TUH: Well, at least this one was on time.
TN: Yeah ... I really don't know what to say. We're finally done.
TUH: No. We aren't.
TN: Well ...
TN: Yeah.
TN: Whatevs.
TN: BUT
TN: I have an announcement to make! Welcome karu0792 and TerraKH to the group! They caught up and have become good fans! Woo!
TUH: Save the mushy shit for when this is done. Now, onto the chapter.
DISCLAIMER!
Tidus is dedicated to Spenser
Everything else is dedicated to Chris
Chapter XXIV
The Battle for Destiny Islands: Tears upon the Flaming Sand
Aboard the Highwind
October 4, 2010
Lights.
They burned brightly overhead.
Riku's eyes fluttered open as he swam up out of sleep.
Or was it unconsciousness?
It didn't matter.
He blinked a few times and then his feelings came back to him. First from the awakening, he felt sorrow. And then he felt pain all over his body as he crashed off of a cot.
"SORA! KAIRI!" he screamed as the medical equipment clanged around him. An iv ripped out of his arm, but it was minimal pain. Cold bit into him because he was lying naked on the floor, save for his boxers, which had been changed. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and abdomen. His wrist did not hurt anymore, because he could move it just fine. His tangled silver hair draped his neck has sharp pain took his breath away. His wrist may have been fine, but his torso definitely wasn't. He was in the medical ward by the looks of it, and he heard the metal whoosh of the automated door from behind him.
"Oh! Riku!" he heard Aerith's voice call out. He twisted around and looked to her as she stepped over the equipment and crouched down to help him up. He felt woozy and dizzy from the sudden movement, throbs of dull pain arcing through his skull. She helped him sit back on the cot and threw him a white, linen blanket. He wrapped it around himself without really needing it.
"W- wher-" he vomited to the side of the cot. It was a horrible retching sound, splashing off the tile stoically. Aerith calmly waited until he was done. With a snap of her fingers it was all gone, and cleaned from his lips. He lay back on the cot, crossing an arm over his eyes.
The lights burned brightly overhead, after all.
"W- where are Sora and Kairi?" he asked weakly. He heard nothing but a small sigh from Aerith. A cold hand touched his muscled shoulder.
"We … we don't know, Riku," she said simply. He could here the cold sorrow in her voice, a voice that seemed to echo out of an icy chasm. His heart felt about the same way right now. Why hadn't they beamed up?
"What about Mickey?" he asked.
"Mickey got a hold of us from his Castle. He used a Star Shard to get out in time. It teleported him to Disney Castle. As for Sora and Kairi … everyone is baffled. Cid told us that the reason they didn't warp up was because they were either on a different world or were dead. There are no other options, Riku. I'm sorry," she said. Riku flung his arm out, knocking over more equipment.
"That's bullshit!" he screamed. Aerith flinched slightly.
"Riku, please, calm down," she said. He didn't lash out anymore, but his mind raced with his heart. They couldn't be dead, there was no way. "We don't know anything right now … and we may not know …" She left the sentence hanging in the tense air.
"There's more," Aerith said. Riku huffed and just closed his eyes, crossing his arm back over them. "We received information that Maleficent is sending her army of Heartless to the Destiny Islands." Riku's eyes shot open.
"What!?" he yelled, sitting up again.
"We don't know the numbers, but she's sending a lot. Mickey believes this may be the beginning of the war," she said quietly. "We're on our way now to the Islands. Alexia was sent already with as many guards as we could spare from Radiant Garden. Twilight Town sent as many as they could, but they kept most behind. In a worst case scenario, we might have to evacuate to somewhere else. King Mickey is giving Tidus all the details."
"How much longer?" Riku asked.
"Two more days until we arrive," she said. "Until then, please do not do too much. You're almost done healing completely. Being unconscious for a few days straight gave you that weak feeling. You'll feel one hundred per cent fine by the time we get there," she explained. Riku nodded his thanks to her. She gave him spare clothes and exited the ward. He changed and then followed her out.
The door whooshed open and he was in the hallway that contained the warp room. He looked down its long stretch and noticed all of his blood had been cleaned. He walked up the corridor and up the stairs he had fallen down where had probably broken even more of his body to save his best friends. In the main room there was a movie playing. It was nighttime. Leon and Cloud were in the cockpit, talking with one another. Lea and Yuffie sat on the floor, their backs propped against the couch. Noises of Aerith making food were coming from the kitchen. And sitting on the couch, cuddling together with sorrowful expressions were Roxas and Naminé. Riku idly walked up to the couch and took the free spot. He gave them a quizzical look.
"What?" Roxas asked. Damn, Roxas was a lot like Sora.
"Care to explain?" Riku asked, gesturing at the two former Nobodies.
