Afterdeath
Author's note: Sorry about the delay! I was sick, and really busy with Halloween stuff for several days. And also, this chapter needed a lot more editing than the other chapters. Or maybe I was just being a perfectionist, but I can't help it! This is the most important chapter of the story!
I also want to say it was pretty intimidating to figure out how to write a battle scene with so many characters. I finally took my inspiration from the song "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny." If you haven't heard the song before, you should check it out. I prefer the 2006 version over the 2009 version, and the original video on albinoblacksheep is a fun (but bloody) accompaniment to the music.
Happy Halloween everybody!
Chapter 10: The Final Battle
Xehanort could arrive at the Badlands at his leisure; the defenders of light didn't have that luxury. By the time the Seekers of Darkness finally did arrive, the guardians of light had been at the Keyblade Graveyard for hours and had already scouted out every nook and cranny of the place.
There was nothing living on the world. The bare hills and the chiseled valleys all showed signs of massive destruction by magic. Dust swirled constantly in the dry wind. And in the largest valley were the keyblades – jammed into the dirt as makeshift gravemarkers. For some reason, they had been arranged into four large squares with a crossroads at the center. Or rather… a giant letter X. It seemed likely that such an arrangement had been Xehanort's personal doing. Aqua recalled the valley and keyblades had been left battered and misshapen after she, Terra, and Ventus had each attempted to fight Xehanort and his forces. Xehanort must have put the area back to its prior state. The notion seemed more creepy than respectful to the fallen.
The sun gleamed redly through the dusty sky onto the two figures in black coats who suddenly appeared at the far end of the valley. Most of "Team Light" (as Sora had insisted they be called) were clustered around the mouth of the ravine exiting the large valley on the opposite side. Once the newcomers were noted, commands were exchanged and people began to move into position. Sora immediately started moving to confront the arrivals from "Team Darkness." Mickey, Donald, and Goofy hastily fell into step with Sora. This could be a feint, and they wouldn't risk Sora's safety by letting him go alone.
Yen Sid directed the arrangement of forces, at Mickey's insistence. Some of Sora's gathered allies, Master Yen Sid included, were strong in magic but quite physically weak. Thus he had made the decision for them to cluster together, to protect each other, and offer magical support to the fighters. The "Magic Squad" consisted of Yen Sid, Merlin, the Fairy Godmother, Flora, Fauna, Merriweather, Aerith, and Naminé.
Naminé was critical to the Magic Squad. With Merlin's help, she had discovered that – in addition to having control over the links of Sora's memories – she could also affect his links to his friends. It was like following stepping stones from one location to another. So though she could also see and affect the memories of all the other people connected to Sora (not that she would, she assured them), the important effect was that she could use the links to cast magic on these people from a distance. Or enable other people to pass their magic over the links as well. So Aerith and Merlin could remain safely away from the heat of the battle, and by Naminé's power, they could cast healing and support spells on the fighters from across the valley.
The next group was the "Fighting Squad." Leon had stepped up as the de facto leader. Also present were Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, Ienzo, Dilan, Aeleus, Jack Skellington, and Dr. Finkelstein's "expert warrior" (a new monster created in anticipation of a future heartless threat). No one, Jack included, were too confident in the monster's abilities (considering the doctor's usual track record) but they intended to give it a chance. Leon saw to the distribution of this group, splitting them into two parties to move around the left and right sides of the valley, while still staying close to the Magic Squad until the real fight began.
Stitch, and the three fairies known as the "Gullwings" were also counting themselves as part of the fighting group. Sora was enthusiastic about their help, but Leon was uncertain. So they ended up just going where they wanted and doing what they wanted. Which was mostly harassing Leon, at the moment. Leon was doing impressively well at ignoring them and continuing with his work directing the rest of the fighters.
Finally, the keybearers: Kairi, Aqua, Ventus, Lea, Roxas, and Xion had all come and were anxiously awaiting the battle. With Sora and Mickey, that made their total number eight. Aqua had wondered if the fact that they were not seven, as in the prophesied number of Lights, would cause any problems. Of course, no one wanted to stay behind, and Yen Sid pointed out that he himself could count as a ninth.
"Xehanort has obsessed over meeting the terms of this prophecy all his life. I credit his obsession with it as contributing to his decline from the light and his determination to pursue this current, terrible course. We ought not copy his mistakes. Trust in your hearts, and follow the light. I feel that if we have more lights than needed, so much the better," Yen Sid declared. So that ended that discussion.
Sora finished crossing the wasted valley on foot. The two hooded figures remained in place, waiting for him. As Mickey and his friends came to a stop beside Sora, the right figure pushed back his hood.
They knew the scar and eyepatch well, although Xigbar's previously white-streaked hair was now completely white. He grinned widely at them. "Glad you could make it. I've got a new friend for you to meet!"
They'd been expecting this. It had been inevitable. But it still hurt terribly to see the second figure push back his hood, revealing Riku's familiar face. There were changes to his appearance – his hair was longer and shaggier again; the eyes peering through his long bangs were yellow; his ears were pointed; but worst of all was the inappropriately cheerful smile on his face. The nobody was anticipating bloodshed, and was delighted by the prospect. Riku had been arrogant in the past, but nothing like this, even when possessed by Ansem.
Sora summoned his keyblade and dropped into a fighting stance by reflex. "It doesn't matter what you've done to Riku. We're going to get him back!"
