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Pieces Lie Where They Fell C50

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Chapter 50-Destati and Xehanort
           "Your adventure begins when you awake."
           "Look!"
           Then Axel swore.

Kairi was falling.  She was falling slowly, as if through water.  She maneuvered herself so that she could see whatever it was that she was falling to.  
It was a stained-glass platform, lit bright with light.  It gave off a pinkish-gold glow.  There were several symbols that she recognized: the Paopu fruits, the Heart, the Lucky Charm, the crown.  And some she didn't recognize.  
She landed on the platform, her feet making barely a sound.  
"Take your time," came a voice that she recognized, but couldn't quite pin.  "Don't be afraid."  
Kairi wasn't the least bit afraid.  
"Now, step forward.  Can you do it?"
Kairi hesitantly took a step forward, and then another, and then another—her footfalls echoing on the glass.  When she had reached about the center of the platform, three pedestals appeared out of the ground.  One had on it a shield, another a staff, another a sword.  
"Power sleeps within you," continued the voice.  "If you give it form, it will give you strength.  Choose well."
Since the sword was in front of her, she walked up and took the sword from the pedestal.  She read the inscription on the pedestal: "The power of the warrior.  Invincible courage.  A sword of terrible destruction."  
"Is this the power you seek?" the voice asked.  
Kairi shook her head, and put the sword back.  She turned to her right, looking at the staff.  She walked slowly over to it.  She picked it up, and read the inscription:
"The power of the mystic.  Inner strength.  A staff of wonder and ruin."
"Is this the power you seek?"
Kairi frowned, and set the staff down.  She walked over to the shield.  
"The power of the guardian.  Kindness to aid friends.  A shield to repel all."
"Is this the power you seek?"
Kairi nodded.  
The shield disappeared in a flash of light.
"Your path is set."
Kairi smiled.  
"Now, what will you give up in exchange?"
Kairi didn't need to think all that long about this decision.  She walked over and picked up the sword.  
"You give up this power?"
Kairi nodded.  The sword disappeared as well, along with the pedestals.  
"You've chosen the power of the guardian.  You've given up the power of the warrior.  Is this the form you choose?"
"Yes," Kairi said, finalizing the decision.  
"You've gained the power to fight."
At those words, the shield reappeared in her hand.  
"There will be times that you have to fight.  Keep your light burning strong."  
Heartless began appearing.  Kairi spun about, trying to imitate one of the attacks that she had seen Goofy use.  It was moderately effective.  She took out the Shadows quickly and simply, without much second thought.  
Once all the Shadows were gone, a door appeared.  
"Be careful," the voice warned.  "Beyond that door, lies a completely different world."
Kairi walked over to the door regardless.  
"But don't be afraid," the voice continued.  "Don't stop fighting."
Kairi opened the door, and stepped through, into the light.
She found herself back on the Islands.  She cocked her head to one side, unsure of what exactly was going on.  
To her surprise, she found Sora, Riku, and Namine waiting for her around the area where they used to play.
"Hold on, you're not ready just yet.  First, tell me more about yourself."
Kairi ran up to Namine, who was leaning up against the railing.  
"What's most important to you?" Namine asked, her voice distant.  
"Protecting my friends," Kairi said, without even thinking about it.
"Is that really such a big deal?" Namine asked, cocking her head to one side.
Kairi frowned, and ran over to Riku next.  
"What are you afraid of?" he asked, his voice cocky—cockier than it had sounded in years.  
Kairi thought a bit about this one.  "I'm afraid of failing," she said.
"Is that really so scary?" he asked.
Kairi bit her lip, and walked over to Sora.  
"What do you want outta life?" Sora asked.
"To broaden my horizons," Kairi said, her mind going back to something that Master Yen Sid had said.  The answer sounded appropriate enough…
"Broaden your horizons, huh?" he said.  But that was all.
"You want to protect your friends," the voice said, speaking up once again.  "You're afraid of failing.  You want to broaden your horizons."
Kairi nodded.  
"Your adventure begins when you awake.  As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one."
"Sounds good to me," Kairi said.
In a flash of light, the Islands disappeared.  
Kairi found herself on another stained-glass platform.  It was more purple in color.  The shield appeared in her hand once more and Shadows began appearing.  
Knowing it would do her no good to run, she began attacking them once more.  Once they were all gone, a circle of light appeared around her.  
It began to move.  It flew off the edge of the platform.  In sparkles of light, a glass pathway began appearing.  Kairi watched in awe as the pathway between the platform she was on and a platform far away formed.  
Not thinking twice, she set off on the pathway, careful not to get too close to the edges.  Her steps seemed too loud, but she couldn't imagine who would chastise her.  
This next platform was a pale blue.  
"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes," the voice said.
Not for the first time, Kairi tried to place how she recognized the voice.  
Kairi heard a shuffle behind her and she spun around.  A small gasp escaped her lips.  She looked back at the pathway that she had just come across.  It had disappeared.
"I suppose I would have to face this Darkside," Kairi muttered, her voice grim.  
It stared at her, a giant heart-shaped hole in its chest, its eyes yellow and unblinking.
Remembering Xion mentioning something about attacking its hands, Kairi focused on one of the hands and started bashing away at it with the shield.  It was certainly harder than using a Keyblade—any of the Keyblades she had used in the past—and she had used enough of them to notice subtle differences between how they behaved.  
For example, there were the dead-feeling Keyblades in the Badlands.  Or Riku's Keyblade which just felt temperamental in her hands.  Oathkeeper didn't seem to give her too many problems, but even it didn't feel like Destiny's Embrace.  Which felt as if it had been made for her.
The Darkside threw the hand that she wasn't attacking up into the air.  He plunged it down into the platform.  Darkness pooled around it.  Shadows began appearing and she had to take her attention off of the Darkside momentarily to take care of them.  However, as she did so, she felt her health being restored and she knew she had made the right decision.
"I wonder what would happen if I were to lose this battle…" Kairi mused.  
No one, not even the voice, answered her.
Once the Shadows were gone, she went back to focusing on the Darkside's hands once more.  This time, she went for the one that she hadn't been attacking before.  She wondered if it made a difference.  The Darkside threw its arms back and began summoning balls of darkness out of the hole in its chest.  They homed in on her and attacked her.  She tried to fight back, but they were immune to everything she tried.  
That was when she realized that she couldn't use magic.  She couldn't even cure.
"Nuts," she muttered, going back to attacking the Darkside's hands while avoiding the balls of darkness.  
However, she didn't need to worry, for after a few more smashes, the Darkside was dead.  But as it fell, it began to consume her with darkness.  She struggled against it, but it didn't seem to matter.  She felt like she was drowning.  Tendrils of darkness wrapped around her arms and legs, dragging her down.  She couldn't even scream.
"Don't be afraid!" the voice repeated.  "You hold the mightiest weapon of all."
I will so be afraid! Kairi thought.  The darkness…
She reached out, trying to grasp anything that would help her.  
As if in answer to prayer, a hand grasped hers.  A blinding light surrounded both her and her savior.  But she was completely relaxed, for the grip felt familiar…
And she had finally placed whose voice it was…

