Me and Zexion nodded silently. We’d have to follow that passageway, it was our only option. We got up, clasped hands, and walked silently down the dark corridor. Every so often I’d use (Hellfire.) Hellfire to create a small flame to keep us illuminated, the thought of (Hellfire.) being totally in the dark had me quite scared. Zexion looked at me (Hellfire.). I smiled. How did he (Hellfire.) do that to me? Made me feel so happy… This (Hellfire.) must be love… True, deep, unbreakable (Hellfire.) love… And Zexion smiled back. We just (Hellfire.) kept on walking, and walking, and wa(Hellfire.)lking. I was getting bored fast. (Disintegration. Hellfire). We were walking a little faster, a breeze blowing at (Hellfire.) our feet. After a long, long walk, we decided to rest. The small passageway was (Hellfire.) just big enough for us to walk side by side, and sitting down was even more cramped. There was nothing for it (although I wasn’t hesitant). Zexion crossed his legs, and patted one of them. I sat on his lap, leaning back and placing my head on his shoulder. Gazing into those deep blue (Hellfire.) eyes, I realised how thirsty I was.
I opened my bag. The bottle of drink was nearly empty, a few small, solitary drops remaining. I held it to Zexion. “Drink it. I don’t need to.” He shook his head, but after some more pestering from me let the last drops fall into his mouth. I took the bottle back, placing my hand over the top. (Tidal Wave.) The bottle filled with crystal clear water. I gave it back to him, watched him drink down every last drop… again. After, he wiped his lips. “Thanks. I really, really needed that!” I laughed. (Tidal Wave.) Drank some myself. I didn’t indulge, however. Imagine the embarrassment of needing the toilet down here…
After a few more (Hellfire.) hours of walking, I could see a very faint, very distant light. Flash. Pain. Immense agony. I held it in. I would NOT force my pain onto Zexion, though I knew he could read it off my face. Anyway, the light. Not daylight, no, it was faintly yellow… No. Definitely yellow. I pointed it out. Zexion, who had been gazing at me the entire time, turned his head to see. “No… it can’t be!” He said, and laughed. “Come on! This is the place we’ve been working towards! Who would’ve thought this tiny passageway that appeared out of no-where lead… All the way to Lindblum!”
I was panicking. I shook Riku, constantly calling his name. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think, not while Riku was like this. The sight of his eyes made me want to be sick. “Riku…” I could feel someone’s hands on my elbows, pulling me backwards, away from him. “Riku…” I struggled against the tight grip, but it was pointless when I was so upset. “Riku…” I was pushed to the floor by the hands, and bowed my head. “Riku...“ I held in my tears, but I wanted to just fall through the floor. “Riku…” Was it all my fault? “Riku…”
“Haru! Snap out of it!” I blinked, and realised that the person who had pulled me away was Roxas. I looked over at Riku, and saw that L was trying to use white magic on him – but failing. “He’ll be fine, Haru, I’m sure of it. I mean, I was, right? And Gildas was, and Zexion, and you.” It was Namine now. Roxas nodded. “Yep. Like she said, he’ll be okay. He probably just tired himself out.” I stayed silent. Roxas walked over to Riku’s still body, but Namine sat down next to me. “You know, Riku saved you. He didn’t like that we weren’t doing anything, and that he didn’t know where you were. So he went after you. He really loves you.” Namine looked wistfully up at the dark sky. I still didn’t say anything.
Namine stayed with me, occasionally saying something. I listened to her, but I didn’t respond and didn’t look at her. I just sat in silence, staring straight ahead. I didn’t see the point in talking; it wasn’t going to help Riku. After a while L walked over. Namine spoke to him, told him that I wasn’t talking, and he replied. They were talking in low voices, but I heard every word as he said, “I’m not surprised. I’d say it’s that she’s lost the will to speak rather than any physical problem. She’s probably just distraught over Riku. About Riku; I don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried every white magic I can think of, but he won’t wake up. I suppose we just have to let him sleep for a while.”
So there it was. There was no way of waking Riku up, and it was all my fault that he was like this. It felt like he had already died to me. And the pain was so bad that I even thought that I wished I had never met him so I could spare us both the pain it caused. People kept trying to talk to me, but I didn’t even make the effort to listen anymore. Events passed me by in a blur, and eventually everyone went to bed.
I crawled away from the spot I had been fixed to for hours; over to Riku. He was lying on top of a blanket, and someone had closed his eyes – thankfully. He was breathing, but it was very shallow and uneven. I took his limp hand in mine, and squeezed it hard, as though I thought it would wake him up. “…I am…so…so…sorry,” I whispered. Riku took a long, shuddering breath, but then he stopped altogether. I couldn’t help it anymore; I began to cry. I tried to stop it, but it made me shake uncontrollably, and I just didn’t have the energy to try anymore. I had to call someone, but I wasn’t thinking straight. A glistening teardrop fell down my nose and onto Riku’s weak hand, and it was followed by many others.