"Aw, I don't even get a thank you?" Xigbar said. "I thought you'd be happy to see your friend again. Xehanort did want to kill him… but this will be so much more fun! You see, he remembers being Riku. And he remembers everything about you. All your secrets… all your worst fears…"
"I look forward to killing you, Sora," Riku's nobody said pleasantly. "After I kill Kairi first, and make you watch."
Mickey moved closer to Sora. Donald and Goofy stayed back, in case of an ambush.
"I know you're just a nobody," Sora responded through clenched teeth. "You wouldn't say things like that if you had a heart."
"Oh, but I do have a heart," not-Riku said, pressing a black-gloved hand to his chest. "Xehanort's heart. It's much stronger than that weak child's heart I had before."
"Riku wasn't weak!" Sora shot back, his voice trembling slightly. His friends had warned him, and he was expecting this, but he couldn't stop it from getting to him.
"Oh, but he was," Xigbar crooned. "It was pathetic, really. Seeing him lying on the ground, whimpering like a dog. And he was even crying."
Sora snapped. "Shut up!" he shrieked as he swung his keyblade at Xigbar. Xigbar just laughed and blocked the blow with one of his rifles.
Then Riku's nobody slashed at Sora, necessitating a quick dodge. "Fight me!" he commanded, yellow eyes eerily wide. He raised his sword – not a keyblade – for another attack. This sword seemed to be a variant on Souleater, but with more spikes.
Sora took in all these details quickly before throwing himself into the fight.
Mickey tried to get Sora's attention – to talk him out of the fight perhaps – but he had to quickly go on the defensive as Xigbar began targeting him and his companions with his laser arrows.
And while this small group was well and thoroughly distracted, dark portals began rapidly bubbling up in the center of the valley, near the grim crossroads. Eleven more dark seekers, flanking seven frightened princesses, emerged. But dark portals continued to open all across the valley, giving it the appearance of a pool of boiling darkness. Heartless appeared – every type that had been encountered before, of all sizes. And then faceless nobodies appeared from the dark corridors as well, their sinuous gray forms slipping in and out among the heartless. The whole valley was now full of enemies, with Sora and Mickey isolated on the far side.
No one needed to be told to engage. All the members of Team Light leapt into action.
The battle had begun.
x-x-x
"So… do you want us to protect the princesses, or kill the princesses?" Vanitas asked Xehanort.
"Neither," the old man said. He was smiling and humming to himself. "Light shall fight against the darkness. And when the time is right, the X-Blade will appear!"
"Oookay…" Vanitas crossed his arms and stared at the sea of heartless ringing about them. "So, can I go find somebody to fight?"
Xehanort gave him a dirty look. "Didn't I just say that?"
Vanitas threw his hands up in frustration. "Well excuse me for trying to follow orders! You're making less sense than usual today!" And before Xehanort could punish him for talking back, Vanitas darted off into the heartless to seek out the allies of light.
Xehanort turned about slowly, then made a shooing gesture at the rest of his black-coated vessels. "You don't need to protect the princesses. Our allies know not to harm them. And it doesn't matter if our enemies rescue them. So long as the princesses remain on this world, the outcome will be the same."
The other hooded figures nodded in acknowledgment and began moving out as well.
Xehanort summoned his keyblade to his hand. He held it up high for a moment, so the Gazing Eye in the hilt could get a good view of all that was transpiring. And then he waited, a big smile on his face.
x-x-x
Team Light's primary goal was to rescue the princesses of heart. They could only guess at what Xehanort's intentions were, or what exact actions would lead to the creation of the X-Blade. But it seemed clear that there was no good reason to leave the princesses in the madman's hands.
Accomplishing this plan was going to be a challenge. But the defenders were carving through heartless and nobodies just as quickly as they could. With all of Team Light as yet on the edges of the valley, the Magic Squad could launch large magic attacks into the middle of the valley without fear of striking their allies.
And Team Light had more magical allies, too. Some of Sora friends had confessed that their magic wouldn't work properly on another world. But they were able to temporarily give Sora remote access to their abilities through summoning spells. And with Naminé's power, that summoning ability was extended to all their allies. So Genie, Mushu, Simba, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, and Ariel were able to lend their strength and powers as well.
Within minutes, most of the smaller heartless were gone. But what remained were Large Bodies, Armored Guards, Behemoths, and the like. Monsters that couldn't be dispatched in a single strike.
And then the Seekers of Darkness reached the defenders.
x-x-x
Sora continued his single-minded onslaught on Riku's nobody. At one point, Xigbar had identified the nobody as "Kurix," but Sora refused to use that name. It was still Riku… or part of him, at least. And Sora was going to get his friend back. All he had to do was defeat the nobody, and then the heart would… Oh wait, we don't know what happened to Riku's heart yet, Sora remembered, suddenly faltering and missing a strike. Kurix was quick to take advantage.
Now Sora was torn – he couldn't let Kurix go after Kairi, but he was afraid now that he shouldn't destroy the nobody, either. They needed to get Riku's heart back. If Riku had become a heartless, then they just needed to destroy the heartless, too. But if his heart had been sealed inside something, like that time the princesses' hearts had been used to create a keyblade… that would make the process of getting Riku back much harder. They might need to keep Riku's body around in order to use magic to search out his heart.