"Well, we've loved each other for a while, and us cuddling like this is-"
"I meant how are you two here," Riku said. Too much like Sora.
"Well, we don't exactly know, Riku," Naminé explained. Roxas nodded as his arms wrapped tightly around Naminé.
"Yeah … it just sort of happened," Roxas said.
"Maybe when everything settles down, we can look into it. But for now, I'm not going to question it. Having a body rocks," Naminé said. Riku smiled a weak smile at them and lounged into the couch.
"Where's Merideth?" he asked.
"In her room, asleep," Naminé answered. Then Riku was struck by a fascinating idea.
"Guys, can you still feel a connection with Sora and Kairi?" he asked hopefully. They bowed their heads.
"For one thing, it only worked if we were on the same world. And even on The World That Never Was, I lost all connection from Sora," Roxas explained. Naminé told the same about Kairi. Riku's heart deflated like a balloon.
"Well, it was worth asking," he muttered. His eyes shut as he listened to the movie. Aerith brought out food for everyone, but he refused. He didn't feel hungry right now. Riku ended up leaving the group and heading down to Sora's bedroom to sleep. He walked into the bathroom, stripped, and took a long, hot shower. Most of the time, he just let the water splash of of his flesh, lost in thought. After a while, he exited the bathroom, and crawled into Sora's bed.
He fell asleep watching the stars pass by.
Watching the worlds move on.
HoL:TS
Destiny Islands
October 6, 2010
When Riku and everyone else beamed down onto the soft sand, Alexia was waiting for him. Riku smiled at seeing her, and she joined his side as they followed King Mickey, who had also been waiting for them. War? Had it really boiled down to this? Army against army, a battlefield on his home, and it was only the beginning. Maybe they could hold off Maleficent now, but what about the witch herself. She was immortal now, and then there were all of her allies to take into account. How could they hope to challenge such a force? Well that was just it … hope. Well, that and hard work, too.
King Mickey led them across the beach and up a pathway, going toward Sandfire High School on the main island. Residents from all over the islands joined them, and soon they were a small mass marching toward the school. It stood bleakly on the ground. Riku remembered a time when it was full of life and happiness, back when he, Sora and Kairi would go to class and grab some ice cream after school, just to train later on, or draw in the secret spot. His life flashed in his mind, and his heart broke at the memories he had shared with them. Now, there was no one left to share in his memories. He fought back the tears.
The babble of countless voices drifted to them, as if walking over the roads to greet them. When Riku rounded the corner with about one hundred other people, they came to the school. In front of its doors was a large—no, massive—group of people of all ages, all wearing leather armor and wielding all sorts of different weapons. When they walked through the gates, they were given armor by the fairies that could make magic clothing. The simply twirled their wands and leather armor appeared of Riku's body, perfectly fitting. He could tell that it was very resilient and strong, yet flexible.
"Lookin' good," Yuffie said as she trotted on by, wearing a ninja set of armor. He may have looked good, but he felt bad.
"Now, I must take my leave for a small time. I have to join Tidus. I'll see ya out in the battle," King Mickey said, scurrying away through the crowd. Dusk was upon them and the moon rose darkly in the sky … a dull orange. A horn sounded over the grounds, and the murmurs hushed down to choked whispers. The ocean could be heard in the far distance, roaring. A star twinkled into life in the sky. Soon enough there were many stars out. Riku would never know how much he would come to miss a star-filled night.
From behind a platform, Tidus and His Majesty climbed up a set of stairs and walked outward, facing the crowd. Tidus wore a simple set of metal armor. His Brotherhood lay across his back and a helm rested under his arm. Riku looked up at his friend with a small smile. To see Tidus be a leader like this … well, he never expected it.
HoL:TS
And neither did Tidus.
The armor felt like an oven around him, his heart raced, he was sweating profusely, and this was just being in front of his friends, his allies. Who knew what kind of wreck he would be in front of the armies of Maleficent. His knees weakened and his arms became jelly. Had he been holding his sword, he would have dropped it. He looked down at the regal mouse and was given a nod. Tidus swallowed that hard knot in his throat. He stepped forward. The wind blew around his body and the silence caressed his ears. He took a breath that seemed as loud as an explosion.
"Okay everyone, listen up! I know you may be scared, because I know I am, but we need to stand together and be strong! We need to fight without hesitation and be willing to do whatever is necessary to save our home from Maleficent. But, deep down, I know we can win!" The crowd was silent, then it applauded for Tidus. He blushed and then backed up, letting King Mickey come forward. He felt his heart triphammer even more. He felt like his very small speech was good.
Then there was King Mickey.
