Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts: Castle of Darkness, Heart of Light ❯ Castle of Darkness ( Chapter 5 )

“Everyone to the extra gunning stations, now!” Cid ordered, “Your Majesty, can you maintain all base fire?”

 

“You got it,” Mickey said. The mouse king took controls and nodded to the rest of them. “Hurry all of you.”

 

Riku ran after Sora, Leon and Cloud, with Tifa, Yuffie, Keirii, Donald and Goofy coming behind him. Aerith and Kairi stayed back to help Cid and Mickey if they needed it. Behind him, he heard Tifa ask Yuffie, “Bored now?”

 

Riku ran down a smaller corridor, Keirii behind him, which lead to two of the extra gunning stations. Riku took the one to the left, which was a gun on the upper part of the ship and Keirii took the one on the right, which was a gun on the lower part. Riku sat in the seat and strapped in. He put on the communication headset and switched it on. “Can you all hear me?” he asked through the small microphone.

 

“Loud and clear buddy,” Sora said, from the other end of the ship.

 

“You sound beautiful, Riku!” Yuffie exclaimed.

 

“Alright,” Cid said, “let's kick some heartless ass.”

 

“Do heartless even have an…”

 

“Yuffie,” Cloud said, “shut up and shoot.”

 

Riku took a hold of the gun controls, two hand-holds that were attached to a small, box shaped control panel about the size of his hand, hit a few buttons on the control panel and pointed the large laser cannon towards a heartless ship that was heading his way, the chair moving with him. Holding down the trigger that was on the left part of the control, Riku began to fire at the heartless ships. Golden lasers shots from the long barrel that was outside of the ship, chasing after the heartless ship. He could see other lasers coming from the others guns as they fired at other heartless ships. The chair moved up, down, and side to side as he fired at the attacking ship. Riku aimed at the ship, but it was a little tough since the small ship was zooming this way and that, firing its own lasers at them. Finally, Riku hit the ship and it exploded into a shower of sparks. “One down,” Riku said.

 

“Nice job,” Keirii said, “Reminded me of fireworks.”

 

Riku laughed, but couldn't help but feel a bit of warmth grow inside of him from Keirii's praise. He aimed at another ship and began to fire again. He had to stop and reload after destroying his third ship. Hitting the button for an automatic reload, he checked the radar to see how many were left. There were quite a few, but nothing he knew they couldn't take out.

 

Suddenly, there was an explosion that rocked the ship. Riku was flung to the side, the straps holding him in the seat preventing him from flying out of the chair and into the wall. “What the hell was that?” he yelled.

 

“Was that a shield?” Leon asked Cid.

 

“Hold on, I'm checking,” Cid said.

 

“Don't bother,” Keirii said, her voice strained, “That was me. Damn heartless hit my cannon and it exploded.”

 

Cloud cursed colorfully through the speakers and Riku asked, “Are you alright?”

 

“If second degree burns on the hands are considered alright, then yup, I'm just dandy.”

 

“Get to the cockpit,” Cloud said, his tone angry, but Riku knew that it wasn't directed at Keirii or any of them. “Wait there and have Aerith tend to you.”

 

“Going,” Keirii said and then she was disconnected.

 

Riku turned back to the battle at hand, anger filling him. He began firing with a new intensity, taking out heartless ships one after another. The fight lasted for another ten minutes until the last ship exploded in a large burst of sparks. Riku quickly shut the cannon off and took off his head set. He got up and hurried out of the gunning station. He went back to the cockpit and found Aerith crouched in front of Keirii, who had her hands in a bowl filled with greenish liquid. Aerith looked up at his approach and said, “These are pretty bad. I was waiting for either you, Sora or Cloud to get back here. I could heal her, but she wouldn't be able to hold her sword without pain.”

 

“It's alright Aerith,” Keirii said with a smile. “You're healing is very good, whether you like it or not. Maybe not for quickie jobs for something like this, but they are still good.”

 

“Yeah I know,” Aerith said with a smile. She looked back up at Riku and said, “Can you do it? Leon and Cloud are checking for any damage and I don't know where Sora is.”

