Chapter Twenty-One: The Lord of Darkness
Sora opened his eyes. There was an ache in his chest that wouldn't go away. That might've been because he was laying on his front. With a great effort, he rolled onto his back and sat up.
Where was he? Why was he alone?
The memories flooded his mind. Destiny Islands, Ansem, and then the burning in his chest. He could still feel Ansem's Guardian's grip around his neck. His hands felt for any remnants. He couldn't feel any. Sora let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
He glanced around at his surroundings. He was in an orchard that seemed to be used as some kind of playing field. On one side were three long posts of varying height. The middle was the tallest. At the top of each pole was a large, round ring. They reminded Sora of giant bubble blowers.
At the other end of the field was a trail leading down to a house that was three times taller than it was wide. It had to have at least five stories and seemed to be held together by magic. It was so lopsided.
It seemed like it would normally be a cheerful place, but there was no sound. The leaves didn't rustle. No birds chirped. Even the house, which looked as if it were normally abundant in noises, was silent. It was eerie.
"It's the Burrow!"
Sora jumped at the whispered exclaim. He turned. Ariana stood behind him. At a closer look, he noticed she was paler than usual, and her face was slick with sweat. She took deep, shuddering breaths. Her whole body shook.
"Are you okay?" he asked. He approached her.
Ariana's wide eyes turned to him. "Are you okay? You have bruises on your neck!"
Sora once again put his fingers to his neck. His skin was tender. He took in his surroundings once more. "Where are we?"
"This is Grandma and Granddad Weasley's house. It's my world…"
[Cue Music: Forze de Mal: Kingdom Hearts]
Kairi panted heavily. She wiped her brow. It was slick with sweat and blood. But in her moment of hesitation, Ansem's Guardian grazed her arm before she could jump out of its range. Her wounds glowed a bright green before they scabbed over. They looked several days old. She silently thanked Donald for the healing spell.
She retreated a few paces and loosed another Fire spell. Ansem floated out of the way and straight into Goofy's shield. Goofy managed a couple of hits before the Guardian knocked him into the cliff side. He slid to the ground and rubbed his head. Goofy winced as he found the knot forming there. He stood and threw the shield again at Ansem.
Albus dashed around on the shore as he fired yet another binding spell. This one hit the Guardian, who reappeared above the young wizard. A shower of Darkness fell about them both. It vanished, leaving Albus standing alone. But the next thing he knew, a dark purple orb swam in his vision. Everything turned red. His limbs felt like lead.
He ran, trying to get away. Ansem's Guardian blocked his path. One of those enormous hands gripped his shoulder. He could feel his life fading away.
"Thundaga!"
Lightning rained from the sky and blasted the Guardian away. The sand turned back to white. The reddish tinges were gone. Albus doubled over. His muscles felt strained. His breath came in short gasps. He pulled a Potion from his pocket and downed it. Already, he could feel his strength returning.
Kairi couldn't see. White spots filled her vision. Donald's Thunder spell had blinded her. Something large and dark crossed into her vision. She yelped and swung her staff. Something connected. Hard. The spots started to clear. Kairi gasped. She had hit the Guardian!
"Guard!" Ansem shouted. The Guardian teleported back to the Heartless' side and blocked Goofy's next shield bash. What Ansem didn't notice was that Albus crept along the shore towards him. He was too busy blocking magic and physical attacks.
Albus had no idea where the plan came from. Nor did he care. All he knew was that he had to enact that plan before he could be stopped. Finally, he stood just behind the silver-haired man, who let bolts of Darkness loose at Goofy. Albus took a deep breath, raised his want, and cast the spell. "Incendio!"
Bluebell flames sparked at the tips of Ansem's long hair. Soon, his whole head was aflame. The Heartless roared and drew the Darkness towards him like a barrier. Goofy was too close. He was blasted backwards into a palm tree. He didn't move. Albus only managed to back away in time. His foot slipped on wet sand. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back in the ocean.
