Epilogue: Hope for the Future

Riku stood on the sandy beaches of Destiny Islands, staring out into the ocean, holding out his hand like he had seen Terra and the blue haired lady do. He wanted it, tried to 'will' the key he was promised to one day wield into his hands. Of course, nothing happened. She had said that he would get one 'one day', but how far off was that 'one day'? Granted, it had been less than a month since the man and the woman had come and gone, but how long was he supposed to wait? Maybe he was being a tad impatient, and he always tried to be serious and responsible, but, he didn't want to have to wait until he was all grown up to get one!

Sora wasn't doing any better than him, in fact, he was twice as ancy. Almost every day, no matter how many times Riku knocked the boy down, he wanted to keep practicing with their wooden swords. Riku could give him credit, while he was a tad jealous Sora had also gotten that key ceremony thingy, the boy might deserve it if his determination was anything to go by. He really wanted to get stronger, and find that 'Kairi' girl he always kept going on about. Besides, they WERE best friends after all, while he would never say it out loud, him and Sora fighting monsters side by side and keeping the worlds 'balanced' or whatever the blue haired lady had said and all would be pretty awesome...

This world has been connected...

Riku froze, a chill going down his side.

"R-riku? Did you hear that?" came Sora's scared voice.

Tied to the darkness...

Riku turned and began looking around. He froze when his gaze came upon someone standing on top of the wooden bridge overlooking the beach. He was an elderly man. Bald, sinister glowing yellow eyes, hunched over a bit, with an unzipped gray jacket over his pure black underclothes. On the center of his clothes, over his chest, was a strange red and black heart-like symbol that spiked out and became jagged on the bottom.

The old man smiled cruelly at the two boys, a black glow starting to coat his body. "Soon to be completely eclipsed."

"S-sora... get the boat," stammered Riku.

"H-huh?" stammered Sora back.

"GET THE BOAT!" Riku screamed as a strange clawed and helmeted monster with the same symbol as the one on the old man's chest popped into existence next to the old man.

The two boys bolted for the docks as a horrific and menacing laughter filled the air. Riku glanced back to see the helmeted monster leap down off the bridge and start chasing after them.

"Faster Sora!" cried out Riku.

They put on a burst of speed, reached the docks, and jumped face first into their boat, scrambling to use the oars and get away from their favored island. Riku's heart was beating fearfully in his chest. That old man was BAD, he was really, really BAD, he just knew it. He looked back to the island, seeing pitch black clouds start to form and crackle with lightning. That wasn't normal... storms like that didn't just appear out of nowhere...

The old man did it...

"Row faster Sora!" he cried out.

The two of them rowed as fast their little arms could take them as the water began to start to churn. By the time they reached the mainland, Riku's, and Sora's by the looks of his face, stomaches were about to heave at the bumpy ride. The dark storm was spreading though, they couldn't stop... and...

"RIKU!" cried out Sora, pointing back to the shore they were moving away from.

Riku glanced back, sighting not one, not two, but dozens of the helmeted monsters starting to crawl out of the sea. "RUN!"

The two boys took off, rushing for home, rushing for the only place they thought safe. Those they passed gave them confused looks, until the monsters caught up to the unwary people. Riku came to a stop and watched, horrified, as one of the monsters ripped into one of the islanders. It drove a fist into his chest, but there was no blood or no hole. Instead, a glowing 'thingy' burst out of his chest and rose up into the air, only to be swallowed by a black energy. Then, where the thing disappeared to, another helmeted monster appeared.

"RIKU! Don't stop!" cried out Sora, tugging on his arm fearfully, tears streaming down his face.

They came to Sora's house first and furiously knocked on the door, Sora screaming, "MOMMY!"

The brown haired woman, Sora's mother, burst out of the house a few second's later, confused and alarmed. "Sora, what's wrong?"

"THEY'RE HURTING PEOPLE MOMMY! THEY'RE COMING!" he screamed, pointing behind him at the oncoming tide of monsters.

The woman gave a strangled fearful gasp, picked Sora up, grabbed Riku's hand, and took off. They ran for the town center, where already a number of people were gathering. Riku watched in awe as the adults hid the children behind them, guns and pitchforks and knives readied. Even with how brave they seemed, Riku could see it. Everyone was scared and confused, they didn't know what was going on...

And then...

The monster's came for them...

BANG BANG BANG!

Those with guns fired them, but the bullets didn't do anything to the monsters!

