Chapter 97: Love
The Love Endless giggle evilly as she proudly watched the sight that she had managed to create with her new found ability. The Keyblade Master and the Princess of Heart was holding their chest as if it was going to explode, the Wielder of Dawn were beginning to turn white and their robot like dog friend was knocked down by some of her beloved Unbirths, while the rest continued to terrorist the elves and burst into Santa's workshop. "Well, I didn't expect you to fall to my charms so quickly. Maybe this will be quicker than I thought." She smirked as she withdrew her poison knifes. "You all hold on to Love and Friendship so strongly when it's that emotion that will lead you to your doom." She laughed as she continued to listen to the aching pains that the Keyblade Master and Princess of Heart were enduring.
"Stop this!" Max demanded as he tried to find a way out of the Unbirths grasp, "You 'beep' monster!"
Lizza smirks evilly as she only lower the effect on Kairi, leaving Sora in a painful state, before speaking once more, "You're lucky, you know." She said to Max, tracing her finger against Max's jaw. "You're not missing much on this, just the pain that their hearts will feel in the near future from hurt, betrayal or jealously. Love only exists to break the heart in two."
"Love is more than that!" The Endless turned her attention away from Max and onto the Princess of Heart, who was still breathing heavily from the effect.
"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow at this, not liking the fact that the Princess was correcting her on an emotion that she knows everything about.
"Love isn't a poison as you say it is." Kairi pushed herself up slightly, her eyesight catching Riku digging through his pockets and his breathing was quickening dangerous. "Love is one of the greatest feelings that a person can experience when it's with the right person. It brings light through the deepest darkness and can push a person through anything, even stopping the Order-"
Kairi was quickly quieted as Lizza rushed up to her as she striked her around the face, in the gut and then round kicked her around the face once more, sending her to the snowy surface. "You're are nothing but a worthless damsel in distress." She spat with anger as she walked up to Kairi and pulled her head up by the locks of her hair, knocking the elf like hat off her head, "Silly little Princess don't know nothing about love, always trapped in their own fairy tale." She hovered her glowing claw over her, making Kairi gasped once more from the returning pain to her heart. "Love will only exist to hurt, worthless girl." She quickly pulled Kairi full on her legs, using her hair to pull her up, as she looked at the other boys as she spoke to herself, "I don't know why the Colonel is soo interested in you. Perhaps the only thing about you to guys is your looks." She said aloud as she yanked at the weakened keywielder's hair.
Sora gasped as an attempted to breathe, the poison in his heart affecting him badly, despite having the virus himself, "S-S-Stop!" He said shakily.
"Oh!" Lizza pushed the Princess back into the snow as she immediately took interest in the Keyblade Master, walking over to the hero as she knelled down in front of him and lifted his chin up to face her. "You know, Keyblade Master, I would have never found my way to this part of the world if it wasn't for you." She smirked, knowing that his friends would be looking at the two of them in disbelief. "You should really close that heart of yours, maybe then the Colonel wouldn't aim to capture the one that you want your heart to go to." She giggled at the painful yet anger face he was giving her, watching as his sight quickly reverted to Kairi, who was looking at him in disbelief. "Such I look I've seen in many…" She spoke as she stepped away from Sora, looking at the realisation that was shining within both of them. "…how it disgusts me." She turned her back at the fallen Keyblade as she began to give commands to the Unbirths to look for the world's item as she walked over to Kairi.
"N-No! S-Stop!" Sora gasped once more, trying to more towards the two females, "T-Ta-Take me- Take me instead!" He begged as he began to breathe quicker, it felt like his heart was beating as fast as the amount of stars within the sky, his heart was going too fast.
"Don't worry, Sora." She said in a calming voice as she picked up Kairi once more, "You're nightmare will be over soon." Her smirk returned to her face, "And Merry Christmas."
"MERRY CHRISTMAS THIS, WITCH!"
A mini gummi rushed down towards Christmas Town, destroying most of the Rose-Bud Unbirths, as well as freeing Max; the ship turned around, the blasters aimed at the Love Endless. The pink haired enemy quickly dropped Kairi to her side as she created a barrier in front the both of them to block the blasters from hitting them. A cocky smirk appeared on the Endless' face as he flew past again, only to meet the unexpecting slash from the Wielder of Dawn.
