Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Square Enix, Final Fantasy, or any of their characters.
After Sora's sacrifice, Riku has all but given up. Kairi on the other hand, refuses to believe he's gone. In this final chapter, what is to become of the three friends? Will they be able to step through the door to the light, or will they forever walk the shadows like those who came before them?
Chapter Eight: Close The Door, We'll Meet Again
Riku:
He was encased in darkness; there was nothing left to see, he felt nothing but emptiness. Was this what he wanted? In this shadowy realm, in the confines of his heart; he couldn't feel anything, he was no longer chained to Sora. He stared blankly up into the darkness that ensnarled him.
It's so quiet…
All I have to do is lie here…
No more pain…
"I won't allow someone important to me get hurt!"
That voice…
He listened to the familiar voice echo through the empty space.
Sora…?
I'm important… to him…?
But… he betrayed me… he replaced me…
He lay motionless a while longer, allowing the familiar voice to soothe him, he almost felt like going to sleep. Even if it was a lie, it felt nice to hear Sora say something like that about him.
"It'll be ok Riku… Please don't hate me; it was the only way I could get you back…"
Hate him? Hate was a strong word, and no matter how much he wanted to, he knew that he could never hate Sora, even when he was being manipulate by the witch he could never find it in his heart to hate his best friend. What he felt for him was… indescribable, he didn't understand it himself.
But why was Sora trying to console him? What did he mean by "getting him back"? What was he talking about? Locked in his own subconscious, Riku was unable to see or feel the battle that had taken place between "him" and Sora.
He felt a tear fall on his cheek, so he raised his hand to his face slowly. He didn't feel tears well up in his eyes, so why was he crying?
He touched his cheek, and surprisingly it was dry… but he could swear that there were tear drops falling on his face, one even rolled down the side of his cheek. Riku's eyes opened wide, the salty water droplets on his face weren't his.
These are Sora's tears… Sora is crying… for me? Despite everything that's happened… he is crying… for me?
He felt a warmness fill his chest, and his face reddened at the thought.
Of course I'm important to him… I was a fool to think otherwise…
I believed everyone else… except him; he's been searching for me and worrying about me all along, with that goofy grin of his… thinking everything will be fine no matter what.
A warm smile lit his face. He started to stand up and look around. Darkness seemed to go on for eternity.
And because of my foolishness, I'm stuck here.
A picture started to form in the darkness, he could finally see what was happening, but what he saw… he would have preferred to have never witness. His blood ran cold.
Sora?
The brunet was aiming a dark Keyblade at the center of his chest.
No, Sora don't!
He ran toward him with his hand outstretched but he was powerless to do anything; every step he took forward, the image would move further back, like a mirage. All he could do was watch, as the boy impaled himself with the weapon.
Sora's body started to shine and small orbs of light drifted out of him; his body slowly collapsed.
Kairi, who was now awake, ran towards him, but his body dissipated into small light fragments just before she could catch him.
No!
Riku stood wide-eyed and trembling; tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Sora was gone, and he was powerless to do anything. He clutched his head in his hands, he's gone, Sora is gone! No, no, he can't be! It's not real, it can't be real!
Dark, shadowy hands rapped around Riku and started pulling him back into the shadowy abyss.
No—let me go!
He noticed something was happening in the vision in front of him. It was moving closer to Kairi; Donald and Goofy stood in front of her defensively. He growled and tore off the hands that threatened to take him away. He ran forward, toward the vision.
Suddenly, the world around him turned normal again.
"No, you won't—use me for this!" Riku's will power stopped Ansem from moving any further.
I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!
"Riku!" shouted Kairi.
He looked at her; he could feel the darkness surrounding the room, heartless were closing in.
"You've got to run! The—the heartless are coming!"
Shadows started to appear around them, the red-headed girl looked around uncertainly. She then looked Riku in the eyes; she gave him a firm nod.
He knew what she wanted to say, "You better make it back too."
Riku smiled and gave a slight nod as well, though he wasn't completely certain that he could follow through with her demand.
She still looked conflicted, but Donald and Goofy were practically dragging her now, she looked back as she left the room, her eyes flashing with worry and concern.
"I'll be ok…" he whispered.
"Know your place, you insolent brat."
He felt a harsh tug and he was pulled back into the dark abyss.
"What's the point in fighting anymore? He who is most important to you is gone, just allow yourself to fall into darkness. There is no hope."
Riku wanted to fight back; he wanted to retaliate, to shout out "No! There is always hope, he can't be gone!" but he couldn't, not after witnessing him fall, watching him disappear and shatter, and it was entirely his fault.