Riku couldn't help but cry and scream along with everyone else as the monsters tore into the gathered crowd, taking the glowing things out of people's chests and turning them into more monsters. He watched as all of his teachers, all of the grown ups he knew, his friends... Tidus... Wakka... Selphie... were all killed and turned into monsters. Sora's mother backed away from the gruesome spectacle, set the sobbing Sora down, and picked up a discarded gun, a shotgun from what Riku could tell.

"S-Stay back!" she screamed, a strange light emanating from her, "Stay away from my Sora!"

BOOM!

She fired the gun at the nearest monster, Riku could see that the bullets fired from it were coated with that same light. To his suprise, it actually killed the monster! It disappeared in a burst of dark energy, releasing the glowing thingy it had been made of.

But one kill wasn't enough...

Three more monsters jumped her, taking her to the ground as a forth stood over her and drove it's claw into her chest...

"MOMMY!" screamed Sora, rushing for her.

Riku grabbed him and pulled him back as the boy's mother perished and turned into a different type of creature, a floating yellow creature with a long pointy hat. "Sora NO! We gotta run!"

"To where children?" came a cold, menacing voice.

Riku turned to see the old man from the island coming to them from the other side. Slowly, monsters began to approach from all sides...

"Two of the Keyblade's chosen," murmured the old man, "What fine additions you will be to my growing army. I'll need you two in order to overcome that blasted woman and then the Keybearers."

Sora and Riku held each-other, terrified as the creatures closed in...

"Welcome to the darkness," cackled the old man, raising his hand as if to give an order and...

"XEHANORT!" came a powerful, furious scream of rage.

In an instance, he was there. The man from the beach, Terra, the one who had had Riku hold the key. He burst from the sky, from a strange flying vehicle and landed next to the two boys. He drove his massive Key into the ground, unleashing a nova of light that obliterated all of the nearby monster's and sent the old man staggering back.

"VEN!" roared Terra, "Get them OUT of here! Take them home!"

Riku looked up at a strange sound, sighting someone in a strange suit of armor on a flying board racing to them. Wait... Ven? As in the guy who had been playing swords with Sora?

The armored boy beckoned to them in a panic. "Come on! Get on my glider!"

The two boys didn't hesitate, they rushed over and grabbed onto a separate leg each.

"YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!" came Terra's furious roar.

Riku turned his head, watching in absolute awe, as Terra fought the old man with seemingly everything he had, almost blinding light bursting out of each swing of his blade. Yet, the old man was crafty and fast, unleashing black looking magic while he dodged each attack. The force of the battle they were doing made Riku's skin prickle anxiously.

Suddenly, the world around them began to buck and crack, black energy seeping out of the ground.

"Terra! The Heartless found the Keyhole, we gotta go, now!" yelled Ven, taking off into the sky with Sora and Riku holding on for dear life.

Ven put a hand on each of their shoulder's, a glow of light surrounding them. "I'll keep you safe in the Lane's Between."

The last sight Riku and Sora had of their home, as Terra gave a frustrated roar of anger and took off after them on his owe vehicle, was it crumbling and falling into darkness...

Kairi practiced with her toy wooden sword Squall, or rather Leon as he had started calling himself for some strange reason, had given her after she asked for one. She stood in the courtyard of the first district of the strange town she, Leon, and Yuffie had woken up in roughly a week ago. The few people who had lived here before they arrived called it Traverse Town.

The town originally had only one district, but, as more and more of the stars in the skies had started blinking out quickly, people had started arriving here in bulk at an equal pace. As if in response, the town had somehow grown more distracts seemingly out of nothing. It was up to it's sixth district now, and it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

She felt... miserable... and angry... and sad... and... and... so many awful things...

Grandma was gone...

Her home was gone...

She was in a strange town...

People all over the town were hurting and sad...

And... and...

Master Aqua... she had never came...

She had saved Kairi from the monsters the first time, but she hadn't been there the second time...

She sniffled a little bit. "Master Aqua... why weren't you there?"

She swung her wooden sword at a nearby lamppost angrily. "Why why why why why?!"

Why did it happen? Why did the monsters, the new monsters, come after her and her home?

She closed her eyes, tears sliding down her face. "I wanted to be a hero... but... I couldn't do anything... I'm just a little girl... I wanted you to make me strong Master Aqua... like you... so I could save other people like you saved me..."

She whipped her tears away, and readied her wooded sword again despite how tired her little arms felt. "I will be strong! One day, I'm going to be super strong! I'm gonna be the bestest hero! I'm gonna make all the bad monsters go away and make everything better! And... and..."

"I'm going to find you Master Aqua. You'll be my master, and I'll be your apprentice, just like you said we would be, we'll be together," she whispered, almost feverishly, as she swung her wooden sword at the lamppost again...

