AN: Time for the big epic fight chapter lol. Seriously, this one is all action. xD And some surprises... :D Muhahahaha...
End of AN!
The six Keyblade wielders - three older, three newer - closed in on the giant Heartless battleship.
They immediately scattered in all directions, diving down beneath and crossing over across the top of the ship.
Good thing, too, because they definitely got an answer about all those fleshy tubes protruding out of the ship being turrets; a hailstorm of curving, homing blue energy bolts was unleashed on them as soon as they got close!
And that wasn't all - these orbs of darkness began to fly around them all, firing powerful laser beams, too!
It was a chaotic mess!
One that hardly any of them escaped unscathed from.
Kairi darted beneath the ship, flying along its length and coming up near the back. She twisted around in the air and flew back toward the front, along the side of it. She narrowed her eyes at two fleshy turrets, and cast out her hand to send twin fireballs for them. Her spells homed in on their targets as she flew past, and exploded on impact - but the turrets were unaffected! She made another pass, casting a powerful Thundaga that chained lightning between both of them. But the turrets were still firing! She put hand to her chest, calling on her powers of light - and then she unleashed it on the turrets in a quick blast of pure energy.
She was relieved to see the turrets finally evaporate into nothingness.
Suddenly, a dark laser orb appeared and fired a beam at her from behind, searing her back and causing her to cry out in pain. She whirled around and cast Reflect, creating her pink sphere of protection around herself. She glared as two dark orbs appeared to her left and right. She thrust out her arms to either side of her and dropped her barrier for just an instant, casting dual Blizzard spells at the orbs. They fired at her, erasing her magical attacks and slamming into her barrier with a shocking power. It was already beginning to crack, pieces breaking off-
Kairi turned herself into pure light and teleported a short distance away - a heartbeat before her barrier exploded into nothing.
She breathed relief, then darted off across the ship's bow to the other side - where Sora and Xion were having their own difficulties taking down a group of three turrets.
Nobody had time to stay still and really just wail on these things, was the problem! Any big attacks needed time to focus - and Ansem wasn't hardly letting them have that!
Well, maybe that was only true for Kairi, Sora and Xion...
She saw Terra leap off his glider, reverting it back to a Keyblade as he hovered in the air. He raised his Keyblade and blocked six beams of energy fired from magic orbs in front of him, then did a backflip and aimed his Keyblade down at the side of the ship; orange magic circles appeared in the air behind him, and some two dozen flaming meteors the size of trucks were sent out to barrage the side of the ship in a wide spread - obliterating a half dozen turrets at once!
Aqua sped around the back of the ship, coming around on the right side, where she jumped from her glider and...suddenly was standing on a shimmering magical panel of pinkish magic? She swiped her Keyblade across her body, and a stream of blue lightning flew out from its end like a twisting serpent. The lightning surged across the side of the ship, from back to front, touching every turret along the way like a river washing over them. The turrets wriggled and crackled...and then they exploded, one after another!
Aqua flipped backwards off the magic panel and transformed her Keyblade into her glider again, mounting it in one smooth motion. She rocketed off toward the front of the ship, spun around and drifted through the air, and thrust out a hand as she cried out with, "STOPZA!"
The giant monstrous face at the head of the ship - the literal head - froze in place instantly, mid-roar, its eyes flashing.
Aqua adjusted her stance on her glider, and the front of it changed its shape to become some kind of strange- it almost looked like a huge bow and arrow. A moment later and Aqua began firing a steady stream of energy bolts at the monstrous face!
Ven jumped off his glider and flew straight for Ansem, his body surrounded with a green glow like wind itself. His Keyblade appeared in his hand, and he swung it for Ansem in a swirl of energy!
Ansem's pure gold eyes glared at Ventus as he raised a double-sided weapon that looked a lot like Riku's Soul Eater - like two of them stuck together, end to end! Ansem blocked Ven's strike, the boy suspended in the air as he pushed against the man. Ansem gave a yell and pushed out against Ven, sending him flying backwards through the air. Ven twisted and regained control of himself, and then he hovered in the air briefly before flying down toward Sora and Xion - to help them finish off the rest of the turrets surrounding the central platform.
Kairi set her jaw and flew straight ahead, straight for Ansem herself! She turned herself into a streak of light as several orbs appeared around her, tracking her and preparing to fire. She rematerialized in front of Ansem, inside his guard - almost right up against his giant chest (god you could grind meat on those-). She wasted no time in slashing her Keyblade upward, ripping into him from stomach to chest, her Keyblade burying itself into his body by several inches.
Ansem roared, his huge hand reached for her-
Kairi turned into a ball of light and darted off to the right, under his arm, reappearing beside him. She aimed her Keyblade and cast an immediate Mega Flare! The huge sphere of fiery energy burst from her weapon, traveled a few short feet, and hit Ansem in the side of the head. And then successfully exploded!
Kairi managed to remember to cast Reflect at the last moment, so she was safe from harm - but she was still hurled back a dozen feet through the air by her own attack. She let her barrier vanish, hovering there, staring into the great cloud of dark smoke that was the aftermath of her attack.
The smoke cleared - to reveal Ansem, totally unharmed?!
His chest looked like nothing had ever hit it, and the rest of him was just- pristine!
Ansem turned his head, and he looked right at her. And he smirked.