He felt his will-power diminish, the dark man was right… The one person who mattered most, the one person he wanted to protect no matter what, was gone. There was no hope, he felt himself grow weak, and once again he allowed himself to succumb to the darkness.
Kairi:
The girl raced behind the two characters that she came to know as Donald and Goofy. Being within Sora all along, she knew them pretty well. They were now at the entrance hall of the castle. But something stopped her from going any further.
"Come on Kairi, it's not safe!" yelled Goofy.
The red-head bit her lip and looked back, "I can't just leave them behind!"
Sora and Riku are still back there! I can't just abandon them!
"But heartless are chasing us!" shouted Donald.
The girl clenched her fist, but I can't let myself get caught again, then their sacrifices will be in vain!
She turned and ran towards the two characters, when she reached them a heartless appeared from one of the doors.
Donald stood in front of her, "don't worry I'll get it!" he yelled.
Kairi looked at the shadow; for some reason, she wasn't scared of it. In fact, the shadow seemed, familiar in a way. She walked towards it, despite Goofy and Donald's protests.
She bent down to look at the creature, she even pet it's head. The small heartless didn't harm her; on the contrary, it seemed to purr at her touch.
This heartless… I know who it is… It has to be… "Sora… this heartless is Sora!" her face beamed with happiness, she hadn't lost him!
But it was too early to celebrate; a large amount of shadows circled the group.
Kairi stood by the heartless that she claimed was her friend, "Don't worry Sora, this time; I'll protect you."
The heartless lunged toward Kairi and the shadowy creature.
The girl bent down and protected the shadow, "Sora!" She embraced the heartless, and despite the shadows that covered her; she felt a warm, familiar light emit from the creature she held, dispelling the heartless.
When she opened her eyes she realized that she wasn't holding a heartless anymore; Sora was holding her.
"Kairi… thank you…" She felt the brunet tighten his hold on her, and she felt her face heat up and tears fill her eyes.
"Sora…"
You're ok… you gave me such a scare! I don't know what I'd do without you…
But they weren't out of harm's way yet; many heartless still surrounded the group. They prepared themselves to fight, and Sora stood in front of Kairi to keep her safe.
A large roar rung throughout the castle, the beast had appeared again. He ran in and destroyed some of the heartless, "Go, now!" he growled.
"Come with us!" urged the brunet.
The beast snarled at the boy's comment, "I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle!"
Kairi looked at the creature, she understood how it felt, she wouldn't want to leave without Sora either.
"Now go! The heartless are coming." The beast roared.
The brunet looked unsure, but he eventually nodded, "All right…"
Sora turned to Kairi, "let's get out of here."
The group barely escaped Hollow Bastion, but while they sat in the gummi ship and exited the world, Kairi couldn't shake off the feeling that she had been there before. Something about the place gave her a warm, elating feeling; as if she belonged there.
She glanced at Sora; she noticed that the usually happy brunet seemed extremely focused, as if he were planning something in his head.
"Worried about Riku?" she asked, though she knew that had to be the reason.
The brunet blinked as he was snapped out of his thoughts, he blushed, "Yeah I'm sorry, I finally found you and all I want to do is talk to you and tell you about all the adventures I went on but, I can't be happy without having both of you back."
Kairi flashed him a sympathetic smile and grabbed his hand, "I know how you feel, and I'm worried too. We'll save him, and then we'll all go on adventures together. We just have to keep believing." She squeezed Sora's hand. The boy blushed and gave a small nod.
She remembered that Riku had never taken much of a liking to her, and for a long time it felt like both of them were competing for Sora's attention, but… Riku protected her.
She always thought back to the time when Sora had defended Riku from Tidus' insults. The brunet had sworn that the silver haired boy was a kind and caring person; up until now, she had rarely seen that side of him.
But that smile he gave her, the way he protected her, she understood what Sora had meant now. Even back at the islands, despite his grudge for her he always seemed to come to her aid when she was in trouble.
She felt an uneasy feeling sink into her stomach, Riku really is a nice guy… and all this time, I have never noticed it. Sora almost disappeared… and Riku is being controlled… all for me… I want—I want to do something for them too…
Her eyes started to water, Sora seemed to notice that fact. The brunet wrapped his arms around her and placed a hand on the back of her head.
"He'll be ok… We'll all be ok, I promise." He whispered.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she prayed that Sora couldn't hear it; her face heated up, she closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.
"I know we will." She said as she returned the embrace.
Leon:
"Tell me what happened."
Leon leaned against the wall with his arms crossed; Aerith and Yuffie were also in the room.
The small brunet stood in front of him. He along with Donald and Goofy had returned from Hollow Bastion, bringing along a girl with short red hair and brilliant blue eyes.
