ElvenPrincess01: Hello everyone! Sorry for not updating last week, but I wanted to make sure everything about this chapter was perfect and I needed to spend more time on it. A lot of stuff goes down on in this chapter. I think it might be the longest chapter to date actually. Please excuse any grammar errors. I had to edit this chapter in sections and I might have a couple things.

Sora: We're going to kill Vanitas off in this chapter!

ElvenPrincess01: Yeah—Wait, what? Sora, I thought I told you I'm not going to kill off Vanitas! Will you give it a rest?!

Sora: Never!

ElvenPrincess01: Besides, it doesn't matter if Vanitas dies or not. Kairi's not going to end up with either you or him. I told you back in chapter 19 that Kairi was going to end up with Cloud.

Sora: Speaking of Cloud, you lied to me! You told me Cloud wasn't going to appear in the story! And he appeared in the last chapter!

ElvenPrincess01: Will you calm down? He just had a small cameo and he only said one word.

Namine: I'm surprised you didn't feature him more. You do have a thing for him.

ElvenPrincess01: *gasps* Namine! I didn't think you were going to show up around here.

Namine: Well I figured I should make at least one appearance around here. Hayner's on his way here to demand you add him into the story.

ElvenPrincess01: *sighs* Okay, I really need to sit down and have a talk with him. Namine? If you will.

Namine: Leave it to me! ElvenPrincess01 does not own any rights to Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Disney. Hope you like the update!

xxxxx

Previous Chapter

Vanitas finishes his transformation at roughly the same time.

"Ready?" He asks.

"Give me a second."

Naminé?

Yeah?

I don't want you to help at all during this battle. I'm doing this on my own.

Are you sure?

I fought him twice before I met you and I could handle him both times. Besides, he wants to fight me. Not me plus you. I'm going to give him just what he wants. So no advice, no comments, nothing. And don't switch places with me even if it looks like I'm about to lose. Alright? Can you promise me that?

Okay, Naminé relents with a small sigh. I'll do my best to keep quiet.

Thanks.

"Alright, I'm ready," I say aloud.

"You sure?"

"I was born ready."

Vanitas chuckles. "That's what I like to hear."

He charges at me.

This one is for all the marbles.

Chapter 36: The Calm Before The Storm

Vanitas and I lock blades, once again caught in an intense, adrenaline-pumping battle. I can't really say it's a life-or-death matter since neither one of us are trying to kill the other, but I can definitely tell both of us are giving each other everything we have.

"Okay, so if I win, you show me the secret to your special form, and if you win, you get to kiss me...Wow, I'm almost tempted to throw the fight in your favor."

I fight back a grimace. I absolutely cannot lose this fight.

To my relief, Namine keeps true to her promise to stay quiet. I don't hear a single peep out of her as Vanitas and I swing our blades at each other in an effort to disarm the other. It feels great actually.

The whole reason why I wanted to do this battle by myself, why I didn't want Namine's help, was because I wanted to prove I could fight Vanitas on my own. I still feel like I cheated a little during my Mark of Mastery exam what with Namine fighting Clone-Me for me, and I couldn't help but feel that I didn't deserve the title, despite Namine's reassurances.

If I wanted to stand against Master Xehanort, I needed to prove I could take down one of his lackeys. And Vanitas was going to be the one I took down.

Vanitas disappears in a flash right when I'm about to take another swing at him.

Behind me.

I immediately turn around to face him.

But he's not there.

Hey, what the—

The next thing I know, I'm being sent flying across the floor to land unceremoniously on my back.

My back stings in pain from where I landed on the hard concrete, but I don't have the time to nurse my injuries. I climb to my feet in an instant to counter a blow from Vanitas.

"You continue to impress me, Red," Vanitas says with a note of admiration in his voice. "A lot of people would stay down after a fall like that."

"Yeah, well I'm not like a lot of people," I snap back.

"Of course not. You're a—"

Vanitas is cut off by a resounding bang from somewhere in the castle. It doesn't sound like one of Lea's explosions though. It sounds like something else, like something massive falling over.

Vanitas leaps backwards away from me. "What the—What are they doing over there?"

Distant voices sound from elsewhere. If I can hear them, then the owners can't be that far from where Vanitas and I are.

"For goodness sake," Vanitas grumbles, "why does something always have to interrupt us every time we fight?!"

I rush at Vanitas, hoping to catch him off guard, but he sees me coming and bounds cleanly over my head. I turn around to face him.

"Nice try, Red, trying to get the drop on me, but you're going to have to do better than that."

"No problem." I dart at him once again.

More voices and more crashes sound from a different room while our battle rages on here. It seems like there's another scuffle going on. But it does nothing to impede Vanitas or me from engaging one another in combat.

Vanitas sends my Keyblade flying out of my hand with a powerful strike.

Crap, I should have kept a tighter hold on the grip!

Vanitas quickly lowers himself to the ground and sweeps my feet from underneath me.

I hurriedly climb to my knees, but Vanitas is already standing over me, pointing his Keyblade down at me.

