After about thirty seconds, Sora finally managed to force his head to lift from where it had rested on Riku's shoulder. He blinked, eyes moving to Riku, who was opening his own eyes, to back where Kairi had been sitting. She had come closer, sitting back on the couch the three of them shared, and there was a gentle but strained smile on her face.
"I hate to bring this up," Ven said, sounding awkward and Sora was reminded very abruptly that they weren't the only ones in the room. He fought the urge to blush. "But I think the screen is getting… impatient." Kairi's gaze moved from them to the screen, giving it a glare.
"Okay," Sora muttered, trying to figure out the best way to stand up without having to let go of Riku in anyway. "Are you going to be okay Riku?"
The older boy blinked once, the redness around his eyes only highlighting the slight bloodshotness of them, and he frowned slightly. "I think I have to be," he sighed, swallowing, and Sora could feel his arms tighten ever so slightly for a second. "Plus, it's almost over."
Right, Sora thought. Riku's about to get… possessed. He still believed he hadn't hit Ansem hard enough to pay him back for what he had done to Riku. Sora was pulled away from his thoughts as Riku started to stand and Sora followed him, moving his hands to instead holding onto Riku's hands and he stumbled slightly, shaking feeling back into his legs. The good thing was that the couch wasn't far, so it wasn't long before the two of them were back on the couch, Riku tucked between he and Kairi like before. She leaned into his side, resting a hand on his leg as Sora wasn't letting go of either of his hands.
Aqua watched the two of them with concern. She didn't know if she really wanted Riku to continue to watch. It clearly… wasn't affecting him the greatest. But he almost looked… calmer, less stressed, now. Since Sora had hugged him and said things to him. Aqua had tried not to listen. It wasn't her place.
Her eyes moved over to Terra, silently asking if he wanted to do anything. Not that they knew if there was anything they could do. They were kind of trapped in a white room with nothing but a screen that showed the past. He tipped his head to the side, watching the sliver-haired boy for a second before shaking his head minutely. There was nothing they could at this point, just hope that things started to get better. She bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't want to do that, but she supposed that was all they could do.
With a simple gesture, she and Terra returned back to the couch they had sat on, retaking their spots on either side of Ven, who leaned into Terra's side slightly. He was clearly shaken by what had just happened, something that was shown all around the room.
Both Naminé and Xion looked worried, wide eyes and shaking hands, clearly taken aback by what they had witnessed. Roxas looked shocked and confused, staring at Riku like he had never seen him before. Vanitas looked… not as sneering as Aqua thought he would be. She furrowed her brows slightly as she shot him a look. It didn't make sense for him not to be taking advantage of Riku's weakness like he always had with them. He instead looked subdued, eyes refusing to look at any of them and shoulders hunched as he settled back into his chair. Aqua… didn't know how to feel about that.
Axel and Mickey looked upset, but different flavors of it. It was clear that Mickey wished he could do more for the boy he had semi-claimed as an apprentice, but resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't. He had moved back to his chair, looking downcast. Axel looked on in recognition and resignation, settling back down on his couch between the two teenagers, wrapping an arm around Xion and holding her close. Roxas leaned into his other side, still looking slightly lost.
As Riku starts walking away, Donald follows him.
"We're just starting right where we left, aren't we?" Kairi muttered, leaning deeper into Riku's side. The older boy didn't flinch like he would have last time, instead simply turning his face away and into Sora's hair. The younger boy held his hands tighter.
Roxas felt his eyes go back to Riku at this moment. He didn't… It didn't make sense. He stared at the boy who was hiding his face in Sora's hair, whose fear and anger had caused ice to grow and for him to break down several times at this point and have at least two panic attacks. He stared at the boy and thought, this can't be Riku.
Because Riku was the one that hunted him and Xion relentlessly. Who made Xion decide to kill herself to bring Sora back. Who captured him and helped DiZ force him into the simulation where he lost all his memories. Who kept him there until it was finally time for Roxas to die for Sora sake, just like Xion, and Roxas couldn't do anything about it. Riku was the one who hurt the two of them and felt no remorse for his actions.
Except… that clearly wasn't true at this point. And that sent Roxas spiraling. Because Riku was the bad guy here. He was the one who hunted him and Xion, had hurt Axel, had done so many bad things. And it was easy for Roxas to hate him. And yet… He looked at Riku hidden in the ice he created and thought of Xion hiding under her covers back in the Organization's headquarters. He looked at Riku's slightly faked smiles and hidden emotions and thought of Axel's plastic smiles when Saix had particularly gotten on his nerves or when he tried to not let Xion and him see how much something was bothering him.
He looked at Riku and for all the ways he tried to stop it, he couldn't help but see, just a little bit, that Riku wasn't this monster that he had convinced himself the darkness wielder was. And he hated it. Who was he supposed to be mad at now?
Donald tells Goofy to come on and Goofy pauses, saying that the King told them to follow the key but trails off.
"Wait, they're leaving you?" Kairi questioned, sitting up in alarm. "Because Riku stole the Keyblade?"
"They… were told to find the Key," Sora said, trying to push down the little bit of hurt that buoyed in him when he watched the scene happen again. It's fine, we're friends again. They were just doing what they thought was right. Happy thoughts.
