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Kingdom Hearts: Dark Dawn	By : RotSeele Category: Kingdom Hearts > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 3169 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
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Twenty-Eight - Lumina Cross

Its name is Sanctuary. Born of the power of your heart and the strength of your will. It is your darkness and your desire to protect your light.
Kai slammed Sanctuary into Secundus’s bulbous thigh and drove the hooked point of the Keyblade into the blackened flesh. It stuck and pulled as Kai tore Sanctuary free, taking with it a good chunk of darkness. On the other side, Guardian caused just as much damage, Kaoru spinning away as Secundus retaliated against him. The smaller boy was faster, more agile than Kai was, but Kai had more physical power behind his strikes. While Kaoru drew Secundus’s attention away from Kai, Kai flew into a flurry of attacks, Sanctuary biting deep into the corrupted darkness and ripping it away from Secundus’s body, where it disappeared in tiny motes.
Kai dodged away from a pounding strike from a hammer fist, jumping into the air at the last second to avoid being squashed. Below, Kaoru harried Secundus’s ankles, chipping off pieces of darkness. Kai landed and charged forward, his reversed grip on his Keyblade allowing him to throw his body into a spin that added power to his strikes. He hit three successive times, rising in the air with each hit. Sanctuary tore holes in Secundus’s arm from wrist to elbow, making the monster roar in pain and try to swat Kai away. He dropped to the ground, rolled, got back to his feet and charged again at the same time Kaoru launched into a series of attacks, Guardian flashing from his hand toward Secundus’s face in quick succession. The lightning fast attacks distracted Secundus enough for Kai to launch into an attack of his own. Sanctuary bit into the muscle and tendons of Secundus’s left leg, doing its best to sever them and bring the monster down to an even more manageable level.
Kaoru was forced to retreat, leaving Kai on his own. The redhead disengaged soon after him, managing to avoid being caught by a massive hand that would have squeezed the life out of him. The two Keyblade wielders joined back up, panting softly. Secundus howled and glared at them, struggling to rise even on his injured leg. A massive hand rushed toward them.
A bolt of bright lightning hit the palm of that hand, burning it into a lump of blackened meat. Secundus screamed and pulled his hand back, clutching his wrist and reeling from the pain. Kaoru and Kai turned to see Rinally standing behind them, her eyes narrowed and her staff held up, still slightly smoking from where the Thundara spell had originated. She marched up to Kaoru and caught him in a headlock, running her knuckles roughly over his hair.
“I can’t believe you! Leaving me behind like that! What were you thinking?!” Rinally finally released him and then pulled Kaoru into a tight hug. “When you got blasted out that wall, I thought you were dead! I hate you so much right now!”
“Sorry.” Kaoru said, his words muffled by her shoulder. “I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
Rin pushed back from him, nodded, then whirled on Kai. She poked her finger in his chest. “And you! The hell were you thinking, rushing off and taking on that jerk by yourself?”
Kai narrowed his eyes at Rin. “What, I don’t get a hug?”
“I don’t know you well enough.”
Kaoru laughed, despite the seriousness of Rinally’s anger. He sobered into an amused little grin when she glowered at him. Kai lifted Sanctuary, allowing Rin to see the Keyblade. Her eyes widened a little and she looked at Kaoru in question.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Ask him.”
Kai smiled at Rinally. “I’m the darkness to Kaoru’s light. Were you really expecting anything different?”
Rin put her hands on her hips. “I guess not, considering how touchy-feely you were with Kaoru.”
“What’s that supposed to-“
Secundus’s bellow interrupted Kai and made all three of them focus on their enemy. While he hadn’t recovered from any of his wounds, the monster that used to be Secundus didn’t seem to be ready to keel over any time soon. Rin gripped her staff and took two steps back from her friends.
“Go.” she whispered.
