblades that made her stop in her tracks, that is.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked. She knelt down next to the blades, running her hand across the rusted metal. They were both blue with lightning bolt designs.

"Aqua Shock and Aqua Strike." She looked up at Sora, her eyes watering. "I read about them in one of Merlin's books. The wielders were twins."

Sora's face fell. It was easy to lose sight of the fact that each of these Keyblades had once belonged to someone, someone with hopes and dreams and a future until the life had been snuffed out of them. Kairi was grateful that Merlin had made her read his stuffy encyclopedia if it meant the people who had died here wouldn't be forgotten. But she also dreaded running across any more Keyblades she might recognize.

They continued on, searching for where Terra and Xehanort had clashed.

"Hold on, this place looks familiar," Sora said. They'd reached an open area surrounded by rocky crags.

"You didn't notice before?" Donald gave Sora a very unimpressed look, and Sora pouted.

"I thought it was just my imagination!"

"I've got the feelin' we've been here before, too," Goofy said.

Aqua stopped and turned around to face them. "You have? When? What did you see?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy all turned to each other, the same thousand yard stares in their eyes.

"This portal opened up inside the King's castle."

"We went through to see what would happen."

"It brought us here, and then this suit of armor attacked us out of nowhere. It thought I was Xehanort," Sora muttered, still bitter about the comparison.

"A suit of armor?! What did it look like?" Aqua demanded.

Goofy rubbed his chin. "Well, it was red and gold."

"Yeah, and it had a Keyblade." Sora's eyes went wide as he followed the implications to their logical conclusion. "Wait, was that Terra?!"

"Wak!"

"He did mention Aqua and Ventus," Goofy pointed out. "And he had a pretty big grudge against Xehanort."

"Where? Where did you see him?" Aqua put her hands on Sora's shoulders and searched his eyes for answers.

"It was around here," Sora replied.

She asked what happened, and Goofy and Donald explained that after the battle, the mysterious suit of armor had finally left them alone and knelt to the ground.

"Maybe he's still here," Kairi suggested. The possibility was both exciting and troubling, and they all took a moment to prepare for a potential fight. Aqua donned her armor, and everyone else summoned their weapons. They searched the area, but nothing. They were about to move on to another area when a taunting voice interrupted them.

"Looking for someone?" Their little party whirled around to face the person who had addressed them.

"Luxord?!" Sora exclaimed, shocked at his sudden reappearance. The last time he'd seen him, he'd disappeared, and at Sora's hand. Yet here he was, holding a deck of cards in his hands, casually shuffling the cards from one hand to another.

"Sora, look! His eyes!" Kairi pointed to them. Sure enough, they were a sickly yellow. And he wasn't alone. A boy clad in red and black armor stood beside him, his spiky black hair and golden eyes a dark mirror of Sora's. Next to him was Xigbar, wearing the same eye patch as always.

Sora shielded Kairi with his body, and Donald and Goofy raced towards Luxord. He threw a card at them, but they dodged it neatly and retaliated. The deck in his hands scattered, cards going every which way.

Aqua went after Xigbar. She shot a blast of powerful magic towards him, which he dodged by warping away. He fired round after round of shots after her. She avoided them by chaining together a series of cartwheels. Kairi and Sora joined together to attack Vanitas, but he teleported so rapidly that it was difficult to keep track of where he was.

It was absolute chaos, and in the mayhem Kairi didn't notice the card Luxord threw at her till it was too late. She was trapped inside whatever shadowy realm his cards sent his opponents to. And she wasn't alone. Creepy laughter in a distorted version of Sora's voice was right there beside her.

"Hello, Kairi. Long time no see."

"What do you want from me?" Kairi demanded. "I defeated you once, and I can do it again." She gathered her energy for a white magic attack.

Vanitas clicked his tongue. "Don't you know what happens when a pure light and a pure darkness clash?"

"I'm not too worried. The last time we fought, I won."

"That's because I wasn't trying to make an χ-blade. This time, things are different."

This made Kairi pause. "What do you mean?"

"Xehanort said I could do whatever it takes to capture you." Vanitas smiled as the implications sank in. "If that means the two of us form an χ-blade, then I guess that's just too bad. I'm sure Xehanort can turn us back into ourselves when the time is right."

Is he lying? He has to be lying! If I can't use white magic, then how can I win? That was the key to me defeating him last time! But I don't want to make a version of the χ-blade. I can't let myself be turned into that!

It was too big a risk. Clashing at all was risky, but if what he said were true, using her light against his darkness was guaranteed to result in her capture.

Great. She was screwed if she fought, and she was screwed if she didn't. Vanitas rushed at her. She put up a protective barrier. That didn't count as clashing, right? His attack bounced off her barrier, but she didn't take the window to get a hit in on him.

"Not going to fight back? What, are you scared?"

Ignore him. Look for a way out. If I really am inside a card, the others will be looking for a way to free me. Buy them time.

