So many Terra parallels! This is the most intense and emotional chapter of the story.

Her Selfless Heart

Chapter 14: Sacrifice

Aika was still kneeling on the ground and Riku was long gone. She smiled to herself with tears falling down her cheeks; tears of joy and relief. She picked up the golden crankshaft music box and held it beside her heart.

"Aika…" Sora mumbled and she grabbed onto him. She hugged him tightly and he laughed nervously whilst hugging back.

"I remember everything!" She cried and sobbed into his shoulder. He patted her shoulder and smiled. He pulled away from her and she wiped her tears. "Come on, we still need to get Kairi and Riku back."

"So your heart won this battle?" The Beast asked and they turned to him with a smile and nodded. Aika stood up and ran up to the Beast.

"Are you okay?" She asked and he nodded.

Aika, Sora, Donald and Goofy went up and walked through a door, where they assumed Riku went through…

"So I see how the path has emerged at last." Riku said to Maleficent as they looked up at something that looked like a heart kind of keyhole. "Yes, the Keyhole to the darkness." Maleficent smiled.

"Unlock it and the heartless will overrun this world." The silver haired teen warned; his voice was different.

"What do I care? The darkness holds no power over me! Rather, I will use its power to rule all worlds."

"Such confidence!" Riku smirked and the Keyblade of people's hearts appeared in his hand.

"Oh." Maleficent's eyes widened at this and walked up to Kairi's body. "Impossible! The Princesses of Heart are all here. It must be her!"

"Do you think it's Kairi?" Riku asked.

"I'm sure of it." The witch stated. Then they heard a bang. "The King's fools are nearby. I'll go deal with them myself. You stay here and guard the Princesses." Maleficent said as she left and Riku glowed blue.

The four friends ran into the Castle's Chapel. They saw Maleficent and she smiled wickedly at them.

"I'm afraid you're too late. Any moment now the Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable."

"We'll stop it!" Sora exclaimed.

"You think you can defeat me? Me, the mistress of darkness?" She cackled.

"Oh yes we can!" Aika exclaimed.

"Why if it isn't Terra's sister." She smiled.

"What do you know about my brother?" The brown haired teen growled.

"That the darkness was his downfall." Maleficent answered and held out her staff in front of Aika. The globe of the staff glowed green. "Like your brother, there must be darkness in your heart just to be awakened."

"S-stop it!" She panted and she glowed green.

"I have power over sleep." Maleficent stated.

Aika's head fell and she turned to her friends. Her Keyblade appeared in her hands and she looked up at them. Donald and Goofy took a step back but Sora stayed there. Aika's pupils disappeared and she looked like she was being controlled.

"Aika, no you've got to wake up!" Sora exclaimed and she took a step towards him.

"You are under my command now, dispose of them!" The witch shouted.

Aika held her Keyblade towards him and the tip was touching his chest. Just as she was about to strike her Keyblade through his chest, she stopped and closed her eyes.

"What are you waiting for?!" Maleficent shouted and she turned to her. The young woman opened her eyes; they were normal and the green aura around her disappeared.

"My heart is not a toy to be played with!" She yelled.

"It cannot be." The evil woman growled.

The platform Maleficent stood on rose up and she summoned Darkball and Defender Heartless to fight for her. When they defeated the Heartless, Aika casted Gravity on the platform and Donald casted Aeroga on both Aika and Sora. The 2 best friends ran towards her started to unleash some combo attacks on her. She even casted lightning on them but the damage was less thanks to Donald casting Aeroga on them. When she was defeated, She touched her heart and stepped back into a pink orb and disappeared.

They went through to a secret area which looked like a huge ballroom but was plain.

"Riku!" Aika called out and gasped when she felt the dark aura coming from him and saw something in his hands.

"Is that…" Donald trailed off and Riku nodded.

"Yes. A Keyblade. But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate…" Her eyes started to widen until she saw Riku pierce the Keyblade into Maleficent's heart and Aika took a step back. "BEHOLD!" They watched on in horror but Aika was frozen with her eyes wider than plates and filled with tears. "Now, open your heart and surrender it to the darkness." Riku stated.

"Riku, don't!" The young woman shouted but he didn't listen.

He took out the Keyblade out of her and Maleficent started to glow.

"This is it. This power! Darkness…THE TRUE DARKNESS!" She screamed and glowed green. Then from a smoke of green appeared an enormous dragon.

"Don't give up, Aika!" She heard Aqua's voice in her head and she nodded.

The Wayfinder on her Keyblade began to glow and she placed her hand on her chest. "I'm gonna need your help." She mumbled and the young woman glowed a blue aura. The young woman ran towards the Dragon and casted Blizzaga, Firaga and Thundaga on her enemy. Even Donald was impressed with her magic. Sora was about to get burnt by the first but Aika ran towards him and casted a barrier around them. She took his hand and ran to a root in the Easter side of the hall.

"Okay Sora, this is a dragon we are dealing with so it will breath fire, so be careful. Also, attack its head!" She exclaimed.

"How do I reach?" He asked.