Kurix noted Sora's mental turmoil. "Having second thoughts about destroying me? No surprise there." Kurix took a step back and studied Sora. "It's no fun if you're not really trying. I guess it's time to go see if Kairi will take me seriously."
Sora hadn't even noticed that Xigbar had left several minutes ago. By the time that Kurix was dashing toward Kairi, Xigbar was targeting Roxas and Xion.
Xigbar was mostly focusing on Xion, counting on her to be the weaker one. He balanced on the back of a behemoth and fired at her from a distance. She was able to deflect most of the shots, but couldn't counterattack with her keyblade. The behemoth was moving rapidly, making it difficult for her to aim magic spells at the man on its back.
Roxas finally managed to leap up on top of the behemoth and attack Xigbar directly. Xigbar laughed and jumped off, dodging Roxas. However, that finally put him in range of Xion's keyblade. He quickly stopped laughing and fled to look for higher ground again.
Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were trying to make their way toward the captive princesses. They were charging through the heartless, dodging as many as they could. But just before they reached the captive women, the teenaged Xehanort leapt down from a flying heartless and sealed them all in a Stop spell.
Team Magic countered the spell with their long range magic. Mickey didn't hesitate a second before rushing and leaping to attack the evil teen.
Close by, Aqua and Ventus were engaged in battle with Xemnas and Ansem the heartless. "My friends," Xemnas was saying cheerfully in his creepy way, "come join us. Embrace the darkness in your hearts, and we can live together in prosperity in paradise."
"You – are not my friend," Ventus hissed. He pummeled Xemnas with a multi-strike with his keyblade. "And I don't want to live in darkness!"
"Some part of Terra still exists, and we will find him," Aqua vowed. "But you are not him!" She launched a light-based spell that enveloped both of them.
In the center of all the fighting, the original Xehanort's eyes brightened and he raised his keyblade to the sky. "The alignment has begun! Now, let the power of darkness grow beyond measure! Swallow up the light! Fulfill the prophecy!"
An aura of darkness swelled out around Xehanort and his keyblade. Tendrils shot out from his keyblade and arced toward his black-coated minions. The tendrils connected with their targets, and all twelve of Xehanort's Seekers of Darkness were surrounded by an individual surge of darkness as well. Then, their powers bolstered, they returned to the attack.
Xigbar's stray shots were now so powerful they tore up the ground and disintegrated any heartless they happened to strike. He was laughing and still targeting Xion, and he was too fast for her to do anything but dodge. A bolt finally caught her in the leg, dropping her to the ground. Xigbar took more careful aim for his next shot, but the slight pause let Roxas catch up to him.
Xigbar took a few hits, then fired at Roxas at close range. The strike sent Roxas tumbling backwards to the ground. Xigbar turned back to Xion, then got blasted by a light-based assault.
He dropped to his knees briefly, but then snarled and prepared to unleash his full strength an Xion. She remotely summoned Genie's power, and the magical barrage overwhelmed him.
Xion couldn't pause to catch her breath. She healed her leg with a potion, then quickly dashed forward to drive back the heartless that were swarming over Roxas. She knocked them all away, then cast a healing spell on her friend.
Something let out a terrible moaning noise. Xion looked up, panicked, but it was just Dr. Finkelstein's monster wandering by. It had a dozen shadow heartless hanging from its shoulders and sitting on its head. It ineffectually swatted at the small creatures, who were strangely determined to stay where they were. Several larger heartless turned to look at it as it passed, but deemed it beneath their notice.
Marluxia and Larxene had ganged up on the trio of former Organization members. While Dilan and Aeleus were mostly keeping the two dark vessels at bay, Ienzo took advantage of an opening to slip away and chase after Vexen.
Lea, meanwhile, was single-mindedly pursuing Saïx. At first, Saïx tried to avoid Lea by targeting the keybearers' other allies. But Lea would not relent and so Saïx was finally forced to face him, which he did in grim silence.
"What? No threats? No quips?" Lea was aiming strikes at Saïx, but his blows were more targeted to disarm than injure. "After everything that's happened, don't you have anything to say?!"
Saïx's lip curled. "You're an idiot. You shouldn't have become involved. I belong to the darkness now." And with that, Saïx threw back his head and transformed into his berserk mode. With a feral cry, he threw himself at Lea and attacked with ferocity.
Lea growled in frustration and dodged as fast as he could, though with only partial success. But he knew how Saïx fought, so even with the power boost, Lea was able to stay just ahead of getting seriously injured.
The non-keybearers had thus far been primarily targeting the heartless and nobodies, whittling down the overwhelming number to something more manageable. But Leon spotting Mickey having difficulty reaching the princesses, so once he dispatched his current target, he dashed over to assist.
Mickey was trying to divide his attention between both Old Xehanort and Young Xehanort. Donald and Goofy were helping as best they could, and clearly most of the Magic Squad was sending their remote aid as well. Mickey saw Leon's approach and called to him, "Get the princesses!" The Xehanorts were thereby informed of the new arrival, but Mickey did his best to keep their attention on himself.
Leon summoned Simba to knock the Xehanorts down temporarily, then he rushed to the princesses and found himself blocked by an invisible wall. He slammed his sword against it, with no success. "What is this?" he muttered. "Can someone help me get this down?" he called out, hoping the Magic Squad might be able to hear and respond.