Kairi glowered back at the man and raised her weapon again-
A gust of wind and a hand seized her weapon arm, pushing it aside. "Kairi, don't!"
Kairi turned, startled. "Ven?" He really was fast!
"You'll just tire yourself out," Ven spoke hurriedly.
"It's like I didn't even do anything!" Kairi exclaimed angrily, gesturing.
"I know - but we've gotta keep our heads if we wanna win, okay?" Ven insisted. "If you knock yourself out of the fight-"
"Fine," Kairi huffed, pulling her arm free. "He just ticks me off, okay? He really does!"
"I know - makes me mad too, to see him using Terra's face like this still-" Ven suddenly grabbed her again and flew upwards with her - several beams of energy flew underneath them, almost scorching their feet! "Just don't do anything too crazy," he finished, pleading.
"You worried about me?" Kairi grinned. "That's real sweet."
Ven blushed. "C-Course I'm worried. We're friends and all! Anyways, just-"
"XEHANORT!" Aqua's shout of cold fury caught both their attentions.
Two, three- four dozen orbs of energy appeared all around the top of the battleship, everywhere - and they all began to fire burning beams of intense energy at Aqua!
Aqua's body glowed pink, and she flew forward down the length of the ship, a barrier sphere surrounding her - along with three extra layers of magical hexagons that were swirling around her actively! The energy beams struck those shifting layers and bounced right off - and Aqua kept going! She surged forward, drawing her Keyblade back as she closed in on Ansem!
Ansem's eyes widened, then he snarled and readied his own weapon.
The huge dark monster behind him suddenly moved for the first time, moving a massive arm inward, swiping for Aqua.
Aqua twirled and darted down under it, getting inside its guard. Her feet touched the inside of its arm, and she used it to spring herself forward the last few feet and slashed for Ansem with a yell!
Ansem swung for her in the same moment.
Their weapons collided, and a wave of energy flew out in all directions, blasting everyone backwards through the air.
Except...for those two - who stayed there, locked together, sparks and particles of darkness rising from the point of contact between their weapons.
"Why are you here?" Aqua hissed at the man, her voice strained.
"And why the hell did you take off your shirt!" Kairi yelled from afar.
"Why am I here?" Ansem addressed Aqua alone, his own voice tensed from the strain of holding against her assault. "Why, perhaps...because darkness attracts darkness!"
"What?" Aqua snapped, looking affronted.
Ansem managed a strained, feral grin. "After all that time in the Dark Realm, your Heart holds far more darkness now than you'd ever care to admit - even to yourself-"
Aqua yelled, flipping over his head and slashing at his neck. Her Keyblade left a dark, bubbling gash behind...which sealed up again in two seconds before their very eyes!
The giant guardian Heartless suddenly moved again, reaching its arms inward for Aqua - but not to grab her; powerful, orange and purple energy beams shimmered to life around Aqua, creating a spherical cage to trap her in!
Ansem's grin widened with triumph. "And it would be a shame to see that dark potential go unrealized..."
Aqua slashed at the lasers, and orange lightning coursed through her body, shocking her! She screamed with agony, her body convulsing. Her weapon almost slipped from her grasp.
Ansem narrowed his eyes at her, and a red, green, and yellow haze filled the cage to shroud Aqua. And then Aqua vanished in a ripple of air!
"AQUA!" Terra yelled, leaping off his glider and rushing at Ansem. "What did you do to her?!"
Ansem turned to block him - but Terra's attack was so strong that the giant Ansem was thrown backwards to slam up against the dark guardian's body! Terra raised his weapon again for another swing - but Ansem erupted with dark power, sending Terra flying back through the air. Ansem took several breaths of exertion...but then he smiled a twisted smile. "I did nothing. She will do it to herself. Her Heart, you see, is simply too weak to deserve the title of Master."
Ven flew at Ansem with a yell, slashing for him, fury on his face. Ansem blocked him, holding out against him. "You've got no idea how strong she is! How strong all of us are - especially when we work together!"
Ansem laughed, and he gave a great heave and sent Ven flying back from him. "I suppose we will have to see, won't we, Ventus?"
Aqua woke on a solid surface.
Her body burned from the electric shock she had taken.
Weak arms tried to lift herself up.
She froze, her heart beating faster, as she took in her surroundings.
"No...no, no, no, this can't be...this can't be!"
All she saw around her was darkness. Endless. All encompassing.
Thick, reeking. Impenetrable.
Suffocating!
The only light came from the dark blue emblem glowing on the floor beneath her...
There was absolute silence...
It can't be...it can't be!
He couldn't have put her back in the Realm of Darkness...
She couldn't be trapped here again!
NO NO NO NO!
Ten years, ten years and she'd gotten free, she had found a way out, a miracle, Kairi's light, a Princess's light!
She had found and saved Terra. She had saved Ven too!
The endless nightmare had in fact come to an end!
She had found light, life, joy and hope again in the realm of light. She had found purpose and meaning again!
This couldn't be it.
This couldn't be...her fate again...
"Please..."
She couldn't do this again. Not again. She had nearly given up on life, lost her sanity too many times before. Questioned reality. Her very memories.
If she had to be here a minute more, do this again...
She would not make it.
She would rather lose her sanity, throw away reality. Forfeit her life.
Her very Heart...
She just did not...have the strength for another ten years...
Aqua sat there in the dark, in the absolute silence...for a minute more.
