Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts: Castle of Darkness, Heart of Light ❯ Cloud's Fight ( Chapter 6 )

Leon and Aerith had been surprised for only a moment when all of the heartless had disappeared in the flash of light. Now they continued down the corridor, hoping that no more heartless would slow them down. They had come to a four corner of the corridor and were debating on which way to go when the ground shook under them. Aerith cried out slightly and fell against Leon. Leon held her until the shaking subsided and stopped. Leon looked around, wondering where the shaking came from, when suddenly, from down the corridor to his left, he heard Keirii scream, “CLOUD!”

 

“Oh no,” Aerith gasped, fear in her eyes. “Something's happened. That shaking must have been a cave in.”

 

“Come on,” Leon said, taking her hand. He led her down the left corridor and they began to run. Thoughts were reeling through Leon's mind. What if the ceiling had caved in on Cloud? And they didn't hear Riku either, so did that mean that something had happened to Riku as well? Leon prayed that they didn't just lose two of their friends in such a short time. They came to a dead end and could either go left or right. Leon listened closely and he heard the sound of rocks falling coming from the left, meaning that the cave in happened in that direction. He went that way, Aerith behind him. They ran for several more feet before Leon heard footsteps up ahead. Coming around a bend, they nearly ran into Riku and Keirii. Riku had his arm around Keirii, supporting her up as she walked. Cloud wasn't with them.

 

“Oh, God, Cloud…” Aerith began before Keirii shook her head.

 

“He's fine,” she told them. “He had to find another way around though. He got caught on the other side. He said that he'll meet up with us soon.”

 

Leon let go of the breath he didn't realize that he had been holding in. Aerith went over to Keirii and checked her over before casting cure on her. Keirii stood straighter and smiled at Aerith in thanks. “I needed that,” Keirii said, “That spell nearly wiped me out.”

 

Leon looked at Riku and saw that he was cut bad over his right eye. The cut ran over his eye, through his eyebrow and down the side an inch from the corner of his eye. The cut had stopped bleeding, but Leon knew that that was going to scar. “You alright?” he asked Riku.

 

Riku nodded and lifted his hand to the cut, touching it gingerly. “It's better now,” he said, “Rock got me during the cave in.”

 

“I can heal it the most I can,” Aerith said, “so you don't have to worry about it opening up again.”

 

Riku nodded and Aerith rested a hand over the wound and cast Cura. There was a soft glow of green light and when Aerith removed her hand, there was nothing but a pink scar. She brushed away the dry blood and then stepped back. “Now that the two of you are fixed up, let's get going. I don't think we have much farther to go.”

 

Keirii nodded and looked at Riku. Riku nodded and then he turned to Leon. “Cloud told us to be careful, but he also said something that made me and Keirii believe that he may not come back. I just thought that you ought to know.”

 

Leon nodded and said, “We all have a chance in not going back. We knew that. We just have to pray that Cloud will be alright. And if anything happens to him…”

 

“I will know,” Keirii said, “His death will break the pact and the broken thread will backlash at me like a whip.”

 

Aerith nodded and said, “Let's hope that you won't feel that.”

 

A thought stuck Leon and he looked at Keirii. “Wait, can't the two of you communicate through mind-speak, despite the distance?”

 

Keirii shook her head. “I tried, after the cave in,” she told him, “but the castle put up some sort of barrier between us. We can't communicate to each other unless we're touching.”

 

Leon sighed and then said, “Well, we'll just have to wait and see then.”

 

Riku nodded and said, “We need to get going. The more time we waste, the less time we have before Keirii's spell wears off and we're overrun by heartless again.”

 

“Right,” Leon said, turning. They headed down the corridor and kept straight, moving at a quick pace to make up for lost time. They kept at it, all awhile, keeping an eye out for the others and any heartless.

 

~*~

 

Cloud ran around a corner without slowing down. He could sense him now; Sephiroth was close by. The presence of the one winged man was so over powering that Cloud could sense nothing else but him. The small presence of Keirii that was always in the back of his mind was being washed over by Sephiroth. Cloud knew that it was stupid of him to try to take Sephiroth without Keirii or the others close, especially in this place. But something was driving Cloud forward; something that he figured was revenge. That and the darkness that still lingered in his heart, even though he had found so much happiness in his life. It's because of him, Cloud thought bitterly, it always goes back to Sephiroth. I should have known that he wasn't dead when the darkness didn't disappear. This time, Sephiroth will die and the darkness will go away. So Cloud kept going forward, and didn't stop until the corridor he was running through ended in a small room.