"Sorry, Red, but it looks like I win this one," he says with satisfaction. "Now you have to show me the secret behind your special form. Of course, I'm more than willing to give you a kiss even though you lost."

I glare up at him. And then a lightbulb goes off above my head.

I smirk. "I didn't lose. I think you're forgetting something."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"This!" I throw out an arm towards my Keyblade. Destiny's Embrace disappears in a flash of light and re-materializes in my hand.

"What?!" Vanitas exclaims.

Before Vanitas can react, I'm on my feet and slashing upwards at his figure, cutting a deep tear in his helmet.

Vanitas staggers backwards from the blow.

Now's my chance.

I point the tip of my Keyblade at him.

"Deep freeze," I murmur.

A steady surge of ice pours from my Keyblade directly at Vanitas.

"Hey, what are you—No wait! I can't lose now! I didn't get to kiss…"

The rest of Vanitas' sentence gets cuts off as his entire body becomes encased in a solid block of ice.

It's over. I won.

I did it.

Kairi, that was amazing! Namine gushes. I'm so proud of you!

I smile weakly in relief. Thanks, Namine.

I never would have thought to freeze him like that. That was some clever thinking. You have the makings of a true Keyblade Master.

You think so?

I know so.

"Kairi!"

I turn to see Terra racing down the stairs, followed by Aqua and Ventus.

"Terra! Aqua! Ventus! Where are the others?"

Terra rushes over to me. "They're bringing up the rear." He glances at Vanitas, frowning.

"How'd you guys get out?" I ask.

"Some lady with long brown hair wearing all black busted a hole through the wall of the room we were being kept in," Ventus replies.

"That would be Tifa then."

"And then a blonde-haired swordsman rushed in and they took out the two people that we guarding us," Aqua says.

"That would be Cloud then."

"The swordsman used his sword to break through the bars of our cages and freed us, but that's when Maleficent and Braig decided to show their faces," Terra says. "The others are dealing with the Heartless Maleficent summoned."

"Light!" That sounds like his Majesty.

I'm proven right when his Majesty, Sora, Riku, Cloud, and Tifa come rushing down the staircase to join us.

"Come on, the exit's this way. I remember the way we came in perfectly," Terra says, and we take off running.

We turn down a series of corridors. No one's following behind us, which is a good thing. After having to fight against Larxene and Vanitas, I just really want to get out of here.

"Hey guys!" I look up to see Leon, Yuffie, and Jasmine running down one of the staircases in the large hall we've just ran into.

"Get back here!" A voice barks from above.

We don't stop to engage him. We just keep on running until we reach the castle's gates.

Almost there…

A flurry of Shadow Heartless and Red Nocturnes appear in front of us.

But they're up against me, Sora, Riku, the King, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Cloud, Tifa, Leon, Yuffie, and Jasmine (who's still carrying her wooden board). They don't stand a chance and they go down in mere seconds.

Once they all go down, we continue on our mission, racing out of the castle and into the fresh air and sunlight.

"Namine!" I hear Master Xehanort's voice from behind me.

I automatically turn around, even though he's not addressing me. He's standing atop the castle gates, gazing down on us, flanked by the same blue-haired man Leon fought and another red-haired man with spiky hair.

That must be Lea.

Everyone turns around as well. "Who's Namine?" Yuffie frowns.

"He's talking to me," I reply.

"Namine, I know you're in there," Master Xehanort continues.

"Wha—What's going on?"

Namine? I think your old friend wants to talk with you.

I'll take it from here then.

Namine switches with me in an instant. She narrows her eyes. "Alright, I'm here, you Treacherous Traitor," she snaps. "What do you want?"

"Did you know about this?" Yuffie murmurs quietly to Leon.

"Does it look like I knew about this?" He responds.

Master Xehanort's face slowly breaks out into a grin. "Now, now, Namine. That's not the way old friends should greet one another."

"Oh please, you're the last person to lecture me on friendship! You betrayed your teammates, and what's worse, you killed me! We're not 'old friends' Hano or Xehanort or whatever you want to call yourself. You're nothing more than a vile, disgraceful, sickening, treacherous traitor."

Master Xehanort makes a noise of amusement. "If it's revenge you want, you're more than welcome to try and exact that revenge during the Keyblade War."

"Keyblade War?"

"Yes, the Keyblade War. The Book of Prophecies alluded to an event known as the Keyblade War." He clears his throat. "'The fated land will be the battleground for a great war. Light will see defeat and expire, while darkness prevails evermore.' The fated land is Nova Dawn, the land that lies beneath Kingdom Hearts. And there will be a great battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness that will end in a victory for the forces of darkness."

"You're lying!"

"Ah, but the Book of Prophecies doesn't lie. And that event, that great war, is the final prophecy in the book. There are no more pages after that. Don't you see what that means? Darkness will win out in the end, and it will reign for evermore."

"Then…" Namine hisses. "Of course. Now I see it. I thought it was weird how you hadn't used the X-Blade yet. Now I see why. You want to fight us during this Keyblade War so you can get rid of us and keep the X-Blade all for yourself."

