Chapter 21: The Mark of Mastery
A/N: We've finally reached to the final main chapter of the story! Now that the exam is over, our group has to figure out how to help Sora. Will they be able to do it, or will he stay stuck in slumber forever?
After this chapter will be a few small 'filler' chapters before we head over to A Trail of Memories 3.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my characters.
Enjoy!
/
With the Mark of Mastery exam over, everyone made it back to Yen Sid's tower. Everyone should have celebrated that the exams were over, but everyone was feeling sad and broken.
Riku and Hikari almost lost their lives thanks to Xehanort high jacking the exam. They found out what the Organization was really up to. They had to figure out who was going to make up the rest of the thirteen lights to fight against Xehanort's thirteen darknesses.
But the worst part of it all was that Sora never woke up when they returned to the realm of light. The poor boy was still locked in slumber thanks to Xehanort.
Yen Sid felt gutted. He felt like it was his fault that all of this happened. He thought it would be a good idea to put the three of them through the exam. He thought it would be safe to do it in the dream realm. He didn't think that Xehanort could reach them even though his heart was asleep as well.
Much like how he failed to keep Lumen safe, he failed to keep Sora, Riku and Hikari safe as well.
"Thirteen lights and thirteen darknesses…. Master Xehanort has been busy" he said grimly.
Nobody paid attention to his words. The group was huddled around Sora's sleeping body. They hoped that any second now he would wake up.
"Aw, Sora. Don't tell me your heart's sleeping too" Mickey pleaded.
When Hikari looked at Sora, she couldn't help but see Ven's body. She wondered if Aqua and Lumen felt just as helpless as she did at not being able to help her friend.
"Is what happened to Ven the same thing Sora went through?" she asked.
"No, this affliction is not the same" Yen Sid said.
"Is there anything we can do for him?" Taiyouko asked.
"Would slapping him across the face work? That should wake him up" Tsukiko offered.
"I don't think he could handle that swing you got, babe" Axel pointed out.
Yen Sid pondered what they could do to help Sora. While what happened to him wasn't the same as what happened to Ven, there was still a chance that Sora might not wake up.
However, there was one idea.
"In your Mark of Mastery exam, you were to unlock seven Sleeping Keyholes. By doing so you would awaken those worlds from their prison of slumber, and also acquire the power to free a heart from its sleep"
He stood up from his seat and looked at Riku and Hikari.
"You both unlocked those Keyholes within Sora's dreams. Therefore, it stands to reason that you now have the power to awaken Sora's heart"
Everyone was a little apprehensive about such an idea.
"You want them to dive back into Sora's sleep?" Mickey asked.
"But Master, Sora's heart is down in the darkest abyss. If they're not careful, they might just get trapped down there with him"
"I agree with Mickey. It could be another one of Xehanort's traps for all we know" Taiyouko said.
"My daughter and Riku almost got killed because you failed to keep this exam safe. I won't allow them to go back with the chance that they won't return."
"Mother" Hikari tried to argue.
"No, Hikari! You may be one of the saviors of the worlds but I'm still your mother and I get the final say"
"I could- "Riku started to say.
"The same goes for you, Riku! As your surrogate mother I get the final say with you too! Now stay put"
Riku quickly shut his mouth. He knew that trying to win a fight with her was impossible.
Mickey sided with Taiyouko on this. Riku and Hikari had suffered enough from this exam.
"I'll go instead" he offered.
Yen Sid raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps you may succeed, Mickey.
"But there is no denying Riku, and Hikari have a better chance, having stayed in Sora's heart as long as they have"
Hikari looked around the room to see everyone torn over what to do. She looked at her mom's worried face. She understood that she didn't want to see her child get hurt. But if she didn't do anything, Sora will stay asleep for who knows how long.
She slowly got up and went over to her mom.
"I know you don't want to see me get hurt, but this is something that Riku and I have to do" she said.
"I promised I would help everyone who suffered because of Xehanort. That doesn't mean just Lumen, Terra, Aqua and Ven…it also includes Ankoku, Roxas, Namine and now Sora"
She grabbed Taiyouko's hands and gave them a squeeze.