"Sora," Mickey said. "I didn't…"
"This isn't your fault, Mickey," Sora told him, flashing him a smile. "Plus. They came back. They chose to stay with me."
They shouldn't have left you in the first place, Riku thought, tightening his hands slightly around Sora's and breathing deeply as he kept his face hidden. They shouldn't have left you in Hollow Bastion alone.
"They shouldn't have left you at all," Mickey replied gently. "You were the Keyblade Wielder." Sora shook his head softly, eyes moving back to the screen. It's fine now.
Goofy looks back and forth before eventually following Donald.
"They left you alone in a place filled with Heartless?" Aqua asked, voice raising slightly as her brain went over everything that could have gone wrong. Sora could have died. He didn't have his Keyblade, didn't have his friends. Didn't have a will to continue, it looked like, though hopefully that changed quickly.
"Hey, I did okay on my own," Sora defended. "Plus, the Beast helped me out. And, again, they came back."
You shouldn't have had to be alone, Aqua thought. Keyblade Wielders are not meant to be alone. It's how Terra, Ven, and I fell.
Thank you for noticing, Riku thought. At least someone else had. Now, if only they could convince Sora that it was a bad thing for Donald and Goofy to have done.
Vanitas withheld the urge to roll his eyes, something that wasn't that difficult. He was still reeling from what had happened with Riku and the unfortunate memories it had yanked to the forefront of his mind. Of course, when he had lashed out trying to protect himself, he certainly hadn't been given a hug once the person he was trying to hide from found him. These people are from the light, he thought. They shouldn't abandon another Light Wielder. It felt… wrong to think of. The Light was good, they wouldn't abandon others.
The Beast attempted to stand and walk, only to fall back. Sora gets up and runs to him, telling him that he shouldn't move and is hurt.
And of course, even when he had just been abandoned and alone, Sora still cared about others. Still put other's safety and comfort in front of his. Riku raised his head, allowing himself to look back at the screen. He took a deep breath. He could almost count the minutes in his head until he was gone and Ansem was there.
The Beast asks Sora why he came there. When Sora doesn't answer, the Beast says that he came to fight for Belle and even though he's alone, he will continue to fight for her.
Sora smiled at his friend. He was glad that the Beast and Belle were happy now and that Belle was safe. They were together. Now, if only that could happen with Sora and a certain friend, Sora would be happy as well.
Sora looks back and picks up the wooden sword, telling the Beast that he's not going to give up now and that he came here to find someone very important.
Kairi smiled happily; hearing Sora refer to her as someone very important to her. You're really important to me too, she thought. More than you know.
Well, two very important people, Sora corrected himself as he watched him and the Beast head towards Hollow Bastion. I came here for both of them.
Deep in Hollow Bastion, the six missing princess are asleep in capsules lining the wall. Kairi is asleep in her own.
Again, Kairi couldn't contain a shiver when she saw her lifeless body. It just looked so… wrong, that her body was just laying there, undefended and vulnerable. She was glad she got her heart back soon.
Riku bit his tongue as it showed Jasmine and Alice, two people that he directly helped kidnap.
Maleficent walks up a set of stairs, turning and tell the purest hearts to reveal to her the Keyhole. Beams of light comes from six of the hearts, creating a Keyhole in the wall.
"Only six?" Xion wondered. "But what about you?" She directed her question to Kairi.
"Well, I didn't have my heart," Kairi told her with the smallest of smirks. "It was in Sora's."
"So it didn't work?" Ven asked, perking up.
"Well, it did, eventually," Sora admitted. "But we stopped Ansem."
Sora and the Beast entered the castle, with the Beast warning Sora to stay on guard. A Heartless disguised as Belle appears and provokes the Beast into following it, separating the two.
"And now he's gone," Aqua muttered, acutely aware that it meant that Sora was alone with a weapon that probably wasn't the best to use to defeat the Heartless.
Riku appears at the top of the staircase and tells Sora to quit while he can as he descends down into the room with Sora. Donald and Goofy follow him.
"Not a chance," Sora whispered with a bittersweet smile. There was no chance of him stopping, not while there was still danger in the world, even if it meant fighting Riku at the time. Now, he would rather do anything else than fight Riku, but at the time, it was the only option.
Riku slid his eyes closed, having heart Sora's whisper. Because he was completely right. Sora would never stop, not if it meant someone else had the potential to get hurt.
Sora says he won't leave without Kairi and Riku warns him that the darkness will destroy him as darkness surrounds him, changing his outfit.
It won't, Riku thought even as he closed his eyes and looked away from his past self, so entrenched in darkness. Because Sora is too good for that.