Mickey came over and tried with his keyblade to break the shield. It wouldn't budge.
"Look out!" a dark-skinned princess called to Mickey, giving him just enough warning to move out of the way of Xehanort's attack. But Leon wasn't quick enough, and was knocked to the ground, stunned.
Back by the exit to the valley, Yen Sid was pale and breathing hard. Unseen to the main fighters, Xehanort kept trying to summon massive, devastating spells, which Yen Sid was continually countering or disrupting. He was a very powerful wizard in his own right, but so was Xehanort. And Xehanort had twisted this world's connection to the planetary alignment, such that all the power flowing into this world was entirely darkness. The increase in darkness was gradually weakening all of the Magic Squad, but they continued on as best they could. Naminé was monitoring all the allies and trying to direct healing and aid to those most in need. But as more allies were faltering, it was getting harder to choose where to direct their dwindling aid.
Ienzo was still conscious, but had cracked ribs. Lea was taking a beating from Saïx, and needed frequent healing. Tifa was getting hit hard while trying to give Cloud and Yuffie time to get back on their feet. Aqua's left arm had been broken, and though already magically mended, was not at full strength. Goofy was unconscious, and Mickey and Donald were needing constant healing themselves.
Meanwhile, Kurix and Kairi were exchanging rapid blows. Thanks to her recent training, Kairi was much better able to keep up than she had previously been. Sora was nearby, too, but unable to help her as he kept needing to focus on the nobodies that Kurix kept calling in to aid him.
Kairi stumbled, and Kurix was immediately next to her, his keyblade to her throat. "And so it ends," he whispered in her ear.
She blasted him back with an enraged light spell, made more powerful by her need and her emotions. Kurix collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Kairi gasped in fright when she saw Sora, pinned in place by two nobodies, and being pummeled by a third. She had temporarily exhausted her magic reserves, so she had to rely on physical attacks with her keyblade. Luckily, it didn't take much to give Sora the advantage. Once one of the nobodies had turned its focus to Kairi, Sora was able to escape the trap, heal himself, and destroy the remaining two with a combo attack.
"You… okay?" Sora asked after an awkward pause.
"Yeah… I think so." Kairi was still panting for breath. She took a quick look around, and saw the growing focus at the center of the valley. "The princesses… we should go help them!"
"Right!" Sora declared. This time, he let Kairi take the lead.
Their path was temporarily blocked by the "expert warrior" monster, trundling by with so many heartless clinging to its torso and shoulders now that it seemed to be wearing a black fur coat… that wriggled and had eyes. The warrior monster was still trying to swat at the heartless, with no effect. Kairi briefly considered trying to aid their "ally," but she decided that it seemed to be holding its own – sort of – and they had more urgent matters to attend to.
Aeleus finally managed to knock Larxene unconscious. His arms were twitching from the amount of lightning he'd been struck by. Close by, Dilan had taken a bad blow from Marluxia's scythe and was sprawled on the ground, arm clutched to his side. Marluxia, oddly, was hesitating when confronted with the opportunity to strike a final blow. Aeleus didn't hesitate. For the first time, he tried the summoning power that Sora had shared with them and called the magical Genie to his aid. The magical onslaught blasted Marluxia back and gave Aeleus the chance to drop to his comrade's side and give him a healing potion.
Lea was on his knees and had propped himself up with his keyblade. Saïx was facing him, giant sword in hand, his hands trembling slightly. Lea had knocked him from his berserk state, but there was still a wild look in his eyes.
"You don't have to do this," Lea whispered.
"Yes, I do!" Saïx countered, clenching his teeth. "Why must you make this so difficult for me?"
"That's what I do… make things difficult." Lea forced a grin. The Magic Squad sent him another remote healing spell. It was enough to let him stand back up, shakily. "Shall we go another round?"
Marluxia crashed in and sent Lea flying with a blow from his scythe. He aimed to finish Lea off with another strike.
"No!" Saïx blocked the blow with his claymore. "He's mine to finish."
Marluxia frowned, but relented. "Very well." He dashed away to go aid Vexen against Aeleus.
Lea was on his hands and knees, staring up hopefully. "Isa?"
Saïx's face twisted into a scowl. He raised his sword, and brought the pommel down on Lea's head, knocking him out. He glanced over quickly to see that Marluxia was thoroughly distracted with his new opponents. Saïx then hurried over to join the growing cluster of people around the princesses.
x-x-x
Vanitas had made token efforts to attack the allies of light – he did have to keep up appearances, after all – but his weakness was growing. The boost he'd gotten from Xehanort's power of darkness had done a little, but not enough.
Riku's mental commentary was not helping him at all, either. Riku naturally didn't want Vanitas to attack anybody, but recognized that Vanitas needed to attack somebody. The boy's deliberations over who was strong enough to take a few hits were annoying and pointless. Vanitas didn't have the strength left to go after anyone strong. Lea would have been a good choice, but apparently that blasted kid had specifically promised that Vanitas wouldn't touch him. Stupid Riku.
He spotted Ventus in the distance and felt drawn to his side. But Vanitas had a plan, and he couldn't falter now. Vanitas set himself near the princesses, as though he intended to protect them from being rescued by the forces of light.
