Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories The Novel (light novel)
Page 29
“Okay. It’s a promise.”
Riku looked up again at Sora’s sleeping face.
See you, Sora.
He opened the door that Naminé led him to, and on the other side, King Mickey was waiting for him.
“So, I guess ya decided not to go to sleep, huh?” The king greeted him with a grin.
“How’d you know about that?” Riku asked.
“I heard it from DiZ.” The king turned to look at DiZ, who was standing there behind him, arms folded.
“You…know him?” said Riku.
“Well, I’m not quite sure.” King Mickey cocked his head. “Got a feeling that I’ve met him…somewhere…”
Riku stepped closer to DiZ. “Hey… Just who are you?”
“I could be nobody…or anybody,” DiZ said in his deep bass voice. “The choice is yours whether to trust me or not.”
“You sure do like pushing choices on other people,” Riku remarked.
DiZ went on as if he hadn’t heard. “You have pushed away slumber, making the choice to face Ansem.”
“Do you think that was stupid of me?”
DiZ’s slight smile was just barely visible between the wrappings over his face. “You have chosen your own path. My only part is to watch over you.”
“That doesn’t tell me much,” said Riku, almost offended. “Are you supporting me or turning your back on me?”
“That will be your choice as well. Believe what you want to believe.”
Riku stared hard at DiZ. Believe… That was something he hadn’t been able to do until Naminé spoke to him in the form of Kairi…until he found King Mickey.
“Just believe. The light’ll never give up on you. You’ll always find it, even in the deepest darkness!”
That was what the king had told him. But he hadn’t been able to believe. Maybe that was the one thing that Sora was able to do when he couldn’t, Riku thought.
But now…now he was all right. He could really believe…in the king, in his own strength, his heart, in the light, and in the darkness.
“This is a card that will draw out the darkness in your heart,” said DiZ and tossed Riku a single card. “Finish your business with Ansem.”
“If I use this, Ansem will appear?” said Riku.
But DiZ, instead of answering, only vanished.
“Hey, c’mon!” Riku ran toward where he’d been standing.
King Mickey spoke up. “We can defeat Ansem together!”
Slowly, Riku turned. “Sorry. I have to face him alone.”
“But why?” The king looked shocked.
“There’s no point in doing this if I can’t do it on my own. But…I do need a favor. If I lose to Ansem, he’ll enslave me. If that happens, use your powers to destroy—”
“Sure thing!” King Mickey cut him off. “I’ll be right there to save ya.”
“Huh? No, not that, I want you to dest—”
“No way! No matter what happens, I’ll be there to help ya. That’s what I decided. Unless…you don’t really believe I’ll come through…” The king was smiling broadly at him.
“It’s my choice to believe in you, Your Majesty.”
“And I believe in you, too. You’re not gonna lose, I just know it.”
“Thanks,” said Riku.
If the king said so, there was no way he could lose. I know I can beat Ansem.
Riku nodded firmly and turned to the door to hold up the card.
Through the door, the air was thick with the stench of darkness—Ansem’s smell.
“Show yourself, Ansem. I know you’re here. I can smell it.”
In response, Ansem slowly took solid form.
“I have watched you fight. I know your strength. Your skill with the darkness has grown. It has matured.” He looked down at Riku with a loud, cruel laugh.
“So, what about it?”
“There’s something I don’t understand… Why do you accept the darkness but still refuse me? You and I are much alike. We both follow where the darkness leads. Indeed…we are the same. So why? Does some part of your heart still fear the dark?”
“That’s not it,” Riku replied. “The truth is…I just can’t stand the way you stink.”
He stood ready with Soul Eater. He knew that when he used his full strength, the darkness would pour forth from him. But he wasn’t afraid of that anymore. Now he understood—all he had to do was believe in himself.
“You are a fool. You of all people should know my powers well by now.” As Ansem spoke, an enormous shadow rose behind him. It was the darkness that lived in his heart—or perhaps that was his heart itself. It took a vaguely humanoid shape, but more like a colossal Heartless, looming over Riku.
“Oh, I know. Or did you forget?” Riku retorted. “I used every ounce of strength you had to give—and Sora still beat me! Your powers aren’t all that impressive.”
Riku launched himself at Ansem.
“Very well. In that case—you will sink into the abyss of my darkness!” Ansem cried as if he’d been lying in wait. From behind him, the shadow struck down at Riku with its fist.
“—Ngh!” Riku raised Soul Eater and blocked the blow, but its terrible force nearly crushed him all the same.