Kaoru nodded. He glanced at Kai, tilted his head, then took off at a flat run toward Secundus. Guardian flashed as he cut left and right with the weapon, tearing off more bits of darkness, before he spun around to Secundus’s back and drew his attention away from Kai, who attacked with a flurry of moves that opened up deep cuts in both flesh and darkness alike. Harried on both sides by the Keyblade wielders and attacked by Rinally’s spells, Secundus was in a vulnerable position. Each time he turned to attack one of the boys, the other would dart in and attack, and if he managed to corner both of them, then Rinally would unleash a flurry of spells that allowed Kaoru and Kai to reposition themselves for a new assault.
Still, for all the damage they inflicted, Secundus still didn’t seem like he was going to keel over any time soon. And as fast as they moved, and as fast as they came to each other’s aid, and as fast as they dodged away from attacks that would kill them, they were still gaining injuries and growing exhausted. Kaoru even used Cascade twice, but beyond tearing away more darkness and managing to shrink Secundus’s size, the powerful attack didn’t do much. Rinally’s soothing healing magic took away most of his exhaustion and pain after the two attacks, but he still didn’t have much power left to do anything more than attack and give Kai as many openings as possible.
As exhausted as Kai seemed, he didn’t look to be as exhausted as Kaoru. Perhaps it was because Kai was an embodiment of darkness fighting an embodiment of darkness, and the two forces, while the same on one level, were inherently different. Perhaps it was because he was determined to see Secundus dead. Whatever the answer truly was, it seemed like their victory hinged on Kai’s ability to bring down their enemy. Kaoru and Rin tried to give him as much help as they could, and Kai attacked with incredible speed and strength, ripping pieces out of Secundus. Then Secundus seemed to rally himself, and his blows suddenly became faster and came harder. Kaoru was flung backwards by a closed-fisted punch, blocked only by a Holy Shield that he managed to get around him in time. He still hit the ground on his back, bouncing because of the shield, which broke and allowed him to skid across the ground. Rinally rushed to his side, helping him sit up as she tried to heal his wounds.
He winced as her magic brushed a slice in his arm, healing the rent flesh back to the state it had been before he’d gotten injured. Kaoru looked up as a shadow fell over them, grabbing Guardian and bringing it up to fight the newest threat. Only it was Ioshua, panting roughly, looking hurt and tired himself. His eyes were riveted on Kai, watching the redhead dodge around attacks that would flatten him if they connected. There was a sort of pride in Ioshua’s eyes as he watched Kai, but there was also worry as well. Kaoru wondered if the worry was there because Ioshua was finally seeing what Kai really was, or if the worry was for Kai himself. Still, the man didn’t move to interfere, rather staying close to Kaoru and Rin. Kaoru looked at Rinally, nodded, and she helped him get to his feet.
“He can’t hold out like that forever.” Ioshua said quietly. Kai was moving with incredible speed and agility, his blows raining hard upon Secundus, but it was obvious that he was starting to slow down.
Kaoru readjusted his grip on Guardian. “We can beat him. We just have to find his weak spot.”
“I don’t think he has a weak spot.” Rinally muttered.
“Do you remember that trick we used on Ratcliffe?” Kaoru asked her. Rin blinked, then nodded and gripped her staff tighter. “Think we can do it again?”
“Probably. This space is a lot more enclosed than the field there. There might be collateral damage.”
“There aren’t any people around here anymore.” Ioshua interrupted. “Do what you need to do to help Kai. Secundus has to fall. If you don’t do it soon, you’ll lose your chance.”
Kaoru nodded and started forward at a slow walk before he began to pick up speed. As Secundus turned to face the new threat, Kai launched into a series of harsh blows that forced Secundus to turn back to him. By then, Kaoru had reached the monster and flew into an attack of his own, slamming Guardian as hard as he could into Secundus’s legs and sides, sending motes of darkness into the air as his light warred with the darkness corrupting Secundus’s body. He dodged a strike that would have bowled him over and skidded to a halt beside Kai.
“You okay?” Kai asked, his eyes focusing on Kaoru for the briefest of instants.
