THIS IS IT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
The final chapter of KH3…

I'll be honest, I took inspiration from the actual KH3 ending for some of this, and I have no shame. I hope you all enjoy it.


Chapter 54: Ultimo- Denouement


They can take your world.

They can take your heart.

Cut you loose from all you know.

But if it's your fate,

Then every step will be a step closer to home.


The city, glowing and silent, lay before. The glowing woman, Kingdom Hearts itself, waited at the pearly gates. She smiled as the group approached. "Hello again."

"You're… Kingdom Hearts aren't you?"

"It's consciousness, yes." She looked around. "I can create an image of myself to speak to people like you."

Lea pointed up at the moon. "So that's you?"

"Nope." She giggled. "That would be Oukoku."

"Wait…"

The woman stared up at the moon. "When Oni Mou first tried to use my power, I called on him as a guardian. However, he had to give up his body to do so. Oukoku became that moon, a decoy for myself. What you previously believed to be Kingdom Hearts was him, protecting me, so Xehanort opened a door here. In hopes of taking my power and using it for himself."

"Can't you stop him?" Xion clasped her hands tightly.

Kingdom Hearts shook her head. "I can do many things, and I am powerful, but I cannot. However, I have done what I can to aid you. I, giving my power to Oukoku and the others, allowed them to free you from the Puppeteer Heartless. We protected the school from the volcano. Small things, but we did what we could." She knelt down in the grass, picking up a pink blossom. "I have a lot of power, but I cannot use it myself. That is my purpose in this world. To be its light, but to be unable to bring that light to others personally. I can aid people, but not much. I did what I could for you… now it is your turn. To aid the worlds. And to aid me."

"We'll help." Sora smiled warmly at the woman. "Don't worry."

"Thank you." She turned, pointing into the city. "Xehanort awaits you at the center of the town. Now go…"

The guardians smiled at her and rushed past. To battle. To fate.

If only… this could be avoided… but time for that was past…


Not an hour before, Xehanort, followed by his men, walked into the town.

"Wait…" Kingdom Hearts ran after them, vanishing and reappearing before the old man. "Please, stop this."

The old man stared hard at her. "This is Iunae Lumen Statera, is it not?"

"It is."

"Then you would be a…"

She stepped toward him. "I am not a resident of this place… I am the consciousness of Kingdom Hearts! I am asking you to stop!"

"That's impossible. Kingdom Hearts is not alive." Xemnas said, his voice harsh.

"It is. I am." The woman stood her ground. "Look, I am a powerful being, but I am unable to use the power myself. You know this. But I do not want to be used for your purposes… So, I ask again, please stop this."

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "If you truly are Kingdom Hearts, then why do you not understand that I want only balance? Is that not what you want?"

"I do. But I understand how things work better than you. Yes, the worlds go out of balance, but they always right themselves." Her eyes closed. "When there is too much light, the long shadows will rise up to right it. And when there is too much darkness," she looked up, her white eyes staring into his gold ones, "lights rise up to stop it. Even if that darkness believes what it is doing it just. You wish for balance, but you side with darkness! You dare speak of balance when your own heart has shifted to one side; Terra and Riku both have a balance, why do you choose not to!?"

"That is not your concern." Xehanort stepped to the side to walk past the woman.

He paused as a hand grabbed his arm. "Stop… stop this."

"No…" He pulled away and kept walking. They all did.


Sora and the others reached the center of the city.

The black and white pavement met here in a swirl. Xehanort and his men stood upon the black pavement, staring at them. "And so we meet… in the center of the ancient city of Iunae Lumen Statera, upon Kingdom Hearts itself. Darkness and Light's final clash."

"We will defeat you." Sora's hand tightened on his Keyblade.

"We shall see…"

Darkness seeped up from the dark pavement, covering Xehanort and all his men. In the same way, light came up from the white pavement, twisting up the bodies of the guardians.

Seven and thirteen.

The darkness faded. The seekers still stood, now covered in black and red robes. A silver helmet twisted its way around their faces. Xehanort appeared, Keyblade in hand. A suit of armor, resembling a goat covering his body(1).

The light fell away. The guardians stood, covered in robes of soft white and a deep blue color. Sora stood in front, Key to the Kingdom gripped tightly in one hand with Dawn's Might in the other. He too, wore armor. Armor fashioned after an eagle.

