//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Dreams of the Lost // Story: Kingdom Hearts: Friendship's Turmoil // by Superdale33 //------------------------------// Kingdom Hearts: Friendship’s Turmoil Chapter 12: Dreams of the Lost Sora determined that the halls were looking much cleaner, despite the many times they had been walked upon. He felt like he and Fluttershy would be able to finish up her detention that evening. With that thought, he looked over to Fluttershy, who was mopping up the floor, same as him. She had hardly faced him, or even talked with him, since they had started their detention. It concerned him quite a bit, but he wasn’t sure if it was his place to pry. She was very shy, and he didn’t know how she would react if he questioned her behavior. With Fluttershy, she was feeling very much the same. She was so tense and nervous about asking Sora some questions that she could barely even look at him. Her hands tightened on the handle of her mop, just as much as her heart was inside of her. She had to speak to him eventually, or she may never learn more about Sora. Her breathing was becoming a bit shallow as she tried to calm herself down, failing miserably. She eventually just stopped in the hallway, lowering her mop as she took deep breaths, closing her eyes. The sudden touch of a hand on her shoulder made her jump, giving a cute yet frightened squeak. She turned her head to see Sora looked at her with worry, holding the mop in one hand as he tilted his head at her. “Are you feeling alright, Fluttershy?” he asked, bringing his hand down since he had gotten her attention. “Y-Yes,” Fluttershy quickly answered, “I mean, no. Well, I could be feeling better, but I just…” She knew she was making a fool of herself, and the fact that she was doing it in front of someone she had a crush on made her blush profusely. Her gaze went to the floor, holding the mop close to her chest for support. She wished she could be anywhere else at the moment, even in front of a large audience. “What’s the matter?” Sora questioned further, a kind smile emerging, “Maybe I can help.” Fluttershy was really happy that Sora would be willing to assist her, but with what was going through her mind, she couldn’t stop herself as she said, “Your eyes are pretty!” Sora blinked at her as her blush intensified, attempting to hide it with her hair as she turned away slightly. Her embarrassment was pretty high at that point as she clamped her eyes shut, hoping that she hadn’t messed up. “Uh, thanks, I guess,” Sora responded, scratching his cheek as Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes. He wasn’t sure what brought upon her outburst, but was quickly searching his brain for something to say. Something that could be considering a compliment as well. “You… have nice hair.” Sora had to mentally facepalm at that statement, cringing at his own words. Was that really all he could come up with? Fluttershy, however, swallowed as her hands stroked her hair. “You like my hair?” she asked, her voice hopeful. Snapping out of his pitiful state, Sora rapidly nodded his head, resting his mop against the lockers. “Yeah,” he said before scratching the back of his head, “I mean, it looks really good on you.” She gave a fond smile, continuing to brush her hair like it was a furry cat. “Thank you, Sora,” she said, her eyes fixed on her hair, “Nobody really notices, but I try to make it is as nice as possible. I’ve been getting some pointers from Rarity, but I don’t think it’s as good as her.” “Are you kidding?” Sora said in disbelief, giving a large smile that made Fluttershy look directly at him. “It looks great. From the way you take care of it reminds me how much Kairi took care of her own.” Fluttershy gave a puzzling expression as she twisted the handle of the mop in her hands. All the while her heart clenching up. “W-Who’s Kairi?” she asked, already fearing the answer. She should have figured that Sora would already have someone special. He deserved someone as such. “She’s my best friend,” Sora explained, catching Fluttershy off guard. “We grew up on the island together with Riku.” “And you’re just… friends with Kairi and Riku?” she asked, feeling slightly terrible for asking a question like that. “Well, yeah,” Sora answered, raising his brow, “Why do you ask?” “I-It’s nothing!” Fluttershy hastily replied, turning away to finish the hallway with her mop. Seeing that she was done, Sora slowly grabbed his mop and turned back to his own work, wondering what could be on Fluttershy’s mind. She was acting rather strangely around him, like she had some sort of… Sora stopped himself as his eyes widened slightly. “Could she really…?” he whispered to himself as he turned towards Fluttershy, seeing her mop with her back turned towards him. “Like me?” He gave a thoughtful glance to the ceiling before shaking his head, “No, don’t get ahead of yourself.” He gave another sigh, turning back to his work before noticing that he was done, having reached the point where Fluttershy and he had agreed would be the finishing point. They weren’t completely finished with the school, but they were definitely making a lot of progress. “Oh,” Fluttershy spoke up from where she stood, “I’m finished.” “Same here,” Sora said as searched the area, making sure he really was done. Satisfied, he walked towards Fluttershy, who