I struggled to keep up with Zexion. He was running so fast, only looking back to make sure I hadn’t dropped too far behind. As we ran and ran, (Hellfire, Hellfire) the yellow light got brighter and brighter… and soon it shone on our faces. But the light was not warm, like a mid-summer’s day. The light was hard, cold, light a metallic sheen. The yellow light became dazzlingly bright, so I weakly summoned Diablos’ power. The light receded slightly, so it was visibly strong, but not painfully so.
We reached a panel, shining that yellow light. I ran my hands along it… it was cold. It felt… heavy? Very heavy. Impossibly heavy. As I ran my hands along, Zexion just gazed in awe. “We’ve found it… We’ve found it! Haha!” He grabbed my hands and jumped up and down. I looked at him, confused. He stopped. “Your eyes…” He leaned closer. “Really pretty…” The light was shining on my eyes, and I guess Zexion became kind of enchanted by it. I snapped my fingers. “Zexion? Hello?” Before I could stop him (though I wouldn’t have anyway) he kissed me deeply, lovingly, and I melted beneath him. I did pull away, however. “Zexion. Come on, what were you talking about just now?” He shook his head. “Sorry. Something just… came over me…” I looked at him in disbelief. “Oh right! The panel! Yes, I was just about to say: We’ve found it!” I rolled my eyes. “Not helping. Found what?” He simply looked back at me and smiled. “The Golden Chamber!”
The name rang a bell, though I had no clue where from. I felt some sort of heat from my back, and grabbed my scythe. The blade was glowing, white-hot. I held it carefully away from Zexion (I bet Sora would be on this in a second!) and held it towards the panel. The writing on the shaft glowed a brilliant blue. “Exalta Dissidia Gildas…” I recited. As I brought the scythe closer to the Chamber, the brighter the words became. And then the idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. “Stand back, Zexy.” I said, and he did as he was told. I held the scythe in front of me, facing the golden panel. The panel began to warp slightly, as if the heat was melting it. I sliced forward. The blade cut through like a knife through butter. Slash. Slice. Slash. The panel was nothing more than a puddle of melted gold on the floor. Looking up from the puddle, I got my first glimpse of the interior of the fabled Golden Chamber.
I nearly fainted. Inside, an array of bejewelled weapons: staves, swords, axes and lances all upon their own golden stands. The walls made of gold, gold coins and jewels in piles at each corner. I looked through the centre. Normally, one would have seen the passageway to the Flare Tome. However, the passage was blocked. The creature, barely fitting into the cramped Chamber, roared. “Welcome to the Golden Chamber, Gildas. I am the Final Summon.” The creature looked familiar. The voice had been heard before. Of course… The Final Summon, the most powerful Aeon in all history stood before me in all its aged glory. Neo Bahamut was back.
Riku had stopped breathing…so why was the world still turning? I closed my eyes, and heard a coughing sound. Funny…I hadn’t coughed. I looked behind me; nobody there either. I sighed. What did it even matter? Then I heard it again. I figured I was going crazy; I just wished I could go crazy quietly so I could be sad, too. I heard it once more, followed by a gasping sound. Riku! He had opened his eyes – and they were back to their sparkling green! I flung my arms around his neck and sobbed into his hair. “Riku! I…I’m so sorry, Riku…I didn’t mean for…I…I can’t…you…” I was crying too hard to speak. Riku patted me on the back gently. “I’m okay.” Hearing his voice made me certain; he was really alive!
Riku pushed me away gently and stretched his arms, yawning. I smiled weakly. “I guess you have a lot of questions…” he yawned. I nodded, still gripping his hand tightly. “How did you make the portal appear? Why did you…pass out or whatever? How come you woke up?” He blinked. “You ask a lot of questions, young one. However, answer you I shall.” He laughed; I shoved him gently, still so glad he was okay.
“I…Just before Ansem started possessing me I met a witch called Maleficent who freed the darkness in my heart. I tried not to…but I started using the power it gave me. At first, I was trying to use it to help Kairi get her heart back. But then I started gaining power, and Ansem possessed me, and it took over. I haven’t used any dark powers in a really long time, but I had no other choice. But I guess it was just too much…it tipped the balance too far, or something. It could just be because I haven’t used the darkness in such a long time…I don’t know. But I only woke up because of you, Haru.” I was taken aback. “M-me?” I stammered.
Riku nodded. “It’s because you would cry for me. The purity of your tears brought me back. Your tears were so clean that they washed the darkness out of me – but you were right on time! Any later and I would have died.” I smiled properly now, and Riku mirrored me. We hugged again, and I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to let go of him in case he faded away. When morning broke, everyone came over, and we were still hugging. We finally broke apart, and Riku got a lot of handshakes and pat-on-the-backs.