Riku seemed to look nearly recovered from her poison strike earlier as he had managed to find a few antidotes left in his pockets. He quickly grabbed his last two antidotes and looked at Max as he grabbed one out of his hand. "Max! Give this to Sora!" The soldier threw the antidote in Max's direction, seeing the archer dog catch it as he headed over to the shaking Sora. He quickly turned his attention to Kairi, who was beginning to pick up speed on her breathing again from the poison left inside. As he ran over to her, he quickly dived to the ground to dodge the throwing knifes, dropping the antidote in the process, he quickly pushed himself up in time to block the petal forming daggers that placed themselves in Lizza's hand and claw. The daggers had a strange shape to them as the blade looked like it was in the shape of half a heart as most of the blade was silver with the edge of the blade being rose pink. He quickly steps backwards and blocked Lizza's quick movements with her daggers.
Even though the deflect was affecting his movement, Max didn't waste any time in rushing over to Sora and steadying his head so he could give him the antidote, even though Sora's body was shaking as if he was having a stroke. "Sora! You 'Beep!' have to fight it." He told him as he helped the Keyblade Master drink the green liquid before his heart used up all of its beats.
Riku blocked the Order member's attack and pushed her back before his hand purchased a dark flame, "Dark Firaga!" The dark fireball shot from Riku's hand and aimed at the Endless, only for the attack to be block, it didn't take long for the Wielder of Dawn to see that the minute the barrier had dropped, the Order member began to rush towards him at a high speed. He quickly side-stepped out of the way, pointing his Keyblade out so that the Endless tripped over the blunt edge of the blade and fell into the snow.
After seeing Sora grab the antidote and started to drink it by himself, Max turned to see if Riku had managed to give Kairi the antidote. "Oh no, Kairi!" Max quickly rushed over to the heavily breathing Princess, avoiding the fight going on between Lizza and Riku, as he grabbed the potion within the snow and knelled down at Kairi's side. "Kairi? Kairi!" Max called to her as he began to watch her eyes drop, he didn't notice how pale Kairi's skin has gotten. "Kairi, you need to drink this." He placed the bottle near her lips, trying to help her drink it in the same way he had helped Sora.
"EARTHAGA!" Riku quickly changed into his ability and struck at the ground, watching as the earth below Lizza began to crumble.
"Nice try, darling." She smirked as she casted protect from underneath her, becoming a platform for her to stand on as the earth below her lifted her into the air. "Just because you've taken an antidote, doesn't mean you can avoid the poison that is love!" She told him as she pointed her claw towards him. It didn't take long for Riku to grab his chest from the pain that was forming.
"Wha-" The Keyblade Master's senses managed to kick back in, no longer feeling the poison running through his veins, his strength returning to him and he finished the rest of the antidote and looked up. The first thing he saw was Riku slightly struggling with Lizza's ability as he watched the Love Endless jump off her barrier like platform. "Riku.." He tried to push himself up, only to find that his strength hasn't fully returned yet. The antidote can only do so much. He figured before he looked around to see where Max and Kairi were, only to gasp in fear and panic. "Kairi!" Sudden strength appeared as his body shot from the snow and ran towards his friends, "Max, what's going on? Why isn't it working?" he said in panic, feeling his heart as fast as it did when the poison was running through him.
"I don't know. It's like her body won't accept the antidote." From his voice, he could tell that Max was having the same panic and fear as he was feeling while trying to get Kairi to accept the liquid.
The nightmare flashed through across his mind again, it was worse that her eyes were actually closed. Sora quickly looked around the surroundings to find something that would help them wake Kairi up, only to make sight on Lizza's claw. His mind flashed to when Brian had explained that he was freed from Skullo's control the minute Kairi had struck his claw as well as remembering when Brian became paralyzed when he was struck back at St Dragonknight. That's it! He quickly turned back to Max. "You need to shot at the claw." He instructed him.
"Huh?" Max looked at his friend in confusion.