 

Riku nodded and he took Aerith's place, crouching in front of Keirii. He removed her hands from the bowl, which he set aside. He took a quick look at her hands and growled softly under his breath. They were blistered and layers of skin were missing. He covered them between both his hands and muttered, “Curaga.” A bright light in a deep shade of green glowed brightly from between his hand and enveloped Keirii's hands. He sent the curing spell into Keirii's injured hands, feeling them heal. Once they were fully healed and back to normal, he released the spell and slowly opened his hands. Her hands were now unblemished and looked like they had never been injured. Riku looked up at Keirii and his eyes locked onto hers. They were the deepest violet and glowed from within. He felt her hands tighten on his and he felt something like electricity go through him. He opened his mouth, about to tell her how he felt, about everything, but he stopped when he heard footsteps coming from the corridor. He looked around as Cloud came in, followed by Leon and Sora. Worry filled the blonde warrior's eyes as he hurried over. Riku stood, letting go of Keirii's hands. “You should be all set now,” he told her before walking away. He walked out of the cockpit and into the corridors. He needed to think for a while, and he needed to be alone.

 

~*~

 

Keirii almost wanted to kill Cloud for showing up when he did. Riku was about to say something that she knew was going to be important, well, at least to her. But he didn't because Cloud and the others showed up. Now she didn't know where he was, since he took off as soon as he walked away from her. But she knew that she couldn't blame Cloud, or anyone else. Her brother had been worried about her and now she knew that he felt bad for blowing the moment that could have been her and Riku's only chance in telling each other how they felt. Keirii had seen Riku's face and how he looked at her and Cloud had as well before Riku took off somewhere. Keirii wanted to go find him, but Sora had told her to let him be for a while, that he would come back in a bit. So Keirii had sat around waiting, but Riku never came back.

 

She sighed softly and leaned back in her chair. Cloud stood nearby and she saw him glance at her. That was the warning she got before his voice filled her head. “I feel bad about what happened… That was your chance and I blew it for you.”

 

“Don't worry about it,” she told him, “You were worried about me and you had no idea what was going on.”

 

“I still can't help but feel bad.”

 

Keirii smiled and she stood up. She headed towards the corridors, saying to Cloud as she went, “I'm going to look for him. Give me a heads up when we're landing.”

 

“I will. Good luck.”

 

“Thanks, and while I'm gone, spend some alone time with Tifa will ya? The tension between you two could be cut with a butter knife.”

 

“Shut up, you little… Alright, I will.” She could sense Cloud chuckle, but he didn't say anything else. Keirii continued down the passageways, looking for Riku. She ran into Chip and Dale and asked the two chipmunks if they had seen him.

 

“Last time we saw him,” Chip said, his voice high and squeaky, “he was heading towards one of the sleeping compartments. He looked kinda gloomy…”

 

“Thanks you guys,” Keirii said, heading towards the ships sleeping compartments. They were on the other side of the ship, where the sounds of the engine wouldn't be heard. As she walked, she began to wonder why Cid would make such a huge ship. But, she thought, come to think of it, there are a lot of us… She got corridor where the sleeping compartments were. All the doors were open so Keirii looked into each one; looking for the one Riku was in. She finally found him, in the last room. He was looking out the window into space, watching as they flew by thousands of stars and an occasional world. His green eyes were intense and she knew that he was deep in thought. He didn't even know that she was standing there. Keirii walked in, hardly making a sound on the metal floor. She moved slightly to the side, hoping that he'll see her and that she won't jump him. “Riku?”

 

Riku turned and looked at her. He seemed surprised to see her, but it was only for a moment, because he turned back to the window. “I didn't hear you come in,” he said. His voice seemed distant and cold, as if he was hoping that she would leave. It hurt, but Keirii wasn't going to give in. Cloud was right; she had to tell him, sooner than later.

 

“I- I wanted to thank you, for healing me,” Keirii told him, stepping forward. “I didn't get a chance to tell you before.”

 

Riku stepped away from her as she stepped forward again. “It was nothing,” he said.

 

“But…”

 

“Look, I said it was nothing,” Riku snapped, spinning around. He began to storm out, but Keirii grabbed his arm, stopping him. He turned his head away, refusing to look at her. Keirii bit her lip, a habit she thought she lost a long time ago. Riku only stood there, refusing to look at her, but he didn't try to pull free from her grasp either.