Kairi tried to approach her downed friends, but Donald raised his wing to stop her. "Aeroga!" Donald chanted. Winds gathered around the duck, forming a barrier. Donald easily weaved between the Guardian's attacks. Ansem floated just before him. They locked eyes. Donald raised his staff and blasted the Heartless with an enormous shard of ice. Ansem fell to the ground.
Albus shook the salty water from his hair. It was then he noticed Ansem struggling to stand. The young wizard hopped to his feet and jumped on Ansem's back. The silver-haired man would pay for taking away his cousin! And with that, he wrapped his arms around Ansem's neck.
He could feel his strength fading. The Guardian had latched onto him again. His arms were like dead weights. He could feel his grip slacking.
Kairi's frantic form entered his vision. Blearily, he watched her raise her staff. Showers of orange sparks danced above him. An angry roar screamed in his ears. Albus realized what it was. Kairi had cast Fira on the Guardian.
Albus stumbled off of Ansem. He watched as Donald healed Goofy on his way towards Kairi. Soon, the dog reached their semi-circle. Ansem had nowhere to go. The ocean was behind him. The quartet surrounded him.
Donald waved his staff. "Thundaga!" Bolts of lightning rained down. Before any could connect, Ansem vanished in a portal of Darkness. The portal remained.
[End Music]
"It's almost like he wants us to follow him," Albus murmured. He pushed himself to his feet. Kairi made her way to his side and helped him stand. Donald handed him an ether, which he gratefully accepted.
"Shouldn't we follow him?" Kairi proposed. "Sora and Ari might be just through there."
"I don't think we should do that," Donald objected as he rubbed a burn on his wing. He cast a quick healing spell.
"Yeah," Goofy agreed. He nursed a bump on his head. "We need a little rest first."
Kairi sighed in frustration. What if Sora was hurt? She tried to reassure herself that he was okay, that Ariana had more Potions. Then she remembered: Ariana had been hurt, too.
Ariana had just finished explaining about the Burrow. She couldn't look away from it. Sure, it had been about three weeks since she'd last seen it. She'd gone months before without seeing it. That didn't stop the lone tear from trailing her cheek.
There was a whoosh of a Dark Corridor. A portal opened before Sora and Ariana. It closed just as fast as it had appeared. Ansem knelt there. His clothes were torn. Black blood seeped from the wounds. His silver hair was badly singed in places.
"Insolent fools," he whispered. "They know nothing of the heart's essence… Why do you hate the Darkness?"
"We don't hate the Darkness," Ariana answered.
"It's who's lurking inside it," Sora finished.
Ansem gathered himself up and stood. Darkness flowed from his wounds. The Guardian erupted from his back in a flash of navy blue. It growled at the brunettes. That could only mean one thing: Ansem was ready for a fight.
[Cue music: Dismiss: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep]
Sora wasted no time in summoning Oathkeeper and sprinting at the dark-skinned Heartless. Moonlit Shadow appeared in Ariana's grasp. She was only a few paces behind Sora. Ansem swiped his hands through the air. Bows of Darkness sailed toward them. Sora easily maneuvered around them. Ariana slowed and blocked.
Sora swung Oathkeeper once he reached Ansem. The Guardian twisted around its master and blocked the oncoming blow. Sora spun from the recoil and locked eyes with Ariana. They stared, blue eyes and green, before nodding. Sora sidestepped to the left. He watched Ari sneak around behind the Heartless man. "Stupefy!" A blast of red light knocked Ansem out of the air.
The Guardian floated protectively over the silver-haired man. It brought its hands together. It curled in on itself before throwing its fists out and baring its chest. A surge of wind howled through the trees. Ariana suddenly found herself flying.
The brunette girl landed near the trees. The Guardian loomed before her. She backed away on her hands and feet, closer to the trees. Maybe she could escape from Ansem in them! Wait, that would leave Sora alone with him. She couldn't do that to her friend.
In her moments of distraction, the Guardian reared back its fist, Darkness clouding around it. It thrust forward, a beam of Darkness shooting straight at Ariana.
"Aero!"