"Sora!"

Her eyes flew open.  She didn't even realize that they had been closed.  For a split second, she could see Xion charging at the Dark Follower with her Keyblade bared and Namine standing there—still clutching her sketchbook to her chest—her eyes squeezed shut, as if trying to shatter the Dark Follower's memories anyway.  
And then, life sprung into motion again.  She felt a sparking around her right hand.  Kairi closed her eyes and willed the sparking to become something more.
A Keyblade was in her hands.  But it wasn't just any Keyblade—it was her Keyblade.  It felt right in her grasp.  
She grinned.  
The Dark Follower had plunged its hand into the ground, summoning Shadows.  
"Namine!" Xion shrieked.  "If you could focus on them maybe, Kairi you…"
Xion's next thought was lost before it even came out of her mouth.  "Keyblade," she said.
"Awakening," Kairi replied.  
"Kairi!" Namine screamed.  "Look out!"
Kairi looked up to see a homing ball of darkness coming right at her.  Without even really thinking, she threw her Keyblade up between it and her—even though in the previous battle this had done nothing.
However, here, it did.  The ball was reflected back at the Dark Follower.  It hit him right in the chest.  He reeled back from the damage.  
"Kairi, now!" Xion said, launching herself at the Dark Follower, her Keyblade held high.  
Kairi leapt up and brought her Keyblade down hard on the Dark Follower's head.  
It took four slashes, then it was over with.
Only one Shadow remained.  Xion took it out with merely half a stroke.  Then she banished her Keyblade.  
The three of them were taken back to the Teeming Darkness room.  No more Heartless were in sight.  Xion and Namine both stared at Kairi, who still held her Keyblade as if it was going to disappear at any moment.  It didn't.
"You had that Awakening thing," Xion said.  "That you were talking about.  When?"
"Right as the Darkside…"
"Dark Follower," Xion corrected.
"Right, Dark Follower showed up.  All of a sudden, I was plunged into darkness.  I landed on a platform made of glass, and there was this voice—it sounded like Sora's voice, back from the days of raft-building.  He was talking me through everything, telling me not to be afraid, and to make some choices and… then there were all these Shadows, and a Darkside…"
"Whoa," Xion said, impressed.  
Kairi was lost in thought.  
"Give me a break, Kairi!"
"Sora, you lazy bum!" she had said.  "I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."
"No!" he argued.  "This huge black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't—"
She'd whacked him on the head.  
"Are you still dreaming?"
"It wasn't a dream? Or was it? I don't know… what was that place? So bizarre…"

"Sora's Awakening," she murmured.  
"What?" Namine asked.
"Sora's Awakening," Kairi repeated.  "It happened back on Destiny Islands, while we were building the raft! I told him he was dreaming…"
"That's random," Xion said.
"I wonder who pulled him out of the darkness, if he got pulled out of the darkness at all…" Kairi was still intently thinking about this.
Namine was instantly reminded of pulling Roxas out of the darkness.  Her thoughts then drifted to pulling Riku out of the darkness during Riku's stay in Castle Oblivion.  Then she had to wonder what Riku's Awakening had to look like…
"I have to go show Sora," Kairi said, heading for the door.
"Is she even thinking about what's going on in the real world right now?" Xion asked.
"Probably not," Namine murmured.
She wasn't one to talk, she wasn't much better.

