The infirmary was bright when Sora awoke, but a curtain beside his bed was drawn to keep the light from disturbing him. When he got out of the bed, he found that his body was free of pain and all of his injuries were gone. He may have lost, but the trip to Earthland was definitely a rewarding one. He came to improve his skills with magic and that was just what he did. He'd also met an incredible swordswoman. Erza was as strong as Saïx, as fast as Sephiroth, as intimidating as the false Ansem, and a brilliant strategist, just like Riku.
"Good, you're awake, Kabo!" said a familiar mousy voice.
The referee in the pumpkin mask was standing before Sora.
"What time is it?" Sora muttered.
"It's a little after noon." said the referee. "Erza, Natsu, and Gray went up against Jura and he just beat all three of them."
"I bet Erza lasted the longest, huh?"
"Actually, Natsu lasted just a little bit longer." said the ref. "Those Dragon Slayers are a tenacious bunch."
"So…what now?" asked Sora. "Is there gonna be an award ceremony or something?"
"Even better!" the ref squeaked. "There's gonna be a grand ball at the palace this evening and every wizard, including you is invited!"
"A ball, huh?" said Sora, a tad nervous. "Will I have to wear fancy clothing and dance with girls?"
"You betcha!" the referee replied. "Better rent something nice to wear while you can!"
Sora took the ref's advice and headed into town, where he found a boutique that sold and rented out formal outfits. It was small, but offered a decent selection. He picked out a plain, high-collared red tunic with a matching red belt, black trousers, and shiny black boots. He'd actually never worn formal clothes before (it was never really called for on his home-world) but he thought he looked pretty good when he changed into the outfit.
From a lonely runaway, to a member of the best guild ever, to an honored guest at Mercurius, the Flower Light Palace…life was grand for Lucy Heartfilia. The ballroom was mostly pearl-white with gold and bronze molding. Natsu and Happy went straight for the generous banquet while Gray chatted with Lyon and Cana had a few drinks with Bacchus. When it came time to dance, Lucy immediately grabbed Natsu. Mirajane took Fried, Lyon took Chelia, and Sherry of course took Ren, followed by Bisca and Alzack. Cana took Bacchus, Evergreen took Elfman, Levy alternated between Jet and Droy to keep them from fighting over her. Lucy summoned Plue to dance with Happy (just so he wouldn't feel left out) and everyone else seemed content to observe…everyone except Erza, who looked rather glum; obviously no one had the courage to approach her. Suddenly, her face lit up and she surprised everyone by taking Sora's hand. His face turned a bright magenta as she ushered him to the dance floor.
"But I don't know how!" Sora hissed to her.
"Just do what I do." said Erza giddily.
Almost all eyes were now on Erza and Sora, it looked as though she should have been a little gentler with him, but she looked so happy that no one said a word. When the dance was over, everyone was called to attention as the King himself, Tome E. Fiore entered with his daughter, Princess Hisui at his side. Everyone was instructed to convene in the dining hall and once everyone was seated and served, the King was the first to raise his glass.
"The first annual Grand Magic Games were a success." he declared. "A toast to the wizards who fought so hard…and to the boy who saved my life, Kabo!" he added in a familiar mousy voice, that made everyone chuckle.
"Sora…" said Erza, who was seated next to him. "is that true?"
"Yeah, I did save him from the Heartless when I got here." said Sora "No big deal, really."
"It most certainly is!" one of the King's bodyguards said.
"I–and everyone else I'm sure–would like very much to hear of your journeys and what brought you to our world…er…I mean, our kingdom." said the King.
"World?" one of the guests exclaimed. "Did he just say world?"
Sora looked from the King (who looked somewhat guilty) to the other guests around him.
"It's true." he said. "I came here from another world. That's why I couldn't join your guild...sorry." he added, addressing Master Ooba.
Sora began telling his host and all the other guests about his first journey; he told them how the darkness came to his island, how he was swallowed by it, how he ended up in Traverse Town and met his new friends, and how he went from world to world, sealing keyholes and looking for Riku and Kairi. He told them how Riku sided with the Heartless to try and get Kairi's heart back, how he took the Keyblade from him, and how he was forced to fight him when the Keyblade came back to him. He reluctantly told them about Xehanort, how he took control of Riku's body, and what he was forced to do to free Kairi's heart…which was inside him all along.
"I couldn't think of any other way to get it out of me…" he said, scratching his head, "so I picked up Xehanort's Keyblade and stuck it in my heart."
"Didn't it…hurt?" asked the blue cat called Happy, after a stunned silence from everyone.
"Actually, I didn't feel any pain." said Sora. "I just remember feeling numb and cold…that was the scariest part…but I saw Kairi's heart leaving me and going back to her body so…I guess it was worth it."
"Oh, wow..." said Lucy. "That's the saddest, sweetest thing I ever heard. "That Kairi is one lucky girl."
"I'm so proud of you, Sora." Erza said sweetly, putting her arms tightly around him.
"Risking your own life for the woman you love, that's about as manly as you can get!" the hulking, white-haired man called Elman shouted, raising his mug.
"Now, everyone." said Master Makarov. "Don't embarrass him. Please continue, Sora."
"Right." said Sora as Erza released him." "Well, I left my body behind for a short time…" Sora went on, "then I got it back, I still have no idea how. After I took care of that world's keyhole, I went back into the darkness–with my friends this time–so we could deal with Xehanort. We tried really hard to beat him, but he could take more punishment than we could. He found what we call the Door to Darkness and opened it. He wanted darkness, I wanted light, and somehow I ended up getting my wish. Light poured out of the door, Xehanort disappeared, and Riku reappeared. Then he helped me close the door and we found our way home…after a while."
"Does that mean those Heartless creatures can no longer threaten our world?" the King inquired.
"I think so." said Sora. "I have another big battle to fight, though. That's why I came here, I wanted to get better at magic…maybe learn some new magic, if I could."
"We'd be happy to teach you a little of our magic." said Master Makarov. "After you saved our world, I think it's the least we can do. We're all going to have some fun first, though. I'm sure we'd all love for you to join us."
"Sure." said Sora, smiling. "It has been a while since I've had fun that didn't involve fighting bad guys and killing monsters."