froze up when she realized that Sora was coming back. When he reached her, he lifted up a hand, showing her an open palm, “I can put away the mops. You can head home.” She quickly turned her eyes towards him, seeing the sincerity in his expression. She gave a smile as she gave her mop to him. “Thank you very much, Sora,” she said with an appreciative nod, “For everything.” “No problem,” Sora said, tossing a mop into the air before catching it, “I’m just glad I could help.” He turned away to leave but stopped short, giving Fluttershy a quick glance. He saw how sad she was, even if she was covering it up pretty well. “Is there something on your mind?” he asked nicely, careful not to tread on a touchy subject. “It’s just… I’m scared,” Fluttershy said, half lying, “With everything that’s going on, I just hope that no one gets hurt… especially you.” Sora stared at her with a bit of grief, knowing that some people were going to get hurt, no matter how hard he tried. But the last two words touched him deeply, so much so that he wanted to give Fluttershy a hug, and tell her it would be alright. Instead, he gave a reassuring grin, “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. There may be times when things seem dark, but there’s always a light.” Fluttershy gave a soft giggle at his wording, holding her hands behind her back. Sora gave a cheery smile, and Fluttershy sighed longingly. Sora really was special to her, more so than she realized before. She had to wonder why he didn’t have a girlfriend long ago. *** “Roxas, wake up!” Twilight shouted, a book hitting Roxas in the head. He winced from the impact, sluggishly bringing a hand up to his forehead and rubbing it tenderly. “I know you’re tired but I need your help.” Roxas rubbed his eyes, blinking away the blurriness to see that he was still sitting on a chair with a pile of books on a nearby table. The library was still as empty as ever as Twilight glared at him from the bookshelf she stood next to. His detention was becoming far worse than he thought it would be. Celestia had said that he would just be assisting Twilight with her project. She didn’t say that he would be sitting in a chair for hours staring at books. “Come on, Twilight,” Roxas moaned with half-lidded eyes, “I’ve been through a lot today. Cut me some slack.” “School is important to me, Roxas,” she said begrudgedly, turning her eyes back to the shelved books, searching intently. “You may not have to worry about grades, but I do.” “Well, I have to worry about saving your world,” Roxas retorted, grinding his teeth together slightly, “So sorry if I’m a little exhausted. Even Spike is tired.” Pointing over to the dog confirmed this as Spike laid on his back on top of an open book on the floor. He occasionally kicked his leg as if he was running, which was probably the case in his dreams. Knowing that Roxas was right, Twilight exhaled, trying to drive off the anger that had come out of no where. “You’re right,” Twilight admitted with a shake of her head, “I’m just nervous about this project.” Roxas grunted, “I can’t say I know how you feel, but I need some sleep.” Twilight picked out a book, drumming her fingers on it nervously a she stared at her feet. She hadn’t really asked Roxas anything about his past, having been distracted with her work. She had to ask him while the time was right, and before he fell asleep again. “Soooo, Roxas,” she started with a nervous grimace, “What did you do as a… Nobody?” Referring to Roxas as a Nobody didn’t sit right with Twilight, like she was insulting him. She already knew that he was once part of Organization XIII and had turned good, but he hadn’t really spoken much about anything else. Roxas relaxed in his chair, his eyes focused on the floor above as he spoke. “Just defeat Heartless mostly,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging a bit. Then, he sat up in his chair, a fond smile growing as he faced Twilight, “Although, I did have a great friend named Axel, or I guess Lea now.” Finding something to discuss, Twilight walked over to Roxas, sitting in a chair opposite of him. She knew what it was like to find great friends, so she was interesting to hear what Roxas had to say. “What was he like?” “Sarcastic is a good word,” Roxas stated with a chuckle, “He’s also pretty laid back. We used to eat ice cream together on top of a clock tower after every mission.” “You guys must have been very good friends,” Twilight noted. “The best of friends,” Roxas replied, “He has this catchphrase he always says. It wouldn’t be Axel if he didn’t say it.” “Wait,” Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion, “which is it? Axel or Lea?” Roxas gave a contemplative expression as he rolled his hand around to try to buy time. “Well, when someone turns into a Nobody, their name is changed around and an ‘X’ is thrown in. Before Axel became a Nobody, he was called Lea, apparently.” “Oh, okay,” Twilight said, accepting the fact, though still a bit uncertain she understood everything, “So, what’s his catch phrase?” Roxas grunted, remembering back to all the times Lea would say those three words. Lifting a hand up, Roxas was about to point to the side of his head, before a thought struck him. His mind abruptly shifted to the girl with black hair, and it caused him to grow angry, pushing himself to his feet as he took a