Ari gasped as wind tousled her hair. The air swirled around her, almost like a barrier. The Darkness curled around her and hit the trees. Ariana silently thanked Sora for the spell.
Sora strafed to the right as Ansem glided closer. The Heartless seemed rather miffed at the brunette's assistance of Ariana. Ansem raised his hand, blue sparks dancing between his fingers. Dark blue lightning rained down around Sora, who strafed to the right. Suddenly, he was flying. Sora landed on his side. He pulled at his foot. It was stuck! He glanced down. It was caught in a tree root. A bolt of lightning struck his arm. He grabbed it. It felt like it was on fire. It turned limp. He couldn't move it.
Ariana ducked around the Guardian as it swiped at her. She sent a blast of Fire at it, which burned the Guardian's arm. It roared in anger and lashed at the brunette. Ariana backed away but not before it grazed her arm. She gasped and clutched it. Blood oozed from it. She lifted her other hand. Mixed with the dark red was a deep purple. Her legs wobbled. Those cuts must have been infused with Darkness.
Ariana hefted her Keyblade. "Lumos!" Bright yellow light erupted from the crescent moon teeth. The Guardian screeched and floated back. Ariana saw Ansem glance at them.
"Come, Guardian!" he commanded. The black monster instantly obeyed. The dark duo glowed purple. The next thing Ari knew, they zoomed towards her. She strafed to the left. They missed by inches. They turned and homed in on her. She couldn't move. They charged straight into her. She was flying. She rolled as she hit the ground.
Blearily, Ariana raised her head. She watched through fuzzy eyes as Sora threw Oathkeeper in repeated Strike Raids at Ansem. When it was over, she saw him double over on the ground.
Get up! Ariana screamed at herself. Ansem wasn't finished yet. She pushed herself up ever so slowly. She had to help! She picked up her dropped Keyblade. Ariana let out a scream before sprinting towards Ansem. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sora do the same. Ansem hunched before them. Their Keyblades clashed and struck the Heartless.
[End Music]
Ansem vanished in a cloud of black. A Corridor of Darkness remained. Ariana could hear voices emanating from it. They were so familiar. A figure emerged from the Dark Corridor. It was Donald!
"Donald!" Ariana cried. She smiled.
The duck padded towards her and summoned his staff. What was he up to? Once he reached her, he reared back and hit her shoulder. Hard. Ariana grasped her shoulder.
"Oy!" she yelped. "What was that for?"
"Don't you do that again!"
Sora slowly backed away. Donald simply blasted him with Thunder.
"Gawrsh, Donald," Goofy said as he approached the duck, "maybe we should go easier on them."
"Yeah, Donald," Sora agreed. He rubbed his head. "Geez…"
"Just don't scare us like that again," Kairi scolded. Her hands were on her hips. Sora ran a hand through his hair. Then he noticed that she was pale.
"Wait, what happened to you guys?" he pondered.
"After you vanished, we fought Ansem," Albus answered. Sora took a closer look. The quartet each sported ripped and bloodied clothing. Some of Donald's feathers were singed.
"We fought him, too," Ariana commented. She had her left hand clamped over her right bicep. The purple t-shirt sleeve that was pushed to her shoulder was stained with red.
Albus took notice and pried her hand away. Sora stepped closer. He gasped. Ariana had three long scratches, none of which were deep, but each was tinged with deep purple. "What happened?" Albus asked.
"The Guardian scratched me," Ariana answered. Donald approached and studied the wound.
"It was infected by Darkness," the duck observed. "Sora's had enough of those in the past. We could get to Aerith to heal them for us."
"Why only Aerith?" Kairi questioned.
"She cured with light magic," Goofy said.
"Light, huh?" Kairi approached Ariana and rested her hand over the wound. The redhead's hand glowed gold as she took a deep breath. When she took her hand away, the wound was still there, but the purple tint was gone. Donald closed it with a simple healing spell.
"I still have a lot to learn…" Albus commented. Ariana chuckled.
"Welcome to my world."
A half hour later found them standing before the Dark Corridor. The sextet each bore torn clothes but determination in their eyes. Finally, Sora took the first step, Kairi only half a pace behind. Ariana followed and allowed the darkness to swallow her.