There was a growing energy in the air. Vanitas recognized it. He had last felt it when he and Ventus had fought. The pure light clashing with pure darkness, in the wasteland of dead keyblades…
It would be very soon. One way or another, it would all be over. Vanitas just had to hold on until then.
x-x-x
The sensation of darkness suddenly increased tenfold. The defenses that the Magic Squad had been maintaining abruptly collapsed. The aged Xehanort summoned a magical pillar of darkness that seemed to stretch all the way up into the sky. Then it exploded outward, rapidly engulfing everyone in the valley.
All of Team Light were knocked off their feet by the assault. The dark magic temporarily disrupted Naminé's connections, so all the defenders were left on their own to heal themselves. Several didn't get back up. After that initial assault, Roxas and Xion were barely still conscious. Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie had all been knocked out. Aeleus pulled himself to his feet near Dilan and Ienzo, who were both still down. Aqua and Ventus were holding each other up. Goofy was still unconscious, and now Donald was, too. Mickey healed himself first then focused on his companions. Sora gulped down an elixir, then hopped back up to his feet.
Only Kairi was unaffected. It caught her by surprise, but she supposed it was just a part of her powers as a Princess of Heart. She saw Xehanort preparing to cast the spell again, and she knew she had to act. She might be immune to the surge of darkness, but her friends were not. If they got hurt much more, some of their allies might die… Kairi couldn't allow that to happen. Riku would never allow that to happen.
Going up against Xehanort, by herself, was the most terrifying thing she had ever thought of doing, but this was what she had trained for. Kairi ran at the old man and slashed at his side with her keyblade, aiming to disrupt his spell.
Xehanort looked honestly surprised at her assault. He stumbled backward, his incomplete dark spell dissipating, though he still kept his grip on his weapon. "A princess with a keyblade… how did I not foresee this?" he murmured to himself. Then a smile broke over his face. "Let it so be."
"Kairi!" Sora dashed up and threw himself between her and the evil old man. Sora was fast and ferocious in his assault, but Xehanort proved himself equally capable of both speed and power.
Sora was finally sent flying by one of Xehanort's strikes. Kairi rushed forward and slashed at the old man again. He blocked her strike with his keyblade.
Then everything exploded.
Or so it seemed to those standing around them. Xehanort and Kairi were frozen in place, keyblades still locked together. But a shockwave came off of them that threw everyone several meters backwards, affecting defenders, dark vessels, and monsters alike. The heartless and nobodies closest to the shockwave were outright destroyed. The humans and like creatures were temporarily stunned.
A pillar of light rose upward from the two frozen keybearers. The light seemed to tear through the sky, tearing the very fabric of reality. A burst of light emerged from Kairi's keyblade, while simultaneously a burst of darkness came from Xehanort's. The two energy bursts spiraled around each other, upward into the sky, and then finally fused in another explosion of energy. The energy took the form of a connected pair of keyblades – or rather, a single keyblade, with two handles and two shafts that formed an X. The legendary X-Blade descended until it hovered in the air, just over Xehanort's and Kairi's heads. Xehanort reached his left hand, beseechingly, toward the X-Blade, but his right hand was fused to his keyblade, which was still stuck in place to Kairi's. Neither of them could move.
x-x-x
Vanitas dashed and leapt into the air, intending to seize the X-Blade. But Xemnas met him midair and slashed him across the chest with his Ethereal Blades. Vanitas cried out in pain and crashed hard into the ground.
"Oh, Vanitas. Did you think we did not foresee your treachery?" Xemnas cooed.
"Hey!" Sora came up and sent Xemnas sprawling before he could finish Vanitas off.
But it made little difference. The scores in Vanitas's armor were leaking darkness. He didn't have the strength left to even stand.
(Vanitas! Transfer me to Saïx!) Riku yelled at him desperately.
"What?" Vanitas mumbled in confusion. He glanced around until he spotted the blue-haired man. Saïx was standing outside of the active conflicts, staring up at the X-Blade.
(This is our last chance!) Riku said urgently. (Now!)
Vanitas weakly raised his keyblade to point in the indicated direction. Using most of his remaining strength, he threw Riku's heart across space. His vision turned black before he could be certain Riku had made it.
x-x-x
Riku pushed through the dive to Saïx's heart as fast as he possibly could. They had seconds left in which to act. Luckily, the dive itself was clear of heartless this time, letting Riku push his speed as much as he was able.
The world of Saïx's heart was still in shambles. In fact, Radiant Garden seemed slightly worse looking than last time. That didn't bode well for Isa's state of mind. But Riku would address that later. "ISA!" Riku yelled out into the silent town.
Isa, thankfully, was close at hand. "Vanitas? Why are you—?"
"No time. Hold this." Riku shoved his keyblade into Isa's hand. The words were still burned into Riku's mind, even after so many years. "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."
"What? What is—?" Isa didn't slacken his grip on the keyblade, though he stared at it in confusion.
"No time. Hopefully that worked." Riku concentrated and switched his vision to the events of the real world. The X-Blade remained hovering in the sky. Ansem was shaking his right hand, which was smoking. "Oh thank goodness," Riku murmured to himself. He switched his vision back to Isa inside his heart and finally took his keyblade back from the very puzzled man. "I need you to get the X-Blade, Isa," Riku said.
"What? But I… I can't."
"I need you to try!" Riku begged. "If anyone else but you gets it, all the worlds are doomed. You're the only one that Xehanort won't expect and won't try to stop!"