few steps away from Twilight. “Roxas?” she asked quietly, hoping she hadn’t crossed some sort of line for asking her previous question. “What’s the matter?” “It’s this girl,” he answered bluntly, making Twilight stop as she was getting to her feet too. With a saddened sigh, she got up completely, feeling like she already knew where the topic was going. “She’s been haunting me for some reason ever since I got here.” “Oh,” Twilight said, her mind shaking off what she thought Roxas was going to talk about, “What exactly is she doing?” “Messing with me mostly,” Roxas explained, walking over to the bookshelves to rest a hand against, “I’m the only one who can see her, and she won’t leave me alone.” “Maybe she wants something from you,” Twilight suggested, stepping behind Roxas, “Do you know who she is?” Roxas stiffened, raising his head a bit before turning to Twilight with a frown, “That’s the thing. I’ve never seen her before in my life until now, but I feel like should know her, like I was supposed to know her.” Roxas put a hand to his heart as Twilight gave him a solemn expression, wishing she could do something to help him. It was quite obvious that this was what had been on Roxas’ mind. “The biggest clue I got from her was in my sleep. She said… I knew her from someone else.” The emotions Twilight saw in Roxas were very mixed. Hatred, sadness, confusion, fear; all of it was stirring up inside of him, and all of it was caused by this one girl. She had to help her friend, but she had no idea how. Roxas dropped to a sitting position, leaning against the bookcase as he sighed heavily. “I don’t know what I can do,” Twilight said sadly, tilting her head down as she closed her eyes, “This is obviously tearing you up, and I feel so useless.” The impression that Roxas was having on Twilight made him learn how he had been affecting her, and he didn’t like it. With a mildly shocked expression, Roxas leaned forward and grasped her hand tightly. Twilight gasped sharply from the touch, her eyes shooting open as she blushed, but Roxas took little note of it as he looked into her eyes. “You’re not useless, Twilight,” Roxas said, hoping he was saying the right words, “This is something that I have to figure out, but I want to be with a friend right now. Someone to keep me company.” Twilight put her other hand on Roxas’, giving a sad smile as she stared at it. “Thanks, Roxas,” she said sincerely, “I try to help my friends with books, but in your case, I can’t do that, but I’m glad that just being around you makes you feel better. It… kind of makes me feel better too.” She gave a nervous chuckle, “I guess I’m getting a little sappy. I hope I’m not-” She lifted her head up to look to Roxas, only to see he had fallen asleep. Instead of trying to force him to wake up, like she had done many times previously, Twilight gave a nice smile as she picked herself up. Retrieving a blanket in one of the closets in the library, she placed it on top of Roxas, making sure his body was completely covered. “Good night, Roxas,” she said, standing to her feet. She didn’t want to leave Roxas alone in the library all night, but she knew that her family would worry about her if she didn’t return home soon. Besides, it was already hard enough trying to lie to her parents about Roxas needing a place to sleep the first time. She felt like having him sleep in the library was right. After all, if she had the chance, she’d sleep there too. So with a bit of reluctance, she collected whatever she needed, packed it into her backpack, and slipped it on. “Come on, Spike,” she said, kneeling down to the sleeping pup, shaking him a bit. “It’s time to head home.” *** Sora opened his eyes to see that he was back on the glass pillar, with the familiar purple, glass stained floor. It felt so long ago since he stood upon the column, what with the battles that he had participated in one day. He hadn’t run into Roxas on his way back up to the Gummi Ship, but Sora was willing to bet that Roxas would be fine. He’d probably found someplace to sleep, especially since he was always complaining how tired he was. Distracted by his thoughts, Sora winced when a bright light flashed on the ground in the large circle of friends. With an orange hue, the light died down to reveal Applejack, wearing the same clothing and fake ears that the others wore. The image made Sora feel somewhat content, knowing that he and Applejack had gotten across a bump in their friendship, if it could be called that. “Honesty…” the voice spoke in its soundless tone, making Sora perk his head with a small smile. It was strange how well honesty fit for Applejack, especially with how brutal she was with it. Her truthfulness may be blunt, but it got the point across, and for Sora, he was glad her honesty was used well. Before he could think more upon the subject, the entire pillar lit up in a brilliant purple light. Sora was forced to bring both of his arms up to cover his eyes, but the light was so bright that it hardly mattered. And just as bright as it was, it disappeared instantly, and with cautious speed, Sora moved his arms. The whole pillar had changed, stunning Sora as he gazed around with awe. The most notable change was that Twilight took up half the picture, in some sort of sleep. Spike had also appeared, filling up a circle alongside the other five friends. The