"Oh, you mean this thing?" Master Xehanort pulls out the X-Blade and holds it up for everyone to see. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. It was quite tempting to use the blade right after I took it from the girl whose vessel you're sharing, but I had to remind myself that it would be better to wait for the Keyblade War."

"If that's the case, why'd you have Maleficent capture the other Keyblade wielders?"

"She was only supposed to take three of them, not six. And she intended to keep them as prisoners until the Keyblade War, so they could get a first-hand look at darkness prevailing. It would have been the first of many punishments for them, so as I've been told.

"But I think I like this arrangement better. I want all of you to face me with all your combined strength." There's a sinister grin plastered all over Master Xehanort's face. "It'll make defeating you all the more enjoyable."

The King steps forward. "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to blanket all the worlds in darkness?"

"Simple. I need to satisfy a curiosity of mine."

"Curiosity?"

"During my youth, when I was a Guardian of Kingdom Hearts, I wanted the X-Blade because I wanted power."

Master Xehanort's eyes narrow into slits. "I was nothing more than a lowly villager in a pathetic island town. I wanted to see more of the world. I wanted power. And I got power when I became a Keyblade wielder and a Guardian. But it still wasn't enough. I needed more, and I knew the X-Blade could quench my desire. However, after I found the Book of Prophecies, I realized that in addition to power, I could also discover the answer to a looming question that's haunted me for years…"

He looks up at the sky. "What happens after the great war that ushers in a period of darkness never before seen? Why does the book end after that last prophecy? Is the book trying to say that an eternal age of darkness will last forever? The only way for me to figure out is to see it for myself."

Namine shakes her head. "I knew you were crazy, Treacherous Traitor. But I didn't think you were that crazy. Why would you want to see something like that?"

Master Xehanort lowers his gaze to rest on her. "I wouldn't expect you to understand my motives. I wouldn't expect any of you to understand my motives. However, I do expect for all of you to show up on the day of the Keyblade War. It begins at evening time tomorrow on Nova Dawn. Namine knows all about where Nova Dawn is and when evening begins. I sincerely hope none of you will be late. And I hope all of you will bring everything you have. After all, I have the X-Blade. I look forward to seeing you attempt to take it from me."

Namine's eyes narrow. "Don't worry. We'll be there. And we'll make sure to put a stop to your nefarious plans."

Master Xehanort breaks out into laughter, dark, malicious laughter. "Truly, I look forward witnessing your efforts. Remember, Namine: The Book of Prophecies doesn't lie. None of the prophecies it predicted so far were wrong. Not a single one."

"Then I guess this prophecy is going to be the first mistake the book makes."

Master Xehanort snorts. "If you say so." He clears his throat. "I'm afraid I have some business to attend so, so I shall see you tomorrow. Enjoy the time you have now. Light will come to an end tomorrow."

xxxxx

After Master Xehanort and Namine finish exchanging words, the twelve of us return to the town to regroup with the rest of the Hollow Bastion residents in the secret bunker.

It goes without saying that the townspeople can't stay here. Luckily, Jasmine offers up the palace as a temporary shelter until this whole Keyblade War blows over, which it will. One half of the townspeople are transported to the palace while the other half are transported to Traverse Town.

Once we're done with that task, Sora, Riku, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, his Majesty, and I return to the Mysterious Tower to fill Master Yen Sid in on recent events.

"'The fated land will be the battleground for a great war. Light will see defeat and expire, while darkness prevails evermore.'" Master Yen Sid stares into the distance. "This is very grave," he murmurs. "Very grave indeed…"

"This Keyblade War isn't going to end in darkness winning, right?" Riku looks around the room for confirmation. "We're going to win…right?"

"Of course we're going to win," Sora responds. "That goes without saying. We can't let Master Xehanort cover the worlds in darkness."

"It's not going be easy though," Terra says. "He has the X-Blade, which means he has the advantage. Not to mention his lackeys. Something tells me Maleficent is cooking up a Heartless army even bigger than the one that attacked Hollow Bastion."

"Hmm, ya may be right," the King says with a frown, staring down at the ground. "I've never saw so many Heartless in one place."

"Can the seven of us even stand a chance?" Ventus says. "I'm not throwing in the towel, I'm just saying. We couldn't even save Hollow Bastion earlier, and Master Xehanort wasn't even fighting. How do we win against someone who wields the X-Blade?"

"We just have to give him everything we got," Aqua says. "Something's gotta work. We can't give up."

"Yeah, but the seven of us?" Ventus persists. "We're a little short on manpower, don't you think?"

I gasp. "That's it!"

Everyone looks at me. "What was that, Kairi?" Riku asks.

"It's just like what Ventus said. We're a little short on manpower. We need more help."

Terra frowns at me. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that we have friends in other worlds. I don't know about you three, but Sora, Riku, and I made a lot of friends in other worlds, friends who are quite useful when it comes to fighting. They could help us fight against Master Xehanort and his forces!"

