I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters.
Ballad of Violence
Tyler walked down the hallway, stopping beside a hologram showing a map of all of the worlds they could currently reach. "Does anyone have any ideas how to save her?"
"Well, there might be one place," Vanille said. "There used to be an item in our world that could cure anything. It was called a panacea."
"But I thought your world was destroyed," Tyler said.
"It was," Fang said.
"But there might be another place to get it," Vanille said. "There's...someone else who survived our world. They might...know how to make a panacea."
"You don't sound so sure," Tyler said.
"They're not our friend," Fang said. "Actually, he and Lightning...well, they were trying to kill each other for pretty much the entire time they knew each other. And he actually succeeded in killing her once. Granted, she came back to life, but that was a long story."
"It sounds it," Tyler nodded. "Okay. Where is he?"
"He's at a world called Agrabah," Noel said. "And since it's probably going to come to a fight, I'm going. I have a score to settle with him."
"I'm coming too," Fang said. "I'm not sitting around while Lightning is in a coma."
"I'll stay here," Vanille said. "I wouldn't be much help against him, and someone that can heal should stay to look after Lightning."
"I'll stay too," Sazh said. "I'm not good enough to beat him either. If it comes to a fight, whoop his ass for me, though. I owe him for fucking our world up."
"If we fight, I'll try," Tyler said. "I'm not as good at fighting as Lightning. And if he beat her..."
"It's alright," Fang said. "Me and Noel will be there."
Tyler nodded as the pilot cleared his throat. They all turned and he pointed out the window. They turned to look, seeing a ball of sand with a sultan's palace on one side and a lion's head-shaped stone statue on the other.
"Agrabah," Fang said.
"I take it we were already heading there?" Tyler asked.
"As soon as Lightning passed out," Vanille nodded.
"Send us to him," Fang said. "Tyler, let me do the talking."
Tyler nodded and light blinded him. A couple of moments later, they were standing in the desert in a ring of pillars standing in the middle of nowhere, about five hundred meters across. As soon as they appeared, a barrier appeared between each. At the center of the ring of pillars, darkness began to explode out of the sand in a tornado. Tyler and the others watched as a man wearing formfitting purple armor rose out of the sand, a massive, oddly designed sword beside him. The sword had a handle that looked like bone, and a blade that looked like a broken scale, and standing at his shoulder.
"Caius," Noel said. "You're still using darkness?"
"I am darkness, Noel," Caius grinned. "Not that it matters, but why have you come here?"
"We need a panacea," Fang said. "Lightning is...she needs help."
"Is she?" Caius asked. "I see. Then she can give my regards to Etro. And all of you will be there to greet her."
He lifted his sword off the ground, Tyler legitimately impressed that he could lift it at all, judging by how heavy it looked.
"We didn't come to fight," Tyler said.
"No, you came to die," Caius said, slashing.
An arc of dark purple magic energy flew away from him at Tyler, who dove out of the way, the others doing the same. Tyler stood, summoning his keyblade. Caius stared at it before grinning slowly.
"How interesting," Caius said. "Come, keyblade wielder. Let's see how skilled you are with that blade."
Tyler looked to Fang who sighed.
"No choice now," Fang said. "We'll have to fight."
"We don't have time," Tyler said. "We need a panacea."
"Tell you what," Caius said, both looking back to him. "If the three of you can best me, I'll tell you where to find my last panacea as a reward."
Tyler watched him a moment before nodding and charging. Caius grinned, slashing his sword upward, the blade tearing through the ground. A massive fissure shot outward from Caius, purple magic glowing from the end of it. Tyler leapt aside from the strike and continued to charge. He slashed at Caius, who blocked the blade easily and backhanded Tyler, launching him away. Tyler crashed down hard, his keyblade spinning away. Caius shot after him but Fang stepped into the way, smashing Caius's sword aside and spinning, a glowing sphere of black and grey magic energy appearing around her fist before she backhanded Caius, launching him away. As soon as he landed, he cartwheeled aside from a fire spell, ending beside his sword and flipping it up with his foot, catching the handle and blocking Noel's larger blade. Noel spun, stabbing at Caius, who caught his wrist then spun, hurling him away.
Tyler leapt into the air as he reached Caius, summoning his keyblade back to his hands and slashing downward at Caius, forcing him to leap away from his sword. Caius smirked, taking a battle stance barehanded. Tyler stepped forward to slash at him and Caius stepped forward as well, slamming a palm strike into Tyler's chest. Tyler flew backward again and Fang sprinted forward. She swiped at him and he caught her staff, flipping her and hurling her away before turning and hurling her spear at Noel, who deflected it and charged at Caius. Caius held an arm out, purple magic forming in his hand. Before he could strike, Tyler slammed a fist down on Caius's forearm, making the spell fly off to the side. Then, Tyler spun, slamming his fist into the side of Caius's head. Caius staggered away, then spun, catching Tyler's kick and flipping him. Tyler threw himself into the flip, landing on his feet before lunging, tackling Caius to the ground and punching at him. Caius leaned out of the way, then yanked his feet out from under Tyler, planting both in his chest and hurling him into Fang. Both crashed to the ground and Tyler rolled to his feet, charging and ducking out of the way of Caius's punch, then slamming one of his own into Caius's gut. Caius staggered backward and Noel slammed a kick into the back of his head. Caius dropped to the ground, then flipped onto his hands, avoiding a downward stab from Noel, before spinning on his hands, kicking Noel in the jaw, throwing him away.