ring of circles along the edge of the pillar had multiple pictures, most of which were either a certain star pattern that matched the one on Twilight’s skirt, or silhouettes of girls. Sora couldn’t really figure out the latter. Two circles were different from the rest, holding Sunset Shimmer and two unfamiliar boys. As a whole, the pillar was certainly unique, and Sora could feel magic radiate from it. “Magic…” the voice said, and Sora jerked back in shock. If Magic was referring to Twilight, what exactly would that mean? She didn’t have any sort of magical abilities, nor was she adept with spells. What could magic have to do with her? “Magic is friendship,” the voice said, unwavering as it spoke, making Sora turn back to the dark abyss that surrounded him. “Friendship is magic…” “So, does Twilight represent friendship?” Sora asked, more to himself than to the mysterious voice. “Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, Magic,” the voice continued, “Six elements in total, forming the one thing that matters the most. Magic is merely a part of the whole, but also the whole itself. They are separate, yet intertwined. They are presented to you; it is obvious what the whole is. However, it is locked away and vulnerable. It’s missing the key. The key that can reveal this magic. If the key is not found soon, friendship will be destroyed.” Sora shivered slightly, turning his head back to the pillar, his eyes landing on the image of Fluttershy, “And then no one can be friends any more.” “To succeed,” the voice continued, and Sora faced the dark sky again, “you will need another ally, one that is locked away in your heart.” “An ally?” Sora balked, looking around as if the person would suddenly be revealed. “He is both far off, and very, very near…” the voice said, making Sora narrow his eyes. “Who could it be?” he whispered to himself, but as expected, he did not receive a response. Taking a deep breath, Sora closed his eyes, trying to find the ally that was locked in his heart. At first, he didn’t feel any difference from that what he usually felt, but then there was a presence. The presence was actually a part of Sora’s heart, much like Roxas was. The bizarre presence was suddenly gone, making Sora’s eyes shoot open. The sound of someone landing behind him made him freeze his body. However, he quickly got over his shock, settling down as he turned around to face who he thought was to be his ally. *** Without opening his eyes, Roxas knew where he was. The feeling was unlike any other, and having experienced it a few times before helped as well. It reminded him of how he had ran into the girl in the same place. It was undeniable that he would meet her again, and this time he was determined to learn about her. Twilight had driven his mind to ponder if the girl would appear again, and if she did, what she would do. It was very possible she would attack him again, forcing him to have to eliminate her to end his torment. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. The deep breath Roxas took did nothing to calm his nerves, opening his eyes as he trained them to the glass pillar he stood on. It was Sora again, sleeping off to the side with pictures of his friends beside him. Roxas had to wonder why his heart would have Sora and not something related to himself. Then again, he was a part of Sora, as much as Sora was a part of him. Besides, there wasn’t anything that would be unique to Roxas besides himself and Lea. That made him sad, feeling somewhat lonely from that statement. “You can come out now,” Roxas called, wanting to deviate his depressing thoughts as he turned his gaze to the blackness. “You don’t have to hide.” He knew there was no point speaking. Whether she came out wasn’t determined if Roxas gave her permission or not. This was evident when Roxas looked around, seeing no sign of her. This didn’t deter him, being quite convinced that she would pop up eventually. With another turn of his head, Roxas saw a dark mist concentrating on a single point away from him. It looked to be forming a person, and Roxas knew it had to be the girl. Who else could it have been? However, when the mist cleared, it didn’t show a girl at all, shocking him. Instead, it was an armored boy kneeling down, his stature pointing to that conclusion. He wore an armor suit that Roxas had never seen before, with a helmet that had a darkened visor and long, ear-like fins on the sides. The person was also drenched in darkness, his armor a reflection of that, yet having a fuzzy appearance, as if it was forced upon him. It was a rather intimidating figure, and that wasn’t including the keyblade that he clutched in his hands. For a moment, Roxas had to do a double take at the keyblade. It was similar to any other one - the teeth, blade, and keychain - but there was a large, notable difference. The bar that made up the blunt end of the keyblade was over the guard instead of the handle, making it look a bit ridiculous. It was ridiculous, until the figure moved, standing on his feet as he held the keyblade back handed. It was a form that was completely foreign to Roxas, and the figure standing stock still as he stared at him was very uncomfortable to boot. “Who are you?” Roxas asked, taking a small step forward. That’s when Roxas saw the symbol over the figure’s helmet, one that was just as