PrismRain13: Hey guys! I'm back from Québec with a new chapter!
Dragon: and we're celebrating Reconnected's three year anniversary a few days late!
PrismRain13: yeah, I really wanted to get this out on the actual day, but I had to get back to work and unpack. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this extra-long chapter!
Dragon: Prism owns nothing other than the plot and her OC's and the Cosmos form. Except for me; I'm from Greymon Leader and Kyra and Rusty are from MysteryGirl7Freak.
Chapter 45: Strength of a Nobody
Kairi fought against the nobodies and supported her friends just as much as her energy allowed her to. But the battle against the army of sorcerers was a lot for them to handle even with all the people fighting.
Rusty stood by Kyra and Dragon, defending them while they both took the offensive. Dragon, still not very experienced in real combat tried his hardest to land decent hits with Steel Slayer, but he wasn't having much luck. Kyra fired multiple arrows, getting rid of a Sorcerer before it could attack Dragon.
Goofy and Max had quickly gotten surrounded. Max's attacks weren't doing much against them. But, his dad moved rapidly around the battlefield, protecting Max from as many attacks as he could. It wasn't long before Mickey and Donald came to their rescue, getting rid of many Sorcerers with both physical and magical attacks.
Even though Lydia was overwhelmed, she still managed to stay calm while unleashed her time and gambling magic. Sometimes her attacks grew stronger, other times they got weaker. Seifer rushed to her aid, slicing through three Sorcerers. He winked at Lydia flirtatiously, but she only scoffed in annoyance and turned her attention back to the battle.
Hayner was getting the hang of real combat, but his attacks were still underdeveloped. Riku and West backed him up; Riku using his Keyblade for strong attacks and gravity spells while West threw her knife around and used items she had stolen.
Even and Myde used their weapons to defend Naminé, Olette, Pence, Vivi, Fuu and Rai. Myde complained nonstop since the battle started while Even just tried to ignore him.
Naminé nervously watched the battles progress in front of her. I can't just stand here! She thought, Not when everyone's out there fighting! I feel so useless. All I've ever been able to do was mess with people's memories. I just wish I could do more to help! I need to help them fight!
Suddenly, Naminé was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a familiar scream. Naminé looked up, gasping at the sight of a Sorcerer throwing Kairi against the brick wall of the station, her Keyblade flying out of her hands and she crumbling to her knees.
"Kairi!" Naminé exclaimed in fear, running right past Even and Myde without a second thought.
"Naminé?! Where are you going?!" Myde demanded, but she blocked out the sound of his voice. Naminé ignored the nobodies lunging at her; all that mattered right now was getting to Kairi's side. She didn't know how she'd be able to help, but she had to try.
A sorcerer raised it's arm to attack the defenseless Kairi, but at the last second, Naminé jumped in front of her and raised her arms in defense.
"Naminé?!" Kairi gasped. Just then, before the nobody could attack them, an almost blinding white light appeared around Naminé. Kairi moved her arm to shield her eyes until finally, the light faded away. Kairi slowly removed her arm, eyes widening at the sight before her;
In Naminé's hand was a pure white Keyblade. The it was fairly simple with a hilt that resembled the open memory pod Sora once slept in. The teeth of the blade was a small group of white roses and vines with angel wings on either side. And the keychain was a small yellow star charm connected by a silver chain. Recollection.
Naminé opened her own eyes, gasping at the sight of the weapon. "Woah! How did you get a Keyblade?" Kairi asked as she pushed herself back up and Destiny's Embrace reappeared in her hands.
"I-I have no idea." Naminé replied honestly. A Sorcerer appeared before them and raised it's arm to attack the girls. But, before it could, Lydia jumped in front of them and threw a pair of dice at the nobody. The dice exploded on impact, causing some damage and making the nobody temporarily immobile.
"Hey, you girls wanna put your keys to good use and give us a hand here?!" The gypsy exclaimed, jumping back into battle.