 

The room had a hole in the ceiling that let in the light and the walls were crumbling and, in some places, had already collapsed. Sephiroth was here, he could feel it. Cloud held his sword and called out, “Show yourself, Sephiroth!”

 

“Cloud, Cloud,” a familiar voice said from above, “just like a puppy; you come when you are called.” The long haired warrior descended from a ledge on the wall and floated down to land in front of Cloud. The man smiled wickedly and asked, “What, you came alone? You didn't bring your friends, or your sister?”

 

“They aren't involved in this,” Cloud said, holding his sword ready in front of him. “This is between you and me.”

 

“Oh, Cloud,” Sephiroth said, shaking his head, “how very wrong you are.” Then the man lunged at Cloud, long sword in his hand.

 

Cloud blocked Sephiroth's attack and pushed back, following it with an attack of his own. Sephiroth danced around, blocking and feinting with his sword, to the point where Cloud was becoming frustrated. He swung at openings that Sephiroth left open, only to have his attacks brushed aside by Sephiroth's sword at the last minute. Cloud's enemy was playing with him, and Cloud did not like it. Sephiroth swung his sword low and Cloud flipped back, landing on the top of a partly caved in wall. “Stop fooling around Sephiroth,” Cloud snapped, “Why won't you fight, damn it?”

 

Sephiroth chuckled and said, “But I need to save my strength, for our final battle.”

 

“Why don't you just end it here?” Cloud asked.

 

“Because I still have use for you,” Sephiroth said.

 

Cloud snarled and jumped at Sephiroth. “You won't use me for nothing! Not anymore!”

 

Sephiroth laughed right out, the first time Cloud had ever heard him do that, as far as Cloud could remember anyway. The man's laugh was wicked and it cause Cloud to fault slightly, so his attack was deflected off of Sephiroth's sword and his sword hit the stone floor, sending up sparks. “Once again, Cloud,” Sephiroth said, “you are very wrong. I will use you just once more, whether you like it or not.”

 

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth and for the first time, he felt fear of this man. But before Cloud could react, he heard a different laughter behind him; a grated laugh that reminded Cloud of fingernails being run down a black board mixed with the sound of a cawing raven. Cloud spun around a remembered seeing a pair of evil yellow eyes under a dark hood before a heavy pressure wrapped around his mind. Cloud dropped to his knees and his world blacked out.

 

~*~

 

Keirii ran alongside Riku as they followed Leon and Aerith down the corridor. They were almost out; Keirii could feel a slight breeze, indicating an upcoming large space. Sure enough, they went around a bend and found themselves at the end of the corridor and in what appeared to be the main hall. She let out a soft sigh of relief, thankful to be out of those maze-like corridors. They walked in, creating small dust clouds under their feet as they walked. Leon looked around and said, “Looks like it's only us right now.”

 

“The others should be coming,” Keirii said, walking around and looking at the dimly lit hall. There was a staircase that led to a balcony and the next level. She examined the stairs and they seemed to be secure and safe, just covered in dust. Old statues lined the walls, so worn down that she wasn't sure what they use to be. The place was drafty and smelled like death. It sent trembles up Keirii's spine and she wanted to pull her lips back and snarl. She turned around when she heard running footsteps. Cid and Yuffie came from another entrance to the main hall, breathing heavily. A few moments later, Sora, Kairi, Tifa, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy came from another. Everyone joined together at the center of the large room and after assuring each other that they were alright, they quickly returned to the matter at hand.

 

Keirii noticed Tifa looking around and Cid suddenly asked, “Hey, where's Spiky? Wasn't he with Keirii and Riku?”

 

“We got separated by the cave in,” Riku said, “He said that he would meet up with us.”

 

“But wouldn't he be here by now?” Tifa asked, a little worried.

 

Keirii shrugged and said, “He had to go back and around, so it might take him a little while longer than the rest of us.” Suddenly, the draft sent a familiar scent in her direction and Keirii looked toward the entrance her, Riku, Leon and Aerith came from. She ran towards the entrance as Cloud walked in, sword in hand. “Cloud,” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. “You're alright.”