The girl must be the "Kairi" that Sora had been desperately searching for. So, her along with another boy are his two most important people.
He couldn't help but feel a little jealous about that, he couldn't exactly pin point why though.
But at the moment the younger brunet was in the process of explaining everything that had occurred in Hollow bastion; his past home.
He took in everything that he had said, "So the darkness is flowing out of that keyhole." He finally said after listening to Sora.
Aerith looked toward the two, "No wonder there are more and more heartless everywhere. The only way to stop them is—"
"Seal the Keyhole, right?" Sora interrupted, holding out his Keyblade.
Leon closed his eyes, thinking through everything he knew from the reports and firsthand experience. He sighed, "Maybe, but no one will know what will happen once it's sealed."
The brunet glared at him, "Well we can't just stay here! We've got to do something, I've got a friend back there!" he shouted impatiently.
Despite the smaller brunet's outburst, Leon remained calm and collected. "That's right. You've got one more friend to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must have been born from the captive princesses' hearts—just like that Keyhole you saw. Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed."
The man gave the boy a reassuring look, "don't worry Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can."
The boy smiled back at Leon's statement.
Sora had changed a lot on his journey. He was very uncertain at first, but now… now he knew what he had to do, and he accepted it whole-heartedly. Leon was kind of proud of him. Even though he himself did not have much confidence in Sora when they had first met, he couldn't imagine anyone else more fitting for the role as a Keyblade wielder.
He stood straight and placed a hand on Sora's head. "You've gone a long way, but it's still not over yet."
The boy blushed and Leon started to leave the room, but before he did he went up to Kairi. "Make sure to take care of him, you should know he's a handful." He said quietly enough for Sora not to overhear.
Kairi giggled and nodded her head.
Sora gave them a questioning look, but Leon didn't wait for him to ask; he walked out of the building. He knew their journey was ending soon, and it was a good thing, but… he couldn't shake off the pang of sadness that he felt.
I'm going to miss that kid.
Sora:
Sora and Kairi sat at the water's edge in the secret water ways. The brunet had been showing Kairi around Traverse town and he saved this place for last; he felt that it was a bit similar to their secret place back home.
The two sat in silence, not an awkward silence but one that allowed them to appreciate each other's presence. After all, the one that he had been looking for all this time… his most important person was right beside him. But, despite being relieved that she was safe, he wasn't happy… as long as Riku was still missing he could never be happy.
I've been with Riku ever since we were kids… and now…
Kairi moved her hand closer to Sora's; the boy felt it and flinched, pulling his hand back. He had done it subconsciously, and now that he noticed what he did, he was embarrassed.
His face beamed red, "I-I uh didn't mean to—I guess I'm just on edge, I'm sorry!" he stuttered.
The red-headed girl only giggled, her cheeks were also a light shade of crimson; she placed her hand back on her lap.
"I was just worried about you. You've been in a daze ever since we left that place…" she said looking away from Sora; her gaze rested on a mural painted on the wall at the far end of the tunnel.
Sora looked down; I know I should be paying attention to Kairi. I am happy that I found her—but…
"Of course it's only expected for you to be worried right? You guys have been together ever since I can remember!" she said flashing him a smile.
He didn't know why, but it made him feel better to see her smiling; the brunet gave a small smile back. But the boy couldn't help but feel a bit of
uneasiness; he wanted to rescue Riku as quickly as possible.
He stood up, and held his hand out to the girl. "Come on Kairi, we need to rejoin the others."
The girl gave him a small smile and took his hand, "ok."
Sora started to head out but stopped when he noticed Kairi wasn't following him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
The girl was staring at the mysterious mural again, "The light at the end of the tunnel…" she said, as though she were speaking to herself.
Sora blinked then he realized what the girl was talking about. "Oh, your grandmother's story, right?" he asked.
The girl gave him a shock expression, but it quickly turned into one of content. She probably didn't expect him to remember it.
"That's right… we were together…" she said; her voice sounding distant.
Back on the islands Kairi would tell the two boy's stories that her grandma had told her. Stories about how there was once a warm light that covered the worlds; so many people wanted it for themselves that the light was enshrouded by darkness… but somewhere deep in that darkness, that light had not been extinguished. It lies in wait for someone to set it free.
That's right… Even in the darkest times, all I have to do is believe in the light and then no darkness can swallow me.
Sora smiled at the thought, "you know what's funny?" he started walking towards the girl, "I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. We're finally together Kairi, just like old times." He grinned.
The girls face flushed, but she managed to smile back. "Yeah we are."
Sora's expression turned more serious, "Now… it's time to bring Riku back."