“Yeah. You?”
“I’m still alive.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Kaoru quickly explained what he intended to do, with Rinally’s help. Kai looked at him, skeptical. “Do you think you can finish him off if we do that?”
An eyebrow rose on Kai’s face, but he nodded. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got something up my sleeve.”
They separated quickly before they both were squashed by a darkness-infested fist. Kaoru threw Guardian in a quick succession of strikes while Kai attacked with four solid blows that upset Secundus’s balance and nearly made the monster topple over onto its back. The two tandem attacks allowed the two Keyblade wielders precious few seconds to get into position for what would be their final salvo in the fight. If they didn’t end it now, they weren’t going to come out of the fight alive.
Kaoru ran toward Secundus while the monster listed, trying to regain its balance. At the last second, he leaped from the ground, landed on the monster’s thigh and rebounded off and up. At the same time, he threw Guardian up into the air, focusing his will into the weapon. As Guardian reached its apex, Rinally’s Thundaga spell impacted, making the Keyblade glow white hot. Then the Keyblade burst into the prismatic rain of Cascade, which fell in sparkling, electrified sheets upon the transformed Secundus. The monster screamed in pain from both the touch of light and lightning, thrashing on the ground under the assault. The supercharged Cascade didn’t last long; Kaoru was too tired to keep the spell going as long as he had before. This final attack also put him out of the fight, placing their only chance at victory squarely on Kai’s shoulders. Kaoru landed and collapsed to his knees, panting. He somehow managed to keep his head up, though, focusing on Kai.
The power of Cascade didn’t seem to be more than a slight irritant to Kai. His Sanctuary Keyblade actually gave off small sparks of purple lightning when a mote of Cascade touched it, and the weapon itself seemed to take on a slight haze around it. Kai’s eyes had shifted from emerald green to Heartless black and gold, and his armor seemed to absorb the light from Cascade when it touched down. He adjusted his grip on Sanctuary, swinging his left arm out wide. At the same time Kai began to run forward, he threw Sanctuary like one threw a frisbee or a boomerang. The Keyblade took on a deep violet glow that began to solidify itself into a swirling chakram of darkness, spoked with curved blades as it rotated.
Then Kai disappeared from sight.
Sanctuary impacted Secundus on the shoulder and sliced its way through on a full rotation. Kai appeared as if out of nowhere behind Secundus, caught his Keyblade, and flung it again. Once more, Kai disappeared from sight only to reappear to catch Sanctuary and throw it for a third time. Five more times he did this, all from different angles. Each time Sanctuary sliced through Secundus, a spray of darkness speared the air and the darkness attached to Secundus’s body sloughed off to vanish into motes. On the last attack, Kai grabbed Sanctuary’s hilt and allowed the momentum of the whirling Keyblade to take him back a little further up in the air. Kai’s lips moved, but Kaoru couldn’t hear what the redhead was saying. Still, a finger of frigid cold swiped down Kaoru’s spine and he visibly shivered as Kai flashed out of existence.
He reappeared above and behind Secundus’s head, his eyes aglow with power. Sanctuary crashed down into the monster’s head, but there was no sound of solid impact. Instead, the Keyblade seemed to waver and then went through Secundus’s head before emerging out the other side. Kai twisted his body and avoided a flailing arm, landing on the ground and retreating to Kaoru’s side. Secundus lifted his hands and grabbed his head, screaming in rough, guttural tones. Even as they watched, the darkness still encasing Secundus’s body began to disappear, evaporating into tiny bubbles that popped the moment they were away from the main piece. He began to shrink in size, no longer a monster but a man once again. Secundus toppled over onto the ground and curled up into a fetal position, still clutching his head with his eyes squeezed shut. Little sounds escaped him, full of panic and pain.
Kaoru looked up at Kai. “What did you do?”
Kai lifted Sanctuary, which was once more in its normal form. “Nightmare Raid. I told you I was going to kill him. It wasn’t what I imagined, but I guess it works.”