"Climb on her back and attack her head from behind. Use your Strike Raid and I'll use Ars Arcanum." She answered. "Come on, let's go. Use this root as a last minute area to heal yourself. She won't be able to attack you here."

The 2 best friends started to run toward the dragon from both sides so Maleficent didn't know who to attack. Sora climbed onto her back and ran towards her neck whilst Aika climbed on its front leg. Sora threw his Keyblade back and forth and the young woman glowed gold and attacked with a flurry of powerful attacks.

The black dragon fell to the ground and Haruka hopped back from being crushed. The dragon's body started to burn and turned into a black clock; Maleficent's cloak. The witch was defeated. Riku stepped onto the cloak and smirked.

"How ironic. She was just another puppet of the darkness after all." He stated.

What?!" Donald asked.

"The heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness in her heart eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool." The silver haired boy answered and the cloak disappeared.

"You're a puppet of the darkness too." Aika growled and he glared at her. He turned around and walked through a pink portal.

They started to explore the Castle even more and fight the heartless until they finally got to the Grand Hall.

They ran up the steps and it was as if Goofy couldn't enter. They gasped when she saw Kairi on the ground like a lifeless doll.

"Kairi!" Aika exclaimed. Sora ran up to her and held her in his hands.

"Kairi! Open your eyes. Kairi." Sora shouted with tears in his eyes.

"It's no use Sora." They heard Riku say and looked up. "That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up."

"You're not Riku! What the hell did you do to him?!" Aika yelled.

"They Keyhole cannot be completed. So long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps." Riku jumped and floated down to the ground.

"The Princess? Kairi's a princess?" Sora asked.

"Yes and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time, she awakened." He said.

"Whoever you are! Let Riku go! Give him his heart back." Aika glared.

"Not until he gives back the Princess's back her heart." Their eyes widened and she turned to the boy. He shrieked and his chest sparkled. "Don't you see yet? The Princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

"K-Kairi's inside me?" Sora asked.

"I know all there is to know." The possessed Riku stated.

"Well, who are you then?" Aika questioned.

"It is I, Ansem! Seeker of Darkness." The girl's eyes widened.

"Ansem?! No way!" She knew the Sage King of Radiant Garden was Ansem, there could be no chance they were the same person!

Ansem started walking up to them but Donald ran towards him. The evil person who possessed Riku pushed the Duck out of the way and she growled.

"So I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me to everlasting darkness!" He yelled.

Just as Ansem was about to strike his Keyblade into Sora's heart, Aika stood in front of him and blocked the Keyblade from going any further with her own. She swung her weapon towards him and he skidded back. The evil man shot a cloud of darkness towards Sora but Aika jumped in front of it. She panted with sweat falling down her forehead.

"Aika…" He mumbled.

She stood up and turned around. The young woman opened her eyes; there was nothing but strong will and determination in her blue eyes. She lifted her left hand and summoned her Eos of the Dawn again.

"You may be powerful." She growled. "But I will not let you hurt my friend!" She yelled.

Aika ran towards him and stroke her Keyblade at him and he was even more powerful than when she fought him last. He passed around her but she dodged quickly. When she tried to do a combo on, him he just counterattacked with a more powerful combo than hers. The young woman was getting beaten up to a pulp but she did not let herself die.

The young woman stood up breathing heavily with her hand on her heart and shook her head. She was not going to give up and she was not going to let him hurt Sora! He started to jump swing his Keyblade at her but she kept dodge rolling around. He made a high leap and tried to stab her but she dodged as quickly as she could. After time went on, she got really tired and so did Ansem. He threw his Keyblade at her but she dodged again. After many attacks, she fell onto her knees and he started to fight her again more aggressively and ruthlessly. Something within him didn't want to stab her in the chest. She was bleeding all over, with gashes all over her body, blood coming out from her mouth, her ribs were broken and she felt like she couldn't move. He kicked her and she fell flat to the ground.

"I've had enough of you." Ansem stated.

The young woman's vision was blurry and she started to close her eyes. Ansem was making his was towards Sora who was crying and held Kairi tight. The young woman's fist began to tremble and she stood up even though it killed her. Ansem raised his Keyblade and stroke it towards Sora, but then he gasped as his eyes widened.

Aika stood there as the Keyblade went through her chest and she had her Keyblade through Ansem. She stared at him with tears in her eyes and they fell down her cheeks. Ansem took a step back and even he had a tear fall down his cheek.

"Aika!" Sora yelled with tears falling down his cheeks.

"Aika, NO!" Donald and Goofy shouted.

"Sora, take care of Kairi, will ya?" She mumbled and laughed. "Donald, Goofy, thanks for everything keep an eye out on that idiot." She looked up at the man in front of her. "Riku…I'm sorry. I love you."

Her Keyblade fell out of her hand and disappeared. It was as if for just a moment, Riku came back to his senses. An orb of light came out of Aika's chest and flew up then disappeared. Riku opened his arms and wanted to catch her, but when he was about to her body turned into small orbs of light and flew up.

"Aika, no…please come back!" Sora cried and a tear fell down Kairi's cheek.