The King gasps. "I never thought about that! Kairi, you're right! We do have friends in other worlds who could help us fight! And we need all the help we can get!"

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus share a look. "If it's more fighters we need," Terra starts, "then the three of us know someone who could be a big help."

"He might be a little tricky to locate so it's best we leave now," Aqua says.

"Alright, once you find him, bring him back here," the King says. "We need to get all fighters here as soon as possible. While the six of you are out gathering allies, I'll be here setting things up around the Tower for our guests and greeting them as they come in."

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus give a quick goodbye before leaving.

"Okay, so who are we getting?" Sora asks.

"Let's make a list," I suggest. "I don't want to leave anyone out."

Riku gets out a pencil and a sheet of paper.

"Let's see…" I think for a few seconds. "We've got Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, and Tifa…"

The three of us list out the names of every person we can think of who could be useful in this Keyblade War.

"I think that's everyone." Riku writes down the last name with a flourish of his wrist. "Now we can decide who's getting who."

"I can get Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, and Tifa," Sora says. "And I can also get Milo and Kida and the Atlanteans, Mulan and Mushu, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and Peter Pan and Tinkerbell."

"And I'll get Simba, Jack Skellington, Hercules and Pegasus, Jack Sparrow, and Jim Hawkins," Riku says.

"And I'll get Elsa, Aladdin and Jasmine and Genie, Yuna and Rikku and Paine, and Lightning and Serah."

Sora and Riku look over at me. "You think Serah's back to normal?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Only one way to find out. If I can only take Lightning, then I guess that'll have to do."

"We'll be back as soon as possible, Master Yen Sid," Sora says to the retired Keyblade Master.

Master Yen Sid nods his head slowly. "Be careful out there. And good luck."

xxxxx

"Kairi!" Anna scurries over to me from the ice skating rink that's been erected in front of Arendelle's castle gates (most likely Elsa's doing), a bright smile on her face. "You're back!"

"Hi Anna!" I smile back at her. "How have you been doing?"

"Great! Absolutely great! It's so good to have you back! How long are you staying?"

"I'm afraid I can't stay long. I have something to take care of. Speaking of which, where's—oh, there are you, Elsa!"

Elsa, following in her younger sister's stead, dashes off the ice rink to join us.

"Kairi, it's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Elsa! I was just telling Anna that I can't stay for long. I need you to come back with me to the Mysterious Tower. It's kind of a long story, but basically my friends and I have to go to war against this guy named Master Xehanort who wants to cover all the worlds in darkness and I could really use your help."

"A war?"

"Yeah, a battle if you will. Master Xehanort and his subordinates are going to be fighting, along with a bunch of Heartless Maleficent is going to be bringing."

"Maleficent? You mean the witch that tried taking Elsa away?" Anna asks.

"That's the one."

"Then I'll be more than glad to fight with you and your friends," Elsa says. "That witch needs to be taught a lesson."

"Excellent. I'll transport you to the Mysterious Tower. There's someone there known as King Mickey who can give you all the details."

After I teleport Elsa to the Tower, I teleport myself to Agrabah.

Jasmine and Agrabah are right where I figured they would be, in their bedroom. I can hear quiet murmurs from within.

I knock on the door. "Aladdin? Jasmine?"

The murmuring ceases abruptly, and seconds later, the door swings open to reveal Jasmine in the doorway.

"Kairi! What are you doing back here? What's going on?"

"Sora and the rest of us realized that we're going to need a lot more help for the Keyblade War," I say as I enter the room, "so I was hoping the two of you could lend a hand."

"Of course!" Aladdin hops off the bed from where he was seated. "You don't even need to ask! After all the help you guys have been with everything that happened with my father, it's the least I can do."

"Great! I was also hoping Genie could help out too."

As if he's been summoned, Genie appears in a puff of blue smoke, adorned in a military uniform. He stares resolutely forward as he gives me a sharp salute.

"Genie, reporting for duty!" He bellows.

I transport Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie back to the Tower.

Now comes the tricky part. Trying to find Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.

They're not anywhere in the Calm Lands or in the village. They could be in Macalania Woods or somewhere on Mt. Gagazet, but I don't really have the time to trek all over Spira looking for them.

I wish there was an easier way to find them…

Why don't you just use the Star Shard? Namine proposes.

The Star Shard?

Yeah. You've seen the interior of their ship. You know exactly what it looks like. Just use the Star Shard to transport us onboard.

Can a Star Shard be used to board a moving vehicle?

I don't know, you know more about this thing than I do. I say we give it a shot.

Well…I guess it's not we have any other options.

I close my eyes and visualize the bridge of the Celsius.

"The Celsius airship," I pronounce confidently.

My feet are lifted off the ground, and when I open my eyes, I see the interior of the Celsius surrounding me.

I gasp happily. "It worked!"

"Huh?" Shinra turns around in his chair to face me. "Whoa!" He falls out of his chair and onto the floor.

I wince slightly. "Sorry!"

He scrambles to get back into his chair. "How'd you—How'd you get in here?!" He breathes in wonder.