And then she saw the darkness around her ripple, the blue glow beneath her brightened...
And purple darkness began to crawl its way up her body. Her legs, her waist, her arms...her chest...
And Aqua sat there.
The darkness seeped into her very skin, her body...
And Aqua sat there.
The darkness crept up her neck...her chin...her cheeks...mouth and nose being smothered...
And she just...
I just...
I can't do this again...I can't...
I won't...
Ven, Terra...Kairi, Sora...I'm sorry...
Aqua closed her eyes and let the darkness take her...
Roxas narrowed his eyes as he spotted another barrage of thick, long purple energy blasts streaking across the distance toward the flying ship he was currently in charge of.
He gave the wheel a panicked spin, then spun it back the other way as the whole ship almost tilted totally sideways!
The barrage of energy blasts flew between the sails and off to the right of their ship.
"HEY - what are you even DOING down there?! Keep it steady! How hard is that?!" Riku's voice yelled from his spot up above the sails (Roxas thought somebody had called it a "crow's nest" at some point, though he never asked why it was called that).
"Right, like you could actually do any better, Riku!" Roxas retorted, the words spilling out of him without a thought spared. Words spoken in a way he'd never spoken before - but that he'd heard before. From-
Sora?
Riku froze.
Roxas froze.
"U-uh- just- do your best!" Riku called down, wrapping an arm around the wooden pole as the ship teetered left and right again under Roxas's efforts. "You're doing great, Rox-"
"Shut up!" Roxas snapped, a burning, tight feeling in his chest. Was this his Heart - that Heart he somehow actually had?
"Alright, shutting up..." came Riku's muttering tones.
Roxas ignored him, focusing his efforts on the ship.
Why'd they have to put him in charge of this?
He could barely get a handle on friendship and ice cream - and all those other things that Xikira, Axel, Sora, everybody was always talking about that he never understood! Especially Xikira. And Kairi, too.
No wonder they were so alike...
Roxas could hardly understand either of them, half the time. No, more than half the time.
It was always just this stream of information he couldn't keep up with-
"HEY - INCOMING!" Riku shouted, jarring him from his thoughts.
Roxas glanced up, then threw the wheel to the right and shoved it forward on its axis, making the ship dive down sharply.
"I got it!" Roxas yelled back.
Even though he really didn't have it - at all!
He just hoped he didn't screw this up and damage the ship so badly that Kairi would be mad at him. He didn't like seeing her mad. It was sort of frightening. Especially if it was directed at you...
Kairi conjured a dozen light blades, and sent the volley straight for Ansem!
They slammed into his chest, embedding themselves - and then exploding.
Ansem yelled with pain, then he suddenly crossed his arms and began to fall backwards. The ship moved around him, forming some kind of- protective cradle! A big red Heartless emblem floated in front of him.
Terra lunged quickly, swinging his blade down on the man - but the attack glanced off a powerful barrier! Terra's face showed shock as he retreated swiftly again. Several orbs appeared to fire beams of blue at him, which he dodged as best he could.
"Hey, so what do we do now?" Sora called out nervously.
"We could focus on that?" Xion suggested, her face determined, pointing to the dark guardian Heartless. Putting words to action, she flew forward speedily, firing a Blizzard that hit the monster in the face. Then she slashed its head as she flew past it, spinning around in the air behind it to observe the damage.
It looked like zero damage had been done at all!
"No - don't waste time with it!" Terra shouted. "Just focus on evasion - wait for an opening of some kind!"
"What kind of opening?" Kairi challenged. "I sure don't see anything!"
"That's why we're going to wait," Terra said evenly. "Just - let's get our bearings, let's cast some Cures. Do some recovery. All right, everyone?"
"What about Aqua?" Ven said quickly.
"Wherever she is, we'll find her. Or she'll find her way back to us," Terra told him firmly. "But right now, we should be focusing on-"
Ansem suddenly moved again. The cradle of flesh retracted from around him, the Heartless emblem disappeared, and he rose up again in full glory on those cables. He laughed and twirled his weapon, his gaze sweeping over them all. "It does not matter what you do - any of you! You cannot defeat me in this form! I have the full might of darkness behind me! I am darkness itself!"
"Is that right?" A familiar boy's voice suddenly echoed through the air. "Well, once upon a time, so was I!"
A dark portal swirled to life in front of Ansem, and out of it emerged a blur of yellow and blue, shrouded in a dark blue aura of intense power!
"RIKU?!" Sora exclaimed.
Riku bore down on Ansem, surrounded in that blue aura, with purplish lightning crackling around him! He slashed at Ansem in an instant with his Soul Eater, then did a backflip as Ansem swung for him with his staff weapon of identical design. Riku made to throw Soul Eater at Ansem as he hovered in the air, only for it to vanish from his hand in a flash of blue light. But then, from above Riku's head came a line of a multitude of Soul Eater blades - all glowing with energy, radiating dark power! They flew for Ansem and impaled him through the chest, exploding on impact, much like Kairi's light blades had before!
Ansem swung for him again with a wave of dark energy; Riku suddenly vanished - teleported out of the way in a flicker.
Riku reappeared over Ansem's head, radiating energy again, and he crashed down onto Ansem's head with Soul Eater - repeatedly! Kairi counted six times before Ansem reached up, seized Riku by the throat, and hurled him out into the void!