 

“It meant something to me,” Keirii said softly, “It meant that you really do care for me, in a way that no one else does, not even Cloud.” Riku turned his head slightly, looking at her through his silver hair. His green eyes took her breath away; they were so startling and full of independence and life. But now, they were glazed with sadness and Keirii didn't understand why. Keirii moved her hand down along his arm until she got to his hand. Lacing her fingers with his, she held his hand tightly. His hand flinched, but it didn't close over hers. She moved so she was standing in front of him, so she was looking directly into his eyes. “What were you trying to say before, after you healed me?”

 

Riku closed his eyes and shook his head. “It was nothing important…”

 

“I know you're lying, Riku,” Keirii said, “Please tell me.”

 

Riku's hand closed tightly in Keirii's as he opened his eyes and looked at her. “I was- I was going to tell you how I feel… that I…” He looked away from her again, and she felt him trying to pull his hand away.

 

Keirii tightened her grip on his hand and moved herself closer to him. “That you love me?” she asked. Riku looked back at her and Keirii knew that she was right. Warmth filled her when she realized that Riku did love her, and that was when she realized that she loved him as well. The feelings she had had for the past few days were real.

 

Riku nodded and he wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her even closer. “I don't understand why I fell in love with you so quickly, but I did and I can't deny it anymore.” He freed his hand from her grip, only to caress the side of her face with his fingers. His touch sent trembles up her spine. “I loved you from the first moment I saw you, fighting alone against those heartless.”

 

Keirii breathed in deeply, her heart racing in her chest. “Why?” she asked softly, “Why did it take you so long to tell me?”

 

Riku hung his head and said, “I wasn't sure… and I think I was a little afraid. We are from different worlds. I thought that it would never work.”

 

Keirii wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her chest against his, tilting her head back to look up at him. “We can make it work,” she said, “If we try hard enough, we can make it work.”

 

Riku looked down at her and Keirii found herself breathless again. Something was burning in his green eyes. The sadness was gone, replaced by something that she had never seen before in anyone's eyes. She didn't know what else to say, since everything had already been said. But as she tried to think of something to say, Riku lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.

 

All thought escaped Keirii's mind as she closed her eyes and returned his kiss. It was soft and gentle at first, but the longer they kissed, the more passionate it became. She had kissed a lot of boys while growing up, but none of them compared to this. Riku held her close to him, his hands slowly rubbing up and down her back, sending wave after wave of pleasurable chills through her body. She slid her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, running her fingers through his shoulder length, silver hair. She didn't realize that they were moving until the back of her shoulders hit the wall. Riku's hands moved down to her hips and pulled her closer as he slowly tried to part her mouth with his tongue. Keirii moaned softly as she parted her lips to let him in. She pushed his head closer to her as she slipped her own tongue into his mouth. She felt Riku breath in deeply through his nose and he pushed her against the wall, but still holding her close to his body. He pulled back from Keirii, only to start applying soft kisses up her neck. She shivered again as Riku brushed the taunt skin of her neck with his lips. He gently worked up her neck, across her cheek and back to her mouth. His kiss this time was soft and light; he was teasing her and she could feel her body wanting more than what he was giving her. She slipped her hands up his shirt and lightly trailed her fingernails down the muscle of his back, causing him to shudder with pleasure this time. He moaned, deepening their kiss again and she rested her hands on the bare skin of his back, pulling him as close to her as she possibly could. Keirii could feel their body temperatures rising and she wanted nothing more than to continue like this for as long as possible…

 

She groaned as Cloud gave her a mental poke, letting her know that they were about to land. Riku looked up as she gently pushed against his chest. The look in his eyes said that he thought that something was wrong. Keirii shook her head and said, “We're about to land. I had told Cloud to let me know when we were about to.”

 

Riku sighed sadly and he gave her a quick kiss. “We'll just have to finish this up afterwards.”

 

Keirii giggled and leaned against him. “You,” she said, “are bad.”

 

Riku grinned and said, “I can't help it.” He then took her hand and led her towards the door. “We better get up there.”

 

Keirii sighed and nodded. She and Riku left the room and headed toward the cockpit. They got there just as Cid was heading towards the world. They sat down and strapped in for the landing. Keirii could see the world clearly; it was nothing but a dark mass, surrounded by swirling dark purple clouds. She felt Riku take her hand again and she squeezed it gently. She was starting to feel scared now and she could tell that she wasn't the only one. Riku's hand in hers was damp with sweat, Sora and Kairi sat the same as they were, holding hands tightly and Sora's face was slightly pale. Donald was making strange noises in his throat and Goofy was looking uneasy. Leon appeared fine, but she could see fear in his eyes. Aerith looked terrified, Cloud shifted in his seat in front of her and Tifa reached for Cloud's hand, which he gave her. In the back, Yuffie was moving about in her seat and at the front, Cid and Mickey's hands were tight on the controls. They entered the world's atmosphere and the ship rocked slightly as it descended. They were surrounded by clouds and Cid had to turn on the fog radar. They finally broke through the clouds and Keirii gasped at what they were looking down at.