Kairi's smile faded; she looked down at the ground.
"You think it'll ever be the same between us again? Riku's lost his…"
Sora's expression softened, "When I turned into a heartless, you saved me, remember? I was lost in the darkness… I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through it, I started forgetting things—my friends, who I was… the darkness almost swallowed me. But then, I heard a voice—your voice…. You brought me back."
The red-head flashed him a sad smile, "I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't do it."
The brunet grinned, "That's it!" he placed a hand on his chest. "Our hearts are connected, and the light from our hearts broke through the darkness; I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a fairy tale." He squeezed his hand into a fist, "If your light could reach me, I'm sure ours can reach Riku." He said hopefully.
Kairi giggled, "Well then, let's go!" she said.
Sora's face turned serious; "you can't go!" he shot back.
She placed her hands on her hips, "why not!?" she asked.
The boy's eyes started to dart round the room, as if searching for an answer.
"Because it's way too dangerous!" he blurted out.
The girl crossed her arms in front of her, "come on Sora, we made it all this way by sticking together. You can't go alone."
Sora gave the girl a warm smile, "Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore; Right? Plus… this is something I have to do by myself… Riku is like this because I was careless. He has always been better than me at everything; I figured that he would be just fine and that I didn't need to worry about him. But that was wrong of me, no matter how capable he is, anyone can fall to the darkness. I can't blame him for being mad; after all I would be too if I thought he forgot about me. This is my mistake to fix!" he explained.
"I can't help?" she said, a bit of sadness in her voice.
The boy chuckled, "you'd kinda be my way." He said arrogantly.
The girl giggled, "Okay." was her response. "You win."
She grabbed Sora's hand and placed something in it, "Take this."
What he held was a star shaped coral with his face drawn on it.
Kairi put her hand on her hips and leaned forward. "It's my lucky charm, so make sure to bring it back to me, okay?" she mock-scolded.
A small blush warmed the boy's face; he closed his hand around the object, "Don't worry, I will."
The girl extended her pinky, "promise?" he felt his face grow warmer; he intertwined his pinky with hers.
"Promise."
Kairi smiled at him, "Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you." She said warmly.
The boy smiled back, I know; no matter what… we will always be together.
After leaving Kairi with Cid and the others in traverse town, he and his friends set out to Hollow Bastion once more. They had to seal the Keyhole, but when they made it they realized that some people were already there waiting for him.
Leon was leaning on a wall with is arms crossed, Yuffie sat on the broken machine that once controlled the Keyhole, and Aerith stood near the Keyhole; analyzing it.
"What are you guys doing here?" Sora asked.
The trio turned to look at the small brunet.
Yuffie gave him a bright smile, "we came in Cid's ship! Just to say goodbye to you! Now don't you feel special?" she exclaimed.
Sora blushed, the thought of his friends caring so much for him made him happy.
"Don't get your hopes up, that wasn't the only reason. This is our childhood home, we wanted to see it again." Leon explained. "And it's in worse shape than we thought…" he finished.
Aerith gave him a soft smile and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, if we defeat Ansem all should be restored." She turned to Sora, "Even your island home." She said warmly.
Sora's face lit up, "really!?" he exclaimed.
Yuffie looked down, "yeah, but it also means goodbye…"
Aerith gained a sad expression as well, "once the worlds are restored we'll all be separated again…"
Sora gave them a puzzled look, "but wait, can't I just visit you guys on the gummi ship?" he asked.
"It's not that simple. Before you embarked on this journey you didn't know about other worlds correct?" Leon asked.
Sora nodded his head.
"It's because the worlds are isolated, they were separated by walls. The heartless broke those walls, but if the worlds return so will the walls." added Aerith.
"Which means the gummi ships will be useless…" said Leon, closing his eyes.
The small brunet shoulders slumped, and his lips formed a pout. "So you're saying we'll never…"
The boy didn't have the heart to finish his sentence, he looked at his ground; defeated.
Leon opened his eyes and walked towards the boy; he placed a hand on his shoulder. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." He said.
Sora looked up at the man, despite his usually calm demeanor; the boy could see sadness in the taller brunet's eyes.
Is Leon really going to miss me?
The two had met under, not so friendly circumstances, but after all they had been through along with Yuffie, and Aerith; they had all learned to become great friends. Sora was sure to miss all of them a lot.
Aerith noticed the sad look that Sora had, "Don't worry, no matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again." She said knowingly.
Yuffie slung her arm around his shoulders, "besides, I couldn't forget you even if I tried!" she joked.
"Hey what's that supposed to mean!" the boy shouted.
The group laughed, even Leon gave a small grunt of laughter.