"Citizens of Destiny Islands! Hard working fathers, loving mothers, young men and women yet to live on their own … I hate to ask upon all of you to die for your land, that is why I do not ask. I expect it. I expect each and every one of you to fight with a strong heart, to move with deft muscles, to think with a sharp mind! As the enemy draws nearer, I want them to feel the presence of five thousand hearts, five thousand strong hearts that love their home. Tonight is not a night to fear, but to show our true colors of power and resoluteness! We will break the forces of the enemy, and we shall see the rising sun with a smile on our faces! Fear not! Yet, we will not lose this place in vain. We have lost two of the bravest, most daring and courageous souls the universe has ever seen. We will fight in their honor, and we will end Maleficent's tyranny. For Sora and Kairi! HOHO!" The crowd burst into applause. Tidus was struck with awe.
Yeah, he felt that his speech sucked, now. King Mickey walked over to him. Tidus crouched down to hear him better.
"Next time, be more confident. Now, explain to them the battle plan," the mouse said, patting Tidus on the shoulder. He nodded.
"Okay! Now all of you were divided into teams early yesterday evening. Team Starlight is to protect the hospital and see to all wounded! Axel and Aerith are leading this team! Team Crescent is to be stationed in the residential area, led by Cloud, Leon and Yuffie! Team Sandfire is to be on the beachhead, where the majority of the battle will take place! This is where I will be with His Majesty! Remember, in a worst case scenario, we will evacuate the islands! With the help of Axel, he will create a portal of darkness from here to Twilight Town, where they are ready to receive us, should that be the case. Now, if we must evacuate, it must be done as quickly as possible, because Axel will not be able to hold the connection forever. Now, with all of that in mind, let's head out!"
HoL:TS
"Looks like we're heading to Team Crescent," Riku told Alexia. The duo walked among the dispersing crowd, Riku leading Alexia to the residential area. His mind subconsciously did this as he looked around at all the faces of the crowd. Most were frowns or hard looks. He didn't see a smile that was genuine, and that simple fact bit into him. How many lives were going to change tonight? How many were going to end? He didn't know nor did he want to know. He just thought about the job at hand, and that was protecting the literal homes of the people.
He weaved onto Crescent Avenue. This was the long stretch of road that he had lived on with his Aunt Lysa. Kairi also had lived on this road with her adoptive parents, David and Amie. Sora had lived here, too, with just his mother, Abigail. Where were their guardians, for that matter?
"Riku!"
His heart skipped a beat. He turned around and was crushed into a hug from his Aunt Lysa. David, Amie and Abigail followed her. They were wearing the garb of team Starlight. His arms wrapped around his aunt, and he looked at the other parents, he saw their faces. As soon as he broke his hug with Lysa, he rushed to the three others and held them close. Their soft hands pressed into his back, and here it came. He cried, and he cried hard, his tears soaking Abigail's shoulder.
"Shh, now, it's not your fault," she placated, whispering into his ear. He felt like telling her it was his fault. If had been able to defeat Muzét … it was his fault that Sora and Kairi were gone now. But, in that moment, he swore that no one else that he loved would die because of him. None of his family or friends would die because of his flaws or his mistakes. From now on, he would strive for perfect by any means necessary. Then, a siren warbled over the air of Destiny Islands.
It had begun.
"Go now, we'll be fine," Riku said to the parents. Lysa took one last look at him and turned away with the others to head to the hospital where battle would be inevitable. He turned around and shifted his silver hair out of his face.
"Ready, Alexia?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"Ohwehehehe!"
"Ugh, not him," Riku muttered under his breath. He, Alexia, and the others looked up and saw Kefka floating upside down, looking at them. A smile plastered his face.
"Why now girlie, you're wearing the wrong colors!" he said. What?
"What are you talking about?" Riku asked. Heartless began to emerge from the from the streets, sewer grates, everywhere. A massive explosion rocked the air from somewhere to the north.
"Ah, little bro is at work," Kefka mused, "and I'm not talking to you, halfwit. I'm talking to your girlfriend!" he shouted. Alexia took a step backward.
"What do you mean!? And she's not my girlfriend," Riku said, feeling hot at the cheeks.
"I mean that she's on my side, imbecile. She's been working for Maleficent this whole time! She did a pretty good job at doing it, too. I thought she was going to get discovered when she murdered that girl … oh what was her name again? Oh, right, Tifa!" He cackled maniacally before disappearing in a puff of smoke only to reappear on a house in the distance. It exploded beneath him.
"Ta-taaaaa!" he cried out.
Riku slowly turned to face Alexia. All around them, Heartless and humans fought. Why didn't they come after the two of them? She was slowly backing up.
"Alexia, please tell me he's lying. Please tell me he's saying this to trick me," Riku pleaded. Tears stained her cheeks, and he knew in that moment that Kefka had told the truth. His heart … or what was left of it, had broken again.