Wait a minute. Vanitas sat up in shock, staring at the outfit that Riku had taken on. Seeing every single similarity it had to the outfit Vanitas was currently wearing. Wait a minute, wait a minute. What the-
Unknown to him, Aqua had seen the same parallels, her eyes shooting to Vanitas, mind only growing more worried when she saw the confusion in Vanitas's eyes as he stared at he screen. Hold on, what? Either this is a massive coincidence or…
Xehanort didn't die, she knew that. She knew she as good as saved his life when she saved Terra's but what could she do otherwise? Let Terra die? Fall to darkness? She had sent him away but she had hoped him to be gone, that this new villain, this "Seeker of Darkness" meant that someone else had taken up that role and that Xehanort was gone but he couldn't' be gone, he was never gone and now he was here taking advantage of these kids who were nothing but light and children and she couldn't breathe because she helped caused this this was her fault she should have killed him when she had the chance she should have been better be a better Keyblade Master friend warrior because XehanORT HAD TO BE ALIVE-
Sora tells Riku that he's wrong and that the darkness may destroy his body, but it'll never touch his heart. And that his heart will stay with his friends and never die.
Terra looked over to his side in concern, having heard the hitch in Aqua's voice. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the screen and Terra felt confusion go through him. What had happened? He was tempted to reach out but had a feeling she wouldn't like that at the time. He bit his lip. What had triggered her?
Riku says they'll see about that and throws an attack of magic at him.
Riku flinched, seeing himself actively attacking Sora when he had no means of defending himself, but Sora just leaned deeper into his side, and he sighed. Sora had forgiven him; Sora didn't hate him. Maybe if he repeated it enough, he could believe it.
Goofy suddenly appears between them and blocks the shot, saying that Sora isn't going anywhere. Riku asks if he would betray his king and Goofy says he wouldn't, but that he's not betraying Sora either.
Mickey smiled at his longtime friend. He knew Goofy would never let actual harm come to Sora. He doubted Donald would as well. The two of them had clearly become attached to the boy very quickly.
Sora smiled as well. "See?" He nudged Riku. He could feel the older boy's upsetness when they left him. "They came back."
"They shouldn't have left you," Riku refuted but didn't say anything else.
Goofy asks Donald to apologize to the king for him. Donald says they'll tell him together and runs over to them.
Several people relaxed slightly once it was clear that Sora wasn't alone anymore.
Sora thanks them and Riku asks how he's planning to fight without a weapon.
Riku could hear the panic and anger that was bleeding into his younger self's voice. He hadn't been spiraling as hard as he would in a couple of minutes but seeing Sora still willing to fight even when Riku had proven himself better than him, it had hurt.
Sora says he doesn't need a Keyblade, and he has a better weapon. His heart.
What good will a heart do? Vanitas thought with a barely audible scoff and an eyeroll. Separated from a body and weapons? It's useless. And then his mind decided to helpfully remind him what happened the last time he fought Ventus, and he looked down with a growl. At least thinking about that was better than thinking about what Riku's outfit could mean. He didn't want to know.
Riku asks what good the weak, little thing will do as he summons the Keyblade.
"Sorry," Riku murmured quietly, just loud enough for Sora and maybe Kairi to hear him.
"It's okay," Sora replied. "You're here now."
Sora says his heart may be weak but that it's not alone and it's connected to all the friends he's made. That Sora has become a part of their heart, just as they've become a part of his.
All of them and even more, Sora thought, thinking back to all the friends he'd met over the course of this latest adventure. Them, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy.
Aqua smiled slightly as she reached out, wrapping an arm around Ven and grasping onto Terra's wrist. In the back of her head, everything she had just figured out was bouncing around, but she had to ignore it for the time being. Look at it in smaller chunks, so the darkness from the thoughts didn't bring darkness to her.
Xion took in a deep breath, leaning on Axel's side and looking over at Roxas. I wonder if we're connected, she pondered. Even if we don't have hearts.
Sora says if they don't forget him then his heart can't disappear.
Naminé tried not to flinch slightly at the "forgetting" part. She hadn't wanted it to happen, but it was the only way to fix it. To fix what she had done.
Sora says his friends are his power. The Keyblade returns to him, much to Riku's shock.
My friends are my power, Sora confirmed, leaning into Riku's side and reaching for one of Kairi's hands.
They are every Keyblade Wielder's power, Aqua thought, holding her two friends close.
They're the most important thing in the world, Mickey smiled, thinking of Donald and Goofy.
They're worth risking everything over, Axel looked down at his two kids, recalling everything the three of them had been through together.
And they come from the most unexpected places, Naminé's mind sent her back to Castle Oblivion, to the white corridors made safe by the silver-haired boy.
They're the one thing I don't understand, Vanitas's inner thoughts weren't sneering, just lost… I knew them once, as Ven. But I'm too dark to know them now.
Riku summons Soul Eater and attacks Sora. The two of them fight with occasional inputs from Donald and Goofy.
"Don't apologize," Sora told Riku, already knowing what the older boy was going to do. "You were influenced by darkness; I wasn't trying as hard as I should have to reach you. We're together again now." Riku closed his mouth but gave Sora a look anyway.
Sora knocks Riku back, who glares at Sora before vanishing into a portal. The Beast appears behind them.
Riku took a deep breath. He knew what came next.
Riku appears in a corridor, staggering into a wall. "Know this. The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade."
Both Sora and Riku went stiff as Ansem's voice appeared from the shadows.
"Who's that?" Ven asked, seeing the figure of Ansem appear on screen.
"Ansem," Sora hissed out. "The Seeker of Darkness."
"The one who possessed Riku?" Terra asked, already hating this man. Also, why did he sound slightly familiar? Sora answered with a nod.