different as the keyblade he held. Roxas didn’t have a clue what it could mean or represent, but it was something that made him question the identity of the figure. He was so different to everything he had met and faced, so why was he here in his heart? The figure didn’t answer Roxas’ question, flipping the blade to hold it normally before pointing it at Roxas. Seeing the gesture, Roxas grunted before furrowing his brow, throwing his hands to the side to summon his keyblades. Surprisingly, only his Oblivion keyblade appeared in his right hand, causing him to balk. Facing his left hand, he put more force into it, trying to summon Oathkeeper, but to no avail. He stared at his hand in disbelief, “What’s going on? It’s like when Sora used that Valor Form.” The figure swung his keyblade to the side, catching Roxas’ attention again, and making him come to a realization. “Does he have my keyblade?” he questioned, but didn’t get an answer as the figure charged him, his armor clanking with each movement as his keyblade returned to its original hold. The figure jumped in the air as Roxas took a few steps back to brace himself for the inevitable attack. Doing a flip midair, the figure brought his keyblade back for an overhead swing, and Roxas lifted his own keyblade up as it made contact. *** No matter how long Sora stared at the girl, it didn’t change who she was. Being dressed in a black coat similar to the Organization was already putting Sora on edge, and with him having no idea who she was added to that. Her expression was neutral, showing no emotion at all. It reminded Sora of Saïx, with the stoic face staring blankly at him. “Who are you?” Sora asked simply and rather lightheartedly. “Do I know you from somewhere?” Then his eyes widened as he leaned forward, “Wait, I remember you from the Dream Worlds!” The girl did not react to his revelation. “What are you doing here?” Sora asked, holding out a hand to gesture to the pillar. “Are you connected to my heart some how?” “Sora,” the girl suddenly spoke, making Sora stop his questions instantly. “Who do I look like?” Sora was about to say he hadn’t a clue, but got a better look at her, noticing certain similarities. He gave a brief frown, speaking subconsciously. “Kairi,” he muttered before it clicked in his head, his eyes narrowing at her. “Hold on,” he said, his voice raising as he tightened his hands, “You’re the girl that’s been bugging Roxas, aren’t you?” The girl finally showed emotion: sadness. With a deeper frown, she stared at her shoes, “Yes.” Sora didn’t say a word, waiting for some sort of explanation. The girl looked up to him, the sadness still evident in her face. “Please,” she whispered, “Tell him… I’m sorry.” “Sorry?” Sora repeated, tilting his head as his anger was replaced with confusion. She did all that, and she was just going to say sorry like it was an accident? Perhaps it really was an accident, or she was being forced by another person. Sora was about to voice his questions, but the girl beat him to it. “I have to do this, Sora,” she said, darkness enveloping her, “For both Roxas’ sake, and yours.” And with that, the darkness covered her like a cocoon. Sora gasped in surprise, running over to help her. Before he could reach her, the dark cocoon burst open, a larger armor like figure emerging. Sora halted as he gazed up, his jaw opening slightly at what stood before him. A mash up of familiar things stood before him. The one that stood out the most was that the figure resembled himself. The spiky hair on the figure’s head was a copy of his own, and the clothing - if it could be called that - was also similar. The figure also had a few images of the Organizations logo around its body, most notably was the two keyblade like weapons in each hand. In the end, the girl had been replaced by a large figure that was a combination of Sora, the Organization, and possibly Roxas. “What the?” Sora said in shock, right before the figure swung one of its keyblades. Its movements were slow, but Sora hadn’t recovered from the figure’s appearance, and the attack hit him without a hitch. Landing a few meters away Sora quickly jumped back to his feet, summoning his keyblade as he got ready for a battle. The figure was about to repeat the attack, but Sora was ready this time. Grinding his teeth slightly, Sora surged forward, hopping over the sideways strike with ease. With a push, he launched himself towards the temporarily defenseless figure, ready to slash at it without pause. *** Roxas was fumbling more than he’d like to admit. Though he had used the keyblade single handed many times before, he found the first few minutes frustrating as he tried to readjust to his former skills. And doing that in the middle of a fight was no easy task. Blocking another swing from the figure, Roxas grunted as he pushed back, going for an uppercut but finding only a keyblade blocking his attack. Breaking their hold, they swung their keyblades at each other multiple times, but each time was blocked by the other. The figure’s fighting style was so unfamiliar to Roxas that he had to dodge more times than he’d like. The figure jumped back with a twirl before leaping forward again for a stronger attack. Roxas easily saw it coming, bringing up his keyblade to block it. Unexpectedly, the figure landed right in front of Roxas, launching into the air