Chapter 6 (KAIRI): Xehanort's Puppets

  

Chapter 6: Xehanort's Puppets

         Riku and Kairi's long journey through the Rose Garden finally led them to the throne of the Queen of Hearts.  Flanking the rose bush walls of the throne were card soldiers of every suit.  Two guards stood in front of the podium, blocking the two warriors from seeing who was on trial.  The Queen of Hearts, an ugly fat old woman, sat in her massive throne and glared down at the defendant on trial.

        "If it weren't for that Sora interfering, I would have been able to convict you before" the Queen snarled brutishly.  "Now that we have you back, we can resume our trial."  The Queen turned to the White Rabbit, who slumped next to her on his own stand.  "What are the charges?"

        "Assault on the Queen and attempted theft of her heart" the rabbit reminded the Queen.

        "I"LL DECIDE WHAT HER CHARGES ARE!" the Queen raged, causing the rabbit to tremble.         "I've done absolutely nothing wrong, as I told you last time" a soft girl's voice sounded.  "And Sora and his friends more than proved my innocence last time we were here."  

        "Isn't that Alice?" Kairi asked Riku.  

        Riku nodded.  "Wouldn't surprise me."

        "Silence!  You dare to defy me?" the Queen asked bitterly.  "When that black-hearted Sora returns looking to rescue you, I'll put him on trial as well.  But for now, you are guilty.  Why?  Because I say so!"  

        Riku shoved past the Card Soldiers and addressed the Queen.  "Your Majesty, this trial isn't any good if you don't have the real culprit."

        The Queen scowled as she glared down Riku.  "Nonsense.  I have my culprit right here.  Alice has already admitted to her crime of doing nothing.  Therefore, she is guilty."  

        "You still don't have the right person on trial.  The person who tried to steal your heart...was me!"  Riku drew his Keyblade and stood in front of Alice.  "If you want your revenge, come and get it!"
        Kairi gasped.  Riku?  But how?  Unless he's imitating Sora...

        The Queen snarled.  "Guards!  Seize the Traitors!"  The card soldiers turned against Riku and charged at him.  Kairi leapt to Riku's side.  

        Alice smiled.  "Kairi!  You came!"

        Kairi turned back towards Alice.  "You have to find a safe place to hide.  This is going to get ugly."  Alice turned and ran off, but was surrounded by several Card Soldiers.  "Oh no!  We have to protect Alice!"  

        "They're all traitors!  Seize them at once!"  The cards all leapt forward to strike at the little band.  

Defeat All of the Card Soldiers while protecting Alice

GET BONUS:
Kairi Learned Swift Strike
+5 HP
Riku: +10 HP

       Fatigued, but still eager to keep moving, Kairi approached Alice.  "Are you alright?"

       "I think so" the young girl answered.  "I just wish all of this fuss with the Queen of Hearts was over."

       Kairi's attention turned to Riku, who stared down the Queen of Hearts in her podium.  "Now do you see that Alice wasn't the one responsible?"  The Queen didn't make a movement.  

        "Is it true what you say?" Alice asked Riku.  "Are you indeed the thief?"

        Riku shook his head.  "No, but it was the only way to make sure no one got hurt.  Now, to finish this with Her Majesty."  Riku turned to face the Queen of Hearts.  But as soon as he made eye contact, the Queen disappeared into darkness.  In her place, a cloaked man wielding a powerful Claymore sat in her throne.  The skies around Wonderland began to darken.  Riku raised his Keyblade against the new foe.  "Xehanort!"

        The hooded figure laughed.  "Why do you think it's Xehanort?" 

        "Xehanort put his heart into each of you" Riku answered bitterly.  "I should figure I'm talking to one of Xehanort's flunkies right now.  Or, if he had the guts to fight me, Xehanort himself."

        The hooded figure pulled his hood back to reveal his face.  He had fairly dark skin, but it was an x that was over his nose and eyes that drew Riku's attention to him.
        Kairi shuddered in fear.  "Not him again!"  Kairi remembered all too well the Nobody known as Saix, who had kidnapped her and imprisoned her in the Castle That Never Was and used her as bait to lure Sora into countless Heartless traps in many worlds.  

        "It's not Saix" Riku explained to Kairi.  "It's his original self!"  