Riku turns around to see Ansem. Ansem says that the Keyblade will not choose someone without a strong heart.
Unbidden, Aqua made a slight face. Again, Keyblades don't actually chose people, the wielders do. But, for this circumstance, it seemed… more ambiguous who was doing the choosing. Everything between Sora and Riku made her think.
Riku asks if he's saying that Riku's heart was weaker than Sora's.
"Never," Sora told the older boy. "You're just as strong as me."
Riku hesitated for a second. "Now I am," he eventually settled on, knowing that if he didn't give himself a little bit of credit, Sora was probably going to hit him. "But then, no it wasn't." Sora made a face at him.
Ansem says for that instant it was but says that Riku held no fear of the door to darkness. He encourages Riku to plunge deeper into the darkness and says that it will make his heart even stronger.
Terra looked down with a sigh, eyes falling on his hands, one still held in Aqua's grip. He had been… encouraged by several people, before eventually falling to Xehanort, that going into the darkness would give him strength. And there had been a part of him that wanted to believe it. Wanted to believe that this darkness he held had been given to him to help him protect, Aqua, Ven, and everyone else in the worlds. And even now, there was a part of him that still wanted to believe it. That looked at Riku, being able to see the darkness and light within him, and wondered if he could learn that same power. Learn to use his darkness to protect people. But that was impossible. His darkness had only ever hurt. Himself and others.
Riku asks what he should do, and Ansem tells him to open himself up to darkness, to let his heart become part of the darkness. A glow surrounds Riku.
Riku shivered, looking away from the screen. He could still remember… the feeling that came after. At first, the overwhelming feeling of power that filled him. The joy and hatred that came along with it. Then the panic of realizing he couldn't move, couldn't talk. The feeling of all of a sudden not being in control of his body, of realizing in panic and fear that he was simply watching now as Ansem took control. He hated it and he still had nightmares about it.
Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's arm instead of just holding his hand. He guessed what had just happened. He really should have hit Ansem harder.
Maleficent is standing in front of the Keyhole and Riku approaches her. He says that the path has emerged at last.
"That's… not you, is it?" Ven asked, remembering all the way back from the beginning when Riku and the others gave quick versions of what had happened to them. Riku had mentioned being possessed by Ansem and Sora looked really upset as he stared at the screen.
"No, it's not," Riku said after a second, eyes flicking down to the ground. "That is Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness."
Ansem, Xehanort, Ansem, Xehanort, Aqua's thoughts spun in circles. It had to be, but she didn't want it to be.
Ansem says that it will be the Keyhole to the darkness and that unlocking will cause the Heartless to overrun the world. Maleficent says that she doesn't care, and the darkness holds no power over her.
Yeah sure, Kairi thought. The Mistress of Evil isn't swayed by darkness, hmm?
Maleficent says that she will use the power to rule over all worlds. Ansem says such confidence and summons a black Keyblade.
Sora couldn't help but let his smile slip when he saw the Keyblade. He wasn't scared of it, no, and he didn't regret what he had done, but… he still didn't like to see it. A reminder of what Ansem had done.
Riku froze when he saw the Keyblade, the action that Sora had done after the battle with Maleficent coming back to him full force. The smallest part of him was glad that it was being shown now. Good. If I can tell anything, it's that Aqua and Mickey probably won't be too happy to see what Sora did. Maybe they can get it through his head that doing that drastic of an action isn't good.
Maleficent is angry once nothing happens to the portal, saying that the princess are all here, but Ansem says that a princess who lost her heart cannot release her power.
For once, Kairi was glad that her heart was missing from her body. Had it not been, who knew what could have happened before Sora intervened.
Noise from outside of the room distracts them and Maleficent says that the King's fools are here. She says she'll take care of them and instructs Ansem to guard the princesses.
"Has she not realized that Riku is possessed?" Naminé questioned, seeing the difference rather distinct to her. "Or does she not care?"
"I don't think she realized," Riku responded. "She was too focused on the goal she sought to accomplish."
Sora and the others enter the open space, looking around. Sora realizes they must be in the deepest part of the castle and Goofy wonders if maybe the King will be there. Donald says they'll probably at least find some clues before they're cut off by Maleficent entering.
Sora shifted slightly. This was almost it. It was almost over.
Aqua sighed quietly. She really should have taken care of Maleficent all those years ago. None of this would have happened otherwise. Except Xehanort's still there, posing as Ansem, and now they've got Riku and-
Maleficent tells them that they're too late and that in any second the final Keyhole will be unlocked, and the world will be plunged into darkness.
"Didn't Riku just say that it can't because Kairi doesn't have her heart?" Xion asked and Sora shrugged.
"Maybe she was bluffing," he replied. He knew that when he had first heard it, he had been extremely worried. He couldn't have come that far only to fail.
Sora says they'll stop it and that after coming this far, there's no way they'd let that happen.
Both Riku and Kairi smiled slightly. Because that was Sora down to his core. Unable to take no as the answer, fighting for everyone else, not himself. Always there to help everyone. It's why they both fell in love with him.
Maleficent calls them fools and asks if they really think they can defeat her, The Mistress of All Evil. She fights Sora and the others with the help of the Heartless.