instead. Caught off guard, literally and figuratively, Roxas stared at him as the figure was heading over Roxas. Then, with a quick sideways strike, the figure hit Roxas from the side, landing on his feet while Roxas was sent to the ground. While on the ground, Roxas quickly turned around to face the figure, raising his keyblade just in time to intercept another strike, though just barely. They locked keyblades, the figure pushing harder against Roxas as he took a step forward to gain leverage. Roxas put his free hand on the blade of his keyblade, trying his best to hold him back. Knowing that he had move, Roxas rolled out of the way while breaking the lock, just as the figure struck the ground. Roxas pushed himself to his feet to see the figure already charging him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop him that time, as the figure sidestepped him and struck, unleashing a rapid combo. Roxas was finally able to impede his attacks by holding out his keyblade, catching the other’s keyblade. Then, with the break from the attack, Roxas pushed the figure’s keyblade away as he spun on the spot. His keyblade rising over head as he gave a hard swing. Making contact, Roxas followed up with a wide swing, knocking the figure back. The figure used one hand to catch himself as he used it to push himself to his feet, landing with a twirl of his keyblade. They stood still for a moment, Roxas breathing hard from the exertion while the figure was motionless. “Who are you!?” Roxas shouted, stomping his foot in anger. “Answer me!” The figure slowly bowed his head, as if in thought. Time ticked on for a few seconds before he faced Roxas again, lifting his free arm as he pointed straight at Roxas. Baffled, Roxas briskly looked around him, making sure to keep an eye on the figure in case he tried anything. “Stop messing with me!” Roxas yelled, furrowing his brow deeply, “Why are you here? Are you working with that girl?” The figure lowered his hand as his keyblade rose, ready for round two. Roxas sighed, not liking how the battle was turning out so far. He had no idea who this person was, and he was losing. Those were two things that constantly enraged him, almost as much as that one guy in the red wrappings, the one who spoke down to him condescendingly back in Twilight Town. Roxas held his keyblade with both of his hands, wondering if Sora was having a nice snooze while he was fighting a losing battle. *** The monstrous figure was growing faster with each swing of its weapons, and Sora knew he had to finish the battle quickly. Dodging and diverting each strike was helping to avoid getting hurt, but he couldn’t keep it up forever. He still had to figure out who this girl was, why she was attacking him, and many other things. The large figure brought both of its keyblades up, slamming them on the ground and creating a huge shockwave. Sora easily jumped over the attack, landing on the keyblades before leaping for the chest, swinging as much as he could. The figure spread out its arms, and Sora jumped back to get some distance. Luckily he did that, as a wall of fire surrounded the figure before dying off. The figure then, smashed both of its palms into each other, somehow linking the keyblades into a dual sided weapon. With a spin of its new weapon, it threw it at Sora, spinning in the air as it traveled at a fast speed. Sora did a backflip just as it approached, and as it traveled underneath him, Sora threw his keyblade, having it fall in between the dual sided keyblade, and locking it to the ground. The figure’s keyblades were still spinning it its hold without any pause as Sora landed on top of his keyblade. The figure made to swat him away with its hands, but before it could, Sora jumped up and flipped midair before landing his hands on his keyblade. With a loud grunt, Sora tore his keyblade out of the ground, the dual sided keyblade coming along with it, still spinning. With a powerful swing, Sora threw the dual sided keyblade back at the figure. The figure had no time to dodge the attack, taking it full on as it tumbled to the ground. Its dual sided keyblade separated back to two keyblades, falling to the ground with a clatter. Seeing a chance for another attack, Sora landed and rushed forward. When he was close enough, he jumped up, ready to swing downwards. However, the figure suddenly retained its keyblades, and spun on the ground as it held its keyblades out. Sora was caught in the attack, being knocked into the air. Then the figure jumped up, and slammed both keyblades down on Sora who slammed into the floor, giving a pained cry. Sora was able to get back to his feet, and dodge roll away, just in time to avoid a down stab from the figure. Taking a breather, Sora raised his keyblade over his head as he shouted, “Heal!” A light palette of flowers appeared overhead, spreading green magic as leaves swirled around Sora for a moment. After healing, Sora got a good look at the figure, who was already getting ready for another attack. Sora braced himself with his keyblade, but the figure suddenly froze, lowering its weapons and standing still. “Huh?” Sora said, lowering his guard slightly. His eyes traveled slightly over head, and what he saw above made him drop his keyblade to his side, gawking. Another platform, completely upside down, was just above him, though he had no