Chapter Text
Sora's claws clashed against Riku's blade, sending sparks flying across the room. Riku slapped him back with the blade's dull side, then ran to slash him mid-air. Sora dodged out of his way, then leapt off of thin air to clamber onto the wall. A blue energy surrounded him, and his eyes glowed pink as he loomed over the party.
Three shot a screeching blast from Lucifer, but the laser was ducked. Bandana ran forward with Gigaros, but Sora could leap over him and clash once more with Riku's Keyblade. Ralsei whacked Sora with his scarf, only for the Heartless to grab the cloth and use it to hurl Ralsei into a wall.
Melinoë zipped behind Sora and stabbed him in the back. He howled, his back cracking backwards to glare her in the eyes. She pulled out before he could hit her, and dashed to the other side of the room.
They stood around Sora in a circle, with Frinos watching with a blank stare from the entrance. Darkness had begun to cover everything around them. Droplets of the shadowy substance fell from the ceiling, and small Heartless formed from their impact. Each one was equipped with a strange theater mask, either accented with a sharp smile, or a droopy frown.
"What the..." Riku held his blade steady, "I haven't seen these before!"
"Riku..." Sora held out a dripping hand, "Please... join... Riku..."
The masked Heartless all turned to Riku, yellow eyes joined to his heart. They slunk forward, a line of them slashed to pieces by his blade. Melinoë joined in, slashing away at the Heartless spawning as she dashed for Sora again. She tackled him, and they barreled past the wildly stabbing Bandana and the much more precisely shooting Agent 3. Sora kicked the child of Hades off, then slashed her right across the leg.
She winced, but stomped her other leg on the ground. A large circle formed under her and Sora, which made his movements much more sluggish.
"There," Mel caught her breath, "That should keep you-"
Mel was sent flying forward by a flying kick from one of the masked Heartless. It was blasted to bits by Three, who proceeded to barely miss another shot against Sora. The Binding Circle faded, and he leapt around at blistering speeds once more.
"I think I'm ready!" Ralsei held his hands together, a green glow emanating from the junction, "If I can just touch his heart, I think I can dispel this Darkness!"
The masked Heartless reached for Ralsei, and were slashed by Riku's blade. They would not stop, but he could see Sora falter as he moved through the air. Riku thrust his blade forward, straight through the head of another masked Heartless, and Sora faltered again.
The Heartless Boy shrieked, rolling through the air with manic grace in an attempt to snuff out Ralsei's glowing light. He was blocked by Riku's blade, then pierced through the head by Bandana Dee. Gigaros seared through its skull, and its yellow eyes shifted on its head to meet Bandana's.
"U-Uhmm..." Bandana's hands shook, but the spear was steady as an anchor, "I-I know you can't hear me, but I promise we're doing our best to help-"
Bandana was grabbed by a masked Heartless, and flung backwards. Gigaros was kicked by Sora into a wall, and he was finally able to push through Riku's blade.
"HEART!" Sora's claws scraped Ralsei's face, "YOUR... HEART..."
Sora stopped, and so did the Heartless around him. Ralsei coughed, his fur now stained red and his vision blocked by his own blood. He could feel his hands on Sora's chest, though, and his ears perked up at the sound of Riku's Keyblade.
"Heart..." Sora said, the beam of light coming closer. Inky tears fell upon Ralsei's cloak, and the Heartless's voice went low. "She... she was right... my heart can be free..."
The entire room was flooded in a flash of green, and everyone was knocked back. Ralsei's wounds were healed by the blast, and Riku felt more limber than ever as he got back to his feet. Melinoë and Three watched as the masked Heartless turned to dust, and Bandana only wanted to lay down and fall asleep. Three did end up dragging him up, and Mel grabbed Gigaros for him. She stared at it for a moment, but sighed and handed it back to the waddle dee.
"Sora!" Riku cried.
Sora fell to the ground, his hair completely messed up and covering his eyes. Riku rushed to his side, grabbing him and holding his head up. Sora's breath was heavy, but he smiled the second he saw Riku
"R-Riku..." Sora shakily put up his hand, and Riku grabbed it in his, "I... I knew you'd find me. Where's Kairi?"
"She's safe," Riku smiled wider than ever before, despite the tears that slid down his cheeks. He held Sora close, his voice a mere whisper as his head laid on his friend's shoulder. "Sh-She's with everybody else. We're all waiting for you, Sora."
"Well..." Sora laughed, "They've gotta be waiting for you, too!"
In that moment, Sora and Riku began to glow. Neither of them seemed to notice, but the rest could not take their eyes away from it. They were enveloped by it, and though they could not be seen, Riku could be heard.
"Thank you all!" Riku called out, as the light began to dissipate. His voice became quieter, echoing through the room as he and Sora disappeared in each other's arms. "I'll never forget you!"
"We won't forget you, either!" Ralsei shouted and waved goodbye, "Maybe we can meet again, someday!
"Y-Yeah!" Bandana added, "Once we complete our quests, we'll find some way to see each other!"
"Our quests..." Three said to herself, then looked up to Melinoë. She looked more confused than anything, but still could feel the joy in the air. Three held her hands over her mouth, though Riku and Sora were already gone. "Yeah! Good luck getting back home!"
The four stood there, for a moment. They were five, as Frinos had sat in the corner for the whole battle, but sitting is not standing. Ralsei did feel a bit hurt that he couldn't learn more about Sora, but knew that this was how it was meant to be.
Bandana, meanwhile, felt the smallest prick of dread in his mind. What would his quest entail? He hadn't met anybody else from his world. Were they still in the first circle, or were they deeper into this chaotic land?
"Well," Melinoë said, placing her blades on her waist, "Seems like you three know what just happened there. They didn't just die, did they?"
"They completed their quest!" Ralsei smiled, "Each of us was sent here on a quest, you see. And it seems that once our quest is done, we finally get to leave!"
"Which means my quest must be getting my brother out of that damned mirror," Mel rolled her eyes, "At least that should be much easier than all of this. You said he was in the first circle, right?"
"Yup," Three nodded, "Just search around for the large area full of marble busts of a skinny creep, and you should find the mirror."
"Oh, of course you got THAT version of Tartarus..." Mel sighed, then made her way for the exit. She whistled, and Frinos hopped her way. "Seems like we better get going, Frinos!"
"W-Wait!" Bandana exclaimed, "You sure you want to leave right now? What about the weapons?"
Melinoë looked back at Bandana and Three, and gave them a thumbs-up with her ghostly hand.
"Just keep 'em for now," She said, "Not like my brother and I need them anymore. I can't begin to imagine the beasts you're going to run into deeper in this place, so I'd say it's for the best."
"That inspires confidence..." Bandana whispered to Three.
"Good luck, then!" Three shouted over him, and waved to Melinoë, "Maybe we'll meet again, too!"
"Maybe!" Mel held her hands close to her chest, "Come on, Frinos. Return to shadow, now!"
The insignia of Hades formed around them, and they disappeared into the darkness. Now the heroes were only three. The group of shorties, with a waddle dee, a goat, and a squid. Or was she a kid? Well she was an adult but you get what I mean.
"So..." Three looked around the room, "What now?"
"I think, uhh..." Ralsei looked down the exit stairs, "I think we have to climb all the way back down."
"...Fuck."