Kingdom Hearts: Friendship's Turmoil

by Superdale33


Interlude: Surrounded by Light

Kingdom Hearts: Friendship’s Turmoil
Interlude: Surrounded by Light

Sora lay awake in his bunk, the soft snores of his friends reminding him that they were fast asleep. After everything he had done that day, he couldn’t get a wink of sleep. He couldn’t put his thumb on why that was though. He definitely felt tired, but something was lingering in the air, and try as he might, Sora couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Ugh,” Sora groaned, sitting up in his bed as he rubbed the back of his head, “I’m never gonna get to sleep.”

With a sigh of resignation, he hopped off the top bunk, landing as quietly as possible. Even though he couldn’t get some rest, that didn’t mean he had to disturb the others. Making his way through the Gummi Ship, Sora pressed a button and allowed the ramp to descend. As he walked out onto the rooftop, he could feel the crisp night wind brush against his skin. The only light that was given was the moon, just as full as it had been when he had first arrived into the world.

The sounds of night were just loud enough to tell Sora that there was still a few things active; the hoot of an owl, the melody of the crickets, and the occasional passing car. It all came together to form a truly marvelous night.

Yet the chronic feeling Sora had grew worse, becoming very unsettling for him. He had felt something like it before, but he couldn’t remember where or when. It might have been in Radiant Garden… He closed his eyes, keeping his focus on the feeling in hopes it would uncover something.

“A night full of darkness,” a monotone and grave voice spoke up, startling Sora as he whipped to the side, finding the culprit instantly. A figure stood near the ledge of the school, his head tilted back as he gazed up at the moon. His long silver hair reached down to his waist, and his black clothing matched perfectly with the single black wing on the right side of his back.

Sora balked at the person, tightening his hands as he recognized him. “And yet light is so abundant that it could easily be missed,” the figured continued, not acknowledging Sora’s presence.

“Sephiroth,” Sora said, the name ringing in his head like a battle drum. Their last encounter had ended in a fight, and Sora hoped he didn’t have to go through a similar event that night. “Weren’t you fighting Cloud?”

“Light and Darkness are always separate,” Sephiroth stated plainly, refusing to turn around. “It was only inevitable that we would break away.”

Sora stared hard at Sephiroth, unsure what he was after. It had to do with the magic of friendship, why else would he come here? It was the reason for everyone else coming to this world, and Sephiroth had to be no different. The memories of their previous battle kept Sora on edge, prepared to summon his keyblade at a moments notice. He couldn’t let his guard down around Sephiroth.

“What a cycle to be stuck in,” Sephiroth said, “To constantly fight the Light, but to only end in a stalemate. I suppose that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Light and Darkness, always at odds.”

“Maybe,” Sora said, his expression hardening as he glared at Sephiroth, “but that doesn’t mean Darkness has to take over everything.”

Sephiroth grunted, finally turning around to reveal a deep scar that ran across his left cheek. “On the contrary,” he said, putting a hand on the handle of his very long and thin blade, “I believe there’s too much Light.”

Seeing the gesture, Sora summoned his keyblade, bringing it in front of him. However, no attack came, making Sora uneasy. “Always so uptight,” Sephiroth taunted, barely revealing any emotion. There was a short pause as Sephiroth studied Sora, “I see you still continue to wield the keyblade. Has no other more worthy swordsman claimed it?”

“What? Like you?” Sora retorted, furrowing his brow.

Sephiroth shook his head, “We both know what happened last time. How I challenged you, and how you stood victorious. How you brought Cloud to me, and how the two of us fought each other.” Sephiroth brought a hand up to the scar on his face, “He was even kind enough to leave me a souvenir.”

Sora swung his keyblade in disdain, “No more than you deserve.”

Sephiroth didn’t respond right away as he stared at Sora, his eyes never wavering. “You’re in this world because of the Light it has exposed,” Sephiroth said, tilting his head slightly, “I’m curious to see what will happen to it, once you’re gone.”