Like before, when all this first started, Riku's hands came up to wrap around one of Sora's shoulders, worry for the boy building in him. He knew Sora survived, he knew Sora won, but he still couldn't help the worry that went through him, watching Sora fight Maleficent of all people. He knew, that if Maleficent was still alive, he wouldn't be able to fight her. Not if he had all the power in the world. Kairi's hands reached across Riku's lap to grasp one of Sora's hands, holding him the best she could. They both knew he would get out of this, but it still worried them.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat Maleficent causing her to retreat backwards into a portal.
Terra watched the fight worried and nervous for Sora and the others. He knew how powerful Maleficent could be, he still didn't have answers if Maleficent had truly controlled him or just influenced him all those years ago. And she had done the same thing to his chosen successor. There was a part of him that wanted her gone.
No dark thoughts, he told himself, trying to banish those feelings. No more darkness to fall into.
Maleficent appears again, in pain, and wonders how a boy with a Keyblade could defeat her.
Sora smiled, remembering all the times is showed during the watching that Maleficent hadn't even seen him as a threat. Ha, I am a threat, he thought. I took you down. I saved my friends. And while you're still out there causing trouble, I can always defeat you again.
Ansem appears from the portal behind her, asking if she needs any help. Sora and the others enter the room and Sora calls out to Riku.
Both Sora and Riku suddenly got wide eyes as they remembered what came next. Hopefully it didn't freak the adults out too much?
Ansem says they're all there together and Donald wonders about the weapon in Ansem's hand. Ansem confirms that it is a Keyblade, but one used to unlock people's hearts.
Aqua made a face. That sounded like a Keyblade of Darkness. But she thought only the King had one like that.
"Mickey," she said, voice her thoughts. "Is that a Keyblade of Darkness? Like yours?"
"Maybe," Mickey admitted. "But I don't know much." He would admit, he hadn't pushed Riku for too many details when the boy had told him about this part of the story. "It's not completely like mine, but perhaps it's similar."
Ansem turns and stabs Maleficent in the chest with it, telling her to embrace the darkness. She calls out to the power and turns into a dragon.
While there was several exclamations of shock, both from Ansem turning on Maleficent and from Maleficent turning into a dragon, Aqua couldn't hear any of them. Instead all there was in her head was white noise, memories flickering in front of her eyes.
She had to go, had to get through. She slashed her Keyblade through another thorn branch as the roars of Maleficent rained down on both her and Philip. The Prince was in front of her, directly clashing with the dark fairy turned dragon and Aqua had to help him. Had to defeat Maleficent so the fairy would stop avoiding her questions. What did she do to Terra? Why did she want Princess Aurora's heart? How did they factor into this? She needed to defeat Maleficent, to force her to answer Aqua's questions. Everything had been so complicated ever since Terra had run off, and Aqua needed some sort of answer, some sort of reason why Terra was acting off, why Ven hadn't listened to her, why darkness seemed to follow her very steps. She needed answers and if this fairy turned dragon had them, she was going to get them.
She just needed to finish the fight. Gripping her Keyblade harder, she finally managed to push off the creeping vine and moved to help Philip, Keyblade clashing down on Maleficent's scales and-
A hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed tightly, enough to snap Aqua out of the memories that had consumed her. She blinked in confusion, turning to the side to see Terra looking at her in concern over Ven's head. Are you okay? The other eighteen-year-old asked with a raised eyebrow, worry for her clear in his eyes. She nodded once but could tell it didn't reassure him. It was okay though. Her problems were her problems to solve.
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Beast fight the dragon Maleficent, eventually killing her and causing her to collapse into a ball of darkness and dissipate.
Riku couldn't help the sigh of relief that slipped from him. Now, now Maleficent was truly gone. She was dead in their world and now she was dead onscreen. He wouldn't have to be reminded of her again.
Ansem reappears, saying that it was ironic and calling Maleficent just another puppet.
The one thing I can agree with Ansem on, Riku thought with a glare at his possessed self. He remembered… not being distraught or particularly happy at Maleficent's passing, mostly just numb as he watched Sora of all people take down a starsdamned dragon, after first taking down Maleficent in her normal form. It had shown him, as much as he had been shocked to see it, that Sora had indeed grown stronger. And at the time, it had angered him. Now it just made him proud.
Sora asks what Ansem means and Ansem says that the Heartless were using Maleficent from the start and she failed to notice the darkness in her heart eating away at her. He calls her a fool.
More like you were using her, Riku thought. You were the one manipulating her. You had to be.
Ansem disappears into a portal, with Sora calling after him. Goofy finds a piece of Ansem's report that appeared.
Roxas made a face, not being the only one to do so. Every time they read one of those, his opinion of the man dropped even further.
The group moves through the castle, eventually ending in the room with the princesses. The Beast runs over to Belle while the three of them continue onwards, eventually finding Kairi's body.
Sora smiled when he witnessed the Beast finding Belle. Even though he knew it happened, he was still glad he could see it again. They clearly meant a lot to each other. They were in love, even if he didn't fully grasp the concept.
Sora runs to Kairi's body, kneeling beside her and calling out to her, telling her to open her eyes.
Aqua looked away. "Ven, please wake up. Please."