 

Cloud was silent and the hair on the back of Keirii's neck suddenly stood on end. The danger instincts she inherited as a wolf went on overdrive and she was moving long before Riku yelled at her to get away. She wasn't fast enough and when she rolled away, she felt a blinding pain sear on her side. She got to her knees and pressed a hand to her side over a deep wound that had already spilt some of her blood to the floor. She looked up as Cloud headed towards her friends and she noticed that his eyes were darkly glazed over, his pupils larger than normal. Riku ran towards her, but Cloud was suddenly in the way and Riku quickly jumped back out of range, his Keyblade in hand. Keirii pushed herself to her feet and held out a hand. There was a shimmer of light and Cloud slammed into an invisible barrier. She had locked her and Cloud into a circular space, so he couldn't get out and hurt the others.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Cid yelled, “You're gonna kill yourself!”

 

“Keirii, no!” Riku cried, slamming his fists against the barrier, “Don't do this! He'll kill you!”

 

Keirii ignored them and she called her sword to her. She removed her hand from her side to grip the handle tightly. “You have to get through me to get to them, Sather,” Keirii yelled as Cloud slowly turned around. “I won't let you hurt my friends.”

 

Cloud's mouth opened and his voice as well as the voice of another man came out, a voice that was cold and deep. “You are a brave one,” he said, walking slowly towards her, “but a fool. You will allow yourself to die by your brother's hands to protect your friends.”

 

“I don't plan on dying,” Keirii said, “I intend to break your hold on my brother.”

 

Cloud/Sather laughed and then asked, “And if you cannot? Will you kill him?”

 

Keirii's grip on her blade tightened and she whispered, “If I have to, yes, I will kill Cloud. I would rather kill him than have him under your control.” Then she lunged at Cloud, bringing her sword up. She thought that there would be some resistance to Cloud's swing, like he was fighting against Sather's control, but there wasn't. Cloud's blade blocked Keirii's and he shoved her back with the speed and agility that he had when fighting with her. Sather had Cloud completely under his control. Damn it! Keirii thought to herself as she dodged Cloud's attack. She jumped back and dropped to one knee, her side blazing with pain. Cloud slowly advanced towards her, holding his sword at his side with one hand. Keirii could see the red of her blood on the edge and she snarled softly. This had been Sather and Sephiroth's plan all along; to pit Cloud against them and have him kill each and every one of them. She figured that when they did that, they were going to release control over Cloud and then Sephiroth would take that chance of Cloud suffering over the thought of his friends dying by his own hand and defeat him. Keirii held her sword up as Cloud swung his sword down, blocking his attack. She pushed herself up, pushing Cloud back and shoved forward, making Cloud fall back. She lunged at Cloud and their blades locked again. “Cloud!” she cried as they pushed against each other, “Snap out of it!” She shoved him back again and swung her sword low, hoping to maybe hit his leg hard enough to break it so he would be out of action. She didn't want to hurt him, but she had no choice. She had to stop him some way before he killed her and the others.

 

Cloud jumped back away from her sword and landed a few feet away. Keirii gasped for air. She was quickly losing strength, the wound in her side slowly spilling her blood to the floor. She could feel her blood running down her leg and feel it under her feet as she shifted her stance. She looked at Cloud and realized that she wasn't going to win, not in the condition she was in. She let go of her sword and allowed it to drop to the ground. On the other side of the barrier she heard Riku scream out to her, but she didn't turn her head. She stared at Cloud, her eyes slowly filling with tears. “Cloud,” she said softly, “I know this isn't you. Please… I know you can break free.”

 

Cloud face didn't change; his eyes remained dark and soulless. He ran at her, his sword held out to his side. Keirii waited until he was close, and then she threw herself at him. Wrapping her arms tightly around his torso, she hugged him tightly to her. “Come back to me Cloud!” she cried.

 

Suddenly, she felt Cloud's body shudder. The arm of the hand that was holding the First Tsurugi was shaking slightly as if it wanted to rise but something was holding it down. Keirii held Cloud tighter to help keep herself up and to let Cloud know she was there. She knew now that he was fighting over the control that Sather had over him. The little light that was inside of him was fighting the darkness that was trying to take him over. “I love you, Nii-sama,” Keirii said softly, so that only he would hear. Cloud's body shuddered again and his sword dropped to the ground. His hands gripped Keirii's arms as she heard him snarl under his breath.

 

“Damn you,” she heard him say softly, “I… won't let… you… take me… I WON'T BE CONTROLED AGAIN!” The last came out as an outburst and Keirii felt something rip through the room and she realized that it was a backlash. Cloud had broken Sather's control over him. She looked up at Cloud and saw his eyes change back to their bright cobalt blue again. His grip on her arms lessened and he looked at her. “Keirii?” he said softly.