Enough time had been wasted without waiting another day, so we set off on the last leg of our journey to Lindblum. A dark cloud was hanging over us from losing Gildas still, but it was hard to be gloomy when Riku was back from the dead – sort of, anyway. When we could finally see the majestic kingdom of Lindblum, I gasped. It was so big! And there were tonnes of airships coming and going. We entered on foot through Serpent’s Gate, and it was hard to contain my excitement as we walked through the streets of Lindblum.
Neo Bahamut jerked its head back. Anyone else would have stood there. I knew better. Grabbing Zexion’s hand I dashed into the chamber, and threw him to one side. Nothing could withstand Giga Flare. I jumped to the other side just as he unleashed it: a Powerful blast of deep red that widened the passageway considerably. Anything in its way would have been eliminated. I knew better than to enrage it. Bringing forth Neo Bahamut’s fury would be fatal.
I decided to try something new. Risky, but I’m sure it could work. (Dark Messenger.) A wall of pitch black cut off me and Zexion from Neo Bahamut. I could hear its shrieks of pain. (Holyja!) Light shone from my hands and punctured the darkness in several places. The shrieks grew in volume and number. However, two elements alone would not bring down the Final Summon.
(Tidal Wave!) the entire cave, barring two small crevices containing me and Zexion was engulfed in water. This stopped the shrieks, and I could tell Neo Bahamut would struggle to breath. Time for some shock therapy. “Zexion, I’m okay!” I called, just to make sure, “But don’t touch the water!” (Judgement Bolt!) The screams rocked the cavern. Inhuman shrieks of pain that made me positive that I was beating Neo Bahamut, and I didn’t have a scratch on me. (Disintegration!) The water disappeared, the air getting quite humid. Gone was the Dark wall, and now we could see it: Neo Bahamut, scarred, bruised and shaking, trembling with the winds that buffeted it, held it in place and kept it from breathing.
“I’m nearly done, my love! Don’t look!” I didn’t want to scare Zexion. I knew, however, that he wanted to watch, wanted to see how strong I’d become. (Gaia Rage!) The earth trembled, shook, swallowed Neo Bahamut up. Then it cracked, split, dissipated, leaving a battered and bruised dragon behind. Two elements left. (Hellfire!) All of a sudden, the dragon screeched, fire erupting from the air and enveloping its wings, burning the thin tissue to ashes. I hated to cause it so much pain… but this was the only way to stop it. Now for the finishing touch, the first Aeon I ever summoned. (Diamond DUST!) The dragon froze. Then it literally froze, encased in a solid block of ice that would hold it there forever, but I couldn’t kill Neo Bahamut. I held my hand out. Winked at Zexion. Clicked my fingers. Crash.
Neo Bahamut collapsed to the ground, broken and defeated. It tried to beat its wings, but the air just passed through the gaps. He would heal quickly, as long as he joined with me. He raised his head, looked up at me. “You fight well… young one…” He began, and gasped for air. I rushed forward, held his head up. “Hush, now, don’t speak. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I’ve heard the legends… He who must tame the savage beast must prove his worth, am I right?” I stroked his cheeks, checked my bag. I had to have a Hi-Potion somewhere! Aha! There it was. Good thing I’d snuck this out from Demyx’s house. I held up his head, took out the stopper and poured the green liquid down the dragon’s throat. His voice became less cracked, a few scars healed. Wing tissue began growing. He looked up once more. “You are… a kind boy. I can see by the colours in your eyes, each Aeon serves you willingly and is pleased with who you are. I feel… privileged to pass my powers on to one such as you…” He began to disappear. “Stand back, far, far back!” He called, and I pulled Zexion back into the passageway. “Further!” Neo Bahamut called, and we ran till he was out of sight. Then, a flash of red light, the flash came closer, and closer, and wouldn’t stop… I flung myself in front of Zexion. “No!” He called, but it was too late. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know if I can hold this off!” He grabbed me, held me tight. “HOLYJA!” A bright light flashed ahead. Clashed with the red of Neo Bahamut’s Giga Flare. A small explosion ripped through the passage, knocking us off our feet. Then, silence. A ringing in my ears told me that this was no ordinary explosion. I pulled Zexion up, and we ran back to the Chamber. The weapons were intact, the gold undisturbed. Everything was as it was when we first entered… apart from one, major thing. Neo Bahamut was gone. As I walked into the Chamber, I was enveloped with power, my entire body screaming with pain, pleasure, love and hate all mixed into one as the elements within me mingled and fused to become the power that was Neo Bahamut.
I would never remember the dances. They were lost forever, gone in the fusion that had taken place. Even if I could remember, nothing would happen if I attempted to invoke them. Even the elemental powers were gone. (Hellfire!) Nothing. “Hellfire!” Still nothing. I looked at Zexion, tears in my eyes. “They’re gone…” I said, and he looked back at me, sympathetically. “Your eyes have changed, too…” I shook my head. Searched the treasure for some sort of mirror, and checked it. My eyes had changed. From a multitude of colours to one… My eyes now shone a brilliant gold.