Kairi turned and darted down after him without thinking, stretching out a hand for him, upping her speed and surrounding herself in a golden glow of light! She caught up to him, and then she caught him! Seized his wrist and stopped his fall.
Riku hung there limply, staring up at her. Well, no, he couldn't do that anymore (Kairi had time to mentally kick herself for that one)...
"Kairi..." he gasped.
Right. He could sense her. He could tell now. Always.
Somehow that didn't make her feel quite so uneasy anymore. Not a lot less, but less...
"Were you expecting anyone else to save your butt?" Kairi responded, with a strained grin.
"Actually, yeah...thought Sora would have beat you to it..." Riku murmured, flushing.
"That's so cute!" Kairi said back, in her most sickly sweet voice.
Riku flushed harder than ever, dropping his head and turning it aside. "You can go ahead and drop me, actually - thanks - Kairi..."
"Hehe...not a chance. I'm not done with you yet!" Kairi intoned.
"Sounds ominous..." Riku muttered.
Kairi gave a mighty pull of magical strength and began to fly upward, dragging Riku with her.
They flew up over the ship, and Kairi saw the battle against Ansem continuing to unfold.
Everyone, firing spells, leaping in and back out again.
And Ansem, matching them all, blasting them away - getting in some hits, himself, even!
Suddenly, orbs of purple magic appeared around Kairi and Riku, and blasted them with powerful blue lasers she couldn't avoid. She cried out and twisted in the air, careening off to the side. She turned around and flew low along the side of the ship, heading for the front of it. She stayed well clear of that giant monstrous mouth, but-
As she passed in front of it, it gave a roar, and purple, thick energy bolts rained down on them from above, out of nowhere - and then the massive monster face on the front of the battleship opened its mouth, and Kairi and Riku were sucked into a haze of green, red and yellow!
The world warped around Kairi, it constricted her Heart, it ran over her body like a chill wind.
Kairi's world itself became pure darkness, unable to see, but still feeling that force pulling on her body!
She twisted and turned, losing her grip on Riku - he gave a loud grunt...and rolled to a stop on some kind of solid ground. Kairi hit hard, skidding onto the ground a few feet away from him.
Wait, solid ground?
What was this?
She jumped to her feet, Keyblade in hand. But there was nothing to look at - all around her was just...pure, absolute darkness. Except the floor: there was a glowing, dark blue symbol on the floor. A huge emblem. The same emblem she'd seen on certain kinds of Heartless before. It was the only source of visibility in this...whatever this place was. The inside of the ship, surely?
But then why wasn't there any noise from outside? Why wasn't there- anything anything?
It was like they'd been transported somewhere else entirely. Some kind of separate realm, or space, or-
"HEY!"
Riku leapt past her, giving a great horizontal slash of a glowing Soul Eater - that sent a swarm of barely Shadow Heartless flying backwards. He slashed again, sending out a wave of dark energy crackling with lightning; it struck the Heartless and pushed them back again, a few of them even being wiped out.
These Shadows...they were measly little Shadows! They shouldn't be this tough! Maybe Riku's dark powers just weren't as strong as he thought?
Kairi raised a hand, calling on her powers as a Princess of Heart, and a great column of golden light flew up to the ceiling, lighting up the room and pushing away the darkness.
"Agh!" Riku gasped, raising an arm and stepping back from her. Then he lowered it and threw himself past her, impaling a Shadow with a blade of blue fires. He turned and kicked another, then swung his blade to send the impaled Heartless flying into a third one. He thrust out a hand to send out three separate blasts of Dark Firaga, each homing in on their targets.
Kairi focused on keeping her light in place, then she raised an arm and channeled some of it into her palm. She unleashed it in a blast of pure light energy - a beam that obliterated a half dozen Shadows in one shot. She smiled to herself, and turned her focus to the ones Riku was occupied with, sending out another beam to destroy most of them.
It was powerful, costly stuff - Kairi could feel it, every attack, even the strain of just maintaining this huge column of light energy in this endless domain of pure darkness already draining her - but she had to maintain it! They had to survive this and get out of this place! Get back to their friends, and back to the real fight!
They fought their way through these strength-enhanced Shadows, but there always seemed to be more teeming in the dark. And Kairi was tiring way too fast...
"Ugh!" Kairi exclaimed, stumbling as several Shadows tackled her from behind, taking her to the floor.
Riku turned, raising a hand. "Kairi!"
Light burst from his palm, washing over the Heartless and sending them flying backwards. Another flash, another burst of power, and the Heartless evaporated completely.
Kairi rose to her feet on shaking legs, staring at him. "What did you just do?"
Riku cocked a grin, setting a hand on his hip. "What did it look like?" he said. And it was all Riku - the Riku she knew. The arrogant jerk!
"Don't steal my stuff!" Kairi retorted, glaring, even if she knew he couldn't see it. He could probably feel it...
"Sorry, didn't know you had exclusive ownership over the light in one's Heart," Riku said back, not missing a beat - with that stupid grin still there. "Besides, according to Sora, you hate this Princess of Heart stuff-"
"I don't hate it! I just hate being called a Princess! The powers, they're great - but the thing where people actually try and treat me like royalty or something? Like I'm some dainty, delicate thing? No thanks!"
