Hello again :)

I hope you all enjoy this final piece to the story. It's much calmer than the last few chapters, and I hope it ties up any loose ends, and leaves the story with a feeling of completeness!


Epilogue

I sat on the edge of the clock tower in my Organization coat, looking out at the setting sun of Twilight Town. The wind was calm; everything was quiet. It was almost serene. It had been a week since I had left The Castle That Never Was. As I looked out over the town, I couldn't help but sigh. It wasn't the same anymore. Nothing seemed right without them.

I heard footsteps come around the corner, and looked over to find Riku standing there, looking at me.

"How did you know I'd be here?" I asked calmly, looking up at him.

He smiled slightly before responding.

"Oh, come on" he said teasingly. "We were watching Roxas all the time while Sora was asleep; trying to get to him to wake Sora". He paused, sounding slightly disappointed as he continued, "We were unable to, but fortunately Naminé was able to wake Sora without Roxas". Changing back to his usual tone again he said, "And we were watching you while you were under Xemnas' control. We knew you, Roxas, and Axel came here all the time".

I looked down, sighing again.

"You're thinking about them, aren't you?" asked Riku solemnly.

"Yeah…" I replied, looking up and out at the sunset. It glowed bright hues of orange and yellow in the sky; the same as when I had come with them.

"Cheer up" said Riku. "You'll see them again. Their Nobodies may be gone, but that means that their original Somebodies will return".

I lifted my head in surprise at hearing that, looking out across the town absentmindedly as I remembered. That's right, I thought. Lea will come back, and Roxas… Roxas will have returned to Sora, but I'm sure Sora'll find a way to bring him back out. Maybe there was hope after all…

"Still wearing the coat, I see" said Riku, interrupting my thoughts. I grinned at him. He always knew how to get people out of a stupor.

"Think I'll keep it" I said. "The Organization'll be back, of that I'm sure".

After a brief silence, Riku spoke again.

"C'mon" he said. "Master Yen Sid wants to see you".

"Yen Sid?" I said, looking up at him surprised. "What could he possibly want with me?".

"I don't know" said Riku smiling at me friendlily. "Only one way to find out".

He reached his hand out, which I took, helping to me stand up on the ledge.

"Ready for another adventure?" he asked.

I looked at him in surprise for a moment, unsure of what to say at first. Then a smile formed on my face, and I nodded.

"Yeah" I said happily. "Let's go".


As we walked through the large door at the top of the tower, I saw a tall man wearing a wizard's hat sitting behind a large desk in the centre of the room. Riku closed the door behind us, and came over to stand to my left in front of it, bowing as he came to a stop. I bowed quickly to mimic him, not wanting to seem out of place.

"Master Yen Sid" began Riku. "This is Genxam, the girl I was telling you about".

Yen Sid turned to look at me, as I looked curiously at him. His face showed no indication of what he was thinking; all I could tell was that that he was reading me.

"You are a Nobody" he said to me.

"Yes" I said calmly. "It was the only way to prevent my falling to darkness due to the power inside me".

"Yes, Riku has told me of what has occurred, and of the power that you find within yourself" said Yen Sid. "I am deeply sorry of what has happened to you as a result of Xehanort's work".

I let out a breath, looking down slightly before responding, and then looked up at him.

"That's something I've been wondering about for a while now" I said. "If you don't mind my asking, where did this power come from?". I paused. "I know DiZ found it in Castle Oblivion because Organization XIII was working on it, but how could they have created something to mirror Kingdom Hearts power?".

Yen Sid seemed to be remembering something as he looked up slightly before responding.

"During the great Keyblade War, pieces of Kingdom Hearts fell from the sky" he began. "Most shattered into nothingness, however there were larger parts that may have survived. It is likely that Xehanort recovered one of those parts, and has used it to create the power that now resides within you. An imitation of Kingdom Hearts' power".

I contemplated this a moment, taking it in. There was another burning question that I had to ask.

"There's something else that's been on my mind" I began. "I'm a Nobody, yet somehow I'm able to feel and show emotion. It doesn't happen all the time, but it's definitely there. How is this possible?".