"I'm not worthy to wield a keyblade…" Isa slowly turned away.
"Worthiness isn't just determined by our pasts," Riku said, recalling his own experiences involving poor choices and darkness. "It's mostly determined by our choices in the present. And I believe you are worthy, even if you don't see it in yourself."
x-x-x
Finding both Ansem and Xemnas unable to seize the X-Blade, and his younger self presently unconscious, Xehanort called for Marluxia to retrieve the blade. This ensured that Marluxia was immediately set upon by Sora, Ventus, Aqua, and Mickey. Xigbar, Ansem, and Xemnas immediately came to their companion's aid.
But before that contest could be decided, Saïx took half a step back, then leapt up into the air and snatched up the X-Blade. He landed on the dusty ground with a soft thud, made audible by the sudden stilling of all combatants as they looked on him with either surprise or horror.
Once the X-Blade had been claimed, the force keeping Kairi and Xehanort frozen in place vanished. They each tumbled backwards to the ground. Meanwhile, a new pillar of energy rose up from the legendary keyblade and once again sliced open the sky. From this new fissure emerged a massive pair of white doors that hovered ominously above the battlefield.
"No!" Sora recognized those doors.
"Yes!" Xehanort exulted, his ancient face twisted in unholy joy. "Kingdom Hearts!"
(This keyblade was created to protect the light of Kingdom Hearts,) Riku whispered into Isa-Saïx's mind. (Trust your heart, and trust the keyblade to know what to do!)
Saïx slowly raised the X-Blade to point straight upward, toward the sealed doors. A beam of light shot from the tip of the key into the sky, engulfing the doors, and causing them to slowly ease open.
All the able members of Team Light were trying to attack Saïx now, but the remaining vessels of darkness were united in defending him. Xehanort himself cast another spell of darkness, driving the allies of light back.
The old man was practically dancing with glee. "This is the moment! Now the prophecy will be fulfilled, and darkness shall swallow up the light!" He let his own keyblade dissolve back into his heart. He extended his empty right hand toward Saïx. "Now, give me the X-Blade."
Saïx had not yet changed his pose. He still held the X-Blade in his right hand, pointing straight up over his head. But then at Xehanort's command, Saïx slowly lowered the blade until he held it at chest level, pointing outward toward his dark master. He took a step forward, then another. Saïx looked down at the massive keyblade for a moment, then he looked up at Xehanort. Then Saïx grasped the blade with his left hand and held it steady in a two-handed grip.
Another beam of energy shot forth from the X-Blade – this one aimed straight at Xehanort. It engulfed the ancient man in a halo of light and lifted him off his feet. The doors to Kingdom Hearts gaped open wide, and Xehanort was sucked upward, shrieking, through the doorway. He summoned his keyblade, but it was yanked from his hand and drawn in with him.
As soon as Xehanort vanished from sight, the air whipped into motion, speeding up until it became a massive whirlwind. As one, the vessels of darkness – Saïx included – cried out in pain as darkness flared from their chests. Then they too were lifted off the ground, being pulled toward the white doors by the fragments of Xehanort that dwelled in their chests. Sora tried ineffectually to reach for the closest person – Demyx – but he was already out of reach.
Naminé was already in action, feeling her way outward from the links in Sora's heart to try to keep Xehanort's vessels from being pulled after him. Sora was connected to Ventus who was connected to Xemnas and Ansem, two individuals that, nevertheless, represented one whole person. With that link, Naminé was able to grab hold of the parts of them that were not Xehanort. The tug of war continued and ended abruptly when a dirty orange globe burst out of each man's chest and flew up through the doorway into Kingdom Hearts. Ansem and Xemnas then both fell to the ground, completely limp.
That left the rest of the vessels. Naminé reached out, desperate to try to save at least a few. Though many of them had mistreated her during her time with the Organization, she knew enough now to realize that none of them deserved their fates.
Sora was connected to Riku, who still partially existed in Kurix. Naminé was able to hold onto the nobody's body through her mental links until he, too, was freed from Xehanort's heart and dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Sora was connected to Ventus who was connected to Vanitas. Naminé wrapped her mental grip around Vanitas, pulling back until Xehanort's heart burst free from his chest. Then, to her amazement, Naminé found another set of links branching out from Vanitas's heart. These links went to each of the remaining vessels of darkness. With all her available strength, Naminé stretched her awareness across these new chains and reached for the hearts at each end.
The pressure was immense. But gradually, like the popping of bubbles, orange globes burst from each of the remaining black-coated figures' chests. With the pull upward removed, they dropped back to the ground. The orange hearts flew through the doors of Kingdom Hearts and disappeared. Naminé dropped to her knees, worn out by the effort.
Saïx landed awkwardly and just barely stayed on his feet. He was gasping for breath and was curled inward though he still held the X-Blade with both hands. The tip of the long blade dug into the ground. Slowly, he raised his eyes upward and stared at the gleaming doors up above him. On the opposite side of the doors, darkness began to swirl into the pool of light.
"We've got to close the door!" Mickey called out, directing his words to the keybearers around him. All of them, save Lea, were present and watching Kingdom Hearts with apprehension. "Sora, can you—"
With difficulty, Saïx again raised the X-Blade to point straight upward. A beam of light erupted from the blade and engulfed the doorway to Kingdom Hearts. Slowly, slowly, the doors eased back shut. A boom like an echo of thunder reverberated across the valley when they closed fully. The shape of a keyhole etched itself in the sky, in front of the doors. Then the X-Blade dissolved into pure energy and light, and flew in a ball up to the keyhole. When it connected, the energy, keyhole, and doors all melted away as though they had never been.