Walls of light, falling like raindrops, sectioned the two armored figures off from one another as they charged, leaving the other figures outside to battle on their own. Light and Darkness clashed.

Kingdom Hearts watched from the gates with the spirits of the Keyblade wielders at her side.

The fate of all hung in the balance.

Sora held out his Keyblade as shots of light rained down from it(2). Xehanort blocked them and warped, catching Sora in the back. The boy twisted around, slashing at Xehanort's legs as he fell; he managed to land on one knee just in time to block a strike from his opponent.

The two struggled, pressing for the advantage. Sora managed to get to his feet, his younger form holding more strength than his opponent.

"Freeze!" Biting cold shot up Sora's arm, causing his grip to falter.

A second before No Name came down upon him, Sora rolled backward, taking a moment to drink a potion. Shaking out his thawing arm, he glared across at Xehanort, who vanished again. This time, Sora turned in time to block the attack.

His leg swept out, catching Xehanort's. The old man faltered, giving Sora time to jump back, dismissing his Keyblade as the katana in his hands glowed a deep brown. "SMITE OF DAWN!" Slashing upward, the brown energy cleaved through the air, catching Xehanort head-on.

The old man flew back, managing to land on his feet somehow. "This ends now, boy!"

"For you!"

Xehanort warped into the center of the battlefield as Sora charged. Their blades clashed once again.

A spark of light shot into the sky.

The two combatants jumped back. When the light faded away, a large weapon floated where it once was. Two crossing Keyblades made up the guard for a glittering blade.

"The χ-blade!?"

Xehanort lunged for the weapon, as did Sora. Their fingers closed around the handle as they struggled for control.

"Give it to me, boy!"

"I won't let you destroy everything!" Sora planted his feet firmly.

"The worlds are corrupt! Someone has to stand up and lead!"

"You're not that person!" Sora grit his teeth as his eyes bored into the goat helmet across from him. "You claim to do things for the greater good, but what does it do to leave destruction in your wake!? A real leader would stand up for what's right! They would accept their mistakes and make up for them! They would not let themselves sink to the level of darkness!" Sora could feel Xehanort glaring back…

In the midst of combat, struggling for a weapon of unimaginable destruction and power, the boy remembered. He remembered the words in Kaname's letter. "Every heart has darkness within it, fighting against the light. Hatred and holding onto anger feeds the darkness. Forgiveness is light. If you allow anger and hatred to fester within you, you will lose your heart to darkness. So, no matter how hard it is, you must forgive those who wronged you."

"Right…" Sora tightened his grip on the χ-blade before looking directly at Xehanort. "You've done a lot of things to hurt me, my friends, and many other people… but, despite all that… I forgive you."

"Huh!?"

One second. Xehanort loosened his grip for one second.

That was all Sora needed.

He ripped the χ-blade away. His body glowed with ethereal light. He could feel the light from all his friends around him. "It's over!" Sora's eyes glowed completely white. "Reliquit Aetherium PLUVIAM!(3)"

White light rained down atop Xehanort, bathing everything in light.

Sora threw the χ-blade into the air, summoning his Keyblade once more. "Never again…" He pointed the weapon at the χ-blade; a stream of light struck the χ-blade and the weapons began to shine before it shattered.

White hot light burst forth in a second, engulfing everyone and everything.

When it faded…

Everything was silent.

The city was once again… empty.


Riku blinked, sitting up amongst a patch of glowing primroses. The last thing he remembered was being locked in combat…

Standing up, he looked around. The trees towered overhead.

"I knew it…"

Riku turned around. Ansem leaned against a tree, clutching his side as darkness steamed off his body. Ansem…"

The man looked up at the sky, "I knew I never stood a chance at defeating you… nothing else seemed to matter. All I did was cause pain to you and others. I destroyed your sister's grave… I harmed your parents… in the end, I took no pleasure in it. I felt nothing…" He met the eyes of the boy before him. "What a journey you and I have had… But, it is time to move on, boy. There is more to seek, so go forth now and seek it…" He gave a slight smile as his body faded away into darkness, leaving Riku alone.

"Goodbye Ansem…"

"Riku!" Noboru appeared, a smile plastered on his face. "Follow me. The others are meeting us at the castle."