"Star Shard."

"Star Shard?"

"Kairi!"

I turn around to see Yuna and Rikku rushing off the elevator towards me. Paine walks at her standard leisurely pace.

"Hey guys, I—oof!" The wind gets knocked out of me due to the double bone-crunching hugs Yuna and Rikku give me. "Nice to see you too," I wheeze.

"How'd you get here?!"

"Star Shard."

"Star Shard?"

"I can explain later. Listen, I need your help. My friends and I have to do battle against a guy named Master Xehanort who wants to cover all the worlds in darkness and I could really use your fighting skills."

"Cover all the worlds in darkness?" Paine scowls, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why would he want that for?"

"Curiosity, he claims."

"If it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he'll get!" Rikku exclaims. "We're more than ready to do battle. Right girls?"

"You betcha!" Yuna replies.

"Hm." Paine nods her head.

"Okay, I'll take you guys back to the Mysterious Tower. King Mickey will be there to greet you."

"Shinra, can you handle things by yourself here?" Yuna asks.

"No problem!" Shina salutes her. "I'll be right here waiting for you!"

I transport Yuna, Rikku, and Paine back to the Tower.

Now comes the really tricky part.

Trying to find Lightning.

Lightning said she lived in a seaside town called Bodhum.

How am I supposed to find this place?

Ahem? I've been there.

I gasp. Seriously Namine?!

Yep!

Namine switches with me and closes her eyes.

"Bodhum," she says in a clear voice.

Shortly afterwards, Namine opens her eyes and I can see that we're been transported to a location that's largely like Destiny Islands. There's a pier, a village, palm trees, sandy beaches, everything. A bright yellow sun hangs in the sky, beaming down on Namine and I as we stand on the pier.

Hey, there goes Serah!

Further down the beach stands the familiar figure of a pink-haired girl as she stares out at the sea.

"Serah!" Namine jumps off the pier and runs towards the girl. "Serah!"

Serah turns her head towards Namine at the sound of Namine's voice and she smiles gently at her. "Oh, hello! Can I help you with something?"

"I need you to take me to your sister, Lightning. She's an…old friend of mine. It's really urgent."

Serah's frown deepens. "Are you a member of the Guardian Corps?"

"I…I'm not sure what that means. But I need to talk to her now."

Serah leads us back to her and Lightning's house.

"Oh hey, you found us," Lightning says as we enter her abode. It looks like she just finished washing the dishes.

I take back control of my body.

"You got Serah's memories to come back?"

"Yeah. It took a while, but eventually they all came back. She was out for a couple days though. I didn't think she would ever wake up."

"Kairi!"

I turn to see Xion coming down the stairs, taking two at a time. "Kairi, you came back!" She grins at me.

I grin back at her. "Hey, kiddo. Have you been behaving?"

"Yep! Lightning's been great! I'm having a great time here!"

"Too much of a great time," Lightning comments, with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. "She keeps sneaking outside to go down to the beach."

Xion giggles.

Lightning leans against the wall. "What brings you here?"

I repeat the same story I gave to the others earlier.

"Ooh ooh ooh!" Xion jumps up and down. "Can I go? Can I go? Please please please please pleeeeeease!"

I gape at her. "Absolutely not! Xion, this is a war! I can't put you in harm's way like that. Besides, you can't even summon your Keyblade."

"But I can! Look!"

Xion holds out an arm in front of her, and lo and behold, a Keyblade magically appears in her hand.

"See?"

I blink a few times. "You…You learned how to summon your Keyblade already?"

"Uh-huh! And I've been training with Lightning."

I look over at Lightning for validation.

"It's true," she says. "I've been sparring with her. I think she's progressing quite nicely."

"So? Can I go? Can I, can I, can I?"

I hesitate.

Xion looks up at me with puppy-dog eyes.

I groan. "Don't give me the puppy-dog look! I can't say no to people when they give me the puppy-dog look."

"Pleeeease?" She pouts.

Don't give in, don't give in, don't give in…

I sigh. "Oh, alright. But no fighting Heartless that are bigger than you, okay?"

Xion smiles so widely I'm afraid her face might fall off. "Okay!"

"Serah, are you coming?" Lightning asks of her sister.

Serah nods her head. "I want to do my part in this battle too. I'll come as well."

I transport Lightning, Serah, Xion, and myself back to the Mysterious Tower.

The courtyard is full of familiar faces from different worlds. There are a few faces I don't recognize, which must be the fighters Terra, Aqua, and Ventus brought back with them. One of them is a blue three-foot-tall alien creature that strongly resembles a koala. He's entertaining himself by playing around in the bushes.

I wonder what his abilities are.

But there are two people talking to Hercules whom I recognize in a heartbeat, even though I haven't seen them in quite some time.

"Vaan! Penelo!"

"Huh?" Vaan turns to me as I jog over to him. "Oh hey, Kairi! Great seeing you again!"

"Same here," Penelo smiles at me.

"How did you two get here? I thought I wouldn't see you guys again after what happened with Hades and his stupid tournament."