She heard the others walking around her. She couldn't see. She suppressed a shudder. It wasn't long before something appeared in the distance. It was a pair of pale gray double doors surrounded by dull gray stones.
"Wha-?" Sora started.
"Behold the endless abyss!" Ansem declared. "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." As much as she never wanted to admit, Ansem was right. Darkness seemed to gather around the doors to Kingdom Hearts. Ariana kept hearing about the power of Kingdom Hearts. Was this all it was? Darkness?
"From the dark depths are all hearts born. Even yours."
Where was Ansem? Ariana couldn't tell. His voice echoed from everywhere. She heard Sora gasp. She soon knew why. Floating beneath them was a monster of a Heartless. The pink behemoth was larger than even Captain Hook's ship. At the prow was an enormous, monstrous face. As Ariana took in the blue-decked ship, she finally located Ansem. The shirtless man now seemed twice his original size, and his legs were pitch black and fused with the ship. The Guardian's enormous form, this time with horns and a fiercer snarl, floated behind Ansem.
[Cue music: Guardando Nel Buio: Kingdom Hearts]
Ariana's heart leapt to her throat. Her hair whipped around her. She was falling. They were all falling. No, she was going backwards. She glanced back. A hole of green was nearing her. Wait, she was closing in on it. The portal was pulling Donald, Goofy, Albus, and herself to it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Sora and Kairi fell into the dark abyss before everything turned black.
Can it really end this way? Sora asked himself. He was falling. His other friends had been sucked away by a portal. He was on his own.
Giving up already? I thought you were stronger than that, Sora!
Riku?
There was a soft whimper. Sora looked to his left. Kairi free-fell, her face paper white and her eyes fearful. No. There was no way he'd let Kairi be afraid around him.
The next thing he knew, golden sparks danced around him, Kairi secure in his arms. He was flying. "Kairi, I'm gonna let you off on the ship, okay?"
"Why? Would I get in your way?"
"Uh…" He really regretted those words.
"I want you to see that I won't get in your way. Let me go?"
Sora sighed. "Fine." He carefully let go of Kairi who floated by his side.
Sora glided towards Ansem. The giant Heartless twirled his double-ended spear. Sora flipped over it. Why did it look so familiar? He caught sight of one of the tips. It was shaped as a bat's wing. It was shaped as Riku's sword!
The brunette felt hot, steaming fury bubble in his stomach. An enormous blast of fire blazed from the tip of Oathkeeper and slammed into Ansem.
"Turn to Darkness!" the man roared before taking an enormous swipe at Sora.
"Aero!" Kairi called. A barrier of wind swirled around Sora. The spear slid of. Sora countered by a three strike chain before finishing with a blast of Thundara.
The Guardian released five scarlet orbs. Each released a laser. Sora curled around three and glided behind Ansem. Kairi pirouetted around the final two then hurled a chunk of ice. It crashed straight into Ansem's arm. He growled and swung the staff at Kairi. Sora floated before her and parried with his Keyblade. He chained another three strikes. Ansem guarded against the last one. The Guardian swiped at Sora with its long claws. Sora hissed as they scraped his left arm.
This was going to be much tougher than he thought.
Albus panted as he blasted another Shadow into oblivion. The Heartless just kept coming. He heard the swish of Goofy's shield as it sliced through a Darkball. Albus searched for the tell-tale yellow eyes. He supposed he should be lucky that the eyes glowed. There was very little light otherwise. The only light was from a pale blue Heartless emblem carved into the ground.
The wizard froze a Shadow in a block of ice and blasted it onto one of the small crowds. Each one was flattened as the block of ice shattered. Albus turned and set another one on fire. The flaming Shadow jumped at him, claws glinting. The green of Goofy's shield flashed in his eyes before careening into the Heartless, obliterating it.
"Goofy! Al!"
Albus turned at the sound of the voice. Sora swung the Keyblade, destroying the Heartless left and right. No more spawned.