Ansem is sitting above the Keyhole and tells Sora that it's no use and that Kairi won't wake up due to her missing heart. Sora realizes he's not Riku.
"Sorry it took me so long," Sora whispered to Riku, who simply shook his head.
"It's okay Sora," he replied. "You couldn't have known, couldn't have even guessed. And it didn't take you that long, if you look at it." Sora still pouted slightly so Riku simply reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly. My turn to give comfort, he thought. It felt… right.
Ansem says that the Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the lost Princess of Heart still sleeps. Sora asks if Kairi's a princess.
"I wonder," Kairi murmured. She wanted to know, she wanted to know about her life before the Destiny Islands, about Radiant Garden and the people that inhabited it. She wanted to know what the weather was like, the food, the politics, and the people. She wanted to know it all. And she would find out one day, she swore it.
Ansem says that without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. He says it is time she awakened.
Kairi and Riku both made faces as they remembered what Sora did to awaken Kairi's heart. It had been… bad for both of them. For Kairi it had been a shock and a heck of a something to wake up to. For Riku, it had horrified him enough to snap him out of everything that he had been thinking of and gave him enough strength to hold back Ansem, even if it was only for a few seconds.
Sora tells Ansem to let Riku go and to give him back his heart.
Not me you should be worrying about, Sora, Riku thought. Focus on Kairi and yourself.
Ansem says that Sora must first give Kairi her heart back. Sora reaches up to his chest and collapses to his knees.
"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, sitting up. "Was I hurting you?"
"No not really," Sora said, completely ignoring the onscreen version of him that was in clear pain. "It was just sudden." Both Kairi and Riku looked like they didn't believe him.
Ansem tells Sora that Kairi's heart is responding and that she's been there the whole time, inside of Sora's heart. Sora is in shock.
"I know you didn't mean to," Kairi started. "But thank you for keeping me safe." She turned to Sora, smiling at him. "I know it was an accident, but you still kept my heart safe, just as Riku kept my body safe."
"Always Kairi," Sora responded, reaching out to clasp her hand. "Always."
Ansem says that he knows all there is to know and Sora asks him who he is. "It is I, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness."
Aqua sucked in a breath. It's Xehanort, Please don't let it be him, He's alive which means Terra's alive, let him have died, Terra's alive which means Xehanort's alive, Why won't you just die?
"Dramatic," Axel muttered, mostly trying to keep the air light, knowing that he was a huge hypocrite for saying so. But it also… It also… Axel wasn't an idiot, he couldn't be to have survived in Organization 13 as long as he did, especially once Roxas and Xion started to get on certain badsides. He wasn't an idiot.
Ansem. Xemnas. Once he would have thought that foolish and not possible but… He had long passed that threshold. He knew Xemnas came from Xehanort, the apprentice who managed to sway all six of the originals. At this point, he had to guess that Ansem came from him as well. And that… was problematic.
As Ansem advances on Sora, Donald and Goofy attempt to stop him but get swatted away. Ansem says that he'll release Kairi now and asks her to use her power to open the door and lead him into everlasting darkness.
"No thanks," Kairi said. "I like the light."
Ansem brings the Keyblade down on Sora, but Sora hears Kairi's voice warning him and manages to block the strike.
"Thanks Kairi," Sora told her.
"Don't remember it but I'm glad I did something," she replied.
Riku gritted his teeth. He wished he had been snapped out of his rage long before Sora had to stab himself. Unfortunately, he hadn't been, and he hadn't really been doing anything of note to try and get his body back. After the initial panic, Ansem had told him he was planning to return Riku's body to him once he managed to open the Keyhole. And well… Riku had already been making bad decisions.
Sora tells Ansem there's no way he's taking Kairi's heart. The two of them clash.
Aqua and Terra both looked away from the screen, memories rushing to the forefront of both of their minds.
Radiant Garden, white hair and yellow eyes. Hissed out words of pain and damnation, Terra's plea for her help.
Trying desperately to stop Xehanort, hearing his laughter echo around him as he could only watch helplessly, tangled in his own darkness as Aqua fought and lost to the man who had destroyed their life.
Sora manages to wrench the Keyblade from Ansem's hand and Ansem vanishes. Sora calls out to him but Donald and Goofy pull his attention to the Keyhole.
Riku stiffened as he remembered what happened next, arm tightening around Sora. He shouldn't have… shouldn't have had to…
Sora attempts to close the Keyhole, but it doesn't work and Goofy says it's probably because the Keyhole isn't complete. Donald asks what they should do and Goofy says they probably have to wake Kairi up and her power would complete the Keyhole.
"What if completing the Keyhole did something bad?" Ven asked, worrying his bottom lip. "Ansem specifically referenced it as a door to darkness."
"It was the only thing we could think of," Sora replied with a shrug, biting the inside of his cheek and getting the urge to look away. He had a feeling… that many people wouldn't be happy with the way he chose to wake up Kairi.
Sora thinks Goofy is right and sees the dark Keyblade, walking over and picking it up. Sora gazes at it, repeating what Ansem had said.