"R- Riku. I- I didn't want to. Maleficent promised me she would give me my family back. She said-"
"Enough of your lies!" Riku roared, Way to Dawn flashing in his right hand. His blood pumped hotly and his muscles strained. His emotional capacity had peaked and now all he felt was rage.
"You LIED to me! I trusted you! You lied to everyone! YOU were the reason Sora was kidnapped. YOU were the one that killed Tifa! YOU destroyed the center. It was all you!" he screamed, teleporting and crashing into her back, tackling her into the ground. The gravel bit into his skin, but he barely felt it. Their bodies molded into one as they rolled on the ground. He went to connect his fist into her face, but she moved away. He cracked into the ground. She moved away from him and jumped to her feet, and did something he didn't expect … she ran.
His legs pumped as he ran after her, slaying down Heartless along the way. She jumped up onto a fence and then over to a ledge of a low-set house. Riku followed her with ease and guided his body along the stone house. They were heading towards Sandfire High. He flung a Dark Firaga at her, but she jumped at the last moment. A massive chunk of the brick house exploded into a spray of rubble, crumbling that part of it. He kept up the chase and followed her up the stairs. She blasted the doors off their hinges and dashed into the school.
"Come back here!" he shouted. Another Dark Firaga plummeted down the hallway, its dark light glimmering faintly off of the steel locker doors. She looked over her shoulder and flicked her wrist with her staff en of her naginata. A wall of energy infused the spell and rebounded it at Riku. With a flourish of his Keyblade, he launched it into a nearby wall, blasting a hole straight through it and into a class room, decimating the desks and objects inside. She suddenly twirled around and cast her own Blizzaga, a hail of ice shards sent his way. He held out an empty palm and darkness burst out of it, shattering the shards in a concussive burst.
"Why!? Why side with her?" Riku shouted in despair. As if he were playing golf, he swung his Keyblade upward, causing rising energy to spike from the ground. It sped at her, but she diverted it into the lockers, the metal wrenching into bent and distorted forms. She threw back at him a Thundaga spell, arcing off the metal. A wall of dark light shielding him from the blast. It frayed out and darkened the lockers with splotches of ash and soot.
"I'm doing it for my family!" she cried out. He teleported to right in front of her face and she felt the wind rush from the force.
"Your family is dead, Alexia!" he reasoned. He punched her in the gut, sending her sprawling about fifteen feet down the hall. He charged a another one of his Dark Firagas, the ground and walls around him cracking with energy, chips of stone and metal flying around him.
"Maleficent is lying to you!" he yelled. "Dark Firaga Rapid Burst!" he chanted. Multiple volleys of his spell sped at her. She protected herself from the first few, but the remainder barreled into her, forcing all the way down the hall way and through the wall at the end into the library. Her clothes were burnt and holey in spots. He followed her down the hall, walking over broken debris. From the dark hole into the library, a Firaga burst forth and smashed into him in a large explosion. It knocked away the walls on either side of him. A piece of stone wall fell and crushed into him.
"Graviga!" he heard, and then felt the weight of all the debris crushing into him. His eyes opened wide in shock and then closed immediately as he braced for the next impact. The ceiling of the second floor caved into him, burying him in the rubble.
"She can bring them back," Alexia said into the darkness. Then light formed behind her as the library became ablaze. The crackling of burning wood and paper broke the subtle silence. She was then blown back into the library as the pile of rubble exploded, Riku appearing from the epicenter. He shook what he could off of him, but blood and dirt covered his body. He followed her into the library with a speeding jump.
She was ready for him because she brought her sword up, deflecting his crushing blow. Right after, she sliced at his arm. He smacked it away with his blade and used that to elbow her in the face. He followed up with a punch to her ribs, and then kicked her away. He fired multiple spells into her body. Without hesitation, he charged at her, but she rolled away, letting him crash into a burning bookcase.
"Th- they can't be brought back," he spluttered in the smoke. "I know. I was used by her before!" he said. He felt a blade slice into his arm.
"You're wrong!" she screamed, stabbing through his calf muscle. He was brought to his knee, and then swung his Keyblade into her back, sending her forward into him where he uppercut her stomach. He quickly healed his wounds enough for him to move. A fierce wind gathered around him, killing down the fires. Then, in a magnificent outward burst of energy, everything in his radius was thrown away from him, including Alexia. Sparks and particles twirled in the air around him; his hair whipped around his face. Alexia felt fire bite into her left arm, a squeal escaped her mouth as she rolled away and into the hall. She bolted up the stairs, stumbling over herself every few steps. She healed herself and ran into a new stretch of hall. She dashed into a classroom, closely followed by Riku.
"You have friends and family here, with us. You don't need her!" Riku pleaded, lowering his Keyblade. Their ragged breathing echoed and slapped off of the walls. Riku felt the adrenaline course through him, a stitch trying to form in his armpit. Alexia nearly doubled over trying to catch her breath.