Ioshua slowly approached the fallen Secundus, crouching down to grasp the man’s shoulder and turn him enough to look at the dictator’s face. Ioshua frowned, then rose and walked away from Secundus, looking toward Kai. Kai stared up at him, almost expecting some sort of lecture. Instead, Ioshua reached out and placed his hand on Kai’s shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.
Kai glanced at Ioshua’s hand, then back at the man’s face. “What?”
Ioshua smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to take his life.”
“I’m standing. He’s not. I can still change my mind.”
Kaoru rose and reached out to grip Kai’s wrist. Kai glanced at him, frowned slightly, then looked back at Ioshua. “My Nightmare Raid will keep him incapacitated for a couple of hours at most. While he’s living in his own personal hell, he’s oblivious to any outside influence, so you’d better move fast.”
Ioshua nodded. “I’ll take care of him. He won’t cause anyone any more trouble.” He turned to Kaoru and Rinally then, offering them his hand. “Thank you, Kaoru, Rin. I don’t think we would have survived if you weren’t here.”
Kaoru smiled. “We get sent to where we’re needed most, or so we think. We haven’t figured it all out yet.”
“What will you do, Ioshua?” Rinally asked. “I mean, he’s still got supporters. They could cause trouble.”
Ioshua shrugged, and he turned to look at Secundus. “Yeah, he’s got supporters. But most of them supported him because of the promises he made them if he managed to make Lumina Cross profitable to them. He won’t be able to do that now.” He sighed, long and deep. “I have to get everyone together now, and see how to move forward from here. After seeing you three fight, and how well darkness and light can work together, I have no more doubts or reservations. What this world needs isn’t a dictator or a sole leader, but many who can work together for the betterment of Lumina Cross itself. If we can achieve that much, then when we make Lumina Cross an open world, we’ll thrive.”
Ioshua walked over to Secundus’s limp form then and hauled the man up. Secundus didn’t fight the motion. Instead, he hung limply, his eyes half open but blank and unseeing. Every now and then, his body gave a violent shudder, almost convulsing out of Ioshua’s grip. Ioshua managed to keep a hold on him, making sure that Secundus didn’t actually topple to the ground and get even more injured than he actually was already. Then Ioshua looked up at the Princep’s Residence, which was smoking slightly and looked as though it was starting to sag in some areas.
“That place, of course,” Ioshua said with wry humor, “will need some work.”
Ioshua and the teenagers, along with the incapacitated Secundus, made their way back toward the main yard of the Princep’s Residence where the rest of the resistance stood waiting. The group of people stared at the sight of Secundus being supported by Ioshua, confused at first. Then, when Ioshua explained to them his reasoning, his followers let out a raucous cheer, hugging one another and throwing fists into the air. Some even hugged Kai, despite the fact he clearly didn’t want the attention. People congratulated Kai on gaining his Keyblade, and they began to speak about the good he could do with Sanctuary for Lumina Cross and the people who lived there. Kai said nothing, but there was a strange look in his eyes as people praised what he had done.
Kaoru and Rin stood apart from the celebrating crowd. Rinally placed her hand on Kaoru’s arm, meeting his gaze with a concerned look. Kaoru lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to leave without saying good bye to Ioshua, but the man now had his hands full with Secundus’s limp form and the resistance members who followed him. Besides that, curious onlookers were starting to gather around the Residence, and word of the dictator’s defeat would spread quickly now. But he didn’t want to leave without finding out what Kai wanted to do. Now that he had a Keyblade, Kai could come with him and Rinally. He could help them find Sora and Riku, help them find Hiromu and Tae, and Rinally’s parents and sister. Since he had achieved what he’d wanted to do, there was nothing to hold him here on Lumina Cross.
Kaoru realized he was being a little selfish. In the short time that he’d known Kai, he’d come to like the taller boy. It felt strange to separate himself from the person who seemed to resonate the most with him. Light and Darkness were meant to work side by side, and leaving Kai behind felt, to Kaoru, like he was cutting off a part of himself.