"Heh. Sounds about right for you," Riku laughed. "Well, Kairi-"
The shadows moved again, and a familiar, tall, buff Heartless suddenly flew across Kairi's field of view in a shroud of orange and purple energy.
It was one of those Invisibles! Winged, humanoid, wielding a big sword. Super buff and toned (bless them).
Riku dropped straight down, thrusting his Soul Eater upward. The Heartless flew over him, tilting to one side to avoid the blade. It came back around to hover before them both, upright in the air. Riku sprang back up from a single hand, facing it and raising his weapon.
Kairi raised hers with trembling arms. She cursed herself for it.
"Hey, Riku?" Kairi said quickly, as the Invisible charged for her with its weapon aimed forward like a spear. She jumped aside at the last second, making a wild slash for it, but not making contact.
"Yeah?" Riku said back, turning on the spot to track the Heartless.
"If you're on this whole big, 'I'm the guy who can control darkness' kick, why don't you just tell this guy to get lost?" Kairi gestured.
The Invisible surrounded itself in a ring of purple flames, and began firing out blasts of dark energy at Riku and her both!
Riku and Kairi dodged, rolling and leaping about. "Wouldn't work - no Heartless is going to listen to me in a place like this!" he called out, while they danced around the Heartless's attacks still. "It's their home turf, and they're empowered here - clearly. Controlling the Heartless takes strength of Heart as much as a command over darkness. And here, they're not going to be too impressed with our strength compared to theirs. They outmatch us, and they know it. Darkness or not." He hesitated, then added, "Besides, with you here-"
"Yeah, I get it - I'm the World's juiciest steak thrown into a pit of starving wolves!" Kairi huffed and did a double backflip as the Heartless flew at her and began slashing for her repeatedly. She thrust out a hand and blasted it in the face with pure light, causing it to back off and turn to go for Riku again. "I had to ask!"
"Hey, it was smart to-" Riku broke off as the Heartless charged at him. He flipped himself forward, coming up under its guard and slashing upward, then kicked off its chest to fly back out of reach. He landed on one knee, weapon held in guard position. His head turned in Kairi's direction as he hurriedly went on with, "Uh, n-not that you're not- you know- smart all the time! You've always been-!"
"Save the butt-kissing for later - or, no, save it for never! I don't like having that image in my head!" Kairi shouted, running at the Heartless from the side and slashing at it as she passed - this time it connected, a solid shoulder slash! The Heartless twisted and swung back for her in retaliation, but she managed to avoid it with a hasty light sphere teleport!
"Got it - sorry...!" Riku shouted back.
"Let's just take this guy down!" Kairi growled as she rematerialized. She huffed, and puffed. She turned to her pillar of light, still there in the center of the room...but narrowing down now, shrinking rapidly... She raised a hand to it, then turned and threw out a blast of light at the Invisible - which caused the pillar to reduce in size considerably faster.
But it had to be done!
They fought on, together, until they finally beat this juiced up Invisible Heartless!
By the end, both of them were tired, hurting - Cure spells had been expended, and now they were just tired without the ability to heal up again. The end of the line. End of their ropes.
In the aftermath, heaving and gasping, and standing shoulder to shoulder, Kairi noticed a strange light glowing far overhead, in the dark distance. Kairi craned her neck to stare at it. Riku tilted his head back too, frowning.
"What's-" Kairi began.
"Kairi," Riku said suddenly, whirling and throwing out his arm across her.
"What?" Kairi huffed, seizing his arm and tossing it away with irritation. She followed his gaze, then stepped out in front of him as the mysterious what became clear to them.
From out of the endless darkness, a swirling purple mass formed, and then out of that mass came...a human figure, coated with thick darkness.
"What the-" Riku gasped. "Is that-"
"WHAT, Riku?" Kairi said, exasperated. "You want to explain what your superior darkness senses are-" Kairi broke off with a gasp, as the darkness covering the figure melted away, revealing a familiar person.
Familiar - but so different...
"M-Master Aqua?" Kairi breathed. "What...?"
Aqua looked so different! She had darker skin, yellow eyes, faded blue hair with white ends, and her whole outfit was just...darker. It was dark blue and jet black, and her arm sleeves looked like they'd fused into her skin - her fingers and hands were an ugly scarlet color now. Up and down her bare legs was the same as her arms; it looked like her clothing had melted into her flesh! Her waist skirt was a tattered mess, too.
And in her hand, at her side, was her Keyblade - bubbling with its own coat of darkness, as well.
Aqua...met Kairi's gaze. "Kairi..." she spoke, slow and quiet. "You are a failure of a Princess of Heart. A Pure Light who would align herself with the darkness - who would dishonor and besmirch all that the Seven Lights fight to protect, all that they represent for the worlds - needs to be destroyed just the same as the darkness!"
"W-what?! Wait, Aqua, you can't mean what you're saying, this isn't you- it's-" Kairi started quickly, stepping away.
"Yes it is," Riku's voice came suddenly, softly. "In a way, anyways. Darkness doesn't make things up out of nothing - it only uses what we have inside us already. Our worst, most unfair thoughts, our most twisted feelings. Maybe they're somewhere deep, deep down - but they're there in her. And they're hers. The darkness is just dragging them to the surface and giving voice to them - casting them out onto the world. And then amplifying them, twisting them up even more. But the basis of it all, it does come from somewhere inside her Heart."