"Ven," Aqua argued.  "I don't even have armor anymore."
Ven, who was trying to understand how Aqua had even let her armor get into disrepair in the first place, was floored by the news that she didn't even have it anymore.
"What… what happened to it?" he asked.
"I sent it and my Keyblade Glider with Terra, to save him from falling into the darkness.  But it didn't do any good."
"Why not?"
"Because Xehanort possessed Terra," Aqua whispered.  "And I don't know if he's even still in there—after what that body has been through, I'm not sure if Terra's heart could withstand it."
Ven took one of Aqua's hands in his own.  "Terra can survive anything," he reassured her.
A tear trickled down her cheek.  "I hope you're right."
They were both startled out of their conversation when the door opened.  Kairi ran in, Namine and Xion following right behind her.  
"Look!" Kairi exclaimed, holding her Keyblade up.
Sora was so surprised (yet happy) that he didn't have any words.  
"When did that…?" Riku began.
Kairi launched into the explanation of what she, Namine and Xion had been up to.  She had just began to explain her Awakening when Sora leapt up and pulled her into a hug, silencing her.  
"Maybe it can work," Aqua murmured.  
I had once said that I would never wish more than one Keyblade on any friendship—but look: Riku, Sora, and Kairi all have the power.  And they're holding together just fine…
Aqua was also intrigued by the fact that here was Kairi, who was not only a Princess of Heart, but a Princess of Heart with a Keyblade.  
Sora and Kairi both had hearts so full of light.  In fact, so did Namine, Roxas and Xion it seemed.  And Ven… well Ven's heart never looked lighter.  Then there was Riku, who seemed to have battled his darkness to a point until it was tame.  And then there was Axel, who seemed to have just come to terms with the darkness inside his heart.  
Light…
"Everybody," she said, speaking up.  "There's something that I need to tell you."
Surprisingly, everyone turned to look at her.  Even Axel stopped his antics of trying to get Roxas and Xion to kiss.
"This man that we're trying to kill, Xehanort, he's more than you think he is.  The Xehanort that I grew up with—was an old man.  He strove to make himself young again, so he released his heart, and possessed my friend Terra.  I saw Terra fight back, but Xehanort overpowered him in the end.  I don't know if Terra's heart is still alive anywhere inside all that darkness, but I do know that if we just kill Xehanort—Terra certainly wouldn't be able to survive that."
"Xehanort split himself into a Heartless and a Nobody," Axel said.  "And I barely understand how we all survived that.  How could a second heart withstand that?"
"Xemnas had a heart," Namine said.
A chorus of 'what?'s were aroused from Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Xion and Axel.
"When Xehanort became Ansem and Xemnas, his own heart was lost in whatever way that happens… but, because Terra's heart was latent within that body, it didn't get consumed by the darkness.  So when Xehanort lost his heart and body, Terra's heart latched onto the only thing it could: Xemnas.  Hearts have a very strong sense of self-preservation.  I mean, look at Ven and Kairi for example."
Ven and Kairi, in turn, both looked at Sora.  Sora said nothing, pondering this.
"Well, if Xemnas had a heart," he said after a moment.  "Then why was he so bound and determined to make a Kingdom Hearts for himself and all of the Organization?"
"I don't think Xemnas knew he had a heart," Riku said.  "Or if he did, he choose not to admit that Terra's heart was still alive inside him."
"I never could quite get Xemnas," Axel said.  "He always seemed to know too much."
"Could that mean that Terra's heart is still alive then inside Xehanort?" Aqua asked.
"I would say so," Namine said.
"I'll believe her," Roxas said.  "Namine knows way more about hearts than I think anyone here.  I mean, she's dealt with so many…"