The moment was interrupted by Goofy and Donald's call advising Sora to seal the keyhole. The brunet turned to them, but before he could walk over to them Leon stopped him.
"Good luck, Sora." He said.
Yuffie ran up to the man and pulled on his cheek playfully, "Squally here is probably going to miss you most of all Sora! But we all know that you'll do great! We'll never forget you, ok?" she said loudly.
Leon gave her a stern look, "I told you to stop calling me that." he said through gritted teeth.
Sora only laughed, "I'll miss you guys a lot too, I'll never forget you; you'll always be right here." He said pointing to his heart.
Leon's face was tinted with a light pink; he pulled the wily girl off of him and turned around to hide his expression.
"Us too… You'll always be in our hearts as well…" his voice was quiet, but Sora heard it.
The boy smiled and turned toward his friends by the Keyhole. He stood in front of the dark portal confidently.
Once I seal this… will Riku come back? Will everything go back to normal?
The brunet raised his Keyblade and pointed it at the hole.
Bring my friend back!
A ray of light was emitted from the blade, and a loud click was heard from inside the dark portal. The Keyhole started to disappear, but Riku did not come back.
Sora looked down, "Nothing's changed… but why?"
He heard footsteps behind him, and he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
He turned around and noticed Leon behind him, "Don't worry, you'll find him. There's one place left to check, there seems to be darkness pouring out of there. That's my best guess, he must be there." He reassured.
The brunet smiled up to the man, "Thanks Leon, I know I'll find him, thanks for always having my back"
The man placed his hand on the brunets head and ruffled his hair, "you don't need me to watch your back anymore. You've become a great Keyblade wielder, and you'll do fine… I know it…"
Leon:
As soon as he had finished his sentence the brunet smiled up at him and sadness clouded his eyes.
What happened next surprised him; Sora wrapped his arms around Leon and gave him a firm hug.
The man felt his heart lurch in his chest, and his face start to heat up.
Sora… Good luck…
The man stood for a while, unsure of what to do, but eventually leaned down and hugged him back, "I'll miss you guys, but I'll never forget any of you." Sora's words were muffled by Leon's shirt. A warm smile lit up his face, "we won't forget you either."
He and his friends watched as the brunet left on the gummi ship to find his lost friend.
Yuffie nudged him in the ribs, "hey Leon, seems like you got pretty attached to little Sora, huh?" she said; a wide grin on her face.
Leon felt his face flush, "w-what are you talking about!" he stammered.
He wasn't one to get easily flustered, and he couldn't fully understand why he was now. Was Yuffie right? Did he have feelings for Sora? Was that even possible? His thoughts were buzzing around in his head, but a warm hand on his shoulder calmed him down.
"Don't make fun of him Yuffie. Of course he's attached to Sora, we all are. Plus Leon trained him all this time; Sora must have been like a son to him." She scolded the raven haired girl.
The girl gave a small pout, "aw come on I was just playing, no need to get so worked up!"
Leon gave a small sigh, yeah she's right… I've worked with Sora so much, and watched after him; he's like my kid… of course I'm sad to see him go.
He looked at Aerith and the girl gave him a warm smile, "Don't worry, we all love Sora. I'm going to miss him too." She said knowingly.
Leon's eyes widened, and he turned away from her.
"Hmph, the little brat will be fine…" he said.
I know he will; he's the Keyblade wielder after all…
Sora:
The trio made it to what they hoped was the last world. The place was littered with broken pieces of rocks, and the sky and ocean were tainted a dark purple.
On the other side was a bright swirling light, Kingdom Hearts must be over there.
"Gawrsh is this all that's left of the worlds taken by the heartless?" said Goofy.
"Those worlds will be restored when we defeat Ansem right?" Sora asked.
"You betcha!" responded Donald.
"But, if we do beat him, and all those worlds become restored and disconnected, what's going to happen to this place, and to us?" he asked.
Donald held his finger up but brought it back down, "well… um…"
Goofy placed an arm on Sora's shoulder. "This is a heartless world, so maybe it'll just disappear."
Sora and Donald gave him a questioning look.
"But no worries! Even if this place goes poof, our hearts ain't goin' nowhere! I'm sure we'll find our pals again. Yup, I just know we will!" the dog reassured.
The brunet smiled, "yeah, you're right." Sora said.
The boy looked down at the good luck charm that Kairi gave to him, I'll return this, I promise.
The image of the smiling red-head went through his mind, and his heart-beat quickened.
Kairi…
After endless searching and running around the world, they finally came upon a regal looking white door. The door was familiar to Sora, before he embarked on his journey, he had dreams where that white door appeared, and a voice would always tell him something… but he couldn't remember what.
