HOLD YOUR HORSES! This is pt2 of the finale! Go back for pt1! If you already have, then enjoy :)
Addendum:
Epilogue
"When I was little, there was one place where I would spend most of my time at. That place was Oswald's library. It was the one place back when I was smaller that I could go to where I wouldn't be faced by others. Where the very lack of people made it a safe haven for me and my rampant powers that only sought to steal faces.
It was a place where I knew that I could be myself even when I couldn't control my powers.
And it was there where I found it for the first time."
|I. Oath|
Akio remembered having wept once in his life. Back when he was a child and ripped from his family by a man who meant to do nothing but harm to his parents. There were times that he dreamt about that night and was shaken awake by the innate terror and anger that the memories roused in him.
Now, after losing someone else so dear to him, there was no terror or anger. There wasn't even sadness.
Only bitterness for having failed Ayano and Haruka alike.
Unable to bear the boy's tears lest they bring upon his own, Akio left him for a moment with the three good fairies that resided in the tower and looked outside from the tower's window at the others who tailed after Sora. Though he wanted to be relieved about the boy's return, there was no part of him that could bear the thought of such feelings without Ayano. And although the others could smile and be relieved, Akio could tell that there was this underlying uneasiness lingering behind them all.
And it fell the heaviest upon his shoulders.
"She is out there, young Kagawa." Akio averted his gaze from the window and Sora opening a pathway to another world when Yen Sid called to him. He wasn't alone, either. King Mickey stood alongside him.
"She could be anywhere." He didn't want to be pessimistic, but a part of him always berated him with the worst case scenario he could think of. And that she could be lost and unable to find her way back to them was exactly that.
"Gosh, let's not think of the worst, Akio." Despite his words, an uncharacteristic expression of worry on the little king's face let Akio know at least that he wasn't the only one outwardly showing such emotions. Suddenly, that was all but gone when he voiced yet another thought, "Ayano wouldn't want us to lose hope. Much less doubt her ability to survive while we search for a way to find her."
Not wanting to fall into that sort of depressive thoughts anymore, Akio shook his head and forced the faintest hint of a smile to come to his lips.
"You're right. This isn't the time."
Yen Sid nodded in agreement. "Without a doubt, there must be another way to learn of Ayano's whereabouts and retrieve her."
They're right.
And the best place to start was with Haruka.
Akio made his way to the room where the fairies were tending to him and found them fussing over the boy as he paced angrily around the room. Asking for them to leave was enough. They didn't know how to deal with him and although neither did he, he could at least take more of the brunt from his rage. Akio stood back watching diligently as the boy lashed out at everything that was in his path.
He didn't know what possessed him to address the irate boy. Stupidity and lack of self-preservation sounded like the top contenders though.
"We'll find her."
"Don't!" Haruka snapped. Akio didn't seem fazed by the sudden rise of his voice, nor by the abrupt one eighty he took to yell at his face. "All of you keep saying we will, but what the hell are you doing about it?! Nothing but waiting around for something or someone to give you an answer!"
"Have you a better idea?"
Though not the best thing to say, Akio knew that Haruka projecting his rage onto others wasn't the right thing either. Haruka stopped instantly at his words. His brow furrowed, anger rising and tinting his cheeks and eyes a darker crimson. What Akio found odd, though, was how his eyes widened almost at the same time that his hand shot up to a necklace that hung around his neck.
Before Akio could stop him, he took off the necklace and while holding it by its band, shoved it in his face. Mercurial eyes narrowed at the piece of jewelry now in front of him. Taking it into his hands, he inspected it. "What is this?"
"Aya-nee gave it to me. Said that she would be able to find me no matter what so long as I wore it." His dwindling rage fueled his words and urged him to continue. "So if she can find me because of it, let's change how it works and find her with it!"
What sort of jewelry does that?
The question died in his throat before he even asked it when he ran his finger over the gemstone that made up the main piece of the necklace. There was something...etched onto its surface. It was hard to see because of the way it glowed, but there was definitely something carved into it. It didn't take long for him to make out the symbol and it struck him silent.
"Where did she get this?"
"What the hell does it matter?" he retorted sharply. Akio shook the tone away before showing him what he found. Once Haruka saw the symbol too, he scowled. "So what?"