"Are you two alright?" Mickey reached down and helped Donald and Goofy to their feet. The three looked around, finding themselves standing near a thundering waterfall.

Goofy suddenly tensed, pointing. "Look!"

Young Xehanort, dripping wet, stumbled through the pool with the waterfall. His eyes, wide with maddening joy, glittered in the moonlight. "Fools… you think you've won! You have only delayed the inevitable."

"Shut it!" Donald yelled, shaking his staff. "You lost!"

"I have planted the seeds of darkness(4), and they will be your downfall!" He stumbled, falling to his knees in the water. His body began to fade away, the darkness swirling into the water as he faded away. His eyes stared up at the moon as he laughed. His laughter fading away into the air as he vanished.

Mickey's eyes narrowed. "I don't like the sound of that…"

"Let him talk." Kokoro walked up beside them. "Right now, we should meet with the others at the castle."

"Lead the way, Kokoro."


Ven gasped, his eyes shooting open as something slammed into his throat. He saw Vanitas on top of him, the boy's hands clamping around Ven's throat.

"Just die!" The black-haired boy growled. But, tears glimmered in his eyes.

Something slammed into Vanitas, knocking him off. Ven coughed, gasping for breath. He felt a nuzzle against his face. "K-kyokan?"

The little Unversed yipped, nuzzling Ven again before turning to his master and yipping again. Vanitas sat up, glaring at the little creature. "You rat! How dare you!?"

"Vanitas…" Osamu appeared before the two boys. The spirit knelt down and touched Ven, casting a healing spell as he did so before focusing his eyes on the shuddering black-haired boy. "You've suffered enough."

He reached out, but Vanitas batted away the hand. "Keep back! I don't want your help! I don't need it! I just need Ventus dead!"

"Why?"

"IT'S HIS FAULT!" Vanitas slammed his fist into the ground. "He left me with Xehanort! He left me! He got to live in a place with people who cared! I was left alone until I wanted to die! He left me!"

Ven blinked, feeling his heart squeeze at those words. "I-is that what Xehanort told you…" Silence. "Vanitas, I didn't ask for this. To be sifted apart nice and neat… But now that we're apart, we should be free to choose what we want to be. Not just light. Not just darkness."

"Darkness…" Vanitas looked down at the yenlow who sat on his knee. Kyokan yipped, his tongue lolling out happily. "But, I am darkness."

"Is that what you want, Vanitas?" Osamu frowned slightly.

"It is…" His hand went out, petting Kyokan who nearly melted into the hand of his master. "But who knows, maybe I'll change my mind." He looked over at the other boy. "I'm ready to go home. I'm tired…"

Ven smiled. "Then let's go." He held out a hand.

Vanitas took it, his body melting into dark wisps and flowing back into Ventus. Kyokan yipped, jumping around happily as he too began to fade away.

"Kyokan!?"

"It's alright." Osamu smiled. "That Unversed represented Vanitas' longing for someone to care… and that longing is gone now. He doesn't need the yenlow anymore."

Kyokan jumped up, licking Ven's face one last time before it faded away.


Aqua looked up to find Terra leaning over her, hand outstretched. She took it and he pulled her up. They were in the forest, beside a small stream.

"Did we win?"

"It figures…" The two turned to see Braig on the other side of the stream, leaning against a tree, hand clasping his side. "If I had a Keyblade this would be different."

Terra scoffed. "Like you would be worthy of one…"

"Oh, I am worthy." The two Keybearers glanced at one another in confusion. "The old coot promised to bequeath me his…"

Terra sighed. "I've never understood you… you had a good life, a job, a home, and a peaceful world. Why do this?"

"Peaceful? Don't you mean boring?" Braig groaned. "All we did was guard boring people in their boring lives. When I found out about other worlds I did everything I could to convince the captain and Ansem the Wise to take our magic, technology, and might and use it to overthrow other worlds. Create an inter-world empire with Radiant Garden on top. But they were too soft for that. The only fun thing was having the Insurgos around. At least they made life interesting." He chuckled. "If the old coot hadn't shown up, I would've jumped ship to them, taken over the Insurgos, and then overthrown Radiant Garden. Ansem the Wise would have died, and I would've kept Kaname, Rimi, and little Kairi in a cage to gloat over them for all eternity." He laughed, eyes glistening with a sadistic mania. "Perhaps I can still find a world to wreak havoc on… catch ya later!"