"It was Sora's doing."

"Sora?"

"Yeah, he said he goofed up when he was using his Star Shard thingie or whatever and he somehow ended up on me and Penelo's world, right when we were about to take off in our airship for another journey. It couldn't have been more coincidental."

"You can say that again."

"Hey Kairi!" Demyx is standing over by the front steps of the Tower itself and waving an arm in the air to get my attention.

"Demyx, what are you doing here? I thought you would have stayed in Traverse Town."

"I was. Until…"

"Until what?"

"I've been having some dreams lately. Only they're not dreams: They're memories. And in my memories, I have this…" He pulls out a blue sitar that he was hiding behind a bush. "And I'm using this sitar to fight against bad guys. The music I play on this thing allows me to control water. I can summon water clones, geysers, anything. I've…kind of been practicing around with it," he finishes, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"That's amazing!" I beam. "But...How'd you get your sitar?"

"I remembered what the world I came from looked like, and when Sora came to pick up Leon and the others from Traverse Town, I asked him to take me there. Once he did, I made my way back home and found my sitar.

"And I…" He gulps noticeably. "I've decided to fight."

"What?"

"I've decided to fight."

"You…have?" I'm not sure if I can believe what I'm hearing. Demyx, the same guy who hides from danger at every available opportunity, is volunteering himself for a war that could potentially result in the end of life as we know it?

"I know what you're probably thinking. And yeah, I am scared. More than you can believe. I mean this whole Keyblade War doesn't sound fun at all. But…" Demyx frowns. "I just remembered the world I came from. And I don't want to see it ruined." A determined look enters Demyx's eyes. "I'm going to do whatever I can to prevent that from happening."

I grin. "This is amazing, Demyx. I'm so proud of you."

"Uh, I should probably let you know now that I'm just going to fight the small-fry Heartless if that's okay with you."

Demyx will be Demyx. "No problem. Just leave the rest to us."

He exhales loudly. "Thank goodness…"

xxxxx

The King clears his throat as he stands at the top of the Tower's front steps. His eyes sweep the large crowd.

"As you've all been told, there's going to be a monumental event occurring tomorrow in a world known as Nova Dawn. There's going to be a Keyblade War. And we're all going to be fightin' in it.

"Master Xehanort, the mastermind behind the enemy's forces, possesses the X-Blade, the single most powerful object ever seen. It can be used for good or evil, but unfortunately for us, Master Xehanort wants to use that weapon to bring forth eternal darkness to all the worlds. And we can't let that happen.

"He'll be waitin' for us on Nova Dawn at evening time tomorrow. And he's bringin' all of his subordinates with him. I gathered intel on some of his underlings from the people who fought against them. I thought it might be beneficial to inform you of their abilities, so ya can know what you're going up against.

"There's a man with spiky red hair named Lea who can control fire and can start explosions. He's largely responsible for the destruction of the town of Hollow Bastion, so he's not to be taken lightly.

"There's a man with long, blue hair and a X-shaped scar between his eyes who fights with a giant claymore. There's a blond-haired woman who fights with hand-to-hand combat and can call down lightning strikes from above. There's a man who wears a long, hooded black coat that covers his face who fights with arrow guns which can knock people out or paralyze them temporarily. He can pop out of nowhere, so be on the lookout for him."

"There's also a young man who wears a silver helmet that also covers his face who fights with a Keyblade. There's also a witch with pale green skin who wears a black-and-purple robe and carries around a staff. I don't know if she'll be fightin', but she can use magic, and I know most definitely that she will be bringin' a Heartless army to fight in the battle.

"There are others Master Xehanort counts as his underlings, but I haven't seen them in battle, nor has anyone else here, so I can't tell ya what their abilities are. Just remember to take each opponent seriously. I can't stress that enough. This battle is beyond important; it's life or death. Master Xehanort believes that darkness will win out in the end and that light will fail…

The King's eyes narrow in determination. "However, I know that won't be the case tomorrow. Master Xehanort thinks he's already won, but we'll just have to show him that he's wrong. Darkness won't win. Light will prevail. And we. Will. Win." His Majesty enunciates every word emphatically.

"Train if ya must, but make sure you're well-rested for tomorrow's battle. We need to go in at 100%, and that goes for everyone. We cannot lose. There are no do-overs, no room for mistakes. Master Xehanort and his team must go down. No matter what it takes."

xxxxx

Kairi, can you go to your room? Namine says to me after the King finished his speech. I need to speak to you in private.

Of course.

I quietly slip away from the crowd and head into the turret, quickly climbing the staircase until I reach the floor where my bedroom is at and enter the room.

I close the door behind me.

Lie down on your bed and enter your Dive to the Heart. I need to talk to you directly instead of through our thoughts.

Okay.

I lie down on my bed and close my eyes. I concentrate and will myself into the dreamy world of the Dive to the Heart. Soon enough, I'm inside and standing on top of my pillar, Namine stands directly across from me.

"Much better!" She remarks. "Now we can proceed with the lesson."