"The power within you is strong; so much so that it transcends the Nobody/Somebody divide" he began. "Emotions are in the heart, and Kingdom Hearts is the heart of all worlds. The evidence that emotions surfaced in yourself as a Nobody is not surprising given this fact".

"But the others were able to show emotion too, and they didn't have this power…" I said.

"Many Nobodies can imitate emotions without feeling anything" began Yen Sid. "Some may even have a fleeting emotion. But they will never feel anything more until they return to their originals". He paused a moment before continuing. "Kingdom Hearts affects all beings, some more than others, but no one would have been affected as much as you".

"Why was I able to feel such emotion?" I asked. "I was able to feel so much anger, sadness, and other emotions". I paused. "It doesn't make sense…".

"The power within you was derived from a piece of Kingdom Hearts" said Yen Sid. "Essentially it holds a piece of Kingdom Hearts within itself".

My eyes widened in surprise at this new knowledge. I had a piece of Kingdom Hearts within me?

"Kingdom Hearts is the hearts of all worlds, holding both light and darkness within it, and the worlds also carry much emotion within them as well" continued Yen Sid. "As a Nobody, you may not possess a heart, and therefore no emotions, however the part of Kingdom Hearts within you gives you something very similar".

I tilted my head, scrunching my eyebrows slightly as I tried to piece together what he was saying.

"So… instead of the emotions coming from my heart, they're coming from this power?" I asked. "Because I have no heart?".

"That is mostly correct" said Yen Sid warmly.

I looked at him sideways, puzzled. He continued to explain.

"I would not be so sure that Nobodies do not possess a heart at all" he began. "The heart itself may not be there, and it does carry within in many of the abilities to feel emotion, however that is not all there is to it".

I thought about what he said for a moment, and then remembered something.

"You can have heart without having a heart…" I said quietly, echoing what I had told Larxene about Axel and Roxas at one point.

"Precisely" said Yen Sid. "It is how the mind perceives things, that we act in the way in which we do".

It made a lot of sense when I thought about it. The mind has a lot of control over a lot of things, why would emotion be any different?

"There's just one other thing bothering me" I said, and then paused. "Saïx said that I don't understand the full extent of the power within me… what did he mean? When Xehanort took control of my body, he used power I had never seen before…".

Yen Sid looked over at Riku sending a silent message, and then back at me.

"That is something you will have to discover for yourself" he said. "It is not something that can be taught".

I looked down at the ground, sighing.

"Kingdom Hearts would not have sought you out had it not seen potential" continued Yen Sid.

I looked up at him in surprise. "Me?" I said in disbelief.

"Yes" he replied. "You must hold more confidence in yourself and your abilities". He paused. "We all have our own individual strengths and weaknesses. It is what we choose to do with them that makes us who we are".

Just then, the door behind Riku and myself opened, revealing Sora, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. They walked up to stand to my right.

"Master Yen Sid, you wanted to see us?" said Mickey.

"Yes, Mickey my friend" said Yen Sid. "It is time we rescue Aqua from her own predicament".

"Aqua? Who's that?" said Sora and Riku together.

"That we will have to discuss later" said Yen Sid, looking at them. "First, the two of you will need to take your Mark of Mastery exam".

"An exam?" complained Sora. "C'mon, we just got back!".

"Sora, show some respect!" scolded Donald.

"Oh, alright…" said Sora, sighing. He then went right back to his cheery demeanor, running his hand across his nose. "Test me all you want. I can take on anything!".

Riku, Kairi, and Mickey smiled, myself and Goofy following suit as Donald and Sora went at it. After they had finished squabbling, Yen Sid spoke to me again.

So, what do you say Genxam?" he began. "Would you like to join the fight against Xehanort? You may just discover more about yourself in the process…".

My face fell back slightly in surprise at the offer, and I looked at both Sora and Riku on opposite sides of me before responding. They both gave me encouraging nods. I never could have imagined this. From regular girl, to captive of the Organization, to standing with Sora, Riku, and Kairi in front of Master Yen Sid. It was all so surreal. I looked down for a moment, and then looked confidently back up at Yen Sid.

"Where do I begin?" I asked.


There we go. Hopefully that sums up everything that needed summing up, and answered any questions left hanging!

As always, please let me know what you thought in a review. I always appreciate feedback :)

Please see the final notes in the next chapter as well!