Albus returned to blasting with increased vigor. Maybe they could finally escape! The raven-haired boy launched a leg-locker curse at a Shadow. Its knees locked together as it toppled over. Sora dashed over and destroyed it an all others Albus felled.
Finally, the last of the Heartless vanished. Sora's vision swam before the sight of the World of Chaos greeted him. Albus wobbled unsteadily beside him before gaining his balance. Sora understood what it was like to be standing and suddenly flying. It was jarring.
Kairi reappeared from another portal with Ariana and Donald in tow. That had been the plan. Destroy Ansem's ship as much as possible and free the others.
A roar in the distance sounded. Ariana glanced up. Ansem's mouth was open as a battle cry loosed from his lips. "Confused? Let me enlighten you!" More orbs of scarlet light floated from his hands. Lasers emitted from each. Sora spun around one but into another. He winced from the burn. He glided closer to Ansem and attacked as much as he could. The Guardian intercepted each of his strikes. He couldn't get around it. He quietly observed the others for a moment. None of them were getting a hit in either.
"This isn't working," Ariana observed. She called the others to her. "Why can't we hit him?"
"This is a ship, right?" Goofy asked. "Maybe there are weak spots that'll hurt him."
"That's a great idea, Goofy!" Donald praised,
"I think I see it!" Kairi exclaimed. She pointed at something on the blue deck of the ship: a purple, pulsating pustule with a thick vein that joined with Ansem. Ariana smiled. This was it!
The sextet glided to the bright blue ground. As soon as Ariana's feet touched the fleshy deck, pools of black bubbled. Black, veined heads emerged. Humanoid bodies followed. These Heartless stood as tall as Ariana, but unlike her, they had long, sharp claws instead of fingers and long antennae curving from the backs of their heads. These were the Neoshadows.
The eight Neoshadows charged the group. As one, Kairi and Ariana released a Thunder. Lightning rained around them, the Heartless as lightning rods. Sparks danced across their bodies. Sora and Goofy sprinted, Keyblade and shield ready, at the mass of black.
Sora tore Oathkeeper through the stunned Neoshadows. One vanished in a cloud of black. A second lunged at him, claws first. He rolled around it and struck its back. A glint from Goofy's shield caught his eye before it slammed into the Neoshadow, which faded. Sora managed to catch sight of pitch black claws before they sliced into his shoulder. He grunted and spun, catching the Heartless with the teeth of the Keyblade and throwing it into the air. A blast of fire from Donald's staff destroyed it.
Ariana turned her attention to the vein after her initial blast of lightning. She sprinted around the mass of Heartless, Albus and Kairi on her heels. She stabbed the vein. Her Keyblade did little more than scratch it. Albus and Kairi each sent their own fire spells, bluebell blending with scarlet. Both only left light scorch marks. Ari jumped back and threw her Keyblade in a Strike Raid. It only traveled half as a far as Sora's. She instead tackled it with a Stupefy, Albus following with a Confringo.
Cavities opened in the ceiling above. Bolts of black fired from them. Ari edged around two but stepped into the line of a third. She hissed and clapped her hand to her side.
"Protego!" she heard Albus cry. A blue, translucent shield appeared around him. The black bolts were absorbed. Kairi merely weaved around them. She hurled a chunk of ice at the vein. Frost collected on it. She raised her staff and called a bolt of lightning on it.
Ariana stabbed the vein again. It exploded, forcing her into the waiting arms of a Neoshadow. She yelped as they bit into her arms. The sudden swish of a blade startled her. The pressure on her arms vanished. She fell to her knees.
"You okay, Ari?"
Ariana glanced up. Sora stood before her. He winced at the sight of the eight bloody scratches on her arms. "Cura," he whispered. Tendrils of green light wrapped around her as the wounds closed.
"I'll be fine," she said. She stood and turned to her friends. Each bore scratches, burns, and rings under their eyes. But each set held determination.
"This is it, then," Albus said.
"We can do this, guys!" Kairi declared. "Riku's counting on us!"
"And the king!" Donald added.
"And the rest of the worlds, too!" Goofy chimed.