Yes, that was it. Maybe… try getting him to talk? About what, though? He'd use anything she said about Sora against her. Xehanort didn't seem like a good idea, either.

But what about Ventus? She'd heard Ven's side of the story, maybe it was time she asked Vanitas for his. Ven despised Vanitas, and maybe that went both ways. What was the most inflammatory thing she could say?

"You know, you and Ventus aren't so different."

He charged, and she had no choice but to parry his attack. "Don't compare me to that useless weakling!" He teleported behind her. Her barrier was up again just in time. Kairi felt a surge of triumph. She'd finally found Vanitas's weak spot.

"Why not? He's your other half."

"The weaker half!" She blocked his next attack with ease. He was getting emotional, and that meant his fighting was becoming haphazard and reckless.

"I don't know about that. He shattered his own heart to stop you. I wouldn't call that weak at all."

"Shut up!" His eyes were blazing. Kairi wondered how much further she should push him. He was teetering on the edge of madness, and she didn't know what might happen if he went over the brink.

"Why do you hate him so much?" It was an honest question, really. She could understand why Ven hated Vanitas, but she didn't see why Vanitas hated Ven. Being "weak" seemed like a poor reason. There had to be something else, something deeper.

All the same, it came as a surprise when he answered honestly. "Because he—he got everything that should have been mine!"

"You're jealous." It was true. She knew it as soon as the words left her mouth. The look of shock and then anger on his face only confirmed it.

"No! I—"

"You said it yourself. He got all the things you wanted. A home. A family. Love."

"Shut up!"

Kairi had him, and she knew it. He was going berserk. She waited, barrier up, for him to calm down or one of her friends to release them from the card.

Oops. He got her, in the second between one barrier ended and the next would have been put up. She went flying. He hit her again while she was still in the air, over and over and over. She fell to the ground with a painful crash.

When she struggled to stand, he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. She raised her Keyblade, but dark orbs caught Vanitas right in the face before she could retaliate.

"Riku?"

"Are you so sure about that?" Vanitas smiled, and Kairi knew something was terribly wrong.

"Sora?" A deep sense of dread welled up within her. She slowly turned around, fearing the worst. The creature that stood before her was no longer Sora. Dark wisps drifted off of his inky black form, and his yellow eyes bored into her.

She stared back in horror and confusion. She hadn't seen him like this since he'd come to rescue her. His Heartless had been a small shadow then. Now it was human size, and shaped just like him.

Does that mean… the darkness in his heart is growing?

Before she could say anything else, the creature took a flying leap at Vanitas. Kairi stared as it tore at Vanitas's skin, its claws leaving awful gashes that made Vanitas cry out.

That flash of anger in Sora's eyes, when they'd talked about Vanitas before – she'd avoided pressing him about it, thinking it was the right thing to do. But now, she realized her mistake. He must've stuffed, stuffed, stuffed his feelings down until they'd transformed him into the monster before her now.

"Sora, stop!" Kairi cried. "This isn't you!" Then she put a hand over her mouth. She was wrong. This was him. He would do anything to protect her, and he'd simply been pushed past his limit. "Sora, we can't fight him like this! It's wrong!"

He ignored her, and with each one of Vanitas's pained cries, she worried more and more for Vanitas's life and Sora's sanity. Vanitas was a skilled Keyblade wielder, but Sora had lost all restraint. He'd transformed into a vicious monster, and Vanitas had no chance of stopping him. It was up to Kairi to do it. She had to be quick. As horrible as Vanitas had been, it didn't feel right for Sora to destroy him like this.

I can't use the light. I'll hurt Vanitas even more.

She did the only thing she could think to do. She used an Aero spell to gather enough momentum, then sent herself flying. She crashed into Vanitas and wrapped her arms tightly around him as they tumbled out of the way. Sora couldn't be reasoned with right now, and the last thing she wanted was for him to accidentally hurt her in this state. He really wouldn't forgive himself if he did.

She put a barrier around them that would keep Sora out for the time being and turned to Vanitas. A look of pure shock and confusion was in his eyes, his mouth hanging wide open. Blood oozed out of the wounds Sora had made, and she attended to the worst looking ones first. They disappeared, one by one, as she used her magic to heal him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. "I'm your enemy."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not doing this for you."

A dark shadow came over Vanitas's expression. "I could kill you right now."

"Yes, but Sora would get you immediately afterwards." As if on cue, Sora slammed into the barrier. Kairi recast it, just to make sure it would hold. She gave him a sad look and then sighed, turning back to Vanitas. "Now shut up and hold still." She tilted his chin to get at the claw marks on his neck. He shuddered at her touch, jerking away from her hand.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you." She turned his cheek to get at the gashes there, and this time he held still. She was struck by the vulnerable look in his eyes. This was a very different Vanitas from the one she'd first fought. He was like a scared, lost child. Kairi wondered if, after his separation from Ven, anyone had ever shown him love and affection. If Xehanort had raised him, she highly doubted it.