"The claw!" Sora pointed over to Lizza's glowing pink claw. "It's the Endless' weakness. If you can hit her claw then the poison will disappear."
"You sure that will work?" Max asked with concern.
"It's the only chance we have." He muttered, holding onto Kairi's limb hand before looking back at Max with a serious look. "Go!" Max didn't waste any time dashing towards his silver haired friend and his opponent while the Keyblade Master turned his attention back to the poisoned friend. "Kairi. Stay with me. Please." He begged her as he held onto her hand tightly.
"You know, Riku." Lizza slashed her dagger across his face before spinning to hit his wrist, making him drop the Way to the Dawn as he attempted to strike with his Keyblade once more. "I was quite surprised that-"She kicked him around the face, sending to half werewolf solider down to the snowy ground. "- you were affected by my ability. So tell me-" She walked over to him and lifted his face up to look at her. "-where is your heart leading you to now?"
"It's none of your business." Riku spat darkly at her.
Since Max hasn't felt the effects of Lizza's ability, it made it easier for him to sneak into the right position since Lizza couldn't sense him like the others. He summoned his bow and pulled his arm back to grab some arrows. His eyes narrowed as he only managed to grab the last arrow that he had on him, "Oh 'Beep!' great." Why didn't he take that deal that the moogle had offered him for some arrows? This is going to be a lot harder. He thought as he placed the arrow on his bow and pulled back the bow as he took aim.
"You should have just let me take the Princess of Heart and then all of this damage could have just been avoided and now I have to explain to the Colonel why my subject of capture is in a comatose state with poison running through her system." The Endless smirked down at the Wielder of Dawn, "But before I leave, I might as well leave you something to remember me by." She said as raised her dagger up.
Sora turned his vision away from Kairi, only to see the scene that was about to be casted, "RIKU!" he yelled.
Riku quickly rolled out of the way of the falling dagger, feeling the pain vanish completely from his heart. He shot himself up and summoned his keyblade back as he took the glance of the Endless. Max's last arrow had managed to shoot and remain in Lizza's claw, halting its glowing completely as she slashed the arrow in half and pulled the arrow out of her claw. "Max! You did it. You stopped the pain." Riku grinned as he looked over to his friends.
The second Lizza lost her ability, Kairi's eyes shot open as she gasped for air, as if she had been unable to breathe while she was poisoned. Colour returned to her skin and her breathe soon steadied, making the Keyblade Master beside her sigh in relief as his strength had began to return as well. "Kairi!" He quickly hugged her in relief.
"No!" Lizza screeched in panic as she pointed her claw at Riku once more, glaring at him to fall to her power. She didn't expect for the Wielder of Dawn to tilt his weapon and slash towards her. She quickly blocked the attack with her dagger but without the other dagger, Riku had a clean shot to strike her in the side, sending the Love Endless to the floor once more.
"It's over, Endless." Riku pointed his weapon at her before looking at his side to see that Max had joined them once more. "Max! Head back to Halloween Town. Aid the others with Abroc's Unbirths."
"What about you guys?" He asked, worried that if he leaves, the three might fall to Lizza's ability again.
"Such confidence!"
A barrier form completely around Lizza, blasting Riku next to Sora and Kairi as well as picking up the snow around the barrier, pushing Max away from the group as a another barrier enclosed the trio with the Love Endless. Max lifted himself off the floor and watched the barrier that Lizza was in begin to float. I need to get help. Max turned to head to Yuletide Hill, looking back at his friends in worry before heading off to the door to Halloween Town.
"Guys! Riku pushed himself up as he held onto his weapon ready, "You guys ready?"
Kairi pushed herself up and summoned Oathkeeper within her hand, leaning down to pick up her elf hat and place it back on her head. "Let's show this Endless that love isn't a deadly poison."
Sora couldn't help but find himself smiling at the girl beside him as he summoned the Kingdom Key at the ready. "Yeah." He nodded in agreement as he looked at the floating barrier once more, "Let's show her."