"You suffered because of him too. He tore us apart and made me forget everything about my life. You know the pain that everyone is feeling because you felt it too. I know you want to protect me but if the roles were reversed, I know you and everyone else would rush to my aid"
Taiyouko bit her lip to will herself from wanting to cry. It was a mother's job to keep her children safe. She had failed so many times thanks to Xehanort. She couldn't fail once again.
Riku saw Taiyouko's face and made a decision. He was pretty much in the same boat as she was.
"I'll go save Sora. You need to stay here, Hikari" he said.
Hikari whipped around to face her boyfriend.
"Riku?!"
Riku got up and went to her.
"I'm on your mom's side with this. You should sit this one out"
Hikari frantically shook her head.
"No! I have to help! If I don't save Sora, how will I be able to save the others?!"
Riku touched her arm as he looked at her neck. Even in the realm of light she still had bruises around her throat where Xehanort's hands were. She might have said she was fine, but he knew she was still traumatized by what happened. If she didn't take a moment to stop, he knew she was going to break.
"You remember when we were kids and you thought there was a monster hiding in the cave on the islands?" he asked.
Hikari didn't know where he was going with this but nodded.
"Yeah, I remember dragging you there because I was scared of all the noises it was making. I thought it would jump out of the cave any minute and eat us" she said.
"But it turned out it was just the wind making that noise. Why is that memory important now?"
Riku smirked a little as he remembered that day.
"I promised you that if there were any real monsters, I'd be there to protect you and keep you safe" he said.
"We might have fought real looking monsters like the heartless, but monsters look like people too. No matter what shape they take I promised I'd be your knight"
He pressed his forehead against hers. Grabbing her hand, he ran his thumb over the promise bow that was on her finger.
"I know you want to help everyone but it's my wish to help you too. You shouldn't have to shoulder this all on your own" he said softly.
"You were there to save me when I fell to the darkness, now it's my turn to do the same for Sora"
Hikari closed her eyes. Riku was right. She did want to save everyone, but this exam made her realize she couldn't do it on her own. She had to let others help her if she wanted to help everyone in return.
"But what if you get trapped in Sora's dreams? If I stay behind, how will I help you?"
Riku held up his hand to show off the ribbon tied on his finger.
"It's like Lumen said. As long as our hearts are connected, we'll be able to find each other again. Even this exam couldn't keep us separated"
Hikari's brain buzzed when Riku said they were connected by their bond. Lumen said something similar when she showed her the chain that connected their hearts.
"Hearts that are connected by a chain?" she thought.
Her eyes grew wide when she realized how they could save Sora.
"That's it!"
Riku looked puzzled at Hikari's sudden change in mood.
"What?"
Hikari ignored her boyfriend's confused look and smiled.
"Riku, you're a genius!"
"What did I do?" Riku asked.
Hikari moved past him and faced Sora's sleeping body.
"Donlad! Goofy! Come here for a second!"
The two of them looked confused but went over to Hikari.
"Our bond with Sora is super strong because we've all be travel companions, right?" she asked.
Donald and Goofy nodded.
"That's a bond that can never be broken no matter how hard you try. If we use that bond that ties our hearts together, that should lead us to Sora's heart and bring him back to us" she explained.
"How is that going to help him? You planning on reeling his heart in like a fish?" Donald asked sarcastically.
"Exactly" Hikari.
Now everyone was completely dumbfounded by Hikari. She was going to do what?!
"Ok, I think I can speak for everyone when I say what the hell are you talking about?" Tsukiko said.
Hikari summoned her Keyblade and showed it to the group.
"This is what I'm talking about"
Mickey, Taiyouko and Yen Sid gasped when they saw whose Keyblade Hikari was holding.
"That's- "Mickey said.
Yen Sid looked at Hikari in shock. He never thought he would see that blade ever again-especially by someone else.
"How did you acquire that blade?" he said seriously.
Hikari shrugged as she smiled nervously.
"Lumen gave it to me" she said.
"You saw Lumen?!" Taiyouko cried.
"How is that even possible?!"
Hikari rubbed the back of her neck.
"It's kind of a long story. But I'll tell you about what happened after we save Sora"
She looked at Donald and Goofy.