 

Keirii smiled through her tears and she said, “You did it. You broke free.”

 

Cloud gasped slightly in amazement at what he did. “I…” Then he realized that Keirii was holding herself up using him and the memories of what he did while he was under control must have came flooding back because he quickly wrapped his arms around her, slowly lowering her to the ground. “You're hurt… I hurt you…” he said softly as he pressed a hand over her wound.

 

Keirii smiled weakly at him. “It wasn't you,” she said.

 

“It was my sword, by my hand… oh God,” Cloud choked on his words and he started shaking. She could feel his hand trembling as he tried to stop her blood from coming out.

 

Suddenly, Riku was there, kneeling next to her opposite Cloud. Leon and Sora appeared as well and the four men each rested a hand over where Cloud's was. “Curaga on three,” Riku said and the other three nodded. “One… two… three.” There was a strong glow of green light that surrounded the five of them and the pain in Keirii's side slowly disappeared until it was nothing more than a memory. Her strength returned and Keirii was able to sit up. She lifted her shirt slightly and looked at her side. Despite being healed by four men who had the strongest magic abilities, the wound left a scar that went horizontal around her side. She lowered her shirt and looked at Cloud. She could see that he was suffering from the fact that he had hurt her, even though he had been under the control of someone else. She looked up as Tifa rushed to his side and knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in relief and for comfort for Cloud. Cloud leaned against Tifa, but didn't look at any of them, keeping his eyes to the ground.

 

“It wasn't your fault Cloud,” Keirii told him, taking his hands in hers, “Sather had control of your will and your heart. This is what he and Sephiroth wants; for you to suffer so they can take you out. It wasn't you Cloud. I know that you would never hurt me or Tifa or anyone else.”

 

“I know,” Cloud said, “it's just the fact that he tried to use me to take you guys out and that your blood is on my blade.” Cloud looked up, his eyes blazed with anger. “Sather and Sephiroth will pay.”

 

“Damn straight,” Cid said.

 

Tifa arms around Cloud tightened and she said, “And you already sent Sather the message that you can't be controlled; not by him or Sephiroth.”

 

Keirii nodded in agreement and then she stood up with Cloud and Tifa. She walked over to where her sword laid on the ground and picked it up. She turned to look at the others and grinned. “Let's take them. We'll show them that they can't take one of our own.”

 

~*~

 

Sather hadn't expected Cloud to break free of his control. So when the backlash came and struck him, it hurt… a lot. Sather leaned against the wall, gasping for air, his life nearly gone. It should have killed him, but he had become so powerful that it only left him weak to a point where he was an even match to a Wolfkin, maybe even weaker. If he had been able to get rid of that girl quicker, then he would have been successful and the plan would have worked without flaw. But, of course, there was always a flaw with every plan. Sather knew that he won't be able to control Cloud again. The boy had just rid a good portion of the darkness in his heart, even though he may not know it yet. Sather reached an old cabinet and opened the door. He took out a small bottle filled with clear green liquid. There was only a small bit left, but it should be enough to keep him alive so he could destroy those bastards. He opened the bottle and sucked the potion down. Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he could feel his strength returning, although not quickly enough.

 

“I thought you could keep him under your control?”

 

Sather turned around and glared at Sephiroth. “You told me that he had hardly any light left in him.”

 

“Seems like I was mistaken,” the one winged man sneered, walking into the room, “Seems like Cloud has more light in him than I thought.”

 

“Seems like you don't know this man as well as you thought,” Sather snapped, “Maybe you shouldn't have been in hiding for three years.”

 

Sephiroth spun around and stared at Sather. “I have my reasons,” he said coldly, “Just as you have yours for wanting Keyblade wielders.” Sephiroth gestured to the door with his hand. “I brought you three of them and a way to take out all of them. I played this perfectly into your hands, yet you still manage to slip up somehow. You are the one at fault here, not me.”

 

Sather growled and said, “Get out, before I kill you.”

 

Sephiroth laughed and said, “By the looks of things, I'm the stronger one here. But I will heed what you said, after I take care of business here.” Then the man disappeared in a halo of darkness.

 

Sather straightened and walked out of the room. He will take out those Keyblade wielders and gain their power. Then with the power of three Keyblade wielders, he will take over all of the worlds. But first, he had a score to settle with the Wolfkin. He will make up for his defeat against her people by killing her, the daughter of the leader of the Mountain tribe.

