Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Ch.49 Ansem
Once we put in the pieces for the door that held the heartless crest, it opened to reveal the pathway to the Grand Hall. Through was a long carpeted floor with the Heartless crest on it, and on each side were three women encased in capsules. Beast gasped when he saw them, and rushed towards one that held a a woman with brown hair and wearing a yellow dress. "Belle!" he called, and tried to pry the glass off. But it wouldn't even obey his strength, and the Beast roared in fury. "Hey, calm down! The Keyhole I still ahead. Once its shut we can leave, and you can take Belle with you capsule or no capsule," I said. Beast looked at me, and Sora added "Just keep her safe from any heartless until we can lock the Keyhole. That got his attention, and he nodded.
The rest of us ran up the steps on the side of the platform. When we reached the top Sora, Donald and I were able to climb the last step with ease, but when Goofy tried he fell back, blocked by a barrier. "Goofy!" I said. He rubbed his head from the fall, and said "Looks like I'm stuck down here! You guys don;t worry about me!" After a second we nodded, and looked forward. Lying there on her back with her hands at her sides was the one person Sora had come all this way to look for. "Kairi!" he called, and ran forward. I followed, but was on guard. I could sense powerful darkness round us, but I couldn't tell where it was from. It seemed to be completely enveloping the area. Sora dropped down next to Kairi and shook her. "Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!" he pleaded. "It's no use," a pair of voice said.
We looked up to see Riku sitting on top of the ledge above the Keyhole, still holding that dark Keyblade. "That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up," he said. I blinked. That girl? Now something was really wrong. Sora put Kairi down, and stood. "What? You... You're not Riku," he said. Riku jumped down from the ledge, slowly drifting to the ground. "The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps," he said. I gasped, and both Sora and I looked at Kairi. "The princess? Kairi's a princess?" Sora asked. "Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened," Riku said. Sora looked at me. "Did you know this, Dexal?" he asked. Slowly I shook my head. "I suspected, but I never knew," I said. Sora looked at me for a moment, before turning back to Riku.
"Well whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!" he said. "But first, you must give the princess back her heart!" Riku replied, pointing his Keyblade at him. Just then a red light flashed from Sora's chest, and he cried out before falling onto his hands and knees. "Sora!" Donald called, while I watched with shock. It was just like what I had felt in Neverland. "Don't you see yet?" Riku asked, walking down the steps. "The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!" he said. I scowled, so I had been right. Sora looked at his hand, then back at Kairi. "Kairi... Kairi's heart's inside me?" he repeated. Riku smiled. "I know all that there is to know," he said. Hearing that it finally clicked, after so long. The darkness, the voice, the actions. Quickly I sniffed the air, and mixed in with Riku's was that signature scent.
"Tell me, who are you?" Sora asked. I knew it even before the possessed Riku said it. "It is I, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness," he announced. I cold begin to feel anger stir within me, but even deeper than that was one emotion I had held for so long, that I had reserved just for him. Hatred. "So you are alive," I said, steeping forward and summoning Stormfell. Acting like I had just arrived, Riku-Ansem pretended to look surprised. "Ah, Dexal. It is good to see you after so long," he said. "Cut the act. You'd stoop as low as to possess a youth to accomplish your ends," I said, my voice filled with disgust. Rather than be offended Riku-Ansem chuckled. "You're hardly one to talk, Heartless," he said. I stiffened, and despite to not let him see it he did anyway, and laughed.
"I have possession of this boy's heart, which also includes his memories. And in them I can see that you are a Heartless. The only reason you are able to retain your sense of self is because of the light that Keyblade you have in your hand provides," he said. I frowned and glared at him, and he began to slowly walk towards Sora. Donald yelled and charged at him, but when he jumped Riku hit him with the back if his arm, sending him behind the barrier. I held up Stormfell and said "Don't take another step." He chuckled, before suddenly vanishing. I blinked, but then he reappeared right in front of he and grabbed my shirt, throwing me behind him. I shouted and turned my fall into a roll, ending on my feet.
Riku-Ansem stood in front of Sora, and said "So, I shall release you now, princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door. Lead me into everlasting darkness!" He held up the dark Keyblade and swung down, while I ran to stop him. Sora stayed on the ground, until he suddenly heard the voice of Kairi call "Sora!" The snapped him out of it, and he reached up to block the oncoming attack with Fairy Harp. "Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!" he said, shoving the possessed Riku away. He jumped back and I ran to stand next to Sora, assuming a battle stance along with him. Riku-Ansem smirked and did the same, and Sora and I charged. Sora cast Fira and he countered with Dark Firaga, his spell consuming the weaker one. Sora shouted and ducked to avoid the spell, and I slashed at Riku from the side.