"Put your hands over mine. We're going to form a physical bond with Sora's heart"
The two of them went over to her and placed their hands over hers. They all concentrated on the bond they all shared with each other. They thought of the adventures they went on, the battles they fought and the memories they created together. As they poured their hearts into their bond, a chain appeared from the Keyblade and sprang forward, connecting to Sora's heart.
"It worked!" Hikari cried.
She turned to Riku.
"If you follow that chain, it'll lead to you where Sora's heart is. Once you find it, use this to come back so you won't get lost"
Riku was shocked by how clever Hikari's plan was. Even if she couldn't venture into Sora's heart, she found a way to reach it from the other side.
"You never cease to amaze me" he laughed.
"Alright, I'll be back with Sora"
"Be careful, Riku. If you get in trouble, just use the pendant and I'll come to your aid" Taiyouko said.
"I know a thing or two about the darkness, so I'll be able to rescue you" Axel added.
"Don't screw this up" Tsukiko warned.
Riku thanked them all and went over to Sora. Aiming his Keyblade, he opened the sleeping gate and dove into Sora's heart.
/
When Riku entered Sora's heart, he expected to find nothing but darkness. Instead, he somehow found himself on the islands back home.
"Why am I here?" he asked himself.
"Riku!"
Riku turned around to see Lumen coming over to him.
"Lumen?! How are you even here?" he asked.
Lumen smiled sadly.
"Perks of being trapped in sleep" she said.
"I sensed Hikari using my powers so I thought you might need help. I take it you had trouble waking up Sora?"
"You could say that. We think it had something to do with Xehanort" Riku explained.
Lumen frowned when she heard that. This sounded very similar to what happened to herself.
"I can sense Sora here, but his heart is all tangled up. It can't tell what's real and what's a dream"
She held up her hand, where three sets of tangled chains sprang fourth.
"If we can untangle these chains, it'll cause his heart to wake up" she said.
"We just have to find the dreams that are tangling them up"
"Right" Riku said.
They slowly walked along the beach following the mess of chains that made Sora's heart.
"I remember you were just a tiny little boy when I first met you and Sora" Lumen said.
"I can't believe how much time has passed since that day"
"You and Terra were the first people I met that came from the outside world" Riku admitted.
"After I met you two, that's when my desire to see other worlds started. I thought if these two came from somewhere else, I wonder who else I will meet…and then a little while later I meet Hikari, and everything changed for me"
Lumen laughed a little.
"I'm glad we were able to bring you together…although I wish the circumstances that caused it were different"
They made it to the end of one of the chains. Who they saw that tangled it up was someone Riku didn't expect.
"Roxas?"
Sora's Nobody smiled a little.
"What is it that you're so afraid of?" he asked.
Riku was dumbfounded by such a random question.
"What?"
Lumen touched his shoulder.
"He's part of Sora's dream, he's not really here" she said.
"You need to answer the question if you want to untangle this chain. Your answer is the key"
Riku thought hard about what he wanted to say. What was he afraid of? He looked at Hikari's pendant. Slowly picking it up, he realized what it was.
"Losing someone that's important" he said.
And it was true. Losing someone he cared about was one of his biggest fears. If anything had happened to Hikari, Taiyouko, Sora or any of his friends he didn't know what he would do.
His answer seemed to be the right one because Roxas smiled before vanishing. The tangled chain that was connected to him dissolved into light.
"That's one chain down. It seems you need to answer things that are connected with Sora" Lumen explained.
They walked along the shore of the beach as they followed the next chain. When they reached the next lock, they found someone Lumen never expected to see.
"Ven!"
She rushed up to her friend and went to hug him, only to have her arms go through him. Her heart shattered when she realized this was just a figment of Sora's dreams. He was still sleeping like she was.
"That's right…you're sleeping still" she said quietly.
"I hope you're dreaming pleasant things"
Ven seemed to not realized she was there and asked his riddle.
"What is the one thing you care about more than anything else?"
Riku knew the answer to that but felt like Lumen should answer this question.
"Go ahead. I'm sure he would want to know what your answer would be"
Lumen looked back as Ven and smiled sadly.
"Our closest friends"
Ven seemed to like that answer because he disappeared, unlocking the chain that was connected to him.