Naminé looked nervously between Recollection and the battle that was taking place in front of her. It was true, she wanted to help, but she was still so inexperienced on the battlefield. Kairi placed her hand on her nobody's shoulder, seeing the nervousness in her eyes as she looked at her.
"Don't worry." Kairi said with a smile. "We're all on your side. You don't need to be scared."
Naminé returned the smile, holding her new Keyblade in a battle-ready position. "You're right. This time, I'll fight too."
~*KHIII*~
With his Ethereal blades ready, Xemnas charged at his four opponents with an intense speed. He raised his blades in Xion's direction, ready to strike her down. But luckily, she jumped out of the way just in time and managed to preform a counterattack with her Keyblade.
Roxas followed her lead, running up beside her and raising his weapon just as Xion was about to attack again. Unfortunately, Xemnas had already recovered and blocked both Keyblades as he glared down at the two traitors. Lea saw an opening with Xemnas's back exposed and threw one of his chackrams at him. But Xemnas was too fast. In a swift movement, he pushed Roxas and Xion backwards and knocked the chackram away with one of his blades.
Sora quickly healed Roxas and Xion before charging at the Superior himself. Xemnas took the challenge with a smirk and raised his blades to attack. The Superior moved quickly, it was getting harder and harder for Sora to keep up with blocking and dodging attacks. When Lea finally recovered and jumped in to attack, Sora was lucky to only receive a few deep scratches. Roxas quickly healed him before rushing to Lea's aid alongside Xion. Fully recovered, Sora followed their lead.
Even with four people fighting against him all at once, Xemnas was able to block every attack thrown at him. He had taken very little damage the whole time they had been fighting, while his opponents were growing weak and tired and were running low on magic and items.
Sora thought desperately for any way to turn the battle around. Xemnas was so much stronger now than when he and Riku fought him a year ago. If he didn't do something soon, they'd all be toast. Just then, the teen remembered the new drive form he still hadn't used yet as an idea began to form in his mind.
"Lea! Roxas! Xion! Cover me!" Sora called to his allies.
"Right!" Nodded Roxas. He had no idea what his somebody was planning, but he knew he could trust him. Xion and Lea followed closely behind him and fought Xemnas with all the strength they had left.
Meanwhile, Sora placed his hand over his heart as he was surrounded by a blinding bright white glow. When it faded, Sora's clothing changed to white and gold with small angel wing patterns and out on his back was a pair of translucent white and gold-rimmed angel wings.
In his hands were two familiar Keyblades; Olympia and Hidden Dragon. And floating behind him were two new Keyblades from Kuzco's Empire and Olympus Coliseum. The first had a golden llama neck and head with sapphire eyes as the base and teeth, the handle was a potion bottle with pink liquid inside and the hilt was a gold palace-shape. The chain on the end was blue, connected to a keychain shaped like Kuzco's crown; Golden Llama. The second one was shaped like Lightning's gunblade with a pink crystal rose as the teeth, pink rose petals around the handle and as the chain and the keychain was the l'cie symbol; Focus Complete.
The Cosmos form gave off a golden, radiant glow as Sora readied his weapons. He flapped his new wings, rushing towards Xemnas at lightning speed while Lea, Roxas and Xion jumped out of the way. Xemnas didn't even have a chance to react as Sora attacked. Golden Llama and Focus Complete floated around his body, shielding him from every one of Xemnas's strikes while he swung around Olympia and Hidden Dragon. Then, Xion, Roxas and Lea jumped back into the battle, attacking Xemnas with all they had.
Xemnas was unable to deflect the attacks coming from all angles and he was finally taking a decent amount of damage. After multiple more attacks, Sora flew into the air and pointed all four of his Keyblades in Xemnas's direction and sent them all flying towards him. The blades slammed into Xemnas's chest, dealing the final blow.