Aqua sat up straight, abruptly thrown from the memories of the past. She… didn't like the tone that Sora's voice had suddenly taken on. Worry rocketed through her, not helped at all by the way that Kairi and Riku were curling closer to Sora, as futile as it was for Kairi due to Riku being in-between them. Her eyes flicked to Mickey, who had closed his eyes. He knew all this from Riku, he knew what Sora did.
Sora walks over to the sleeping Kairi and both Goofy and Donald cry out to him. He gives them a smile before stabbing himself in the heart.
For a second, it was dead silent in the watching room. Then chaos exploded.
"What that heck?!" Roxas exclaimed, nearly throwing himself off the couch as he sat up, eyes wide. Kairi clapped a hand to her mouth as she stifled a cry of frustration and fear and Riku's arms went tight around Sora. Vanitas made a garbled sounding gasp, flinching backward into his chair, hands curling into the armrests while Ven's mouth dropped open. Terra's eyes went wide and Mickey's closed, looking down in sadness. But Aqua…
Aqua was sitting stock still, eyes fixed on the sight of Sora, who was no older than fourteen at the time, with the Keyblade stabbed into his heart. And-
"I'm asking you, as my friends, just… put an end to me."
"Fight him Terra!"
Dusty grounds covered in Keyblades.
"The Master tried to kill Ven."
"Please Aqua, put an end to me."
Cobbled paths, darkness and light clashing.
"Fight him Terra please."
"No Ven, there's another way."
"Ven wake up."
A Keyblade stabbing a heart, a friend slipping to the darkness.
"Terra would never do such a thing."
"Aqua, you must bring them back."
A scream in the air, ice crawling up a body.
"Quite the darkness user."
"You're awful Aqua."
Darkness pulling at her, at her bones, at her mind. Where were her friends? Had Terra escaped? Was Ven awake? The darkness pulled at her, twisting her memories in her head and twisting her visage in the mirror to fight her and she couldn't breathe because it was all damp and there was nothing but darkness even more now that she didn't have a Keyblade, and she couldn't do anything nothing at all and she couldn't do anything but cry-
"-qua!" Aqua snapped back to herself abruptly pitching forward as the arms shook her slightly. The hands on her shoulders tightened as they supported her and she was suddenly aware of the burning pain in her palms, the stickiness of her cheeks. Terra's face came into view in front of her, nothing but worry and panic in his eyes and she took a deep breath, looking around.
Terra was kneeling in front of her, hands on her shoulders. Mickey was standing next to him and she was aware that Ven had apparently scooted away. The noise that had been there was gone, now replaced with stifling silence and she swallowed, eyes flicking around. They were looking at her.
"What happened?" She asked, looking down at her palms, seeing beads of blood from where she had pierced her own hands with her nails.
"You shut down," Terra replied. "You weren't saying anything, weren't reacting. We realized about thirty seconds ago. It's been about a minute since…" Since they saw Sora stab himself.
"I'm asking you to put an end to me."
"Please Aqua, put an end to me."
She sucked in a careful breath, curling her hands into fists to hide the wounds from the prying eyes. She rolled her shoulders slightly, a nonverbal cue to Terra who removed his hands, and she looked to the couch where the teenagers were.
The teenagers had changed positions while she was… out of it, Sora back in the middle of the couch allowing both Riku and Kairi to hold onto a different arm. Sora looked slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable, not meeting anyone's gaze.
"Sora," she said, and the younger boy looked up at her. "Don't do that again."
"I had to save-"
"I don't care." She cut him off. "I don't care if the whole world is at stake, if every world is at stake. Do not…" She took in a shaking breath. "Do not do that. Your life is worth something. Worth more than what you can do for others, okay?" Sora nodded. "Okay?" She pressed.
"Okay," Sora responded but she had a feeling that wouldn't be enough. She would need to keep an eye on him. Just like she would need to keep an eye on Ven and Terra. She hadn't forgotten what they had requested of her.
Swallowing again, she leaned backwards into the couch, ignoring the way her palms burned slightly. She cast a Cure over them nonverbally, feeling the skin knit itself back together. No need to tell anyone what had happened. She could deal with her own problems.
As the Keyblade removes itself from Sora's chest, six balls of light return to the captive princesses. A seventh returns to Kairi who wakes up and runs over to Sora, trying to catch him only to have him disintegrate in her arms.
"That was not a fun thing to wake up to," she growled at Sora, holding his arm tighter. "I agree with Aqua, don't do that again." Sora grimaced. He had done it to save the world. He would do it again…
She calls out to him at the same time that Donald and Goofy do. Sora is briefly seen falling into darkness.
Wait a minute, Roxas thought. That's not… that's not how it happened, right?
Naminé had pressed a hand to her mouth. No matter how many times she saw it, either in her own memories or in Sora's, she hated the way she had been brought into the world. In a suicidal, self-sacrifice by the boy who only ever wanted to do right by the world.
Kairi says that Sora can't leave. Ansem, in his own body, appears from a portal, remarking that Kairi is awake.
Aqua flinched again. White hair, yellow eyes.
Ansem says that the Keyhole is complete, and that Kairi has served her purpose. Donald and Goofy move to defend Kairi.
Sora smiled at his friends. Even when he was gone, especially when he was gone, they defended his friends. When he couldn't.