With that said, Sephiroth drew his blade in his left hand, holding it in a battle pose. Sora knew that any attempt to avoid confrontation was gone. He had no choice but to face Sephiroth and beat him. It was peculiar, how this battle had little to do with defending the magic of friendship. In the end, this was a battle of survival, and Sora was all too aware of that fact.

In a flash of black feathers, Sephiroth disappeared before reappearing directly in front of Sora, bringing his sword back. Seeing the attack, Sora brought his keyblade up and blocked the blade just in time. Sephiroth didn’t let up, going through a plethora of fast slashes. Sora was able to deflect most of them - his speed on par with Sephiroth’s - but he found himself backpedaling. Sephiroth was very aggressive with his strikes, never allowing Sora a chance to get a hit in.

In a powerful uppercut, Sephiroth knocked Sora back against the Gummi Ship. As Sora recovered, he shifted to the side, narrowly evading a stab. Sephiroth had cut right through the ship like it was butter, and adding to his strength, he jerked his blade to the side, leaving a deep gash on it. Ignoring the damage to his ship, Sora took the opportunity and lunged forward.

Sephiroth disappeared again, making Sora swing at empty air. Sephiroth reappeared behind Sora, his blade coming down. Luckily, Sora was able to anticipate the strike, and made a swift spin as he knocked the blade back. With the opening presented, Sora hit Sephiroth into the air, stunning him for a moment. Jumping up, Sora swung his keyblade left and right, giving a fair amount of damage.

Having enough, Sephiroth vanished yet again, appearing on the rooftop with his arm held out in front of him. “Give in to the dark,” he said, summoning several dark orbs around Sora. While in midair, Sora nimbly blocked each orb as they flew towards him, twirling in the air with somersaults, flips, and turns. The process was quite fast, but by the time Sora had finished dealing with the dark orbs, Sephiroth had appeared behind him with an overhead swing.

Sora barely had enough time to bring his keyblade up to bare, blocking the attack. However, the force knocked Sora straight onto the roof. Following up, Sephiroth turned his blade around in his hand and fell towards Sora, his blade ready to stab down. Sora was able to roll out of the way and onto his feet as Sephiroth struck the ground. Just when Sora was about to face Sephiroth again, he was cutting through the concrete ground, guiding his blade to Sora.

He didn’t have enough time to block the attack, but thankfully he didn’t have to. Someone fell directly between Sora and Sephiroth, with a very thick sword striking the ground. Not only did this large sword block Sephiroth’s blade, but the blast from the figure’s landing causing Sephiroth to slide along the floor away from Sora.

Blinking in awe, Sora recognized the weapon to be Cloud’s Buster Sword. And as Sora’s eyes trailed up the weapon, past the black half-cloak and to the face of the figure, he couldn’t help but blurt, “C-Cloud!”

Instead of responding, Cloud pulled his blade out of the ground, wielding it in two hands as he faced Sephiroth. “Don’t let up,” he said, his face set in determination as he narrowed his eyes. “This fight isn’t over yet.”

Sora shook off his surprise, “But how did you get here?!”

“There’s no time for that!” Cloud snapped, turning to Sora briefly.

Sephiroth could only smirk at their small exchange, swiping his blade to the side, “So, you finally arrived.”

“Yeah,” Cloud growled, gripping his sword tighter. “In a world full of light, finding a heart as dark as yours wasn’t hard.”

“You must love it here,” Sephiroth said, with a ghost of a smirk, “What was it that woman said? ‘He just needs someone to surround him with Light’? What a pointless proverb. Even in this world, I can still sense your Darkness. You can’t deny it.”

“Shut up!” Cloud shouted, just about to charge. However, he halted as the ground shook, causing he and Sora to glance around in shock. Even Sephiroth gazed around lazily, noting the shaking scenery with a raised brow. Out of no where, the ground between them blew up, showering chunks of concrete around the three of them.