"We're forgetting the big question here," Xion interrupted.  "Suppose Terra's heart is actually inside Xehanort's body.  How are we going to destroy Xehanort?"
"Would light work?" Aqua asked.  "A heart full of darkness wouldn't be able to stand so much light.  But a heart that wasn't so cloaked in darkness—even if it still had some darkness in it—wouldn't it be able to survive that?"
"Even a weak heart can survive light," Ven said.  "The light can help heal it."
"Light can even peal darkness away from a heart, though the darkness may come back after a while," Riku said.
"Light and darkness, two sides of one coin," Aqua muttered.
"So what if we just blast Xehanort with all the light-attacks we got?" Sora said.  "I think I can do that."
"I think I should be able to also," Roxas said.
"I can," Kairi said.  "Easily."
"I don't see why I wouldn't be able to," Xion said.
"Xehanort's gonna be one heckuva team effort," Axel muttered.  "And I don't get to help."
"Don't you still have Saix to deal with?" Kairi asked.
"Oh yeah, well, there is that…"
Terra, be strong, Aqua thought, her hand finding her Wayfinder inside of her pocket.  She clutched it tightly; it made her feel better.

After that small discussion, the mood in the room lightened considerably.  Sora and Kairi sat back down on the couch, both smiling for whatever reason.  Roxas and Xion resumed their conversation and Axel went back to trying to shove one of them into the other.  Ven started talking about all the things that he, Aqua and Terra could all do once Terra was back.  Riku leaned back in his chair, thinking.  Namine sat down at the table and opened a fresh page in her sketchbook, noticing that she only had a few pages left.
"It was so wonderful to fight again," Xion said.  "And to fight without feeling like I was falling apart, or drawing power away from you, Roxas.  You have no idea."
"Were there any really noticeable differences?" Roxas asked.
"Aside from the fact that I don't feel bad, no! None at all."
Axel shoved Roxas in the back.  But Roxas had been expecting this, and did not fall into Xion like Axel had hoped he would.  Axel sighed.  This was more complicated than he had originally thought it would be.
Namine's brain didn't quite know what to do now that there wasn't all that much that she had to worry about.  Sure, they still had to deal with Xehanort and all of his Unversed, plus Xigbar and Saix.  But, for whatever reason, her mind wasn't focusing on those things.  
Instead it was focusing on Riku, and what Kairi had said, and about that picture that she had drawn.  
She stole a glance at him.  He was sitting lazily in the chair, staring up at the ceiling, his thoughts a mystery to her.  Though, most everyone's thoughts were a mystery to her now.  She couldn't hear Roxas anymore.  She barely even heard Kairi.  Occasionally, she'd get something, but it was never much.  She crossed her legs at the ankles and hooked them around the chair she was sitting in.  Her heels clicked against the tiled floor.  
Riku looked over at her and she quickly looked away, blood rushing to her cheeks.  She let her hair cover her face as she looked down at her sketchbook, hoping it hid the fact that she was blushing.  Axel looked over at her, and she was pretty sure he saw her severely pink cheeks.  However, he said nothing in the way to tease her, which she counted as a blessing.
She found her thoughts drifting back to Riku, though she pointedly did not look back at him, just in case he was still looking.  Though, it would be kind of nice if he was still looking… She found herself thinking of Riku in ways that Kairi thought about Sora.  Before, when she would think such things, she was met with a bit of resistance.  She now knew that the resistance was because of Kairi.  For her thoughts now drifted easily to Riku coming over and saying hi, or just asking how she was, or what her thoughts were, or telling her something.  Maybe he'd put a hand on her shoulder…  She would look up at him and reply with grace and knowledge.  
Or at least, that's how the little fantasy went.