 

Water. A vast ocean of black water covered the planet. From every angle, there was water. Keirii couldn't believe that this had once been a thriving world, filled with people. There was no sign of land anywhere. Cid cursed and hit a few buttons and the ship sped along the water's surface. Keirii looked at Riku and saw that he was looking at her. She bit her lip and he took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of her hand gently. Everyone was quiet as Cid sped the ship forward, trying to find where the Dark Castle was.

 

“There,” Leon said suddenly, “see it? It's right ahead.”

 

“I see it,” Cid said. He lifted the ship up a few feet and they flew towards the castle, that grew bigger and bigger by the minute. Soon, they were flying over it and they were able to look down at the castle and get a good look at it.

 

The stone that formed it was jet black and it had a twisted look to it. The window were dark and the gardens behind the castle seemed even more dead than the garden at the castle in Radiant Garden had looked before Aerith gave it back life. Everything about the castle spewed evil and just the sight of it made Keirii's skin crawl. She knew that the sight of this castle would make even the toughest warrior of the Wolfkin shake with fear. Cid flew around until he found a decent landing spot in front of the castle. He landed the ship and shut everything down. Everyone got up out of their seats and Leon stood in front of all of them.

 

“This place is big,” he said, “so it was decided that everyone divide into groups of two or three at the most. This way, Sather and Sephiroth would have trouble taking us all out at the same time, and keeping track of us for that matter. There seem to be several entrances and probably a bunch of corridors, but they will probably all meet up at the same place, which will probably be the main hall. We will meet there. Is everyone clear?” Everyone nodded and Leon nodded to them. “Be careful,” he said softly, “all of you.”

 

Keirii nodded and looked at Riku. He squeezed her hand one more time before they got off the ship, being wished good luck by Chip and Dale. Cid closed and locked the ship and everyone split up; Keirii, Riku and Cloud; Tifa, Sora and Kairi; Cid and Yuffie; Mickey, Donald and Goofy; Leon and Aerith. They all split up and headed towards the castle. Keirii notice Cloud watch Tifa go one way and Riku watch Sora and Kairi go another. She tore her eyes away from her retreating friends, pushing out of her mind that she may never see them again. She held out her hand at her side and summoned her sword to her. The silver hilt felt warm in her hand and the crystal that made the blade gave a comforting glow to the dark world around them. Riku summoned his Keyblade to him and Cloud unsheathed his sword. Cloud took the lead and they went towards an entrance of the castle.

 

The heavy doors were covered in thorny vines. Cloud swung his sword down, sending an arched beam of light at the door, blowing it into pieces. “If that doesn't get their attention, I don't know what will,” Cloud said with a grim smirk. They walked into the castle and found themselves in a dark corridor. The only light they had came from the many holes in the ceiling and the occasional window that let in the dim light from outside.

 

They kept moving, their footsteps silenced by the many layers of dust on the molted carpet floor. Keirii was beginning to wonder if they were going to be met up with anything when suddenly they were surrounded by the wild chattering of heartless.

 

“Was beginning to wonder when they were going to show up,” Riku said as the three of them went back to back, surrounded by thousand of shadow heartless.

 

Keirii held her sword in front of her and smiled. “And so the fun begins,” she said.

 

~*~

 

Leon cut down another heartless as Aerith used Firaga to clear a path through the hundreds of heartless. Although they were only shadows, this many took almost everything they had to get rid of them. He and Aerith got into the castle easily enough and were making their way through the dark corridors when they were surrounded. It meant that Sather was on to them and was either trying to take them out, or slow them down. Slow us down, probably, Leon thought, or he would have sent more than Shadows… but why is he trying to slow us down?”