Xemnas gasped in pain and collapsed to his knees, the barrier and the Sorcerer nobodies vanishing all at once. The teammates who had been fighting the nobodies sighed in relief, completely exhausted. Sora flew back down to the ground just as the Cosmos form wore off and his clothes and Keyblade returned to normal.
Roxas stood in front of his former Superior, pointing Two Become One threateningly at him and with a cold glare in his eyes. Xemnas looked up at him, the started laughing.
"So, you think just because you've defeated me once, that means you've won, does it?" He smirked as he found Myde and Even among the crowd. "Demyx, I see you really have chosen to leave us. No matter, you will not be missed. But, Vexen, I must say I'm disappointed you chose not to join us." Myde shook in fear while Even glared. Then, Xemnas stood back up as though the fight never even happened.
"How are you still standing after all that?!" Sora exclaimed.
"You should know that we don't go down easy, foolish boy." A similar voice echoed through the space. The group of heroes looked up to the clock tower as a corridor of darkness appeared.
Riku gasped in complete shock at the sight of who stepped out. Someone who put him through so much pain, caused him to forget his friends, took over his body and was someone he thought he'd never have to see again. A tall man with the same dark skin, white hair and yellow eyes as Xemnas, but with the heartless symbol resting on his chest and wearing a much more detailed outfit.
"Ansem?!"
The nobody chuckled in amusement before jumping off the clock tower, gracefully landing right beside his nobody. Both Riku and West tightened their grips on their weapons, the thief slightly shaking as Ansem looked at them with a smug look in his eyes.
"I see you've had some difficulty, Xemnas. How unfortunate." Ansem smirked, then turned to Riku and West. "It's been a long time, Riku."
"What are you doing here, Ansem?!" Demanded Riku. "How are you still alive?!"
"Is that any way to greet to your best friend?" Ansem asked smugly, holding out his hand towards Riku. "Come, Riku. I think it's time you return to the darkness. It is where you belong, after all."
Riku and all the others around him were speechless. He still couldn't believe that the Seeker of Darkness was standing in front of him and asking him to join the darkness again. He was frozen as his mind tried to process it all. How was Ansem still alive? And why did he suddenly want him to join them? Riku's thoughts were interrupted by Sora, Kairi and West stepping protectively in front of him with their weapons ready in case of another battle.
"Shut up!" Snapped Sora. "You don't have a right to call yourself that after what you put him through!"
"Riku's not part of the darkness anymore!" Kairi agreed.
"Yeah! We're not letting him go back there!" Added West.
Riku stood there in awe as he once again found himself amazed at the amount of support his friends were giving him. He had treated Sora like a dirty traitor and he still kept pushing forward to bring him back to the light. Kairi had lost her heart because of him and she never once blamed him. And West, she was forced to wander the realm of darkness alone for a year and a half because of him and she still came back smiling. Even after what he'd done in the past, they were all still by his side, treating him like a friend.
Ansem only chuckled darkly. "How cute. You fools still stand beside him. I suppose I should think nothing less of the pawns of light." Then, his eyes rested on West as his smirk grew. "Well, well. Look who's back. I certainly hope you and the princess haven't become too big of a burden." West and Kairi glared daggers at the heartless, their grips on their weapons increasing.
"Alright, that's enough, you two." A new voice spoke just as another corridor opened beside the heartless and the nobody. Young Xehanort stepped out, a smug look on his face.
"You!" Kyra snarled, Rusty growling beside her. "You were the one who attacked me on the Gummi ship!"
"Oh yes, I remember. I must admit, I'm impressed you can still walk after our little fight." He smirked. Kyra snarled in anger, using every fibre of her being to stop herself from attacking him. "Come on, boys. I think it's time we leave." Young Xehanort said as he opened another corridor beside them.
"Hey! We're not done here!" Sora exclaimed. "What are you people planning?!"
Xemnas snarled in annoyance. "Don't you know how to respect your elders, brat? And trust me when I say that your little quest is futile."