"WAIT!"

Braig vanished in a corridor of darkness(5).

"Let him go." Sachi and Sakae appeared beside the two Keyblade wielders. "His fate will catch up to him sooner or later."

"Let's go to the castle. The others are meeting us there."


Naminé shook her head as she sat up, sneezing slightly as the silver grass brushed her nose. Shey lay in an open field of grass and flowers.

As she stood, she could see a figure kneeling, dark wisps coming off their body.

Xemnas.

He looked up at her. "Bested… yet again…"

"Xemnas," the girl slowly approached, seeing something in his eyes she never noticed before, "if all Nobodies did have hearts, you should have one too. Wh-what do you feel?"

His eyes widened, not expecting any sort of compassion from the girl before him, before his expression fell. "I feel… the emptiness where my companions once stood. I took them for granted. And now… I have nothing. Nothing but fear… the fear of being forgotten by those who once knew me."

"Xemnas…" Naminé sat beside him. "I know the feeling… I was, alone for so long." She gave him a comforting smile. "I'll remember you. And not as our enemy, but as this, as the person who realized their mistake in the end. That's who I'll remember."

The man chuckled slightly, smiling at the ground. "I-I thank you… you have become strong, Naminé…" He let out a long breath as his body faded away into nothingness.

"Naminé." Fuyu stood beside her. "Come, let's go to the others."


"What should we do?"

"I don't know…"

Lea opened his eyes to the voices of his two friends. He stood up, seeing Roxas and Xion staring across the clearing in the forest. Following their view, the young man saw Isa, sitting in the grass.

"Isa!"

The blue-haired man looked up, smiling slightly. "Don't look so surprised, I'm not dead…"

"Oh, stop it!" Roxas yelled, Keyblade in hand. "You ruined our lives you monster!" He tried to take a step forward, but Xion held him back.

Isa stood up, stumbling slightly as he looked at the trio. "Care to tell them why, Lea. Why I treated them that way… no? It's because you went off and made other friends; left me in the dust." His hand shuddered, as he fell to his knees. "It infuriated me how you just exited my life."

Lea ran over to his friend. "Isa, I didn't forget you."

"I know… you wouldn't do that…" He glanced up, his eyes, now a soft teal, looked at the children who watched in silence. "But… I was jealous."

"You admit it…"

"Well, don't expect to get it out of me a second time." Isa quipped as Lea threw his arm over his shoulder. "But know that I do regret what I did to you, and to them." His gaze softened. "Roxas, Xion… forgive me. I treated you cruelly for my own selfish reasons, when I should have reached out and tried to befriend you. Instead, I blamed you for taking my friend from me."

Xion cocked her head to the side as she stepped in front of Roxas. "I-I know you've done a lot of things to hurt us, but Lea seems to trust you, so I-I'll forgive you."

"Thank you, Xion…"

Roxas dismissed his Keyblade with a sigh. "I'll consider forgiving you. And I won't attack… I'll give you the chance to prove yourself. But I'll at least consider it."

"Thanks, Roxas…"

Lea smiled. "Let's go home…"

"Or," Hotaru appeared before them with a smirk, "you can go to the castle first, where the others are waiting."

"Or that."


Kairi wandered the forest alone. She'd woken up all by herself, and now all she could do was walk around, hoping to find someone. She could see the edge of the town. Maybe they would be there…

As she stepped onto the pavement of the town, dark tendrils shot up, wrapping around her before she could move or even scream. A hand clamped around the back of her head and slammed her face into a wall.

"I will not lose…!" The elderly voice snarled. "I will kill Sora and everything he holds dear, starting with you."

The hand turned Kairi around, clamping around her throat. She looked up, gasping for air as Xehanort drew back his Keyblade to impale her.

Something struck Xehanort, throwing off his balance and concentration. The tendrils around Kairi faded, allowing her to kick the old man away. She looked down at the object that struck him… Sora's Keyblade.

A moment later, Sora was at her side. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. Looks like you made him mad."