Tyler caught the kick thrown at him and turned, hurling Caius. Caius flipped onto his feet, ducking under Tyler's punch, only for Tyler's knee to crash into his face, making him stagger backward. As Tyler stepped forward again, Caius's sword appeared in his hands in a flare of purple and black flames, Tyler summoning his keyblade just in time to block a slash and be thrown away.
"You're skilled," Caius said. "I can tell Lightning trained you. But you're not good enough to defeat me. Even with these two helping you."
"I think we might be," Tyler said. "I'm starting to figure out your fighting style."
"Then allow me to show you another," Caius said, a massive sphere of purple and black flames erupting around him, growing into a massive sphere. Then, it cleared, leaving a massive black dragon hovering over them, long claws for fingers and toes, and glowing red eyes staring at them.
"Chaos Bahamut!" Noel shouted. "We're fucked!"
Tyler launched several types of spells at Caius, but they all exploded against him harmlessly. Then, Caius slashed at them, Fang and Noel leaping over the strike while Tyler was thrown upon impact with Caius's palm. He crashed down hard, gasping for breath and slowly beginning to stand, staring up at the massive dragon. It roared, a sphere of blue flames forming in its right hand. It hurled the fireball at Tyler and he scrambled to his feet, sprinting around the dragon, avoiding several fireballs before Lightning and Noel began to blast Caius rapidly with spells. The dragon turned toward them, roaring angrily, and Tyler summoned his keyblade, aiming it at the dragon's back and sending a bolt of lightning flying out of the tip of it, blasting into the dragon's back. It roared, a pair of fireballs it had been holding both exploding. The dragon turned toward him just as Fang leapt onto its head, driving her staff into one of its eyes.
Tyler hurled his keyblade, the blade stabbing into the other eye as Fang leapt off of the dragon. Tyler summoned his keyblade back to himself as the dragon exploded into a cloud of darkness, Caius slowly floating to the ground, glaring at him, sword in hand.
"Not bad," Caius said. "You're an effective team."
Noel reached Caius, slashing at him, and Caius blocked the sword, catching the arm with the gladius and driving Noel's shorter blade into Noel's abdomen.
"Noel!" Fang shouted.
Caius threw Noel away and turned back to Tyler. "Yet another friend you failed to save. I guess Lightning's just going to have to die without knowing how pathetic her student was."
Rage flooded Tyler and he clenched his fist around his keyblade. Then, he charged, slashing at Caius from the side, Caius blocking it, only for Tyler's fist to drill into his jaw. He staggered backward, and Tyler slashed at him again, from the opposite side. Caius again blocked it, flipping instantly, but as he landed, Tyler spun, kicking backward and slamming the kick into Caius's gut, throwing him backward. Caius snarled in rage, sprinting forward only for Tyler to duck under his slash, splitting him up the front this time. Caius staggered backward, then slashed at Tyler, Tyler blocking it.
"You're slowing down, Caius," Tyler growled. "Getting tired?"
He shoved the sword away, stabbing at Caius, who sidestepped it before Tyler spun, slashing at him again. Caius jumped backward and Fang slammed her staff into him, making him stagger forward just before Tyler formed a ball of fire around his fist as Fang had done whatever spell she used, then slammed the back of his fist into Caius's head, blasting him away. Caius flipped, landing on his feet, and glared at them.
"Impressive," Caius said. "But I'm not giving up yet."
"Good," Tyler growled, twirling his keyblade. "I'm not done playing with you yet."
Caius charged, all of his wounds sealing, and slashed at Tyler rapidly. Tyler blocking the strikes rapidly, neither moving. Then, finally, Tyler deflected the sword upward and slashed back downward at Caius. At the last second, Noel's blade blocked Tyler's, Tyler staring at him.
"We need the panacea," Noel said, a hand held to his stomach.
Tyler nodded, pulling his keyblade back and healing Noel, then turning to Caius. "Where is it?"
"It's with a man named Leon in Hollow Bastian," Caius said. "He'll give it to you if you drop my name."
"Good to know," Tyler said, lowering his arm. "Thanks."
He turned, beginning to walk away, Noel and Fang walking along side him. However, after about ten steps, Tyler heard the telltale hiss of someone taking a step in sand, coming from behind him. He spun, shoving Noel out of the way of Caius's much longer sword, then dropped into a crouch, Caius's sword passing over him, barely missing both him and Noel. Then, Tyler stood as he stepped forward, slashing upward and splitting Caius's stomach and chest open. Caius staggered backward, falling onto his knees and stared down at his wound, where darkness was flooding out.
"I'm sorry, Caius," Tyler said. "I actually didn't want to kill you. But no one hurts my friends. I thank you for telling us where to find the panacea. And I hope you find peace in the afterlife."
Caius fell backward, collapsing as the darkness slowly faded. Then, light blinded Tyler and the others as their pilot retrieved them.
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