Sora walked toward the door, and voice echoed from it. "Are you ready?" The voice was the same from his dream.
"Did you guys here that?" the brunet asked.
"I don't hear anything!" said Donald.
"shh, listen." ordered Sora.
"This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid, your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light."
"That voice was so familiar…" the boy muttered to himself.
"I didn't hear anything, I think you need a nap Sora." Donald teased.
The boy ignored the duck's remark, and reached his hand out to open the door.
He swallowed hard, there's no turning back…
Upon opening, and stepping through the door, sunshine bathed the three heroes, but there was no warmth in its rays.
Sora looked around; the scenery around them surprised him.
"Is this my island?"
The boy bent down and grabbed a fist full of sand, he watched as the grains fell gently between his fingers.
It's not an illusion… it's the real thing, this is my home. Or what's left of it.
He looked around and noticed that part of the island still looked normal, but the other part was twisted and warped with darkness. The boy walked toward the secret place that he and his friends used to play in often.
This world has been connected.
Tied to the darkness…
Soon to be completely eclipsed…
There is so very much to learn,
You understand so little.
A meaningless effort,
One, who knows nothing, can understand nothing.
Sora turned around, the isle had disappeared, the water had turned a strange purple color, and the ground had deep crevices in it; the one that stood in the midst of all that… was none other than… Riku!
The boy ran toward his friend who had been possessed by the dark researcher.
"Take a look at this tiny place. To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison, surrounded by water. And so this boy, sought to escape this prison. He sought a way to cross over into other worlds. And he opened his heart to darkness, but let us not forget, you also led him down this path."
The boy turned around, and as he did, his figure changed from that of a boy, to that of a large man with long silver hair and tan skin. He looked down at Sora with blazing golden eyes.
The brunet reached his hand out to his friend, "Riku!" he shouted.
The tan man scoffed, "don't bother; your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness. All worlds being in darkness, and all so end; the heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it; such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came!"
Sora jumped back when he realized that the man was now behind him.
"You see, darkness is the hearts true essence!" the man declared.
"That's not true!" the boy shouted.
The man crossed his arms and gave Sora an intrigued look.
The boy continued to glare at him, "the heart may be weak, and sometimes, it may even give in. But I've learned, that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!" he shouted.
The dark man chuckled, "So you've come this far, and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart, return to darkness!"
A dark shadowy figure appeared behind the tan man.
You won't win…I'm going to get Riku back and we'll both make it back to the islands… I'll make sure of it!
Sora and his trio attacked Ansem ferociously, but there attacks were blocked by his heartless servant.
"Have you understood yet? It is not possible for you to beat me."
Sora glared at him, "oh yeah? Then I guess I'll just have to achieve the impossible!" the boy slashed at the monster and then got out of its way before it could counter.
He left Donald and goofy to fight it while he circled around and got to Ansem.
"I won't let you have Riku any longer, give him back!" he charged forward and slashed at the man.
His attack was easily blocked by a dark shield that he emitted from his hand. The silver haired man only chuckled at the boy's foolish attempt. He shot dark aura at Sora; the boy evaded the attack and dashed towards the man once more.
But this time, the man summoned his heartless, to grab a hold of the boy. Sora couldn't move, the creature held him tightly, he felt his energy being drained from him. It was as if the heartless was sucking out his life.
No… this can't be... the end...
A fire ball hit the creature, and it reared back; releasing Sora.
He hit the ground with a thud, he watched as Donald and goofy continued to fight Ansem. His friends had his back, no matter what; he had to continue fighting despite the pain. He couldn't give up, even if it seemed impossible, he would achieve it. He needed to…
The brunet took out a potion and chugged it down quickly.
He ran toward the enemy, that's right… maybe alone it would be difficult… but I have my friends!
He cast a fire magic spell at the heartless; while the creature stood stunned him and Goofy slid underneath it and started to attack Ansem.
The man was caught off guard; he was unable to protect himself from their blows. After landing a few hits, Ansem unleashed a dark aura; sending Sora and his friends flying out.
"Enough of this foolishness! You know you can no longer save your friend!" he yelled out.
Sora stood up, "You're wrong, I know somewhere in there… Riku is ok… I know it's my fault that he became like this… but that just means that it's my duty to get him out! And I will, because he's my best friend, so if saving him means beating you, I will! No matter what the costs!"
Riku:
Again the silver haired boy floated in darkness, it was endless, no light or sound penetrated it. He could not move, all he felt was the cold tug of sleep.
His eyes were clouded; he no longer felt the need to fight.