"I've had no one for years. The only people I knew were taken from me! And now you're gone, too," she said solemnly. He straightened his back and neck.
"If I am gone, than it is of your own fault. I put my trust into you, only to find out you betrayed me this entire time. Morals, Alexia. It's doing what is right in your heart, not because of what you are told. Leave the world and life as it is. Your family can't come back, but why try to force them back? Rebuild and have a new family with the friends that love you. It's not too late, we can help you," Riku explained. Battle was heard in the distance like thunder in the night.
"No, it is too late. I killed Tifa …" she muttered—no—breathed.
"Because you were blinded by Maleficent. I tried to murder my best friend. I tried to kill Sora to save Kairi, all veiled over by Maleficent and Ansem. I know what it feels like to be deceived by her. Mickey can help you," Riku tried to reason.
"It's too late …"
"I don't believe that!" Riku shouted, lunging forward, his Keyblade connecting into her arm. It broke the bone and sent her flying through the desks, scattering them through the room. She screamed as she rolled back to her feet, her left arm limply lying at her side. He hooked her naginata around and sliced him in the abdomen, blood splashing out. She cast a strong Curaga that she focused on her arm. She felt the bone mend and relief seeped through her. He dashed at her, and she turned and blasted him through the wall and into the next room, debris falling everywhere. She hacked in the dust and followed after him.
He lay contorted on the ground only to look up as the blade of the naginata nearly skewered his head. It sunk into the floor and he swept her feet from under her. He got to his knees and punched her in the gut. She dodged another punch only tp flip up onto her feet and connect a round house to his head.
"Firaga!" she shouted. It blasted into his standing body, sending him out of the classroom in a nebula of glass and outside into the ground below. She ran over to see him hit the ground with a dull thump, the shards of glass twinkling down. Fires raged around the island and the screams of pain sang into the sky. She plunged down with her blade and the wind snapped at her black skirt, her ragged cloak flying up above her. Her silver hair pushed back to reveal her scarred eye. Her blade sunk into the ground as Riku rolled back, kicking off of her to get up and to his feet. He slammed his fist into her skull, sending her a good twenty feet away, naginata still gripped in hand. Stars twinkled in her eyes.
"Heartless! Come to me!" she screamed. Different Praetorians and Centurions formed around her, attacking Riku. She took this time to eat and ether and revitalize her energy. Riku slew them easily and rushed again at her. His wrist flicked forward, bringing a downward slash onto her. She parried it and countered with a stream of magical energy. She guided it to him and it jabbed into his stomach. He coughed out blood, and she uppercut him with her right hand. She twirled around and stabbed through his shoulder with her blade. He yelled and fell to his knees.
"Please, Riku. I don't want to hurt you," Alexia choked out, tears streaming down her face. He grunted in pain and twisted. He grabbed her sword half and yanked the blade out of him with a gush of blood.
"I can't trust you," he said.
"I know. If I could take back everything and be on your side, I would," she told him.
"Then come now, before it goes beyond a point of no return," he said. She backed up slightly. A loud explosion rocked the distance as the mayor's building was no more than rubble.
"See? I can't back away now. She'd kill me, and then there would be no hope for my-"
"Damn it, Alexia! Your family is dead! There is no bringing them back! No matter what she tells you! And she will not harm you. We can protect you, as long as you protect us," he reasoned. He felt like he was losing this fight.
"I …" she paused and tears leaked from her violet orb. She looked up and the fire danced of her eye. "I just can't …"
"Then I have no choice," Riku whispered.
"I'm sorry, Alexia. I truly am."
He dashed forward with doubled speed and shot a fist directly into her chest. He took his Keyblade and uppercut her with it with all of his strength. As if it were nothing, he jumped high in the sky to meet her. He charged his energy and blade as she reached the zenith of her ascent.
"Goodbye … DARK FLARE!" he shouted. In a gargantuan explosion of dark light, she was propelled through the roof of the school and into the ground, three stories below, ripping through every floor like they were wet paper. For a moment, Riku heard nothing but silence, but then the sounds of battle returned to him. He slowly fell downward, buffeted by an Aero spell, through the smoldering hole of the school roof and the next ones as well. Once the smoke cleared, he could see her still body.
It was mangled, broken in multiple parts. Blood oozed out of her mouth and nostrils, but the thing was … she was still breathing. She was still fighting.
Hmm, you truly are amazing, he thought as a tear slid down his dirty cheek.
He brought his Keyblade up, and it glimmered in the moonlight that fell in from the sky.