"Lesson? You mean we're going to be doing training?"

"This battle isn't going to be easy, so I'm going to show you a special form of mine I like to call Divine Mode. I'm going to show it to you and then I want you to practice fighting in it so you'll know what to do tomorrow. I don't have the time to show you all my tricks, but hopefully I can get you comfortable enough with it where you can use it properly."

I nod my head. "I'm ready when you are."

"Good."

Namine holds out a hand in front of her and from out nowhere, a small white feather materializes inside the palm of her hand.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?"

She grins. "I'm not done yet."

She summons her Keyblade with her other hand before she throws the feather into the air. Eying the feather carefully, she strikes it in a perfect overhead strike that causes it to burst into a dozen or so multi-colored feathers.

The feathers fly behind her back, disappearing from my point of view. Shortly after, about a dozen Keyblade-like "weapons" slowly fan out from behind Namine like a pair of wings. At the same time, her attire changes from her simple, short white dress and light blue sandals into a white shirt that's longer on the right side, a frilly knee-length skirt that's cut diagonally from the left, and a pair of white calf-high boots.

My jaw drops in pure amazement.

"That's…so…cool…"

Namine grins wider. She does a slow 360 spin for me, the Keyblade-like "weapons" hovering behind her as she moves. "This is largely the reason why I was the best Guardian out of my generation. I created this form myself, and I alone have mastered it. The Treacherous Traitor couldn't stand a chance against me while I was in this form."

"Really?"

"Of course. The only reason why he was able to deal me a fatal blow was because he got the jump on me. I could take him down myself, easy."

"Wow…"

"Things are going to be a lot different this time around. Last time it was just the seven of us against a X-Blade-powered Treacherous Traitor. This time around we have a lot more allies to fight with. And this form is going to be a huge help in taking down whoever gets in our way."

Namine summons her Keyblade, silver-and-metallic-blue with a long and pointed shaft and wispy curls running up and down the weapon.

"Shall we begin your training now?"

I nod my head sharply. "Yeah!"

xxxxx

The first things I see when I awaken from my Dive to the Heart are Sora's curious blue eyes staring down at me.

"Whoa!" I jump slightly, surprised.

"Oh! You're awake!" Sora stands up to his full height. "If you wanted to take a nap, Kairi, you could have told me so."

"Sorry, Sora," I say, sitting up. "I was training with Namine."

"Training? Where?"

"In my Dive to the Heart. She was showing me how to use a special form of hers called Divine Mode."

Sora gasps. "She has a special form too? That's awesome!"

"Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it. It puts the special forms we were gifted for passing the Mark of Mastery exam to shame, no doubt about it."

"Can I see it?!"

"Uh…" I think back to how long it took me to initiate the transformation into Divine Mode. "Maybe later. Didn't you come in here for something?"

"Oh yeah! I'm taking Terra, Aqua, and Ventus out for some sea-salt ice cream. They've never had any before. Riku's coming too!"

I do a double-take. "You seriously want sea-salt ice cream? Now? Of all times?"

"Terra, Aqua, and Ventus are all wound up about this Keyblade War and I think they need to relax a bit. I just know for a fact that darkness isn't going to win tomorrow. Plus, I think Terra and the others are totally missing out on sea-salt ice cream. I came here because I wanted to see if you could come with us."

"Well…I don't see why not. Count me in."

xxxxx

"What do you think?"

Sora leans closer to Terra, waiting expectantly for his answer.

Terra licks his lips and pauses for a moment. "Hmm…Salty, and yet sweet at the same time…I like it," he finishes with a smile.

"I like it too," Aqua remarks.

"Me too," Ventus says.

"Yes!" Sora grins. "I knew it! No one can resist the flavor of Twilight Town's sea-salt ice cream!"

"I resisted the flavor of Twilight Town's sea-salt ice cream," Riku says dryly.

"Yeah, and that's why there's something wrong with you!"

I giggle at Sora and Riku's antics before returning to lick at the ice cream in front of me.

"Terra, Aqua, and I have to stop by here again in the future," Ventus says.

"Yeah…the future…" Aqua trails off, staring off at the horizon with a distant look in her eyes.

Sora frowns as he observes the apprehensive expressions displayed on the faces of the Keyblade wielders from the Land of Departure.

"Hey, what did I tell you three about worrying? The whole reason why I brought you here was so you could relax a little before the battle tomorrow. We're going to win tomorrow. That whole prophecy book is wrong."

"Sora's right," I add. "Master Xehanort may have the X-Blade and powerful allies backing him up, but we have a lot of friends backing us up as well. And we're fighting on the good side, remember? The good side always wins."

Ventus perks up noticeably. "Oh right, I forgot about that. The good guys always win."

"Then I guess we have nothing to worry about, huh?" Terra cracks a grin.

Aqua chuckles. She suddenly stands up.

"I don't know about you guys, but I could use some sleep right about now. Today's been a long day."

Terra rises to his feet, followed by Ventus. "We'll come with you. Sora, Riku, Kairi, are you coming?"