idea where it came from. It was almost a mirror of the one Sora stood upon, except instead of Twilight and her friends, it showed Sora and his friends. What was even more bewildering was that Roxas was fighting on it, with a figure that he couldn’t really make out. That was when he felt himself floating upwards, making him gaze around in a panic. He swung his limbs around trying to break whatever was sending him up with no success. Meanwhile, Roxas was still fighting when the figure suddenly stopped, standing tall as it waited. Roxas, not thinking about it, tried to use the opportunity to strike, but found himself floating as well. His reaction was similar to Sora’s, trying to fight whatever was forcing him upward. That’s when he looked upwards, shocked with the scene above. Not only was there a large monster standing on another platform, but Sora was there, floating a bit as well. He was just as confused as Roxas was, and the look they shared with each other confirmed that they each were clueless with the events that were unfolding before them. Then, they fell. It was like gravity had reversed for both of them as they each tumbled towards the opposite platform. For a moment, they passed each other in midair, gazing over to the other with parallel confusion. To each other, it seemed like the other was falling to the sky, and to another monster. When they neared their respective platforms, they flipped and landed with expertise, looking over to their new attacker. With Sora, when he finally got a good look at the figure, he gasped. It matched perfectly with the description of what Riku had given him way back after the confrontation with Xehanort and his associates. It was the same figure that protected him when Riku dived into his heart to save him from his sleep. Oddly enough, it felt like Sora had known the figure his whole live. Shaking the feeling off, Sora remembered that Riku had given the figure a name, one that made Sora wonder why he and Roxas had to face him. Nightmare Armor. With Roxas, the monster he saw before him made him pause. The monster… he had seen it before, but from where, he couldn’t recall. The feeling of sadness was prominent, the exact same emotion when he was around the girl, causing him to come to a grim conclusion. The girl had become this monster, and he had to take it down. The thought made him remember when he had decided to defeat Xemnas himself. Did he have to fight this monster before hand? Before he even fought Riku? Whatever the answer may be, he still had to take it down, and he had a good name for the monster that he could call it for the time being. The name fit perfectly for some reason in his head. Oni. *** With the platform gone from above, Sora got his keyblade ready as the figure ran forward, holding its keyblade back handed. When he was close enough, Nightmare Armor gave multiple swipes to Sora, who was able to easily block them. When an opening was presented, Sora took advantage of it, knocking Nightmare Armor’s keyblade back as he wailed on him with his keyblade. Nightmare Armor was able to recover as it jumped back, throwing its keyblade at Sora. Turning to the side, Sora pushed forward, jumped in the air, and caught the keyblade. Even in his armor, Sora could tell that Nightmare Armor was surprised by this, and since he was defenseless, Sora was able to go all out. His swings were slow at first, but he was quickly speeding up, to the point where he was almost a blur. Nightmare Armor made no noise as he was assaulted, but still reacted to each attack, letting Sora know that he was effecting him. After a while, Sora ended his onslaught, jumping back a moment before leaping straight up. Nightmare Armor was still in a daze, allowing Sora to easily line up his keyblades. “Let’s finish this!” Sora shouted before a beam of light shot out of each keyblade. The light beams swirled around each other before colliding into Nightmare Armor, who recoiled in pain. Sora saw the armor crack underneath the barrage of light, and when Sora was finished, he landed back on the ground, with Nightmare Armor doing the same, except he fell right on his back, and remained unmoving. Sora waited a moment to see if Nightmare Armor would jump back up. When he didn’t, Sora let out a sigh of relief, allowing his keyblade to disappear - the other vanishing on its own accord - as he rested his hands on his knees. “Thank you, Sora,” Nightmare Armor said, making Sora stand back up to full height with a tilt of his head, the voice sounding very familiar. Too similar. “Roxas?” he questioned, “What are you doing in there?” Nightmare Armor chuckled, “No, not Roxas. It is pretty confusing though, huh?” “Yeah, I guess,” Sora agreed, still not following what was happening. “but why are you thanking me?” “You’ll find out,” Nightmare Armor told him, “I won’t be able to remember this, but for all it’s worth, Sora, I’d say Fluttershy is in good hands.” “What?!” Sora exclaimed, jerking back with a small blush coming through. Nightmare Armor laughed before letting out a content sigh. “Yeah,” he muttered wistfully, “It’s going to be fun meeting you again.” “Huh?” Sora asked, but didn’t get an answer as Nightmare Armor melted into the floor, stunning Sora, “H-Hey, wait!” He ran forward to help him, reaching his hand out to grab his. He didn’t make it, however, just missing it