"Why would Ven be in Sora's dream? He never mentioned that the two of them met before?" Riku wondered.
"Perhaps they met in a similar way to how Hikari and I met or how you met with Terra" Lumen said.
"While our encounters were very brief, they left a lasting impact on us"
She looked at the sunset as the waves brushed up against her boots.
"To think those chance meetings would end up saving us" she said quietly.
Riku looked at Lumen sadly. He realized that she must have been so lonely and sad this entire time. To be trapped within a dream and not having the power to wake up. If either Hikari, Aqua, Ven or Terra were to perish part of her heart would perish too. And if one piece of her heart was destroyed then she would never wake up. That had to a fate worse than death in a way.
Lumen could tell that he was looking at her and smiled weakly.
"Come on, we only have one lock left to find. Let's wake up Sora"
They followed the last chain up to the small island. Riku was puzzled by who he saw sitting on the lowest tree branch. He might not have remembered her, but he saw Xion looking out into the sunset.
"Who are you?"
Xion smiled sadly as if she knew he would say that.
"Riku. What do you wish for?" she asked.
Riku didn't know how to answer that. So many ideas came to his head. Protecting his friends. Defeating Xehanort. Healing the lost souls that got hurt in all of this. So many things came to him mind. He wanted to say all of them but when he opened his mouth to speak, he came up with something out of the blue.
"I want to recover something important that I lost"
Xion disappeared as well as the last chain.
"That was the last lock. Sora should be waking up soon, right?" Riku asked.
"He will. It might take him a tiny bit since he was stuck in slumber for a while though" Lumen said.
"Then I guess it's time for me to return then" Riku said.
"Before you go, there's something I wanted to tell you" Lumen said.
Riku looked at the Keyblade mistress. She seemed hesitant about what she wanted to say.
"What is it?"
Lumen bit her lip as she fiddled with her engagement ring.
"Back before this all happened, Terra and Aqua took their Mark of Mastery exam to become Keyblade Masters" she said quietly.
"Much like what happened with yours, Xehanort sabotaged theirs. Aqua passed but my father flunked Terra because he used the powers of darkness. He was so crushed over it even though I kept telling him that I didn't need a Keyblade Master, I just needed him. But he wouldn't listen and just fell further into Xehanort's trap to the point that we all-"
She cut herself off when she felt tears pool up in her eyes.
"If only I had been more persistent. Maybe if I had told him differently, he would have listened, and things would have been ok"
She looked up at him and let the tears fall down.
"If Yen Sid fails you from this exam because of what happened, don't do what Terra did" she pleaded.
"Don't take it personally. Don't let this eat away at you. You've shown everyone you have what it takes. It's just a silly title, it won't change who you are"
Riku looked at the poor woman silently cry. Smiling a little, he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Instead of worrying about me, why don't you worry about us waking you up?" he joked.
"I'm not too worried about this title anymore. I might have at the beginning of this exam, but now I realize I don't need it. It's like what I told Hikari earlier, as long as the people I love have faith in me, then I'll be ok. Will I be sad if I fail? Yeah, especially since I almost died in this exam. But will I let this consume me? No way. I have other things to worry about…plus Taiyouko would whack me upside the head if a threw a fit over failing"
Lumen chuckled as she thought of her friend.
"That does sound like something she would do" she admitted.
"You're strong, Riku. Terra picked you as his successor and I'm on your side"
The chain that Hikari made suddenly appeared and attached itself to Riku.
"What's going on?!"
Lumen smiled softly.
"Sora's finally woken up. It's time for you to return to the realm of light" she said.
"What's going to happen to you?" Riku asked.
Lumen looked at Terra's Wayfinder and touched the glass surface.
"I'll return to my slumber. I can't help you in the other realm. This is all I can do right now"
The chain slowly started to pull Riku up. Riku panicked a little and tried to grab Lumen, but she shook her head.
"Keep your friends safe, Riku. Xehanort has no problem with tearing bonds apart" she warned.
"We'll help you. We promise" he said.
"I know you will. Oh, and Riku?"
"Yeah?"
Lumen smiled softly and held up her pinkie finger.
"Thanks for keeping your promise. You held onto your princess and protected her with all your heart"
Riku smiled a little and nodded. With that, the chain pulled him out of Sora's dream and back to the realm of light.