FINISH

Final Report

Status of the world as a whole: In a state of disarray. World's are dropping like flies as both Aqua and Xehanort's heartless consume them, each with different purposes in mind. (Things are catastrophically worse here than they were at the end of BBS)

Enemies: (None of these factions appear to be allied)

Aqua's Heartless: Consumes for her own power, 'eating' the hearts rather than turning them into heartless. She is in command of all Pureblood Heartless, and can summon armies of them at will, splitting open portals between the Realms of Darkness and Light, and that ability pales in comparison to her own pure power. Considered to be the outright most dangerous threat to the worlds as a whole.

Xehanort's Heartless: Turns people into Emblem Heartless and destroys worlds. It should be noted, while it isn't explained yet (wait for the sequel), Xehanort's Heartless found a way to create heartless loyal to him without the process Apprentice Xehanort went through in cannon, after all, he is a much wiser and craftier being with his own full knowledge. Extremely dangerous, but not as dangerous as Aqua's Heartless, yet, where she is brutal and upfront, Xehanort is crafty and patient, considered to be a long term threat, though, only if Aqua's Heartless cannot be dealt with.

Maleficent: Without control of either pureblood or emblem heartless, it is unknown what danger she may or may not present. Though, it is a given that she will be scheming and planning something...

Nobodies: Curious white and gray creatures have been seen on occasion on certain worlds, but what they are and what purpose they serve is unknown. They don't seem to attack people, and seem to be in hiding, so are currently left alone. However, the presence they give off is unusual and slightly alarming...

The Current Heroes:

Terra: The Master of the Land of Departure, Master of Sora and Riku.

Ventus: Newly christened Keyblade Master, helps to teach Sora and Riku alongside Terra.

Eraqus: An older, yet still powerful Keyblade Master who was forced to abandon his retirement, otherwise serves as an advisor and friend to Terra.

Yen Sid: Powerful and wise sorcerer who helps to guide the Keyblade Bearers.

Mickey: A young king and Keyblade Master who struggles as hard as he can to save the worlds, is currently out fighting the darkness and trying to seal as many Keyholes as he can rather than help train the future Keyblade Wielders...

The Next Generation:

Kairi: A young girl who has lost so much in her life in such a short time. What affects this has on her personality remain to be seen, but she seems driven to grow stronger and protect the worlds and those she cares for. Seems almost obsessed with a desire to find 'Master Aqua'.

Sora: A young boy who lost his home and family. While initially heavily depressed and saddened, he has since recovered and begun his training in earnest alongside his friend Riku. He is determined to help as many people and bring as many smiles as he can to as many faces as possible.

Riku: A young boy who lost his home and family. Serious and determined, he throws himself into his training as hard as he can despite his young age and body. He tries his hardest to impress Terra, and desires to be as strong as he is. Unlike Sora though, his reasons for training aren't to make people happy or solely to please Terra, no, what drives him is a deep seated anger and loss, against the man who stole his home from him: Xehanort...

Answers, journeys, and the fate of the worlds await us in the sequel...

Join us next time in...

Kairi: Heart of Light

Secret Movie

A blue haired blue eyed woman groaned and slowly sat up on a patch of green grass, rubbing her head. "Ugh..."

She took a sniff. The place she found herself in reeked of both darkness and light in equal measures. She stood up, looking around, finding herself at the gate of a mansion. Behind her was a thick looking forest. The crack of thunder was heard, and she glanced up, sighting storm clouds gathering overhead.

She frowned. "Where... am I...?"

She clutched her head. "Who... am I...?"

She put a hand over her heart, or rather, where it should be. "Why... can't I... feel anything...?"

There was a strange warping sound, and before her, a portal of dark energy appeared. Out of it stepped a somewhat hunched over man in a black cloak. He approached her and looked her over.

"Do you seek answers?" questioned the man, his voice sounding old, but empty, "If you come with me, I can give them to you."

The blue haired woman frowned. That voice... it stirred something in her mind... while she could not feel anything, blurry memories of rage, hate, and distrust filled her mind.

"Not from you," she answered emptily.

The man studied her, his face hidden under his hood. "What then will you do?"

The blue haired woman felt a drop of water hit her face, she glanced up at the oncoming storm, before looking back down at the man and pointing to the mansion. "For now, seek cover."

The man gave a soft, empty chuckle. "I see, but, in the future?"

"I don't know," she replied, moving to the gate, "But, in what little scraps I can call my memories, I know that I want nothing to do with you."

She pushed the gate open, only to pause as the man asked her a strange question, "Do you remember your true name?"

She thought for a moment before deciding not to answer. Instead, she simply strode into the mansion and closed the door behind her...