But he would be all right. He trusted the king. And himself.
“Take this!” Riku pushed away the shadow’s fist and leaped for Ansem’s head. But the shadow swept him aside, protecting its master.
“I have nothing to fear from your power!” Ansem crowed.
“You think so?” Riku smirked and let the darkness free from within him. “I know how to use the darkness. But you only let it use you!”
He ran in to attack again.
The shadow slid around to block Riku’s way, swinging its fist—but Riku leaped atop it, using it as a step to spring off as he brought Soul Eater down on Ansem’s head.
“You imbecile!”
The moment Soul Eater struck Ansem’s body, darkness lashed at Riku. He raised one hand, trying to ward it off so he could see, and landed.
He must have hurt Ansem with that, Riku thought. He regained his balance and stood again, not wasting another moment before rushing Ansem again with Soul Eater out to slash at his side. “This is the end, Ansem…!”
“This…is hardly…the end!” said Ansem, even as he collapsed to one knee.
“You can’t beat me—and neither can the darkness!” Riku turned to see Ansem likewise looking back at him with a nasty smirk.
“Your darkness… I gave it all…to you… My dark shadow…lingers… Someday…someday, I will return!” Darkness burst forth from Ansem as he began to fade.
“Wha—?!”
That darkness would swallow up everything…but a ball of light appeared above Riku.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Gosh, Riku, I know you wanted to do this alone… But you don’t mind just a little help, do ya?” King Mickey’s voice rang out. The ball of light glowed brighter and brighter. “C’mon, Riku. Let’s get outta here.”
And then the light outshone everything.
“Did I…beat him?” Riku wondered, looking around.
They were in a marble hall like before. The king answered him gently. “You did it, Riku.”
“But…” He could still smell Ansem’s scent clinging to him.
“So, Riku, what happens next? Are ya goin’ home?”
“I don’t know. It’s still here. It’s really faint, but I can still sense him…” Riku looked away for a moment, then faced the king again. “I can’t go home until it’s gone. But I think his darkness might still have a hold on me.”
“Your darkness belongs to you. Just the way your light does.” King Mickey went on, his voice gaining strength. “Up till now, I thought darkness was somethin’ we should try to get rid of. But while I spent time with you, I changed my mind. The road you chose, it’s like…darkness and light back-to-back. And for you I think they might come together in a way nobody’s seen before. I’m wonderin’ where that
road leads. I’d like to see for myself. That is, I’d like to walk that road with ya.”
Nobody had ever said anything like that to him before—that they wanted to travel with him on his path.
“Your Majesty, I…I don’t know what to say…”
“Aw, you don’t have to call me that. We’re pals.” The king grinned at him.
Still a little embarrassed, Riku rubbed the back of his neck but returned it. “Okay. Fair enough, Mickey!”
The king—or rather, Mickey Mouse—nodded to him.
EPILOGUE
DAYBREAK OF START & THE LAST EVENING
A SINGLE PATH STRETCHED ON THROUGH THE GRASSY field as far as they could see. It was impossible to say how far it went. But Riku and Mickey walked along it together.
They both wore black robes, the same as the members of the organization wore.
After some distance, the path split into three. At the place where it branched, a man stood waiting for them—DiZ.
“What are you making me choose now?” Riku asked.
“Between the road to light…and the road to darkness,” DiZ told him, looking at the paths that split off to the right and to the left.
“Neither. I’m taking the middle road.” Riku began to walk past DiZ on the path between.
“Do you mean the twilight road to nightfall?” said DiZ.
“No.” Riku looked back at him with a faint smile. “It’s the road to dawn.”
Riku kept on walking, and Mickey ran to catch up.
What lay ahead of them was the daybreak path—the road to dawn. And a new journey would begin.
Walking the path without you, so that we might remake our forgotten promise. So that I can find you on the road ahead.
The boy stared at the setting sun. He would watch the sun go down from the clock tower that rose above the station, and each time it was just a little bit different.
Something was about to change… The thought hazily crossed the boy’s mind.
“Roxas!” He could hear Pence calling his name from the bottom of the tower.
“Coming!” he called back and turned away from the blaze of the sunset to run down the tower stairs.
The sinking sun cast its last rays behind him.
Reverse/Rebirth – The End
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Yen On.
To get news about the latest manga, graphic novels, and light novels from Yen Press, along with special offers and exclusive content, sign up for the Yen Press newsletter.
Sign Up
Or visit us at www.yenpress.com/booklink