"Why do you all on hold to this emotion? Love has the ability to kill you." Lizza's voice echoed from inside the barrier. "But don't you worry-"The barrier faded to show the Endless in her outburst mode. "Soon I will cure your obsession of love." Lizza's voice echoed as if she had be granted as a god.
Lizza's entire being had turned into a form of a shadowed spirit as her entire form glow rose pink, like her claw, while her eyes turned pure red, like the Unbirths. Protective barriers formed around her, making the keywielders growl in annoyance. With the barriers protecting her, they would be able to strike her with the Keyblade.
"Love is blind!" Lizza waved her hand towards the three, causing a black cloud to surround the three of them.
While Sora and Kairi's sense were shot, Riku managed to take in the spell with no effect, changing into his element as he cast a wall to protect his friends. "Take this!" The Wieldier of Dawn slammed onto the floor, making shards of icy rocks form from underneath the snow before firing the dozen of sharp rocks towards the Love Endless. The spell seemed to have some effect but it looked as if the Order member wasn't that bothered about it.
Blind didn't last long on the other two keybladers as their eyesight managed to return, "Sora. Remember the attack me and you were practicing." Kairi quickly reminded him. "Let's do it."
"Yeah." He dashed around Riku's protective wall, Kingdom Key ready. "Kairi!" he called out to her.
"This time, I'll fight!" Kairi jumped from the craved wall as she began to glow white, spinning Oathkeeper around to create orbs of bright light to surround Sora, the extra amount of light made the Keyblade glow as Sora began to strike the barrier while Kairi casted Holy towards the shield. "Switch!"
"Okay!" This time Sora jumped in the air to meet Kairi, transferring his light to her as Kairi landed on the snow gracefully before she began to strike at the barrier while Sora flew around the barrier, placing a number of white orbs that reminded around the barrier. "Sora!"
"This is it!" Sora landed next to his light as the two stood back to back, their keyblades in the defence position as light began to form around them.
Riku changed back into his original self as he managed to crack one of the barriers with his Keyblade. "Now!" The Wielder of Dawn backed away, catching on with what his friends were up to while breaking the barriers.
"FAITH!" Both of them shouted as a burst of light formed from the both of them, the orbs of light that was hovering over the protected Endless broke through the barriers as the spell took place. The spell cut shorter than expected as Sora stepped out of the limit.
"Damn it!" Riku cursed, not only because the spell didn't weaken Lizza enough to switch her virus but because the light spell that his two friends had created managed to make Sora's claw go haywire, as if it was absorbing the light.
Running Deep inside my veins
"Feel the poison" The Endless smirked as she glowed brightly, a number of rose petals began to form around her. "Feel the Love!" Before the three could question her actions, the petals shot from her rapidly like sharp pieces of glass.
Poison burning deep inside my veins
While Kairi managed to cast Protect just in time, Riku managed to dodge most of the attack, only getting struck within the arm while Sora, being distracted by his burning arm, took the attack full blown, allowing Lizza to dash towards the Keyblade Master and attack in at a high speed. "Feel the stab of heartbreak!" She spoke again as she slashed Sora across the chest, cutting to skin and close to the scar to his heart and Sora landed painfully into the snow.
One look could kill
My pain, your thrill
"Sora!" Kairi quickly dashed towards him, seeing that the full on attack had allowed Lizza to poison him again. "Esuna! Cure!" She quickly casted on her friend, watching the green wines heal her friend.
I wanna love you but I better not touch
I wanna hold you but my sense tell me to stop.
"Take this!" Riku dashed towards Lizza once more and began to fight her against her daggers, but every strike that he attempt to hit her, she manages to block his moves. She's too fast for me.
I wanna kiss you but I want it too much
I wanna taste you but lips are venomous poison
"You should just give up." She told him , "If you don't lose to me then you will surely the Colonel or the Dark Master." Another smirk appeared on her lips, "But I'll make sure you won't leave here victorious."
You're poison running through my veins
"Riku! Move!"
You're poison!
I don't wanna break these chains.
Riku managed to teleport out of the way, just in time to see Sora shoot a beam of light from his keyblade into Lizza's back, through her heart. Realising what his friend was doing, he quickly pointed Way to the Dawn and shot another beam of light at her.