Climbing out of the newly formed hole was a centaur, towering by a height of twice that of Sora. The horse part of him had charcoal fur with a white tail, while the human part - if it could be called that - had a mixture of red and black. His muscular physique and long, dark gray horns stood out the most as he looked back and forth between Sephiroth, Sora and Cloud.

Seeing the three, he let out a booming laugh, one that made Sora wince. He had to wonder how Riku and the others were able to sleep through it all. “At last!” the centaur yelled, a wide grin on his face, “I have found the source of this power!”

Finding his voice again, Sora looked at the centaur with wide eyes, “Who are you!?”

The centaur gave a dark chuckle, looking down at Sora and Cloud like they were nothing to him. “Who am I?” he said, “Only Lord Tirek, the new ruler of Equestria!”

“Equestria?” Sora muttered, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“Another character has arrived,” Sephiroth said with a grunt, “No doubt after unattainable power.”

“Says you!” Tirek shouted, pointing a finger at Sephiroth, “I have the ability to drain those of their magic, and going through the portal to this world will double, no! Quadruple, my power!”

Sora ground his teeth, already disliking Tirek. He reminded Sora of many other villains he had defeated, and he could easily be compared to Maleficent. Not only that, but with his power to drain magic, there was no doubt he would search out the magic of friendship. He had to put a stop to him right away.

“Sora,” Cloud said, catching his attention as he brought his sword to his side. “Let’s do this together.”

Seeing the gesture of teamwork, Sora smiled proudly, glad that Cloud was opening up to accepting help. “Yeah, of course,” he agreed with a nod, bringing his keyblade down into his battle pose.

 Tirek saw their defiance, and bore his teeth in a scowl. “Resistance is futile,” Tirek said threateningly, facing them fully, “Let’s see how long you last!”

“Show me your strength,” Sephiroth said, pointing his blade to the others. “and we shall see if it rivals my own.”

Everyone was poised to strike, waiting for another to make the first move. Eventually, Cloud ran forward, pushing off from the ground in a powerful leap. He flew over Tirek who tried to reach up and grab Cloud, but to no avail. Landing between Tirek and Sephiroth, Cloud launched forward, his blade held to side as he swung. Sephiroth easily batted the strike away, and the two had a long trade of swings, metal clanging with each attack.

Sora charged towards Tirek, ready to confront him for the time being. Seeing his approach, the space inbetween Tirek’s horns formed an orange orb before Tirek shot it off in the form of a beam. Sora jumped over where the beam struck, closing in on Tirek. He fired several more shots, but Sora weaved through the mess of beams, ducking or hopping over others that came too close.

When he was within range, Sora struck one of Tirek’s legs, causing him tumble a bit. Jumping high, Sora smacked Tirek in the face, sending him flying to the side. He recovered quickly, getting to his hooves as he shot a bunch of beams at Sora. Just as he landed, Sora deflected the beams, glancing over to Cloud and Sephiroth as an idea formed.

“Cloud!” Sora shouted, bouncing one of the beams towards him. A quick look back was all Cloud needed as he jumped to the side, allowing the beam to hit Sephiroth. He was stunned for a moment, orange electricity arcing around his body. Cloud took this advantage as he powered himself up, bringing his sword back for a strong slash. With a yell, he struck Sephiroth, sending him over the lip of the building and to the ground below.

Cloud rushed after him, leaping away from view as Sora ground his teeth after deflecting another beam from Tirek. Sora had to see if Cloud needed help. Positioning his keyblade, he deflected another beam to Tirek’s stomach, causing him to clutch his stomach in agony. Sprinting forward, Sora jumped up again and swung straight down on Tirek’s head, making him crash down, his face smashing against the concrete. With the momentum of the last strike, Sora charged up his keyblade and struck down a second time, effectively putting Tirek in a daze. It wouldn’t last long, but it gave Sora ample time to check on Cloud.