 

Aerith made an opening and Leon grabbed her hand and began to run, cutting away any Shadows that jumped at them. They out ran the heartless easily, but Leon didn't stop until he could no longer hear they wild chattering. He turned a corner and stopped, so the two of them could catch their breaths. Leon loaded his gunblade with bullets and looked over at Aerith. “Are you alright?” he asked her.

 

Aerith looked up at him and nodded. “Yes,” she said, “I'm alright. Just need a little rest.”

 

Leon nodded and looked around the corner, his back to the wall. “Don't expect a lot of time,” he told her, “Those heartless will catch up in a while.”

 

Aerith nodded and then she asked, “How do you think the others are doing?”

 

Leon looked back at Aerith and smiled. “I'm sure they're all fine. We'll meet up with them soon.” Then Leon heard the chattering again, growing steadily louder. “Time to move,” he said, taking Aerith's hand again. They headed down the corridor as Shadows began to appear around them. Leon then shoved Aerith forward and yelled, “Run!” He then spun around and began firing at the heartless that came at him in a wave. They all exploded and the corridor was filled with light only for a moment as the captured hearts drifted skyward and Leon turned and ran after Aerith. He caught up with her just as the heartless closed in. “Damn,” Leon said softly and then he and Aerith began to attack the swarming heartless again.

 

~*~

 

“Where the hell did they all come from?” Cid cursed angrily as he swung his weapon, a long metal quarter staff with a blade at one end, at the enemy. He took several heartless with one swing, sending some of them slamming against the stone wall. He ducked as Yuffie's large four bladed shuriken went spinning back to its owner. “And watch where you throw that thing!”

 

“Sorry,” Yuffie said, jumping up slightly to catch her weapon, holding its twin in her other hand. She swung around, the blades slicing up heartless as they came near. “It's kind of hard with all these heartless. I take out fifty and double that takes their place.”

 

“They're only shadows,” Cid said, “There has to be some end to them.”

 

Yuffie yelled angrily and ran at the incoming wave of heartless, swinging a shuriken over her head and throwing it low, taking out half of the heartless. She threw her other one right after the first and when both returned to her, a way was cleared for them. “Cid, let's go!”

 

Cid turned and swinging his weapon to the side, knocking down a few heartless, he ran after Yuffie. He caught up to the ninja and the two of them tore down the corridor. In the distance, somewhere in the castle, Cid heard the sound of a gun firing. “Leon's gunblade,” he said to Yuffie, who nodded. “Looks like they have some trouble of their own.”

 

“Which means everyone is being attacked,” Yuffie said.”

 

Cid nodded then he spun around and swung his staff at the heartless jumping at them, the blade slicing off their heads. “Yeah,” he said, “which means that Sather is ready to play.”

 

“Well,” Yuffie said, “he's playing dirty. Not coming out on his own but instead sends thousands of heartless at us from all angles.”

 

“What did you expect?” Cid said, giving Yuffie a look. “He's evil.”

 

~*~

 

The old door exploded as soon as Tifa's fist connected with it. The black haired woman pulled her fist back and grinned. “Knock, knock,” she said.

 

Sora summoned his Keyblade to him, calling out, “Room service.” The three of them walked into the castle and into a corridor. The interior was dark except for a torch that gave a spot of light every twenty feet. The fire of the torch was a bright blue instead of orangey-red like normal fire. But this isn't a normal guy, Sora told himself. They started down the corridor at a run, Tifa and Kairi behind Sora. The corridor twisted and turned and divided into two separate directions. But Sora kept to the right, thinking of a maze; eventually, it would lead to the center. They kept the pace for about five minutes when Sora heard the sound of heartless. He stopped and went back to back with Kairi and Tifa, holding his sword ready. Tifa held up her fists and stood in a fighting stance and Kairi had her own Keyblade in her hands. The heartless surrounded them, all Shadow heartless. Sora knew that although they were weak, in numbers they were tough to take out. And the numbers they were facing with now was about twenty to one. Not the best odds…Sora thought to himself.

 

A heartless leapt at him and Sora sliced his Keyblade. That was the queue and all the heartless attacked and Sora, Kairi and Tifa put in their all to keep them at bay. Vibrating off the walls of the corridors were the other sounds of battle and Sora realized that they were all under attack. As he took out the heartless one by one, he began to wonder if dividing into smaller groups was such a good idea after all…

 

~*~

 

Riku dropped to the ground and he quickly rolled on his back and cut away the Shadow that tried to jump on him. He quickly sprang to his feet before his fall was taken advantage of. Nearby, he saw Keirii's crystal blade making arches of light as she swung it, taking out any heartless that just brushed that light. Riku swung his Keyblade, making a path so he could get to Keirii. Cloud was behind him a ways, dealing with his own group of heartless. All Shadows so far, Riku thought to himself. What game is Sather playing?