Sora nodded and glided out, the quintet behind him. He halted once he came face-to-face with Ansem. The Heartless man sneered at him. The Guardian growled.
The dark monster raised its fists. Blue lightning arced from its fingers. Sora hissed when it struck his shin. He brought Oathkeeper around in an attack. Ansem dodged around it but into Albus' blasting spell. Kairi appeared in the corner of Sora's eye. She spun her staff, a shard of ice sprouting from it. It sailed into Ansem's shoulder.
Ansem thrust his hands into the air. Ten scarlet orbs formed around them. More lasers. Great. Ariana blocked one with her Keyblade. The metal's temperature skyrocketed. It seared her hands. The scarlet beam faded. Ari soared forward, the Keyblade still burning, and struck Ansem with it. The man clutched his shoulder and glared at her but suddenly grinned.
Ariana's heart froze. What was he planning? Suddenly, wrenching pain lanced through her back. The next second, the Guardian loomed before her, its teeth bared in a fierce snarl. It brought its clawed hand, stained with blood, before its face. It was her blood. Ariana retaliated with a three strike chain. The Guardian howled. She watched as it faded away.
She turned back to Ansem. Her five other friends floated in a semicircle just out of reach of the spear. She quickly joined them. They glanced at each other before nodding. The sextet charged and attacked, but it was Sora who hit first.
[End Music]
Ansem stumbled and slumped over. His body sparked. Bright light enveloped him, no, the entire ship. It dissolved into orange light.
Ariana blinked. Ansem floated before them once again but back to his normal self.
"It is futile," Ansem muttered. "The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness. Now I have the pieces. Your efforts are useless." Ari's eye's widened. He was right! He could open the door! "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness…" He reached for the tall pale gray doors.
An aura of black enveloped the dark man. Ariana glanced at her hands. They glowed bright purple. To her left and her right, Sora and Kairi glowed blue and soft gold.
CREAK!
The gray doors cracked open. Tendrils of black leaked from them.
"Supreme darkness…" Ansem said. A smile crept onto his face.
"You're wrong," Sora retaliated. What did he mean? Then it clicked: the pale gray doors, the Princesses of Heart, all mean light! "I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is light!"
The tendrils receded to be replaced by white light. Ansem shielded his eyes. "So bright… Why…?" The light enveloped his form. When it disappeared, nothing remained.
Sora raced to the doors and touched down. That was right! They had one left thing to do. The others followed.
"Come on!" Sora shouted as he shoved his weight against one door. Kairi and Albus stood to his right, both pushing as hard as they could. Ariana, Donald, and Goofy leaned against the other door.
The doors barely moved.
Goofy peered over Donald's head and into the gap. He yelped.
"Stop staring and keep pushing!" Donald reprimanded.
"Er, Donald," Ariana said. She, too, gazed past the door. The duck stopped pushing and glanced through. Pillars of black stretched every which-way she could imagine stretching into the distant whiteness. But she quickly took notice of glowing yellow eyes.
"The Heartless!" Donald squawked.
"Push harder!" Albus roared.
"I can't…" Sora murmured as he slid slightly down the door.
"Don't give up!" A gloved hand from inside curled around the door. Ariana beamed at the new arrival. It was Riku! He was okay! "Come on, Sora, Kairi! Together, we can do it!"
The two nodded. "Okay!"
"Riku," Ariana breathed. No! They couldn't seal him inside! The others were pushing on the doors. Even with Riku's help, they barely budged. Maybe he could still squeeze through.
"It's hopeless!" Donald cried, his wings at his head. The Heartless were too fast. They wouldn't make it!
SWISH!
The Heartless faded, leaving a golden light and a silhouette. It was oddly short with a circular head and equally round ears. Ariana could make out white gloves, red shorts, and enormous yellow shoes.
"Your Majesty!" she heard Donald and Goofy exclaim excitedly. So this was their beloved king.
The king suddenly drew a Keyblade seemed like a carbon copy of Sora's, except the blade was gold and the guard and hilt silver. "Now, Sora! Let's close this door for good!"