HoL:TS
Brotherhood skewered a Praetorian. Within a second, Tidus swung around to hew down another three Heartless, followed by another Knight. It was useless, he thought. There were too many of them. For every one that he and his army killed, another ten replaced it. Metal clanged all around him, bursts of magic flared in the night, projectiles hissed, and he kept fighting. Bodies of his friends lay on the ground, trampled and forgotten. They were steadily being pushed back from the beach and into the streets of the municipal area. His armor was dented in some spots and a large gash was wrenched in the side. Blood slowly leaked from a cut on his cheek.
"Ah … so you look important," he heard a voice call out. All of the Heartless around him backed off. King Mickey fell in by his side.
"Hoho, we can take 'im, Tidus!" Mickey said. Tidus was looking at a man in all leather clothing, two guns at his hips.
"My name is Wesker, as if you will ever have the honor again to repeat it," he said. In a flash he appeared at Tidus' right and grabbed his arm. Tidus was flung through the air at high speeds and straight into the mayor's building.
"Ow, that hurt," Tidus muttered to himself. He was in the gathering room, all by himself. Then, suddenly, Mickey was thrown in through the wall. Matching holes lay side by side, letting firelight stream in like flickering eyes. Wesker climbed in through one of them.
"So weak … how do you pose a threat to us?" he asked icily, pulling out one of his guns. He let off a shot, but Mickey cast a Reflect. The bullet rebounded straight for Wesker. He merely tilted his head to dodge it. "Pitiful."
He dashed to them again. Tidus hacked at him with the Brotherhood. Wesker batted the blade away with his hand and kicked Mickey's Keyblade up. At the same time as he did both of these, he swept down and kicked Tidus' feet from under him, while hooking Mickey in the face. They both fell down on the ground. Wesker hiked one leg up and smashed it down into Tidus' chestplate, bending it sharply inward. It crunched into his torso, making his breathing limited. Mickey hopped upward and spun out with his blade. Wesker vanished and appear behind Mickey, catching him and throwing him into Tidus. Tidus and Mickey plowed a trench into the tiled ground and crashed into the wall.
"This really is a waste of my time," Wesker muttered. Tidus and King Mickey slowly got to their feet. Pain and fire radiated throughout Tidus' muscles. He ripped his chest-piece away so he could breath. His greaves and gauntlets stayed on. He also kept his helm fastened.
"I am a god among men, you cannot defeat me!" Wesker roared. He sped forward and nearly impaled Tidus with his hand. "I am a master of close-quarters-combat. It was my specialty in S.T.A.R.S." Wesker said. Well, duh. Tidus and Mickey both backflipped away from him.
"Blizzaga!"
"Firaga!"
Both of the spells … missed. He dodged them like they were nothing. Tidus then saw the glimmer of his guns. Maybe those were fast enough to hit Wesker. Tidus never knew how wrong he was.
"Distract him, Your Majesty," Tidus whispered.
"Come on, fella, let's dance! Light!" Mickey shouted, blinding Wesker. He jumped forward and connected some powerful blows to Wesker, only to be stopped by the fifth one and thrown away. Tidus ran and rolled up to Wesker. He sprung up and grabbed Wesker's guns, dropping Brotherhood. Then Tidus flipped away again.
Shots racketed in the room. Wesker dodged every single one of them in rapid succession; he moved closer to Tidus every time. Finally, he was up close to him. Tidus took the guns and put them under Wesker's chin, barrel meeting flesh.
"Go ahead, boy. Do it," he said maliciously.
Tidus pulled the triggers.
The bullets went through Wesker's chin and out his mouth in a bloody spray. He stumbled back and then stood up straight, looking directly at Tidus. Blood flowed freely from Wesker's blown-apart mouth. Then, Tidus' heart nearly froze. He watched as Wesker's wound healed perfectly, everything reforming.
"Uroboros has not failed me, it seems," Wesker said, laughing maniacally.
"Ohwehehehe! I love a good show!" Kefka laughed, floating down from the rafters.
"Go away, you imbecile," Wesker scoffed.
"Nononononono! I want to show you what a true spectacle is. I believe this building is highly important …" he said with a sick gleam in his eyes.
"Tidus, it's time to go!" Mickey shouted. Tidus grabbed Brotherhood and they scrambled as a dark and fiery energy gathered around Kefka. Tidus threw one look back over his shoulder. Wesker put his hands on his hips and watched Kefka. As soon as they jumped out of the holes form earlier, Mickey cast a Shellga around the two of them. A massive concussive explosion came from behind them. It flung the two of them into another building. Debris rained from the sky and fire spewed. Tendrils of thick, oily smoke sailed into the sky. The entire building was gone. Wesker still stood there, barely phased and Kefka was dancing in mid air with glee.
"Fall back!" Mickey ordered. "Spread the word! FALL BACK!"
"Tidus! Wait for me, ya!?" he heard Wakka yell.
"Wakka! Look out!" Tidus screamed back.