"This is a common rune in the Sanctuary. I've seen it more times than I can count on the walls and on scriptures. This one—this one right here?—it means 'beacon.' The mechanism of it and the magic embedded in it are what allow her to find you."
"And?"
"You don't get it? This thing came from the place I live. One that belonged to the Rescuers before it was abandoned." Realization slowly changed the ire on Haruka's face. "If this came from the Sanctuary—"
"Something there could tell us how to reverse its magic and guide us to her."
Feeling hope course through him, Akio gestured out towards Yen Sid's study.
"Come on. We're going to need a ship to get there."
"A book.
A picture book to be exact.
It wasn't anything special. At least, I hadn't thought anything of it when it strangely and out of the blue fell on my head. It was old, dusty and looked like nobody had touched it in years. But when I found it and held it in my hands, something inside of me urged me to read it.
So I did."
|II. Return|
A portal opened in the vast nothingness. Garnet Fist wrestled itself out of it, writhing in agony upon hitting the ground. Shattered hands clung to its chest, its body pulsating with energy of bright green and magenta as it convulsed.
Once the light settled in her though, the pain ceased along with it. Slow as could be, it retreated as its powers returned to it. Suddenly, numerous cracks began to open all over its body. Small bits of light poured from them, gold in color as they fell like sand onto the ground before disappearing. The cracks soon gave way and parts of its body began to come undone the more they spread. Soon enough, large parts of it fell and disappeared into nothing until they left behind what had been harbored inside the shell.
Blue opal eyes gazed at her surroundings to take in everything around her as long tresses of dark chocolate fell over her shoulder and covered her body where a tattered dress barely could. Her eyes searched her surroundings once more until they fell upon the only other thing there with her. Twisted and incongruent, a white castle stood before her. The twists and turns it took and all its windows and sideways roofs made it seemingly impossible to stand, and yet there it stood.
Faintly her voice echoed in the emptiness.
"...where am I?"
And why does this look so familiar?
"I don't know who wrote it.
The book was so old that the author's name was all but illegible. Some of the pages were just as hard to read but the images seemed to have lasted longer than the words had. And those pictures told a story that even I could understand.
It was the story of a young girl with strange powers. Powers oddly similar to mine. And she was just as troubled by her powers as I was.
She had powers like mine that could steal the faces of others. She also had powers that weren't like mine but could do amazing things like give life, encapsulate time or even gaze into the future.
Wonderous adventures that I couldn't begin to understand with mere pictures formed a story that I could barely comprehend. But in them I could see something. Something that made my chest heavy and swell with delight and calmed my raging powers if slightly with its optimism.
All because those powers allowed her to do the one thing I hoped I could someday do as well.
Good."
|III. Heirloom|
Haruka took in every little bit of the disappearing isle that he now stood on. Separate pieces of floating land conjoined together by something swayed together in the middle of nowhere and peacefully made its way towards anywhere and nowhere. Akio described it exactly as Haruka saw it after they landed.
Deserted. Uninhabited. Lonely.
"You live here?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"Since a long time ago." The small confession made Haruka regret having asked but Akio didn't seem the least bit fazed about it. Instead, the older boy focused on guiding them through the largest island.
This one used to be a town by the look of things. Most of its buildings were dilapidated and overtaken by nature. Vines and trees grew between houses and inside of them, breaking the very foundation from under some. It certainly appeared to have been uninhabited for years. Akio, unsurprisingly after his comment, traversed the place with ease. Soon they were facing the ruins of what looked like a cathedral. Much like the rest of the buildings, though, it must have seen better days.
The roof had holes at places which let in the sunlight that spilled overhead while they made their way inside. Outside and in, vines and moss clung to its tattered walls. An array of murals surrounded the room they now entered. Murals that were worn and worse for wear but definitely telling something by the looks of it. Centered in the room was a dias surrounded by five statues. Apparent knights stood with broadswords piercing the ground before them with hands laid atop the pommels of their swords. Though worn by time and nature, Haruka could tell that they were all similar except for their helmets. Each respective knight wore a different one, each resembling some kind of animal.
"Here it is," Akio said with a hefty sigh, brandishing his arms outward to showcase the gigantic room.
Haruka didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything here other than the murals whose information, from what Akio came to explain after his questioning, had no new information to give them. Just when he thought they had hit a dead end, the faint sound of a voice rung in his head. It would've been confusing had he not noticed the distinct burning of his eyes when the voices began to ring in his head.