"What are you talking about?" Demanded Kairi.
"It's obvious isn't it, your majesty?" Young Xehanort turned to the glaring Mickey. "You remember what happened to them twelve years ago. You should know better than anyone that it's pointless to search for hearts that are already lost."
Mickey's expression softened as he felt a pang in his heart at the painful memories. Terra, Aqua, Ven. Even with the power of the Keyblade he was helpless to save them. Because of him, they were forced to suffer for twelve long years when he could do nothing to help them. No. Mickey thought, clenching his fist. I can't think like this anymore. Not when there's finally hope!
"It's true, I did fail them." Mickey responded, looking back up at Xemnas, Ansem and Young Xehanort. "But now's the time I make up for back then. Terra, Ven and Aqua are still out there, I know it! And we're going to free them and stop whatever it is you're planning!"
Young Xehanort only smirked. "In that case, I wish you luck. Until next time, heroes of light." And without another word, he strode into the corridor, followed closely by Ansem and Xemnas. The portal vanishing instantly.
A few moments after they were gone, Lea strode over beside Roxas, Naminé and Xion. "Well, I guess we waited long enough for introductions. Guys, I want you to meet Roxas, Naminé and Xion; my best friends." Lea smiled as he ruffled their hair, the three smiling up at him too.
~*KHIII*~
Soon after, Sora found himself sitting back in the middle of the old mansion with Riku, Donald, Goofy, Lea, Roxas, Seifer, Hayner, Pence, Dragon, Rusty and Kyra. After their enemies left, there weren't any heartless or nobodies left at all in Twilight Town. So, finally feeling safe to wander the streets, Olette had dragged Kairi, West, Naminé and Xion to go shopping with her. Lydia, Max, Rai, Fuu and Vivi had tagged along to find some lunch for everybody. Even and Mickey had dragged Myde down to the lab to collect the rest of Ansem the Wise's research.
Hayner and some of the others were curious about the three newcomers, so Roxas had taken up the task of explaining his story to them. He told the group everything from how he was born, the Organization and all the way up to his time living in the virtual Twilight Town. Seifer, Hayner and Pence all looked particularilly surprised at the last bit of his story.
"Wow." Hayner breathed. "So, we were friends in the old Twilight Town?"
Roxas nodded. "Yeah. You, me, Pence and Olette. We were inseparable. Sorry; It just felt so real to me." The blond looked down at his shoes, feeling a little weird talking to the real life versions of them.
Hayner only smiled and playfully punched Roxas's shoulder. "Well, you seem like a great person. I hope I can get to know you better."
"Yeah, Who knows, maybe we'll end up being just as good of friends as we were in the other Twilight Town."
Roxas returned the smile just as Lea pulled him into a headlock and gave him a noogie. "Great to have ya back, little buddy."
"Axel, cut it out!" Roxas laughed, trying to push the red-head away.
"It's Lea now!" He laughed in response, finally letting him go.
"That's going to take some getting used to!" The blond ex-nobody smiled while Seifer just rolled his eyes.
Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy watched the group in front of them. Sora couldn't help but feel happy for his nobody; he was finally starting to live his own life and wasn't going to be seen as just a part of his heart anymore.
"You know," Riku said. "That was a great thing you did for Roxas. Why do you have to be so selfless all the time?"
Sora shrugged. "I just didn't think it was fair. And I couldn't just stand around when I knew there was something I could have done for him."
"I guess that's what makes ya such a great pal." Donald said.
"Come on, Donald. You're embarrassing me." Sora laughed.
"That's kinda what friends do to each other." Goofy said as Riku joined in on the laughter.
Dragon sat alone a little ways away from the two groups. the young man was still extremely confused as to what was going on. But, it looked like a lot of them had some catching up to do, so Dragon thought he should give them their space while he examined his new sword.