"Looks that way…" Sora made his keyblade vanish before he held up Dawn's Might. "It's a promise between you and I. So, let's take him down!"

"Yeah!"

Their hands clamped around the katana. It shone with a bright light. "Let's go!"

Xehanort looked up to see the blade of the katana extend with a bright light. The couple held it out toward him, the white ethereal glow from the sword coating their entire bodies. "CARISSIMI LUCE STELLARUM!(6)" With a leap, they lunged.

The old man tried to summon his Keyblade, but their attack went right through his Keyblade, shattering it before it struck. Piercing Xehanort as light exploded around them.

The light spread apart into small stars which swirled around before shooting at Xehanort, striking him over and over before one final burst of light shot from the blade, erupting into the sky.

The light faded and Kairi let go of Dawn's Might. Sora sheathed it as he looked down at Xehanort.

The old man knelt, clutching his chest as his body began to fade away. "I failed…"

"I pity you." Sora sighed. "You had friends, family, someone who loved you. You threw it all away, and you have nothing now. Was it worth it?"

Xehanort coughed. "Perhaps… not." He glanced over as Oukoku and Kingdom Hearts approached. "Perhaps, I should have stopped."

"Rest now." Oukoku spoke softly. "What you tried to do has ended. Your time is over."

Xehanort looked up at Sora and Kairi. "You have what I should have had…" His eyes hardened. "The victory and everything else. You may forgive me, boy… but I care not." He grit his teeth as his body faded away completely.

"It's over…" Kairi fell against Sora as the relief washed over her. "It's actually over."

Kingdom Hearts smiled. "That it is… Now come, I have one more thing to show you, at the castle." She held up her hands and the four of them suddenly found themselves in the throne room where thirteen thrones awaited. All the others stood next to their ancestors. "You have won!" The woman held up her hands. "The worlds are safe thanks to all of you. Now, you can take your rightful places here!"

"Huh?"

"Guardians of Light, Guardians of Kingdom Hearts… This castle. These thrones. They are yours. You may not sit in them now, as you have lives to live, but they will be here for you."

Oukoku smiled. "Our time as guardians draws to a close as yours opens. We know the worlds and Kingdom Hearts will be safe in all of your hands."

Kingdom Hearts clasped her hands before her. "If you ever need me, or any of us, just close your eyes and think of us. You will appear here in this castle. We will aid you in whatever way we can." She held out a hand and a bright portal appeared. "Now, go. Celebrate. Return to your homes… and to a time of peace. You've earned it, Guardians."

"Thank you…"

Slowly, each of them walked into the portal until only Sora remained. He looked at Kingdom Hearts and the spirits. "Thank you."

"No, Sora. Thank you."

The boy grinned and walked into the portal. Light filled his vision and then he found himself standing with the others, back on the gummi ship.

"We… we're back?"

"Yep." Isa who sat on the couch, sighed. "Lea has taken the controls and isn't saying anything." He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Sora looked around. Everyone was grinning, but they were also collapsed across the chairs and couches. Sora felt that too; he felt the relief and exhaustion rush over him. His legs carried him over to the chair where Kairi sat. "Move over."

"There's no room."

"Wanna bet…" Sora fell down. Kairi squeaked and moved over so that Sora slid right in beside her. "Told ya."

"Hush you."

"Where is Lea driving us again? I wanna go home sooo…"

Kairi absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair as she leaned against him. "No idea… He just said it was our first stop and he got to the controls first. Honestly, where he got the energy from, I have no idea."

"Well," Sora sighed as he snuggled up against Kairi, "wherever it is, he can get us there. I wanna stay right here and nap."

"Same."

"Get a room you two!" Riku called from across the room.

"Shut up Riku…" The two just snuggled closer in the chair, closing their eyes as exhaustion took over.

A few hours later, a hand shook them both awake. "We're here."

They looked up to see Lea grinning down at them. "Where is here?"

"You'll see."

The others, all passed out around the ship were promptly awoken, all but Isa. Lea let him continue to sleep. The pyro opened the ship's door and they all stepped out into the warm sunlight of Twilight Town.

Roxas immediately smiled. "Lea, why are we here?"

"I have a bit of a surprise for you guys. Go to sunset hill and I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Ok!" Roxas and Xion immediately ran for the train, the others following behind at a slower pace. Xion giggled. "It's probably ice cream. He brought us all here for that."