 

Riku reached Keirii and she spun around to face him. A few strands of hair that escaped her braid clung to her face that was damp with sweat. Her eyes were bright with the exertion of the fight and she smiled at him. “You alright?” she asked him as she cut down another heartless.

 

“Yeah,” Riku said, getting back to back with Keirii. “Having a blast is all.”

 

Keirii nodded and said, “But if we don't pull out fast, we're going to be beat.”

 

Riku silently agreed. He could keep going, but he knew that he had a limit. He also had to make sure he had enough strength to face Sather and Sephiroth, and any other big bad that was thrown at them. But at this rate, he was going to get winded, as well as Cloud and Keirii.

 

“There's too many to take out,” Cloud yelled, looking over at them. “Keirii, do it now!”

 

“Do what?” Riku asked, looking at Keirii.

 

“You'll see,” she said, “just guard me.” She shoved the tip of her sword into the ground and left it. She lifted her hands up in front of her and the crystal bangles around her wrists began to glow. “Make sure none of the heartless get to me.”

 

Riku nodded and kept the heartless back. Cloud managed to reach Riku and Keirii and together, the two men swung their swords at the heartless. Behind them, Keirii started to cry out an incantation.

 

“The four elements of all worlds; fire, water, air and earth. Set aside your differences and come to me. Mesh your power as one and lend it to me. Help me defeat the darkness that threatens to overwhelm me and the people I hold dear. Help me banish the darkness that stands before me and the people I hold dear. Calling you down from the heavens… WHITE LIGHTNING!”

 

“Move!” Cloud yelled, and Riku hit the ground, rolling away as a brilliant flash of white light filled the dark corridor. He heard the squealing of dying heartless and Riku covered his head with his arms. The squealing continued down the corridors and he could hear it vibrate off the walls, and then there was silence. Looking up, Riku saw that ever one of the heartless was gone and none were reappearing. He pushed himself to his feet and nearby Cloud did as well. Keirii was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. She looked up at Riku and smiled. “That was it,” she said.

 

Riku hurried over to her and took a hold of one of her arms. She leaned against him until she caught her breath and then straightened. “What was that?” Riku asked her in amazement.

 

“One of the ancient spells,” Keirii said, “It was thought to be lost long ago. That is one of the simple spells. There are ones much more advanced, but that one was enough. It should have taken out all the Shadows around, even the ones the others may have been fighting. We won't see another heartless for sometime, at least until the spell wears off.”

 

“How long will that be?”

 

“Enough time,” she said, “for us to find Sather and Sephiroth.”

 

“Why didn't you just use that from the start?”

 

Cloud walked over, holding his sword in hand. “It's a last resort kind of spell. We only use it if we absolutely have to. In this case, Sather would have just kept sending the heartless until we were worn down, then easily take us out.”

 

Keirii nodded and she tugged her sword from the floor. She allowed it to disappear and started to walk forward. She stumbled and Riku caught her before she collapsed to the floor. He grimaced and said, “Now I see why it's a last resort…”

 

Keirii smiled at him and said, “Yeah, it takes out a great deal of my strength. I would be fine, if I wasn't so tired out from fighting those things before.”

 

Riku wrapped an arm around her waist to support her. Keirii wrapped her own arm around his waist and they started down the corridor. Cloud stayed behind, in case anything came up for a surprise attack. There was nothing but silence, not even the sound of a breeze. The silence irked Riku for some reason. He would like to hear at least some noise; the silence was beginning to put him on edge.

 

Suddenly, they heard an odd grinding sound of stone against stone. Riku's only warning was dust brushing his cheek before Cloud's hands shoved against Riku and Keirii's backs. They flew forward just as a terrible loud crash came from behind. Riku recognized the sound; rocks and debris collapsing from the ceiling. He protected Keirii with his body and felt a few small rocks hit his back with a force that made him grit his teeth in pain. After what seemed like forever, the sound stopped, leaving only the soft noise of pebbles falling. The two of them sat up and looked behind them. There was now a pile of stone and wood paneling where they had been walking only moments before.