But unlike the pressure that he usually felt when using his Focusing Eyes, this caused instead a gelidness that burned the back of them and the inside of his skull. It wasn't painful, simply uncomfortable.
Focusing on those voices instead, he realized that despite being unable to form proper words, he could still understand what they were saying. Not with their words but by the feeling they gave off.
"What are you doing?" Haruka scoured around the floor searching for something in particular and caught Akio's attention when he went down on all fours while patting the various slabs of concrete on the floor.
"Searching," he grumbled.
"Searching for what—"
Click.
The slab sunk audibly when Haruka pushed it down. Backing off as he stood, both of them took a few steps back to allow the intricate mechanism that Haruka had activated to work itself as the slab sinking down caused a domino effect to ensue. One after another, slabs continued to fall, each subsequent one sinking further than the last to create a makeshift spiral staircase that led downward into darkness.
Akio stared in disbelief at the stairs before him before giving Haruka an astounded sidelong glance. "How in the world did you figure that out?"
"I didn't." Haruka faced Akio, eyes shining red and wide with shock. "I heard voices coming from down there that told me how to open it."
Casting Fire in the palm of his hand created a big enough lightsource for him to begin his descent down the spiral staircase. Akio had no mind in him to stop him and instead followed after him with a hand on the wall to steady himself. Claustrophobic as the staircase was, there was no denying that what was the most unnerving was how they seemed to go on forever. But when they eventually ended, Haruka and Akio stood amidst a darkened room that mysteriously lit its centuries old torches the moment they stepped into it.
Both halted to take a look at their new surroundings. It was a much smaller chamber than the one aboveground. Though circular, it was hard to take all of it in with the staircase in the way. Thankfully there wasn't much for them to see. Evenly spaced out were another five statues, this time more proportional and much more human. It was easy to tell which was male or female by their height and wardrobe and each wore masks with features resembling those animals the knights wore.
Their hands were also outstretched much like the knights' had been, but most of them had no blade to hold taut in their hands. Two of the pedestals were utterly destroyed, their statues worse than the rest. The other three remained somewhat intact with their blades still in place. The one with a young man that had a feline-like mask, the one with a young girl with a fox mask and the one with a woman wearing a snake mask.
The voices in his head grew louder the instant they fell upon the statue of the man with the feline mask. Beneath its grasp laid a blade.
"Is that a…"
"Yeah," Haruka replied to his question before he could finish it.
A Keyblade. A rusted one, at least. And the voices he kept hearing definitely sounded the loudest from it. Haruka took the few steps to it and tried dislodging it. No matter how many times he pulled, though, it wouldn't budge. Despite its dilapidated state, the statue still held it tightly in its grasp.
"It's stuck."
The sudden hand that rose to touch the stone made Haruka lift his gaze. The moment he saw Akio's eyes though, he gasped, startled by what he saw. What had been mercurial eyes were now a deep crimson color as they stared directly into the statue's eyes. As if responding, the statue's eyes glowed a faint red before scaring the daylights out of them both when it snapped its head upward to stare at them.
"Who disturbs my slumber?"
Akio and Haruka share a disturbed look before the latter turns back to the now living statue to reply. "Uh…me? My name's Haruka."
The head snapped to Haruka then, making him jump out of his skin. For a moment, it said nothing. A long moment. It wasn't until Haruka felt the abrupt searing behind his eyes as they activated by themselves that it finally spoke, bowing its head respectfully at him.
"You who possesses the gifts bestowed upon Adcredo the Loyal, do you accept your duties as his successor and as Master Gula's Rescuer?"
"Gula?" Haruka repeated.
"A Keyblade master. He's depicted outside on the murals and talked about in length along with the others," he replied with a nod at the other statues, whole or otherwise. "He's the leopard."
Not thinking twice about it, Haruka nods. "I do."
"We acknowledge you, Rescuer Haruka," it responded without hesitating. Its stone hands pry themselves from the pommel of the blade, each finger coming off slowly before the hands rise just enough to leave the Keyblade free. "May you bear Felis with the same temperance your predecessor did."
Haruka wrapped his hand around the hilt of it and unsheathed it. There wasn't any pomp or circumstance, simply a small glow as it disappeared from his hand the moment he took it. In its stead, only a small keychain laid in his palm; one of a small lynx.