There's no reason for me to be here anymore… heh, I should just allow myself to be swallowed up huh? Why fight when… my most important person is gone forever…
He could still here the sound of Sora's voice ringing through his head.
In the end, I fought with Sora… it was my fault… I was jealous, I was angry, foolish, deceived, I was… wrong. Sora had cared for me all along; if I had known… If I didn't choose the darkness… would it have been different?
Hmph, too late now… But why, why does it hurt so much to see him with others… Why don't I want him to share that smile with anyone but me? I wanted to be… his only reason to be happy…
He remembered what Kairi had told him once,
-"I'd be careful if I were you Riku, hold on to something too tight, and all you'll do is drive it away."
She was right; Sora was always one to make friends with everyone. He was always kind, wanting to share his smile with the world. I on the other hand… shut everyone out, I didn't want to get hurt, and I never realized that by doing so, I was hurting others. But when Sora came along, he never criticized me; he never thought I was cold. He continued to smile that big goofy smile of his and he reach out his hand… to me. He dared to take me; the one who was happy being alone, as his first friend.
But I guess I was never truly happy being alone, because the minute I took his hand, a feeling of warmth washed over me like never before. I was truly happy, and I never wanted to let anyone else feel that way… I felt that, if I shared it, then it wouldn't be mine's anymore…
"Sora… I'm sorry…" The boy spoke.
He knew no one could hear him, but he was so absorbed in his sadness, and remorse that he didn't care. He wanted the darkness to absorb him, to eat him alive, maybe then he would find Sora once more.
The darkness started to slowly creep over his body, I guess… this is the end, huh Sora?
Sora:
The three friends had continued to fight bravely, and their efforts were not in vain, the man had been brought down, and the brunet could tell that was at the end of his rope.
Despite that, Ansem smirked, he stood up and glared at the young boy, "If you think this is over you're wrong!" the world around them became enshrouded by darkness.
The only thing visible was a large white door, "behold the endless abyss! Within it, lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts! Look as hard as you are able, you'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths, are all hearts born, even yours. Darkness conquers all worlds!"
Sora blinked and when he looked, there was a large monster in front of him. Ansem was attached to it.
He suddenly felt the ground fall beneath him, Goofy and Donald were pulled into a dark portal and the brunet plummeted down the endless abyss.
Is it over? Is it really going to end like this?
-"Giving up already? Come on Sora, I thought you were stronger than that."
He heard Riku's voice ring out in his head, you're right Riku I am stronger than that!
Dusts of light surrounded Sora, and he flew upward. He wasn't about to give up when he was so close.
Sora attacked the large beast, and with enough hit's a dark portal opened. He knew that had to be where his friends where, so he flew into it.
Inside, it was pitch black, no light anywhere. But he heard Goofy and Donald's cries around him. They were fighting heartless.
The brunet ran about, fighting heartless of his own, until he finally managed to find them, the three stood back to back and defeated the shadows in the dark. Soon they were in front of the monster once more.
The trio flew up to where Ansem was and started to attack him, this time, he did not have the large heartless to defend him. But his own moves were stronger, despite that Sora managed to block or evade most of his attacks, he was completely focused on defeating Ansem.
I won't let you win!
With one more strike of his Keyblade, Ansem was bathed in a bright light.
He screamed out in agony, and then the monster before them disappeared.
Now what stood in front of them was the door to Kingdom Hearts, and Ansem, writhing in agony. Despite his condition, he continued to speak as though he could win.
"I-It is futile, the Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness…" he turned towards the door, "Kingdom Hearts fill me with the power of darkness!"
The door started to open, and shadowy aura started to pour out. But Sora held his ground, after everything he had experienced, after looking into the dark abyss and concurring it… he knew, if Kingdom Hearts was the heart of all worlds, there was no way it could be all darkness. There may be shadows lurking within every heart, but that does not change the fact, that in the deepest depths of that heart… even if it's small… there will always be a source of light!
Sora stood strong, and he looked defiantly into the man's eyes. "You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom hearts… is light!" As he spoke, a warm beam of light shot out through the door, engulfing Ansem.
The man was paralyzed, "Light— but why!" he choked out.
His body chipped off into small pieces of light that faded away, and soon, he was reduced to nothing.
The king of darkness was defeated.
Riku:
He was ready to be taken by the darkness, ready to be completely absorbed into its grasps but suddenly, it loosened its hold on him. It was edging away, and he couldn't figure out why. He stood up slowly, and he heard a familiar voice echo throughout the darkness.
"You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts… is light!"
The silver haired boy felt a warm light wash over him, and realization struck him clear as day.
Sora is… alive!? He's alive! He's ok!