/
Back in Yen Sid's study, Hikari propped Riku's head on her lap and brushed the bangs out of his face. Riku groaned as he slowly woke up and opened his eyes.
"Welcome back, sleepy head" Hikari teased.
Riku quickly sat up when he realized he was awake and looked around.
"Sora!
Hikari chuckled and nudged her head off to the side. Sure enough, Sora and at Yen Sid's tea table arguing with Donald.
"Hey, Donald! Come on, you're hogging it all!"
"Aw, calm down, Sora and drink your tea"
"Gawrsh, it sure is yummy" Goofy chimed in.
"Hey!" Riku called out.
Sora turned around and smiled when he saw Riku awake.
"Riku!"
He jumped on him and pulled him into a bear hug.
"You're safe, Riku!"
Riku staggered from the impact and looked at Sora oddly.
"Wait, haven't we got this backwards? And why are you having a tea party?"
Sora ignored him and just continued hugging him.
"You're safe, Riku!"
Hikari patted her boyfriend's shoulder.
"He did that to me when he first woke up. Just be glad he's ok" she said.
Riku sighed and just let Sora hug him. When Sora finally calmed down, he smiled at his two friends.
"Thanks for saving me you guys. I could hear you guys calling out for me in my dream"
"Don't say we never did anything for you" Hikari joked.
Sora laughed a bit but then remembered why they were all awake now.
"Oh yeah! Did we pass the test?" he asked.
Yen Sid went up to them and tucked his hands in his robes.
"You all performed truly admirably" he said.
He motioned for them to follow him at his desk. The three Keyblade wielders stood in front of his desk and waited for their test results.
Yen Sid took a deep breath before he spoke.
"More than anything, I am grateful to have you all back from Xehanort's deception unharmed. And I am grateful to Taiyouko, Axel and Tsukiko, whose spontaneous actions turned the tides. I am also deeply sorry for failing to perceive the danger and throwing you headlong into a perilous test. This experience had revealed many hidden truths, and we must gird ourselves for the great clash with darkness that lies before us. I believe we need a new Keyblade Master, one with a new power"
He looked at each one of them seriously.
"Sora, Riku, you both deserve the honor. However, one of you braved the realm of sleep again to unlock the final Keyhole and save a friend"
He smiled and held his hand out to Riku.
"Riku, I name you our new true Keyblade Master"
The room was completely silent as Yen Sid's words sunk in. Hikari squealed and wrapped her arms around Riku.
"You did it, Riku!" she cheered.
She covered his face with kisses while Taiyouko ran over and pulled him into a bone crushing hug.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you!"
Riku couldn't believe what he was hearing. He passed the test. He actually became a Keyblade Master. Even though he said he didn't care if he passed or not, he was still overwhelmed with shock. He really had what it took to wield the Keyblade.
"I knew would pass with flying colors!" Sora cheered.
"Gee, Sora, you're kinda acting like it's you that passed" Goofy said.
"I told ya Sora still needed practice" Donald teased.
"Hey!" Sora snapped.
Tsukiko looked at Yen Sid with slight annoyance.
"Hey, what about Hikari? Why doesn't she pass?"
Sora looked puzzled about that. Now that he thought about its Yen Sid said either he or Riku had passed. Why not Hikari?
Yen Sid chuckled a little.
"I didn't include her because someone already decided to pass her" he said.
"Huh?" the group said.
Yen Sid ignored them and gestured for Hikari to come forward.
"Hikari, if you could summon your blade, please"
Hikari realized what he wanted to do and summoned her Keyblade. Sora was shocked when he saw that she had a new blade.
"Wait, if you take this exam, do you get a new Keyblade"
Riku elbowed him in the stomach to silence him.
"Not now" he warned.
Hikari ignored them and presented her blade to Yen Sid. The wizard looked at the blade in wonder. It had been so long since he saw it. He thought he would never see it again due to its owner sleeping. But it seemed said owner wasn't really sleepy anymore.
"Hikari, due to what happened in the exam, your Keyblade was destroyed, and you couldn't continue. However, despite that you still pushed on to save your friend, even though it almost cost you your life. Because of your bravery it seemed another Keyblade Master decided to take matters into her own hands and do my job for me" he said.