"But everybody has those thoughts from time to time, though! Unkind, unfair thoughts!" Kairi said firmly. "Even a guy like Sora! So, I won't take it to Heart," she told Aqua, holding the woman's gaze. But the woman didn't react, didn't respond.
"Now, hey, if you meant what you said before - about darkness needing to be erased in our Hearts-" Riku spoke up again, stepping forward. At his side, Soul Eater vanished - and then light flashed as his Keyblade appeared to replace it. "-then how about you start with yourself? Your Heart's flooded with darkness right now. So get rid of it...or take control of it. Either way..."
"I will," Aqua spoke softly. Her face twisted in such sorrow, such anguish and despair and... "After I've ended the threats your existences pose to the worlds - I will erase my own existence as well...as I've longed to do for ten long years now," she finished in a quavering voice.
Kairi and Riku traded looks - even if Riku couldn't look. They both had the same horrified, sick look on their faces in that moment.
"But first..." Aqua said sharply, her eyes narrowing.
Kairi breathed, calling on her light powers once more, pulling everything away from that pillar of light behind her back and taking it into her Heart again. She held her hand to her chest, and then she thrust that arm out in front of her at Aqua-
Aqua suddenly appeared directly in front of her in a shower of purple particles. The woman's mangled, red fingered hand shot up to seize Kairi's throat. Aqua bent down low, putting her face in Kairi's. Those eyes glowing, burning at her... "The traitorous light must be extinguished!" she hissed furiously.
Kairi unleashed her powers, point blank, with a thought - every last bit of it. Golden light flared between them; Aqua let out a yell, releasing her and staggering back, hand raising to cover her face. The darkness flaked from Aqua's body, wispy tendrils rose from her...but then it all solidified again, regrowing over her skin. Taking her again!
"You- are unworthy of wielding that power!" Aqua growled, shaking her head and lowering her arm. Her face showed raw fury now. Directed at Kairi. "That Light being passed on to your twisted little Heart was a mistake!"
Kairi gasped, lowering her weapon, as tears sprang to her eyes. God, why...it was just like before...like the islands...she didn't deserve, she wasn't worthy to- she was just some foreign girl putting her hands on things not meant for her...customs and ceremonies she could never truly be a part of...
A whole world she could never touch...
Because she would never be seen as...
"Maybe," Kairi said, in a shaking voice. "Probably - actually." She locked eyes with Aqua. "But I'm going to keep doing the best I can with it - no matter what anyone says or does. Because it's here, it's mine, and it's a part of me. It always has been. And so long as it is, I have to do my part to honor it."
"You've already failed," Aqua hissed, glowering at her.
"Maybe," Kairi repeated, agreeing. "But if we all gave up after we failed, where would we be? Take Riku, for example-"
"Alright, no, I think we all know where I'd be - thanks," Riku said quickly. "No need to take another dig at me, come on."
Kairi rolled her eyes, glancing at him sidelong. She grinned. "Just as long as you don't forget."
"Trust me. I won't. I can't. Every night, every day, every moment...I know what I've done. And I know that I never want to fall into that place again," Riku whispered. "I can't."
Aqua's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Her fingers loosened on her weapon handle... Then, her face hardened again. Darkness surged out of her, and she flew forward in an instant, swinging her weapon for Riku with a yell of fury.
Riku didn't even have a chance to move. Neither did Kairi.
Aqua's strike slammed into Riku's Keyblade, a purple light flashed as a wave of power erupted, casting Kairi back into the dark void...and she heard a scream of pain, followed by a bright white flash of light.
Kairi rolled over on the ground, gasping, pushing herself up. An absent hand summoned her weapon back (it had gone flying off to her left at some point). Her eyes rose to find Riku and Aqua again.
She felt her Heart stop.
Riku was laying on his side, motionless. And Aqua, she was standing over him, gazing down on him with a look of- of just- contempt.
On the ground near Riku...were two halves of his Keyblade.
Kairi felt her Heart stop.
Keyblades...can be broken?
Aqua had broken...Riku's...
Oh god...they really didn't stand a chance against her!
And Riku himself...Riku...
He couldn't be...gone...could he? No! Kairi couldn't let him be - she had to kick his butt some more, throw a few more well-timed, precision insults his way! She had to- she had to...
"RIKU!" Kairi yelled, jumping to her feet and stumbling forward. She had used way too much of her power in this place - she was drained, she was weak, she was just...
Aqua turned casually, watching her come. She gave a snort, shaking her head. "You waste your time on him, Kairi. He's been dedicated to the darkness since he was little. Whatever radiant light I ever sensed in him before has long-since been snuffed out..."
Even as Kairi fell to Riku's side, even as she reached for him to shake him violently, desperately, her mind filed away what Aqua had just said. What about Riku's light...?
"And that means he isn't the only failure around here - besides you, of course," Aqua continued on darkly. "Sora failed as well...in the task I gave him. It was his duty to protect his friend...as I failed to- protect mine...but he followed me down that same ruined path..."
"Riku, please, don't be dead - I'll kill you myself if you are!" Kairi cried, smacking him on the arm. But he didn't even react...
"Worry less about him, and more about yourself," Aqua stated, suddenly right in Kairi's ear. "Not that you'll have long to wonder..."
Kairi jumped, then tensed. A sharp breath escaped her as she felt cold, bubbling darkness and metal against the back of her neck. "Aqua..." Kairi bowed her head, bringing her hands to her chest.