"Oh no, I don't think so. I lost that rat, but you're mine!" Wesker shouted. In a flash he was in front of Wakka. A gloved hand gripped Wakka's throat and hoisted him in the air. With a sick smile, Wesker plunged his hand through Wakka's chest and it came out on the other side. In his hand was Wakka's heart.
It beat twice, then stopped.
Wakka's dead body hit the ground.
"YOU BASTARD!" Tidus roared. Wesker winked, and then vanished.
Tidus felt hot tears sting his cheeks as he was pulled along by King Mickey.
"There's nothin' we can do now. We gotta go, Tidus!" Mickey said. Tidus didn't budge.
"Tidus! We have to go!" The house next to them exploded. Tidus let King Mickey drag him through the streets.
Silence was all he heard.
HoL:TS
Riku hesitated.
He looked down at Alexia's motionless form. Her breathing was ragged and harsh, blood spluttered out of her, and the her scarred eye rolled around in her skull. She was evil and a traitor … but he had been friends with her. He knew what it was like to be used by Maleficent, and he knew what it was like to be in denial about who you were. But he had changed. He had taken who he was, and he had changed that former self into someone he respected. And why couldn't she?
The answer was actually quite simple.
She could.
He lowered his Keyblade and dismissed it. He knelt by her and rummaged around in his pocket for an elixir. He found one and propped her head up. He uncapped it and poured it down her swelling throat. Instantly, her wounds healed, her bleeding stopped, and breathing became regular. He cast a strong Curaga to heal the breaks in her bones. Her right eye fluttered open and looked at him with reverence, fear … a mixture of things. And he felt each one of them pierce his being. She smiled weakly for a moment, but it disappeared.
"W- w- why?" she stuttered. He helped her to her feet.
"Because you were my friend. I know what it's like to be used by that bitch. That's why I'm sparing your life. But, you have to promise me you will abandon her. You don't have to come to our side. You can go where you want, but you can no longer help her. Promise me this, and I won't tell anyone what you have done. It will be a clean slate," he explained to her. She looked at him for a good, long time. His heart beat hard and fast. Please, Alexia.
"Yes. I will do that. But I will not come back with you. I couldn't live with myself," she said. He felt his heart elevate a bit. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it was something he could live with. The sound of the war grew louder.
"Thank you. But remember, if you ever come back to us, I will accept you. It may be a long time before I can forgive you … but I understand. I don't really know how I feel about you right now. Part of me hates your very being. Part of me pities you. You may never redeem yourself for your actions … but I know you can. There is very little chance in it, but you can. It is up to you to change yourself for the better. No one else can do that but you," Riku explained to her. She nodded her head.
"I do not ask you to forgive me, because I know it is nearly impossible. I know of my actions, and I regret them. Thank you Riku," she said, extending her hand. Riku looked at it and took it, bringing her into a hug. It was brief, but it conveyed all of their feelings.
"Now, go. Get off the island," he told her. She nodded, and went out of the building and on her way.
"May the gods always protect you, Alexia," he whispered. And he too left.
HoL:TS
"We are evacuating, now!" Tidus told Axel. Over a half of his army had died to Maleficent's. Kefka was destroying building after building, turning the island into a wasteland. Axel immediately opened the connection up. Aerith and Mickey stood by his side and fed him energy so that he may maintain it.
"Go everyone! GO!" Tidus ordered. The civilians went first. Women holding their crying children. Tidus ushered them in. His mother, Abigail, David, Amie and Lysa went to find more people to escort back to the portal. Tidus saw a light flicker in the sky, and realized it was Kefka floating above the island, twirling above the flaming land. Corpses were strewn about, and yet the waves kept on crashing into the stand. Above, stars winked out of existence. He cackled insanely and flew downward into an area of the residence.
"Hurry it up! We don't have much longer!" Tidus shouted. He felt his heart break. He was losing his homeland. They had fought for nothing, it had all been in vain. Maleficent was winning.
"Hurry!"
HoL:TS
"Alexia! Come with us!"
Alexia turned and saw Riku's aunt Lysa beckon to her. They were all by themselves, looking for stragglers like herself. But she was going to leave another way. Take a portal to some unknown place and make a new life.
"I can't, I'm on my way somewhere else," she told them.
"Oh, and where might that be, lassy?" she heard Kefka asked. He was floating in the air and touched down on the ground. She stood between him and the parents.
"Back off, Kefka. I'm done with Maleficent," Alexia said. The parents let out questions.
"Oh, I could care less about your wants. But, before you go, kill these rats," he said, pointing at each parent.
"N- no … I'm done taking orders from you or her or anyone. I'm my own person!" she shouted, drawing her naginata out.
"You don't seem to get it, bitch," he replied with a masochistic voice that chilled her spine. "You are going to kill these people, or I will. Maleficent wants them personally dead."