"Sounds like him."

Riku shook his head with a smile. "Yeah, it does."

Donald yawned. "Yeah… but let's hope I don't fall asleep on the train ride over."

He did. Donald and a few of the others fell asleep on the train as they rode over to the other station. Then they trudged up to the hill half-asleep and waited.

And waited.

Finally, they saw Lea coming up the hill. He had no ice cream. He had people. Six adults and four kids followed behind. Everyone stared in confusion as the pyro came over, his face alight with joy.

"Lea, what is this?"

"Well," He smiled, "Roxas, Xion, Naminé, you three have mentioned before how you don't have homes… well, I have been working to fix that. Every time we've come here, I've been working on it." He turned to the people behind him. "These guys… they're three families. And they want to adopt the three of you."

Silence.

"Th-they what…?"

"They want to adopt you." The young man knelt down before them. "I figured it was time the three of you got families and homes of your own." He blinked some tears out of his eyes. "Go say hello…"

The three stared at the people for a little bit, until Roxas stepped toward them. A woman with dark brown hair and a man with dark red hair walked over to him. "Hello." The woman knelt down. "You're Roxas…?"

"Yes."

"My name is Florence Mukxo, and this is my husband Samuel. Lea has told us all about you…"

Samuel put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Roxas, we know you have nowhere to go. We would like to make you part of our family, if you want."

"Y-you really want to…?"

The couple smiled. "Yes." Samuel motioned to two teens that the others recognized as Thomas and Marie. "And you would have two siblings as well."

"Hi," Marie waved, "I'm Marie."

"And I'm Thomas. We know your friends over there."

Roxas stared at the family. They all smiled at him.

The boy's hands began to shake as the warmth from the four seemed to envelop him entirely. "Y-you really want to adopt me?"

"We really do."

Roxas felt his heart leap, and tears spring into his eyes as he threw himself into their arms. No words, just tears as the four embraced him. Tears of joy. Of hope.

Seeing this, Xion slowly stepped forward. A raven-haired man and violet-haired woman walked over to her. "Hello," the man smiled as he knelt down before her.

"Hi… I-I'm Xion."

"My name is Brian Zuxim, and this is my wife Margaret."

Margaret's eyes peered up over her glasses. "It's nice to meet you, Xion." She pointed to two younger children. "That's our son, Philip."

The boy with black hair waved shyly. "Hi…"

"And our daughter, Cathy."

Cathy adjusted her glasses and lightly moved her lavender hair shyly in front of her face. "Hello…"

"D-do you want to adopt me?"

The two warmly smiled. "We do. We want to give you a loving home and family. But only if you want to."

"I do!" The girl cried desperately, her voice shaking. "I-I want a home… I want…" Immediately, Brian pulled her into a hug. "I want a family…" She whispered.

She felt Margaret lightly rub her back. "Welcome to the family, Xion."

Naminé slowly approached the remaining couple. She saw no other children, but the couple smiled at her. "Hello…"

The man smiled, his scraggly orange hair falling slightly over his eyes. "Hi there, Naminé. My name is Richard Kiri."

"And I'm Lisa." The woman cocked her head to the side with a smile, her light brown hair falling slightly to the side as she did so.

"And you two… want to adopt me?"

"Yes, we do." Lisa smiled. "We want to give you a wonderful, loving family."

Naminé wrung her hands. "I don't know if I'll be the kind of kid you want. I'm kinda quiet…"

"We don't mind." Richard patted her head. "We want you to be happy. Will you give us the opportunity and the pleasure of being your parents?"

The girl smiled, tears appearing in her eyes. "Yes!"

As she hugged them, the others watched in silence, their hearts full and happy for their friends.


(cue DDD opening theme music)

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy exit the gummi hanger into the garden. They all grin as they're met with Minnie, Daisy, and others.

Minnie ran to her king, only for Pluto to push past her, knocking Mickey flat on his back. The couple laughed as Pluto licked the king's face. Mickey is quickly scooped up into a hug by Oswald as Ortensia and Amelia laugh and come in for a hug themselves. The mouse king finally pulls away and shares a kiss with his queen.

Goofy smiled as a red-haired woman(7) tackled him in a hug, peppering him with kisses.