And she saw it fall out of her top.
Her pendant necklace.
She'd always had it, never even known where it came from - though, now she had to wonder if it hadn't been a gift from her grandmother...or maybe even her birth parents. But what she thought of in this moment, right now, was the significance it held for herself...and the woman holding a blade to her neck.
Kairi breathed, and grasped the necklace in hand, and she tore it free, her head jerking under the blade. She turned around on her knees, gazing up at Aqua. She raised her hand, dangling the pendant before her.
Aqua's eyes widened. Then, narrowed, as she shoved her blade under Kairi's chin. Against her throat. "What is this? You want to give me something to remember you by after you're gone?"
"No," Kairi said calmly. As calm as she could, under the circumstances, anyways. "This necklace...has always been how I remembered you. Do you remember? When we first met, when I was little, in Radiant Garden. The Unversed attacked me, and you came to my rescue. You and Mickey, both. You-"
"A mistake," Aqua snapped. "I see that now."
"No." Kairi sighed, and she smiled up at the woman. Her instructor, her Master. Her... "I know you know that's not true." She cupped the pendant in her other hand, and she breathed her light into it. It glinted, and then began to glow a brilliant blue. "You put a spell on this necklace of mine. Something already so important to me, for reasons I can't remember anymore. And you made it even more special. You made it something...that probably played a part in saving me. When I was in trouble, you said it would lead me to the light of another. Someone to keep me safe."
Aqua stepped back from her, her weapon clattering to the ground. "Stop..."
"You made it so it was capable of saving me...but maybe it can help save you today," Kairi said firmly, rising to her feet. "Because you have people who can keep you safe, Aqua. You have so many people now, here...fighting right now, for you. To save you. And it won't take us ten years to rescue you this time."
"STOP!" Aqua shouted, her hands forming shaking fists at her sides. "You know NOTHING, you are just a-"
"Sorry, but shut up," Kairi said vaguely, and she held the necklace high, pushing all her power into it until she felt the world spin and her chest constrict.
The pendant burned brighter and brighter, until the entire dark room lit up. Lit by a light so bright and powerful that even Kairi had to close her own eyes against it, feeling a burning heat on her skin! And then it faded, and she opened her eyes to see...the room had turned pure white.
A rippling, squirming white void now.
Kairi gazed at Aqua, who stood there before her, swaying on the spot. Eyes half open, jaw dropped...fingers twitching at her sides...
Aqua, who now looked like her normal self again!
Aqua gazed back at her. Then her eyes found Riku, and then the pieces of his Keyblade, and then...back to Kairi. And those blue eyes began to shimmer, tears falling steadily. "I- I-" She couldn't even get it out.
But Kairi knew.
"It's- okay now...Master Aqua..." Kairi said breathlessly - and then she fell straight down, like a puppet with cut strings.
"NO!" Aqua screamed. Screamed. A high voice of horror that Kairi had never heard from the woman before...
Aqua raced to Kairi's side, falling down beside her. Her hands rose, shaking, shimmering with green light. Healing magics. Very powerful magic. It grew and grew around them, expanding to become a field that encompassed not just Kairi, but Riku as well, even from a distance.
Kairi turned her head with her little strength remaining, gazing over at Riku. Riku, who was still...not...
Come on, Riku...I thought you were stronger than that...
After a long moment, Riku suddenly stirred, and began to draw breath.
"Ack- agh...wha..." Riku's dazed tones came. Dazed and pained. He struggled to push himself up, then collapsed again. "K-Kairi...? Did we- win or...am I dead...? Shit...I'm dead aren't I? This is the world after..."
"You're not...dead, dummy," Kairi called out, trying to sit up again, herself. But she couldn't even manage to bring her arms up under her. "You're not getting off the hook...that easily! You still have a lot to do - a long way to go to...make up for everything."
"Oh...that's fine..." Riku mumbled, rolling over onto his back, staring blankly up at the white void. "Where...are we...though?"
"I don't even know," Kairi shrugged helplessly. Literally. "I don't know how we're even going to...get out of here, either..."
No sooner had she spoken, however, than a strange dangling crystal thingy with a glowing core descended from the white ceiling to hover before them.
Aqua stared at it, and then her expression changed. She jumped to her feet, stepping past Kairi. Her Keyblade came to hand, and she gave a great slash for the core! The object, that glowing core, burst and grew to become a swirling orange mass - that then exploded in her face.
The world around them shifted and changed, like melting wax, and then suddenly...
The three of them were outside again.
They were on the fleshy, weird deck of the ship together - in front of that fleshy, warty bubbly core thing with a face on it.
Lasers and energy beams were flying everywhere around them, cries of battle and clashing metals rang out.
Terra and Ventus flew by swiftly on their gliders with burning energy streams.
Sora and Xion were glimpsed to the left and right, sailing out from under the battleship.
The barrier around the central platform was gone - absent. The others must have taken it down, somehow.
Kairi looked toward the front of the ship, and saw that the giant mouth face was gone. Obliterated. Just a dark, twisted stump remained in its place.
She looked all around her until she found the Pestilence - it was sitting a good distance away, small in her vision. Roxas had followed those instructions, still, then. Good! She looked back over at Riku and Aqua. "Aqua - can you get Riku back to the ship?" she called out weakly.