 

“CLOUD!” Keirii screamed as she pushed herself to her feet. Riku stumbled to his feet and grabbed Keirii before she could get closer, images of more stone falling on Keirii if she got too close to the collapsed pile of rock flashing through his mind. He held her close as she continued to scream out Cloud's name. Fear began to fill Riku as no response came and the same must have hit Keirii because she pressed her face against his chest and began to sob. It can't be, Riku thought, Cloud can't be…dead…But there was no response and Riku lowered his head beside Keirii's, sadness filling him…

 

And his head shot up when he heard a voice come from the other side of the wall. “Cloud?” Riku called out, hope filling him.

 

“Riku, Keirii,” Cloud's voice came from the other side of the wall of stone. “Are the two of you alright?”

 

“Cloud!” Keirii exclaimed happily. She started to run for the wall, but Riku stopped her. He wasn't sure if it was stable or not.

 

“We're alright,” Riku told him, “A few scrapes and bruises. How about you?”

 

“Same,” Cloud said. “Looks like I can't go farther, so I'm going to turn back and go the other way. I'll meet up with you guys soon.”

 

“Be careful,” Keirii said, “in case you run into Sephiroth or something ugly.”

 

“I will,” Cloud said, “Riku, take care of Keirii for me.”

 

Riku breathed in deeply. He knew that in some way, Cloud said that if it was his last words to him. Looking at Keirii, he knew that she realized that as well, because she was biting her lower lip. Riku looked back up and told Cloud, “I will.”

 

“Be careful,” Cloud said, and that was they last they heard from him.

 

Keirii sighed softly with relief and leaned against Riku. Riku held her, thankful that she was alright. She looked up at him and gasped softly. “You're bleeding,” she said, reaching up above his eyebrow.

 

That was when Riku felt a slight stinging above his right eye. He reached up and felt blood coming from a three inch cut that went through his eyebrow and missed his eye by about an inch. “Guess I got nicked by some shrapnel,” he said.

 

“Nicked?” she exclaimed, gently wiping blood away from his eye, “That's going to scar.”

 

“Ah, well,” Riku said with a shrug, “a scar won't be that bad. Think I would look kind of cool.”

 

Keirii glared playfully at him and said, “You are horrible.”

 

Riku smiled and kissed her briefly before turning forward. “Let's get going. I want to get out of this corridor as quick as possible, before it decides to cave in again.” Wrapping an arm around her waist again with her own arm around his and holding his Keyblade with his other hand, Riku led her down the corridor at a quick pace, keeping an eye out for anything that could be a threat to them.

 

~*~

 

The heartless suddenly all screamed as they disappeared in a quick flash of light. Like a wave, they all disappeared before Sora could blink. He spun around, but there wasn't a heartless in sight. “What was that?” Sora asked.

 

“Keirii's `White Lightning' spell,” Tifa said, hurrying ahead. “Come on. Now we have some time and don't have to worry about heartless wearing us down.”

 

Sora and Kairi glanced at each before following Tifa. They went down the corridor quickly, still on the lookout for anything that could be a threat. Coming to a crossing, they nearly ran into Mickey, Donald and Goofy. After reassuring each other that they were alright, the six of them stuck together and continued the direction Tifa, Sora and Kairi were going. Mickey hurried along beside Sora and, looking up at the teen, the King asked, “You guy's run into some heartless?”

 

Sora nodded and said, “Yeah, and they were all wiped out by Keirii's spell.”

 

“Yes, `White Lightning'. That is the first time I had seen it, but Leon and Merlin had told me about it. It was quite amazing, but I believe that Keirii is going to need some treatment from Aerith, since she's probably worn out because of it.”

 

Sora nodded again and then the ground trembled slightly underneath their feet. “A cave in?” Sora asked, stopping and looking back.

 

“Feels like it,” Tifa said. She had a worried look on her face. “I hope no one got hurt.”

 

“I'm sure everyone is alright,” Goofy said, “We just have to have faith.”

 

“Yeah,” Sora said. He looked at Kairi and noticed that she looked worried as well. “Don't worry, Kairi, I'm sure everyone's fine.”

 

Kairi looked up at Sora and nodded. “You're right,” she said. She then ran ahead, calling out behind her, “We better hurry.”

 

Sora looked at the others and then they all ran after her.