The sounds of combat outside grew muffled as Sora, Ruby, and the Beast ran into the castle foyer. An opulent, circular room with a second floor catwalk going along the walls held up by tall, thick pillars and a chandelier hanging at the center of the ceiling. Sora and Ruby slowed down to catch their breath. The Beast however wasn't even winded as he stepped further inside. He looked around while Sora and Ruby glanced back. "I hope they'll be okay..." Ruby said, unable to help worrying despite her friends' assurances.
"Be on your guard. They're close, I can feel it. Are you ready for them?" Beast's warning made the teenagers straighten up cautiously as they walked ahead. As the Beast tried to pinpoint exactly where their enemies were, he turned as he suddenly heard something behind them. What he saw, caused his eyes to widen with surprise. "Belle?"
The person was a young adult woman with clear, fair skin. Her brown hair was kept away from her face by being somewhat arched at her sides and behind her though one stand at the end hung over her shoulder. Her tannish-brown eyes were a little dazzling and the smile of her soft-pink lips was charming. She wore a golden-yellow ball dress that exposed her shoulders and a small portion of her cleavage but had laced floral designs at the bottom strands and matching operaa gloves.
A genuine smile crossed Beast's face as he gasped in relief, turning to fully face her. "Belle! It is you! I'm so glad you're alrig-!"
Relief turned to shock as Belle's face was suddenly covered by shadows which enveloped her whole body within moments. In place of Belle...was a Shadow Heartless. The realization caused beast to snarl with unhinged rage. He let out a furious roar, drawing Sora and Ruby's gaze as he lunged for the tiny Heartless. "Beast, no!" Ruby called out, but it was too late as the doors shut behind him, separating the pair from their mighty companion.
"Why didn't you go back?" Sora and Ruby immediately recognized that voice, and realized HE was the one who summoned that Heartless and tricked Beast.
"Riku, what have you done!?" Sora asked angrily as he turned to see Riku, Donald and Goofy standing behind him, shocked to see Sora was still here.
"Sorry for interrupting your little adventure game." Riku said sardonically, ignoring Sora's angry inquiry.
"This isn't a game to us, Riku! Especially not Sora! Why can't you see that?!" Ruby asked, only for Riku to glare at her before turning back to Sora.
"Haven't you had enough? This isn't a children's playground. Quit while you can." he said in a low, threatening tone.
Sora however had no intention of quitting after coming all this way. "No! Not without Kairi!" he said resolutely.
Riku's irritation grew as a dark aura surrounded his body, replacing his clothes with a dark purple form fitting armor that clung to his muscles with a long, tattered waistcloth that stretched to his calves. The hand area of his new attire ended in a stream of red and his fingers in a lighter shade of purple, with his shoes being replaced by dark purple boots. The most defining feature...was the Heartless emblem upon his chest. "The darkness will destroy you." he said with a tone that made it clear that his words weren't a threat. They were a promise.
Sora couldn't deny he was worried, but he refused to be deterred. Even by his best friend. "You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"
By now, Riku heard enough as his left hand ignited with dark flames. "Really?" he challenged, heaving his hand back before suddenly turning to Ruby, and unleashing a ball of dark fire from his hand at her. "Well we'll just see about that!"
Ruby gasped in shock, not prepared for Riku to actually attack them. Sora too was utterly shocked as he desperately rushed to protect Ruby, despite him not having the protection of Aura like she did. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Ruby saw Sora rush in front of her impulsively, the dark flames poised to incinerate him.
PFFF
"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere! Neither is Ruby!"
Sora and Ruby stared in surprise as suddenly, the dark ball of flames was intercepted by...Goofy! He'd dashed in front of them, shield raised, and stopped it from harming either Sora or Ruby.
"You'd betray your king?" Riku asked with sarcastic disbelief. He didn't really care about their mission to begin with, but seeing how quickly this captain of the guard betrayed the bearer of the Key his king told him to follow was utterly ridiculous.
"Not on your life!" Goofy retorted bravely. He turned to the stunned adolescents behind him with a softer smile and gave them a thumbsup as he spoke again. "But I'm not gonna betray Sora or Ruby, either. Cause' they've become some of my best buddies after all we've been through together." Goofy knew he was disobeying his king's orders, but to him, abandoning people he cared about was something he wouldn't forgive himself for. So he turned back to face the stunned duck wizard staring at him from across the room, feeling that Donald was probably disappointed by his actions. "See ya later Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Hold on, Goofy!" Donald said with his usual irritated behavior before rushing up to him but turned to a more friendly smile. "We'll tell him together!" Sora, Donald and Goofy were all surprised by the time the spellcaster was across from them. He rubbed the back of his head while looking down with a flustered frown and explained in his own way he'd do the same as Goofy. "Well, you know... all for one and one for all."