He was interrupted by Rusty slowly walking towards him and sniffing him. Dragon smiled at the curious-looking fox before gently petting him, Rusty looking as content as anyone could ever be."
"Wow, normally it takes him awhile before he's comfortable with people touching him. You must be something." Kyra said as she strode up to him and sat down beside him. There was an awkward silence between the two of them, until Dragon shyly spoke up.
"Hey, um, Kyra right? Can I ask you something?" Kyra nodded, gesturing for him to continue. "How come you're travelling around with everyone? I mean, those guys really didn't see anyone as a treat except the people who had those Kryblades."
Kyra sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well, we all want to help stop Xehanort and help these lost people. But, I guess all of us have our own side reasons. For me, I'm looking for my missing brothers and parents. Lydia wants to forget her problems. And West, I guess she wants to help and regain her lost memories."
"The girl with pigtails?" Dragon asked, his interest suddenly increasing. "She lost her memories."
"Yeah, apparently ten years ago she appeared on Traverse Town with no memories, including her name, why?"
Dragon was just about to say something back, when the front door to the mansion opened. The large group that had gone out had returned with what looked like a large amount of shopping.
"Hi! We're back!" Kairi waved cheerfully, she was followed by Lydia and the rest of the Twilight Town gang, carrying bags of food from a burger place, a noodle shop and a burrito place. Naminé, West and Olette came in soon after with their own bags of shopping.
"Alright!" Lydia exclaimed as she and Vivi set the food out on a nearby table. "Who's hungry?"
"Man, I'm starving!" Lea said, standing to his feet.
"I wasn't talking to you, you pyro." Glared Lydia. Lea sighed in defeat while Roxas gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Relax, Axel-sorry, Lea. I got us desert." Xion smiled as she stepped into the mansion carrying another bag. Her Organization coat was gone and replaced with newly-bought clothing.
She was now wearing a white, v-neck sleeveless shirt with a purple trim and grey short shorts. Overtop was a black sleeveless jacket with an orange under layer and a checkered stripe over the chest. Around her hips was a checkered belt with a purple pouch with an orange X. Her shoes were an orange and black version of Kairi's shoes from two years ago. She also had an orange armband with a silver nobody thorn, black and purple fingerless gloves and a yellow and blue seashell necklace.
Xion reached into her plastic bag and pulled out a handful of familiar blue ice cream bars with a smile on her face.
"Sea-Salt Ice cream?!" Roxas exclaimed happily, standing up and practically running over to her. "I never thought I'd get to eat this again!"
"You and me both, man." Lea agreed as he and Roxas greedily reached into the bag, pulling out their own bars. Naminé timidly reached in and took one too.
"Eat as much as you want." Kairi said, grabbing a burrito. "The Sorcerers dropped a bunch of munny."
"And we got lots more potions too!" West smiled, holding up her own bag.
Then, Even, Myde and Mickey walked down the stairs, their arms full of boxes full of Ansem the Wise's old notes and equipment. Myde didn't waste any time in setting his box down and rushing over to the table full of food.
"Hey, what's with all the boxes?" Sora asked.
"I'm returning back to Radiant Garden." Even replied, rummaging through one of the boxes. "I've done what I've come here to do, it's time I go back and help the others."
"Well, thanks for everything, Even." Naminé smiled. "I know it wasn't easy to hide from Xehanort and make that potion."
"Don't thank me just yet." Even said, pulling out a small handheld scanner. "I need to do another scan of the three of you. Just to make sure everything's working."
Roxas, Naminé and Xion nodded, set their food down and stood in front of the scientist. Even charged the device and scanned the three of them one at a time with a blue light. Once he was done, Even looked at the results, his eyes widening.
"This can't be right. This is impossible." He stated, confused.
"What? What's wrong?!" Sora asked urgently.
Even looked up from the small screen, confusion written across his face. "They have hearts." The entire group gasped in shock. The three in question looking even more surprised than the rest.