Donald grinned at Daisy, only for her to scowl, immediately scolding him about missing their date again. The duck mage opened his beak to retort, only for Della to pull him into a hug. Donald struggled, but it didn't last long, as Huey, Dewy, and Louie tackled the two of them in a tight hug.

Mickey looked over to see Yen Sid and Maryushaka approach, both smiling brightly and chatting lightly. The old wizard looked happier and lighter than he had in many years. Perhaps, it was due to Xehanort's defeat. Perhaps, it was due to Mary at his side.

They all laughed and smiled as fireworks began popping overhead, lighting up the sky with explosions of color.


Terra, Aqua, and Ven stood before the dark Castle Oblivion as Aqua held out Master's Defender. A keyhole appeared and soon the world was full of light and the castle was back to how it once was.

By sunset, the trio had dug a grave for Master Eraqus and laid his body to rest. Rather than a headstone, Aqua set up his Keyblade to serve as a marker. Upon it, they set a wreath of flowers and their wayfinders.

The next morning, Aqua and Terra left for Hazy Hamlet. Arriving to find the people of the slums awaiting their arrival with celebration and gifts. Terra couldn't help but smile when his family came into the gathering. Tamara ran through the crowd, tackling her son in a tight hug. Drusilla and Abigail followed behind, waiting for the two to part before going to hug Terra themselves. Archer came last, his eyes fixed on the ground as all the pain he caused his son clung to his thoughts; only for Terra himself to close the gap, hugging his father close.

Ven left the Land of Departure not long after, stopping by Twilight Town to drop off a package before heading to Tech Town. His parents were overjoyed. They called the day a celebration, a holiday to celebrate their son coming home for good. Humans and elves across the world feasted and cheered in honor of Prince Ventus' return.


Roxas paced outside the usual spot, glancing sometimes at his parents and two siblings as they pushed for him to go inside. Eventually, the boy sighed, deciding to go in. But just as he did so, Hayner, Pence, and Olette came out. They all stared at each other before Hayner smiled, telling Roxas how they knew about him. Samuel smiled and pulled out a sea salt ice cream for each of them. Roxas stared at it for a moment, teary-eyed before Hayner laughed, pulling him into a hug. The boy could do nothing else but laugh with joy.

Xion hugged the shopping bag in her arms as Cathy and Margaret pointed at the different stores. The older girl almost wished she could've stayed behind and played basketball with her little brother. Not paying attention, the girl ran into someone. She dropped her bag, scrambling for an apology before the other person picked it up. Roxas. He smiled at her, blushing slightly as he apologized. Xion apologized back, her cheeks pink as well. Embarrassed, she hurried her mom and sister back home before going into the back yard to help her dad with his vegetable garden.

Naminé gasped as her parents opened the door to their massive art studio. Richard showed her all the colors of paint they had, and Lisa showed her all the pencils she had. The girl smiled as her mother handed her a box of paints, markers, pencils, and crayons, pointing to a cleaned area of the studio to take for herself. Then Richard pointed to a box in the corner; Naminé ran over and pulled off the lid, only for a little puppy to jump out of the box at her, licking her face as she laughed. As her parents left for work, Naminé held the new puppy in her arms as she looked over at a present resting on her desk. A new sketchbook with a note: "I'll come visit you soon." - Ven.


Tifa's bar rang out with cheers as Lea lifted his glass. Everyone from Ansem the Wise to Cid was present. Sera sat beside Lea, giggling at every sassy and flirty remark he threw her way. Cissnei and Reno watched their son, proud of the young man he'd become. Lea stumbled as Sasuke clapped him on the back, earning him a jeer from Ienzo and the others. The pyro made to remark, but a tap on the shoulder stopped him; he turned to find a sea salt ice cream in his face, courtesy of Isa.


Riku grabbed the end of a wooden beam, helping his dad heft it into the air as people continued to rebuild the city. Volcanic eruption or not, they would live. He glanced over at his mother who stood beside his friend, Hara. She'd come to brighten the spirits of those working with some home-cooked food. Asher clapped his son on the back as they went over to the two ladies. Hara laughed as Artemis, too short to properly hug him, had Riku kneel down and hug her.