He hurried over to the ledge, seeing pillars of fire sprout from the ground below. When Sora reached the ledge, he gazed down at the front lawn to see Cloud on his knees, with Sephiroth standing a few meters away. Thinking fast, Sora leapt with a powerful push. He soared through the air a moment before landing beside Cloud, instantly pointing his keyblade above him.

“Heal!” Sora said, and a ring of green flowers magically appeared, curing Cloud in a instant as he stood back up. He gave a curt nod in thanks as the two of them readied themselves for Sephiroth, still remaining motionless. Suddenly, he disappeared and reappeared above them, raising an arm up as it glowed black and purple.

“The time has come,” he called, just as a hail of meteors appeared, heading straight for Sora and Cloud, “Let us make the future.”

Sora and Cloud looked to each other, both smiling as they nodded. Leaping upward, they each reached a meteor and pushed off of it. They both repeated the process, bouncing from one meteor to the next as the meteors continued to rain down. Sora and Cloud were the same distance away from Sephiroth as they neared him, both weapons pulled back to the side. Ending the meteor shower, Sephiroth swung at Sora, forcing him to block it and fall back down.

Cloud, on the other hand, pulled his sword over his head, giving Sephiroth no time for a counter attack. He blocked the strike, but the force pushed him back to the ground. Cloud was far from finished, quickly diving back down to clash with Sephiroth once again. They held their swords against each other, pushing with all their might. Sora, having landed a ways away, was about to charge after, but noted that Tirek was getting back up. Sora had used up his time to help Cloud, and he had to head back.

With a bit of reluctance, Sora veered away from Cloud and Sephiroth, heading back to the school. Even from the distance he was, Sora could hear Tirek mutter to himself.

“These fools are far more powerful than I anticipated,” he groaned, rubbing the top of his head. “I must return with more power!”

And with that, Tirek jumped down behind Sora, surprising him. He whipped around, seeing Tirek gallop straight for the horse statue in the center of the yard. “You’re not getting away that easily!” Sora shouted, rushing after him. However, something at the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Facing the disturbance fully, Sora saw Sephiroth rising in the air, his entire body glowing purple as he held his arms out. Cloud glared up at him, ready to jump up and intercept him. “Descend…” Sephiroth said, “Heartless Angel.”

Sora looked to Tirek, watching him just about to reach the statue. Facing Cloud and Sephiroth, Sora knew he had to help his friend who was in the most immediate danger. After all, the attack Sephiroth was getting ready to use would seep away their strength, and leave them helpless. Sora could only hope he had an extra elixir in his pocket.

Cloud rocketed up towards Sephiroth, just as he was about to complete the spell. “Get back here!” Cloud screamed, and just as he reached him, with Sora desperately trying to help him, the whole area was covered in a blinding light.

***

Sora shot awake, knocking his head against the roof of his bunk. Rubbing his head, he glanced around groggily, seeing that he was back in the Gummi Ship. Remembering the fight he had partaken in, Sora pushed himself out of bed, slamming a hand against the button as he rushed out of the ship. As he entered the rooftop, he scanned the area intently, blinking in shock at what he saw.

It was still night time, but all the damage that was caused during the battle - from the slash mark on the Gummi Ship to the huge hole in the roof - were gone. It was like they were never damaged to begin with. Cloud was no where to be found, nor was Sephiroth or Tirek. Running over to the edge of the rooftop, Sora saw no change in the front lawn either.

Backing away slowly, Sora took a deep breath calming himself down. He had to be rational with himself. “Was all that…” he said, shaking his head as he faced the ground, “a dream?”

Another check of the area confirmed that nothing had changed. With another shake of his head, Sora sighed, “I must really need some sleep.”

Turning around, he trudged his way back to the Gummi Ship. If he had remained there a moment longer, he would have noticed the single black feather, drifting down from the sky and landing on the ground. Just as the feather touched down, the wind picked it back up, sending it sailing through the air and out of sight.