[Cue Music: Always on my Mind: Kingdom Hearts]
"Close it, quick!" Donald encouraged.
"But…" Sora trailed off. Worry was evident in his eyes.
"They'll be okay, Sora," Kairi assured him. Her purple-blue eyes met his bright blue. He wanted so much to believe her.
"Don't worry," the king said. "There will always be a door to the light."
"Sora, you can trust King Mickey," Goofy encouraged.
"I don't think their best friend would lie to you," Albus added.
"Quick!" Riku cried. "They're coming!"
Sora had no choice. Ariana nodded. She watched as King Mickey turned to his friends. "Donald, Goofy, thank you."
Ariana met Riku's eyes. He smiled warmly at her before turning to Sora. "Take care of her." The brunette nodded. Riku grinned at Kairi before the door completely cut their view.
Sora took a few steps back and summoned the Kingdom Key. He pointed it at the doors. He wasn't scared for Riku anymore. His friend was too stubborn to stay there. He'd find a way out with the king. The Keyblade glowed, and the doors shimmered away.
Sora sighed and hung his head. It might take a while to find him again. He felt a thin pair of arms wrap around him. He glanced down and caught sight of auburn hair. He smiled and returned Kairi's embrace. He rather liked this feeling.
Kairi eventually let go and took his hand in hers. They walked away from the group, towards the edge. "Sora, I-" The ground shook. Kairi stumbled, but Sora steadied her. Why was he further from her? He looked down at their feet. The ground was splitting, and Kairi was on the other side!
"Kairi," Sora said to her, "remember what I said before?" He didn't have much time before she was gone. "I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you! I promise!" They were only locked by their fingers.
"I know you will!" Just like that, their grip broke.
[Cue Music: Hikari: Kingdom Hearts]
As Kairi drifted further and further away, her piece of rock changed to sand and grew. A spark of light drifted down and landed on Kairi's clasped hands. She looked up. More drifted down, almost like stars. There was a flash of light from behind. Palm trees, tree houses, and a cliff side sprouted from the sand. Ocean water lapped at the shore. Silver stars, like comets, soared across the dark sky and settled in their original spots. Destiny Islands had returned.
"Kairi!" Sora shouted from his piece of land. She turned, but she didn't seem to hear him. "I'll come back! I promise! Kairi!" A blue mist shielded him. He couldn't see her anymore.
Ariana approached and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You'll go back."
"Of course. Once I find Riku. Hey, what about-"
Crack!
Not again! The ground split once again between Sora and Ariana. Albus carefully stepped across the trembling ground to her. "Sora, I don't want to say good-bye!"
"This isn't good-bye!" he answered. "We'll see each other again!"
Despite their continual separation, Ariana smiled. "You're right. Our hearts are connected!"
Trees erupted between them, all around them. The rock turned to grass. The sky brightened to a light blue. Fluffy clouds soared across the sky before slowing. Albus wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they turned. Before them, nestled near a hill, was the Burrow.
Ariana's heart leapt. A new smile crept onto her face.
"Ari! Al!" The duo turned at the voices. Standing behind them were Hazel and Orion. Ariana giggled as she ran to her siblings and embraced them. "You did it!" Hazel whispered.
"We did it," Ariana corrected. She felt her eyes water. A hot tear rolled down her cheek. Joy overwhelmed her. Yes. That was the foremost emotion. Somehow, anticipation was there. What would her parents say to see her bloodied and bruised? Then there was sadness. She had lost five friends. She shook her head. She'd see them again.
Joy, happiness, anticipation, sadness.
What would you call it?
A/N: After two and a half years, it's finally finished! Yes!
I wanted to thank all of you for bearing with me when it took months to update. Thank you for leaving reviews and favoriting and following. Oh, and thank you for voting on the poll. The results of the poll: Magic of the Keyblade is staying in the crossover section!
As of yet, it is undetermined when I will start posting the sequel, Brave Hearts.
God bless! People of Boston, of the Mississippi River Valley, and Texas, my thoughts and prayers are with you.