Up on a ridge, Noboru's spirit watched, with Kikyo's at his side. The girl smiled, wiping away a tear at the sight of her family.

Kairi stood, petting her dog, as she spoke to her parents. Isaac waved, beckoning Areth and Owari over. Kairi grinned, happily grasping Owari's hands as she pulled out a photo. A photo of Kaname and Rimi, and then she pulled out another one of Arata. Talitha looked at the photo of Kaname and Rimi, nodding and smiling with joy and approval.

Nearby, the spirits of the three in the photos stood. Arata hugged Rimi as Kairi told her adoptive parents about her family.

Sora laughed, nearly falling over as his dad spoke, weaving a hilarious tale for his joyful son. Marion watched the two, rolling her eyes with a grin before yelling for them to get back to work.

The two men pushed up a door, Sora holding it in place as his dad attached the hinges. The family all stepped back, smiling at their newly rebuilt home. Sora picked up his cat, scratching Ginger's chin as he pointed at the house. He paused, smiling as his mom and dad hugged him.

Told him how much they loved him.

And told them how proud they were of him.


(Cue "Don't Think Twice")

Everyone gathered on the beach of the Destiny Islands.

Hara, Ansem the Wise, and all the parents gathered around a cooking fire dug in the sand, laughing as Levi and Asher recounted some hilarious tale of Riku and Sora's childhoods.

Riku, Terra, and Roxas rushed past, Riku in the lead. He turned back only to throw back a smart remark at the two currently losing the race.

Aqua and Mickey sat on the docks with Sera, Cathy, Thomas, and Marie, smiling out at the beautiful setting sun.

Donald and Goofy were building a version of Donald out of sand with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They ducked as a frisbee slammed into the statue, breaking it apart. Donald whirled around on Philip, who picked up the frisbee with a laugh, throwing it to Ven. Ven threw it to Isa, who threw it to Lea.

But, there were two who sat alone.

On a tree.

Sora and Kairi, upon the paopu tree, staring out at the sunset. Their hands rested upon one another's. Sora's hand tightened slightly, catching the princess' attention. She turned, finding Sora's other hand on her cheek.

The two smiled before Sora leaned in, pulling Kairi close…

As their lips met.


THE END


THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SUPPORTING THIS FANFIC TO THE END!

Ok, going by true KH fashion, there will be an epilogue AND a secret ending.

And yes, I got a LOT of inspiration from the actual KH3 ending for this (I fixed it with a kiss).

Please review!


Footnotes:

(1) Just like how it was in the game. The robed figures for the guardians and Xehanort in his armor.

(2) Ragnarok.

(3) Ethereal rain.

(4) This is seen in KH4.

(5) No, Braig is not Luxu in my storyline (still not over that plot twist by the way) but he does play a role later on.

(6) Beloved starlight

(7) This is Ms. Geef, Goofy's wife and Max's mom.


VAs:

Samuel Mukxo- Jerry Jewell (Yuma Isogai, Russia, Lyon Bastia, Lau, Pinocchio)

Florence Mukxo- Stephanie Young (Sherry Cromwell, Olivier Mira Armstrong, VV)

Brian Zuxim- J. Michael Tatum (Shiro, Zarbon, Tenya Ida, Sebastian Michaelis)

Margaret Zuxim- Caitlin Glass (Winry Rockbell, Evergreen, Mina Ashido, Vados)

Philip Zuxim- Maxey Whitehead (Alphonse Elric, Sealong, Young Rin Matsuoka)

Cathy Zuxim- Brina Palencia (Ciel Phantomhive, Elsa de Sica, Chiotzu, Yin)

Richard Kiri- Jim Foronda (Perfect Cell, Toma E. Fiore, Denny Brosh, Marco Toni)

Lisa Kiri- Alese Watson Johnson (Claes, Kyoka Hiragi, Kodama, Amu)


Closing Statements

For this devo, I just want to let you guys know how much I love each and every one of you, and how much God loves all of you. As you've probably heard in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." He loves the entire world, including you. There is nothing you can do to make him stop loving you. I don't know about you, but that is a comforting thought to me.

We say that all good things must come to an end, but the love of God is forever.

Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

I hope you guys know how much you are loved and that I am praying for you guys. If you ever need me for anything, I will be here.

God bless each and every one of you!