Poison...
"Ahhh." The Endless reverted back into her original form, turning around with an weak glare as he raised the daggers in her hands, "Love will take you down." And with that, she threw her daggers toward with the last amount of strength that she had left before knelling into the snow as her appearance changed once more.
Sora's quick reflexes allowed him to halt one of the daggers, making the dagger itself turn into pink petals and they feel slowly onto the floor while the other dagger slashed past Kairi's arm before landing in the snow, turning into petals.
"Well, glad that's over." Riku sighed in relief as he withdrew his weapon, the barrier disappearing as the snow began to fall again.
Kairi held on to her arm, her face in slight pain before looking over to where Lizza remained, "Look." She pointed at the Order member to the guys as pink fireflies flew over to Sora and was absorbed by his claw. Riku raised an eyebrow at what Sora had just done before turning his vision to the defeated Endless.
They looked down at the former Endless to see that her rose pink hair had turned into the original brunette hair that they had seen within the photo back when Brian, Hikari and Max had told them about the Order. Her eyes were dark dull blue, as her life was slowly slipping from the virus as well as her claw turning into a normal dark shadowed claw. "Why?" She asked them mindlessly, making the three confused. "Why would you hold on to Love so dearly? Love will only hurt you, even if it's with the one you love."
"What happened to you?" Kairi asked her, curing the slash on her arm as she kneel down to the former Endless side. "What's your name?"
"My name was Layla and I was at my homeworld, looking for flowers for my beloved. The only true decent man within Port Royal, the man that I loved had gone out, only to come back with the Colonel by his side and money in his hands. The man that I loved with all my heart had sold me to the Order, I trusted him and he sold me." The female sobbed from the memory, annoying the pain that she was receiving. "All I want to know is why?" she looked back at them. "Why hold on to love?"
"Love...in a way is what keeps us strong." Sora spoke, his claw to his heart. "Love is...a form of light that we share with our friends, some stronger than others. It's what keeps us together." He looked to his side, to see if the others agree as he found a pair of violet blue eyes looking back at him.
"But everything about love always has a hint that pain is just to follow." Lizza gasped slightly, grabbing Sora and Kairi's attention. "Even when people fall in love the minute they kiss under the mistletoe but consider the fact that the mistletoe is in fact poisonous." She coughed as she began to feel herself slip away, "I just see no point in love." She spoke like a whisper. "I guess a girl will never learn."
"Do you know why the Colonel wanted to capture Kairi?" Riku asked her.
Only four words escaped her lips as she looked over to the Princess of Heart, "One for a thousand." She gasped as she gripped her heart tightly before drawing her last breath. Her body turned into mindless petals and orbs of light that blew away in the wind, her heart floating to Kingdom Hearts.
"That same phase." Sora muttered to himself.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Guys! This is Hikari! I've just flew over Halloween Town to see others finish off the enemies. Do you guys still need help with the witch?"
Riku reached into his pocket and pulled out the communicator, "Don't worry, Hikari." He looked at the floating heart leaving the world. "The broken heart has left."
A/N: WOAH! This chapter is done and now because of Lizza, the two now know how the two of them feel. The next chapter will be VERY important so don't miss out of the next instalment of Kingdom Hearts: Balance of Worlds!
Janus-juan: Awwww I love that you have offered to be an beta-reader but Shadow.S is my beta so I'm afraid the job is declined. Hope you enjoy the chapter and battle though.
Transitions Ends: Yep! Now lets the results come. ^^
Lizard Valis: Maybe one of the easier Cliffhangers but some of the different cliffhangers will come.
Future Keybearer: There was snow everywhere.
Soragirl4ever: I'm sure that I will make sure that Sora will get the cookies next chapter, just look out and I will make sure Brian steals one to just so a Vanitas blushie comes flying my way. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Kisdota-The Freak Gamer: The recorder is very important.
Artism: Atlantic will be coming soon ^^
Right, I hope to upload the next chapter very soon but until then..
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Name: Lizza
Emotion: Love
Ability: Poison, Reflect and Protect
Theme: Poison by Alice Cooper
Kingdommad