A shudder ran down her spine. Am I actually feeling sorry for him? But she couldn't help herself. Maybe he wouldn't have turned into such a psycho if anyone had bothered to teach him otherwise. He was half of what Ven used to be, right? And Ven was so kind and good. He'd protected Sora and helped him become the person he was today. There had to be some of that still left inside of Vanitas.

When she finished, she let the barrier down and stood. It was back in place at once. She needed to calm Sora down before she finished dealing with Vanitas. He was tearing at himself now. With an awful sinking feeling, she realized his grunts would have been screams if he'd been able to make them.

"Sora," she said softly, taking a step towards him. He turned and ran away on all fours. She used the magic Aqua had been practicing with her to stop his progress. He screeched, but before he could try to run again, she tackled him and wrapped him in her embrace. "Come back to me," she whispered. She didn't care what he'd become. He was, and always would be, Sora.

There was a bright flash of light, and the cold, dark creature in her arms transformed back into his rightful state.

"Kairi, I'm sorry," he choked out. "I could've hurt you— I didn't mean to—"

"I know. That's why I stopped you." She leaned against his shoulder. The frenzied pounding of his heart beat against her cheek, and she willed him to calm down. His arms wrapped around her, and she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Vanitas watched the scene before him unfold in confusion. First, Kairi had stopped Sora from hurting him. Then, she'd healed him and transformed Sora back into a human. What was going through her head? Whose side was she on? He didn't understand. All he could do was stare as they embraced.

He touched his cheek. No one had ever touched him like she had. Not since his separation from Ventus. The only physical contact he'd had since then had all come at the hands of people trying to kill him. What would it be like, to hug someone the way Sora and Kairi were hugging each other now? To hold someone in his arms, her body pressed against his, because she wanted to be there?

It should be him. He should be the one holding her. Once again, he was being denied what was rightfully his. Anger surged from deep within him, creating a whole new wave of Unversed. He sprung to his feet and charged.

This time, it was Sora who looked at him with pity. Kairi's eyes were ablaze as she cast a barrier protecting the two of them. Her body shielded his, her arms stretched out wide.

"If you so much as lay a finger on Sora again, I'll end you myself!" she spat. "I haven't forgotten what you did to him!"

Vanitas halted. An unpleasant sensation filled his heart, one that he had experienced only a few times before. He didn't like his odds against fighting Kairi and Sora together. Not when she was this angry.

"Kairi," Sora said softly. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"He threw it in my face! He bragged about hurting you!"

"I know."

"And now he's attacking us after I stopped you from destroying him! After I healed him! I thought there might still be good in him, but—"

She let the barrier down. Vanitas braced himself for her attack, but Sora had his arms around her waist before she could.

"Let go of me!" she cried, struggling fiercely against him. He winced but held steady.

"Don't get me wrong. We're still gonna deal with him. We're just gonna do it together."

Not good not good not good.

"But he said… if I fight him, we could make the χ-blade—"

"Good thing I'm here too, then. C'mon, Kairi, like we practiced." Sora grabbed her hand and transformed. A surge of energy traveled down his clothes, turning them purple with dark violet waves. Together, he and Kairi charged. His fighting style had changed, all of his attacks incorporating light.

As bright orbs hit the Unversed from either side, Vanitas knew he should run. But he couldn't help but be drawn to the light, to what he lacked. Kairi and Sora fought together in an enrapturing dance, like they were two halves of the same person. Sora sent her flying, and she got a hit on the nearest Unversed before pushing off with her feet, flipping through the air, and landing in his arms.

With each Unversed they destroyed, Vanitas felt a sharp pain in his heart. He defended himself well enough, but as they plowed through wave after wave of his Unversed, he knew it was only a matter of time before they wore him out and defeated him. He stopped summoning the Unversed. Less pain for him that way, but now it meant they would attack him directly.

Sure enough, they joined together for one final attack. Vanitas teleported all around the area, but he suspected it was one of those attacks that would catch everything nearby in its wake.

But then something happened. The realm they were in shattered, throwing them back into the Keyblade Graveyard.

"There you are!" Donald said. He lowered his staff, which had previously been pointed at the card in his hand. Goofy was still locked in combat with Xigbar, and Aqua stood above Luxord, her Keyblade mere inches away from his face.

He chuckled. "You have quite a lot of fight in you. I like that in a woman. But that isn't why we're here."

"Then why are you here?" Sora demanded.

"There's something Xehanort's been searching for."

"And what would that be?"

Luxord pointed behind them. "There." A hulking suit of armor had appeared. It stood, ripping its Keyblade from the ground and moving into a battle stance. Sora's face went pale at the sight of it.

"My apologies," Luxord continued, "but I had to use you as the bait."

Aqua tore off her helmet, her eyes wide. "Terra?"