        Isa nodded.  "Isn't it curious, how frail and fragile a single world can be?  Rather like a heart, no doubt.  With one powerful being inside, the darkness begins to overtake it, swallowing all of the goodness and pureness inside, and causing it to implode in on itself."  

        Riku ignored Isa's monologue.  "What are you doing here?"

        Isa pointed at Alice, who drew back behind Kairi.  Kairi pointed her Keyblade at the former Organization leader.  "As if we'd ever let you hurt Alice!"  

        "It's not your choice, Kairi" Isa sneered.  "We have all been instructed to act against the Princesses of Heart without mercy.  Soon, even you will be begging for mercy against us.  Soon, once we've dealt with your pesky protectors, Sora and Riku."

        Riku laughed.  "And I hope you'll understand that we'll always be there to protect her!"  

        Isa grinned.  "You may wish to be forever her guardian, but can you really afford it?  Someday, she will have to face us alone, without you or Sora being there to guide her.  In the end, your wasted attempts to protect her will prove fruitless once we've assembled Master Xehanort's X-blade.  How will you protect anyone from that, Riku?"  

        Riku lowered his head.  "The same way I protected Sora from you.  I will never let you hurt my friends!"  Riku lunged forward to slash at Isa, but he simply swung his Claymore around and blocked the blow.  

        "For a Keyblade Master, Riku, you have many of the same flaws Terra had" Isa remarked scornfully.  "I would hope you can keep your darkness in check.  Otherwise, killing you won't be quite as exciting."  Isa pushed Riku back to the floor.  "Besides, it was Lea who rescued Sora in the end.  Were it not for his treachery, we would have had our Thirteen Vessels.  But no matter."  Isa snapped his fingers.  Surrounding the group were several dark creatures, but none of them were Heartless.  "Here me, my Unversed!  Annihilate these wretched fools!"  

        Riku turned to Alice and Kairi.  "Kairi, get her out of here!  I'll hold them off!  Go!"  

        Kairi was about to argue, but nodded and turned to Alice.  "Let's get back to Mickey!"  The young warrior held out her hand to Alice.  

        "Yes" Alice answered, placing her hand in Kairis.  The young Keyblade warrior led her fellow Princess of Heart away from the garden, leaving Riku alone to deal with the enemy.

         Kairi and Alice stopped in the Rose Garden to catch their breaths.  It hurt Kairi to leave Riku behind to face one of Xehanort's flunkies alone, but to battle him alongside her friend would endanger Alice.  And that was something she couldn't afford.
        "What do those men want with us Princesses?" Alice asked nervously.
        "If they can harm the only beings with pure light in their heart" Kairi explained, "nothing would stop Master Xehanort from taking over the world.  That's why Mickey wants all of the Princesses to be brought to Disneyland as soon as possible."
         "Oh dear" Alice spoke solemnly.  "What if Disneyland isn't safe, either?"
          Kairi gulped at the thought.  She hadn't even considered Disneyland not being safe for the Princesses.  She was sure Snow White was already making herself at home in the castle, while Sora would be bringing Belle back from the Beast's Castle.  But what if Disneyland was just as vulnerable as these other worlds had been?  "We'll just have to trust in Mickey."
         Alice was about to respond, when a vicious screeching echoed over the rose garden.  The girls looked into the sky and saw a monster soaring down towards them.  The monster was breathing purple and black flames all over the gardens.  Kairi dove atop Alice to shield her from the heat.  "We have to get out of here!"
        "I agree" Alice frightfully answered.
        The beast landed beside the girls.  "Ah, the Princesses of Heart.  How I have longed to feast upon your pure hearts."
         "What are you?" Kairi demanded, aiming her Keyblade at the monster.
         "I was once the Queen's faithful servant, the Jabberwocky" the beast roared.  "But when the Queen and all of Wonderland's residents vanished into the shadows, so too did my mistress.  But my new master has told me much about you.  And I will not hesitate to complete his grand objectives!"
         Kairi fired a beam of light at the beast, temporarily blinding it.  Kairi then grabbed Alice's hand and dashed into the maze of hedges ahead.  The beast snarled and rose back into the sky.  "The thrill of the chase!" he snarled, breathing flames all over the hedges.

Escape from the Jabberwocky!  

NOTE: Do not allow the beast to harm Alice!  

NOTE: Use the Keyblade to knock aside obstacles and reaction commands to 

protect yourself and Alice!

GET BONUS:

Kairi Learned Aerial Recovery
+10 MP