"You guys can go on without us," Sora responds. "We'll catch up to you later."

"Alright. Thanks for the ice cream. See you later!"

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus activate their full-body armor and then they depart on their Keyblade gliders back to the Mysterious Tower.

Just a moment later, Riku gets to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm going to use the bathroom. Be right back." He walks off.

Wait a minute. Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Riku are gone. Which means…

It's just me and Sora.

Sitting side by side atop a clock tower.

Why is my heart beating so fast?

I quickly finish my ice cream, the ice cream melting even faster thanks to the heat radiating from my sweaty palms no doubt.

"Are you nervous?" Sora suddenly asks.

"W-What?"

"Are you nervous? About the battle tomorrow, I mean."

"O-Oh that," I chuckle nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "Just a little. I know the outcome is going to be in our favor but it's a little nerve-wracking having to fight in such an important battle."

I look down at the townspeople milling about on the streets. They almost look like ants from my vantage point. "Everything's so peaceful here. It's almost hard to believe that a war that will determine the fate of the worlds is about to happen. I guess this is what they call the calm before the storm."

"The calm before the storm…" Sora throws his head back, looking up at the sky. "That's a good way to put it." He quickly looks over at me, his eyes boring into mine. "Remember what I told you the day before we were originally supposed to take the Mark of Mastery exam? We're in this together. You and me." He smiles widely at me, showcasing a perfect smile that nearly takes my breath away.

I avert my gaze. Keep it together, Kairi! "Yeah, but what if I'm not prepared for the battle tomorrow?" The words start pouring out of me rapidly, my face heating up with each second. "Maybe I should have done some more training. I could always squeeze in some practice before I go to sleep, maybe I could spar against Namine in my Dive to the Heart, or maybe I could—"

The next thing I know, Sora's lips are pressed against mine.

I freeze.

And before I can fully register what's happening, he's pulling away.

He stares at me like he can't believe what he just did. I just stare blankly at him.

"S-Sorry," he stutters. "I just…well, I…" His face reddens like a tomato. "You can just—"

"Do it again."

"What?"

I stare into his eyes. "Do it again," I repeat.

Sora looks like he just can't believe what I said, so it takes him a few moments for him to gently cup my face in his hands, causing my heart to flutter. He slowly leans over and his eyes droop closed before he presses his lips against mine.

And suddenly, the world fell away. The outside world didn't exist anymore. It was just me and Sora. Just me and Sora and Sora's warm and soft lips melded with mine. My brain goes a little fuzzy and warmth spreads throughout my entire body.

I don't think my heart beat faster in my entire life.

I actually thought about kissing Sora for a while now, but I didn't think it would really happen. I didn't even know if he even liked me like that. I had known Sora since we were little kids and I wasn't sure if our relationship could ever become romantic.

Clearly I was wrong.

I could stay like this forever.

"Well it's about time."

Sora and I pull away from each other like we've just been electrocuted to stare in shock at Riku, who's standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

"Riku!" I immediately start blushing at having been caught kissing Sora. "W-We were just—"

"You don't have to lie, Kairi. I saw everything from here."

"You—You said you were going to the bathroom!" Sora stammers.

"I just said that so I could get you two alone. I was waiting for something like this to happen, and now it did. Honestly, I can't believe you guys didn't do this a lot earlier. You think I didn't know the two of you liked each other?"

Sora and I don't say anything. My cheeks redden.

Riku uncrosses his arms from his chest. "If you guys are ready, I'm ready to head back now. I could use a few Z's before the big day tomorrow. But you two are more than welcome to finish this back at the Tower." Riku winks at us.

I don't think my cheeks could be any redder than they are now.

I immediately rise to my feet. "Yeah, I think all three of us could use a little sleep for tomorrow," I giggle nervously. Riku's still smirking at me and Sora. It's embarrassing to say the least.

Sora's on his feet in an instant. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." He reaches out an arm towards me and I grab his gloved hand. He effortlessly pulls me to my feet.

He doesn't let go of my hand as Riku walks over to us, reaching into his pocket to pull out his Star Shard.

Sora does a little smile at me. I smile back.

"We're in this together." Sora grabbed my hand. "You and me."

That's right. I wasn't alone. I had Sora, and all the friends we made in our journeys to other worlds. X-Blade or not, Master Xehanort and his lackeys weren't going to stand a chance.

I'm not the scared, helpless girl I used to be. I'm not a princess who needs saving.

I'm a princess who's going to save the day.

xxxxx

Sora: You didn't kill off Vanitas!

ElvenPrincess01: Sora, I just had to tell Hayner for the millionth time why I couldn't add him into the story. I don't have time for any more complaints.

Sora: Well, I am glad that he didn't beat Kairi. And that he got frozen in a block of ice. He should stay like that forever!

ElvenPrincess01: Too bad he's not.

Sora: Aww…

ElvenPrincess01: The next chapter will be the last chapter of the story! I'll see you guys in the big finale next week! Hang tight until then! Bye!

xxxxx