Aqua glanced at her with glistening eyes and a quavering lower lip. Then, she nodded, her face hardening with resolve. "And you as well," she spoke firmly. "You're in no condition to...keep fighting." Her hand reached up to grasp her shoulder, and her armor formed on her in a flash of light. She conjured her glider quickly, then picked up Riku in her arms, slinging him over the handles of the vehicle. Then she went back for Kairi, helping her up and onto the glider too. Aqua took the controls, then she flew off swiftly across the void of space, headed for the Pestilence.
Kairi twisted around to watch the battle still raging around the Heartless battleship.
Sora looked tired and hurt, Xion was clutching her arm weirdly, still trying to fire spells off at Ansem. Ven and Terra looked to be in a lot better shape, but even their armor had pieces missing, chipped off - or burned away!
And Ansem and his giant demon guardian Heartless still looked unfazed. In prime condition. No visible wounds, no tiredness...
Terra must have judged the situation the same way, because a moment later and he yelled out: "All right - everyone retreat! NOW!"
They all turned to fly off for the Pestilence together.
And Ansem, behind them, did nothing to stop them.
Kairi heard his booming, echoing, triumphant laughter in the Etherium, carried on the winds.
They all landed on the Pestilence's main deck, and Aqua immediately went to take control from Roxas. She spun the wheel and began to take them off away from Ansem's battleship.
Terra and Ven raised their Keyblades together, aiming out in front of the Pestilence - and suddenly a massive, blue portal with crackling lightning appeared.
One of those Lanes Between portals!
Big enough for the Pestilence to pass into.
Kairi watched Ansem's battleship as they began to move toward the portal...watched it pass into a haze of purple and blue gas...
"W-wait - Terra!" Kairi called out, pulling herself up by the Pestilence's railing for support.
"What is it?" Terra said quickly, turning to look at her.
"Random fireballs might cause explosions..." Kairi said weakly, with a trembling grin.
Terra gazed at her, confused. Then he grinned too, nodding.
"Hey, Terra, what's she-" Ven began.
Terra strode for the edge of the ship, summoning his Keyblade and aiming it out at Ansem's warship. He adjusted his aim, a little below it...toward the exposed mass of blue and purple gas that the battleship had just passed into.
Terra fired a single, powerful, fast-moving fireball.
It streaked across the distance. Just a lone ball of flames, barely bigger than a beachball.
Everyone watched in silence.
The fireball sailed beneath Ansem's warship, briefly flickered in and out of existence, like something had tried to snuff it out...and then the entirety of space lit up in a burning flash of white light.
A great roar of sound rushed over them, echoing all around them, as a massive explosion of blue and purple flames consumed Ansem's ship.
The Pestilence passed through the Lanes Between portal, entering the strange, shifting corridor between worlds and space itself. The portal closed behind them, sealing them off - and silencing the ungodly loud noise of the still-burning explosion of natural space gases.
Aqua let the wheel go, her armor poofed out of existence, and then she suddenly stumbled back and fell against the back wall of the ship. She slid down it, arms limp and legs splayed, her head falling.
"AQUA!" Terra cried, leaping up to her quickly. Ven jumped up after him, racing to Aqua's side as well.
"Is she-" Kairi called out, clinging to the railing still.
"She's going to be all right," Terra answered, though she heard the uncertainty in his tone.
It had to be enough.
Kairi turned her focus to Sora, to Xion. "Are you guys okay? Xion, your arm- what-"
"It's OK," Xion said quickly, even as she winced. "I just...made a wrong move..." She bowed her head and turned away, hugging her jacket tighter around her.
"So what happened to you and Riku - and Aqua? Where did you guys go?" Sora asked Kairi hesitantly. "I guess all that matters is you guys saved her, though, right?" he added quickly.
"Yeah," Kairi said slowly. "All that matters is that we saved her." She took a breath, pushing off from the railing. She glanced down at her hand, where her broken necklace was still wrapped around her hand. Clutched between her fingers. That pendant...
She slid it into one of her coat pockets and turned away, slinging her body over the railing completely again.
Just flat out hugging it now.
"Kairi..."
She felt a warm hand on her back. She startled, turning to see Sora there beside her. "Yes?"
Sora looked like he wanted to say something - probably something comforting and sweet - but he just patted her back, gave her a caress that sent goosebumps up her arms, and then he leaned forward over the railing with her. He turned his head to look at her, giving a smile.
Kairi couldn't help but smile back.
At least...they'd all made it out of this one.
Even if they'd lost the battle.
"...Are you...OK?" Kairi heard Xion's soft voice behind her. Full of worry and anxiety.
Kairi twisted around to watch her sister. The girl had gotten down next to Riku on the deck. Riku was sitting up now, sitting with his back to the base of the mast. He had a hand to his head, his eyes closed tight.
Riku let a breath go, let his hand fall. He drew a single leg in, a knee up. He gave Xion a nod, and a small grin. "I've felt worse before. This is nothing. Don't even worry about it, alright?"
Xion nodded back. But Kairi saw her hands twisting together at her waist. "Alright..."
Still, Xion didn't move.
And Riku didn't tell her to get lost.
Kairi supposed...
She'd allow it.
But she was still never going to take her eyes off the pair of them. And she was certainly never leaving them anywhere alone!
Not just because Riku was Riku, but because Xion was Xion.