"What happened?"
"Though you may now be its master, it appears you are yet capable of wielding Felis. Tutelage from a master is recommended."
That it was answering his questions so easily made Haruka curious and got him to continue with his inquiry. "What are you?"
"Guardians," it readily provided. "Created after the Masters' images to safeguard their chosen Rescuers' Keyblades so that they will be passed down appropriately."
"What happened to this place?" Akio questioned. "The town, the people, this Sanctuary—what happened here?"
The Leopardus' Guardian turned to face Akio then. "I do not possess such information. What occurs outside our alcove is irrelevant to our task."
What happens outside?
Testing that idea, Haruka asked his question. "What happened to the other Guardians here?"
"Ursa Major and Monoceros belong to their respective successors now. Even in spite of the destruction of their Guardians, they have found their way to their rightful owners. Now that you have taken Felis, only Ophiuchus and Vulpecula remain. Their Guardians shall await their successors like I have before them. Although—" It lifted its gaze away from Haruka to stare at Akio now. "You who awoke me possesses the gift belonging to Carissus the Cunning."
"Carissus?" Akio voiced quietly. Haruka watched from the sidelines as he lifted his hand to brush his fingers over his gleaming red eyes. "So this...is that?"
"It must've happened when Aya-nee did whatever she did to Teobaldo," Haruka offered. "When she returned my powers, some others came along with them too. I think that's what let me hear their voices and guided me down here."
The Guardian disregarded their words and continued on its own.
"Adcredo's successor now possesses the eyes that focus beyond horizons and those that assimilate minds. Carissus's successor only possesses a pair, the eyes that grant life."
"Grant...life?"
The Guardian didn't respond. Instead, it slowly turned its head towards the statue with the serpent mask. "Possession of one of Carissus' gifts lends you the strength to take Ophiuchus if you so desire. Summon it as you have myself and answer its inquiry."
As if having had its last word, the Leopardus Guardian's eyes dimmed until there was no longer any light in its stone eyes. Haruka and Akio shared a glance before moving to the statue next to the Leopardus Guardian and one of the destroyed.
"How did you awaken the other one?" Haruka asked in a hushed whisper as they both stood before the serpent's statue where it kept Ophiuchus.
"I...don't know how to describe it. It was like a voice in my head told me what to do." Those eyes that had briefly returned to their mercurial color changed to crimson as he stared down at his hand. "And I just...did it." And so, he reached out and touched the serpent lady's statue.
Like Leopardus, the eyes of this one gleamed red before exclaiming.
"Who disturbs my slumber?"
"I do," Akio proclaimed. "My name's Akio Kagawa."
With a mere glance, the statue saw what Haruka did. Crimson eyes changed by his powers. It bowed its head solemnly.
"You who possesses a gift bestowed upon Carissus the Cunning, do you accept your duties as his successor and as Master Invi's Rescuer?"
There was no hesitation from Akio's part. "I do."
"We acknowledge you, Rescuer Akio." Her slim stone fingers released the blade's pommel one by one before lifting its hands completely off it. "May you bear Ophiuchus with the same compassion your predecessor did."
Akio took a firm hold of the hilt, took a deep breath, and with all the might he had pulled the Keyblade from its pedestal. But unlike before, the moment he took it, the sound of something snapping rung in the air a split second before a burst of darkness shot out from the pedestal itself. Both of them snapped their heads back to follow the dark shadow that had escaped as it crawled across the walls, snuffing out the torchlight until nothing but darkness was left. Despite it, they could see it clearly with their eyes as it abruptly stopped and sprung back on its haunches before lunging forward. Acting on instinct, Akio embraced Haruka from behind and shielded him from its charge but what pain he expected to feel never came. Only a terrifyingly oppressive feeling shot through them as it passed through. It left them as quickly as it had come and had them panting from the sudden assault just as the lights in the room returned.
"W-What was that?" Haruka asked breathily.
"I don't know...but it can't be good." The sudden light of Ophiuchus disappearing took them by surprise, startling them somewhat after that sudden scare as it disappeared and left behind the keychain of a purple belladonna surrounded by an ouroboros in the palm of his hand. Pocketing it, he turned towards the exit and urged Haruka forward. "We should go back for now and tell Yen Sid what happened. We'll come back later to research more about the necklace after we figure this out."