Goofy grinned cheerfully and nodded in agreement with Donald. "I guess you and Ruby are stuck with us now, Sora." he said, happy to be back by the side of the the boy and girl they teamed up with at the start of their adventure.
Sora lowered his head as a rush of emotions washed over him. Despite their abandonment of him when he lost the Keyblade, and how much it hurt thinking that they would put their mission over their friendship, even if it was a mission of utmost importance, he felt...happy. He was just so happy to have them back. "Thanks a lot...Donald...Goofy." he said, his eyes watering slightly.
Ruby's face turned to an elated smile as she jubilantly jumped in the air, pumping her right fist as she cheered, "YEAH! Team SRDG is back together!"
Riku felt sick to his stomach seeing them acting all chummy. He couldn't believe how stupid Donald and Goofy were. They were supposed to follow the Keyblade, and now they were going back to Sora of all people? He was helpless as a newborn babe. "How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku asked. The only reason he and Ruby even made it this far was because of the ones fighting outside, and the two idiots who went back to him.
Sora picked his head up and looked Riku straight in the eye, speaking with the same firmness and certainty he had before. "I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon...My heart!"
His passionate words made Riku scoff. "Your heart?" he asked mockingly before waving his arm in front of himself dismissively. "What good will that weak little thing do for you? Hearts don't have any power."
His arrogant rebuttal made Ruby glare. "And neither do you."
Her unexpectedly defiant retort made Riku's previous glare return. Was she suddenly lecturing him? "Excuse me?" he asked, his irritation toward the red caped huntress rising even than it already had more.
"What you have isn't real power, Riku. Sora...he's given everything to help all the people we've met. The worlds we've traveled to. The selflessness he acts with, the kindness he showed me, our friends, and even you...THAT is real."
Hearing Ruby stick up for him made Sora smile again. She'd stuck with him throughout all of this, even when Donald and Goofy left. She had been one of the truest and greatest friends he'd ever known in his life, apart from Riku and Kairi. It was thanks to her and everyone else that he'd found the courage to keep going, even when things were at their worst.
Looking toward Riku, Sora spoke up again, his voice full of rising courage. "Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience and it's found a home with all the friends I've made," he said as he looked to the three friends he currently had with him. The images of the others he traveled with to so many worlds came to his mind too and so did all the other individual people he met within those worlds. Dozens of people from across the stars, each sharing conversation or moments together that were special, even if it was anything mundane. The feelings shared between him and all of them was something to cherish and fondly remember. "I've become part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then... if they don't forget me... then our hearts will be one!"
Ruby beamed at Sora as he delivered his passionate speech. Nodding as she stood beside him, she drew Crescent Rose, along with Donald drawing his staff and Goofy raising his shield again. Sora was ready to fight too even if all he had was a wooden sword. That didn't matter to him, because he knew he had something much more valuable than that. The ones who stood at his side.
"I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"
Riku seemed utterly unimpressed with Sora and Ruby's impassioned words. His grip on the Keyblade tightened as he was about to make one more bitter retort to what he saw as a pair of children playing hero. But before he could do anything, he let out a gasp of shocked confusion as suddenly...the Keyblade vanished from his hand in a flash of light. As he flexed his hand again and again, trying to summon it, he realized he couldn't feel it at all. He...lost it! But his shock only grew when he looked outward to see...it was in SORA'S hands again!
Sora was a ratjer surprised himself, feeling Keyblade in his hands again. He wasn't sure he understood, but he didn't question it. All that mattered now was stopping Riku. And that was just what he and his friends were going to do. They would save his best friend from himself if that's what it took.
Riku couldn't believe it. Such a thing just couldn't be possible. The Keyblade chose HIM, not Sora. HE was the one who was supposed to wield it. Why? Why was it back with Sora?! Enraged beyond reason, Riku summoned forth his Soul Eater, refusing to let this stand. "Your friends are your power? Your heart is your weapon? How can a heart protect ANYTHING?!" he shouted as he ran at Sora and his friends.
Ruby, Donald, and Goofy leapt to the side as Riku slammed the blade of his weapon onto Sora's Keyblade. The deadlock didn't last long as Goofy rushed in and fended Riku off with his Shield, followed by Donald unleashing a Blizzara at him. Weaving to the side just in time, Riku swiped Soul Eater at Donald, though fortunately only managed to deal a glancing blow as Donald wobbled out of the way Just as Riku was about to follow up, Ruby suddenly dashed in from the side and struck him with the blunt side of Crescent Rose. Though Riku may have been working for their enemy, the last thing she wanted to do was deal him lasting harm with her weapon's blade. She wanted to believe that Sora would be able to get through to him in the end.