“Come on,” Rinally whispered. She tugged on Kaoru’s arm.
Reluctantly, Kaoru turned to follow her. They slipped away, quiet as ghosts, weaving through the growing crowd until at last they were free of it. Together they walked back to the fountain, staring up at the statuary in the center of the fountain.
Rinally squeezed Kaoru’s hand, offering him a little smile. “We did what we came here to do, Kaoru. We can’t wait around.”
He looked at their joined hands and smiled wanly. “I know. It’s just...”
“He’s a jerk, but I guess, with his Keyblade, he’s part of the club. I don’t wanna leave him behind either, but it’s not our choice, you know?”
“I know.”
“Besides, could you imagine walking around on the Paths with him? He’d probably bring all sorts of Heartless down on us! Like that one monster we saw when we first got into that world between worlds.”
Despite himself, Kaoru laughed. “I don’t think he’d do that.”
“But he might! I mean, darkness is attracted to darkness, right?”
“First of all, I think having me with you would keep the Heartless away. Second, what’s to stop me from just leaving you there, Pinkie?”
Kaoru turned to find Kai standing behind him. The redhead’s arms were folded across his chest and he seemed to stare down his nose at Rinally. She pursed her lips and got a glint of steel in her eye as she glowered at him. “You wouldn’t leave me there.” Rin protested. “Kaoru wouldn’t let you.”
“Who said he’d have a choice?” Kai moved up to Kaoru and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pulling Kaoru tight against him. “I could just grab him and, poof, we’d be gone.”
Rin reached out to pull Kaoru out of Kai’s arms, sticking her tongue out at the redhead. “You might have control over Darkness, Kai, but you don’t have control over where the Paths go.”
“Stop it, both of you.” Kaoru said. He pulled his arm from Rin’s grip and placed his other hand against Kai’s chest to stop him from doing something stupid. Then he met Kai’s eyes. “You’re coming with us, right?”
Kai’s expression seemed to soften as he gazed at Kaoru. “Yeah.” He looked at Rinally then, and his face became serious. “I awakened Sanctuary because of you guys. Without you, I never would have realized what real power is. I wouldn’t...” he blew out a sigh, “I wouldn’t have friends. Real friends, I mean. Besides, Ioshua doesn’t need me around. He’s got the whole ruler thing covered with what he wants to do. And Lumina Cross is safe enough. And... and I want to go with you. I want to see other worlds. I want to see what the power of Darkness and Light can really do.”
“You might never come back here.” Rin warned. “And if Lumina Cross does become an open world, it risks being consumed by Heartless.”
“You said yourselves that the Paths drop you wherever you’re needed most. I’m sure if Lumina Cross really needed me, it would summon me back somehow.”
“We don’t know where we’ll end up next.” Kaoru said. “Do you want to say good bye?”
Kai shrugged. “Don’t need to. Ioshua knows.”
Kaoru tried not to beam and failed. Even Rin looked pleased that Kai was coming with them, teasing and bickering aside. Kaoru offered Kai his hand, and Kai took it with a tight squeeze. “Welcome to the team.” Kaoru said softly.
“Yeah.” Rin said. “Even though you’re a jerk, I’m glad you’re coming. Things are just getting more and more dangerous.”
For once, Kai regarded Rinally with a serious expression rather than rising to her verbal attack and responding in kind. He inclined his head, then said, “If what you say is true, about this organization trying to use and control Heartless and people, then you’re going to need all the extra help you can get.”
Then, Kai raised his hand, closed his eyes, and reality seemed to flicker and bend as a puddle of darkness appeared, raising up until at last it opened, revealing the World Between Worlds, and the Paths of Darkness. He opened his eyes, flicked the golden orbs toward the rip in reality. He held his hands out to Kaoru and Rin.
“Shall we go?”
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Kingdom Hearts: Dark Dawn