"What?" Xion asked, placing a hand on her chest. "How's that possible?"
"I honestly have no idea." Even admitted. "It could be that the potion created artificial hearts, or they could be splitting the energy of Sora and Kairi's hearts. Or maybe...They already had hearts the whole time."
"But we couldn't have!" Replied Naminé. "I mean, we're nobodies."
"No, but it makes sense." Said Roxas. "We laughed together, I got angry at DiZ and I cried when Xion disappeared."
Sora swung an arm around Roxas's shoulder, a smile on his face. "Well, I guess I can't call you my nobody anymore."
"You'll think of something." Roxas laughed, playfully pushing Sora off him.
The group spent about an hour of eating the food the others bought, laughing and talking together. After, Even had gathered all the equipment and notes, said his goodbyes and departed on his Gummi Ship alone, back to Radiant Garden.
"Well, I think it's time we left too. We still have lots of work." Sora said as he stretched and turned to the Twilight Town natives.
"You guys better come visit us again soon." Hayner grinned.
Seifer huffed. "Yeah, I still need to beat you in a struggle tournament, spiky."
"You guys are gonna come with us, right?" Lea demanded the three ex-nobodies.
"You bet!" Roxas exclaimed excitedly, Xion nodding in agreement.
"Now that I have a Keyblade, I might as well use it." Stated Naminé. The team of world-travelers and the three new members were just about to leave when a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.
"WAIT UP GUYS!" They turned around to find Myde bursting through the crowd and running towards them. He stooped in front of them, panting for air. "You're not going to seriously leave me here are ya?! What if Xemnas comes back?! I'll be dead meat!"
Sora raised an eyebrow at Myde's sudden outburst. Sure, he remembered his nobody was a lazy wimp but he never heard anyone sound so desperate before. He must really be scared of what their enemies were capable of.
"If you're gonna come, you can't slack off!" Donald quacked. "You gotta help us fight!"
"Aww..." Wined Myde, slumping in defeat. "But I hate fighting!"
"Fine. Say hi to Xemnas for us." Riku said, about to turn away.
"No! Wait! I can try to help." Myde responded, still unhappy with the fact that he'd have to fight.
"Hold on, I want to come too." Dragon requested shyly, stepping up beside Myde.
Kyra looked genuinely surprised at his request. "Really?" She asked. "But, what about Twilight Town? You really want to leave your home?"
"Well, actually this isn't my real home." Dragon admitted. "When I was eight I showed up here with no memories. The old man at the dojo was kind enough to let me stay with him and I guess I've grown attached to the town. But, I'very always been curious about my real home."
West's eyes widened after listening to his story. It was so similar to her own. How she'd shown up on Traverse Town, joining the heartless resistance but always being curious of her past. And even that curiosity driving her to leave with Riku and Maleficent.
The young thief wandered up beside Dragon and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You know what we're doing's not going to be easy, right? But, I get where you're coming from. Sometimes you just need to go out there and search for answers." She told him with a smile.
Dragon returned the smile at her words of encouragement. "Yeah, I know it's going to be hard, but I'm ready to see what's out there."
"Well then, it looks like we've got two new members." Mickey said. "Myde, Dragon, welcome to the team!"
"Alright!" Myde exclaimed. "Let's get going already!"
"We're going to miss you around here, Dragon." Pence said.
"I hope you find what you're looking for." Olette added.
"Yeah, me too." Dragon smiled and waved back at the Twilight Town gang before the new team left back on the Gummi ship to continue on their journey.
Dragon: I hope you guys like the chapter! Stay tuned for more chapters and The Dark Heart Rises coming soon.
PrismRain13: and R.I.P Robin Williams. Hope you're still making people laugh wherever you are.
Guest - sorry it took me so long to reply to you :( I like the idea with Lydia, but I have another reason for them to go to the World That Never Was. Thanks for the amazing suggestions, though.