He smiled as he looked at Hikari. For once they had something Xehanort didn't expect.
"By inheriting a Keyblade Master's Keyblade, you by all rights inherit that title as well. You are officially a Keyblade Master"
Hikari smiled as she looked at her new Keyblade.
"Thank you, Lumen" she whispered.
Sora jumped onto her back and hugged her as well.
"Way to go, Hikari!" he cheered.
"I guess that means she's stronger than you, Sora" Donald teased.
"Hey!"
"I'll catch you with you guys in no time" Axel suddenly said.
That caught everyone's attention. What was he talking about.
"You wanna be a Keyblade Master?" Sora asked.
Axel nodded as he wrapped his arm around Tsukiko.
"Yeah. I mean, I came here to learn how to wield one"
"YOU?!" everyone said at the same time.
"Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence" Axel said flatly.
"You know, I was gonna come swooping in, Keyblade in hand! But I just couldn't get mine to materialize. Must be in the snap of the wrist or something"
He held up his hand where sure enough a Keyblade appeared.
"Whoa!" everyone cried.
"I guess we found out who one of our thirteen lights is" Hikari laughed weakly.
Taiyouko looked at Tsukiko in shock. She remembered that Axel wanted her to go with him somewhere earlier. Was it to get a Keyblade too?
"Did you acquire a Keyblade as well?" she had to ask.
Tsukiko snorted and shook her head.
"No. I have no desire to own one" she said.
"But I did do something just as shocking"
"What could be more shocking then suddenly summoning a Keyblade?" Donald had to ask.
Tsukiko looked at Axel for a moment. Both of them wore mischievous smirks on their faces. Turning back to the group, she pulled out her left hand that was hidden in her pants pocket and held it up for them to see. There sitting on her finger was a gold band.
"We got married"
That floored everyone.
"WHAT?!"
/
When things finally calmed down, Riku and Hikari stood outside the tower to see Sora off. Since Sora failed the exam, he decided to go back to the Sleeping realm to tackle a few things.
"Do you have to go?" Hikari asked.
Sora nodded.
"Well…I did doze off…I just have some stuff to take care of" he said.
"You gonna be, okay?" Hikari asked.
"Yeah, I won't be long" Sora said.
"Be very careful" Riku warned.
Sora turned to them and smiled.
"I will. See you soon!"
He summoned his keyblade and used it to unlock the Keyhole to the sleeping realm.
When he left the couple were left alone on the steps.
"I hope he'll be okay" Hikari said.
"He will. And if he's ever in trouble we'll be there to help him out" Riku said.
Hikari sighed but nodded. She turned to her boyfriend and smiled at him gently.
"So how does it feel to be a Keyblade Master?" she teased.
"I dunno, I was about to ask you that" Riku laughed.
"Since you've had the title longer than I have"
Hikari snorted and leaned into him. Riku wrapped his arm around her and propped his chin on her head.
"Things are going to get tough from here on out" he said quietly.
"They will, but as long as we all have each other it should be alright" Hikari replied.
"I'm so proud of you. You showed everyone including Ansem you can be a Keyblade Master and still have darkness in your heart"
"I couldn't have done it without you" Riku said.
Hikari smiled and pulled his face down for a kiss. Riku cupped her face as he returned the kiss. In this moment they didn't have to worry about the upcoming war or Xehanort. For now, they could have a moment to breath and just be together.
When they pulled away, Hikari pressed her forehead against his.
"So, what's your first task that you're going to do as a new Master?" she asked.
Riku smiled and held up her hand that had the red bow tied to her finger.
"Make sure I keep my promise when this is all over"
Hikari looked at the bow and recalled what he said to her when whispered in her ear back then at the exam.
When this is all over…when we save everyone…
I promise I'm going to make you, my bride.
/
A/N: There we go! What a way to end a chapter! Not only did Riku propose to Hikari, but Axel and Tsukiko got married! I don't want to be the person who breaks the news to Ankoku about that. Poor Axel, it was nice knowing ya lol.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Get ready for some juicy side chapters that are going to hint what's to come in the next installment!
Please review and tell me what you think!
Take care!