"Then you'll have to go through me," she said defiantly. They huddled behind her. She charged her blade.
"Oh … nonono. I don't think so, you whelp," he said. With a snap of his fingers, she was lifted off the ground, and nearly frozen in place, helpless but to watch.
"See, it's quite simple, really," he said, telekinetically picking her blade up. He watched her in the eyes as he talked.
"See-"
"It doesn't make any sense!" she shouted at him, trying to stop the clown. The parents were frozen by his spell, too. Except, they couldn't even talk.
"Sense? Destruction isn't supposed to make sense …"
The blade twirled and skewered the chest of Tidus' mother. Blood splashed out of her chest. The life drained from her eyes. The color drained from her skin. She died without even screaming. Her body fell.
"Why create, when it will only be destroyed …?"
The blade decapitated David and then a bolt of electricity punctured Amie's heart, exploding the chest in a spray of crimson, the life force that was no more. Alexia screamed for him to stop. His sick smile widened.
"Why cling to life, knowing that you have to die …?"
The blade slowly, oh so slowly approached Lysa's face. It slowly inched into her head, and then with a pop, blasted out of the other side of the skull in a spray of bone, blood and brain matter. Drop.
The sword hovered in front of Abigail's heart. Kefka's voice was like a silent wind of death, blowing over an empty field.
"None of it will have meant anything once you do …"
It ripped through her cleanly and he left it there, unfreezing her body. She fell back with the blade quivering out of her chest. They were dead, and Kefka had did it without emotion, not a single beat off, nothing.
"I don't care what you do with your life, Alexia. Just learn what I told you." And in a puff of smoke, he vanished.
She fell to the ground, and she began to cry. Her sobs were rough and sporadic. She crawled over to their bodies and felt their faces. No … why did this have to happen. Why …? She would have to find Riku now.
She stood up and wrenched the blade out of Abigail with a squish. Well, now she didn't have to find Riku.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
HoL:TS
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Riku's vision flooded with rage, hate, every emotion that he could feel. Sorrow filled his heart. Alexia's silver head snapped his way, and her mouth opened. But before she could even say anything, he had summoned his Keyblade and had launched at her. It connected to her face and an earsplitting cry came from her. She stumbled a bit but he ran forward and tackled her into the ground. They landed in the parents' blood. His blade vanished.
"WHY!?" he screamed. He was on top of her body, a leg straddled on either side of her, her back on the ground. Blood poured from her right eye. Riku noticed that his Keyblade had sliced it open. He could care less. His right hand hooked into her face with a sick crunch.
"I trusted you AGAIN! I let you walk free! And you go and kill my family!" He punched her in the face another three times. Blood sprayed from her mouth and it caked his knuckles. Fire burned all around them. Sweat rolled down his face and cleaned away his own dirt and blood.
Punch.
Punch.
Punch.
Alexia's face was almost unrecognizable. Riku was sobbing now, his chest heaving, his breath catching short. His vision blurred from the tears that streamed his face.
"I- I- don't un- understand!"
Punch.
"Why w- w- would you do this!?"
Crack.
"W- why!?" he asked, punching her again, rolling into it. His body fell some into hers. He steadied himself again and punched her again. Her head lolled to the left. His body leaned forward with exhaustion. He took her head and bashed it off of the ground below.
"Alexia …" he said weakly, punching her again. His body rolled off of her as she coughed all the blood out of her throat. He sobbed, lying his his aunt's blood. The fires cracked around them and burned brightly. She coughed out one word.
"Kefka …" and she passed out.
He lay there, wanting to die. He cried loudly, his body hitching. He vomited on himself. And he felt so, so weak. His mind fluttered to blackness and that last thing he thought was:
I failed …
HoL:TS
Kefka looked at the carnage below. They had evacuated, everyone was gone. But he wasn't done yet.
"Leave not a single thing alive? I can do that …" he muttered. All around his body, he channeled his strength and magic. He glowed with a bright aura that slowly contracted into his body. His eyes closed and he curled into a ball. Finally, everything connected into his magical flow, and he spread his body out like a star.
"ULTIMA"
The world of Destiny Islands was incinerated in a flash.
Only the crashing of blackened waves was ever heard upon it again.
TUH: WAKKA'S DEAD! *Throws confetti*
TN: Out of ALL of that, that's what gets to you the most? The cast's parents just died! The Islands are destroyed!
TUH: And that *bleep* racist bigot is DEAD!
TN: Fair point. Anything else you would like to say?
TUH: The end approaches. Dawn of the Final Day. Less than 72 hours remaining.
TN: So much happened in this chapter. Let us know your thoughts! Also, new poll is up, so go check it out!
TUH: See you at the end ... bitches.
May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost
TorNathan
The Unknowing Herald