Meanwhile, Riku had gone back to lazing in the chair.  He was surprised to have found Namine looking at him.  His face felt warm.  He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.  He brought his hand to his cheeks and felt.  They were warm.
Was he blushing?
He hadn't been initially surprised to see Namine separate from Kairi upon arriving at Castle Oblivion.  Then, once the whole process had been explained, his brain let the issue go.  But his brain had done a lot of processing over the last several hours.  
Namine…
He couldn't be sure where the initial thought had come from.  But it had been brought to his attention several times since last leaving the Islands.  Axel had brought it up a couple of times.  Joseph had definitely brought it up, without even meaning to.  Riku had caught himself thinking of it in Hawaii, and later in Hollow Bastion—when he'd run into a significantly more transparent Namine.  
The thought had taken it's time to have form.  But now it was very prominent in his head.  
He liked Namine.
He wanted to do something about this.  He sat up straighter and was about to go stand up and at least say something to her.  
And then 19 walked in with barley tea.  
"More tea, anyone?"
"Yes, please," came a chorus of several people.  
19 came around with a tray, giving tea to everyone.  Riku took his tea in silence.  He sat back in his seat, feeling a frown forming on his face.  19 had horrible timing.  But as he drank his barley tea, his thoughts drifted back to Namine.
And the idea of maybe, just maybe, that Namine might like him like he liked her.

Namine clutched her barley tea in her hands, staring down into it as if it held the answers to the world.  She was trying to gather up enough guts to go over and talk to Riku.  She wanted to say something, anything, even if she ended up sounding completely and utterly stupid.  
But she couldn't think of any good conversation starters.  What could she possibly discuss with Riku that needed to be discussed with only Riku? Or that would even necessitate her going over there?
She could ask him if he liked the tea… no, that was stupid.  She sighed.  She could ask him about…
Just then, someone barged through the door.  
"Seriously?" Namine muttered.
However, it wasn't the professionally serious look that normally graced any Vexen Replica's face (save for Pi).  It wasn't even a grave look that was on 27's face.
It was a look of sheer terror.
"What's going on?" Riku asked.  The tea in his hands suddenly looked very out of place.  
"Xehanort," 27 breathed.  "He's breached the Castle! The seal is no longer effective."
"Xehanort is here?" Sora asked.
"In the entrance hall."
There was the sound of shattering glass as several people dropped their teacups.  
Then Axel swore.
Then it was a mad rush to the entrance hall as weapons were summoned and battle plans were made.
I was so happy to FINALLY write Kairi's Dive. I think that part of this chapter speaks for itself. Tell me what you think.

On that thought, I really must wonder how Riku's Awakening went. Perhaps I'll take a stab at writing it sometime. I have a general idea of WHEN it happened...

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Crydius's avatar
YES ! Kairi had a Dive ! I knew it ! She's an official Keyblade wielder now !
LET'S GO GET THAT SON OF A BITCH !!!