Haruka nodded and hurried behind him. Climbing the stairs and getting out of the underground chamber was a relief to say the least. They were almost out of the Sanctuary completely when Haruka stopped briefly, pained by a sudden pang on his chest. It came and went, though, and by the time Akio asked what was wrong Haruka dismissed it completely with a shake of his head.
"N-Nothing, let's go."
"It was irritating.
For the first time in my entire life I had found someone to relate to and they weren't even real. The mere fact angered me. Was there really nobody out there that could understand and accept me despite my powers?
Time eventually gave me my answer. Sometimes people aren't able to forgive the differences of others.
To those who refused to understand, different was bad. And because of that, they refused to see me as anything other than what my powers made me out to be: a monster. It was when I realized this sad truth that I returned to the book and read it again.
I read through her adventures and cried.
Was there really no one out there who would try to understand me?"
|IV. Contingency|
A grim scowl came to Teobaldo as he sat defeated and tending to his wounds. Deep inside him he could still feel how shaken his soul and heart became after being forcefully separated from their powers.
What was worse, she hadn't just taken those he had stolen.
That brat stole the Granting Eyes.
And without them, there was no more jumping from body to body for him. Teobaldo was now stuck with this one for however long it would last. Judging by the way his skin had begun to rot at places, that wouldn't be much longer.
Teobaldo glanced up and counted his losses and the remainder of his pieces. Those pests had ridden him of three of his weapons. Iron Shredder hadn't been that much of a loss. The artificial body he created was already about to expire anyway, so its disposal had only been a matter of time. He had only hoped that it would've taken some down with it. The other two were another story entirely.
Garnet Fist had been one of his fresher catches. One that hadn't needed a new body to contain its soul and heart. It had made it extremely powerful...but with a blatant weakness. One that had been exploited when her powers were returned to her. Surely with them, Teobaldo had no doubt that the spell the Alabaster Songstress used to turn her into a Night Terror wouldn't hold for much longer.
The greatest loss by far, however, was Deadly Mist. Not only had it been the hardest to confine but also the one that provided his army of Nightmares any reliable strength. Though Sheep of Dreams could mimic it, nothing could beat the amount of darkness that he had poured into that particular Night Terror when creating it.
Now without them, he had only four left. Three of which were already running out of time with their artificial bodies. And even if his Songstress could procure more for him, they wouldn't be as strong as hearts and souls tainted for centuries by the Abysmal darkness.
A sensation that came so abruptly to his mind startled him out of his bemoaning. Foreign as it was after so many centuries, Teobaldo only recognized it after a moment of thinking. Someone had summoned it—Ophiuchus. His Keyblade. Not only summoned it but unleashed the very thing he had sealed away with it. Knowing what that could mean wrenched a cackle out of him. It echoed through the emptiness of their ruins and caught the attention of Sheep of Dreams, Twisted Marksman and Mystique Ice, their beady eyes or heads lifting to face him questioningly. Alabaster Songstress remained as stoic as ever, not even raising her head as she remained seated beside Teobaldo.
"Well, well, well, seems like the old man was right, after all. There's no such thing as coincidences." Turning to his creations, he gestured out to them. "Go. Spread your infection across every world you can find. Let's feed this monster they've foolishly unleashed upon themselves." Sheep of Dreams, Mystique Ice and Twisted Marksman left him then, but before the Songstress could, Teobaldo stopped her. "Except you."
She didn't argue and instead returned to her seat dutifully. Teobaldo let out another bout of gaudy laughter as he played with wisps of darkness that crawled on his hand now. He played with it for a second before it entered his hand leaving behind an imprint on his flesh.
"Your task is another, Songstress." At being called, the Songstress rose once more from her seat and floated before him with arms outstretched towards him. Taking her hand, Teobaldo climbed down from his throne. "It'll take some time, but I trust your craftsmanship. We'll be ready for my new body."
After all, if there was something he learned from Xehanort, it was that there existed more ways than one to attain a new body.
"There was.
It just took a really long time for them to find me and for me to notice them at all.
Oswald and Ortensia had cared for me since day one despite my rampant powers and loved me all the same with everything they were.
Sora, Riku and Kairi were there to find me when I had no one else to turn to lost and far away from home as I was. They were the ones who taught me to believe again in the good of others.