as his hand met the smooth glass. Sora sighed in sadness before remembering what Nightmare Armor had said, letting out a small laugh as he looked up to the dark sky. “You sound like a fun guy to be around,” Sora said, hoping Nightmare Armor could hear him, wherever he was. Then, a bright light filled his vision, though Sora didn’t react to it. In fact, he was happy it was there. It meant that he could wake up, and officially meet that guy. *** Roxas was definitely having an easier time with Oni than he did with the other figure. Oni swung its keyblades, but Roxas was able to see the attacks coming before it even started. It was all bizarre, like he had partaken in the battle before. Oni suddenly glowed a white light as it held its keyblades in front of it like an ‘X’. Roxas didn’t know what it was planning, but was ready for anything. Suddenly a ring was surrounding Roxas, shining like the light of fire. With a mad dash, Roxas was able to escape the ring just as the interior burst into flames. Getting an idea, Roxas held his keyblade back, lining his hand up with where he had last seen Oni. With an accurate throw, Roxas sent the keyblade flying through the raging fire, and when it exited, it was on fire as well. The keyblade impacted Oni’s head, causing it to take a few steps back as the ring of fire dissipated. Seeing that his plan had worked, Roxas summoned his keyblade again as he charged forward. Oni saw him coming, madly swinging its keyblades at him, but Roxas was able to dodge them with ease until he stood right underneath Oni. With a push, Roxas launched at Oni’s right leg, slicing through it before pushing off of it and slicing through the other leg. Oni fell to its knees from the attack, and Roxas pushed off its leg away from Oni. Pointing his keyblade at Oni, he shouted, “Come on!” A beam of light shot out, growing in intensity before it hit Oni like a missile. Its armor shattered into pieces as Roxas landed. Darkness was weaving through the air a moment before disappearing completely, revealing the same girl Roxas had seen many times before, though much more worn out from the battle. She took a few steps to balance herself out, but eventually fell to her knees, her eyes looking droopy as she staring at the floor. Roxas was huffing from the battle, but that didn't stop his hateful glare. “You finished yet?” he questioned, swinging his keyblade for emphasis. The girl didn’t answer, raising her head to stare at Roxas. Her mouth opened slightly, and for the first time, Roxas heard her voice. “Yes,” she whispered, “I did what I needed to do.” The voice itself sent Roxas into a wave of pain as he dropped his keyblade to the floor, clutching his head. From what he could understanding, his mind was trying to remember something that wasn’t there. How he knew that was beyond him, but the pain eventually left, and he looked up to the girl, a sorrowful frown on his face. “I know you,” he muttered, looking at his hands, “I can’t remember from where or when. I don’t even know your name.” The girl gave a ghost of a smile, “It’s… Xion.” Roxas gaped at her, looking up to her, “You… You’re Xion?” She nodded, “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.” Roxas furrowed his brows, his anger coming back. “So why didn’t you?” he questioned, “Why all the games? Why were you haunting me like some kind of-?” “Ghost?” Xion finished, her frown returning in full force. “Because it was the only way, Roxas.” Roxas blinked, his anger fading away as he relaxed his body, “The only way?” “Yes,” she answered, “This world Sora entered… it’s special. It holds a very powerful magic. With that magic, you were able to come back. But only partially.” “What do you mean?” Roxas questioned, taking a few steps forward, still cautious around Xion. Giving a very small smile, she looked straight to Roxas, “I mean you’re whole now. You may not ever remember me, but I’m glad I could help you, one last time.” Roxas stared at her in surprise, taking more steps as he grew closer. “Xion,” he whispered, “You… it was so you could make me whole?” Unexpectedly, ice was starting to cover Xion, starting at her feet and working her way up. “I’m running out of time,” she noted, glancing at her feet. “But at least I had this chance to make things right.” Roxas remained silent, unsure if he should run over and comfort her before she disappeared. “Will I ever see you again?” he asked, holding out a hand like it would stop the ice, which had covered her legs at that point. “I don’t know,” she said with a shake of her head, “but make sure you keep Twilight safe.” “Why Twilight?” Roxas questioned. Xion giggled, the ice up to her chest, “Because I showed her what she was missing in her heart, even if she doesn’t quite know it yet.” “That doesn’t make any sense,” Roxas said honestly, scratching the back of his head. “It will, Roxas,” Xion said, closing her eyes as the ice reached her neck, “It will.” Then she faded away into small particles of light, drifting off into the abyss. Roxas watched the particles until they were out of sight, and he closed his eyes in sadness. “Xion...” he muttered, sounding mournful. He hardly knew her, and she was helping him. What could he have done to deserve her aid? Though he was sorrowful, he broke out into a smile, a tear trailing down his cheek, “I hope I don’t forget you this time.”