Ansem moved towards them but is stopped. Riku appears in front of him, telling Ansem he won't use him for this.
Sora's eyes widened. He hadn't realized that…
"Riku!" He exclaimed, twisting to throw his arms around the older boy. "You stopped him!"
"Only for a second," Riku replied, but accepted the hug anyway. "Then he won."
"That second was all we needed," Kairi told him, leaning as close as she could with Sora in-between them.
Terra looked away. I really did give you my entire destiny, didn't I? He thought, biting his tongue. I didn't want this for you but… You're at least stronger than I am. You're free, here, with your friends. I'm… Xehanort's laughter, the way he would be deliberately let forward for a second, able to see things but not do anything, the darkness wrapping around his wrists and neck, keeping him pinned to the glass pane beneath him. Ten years.
Kairi calls out for Riku, but he tells her that they need to run and that the Heartless are coming. Kairi looked conflicted but turned to leave and ran down the staircase.
"I wish I could have done something," she murmured out, see herself fleeing onscreen.
"Kairi, you didn't have a weapon and you had just been freed my heart," Sora told her. "It's okay that you had to run."
She smiled ruefully before giving him a look. "Don't worry, it's not going to happen again," she announced, wanting to summon her Keyblade to prove her point but the magic in the room stood firm. She opted for throwing her arm out dramatically.
Goofy asks about the Keyhole but Donald says they have to leave. A single Heartless jumps from the railing and starts to follow them as Ansem manages to banish Riku away.
"Riku?" Sora asked, worried.
"I just ended up in the Realm of Darkness," Riku reassured him. "Then I met you by the door."
Roxas was watching the Heartless with trepidation. If that was Sora… Had he just been created? That was how he was created?
Kairi pauses for a second in the doorway, saying she can't leave them. Donald says they can't stay, and they run out of the room, followed by the Heartless.
"Is that you?" Ven asked, connecting the dots in his head. Sora had technically lost his heart just then and a Heartless was typically created when that happened, at least according to them. Sora nodded once.
"That's how me and Naminé were created?" Roxas asked, sounding more shocked than any of them had ever heard him. He was sitting on the edge of the couch, eyes wide and staring at Sora in shock.
"Yes?" Sora replied with a shrug. "At least, I assume. I've never fallen to darkness any other time, unless it happened during my year asleep."
"It didn't," Axel said, having been there, and reached out, wrapping one arm around Roxas and guiding him back down into a more comfortable position.
"Created?" Terra asked and several people gave him looks.
"Roxas and Naminé are Sora's and Kairi's Nobodies," Xion reminded him. "They were created when Sora extracted their hearts from himself because I guess that counts." She shrugged. "Usually, it's a lot more simpler than that."
"It's probably why Naminé and Roxas are so special," Axel said offhand. "Because they weren't created normally."
Naminé looked down at her hands. She wouldn't call what she could do "special".
"But we're our own people," Roxas snapped out, wanting to stop that before it got started.
"Of course, you are," Aqua replied and unseen to her, Vanitas flinched. Just a part of Ventus, just a shadow, just the darkness, not meant to exist. He tried to close his mind to the memories, but it wasn't exactly easy.
Goofy notices the Heartless and Donald says he'll take care of it. When the Heartless approaches, Donald whacks him on the head with his scepter.
Despite the situation, Kairi wasn't the only one stifle giggles. Sora gave her a betrayed look.
"Kairi, why are you making fun of Heartless me's plight?" He asked her overdramatically, leaning on her side slightly.
"Because it's just funny," she replied, shoving him away playfully. "Of all the magic that Donald knows, he decided to whack you on the head?"
"Maybe he knew it was you Sora," Mickey replied. "Or had an inkling. Why else wouldn't he do something more extreme?" Sora paused. He hadn't thought about that.
The Heartless looks to Kairi, who blinks in surprise, before calling him Sora.
"How'd you recognize him?" Riku asked, having not been around for this part.
Kairi shrugged. "I tell myself "Princess of Heart" magic and leave it there. I honestly have no idea."
"Ouch Kai," Sora jibed. "Couldn't even tell one of your best friends that you actually did recognize him. I'm hurt." Kairi giggled again.
To the adults in the room, they couldn't help the smiles that twitched on their lips. It was good that the three of them were able to have some lightheartedness, after everything that they had just witnessed.
More Heartless appear and Kairi attempts to shield Sora, before spinning and hugging him, covering him with her body when the Heartless leap at them. In a bright flash of light, Sora returns, Kairi still hugging him.
"Again, I have no idea how I did it," Kairi told the room at large. "I just really wanted Sora to be okay."
"Thanks Kairi," Sora said. She smiled at him.
"Of course."
The three of them are in shock of Sora's return but move to face the Heartless. The Beast appears suddenly, scattering the Heartless and telling them to leave.
"He's okay," Xion noted. She had known he must have been, he and Belle both due to her meeting them before but still.
Sora tells the Beast to come with them, but he says he's not leaving without Belle, which Sora nods to. The four of them run out of Hollow Bastion, leaving the Heartless behind.
"He got back to his world safe, right?" Terra asked and Sora wasn't the only one to nod.
"They all did," Sora confirmed. We all did.