 

~*~

 

Cloud ran alongside Keirii as they all went up to the higher levels of the castle. Riku ran at Keirii's other side, Tifa ran behind Cloud, Sora and Kairi were ahead with Leon, Aerith and the King, Donald and Goofy, with Cid and Yuffie bringing up the rear. They all had weapons out and ready. They were running down another corridor and Cloud was beginning to get sick of corridors. They came into a large parlor and that's when the heartless showed up. Instead of Shadows though, this time there were Neoshadows, heartless that looked like taller, slimmer versions of Shadows. They were also a lot stronger too. Everyone spread out then and attacked. Cloud swung his sword at the heartless, knocking them back but he had to deal a few more blows before the disappeared in a puff of dark vapor.

 

Cloud snarled as he saw more show up and he hit the trigger device on his sword. Another sword, one of the six that made up the First Tsurugi, popped out and, catching it, he attacked the heatless at all sides. Nearby, he noticed that Sora had gotten the same idea, because he was using two Keyblades now instead of one. Riku and Keirii fought back to back, Tifa fought alongside Aerith and Donald, and Goofy was with the King, Yuffie and Cid. Cloud felt Leon go back to back with him and both readied their stance as the Neoshadows swarmed around them.

 

“Just like old times,” Leon said, holding his gunblade in front of him.

 

Cloud nodded with a grunt and said, “Think you can take on this many?”

 

“Well, might be tough, if one more shows up,” Leon said, mimicking what Cloud had said to him during the battle at Radiant Garden, then Hollow Bastion, three years ago.

 

Cloud chuckled and said, “Yeah, definitely like old times.” Then he leapt forward, swinging both swords. Heartless exploded all around him and it reminded him strangely of a piñata, only without the candy. Only a bunch of dark vapor and a heart that disappeared seconds after it was released. He jumped back as a Neoshadow swiped its claws at him and he cut it down. Taking a quick glance around the room, he saw that most of the heartless were taken out. He turned back and took out the remaining heatless around him and then went to help the others.

 

When the last heartless was taken out, Cloud felt the familiar dark presence again. The want of revenge filled him and, snapping the two blades into one again, he started forward, in the direction the presence of Sephiroth was coming from. He then stopped and looked back at the others. “I'm going after him,” he said, “I'm finishing this with Sephiroth once and for all.”

 

Keirii looked at him and he expected her to protest, to tell him that he was a block head for wanting to go alone after what had just happened moments ago. But instead, she nodded in understanding and Cloud smiled at her in thanks. She grinned and gave him a salute. “Kick his ass,” was all she said.

 

Tifa walked over to him, her eyes filled with fear. “You will be careful, right?” she asked.

 

Cloud nodded and he looked at everyone. “I promise, as you all as my witness,” he said, “that I will be careful.” He walked over to Tifa and, holding his sword in one hand, he cupped the side of her face with the other. “And I will come back for you, Tifa.”

 

Tifa nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Cloud kissed her then, deeply and passionately. It was brief, but it was enough; enough to give him the boost he needed to face Sephiroth, enough to let him know that he had someone to come back to. Pulling away from her, Cloud spun around and ran out of the parlor and down another long corridor. He came to a wall where he could go either left or right; he went right. As he ran down the corridor, the presence of Sephiroth growing stronger and stronger, he thought of the people he was leaving behind. Every single one of them had wanted to come and help him, but they had all known that this battle was his alone and he was grateful that they were allowing him to go alone. He would see them again soon. He knew that once they finished off Sather, they would come after him. But for now, the battle was between him and Sephiroth.

 

I will come back, he swore to himself, to all of them; to Tifa.

 

Cloud continued upward, towards the roof of the castle. He started to run up a narrow staircase, knowing that Sephiroth was right at the top. He reached the top of the staircase and came to a door. He kicked it open and found himself on the roof of the castle. On either side, torrents rose above him. The roof was large and had several levels to it. And there, standing close to the crumbling ramparts, was Sephiroth. “Sephiroth!” Cloud yelled, holding his blade in front of him.

 

Sephiroth turned and looked at Cloud. He smiled cruelly and said, “Cloud… have you come for revenge?”

 

“That, and to finish this off for good. I will defeat the darkness in me, and I will defeat you!”

 

Sephiroth unsheathed his long sword and nodded. “You are right, about half of that anyway. Yes, we finish this now, but you won't be defeating me.”

 

“Well then,” Cloud said, “we'll see about that.” Then he attacked.