And Saïx collapsed without a sound.
x-x-x
"That's… did we do it?" Sora asked, gaping at the clearing sky. The wind was subsiding, and what heartless or nobodies still remained were slipping away through tiny portals of darkness.
"I'm so sorry, Sora," Kairi mumbled in shock. "I didn't mean to—"
Sora put an arm over her shoulder. "It's okay. I think… you did the right thing. I don't understand how it happened, but… we won."
Ventus found his heart drawn to one of the fallen seekers. He approached his dark twin, looking down on him with equal measures pity and suspicion.
Vanitas was copiously leaking darkness now, through the slashes on his chest mostly, but also through his helmet. "Ven…" he croaked, reaching a trembling hand toward his twin.
"Hang in there, I'll heal you," Ventus told his other half sympathetically.
"It's too late…" Vanitas whispered. He extended his hand more desperately. "Don't leave me… please…"
Ventus bent down and grasped Vanitas's hand in a gesture of comfort.
"Finally!" Vanitas gasped in relief. His whole body dissolved into smoke, which coiled and twined its way up Ventus's arm, finally slithering its way into his heart where it vanished.
Ventus gasped in shock, clutching at his chest. His eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness, though Aqua was close enough to save him from hitting the ground hard. Sora and Mickey also rushed to his side, anxiously demanding to know what had just happened.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Riku found himself in a formless void. The Radiant Garden representation of Isa's heart, and Isa's avatar itself, had both vanished. Nothing remained. Riku strained his senses and could barely detect Isa's heart at all.
Isa was dying, Riku realized grimly.
Riku didn't stop to think about what effect Isa's death would have on him. Nor did he consider what the consequences of his current plan might be. The only thought in his mind was that it wasn't fair for Isa to finally be free, after so many years, just to die before he had a chance to patch things up with Lea.
Riku understood too well how Isa probably felt. Riku had hidden from Sora, after all, even knowing Sora was searching for him. Riku had done everything he could to avoid talking about his actions and choices that had led them to where they were – far from home and fighting against enemies who would gladly destroy them given the chance. Even after Kairi had outed him from his disguise, Riku had still successfully avoided dealing with any of it, up until Xemnas had nearly killed him, and then he and Sora had gotten stuck on a dark beach together with nothing better to do than talk about their feelings.
Riku had fought so hard to avoid that conversation, but it had turned out to be one of the best, most meaningful events in his whole life. And he wanted Isa to have that same opportunity. Even though Isa would likely try to avoid it as well, Isa still deserved to have the chance.
Summoning his keyblade into his hand, Riku drew on the depths of his strength – all the power of light and darkness that remained in his heart. And then he channeled it into a spell – a spell that was more than just a healing spell. It was a transference of essence and of everything that Riku was able to give. Riku took his everything and poured it into Isa.
He hoped it would be enough. Sleep was enveloping him in heavy, relentless arms. Riku sank down, down into the darkness. He hoped Sora and Kairi would be okay without him. But at least they knew how much he cared about them. He had already made up with them.
Isa needed the chance to make up with his friend. It was only fair…
The last spark of Riku's awareness flickered out into darkness.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Standing alone, off to one side, was a pile of squirming shadows. Occasionally an arm would emerge from underneath and swat uselessly at the heartless.
Jack Skellington observed it thoughtfully. "You know, the doctor did say he gifted his new monster with an ultimate heart – a heart far superior to a natural one." Jack scratched his head thoughtfully. "Looks like the doctor succeeded too well, once again."
Roxas and Xion rushed over to Lea's side and treated their concussed friend with potion after potion until he slurred back to wakefulness and staggered up to his feet. He anxiously checked with his young friends until he was sufficiently reassured as to their wellbeing. Then his memory caught up to him, and he stumbled off, searching desperately for a specific blue-haired man.
Demyx and Luxord very calmly offered up their surrender. They were totally unscathed. The reason being, the defenders soon learned, was that they had flashily summoned their magic but never actually engaged anyone in battle. And they agreed without fuss to be held in temporary custody until it could be determined that they were free of Xehanort's influence.
"Sounds good to me," Demyx declared as the Fairy Godmother bound his hands with magical handcuffs. "I'm more than ready to be done with all of this nonsense."
All the other vessels of darkness were bound as well. At least, those that remained. The teenaged version of Xehanort had faded away, likely pulled back into the time period he'd been drawn from. And incongruously, a suit of armor had come stomping over to Xemnas and Ansem. When it reached them, all three of them had vanished in a flash of light and fused into one unconscious, brown-haired man. Aqua had left off hovering over Ventus long enough to check on this new person, and agreed with the Fairy Godmother that he should be bound, for safety, as well.
Marluxia and Xigbar tried to flee through dark corridors, but the Good Fairies had put up a block against that exit just in time. Once they realized they were trapped, Marluxia had opted to surrender, but Xigbar still put up a fight and needed to be knocked out. The remainder of the dark vessels were unconscious and so were dealt with easier.