Light started to surround him and suddenly he woke up on the floor of some place he didn't recognize; around him were dark walls, and at the far end of the cavern was a bright light. But there were heartless everywhere.
"Hurry up we have to close the door!" he heard Donald yell.
The silver haired boy turned toward the sound, he noticed a large white door.
"I-I can't…" said a voice.
Sora!
He scrambled up to the door and started to pull, "Don't give up!" he yelled.
He peered past the door at Sora. "Come on Sora, together we can do it!" He reassured.
The brunet eyes grew wide; he was definitely surprised to see his friend, but now was not the time to speak.
Sora gave the boy a firm nod, "okay!" he said. He started to push, and Riku continued pulling on the door.
They were making progress, but it was too slow.
He felt large heartless appear behind him, no… if we don't close this soon, then darkness will pour out into all the worlds.
Suddenly, he felt the presence of those heartless vanish. He looked back and noticed the silhouette of a mouse holding a key.
"Now, let's close this door for good!" the mouse shouted.
He heard the other two characters on the other side of the door yell out, "the king!"
But he didn't care who that guy was, as long as he made it easier for them to close the door.
"Hurry up and close it!" yelled Donald once more.
"but—" Sora sounded unsure.
"Don't worry, there will always be a door to light!" said the king.
The two characters tried to reassure Sora as well, but even Riku felt his heart lurch. After everything that had happened, he wanted to apologize, he wanted to make things right, but if he wanted to do that he had to start by doing this.
I won't see Sora… after all this… I still won't see him… who knows if I'll ever see him again? He gripped his hands into a fist and he continued to pull harder. No I can't think like that! I will see him again, I know it! If I believe it, as long as he stays in my memory, I know we'll meet again. It isn't the end…
Sora continued to push on the door; it was close to closing now.
Riku stopped pulling and turned around, I'm different now… I want Sora to be happy… I want him to share his smile with everyone… If Kairi truly makes him happy, I want him to hold onto her. One day I'll see you guys again.
He turned towards Sora; the brunet looked him straight in the eyes, his crystal blue orbs were clouded with sadness, just like he imagined his were. He never imagined that he would ever say what he was about to say, but he wanted his friend to be happy; he wanted him to be happy even if it was because of her and not him.
"Take care of Kairi." Riku said, a sad smile forming on his lips.
Sora looked at him, and gave him a firm nod. With one last push from Sora, the door closed, Riku watched as his friend again, slipped out of his reach. But he knew, that they would meet again, this wasn't the end.
Goodbye… Sora…
Sora:
The brunet aimed his Keyblade at the door to Kingdom Hearts, and light washed over it. A large clicking sound was heard from the inside.
The boy looked down, Riku…
Sora heard the sound of footsteps behind him; he noticed Kairi was wandering about aimlessly.
Relief flooded over him to see was ok, he ran toward her, "Kairi!" he shouted out.
"Sora!"
He grabbed her hand but, as he did the ground shook and she started to separate from him. He thought quickly, he had to say something to show her that they'll be ok.
"Kairi, remember what you said? I'll always be with you too!" he knew this was goodbye for her as well.
"I know you will!" she yelled.
They tried desperately to hold on, but they knew it was in vain. Their hands could no longer hold onto each other and he watched, as she was taken away on the small piece of their old island.
Small orbs of light started to drift down from the sky, don't worry Kairi… I'll be back, and I'll bring Riku with me… but for now, goodbye…we'll meet again.
He felt his throat tighten, and tears brimming his eyes, threatening to come out.
In the end, he was right back where he started.
"I'll miss you… but this isn't the end. I promise." He whispered.
Kairi:
After seeing Sora and having him ripped away from her once more, she watched as she drifted away from him.
Lights started to float down from the sky, and she watched as the trees started to sprout from the ground and stars started to fill the sky once more. The island was starting to return to how it once was, before their adventure.
She looked out to the ocean, her dear friend was no longer visible to her, but she felt his presence, he was still there.
Goodbye, Sora I'm going to miss you. She looked down at her hand; he had yet to give her the wayfinder. She smiled, so that means, that we'll definitely see each other again. After all,
You promised.
The first rays of the sun started to illuminate the sky of a brand new day.
She decided to head down to their secret place. When she got there she marveled at all their old drawings, but one in particular caught her eye.
It was a drawing of her and Sora that they had made long ago, but he had added something to it.
In between them, he drew a paopu fruit.
A lump formed in her throat, and her eyes began to water. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she smiled.
"Come back soon… ok?" she whispered.
She kneeled down and started to scribble her own drawing to add to the picture.
After sketching and scraping the wall she stood up and looked at her work. After all, a paopu fruit's magic only works when shared.
The End
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