As much as Sora wanted to believe it too, he was still willing to fight Riku with everything he had. He wasn't going to let Riku stop him from finding and saving Kairi. And hopefully save him as well. And so, gripping the Keyblade tightly, Sora yelled out, "Let's go!" and unleashed the same rapid flurry of strikes he visited upon Hercules. But this time, Sora faintly noticed with every strike, the Keyblade seemed to...change. He could barely keep track as he let loose on Riku, but he could feel that the forms the Keyblade took...they were representations of the worlds he went to, the friends he'd made, and the bonds they formed. And as the final, thirteenth hit struck true, the Keyblade returned to its original form.
"No...Not yet." was all Riku could say as he weakly dropped Soul Eater in disbelief and his dark armor faded away. Sora...had beaten him.
Seeing him on his last legs after his armor vanished, Sora and the others lowered their weapons. Riku couldn't say or do anything as he stood their, clenching his fists with fury and disbelief. He couldn't believe this was happening. This COULDN'T happen. And yet, all he could do was turn on his heels and run away.
"Riku, wait!" Ruby called out, preparing to rush forward to stop him.
"Sora!" "Are you okay?"
Ruby stopped in her tracks when she heard that thump from behind, followed by Donald and Goofy's concerned exclamations. She turned to see him down on his rear with Donald and Goofy surrounding him.
"Yeah...Sorry guys. I just...need a second. I'll be okay." he assured them with a bright smile. He was just so happy to have his Donald and Goofy back.
Ruby's concerned face shifted to a smile as she reached down to pull Sora to his feet. THERE was the Sora she knew. The one that she, Donald, and Goofy helped remind how to smile.
The doors leading outside the foyer opened, catching their attention. Beast walked in, having long since vanquished the Shadow Riku used to deceive him. He saw the weapon Sora had now. "Beast! You're okay!" Ruby said with a sigh of relief.
"Yes. We all heard everything from beyond the doors," Beast said, looking toward Sora as he spoke again, in an impressed tone. "So your heart won this battle."
Sora responded with a terse, resolute nod. When Sora chose his friends over a need for power, his heart must have shined so brightly that the Keyblade found him worthy. Or at least that's what Ruby theorized. That heart of Sora's was one of the most wonderful things about him, after all. "Wait, all?" he asked, registering what the Beast said. Did that mean...
"Sora!"
Team SRDG perked up as suddenly, the voices of Ruby's friends rang out from behind Beast. Just as they said they would, they managed to fight off the Heartless and Grimm outside. A little worse-for-wear, but all of them alive and well. "You guys! I'm glad you made it!" Sora said as he ran to meet them, with Beast standing aside.
"Hey hey, sis! Did ya miss me?" Yang said, getting a big hug from Ruby. The joy from being with her sibling again was replaced with surprise when she, Weiss and Nora saw Donald and Goofy.
"YOU guys!"...and anger going by Yang and Nora yelled.
"Uh oh..." Donald muttered, seeing how angry the three ladies were at them. Both he and Goofy could only gulp as they had a few ideas why they were so angry. Of course, the way that Nora and Yang were furiously cracking their knuckles also provided a few hints. Blake and Ruby rushed to restrain Yang, while Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren all had to hold Nora back. Thanks to them being held back, that opened the door for
SMACK
SMACK
...two short sharp smacks to resound through the foyer. The source was none other than Weiss who left two very red slap marks on the sides of Donald and Goofy's heads. Both Nora and Yang groaned with disappointment at having been literally beaten to the punch. "You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" Weiss yelled. "You betrayed us! Even worse, you betrayed Sora when he needed you most! Do you have any idea how distraught he was when you turned your back on him to follow Riku?!" she lectured them, most lividly.
Donald and Goofy looked at each other, then at the group of huntsmen and huntresses who stared at them with varying levels of disappointment. All they could do in response was hang their heads and let out a synchronized, "We're sorry..."
Even though it didn't make things completely right, at the very least it was a start. "Well...Just stick with us from now on, and I'll consider forgiving you. But if you ever do that again, I'll have Yang turn YOU into a turducken, and Nora turn YOU into a hotdog!" Weiss said, emphasizing her warning by pointing at Donald and Goofy respectively. The warning earned a rapid nod from both of them.
"But Weiss, hotdogs aren't actually made from cooked dogs." Blake corrected.
"Not the point, Blake!" Weiss fired back, earning a chuckle from Yang, Sun, and Neptune...which earned THEM a glare from the Schnee heiress.
"C-Come on, Weiss. What matters is that we're all together again. And we can see this through together." Jaune said, trying to get things back to a less confrontational air.
"Jaune is right. Now that Sora has the Keyblade again, we can set things right." Pyrrha said, giving the spiky haired boy in question an encouraging smile.
Seeing everyone smile at him warmed Sora's heart immensely. He felt so blessed to have such wonderful and loyal friends. Together, maybe they would find a way to set everything right after all. For now, they would continue on, heads held high against whatever came their way.