"Isa, Isa!" Lea had found his friend and was panicking at him being unresponsive. His forehead was bleeding weakly, a fresh wound present where there had previously been a scar. Lea attempted and failed to cast a healing spell, then fumbled in his pockets in search of potions.
The Fairy Godmother gently laid her wand on Saïx/Isa and cast a healing spell. It fully recovered the wound on his face, and cleaned off the blood as well, though he remained pale and still. She hesitated to bind the man's hands. "He is in poor condition still. I think it best to not compound his discomfort."
"Will he be okay?" Lea asked desperately. Roxas and Xion hovered silently behind him.
"His heart has been damaged by his use of the X-Blade. And by Xehanort too, of course." The Fairy Godmother tutted to herself. "But a light remains within him, and that we can work with. The power of the connection between hearts is vast – don't underestimate it. Just stick close to your friend, and I'm sure he'll have a speedy recovery."
"Thank you," Lea gasped out in relief. He clutched Isa's arm. "You hear that, buddy? I'm sticking with you this time. You're going to be just fine."
Roxas and Xion approached then. Xion knelt without hesitation and took Isa's other arm. Lea was startled and then relieved to see her sign of support.
Roxas hesitated a moment longer, then knelt and put an arm on Lea's shoulder. "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine," he told Lea with great seriousness. Then to the unconscious man, he said, "You're our friend now… Isa. You don't have to be alone anymore."
Sora and Kairi approached them, guiding Kurix between them. "Lea, Roxas – what's wrong with him?" Sora asked, anxiously. Kurix just stared straight ahead, unresponsive. He didn't even seem aware that his hands were bound.
"Zombie…" Roxas murmured, remembering how Axel had described his first week. "He hasn't grown a heart of his own yet. Without Xehanort's heart… there's nothing left inside of him."
"Oh, I was like that my first week or so, too," Xion exclaimed, sympathetic. "Just give him time – he'll get more responsive."
"So he's not hurt," Kairi said, relieved.
"But I don't want him to grow his own heart," Sora protested. "I want Riku back. But I can't just destroy him," he continued, cutting off that potential argument. "Because if his heart has been trapped somewhere, we'll lose any way to trace it!"
"Sora, it'll be okay," Lea told him in a deliberately steady voice. "Kurix will keep Riku's body safe until you can find his heart. As long as you stick close to him, he won't turn out bad. And when his heart returns, it will merge seamlessly. That's how it went for me, and for the other nobodies who came from Radiant Garden. The reason Roxas was different is because he came from your crowded heart, and he got pieces of you, and Ventus, and Kairi all mixed up together. That's why Roxas couldn't merge back with you… because he was never just you.
"But Kurix is the normal case. There was no one living in Riku's heart but Riku. So any memories that Kurix develops from this time will be able to just become a part of Riku when he's recompleted. I promise – Riku will be just fine."
Sora slowly slumped. "Okay… but I wish Riku wouldn't have to remember what happened."
"Well…" Lea shrugged. "It can't be helped. There're things I really don't want to remember either. But we've got our friends to help us move forward." He gently gave Isa's hand a squeeze.
Sora reluctantly reached up and patted Kurix on the shoulder. Kairi reached around and caught both Sora and the nobody in a hug.
"Ahem," Merlin interrupted. "We'd best start moving everyone to a safer world. We have a number of injuries that need some more treating." He nodded meaningfully at Isa.
The bedraggled members of Team Light gathered up the injured and began moving toward the gummi ships or through special portals that the more magical people could summon.
Jack Skellington spared a final glance for the "expert warrior," which had tipped over onto its side. It was still flailing weakly. "I'll tell Dr. Finkelstein you did a good job!" he called to it just before he stepped through a portal to depart.
The expert warrior monster hissed grumpily in response. The heartless continued to swarm all over it. They purred happily.
x-x-x
The fated land will be the battleground for a great war. Light will see defeat and expire, while darkness prevails evermore.
So spoke the prophecy, as observed and recorded by the ancient Gazing Eye. Xehanort had committed everything to participate in the moment of its fruition. But the past had been rewritten before. Xehanort himself had done so. Why couldn't it be rewritten again? Xehanort's greatest weakness was never believing in others' powers to act for themselves.
And there was another inherent weakness to this ominous prophecy, on which all fates seemed to rest. The text of the prophecy was limited to what the Gazing Eye itself could see. Trapped now within Kingdom Hearts, the Gazing Eye would behold nothing but darkness forevermore.
x-x-x
In the sky up above, the worlds continued their imperceptible motions. The moment of perfect alignment passed, and the energies on the wasteland world returned to normal. Darkness retreated from the Badlands until the darkness was once again in perfect balance with the light. And up overhead, the stars shone on.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Many thanks again to my sisters for their help proofing this crazy chapter. They told me it reads like a videogame… which I think isn't a bad thing, considering the source material? And also, the Ultimate Warrior monster is dedicated to my husband, who thought it would be funny to include something like it in the final battle. He has been incredibly patient with my writing and my obsessing over this story from the start, and I am very grateful for his support.
And also many thanks again to all those who have reviewed, followed, or favorited this story! I've never written something this popular before, and it's been a little scary honestly. I'm very grateful for your show of support and it's been fun to contribute something to the fandom!
One more chapter to go! It miiiight take a little longer than a week to get it up, since I just decided I need to add another scene and I haven't finished writing it yet. But we're almost there.