He blocked me and spun around, bringing in his Keyblade to hit my abdomen. I blocked that blow and tried to hit him again, but armed with Ansem's power and abilities his skill was much more than it was before. I cast Triple Firaga and he rolled out of the way, slicing one fireball that trailed after him in half. Sora tried to halt him with Stop but failed, and Riku kicked him in the chest. He feel back and groaned, casting Cura to heal his fractured ribs. He kept on him and continued attacking, and I called "Hey!" He turned just in time to see me cast Time Splicer. I vanished and reappeared next to him, slashing three times with my Keyblade in rapid succession. He managed to block them but I teleported behind him, striking again. He blocked the last two hits but no the first one, and I cut him across the back.
Riku-Ansem cried out in pain and struck at me, but then I vanished one more time and reappeared on the other side of the area. He grimaced but didn't chase after me, instead turning to Sora and letting out a quick two-hit combo. Sparks struck from the speed of his attacks, and Sora said "Get a load of this!" before using Ars Arcanum. His Keyblade glowed with a golden aura before Sora unleashed devastating flurry of blows, moving with such speed that I could barely follow his movements. Riku-Ansem struggled to keep up with him, and failed to black that last blow, which the aura faded during and create a small bust of energy. Riku grunted as he slid back across the ground, before looking up in anger. The time for taunting was over.
"Perish," he said, and shot a Dark Firaga from each hand. Sora and I each blocked one and I used Counter Burst, sending shards of the barrier I had used flying. Four of them flew them at Riku-Ansem, and he spun his blade in a circle to block them. Sora ran up and swung at his legs, and he stopped spinning his Keyblade to block him. At the same time I used Zantetsuken, staying still for a moment before shooting forward. I struck with such speed that despite Riku's attempt to block I made it past his guard, cutting him on the stomach. He yelled in pain and fell back, before looking at me. "Behold the power of darkness!" he yelled, and his body began glowing. Just then he shot forward and vanished, before hitting me from the side in the same manner as if he had used Sonic Blade.
I grunted in both surprise and pain, before dodging as he vanished and did it again. Sora was hit as well but managed to avoid any hits after the first, at least Riku shot down and slammed his Keyblade against the center of the area, sending out a shockwave of darkness. I held up Stormfell and gritted my teeth, trying to hold my ground. Sora wasn't as strong through, and was sent flying, he shouted before landing on the ground and smacking his head. "Sora!" I called, and cast Curaga on him. But that distracted me from Riku-Ansem, who I was reminded of the hard way. And by the hard way, I mean with an uppercut to the stomach. "Uf!" I managed to say, the wind having been knocked out of me. Riku-Ansem was now enveloped in a dark aura that crackled with power, and he smirked as I took a stop back.
"Just submit, Dexal. Ever since we were apprentices I was stronger. I will always be," he said. I looked up him, and I felt my Heartless instincts began to stir because of my hatred for him. But I refused to let them control me again, and so I said "Not gonna happen, Xehanort!" I shot forward and slashed at him, but when he blocked I smiled. Why? Behind him Sora had stood, recovering from his head injury, and charged. "Let my friend go!" he yelled, and with a shout he stabbed Riku-Ansem in the back with Fairy Harp. Riku-Ansem screamed in pain and looked back, and that was when I took the chance to knock his Keyblade aside and stab him in the chest. He looked at both of us, having been stabbed from both the front and back, before we pulled back.
Riku-Ansem fell to his knees and dropped the dark Keyblade, before disappearing into the darkness. There was the sound of shattering glass before the barrier in front of the staircases vanished, and Donald And Goofy rushed forward. "Riku!" Sora called, running for where he had been. Behind him though energy began to crackle around the Keyhole, darkness ready to flood through. "Sora! Sora, look!" Donald said. "Uh, the Keyhole!" Goofy urged him. Sora looked at it and nodded, running up. He stopped in front of it and pulled out the Fairy Harp, pointing it. But after a second nothing happened, and Goofy said "It won't work! The keyhole's not finished yet!" 'What can we do?" Donald asked. "Maybe we have to awaken Kairi," I said, looking back at her unconscious form.
Sora dismissed his Keyblade. "I think you're right. If we could free her heart... But... But how?" he said. I shrugged, not even I knew, but then I saw that he was looking at the Keyblade Riku-Ansem had dropped. "A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts. I wonder," he said, closing his eyes. Then he opened them again, and walked forward. "Sora?" Goofy asked. He didn't say anything though, and I began to have a sneaking suspicion. Was he planning to...? Then Sora reached down and picked up the Keyblade. My eyes widened. "Sora, hold on!" Goofy said. "No! Wait!" Donald called. "Don't do it!" I said, rushing forward.
But then, before I could reach him, he stabbed the Keyblade into his chest.
And... I left you all with a cliffhanger! Worry not though, for I will be back soon! But hen I do, what will happen to our heroes?
Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)