Roxas, Axel and Xion taught me that there wasn't a need to be afraid of my own powers and that no amount of fear would ever trample over my determination to help others.
Haruka and Akio taught me that I wasn't alone in feeling the way I do and allowed me to return the favor by assuring them that I would always be there for them.
And Ayano and Emma both taught me the most valuable lesson of all. No matter what—regardless of the odds that fate has posed in front of me—I should never lose sight of the most important thing...
|V.|
Spent and utterly done with all this fighting, I fall back against the sandy shores of the beach. My chest rises and falls heavily as I try to finally catch my breath. I don't know how long I've been fighting, but it certainly seemed like the longest I've ever lasted. When I try to sit back up, a pain runs up my leg. Well, that's certainly injured.
Though I could still fight if forced to, I take this respite for what it's worth and rest here on this shore. It's as I settle Ursa Major down beside me that a thought crossed my mind. Then another. And another. All of them having to do with what I just saw. Drawing my one somewhat injury-free leg against my chest, I hugged it against myself as a coldness that isn't coming from my surroundings takes a hold of me.
It's as those thoughts run rallies through my head that I feel my eyes begin to hurt again. They aren't burning, nor do I see that clarity from before. No, this time what I see through them is a glimmer. It's transparent and faint but it's there. And I recognize it for what it is.
Another one of you, huh?
It had activated without my meaning to while fighting, and what I saw was certainly shocking at first. The distinct forms those shadows seemed to take before my eyes were terrifying and saddening at the same time. Almost like I was seeing the hearts of the people they originated from in their most vulnerable. But nothing compared to the figures I saw at the corners of my eyes following my every move.
Taking a deep breath, I speak up.
"Would you mind showing yourselves now?"
That transparent glimmer condensed into solid forms as two shapes took form before me. One of them I recognize almost instantly. It would've been something if I didn't after having seen her so many times in both Haruka's memories and the ones we had found during this whole journey. So when the other Ayano, Ansem the Wise's daughter, showed me a weary smile while surrounded by a blue-green glittery haze, I returned the gesture. The other one, I recognized simply because it'd become too ingrained in my mind after that last memory. The little blonde girl of maybe nine that I had seen imprisoned in that test tube now stood before me in a haze of glittering coral colors. Her eyes mirrored that same gentle color just obscured a little by the tresses of blonde hair that escaped the little side ponytail that held it.
Though distinct, they reminded me of that one boy that had led me through Hollow Bastion that one time. To be frank, if it weren't for those colorful clouds surrounding them, I would've definitely thought they were here with me.
A dry chuckle escapes me when I rub my temple to try and relieve some of the pressure behind my eyes. It doesn't do much.
"I know that it's a stupid question at this point but...why can I see you?"
Ayano is the one to answer that question, and when she spoke her voice didn't echo. It was clear as day as it sounded off in my mind. Almost like she was actually there. "When you took back all those powers from Teobaldo, you took one back for yourself as well. The Perceiving Eyes allow you to see the true form of beings regardless of realm."
Nodding when I understand the gist of it, I turn towards the little girl as she crouches before me. "You're the little girl they took to be the replacement for my body, aren't you?" She chuckled at my description. The sound of it was bubbly and genuine and it pained me to hear her laughter. "What's your name?"
"Peltier, but my friends and family call me Pelty. Well, called me."
That wrung my heart even more. "Do you remember what happened?"
Pelty shook her head. "All I remember is wanting for my big brother to be happy and not be sad anymore. Next thing I know, I'm awake but I'm acting strange. My body didn't move like I want it to. My voice talked when I didn't mean to talk. It took me a while to understand who you were and what happened to me, but once I did, it was really calming, for some reason."
"I don't understand how you're still conscious despite me taking over your body…"
"That would be my fault." We both turn to Ayano then as she looks at us with that same weary smile. "When you got in touch with me, whatever piece of my heart was still left in you was somehow strong enough to awaken Peltier's heart. But because of how strong your heart is, you never noticed her despite her being there for a very long time experiencing everything you did."
Her words take a moment to sink in and I heave a sigh because of it. It would be one thing for neither my heart nor body to be mine. It's a whole different thing that the heart of the body they took was somehow still alive as well, unable to act in any way, shape or form. As that all sunk in, a thought surfaced to my mind.
I truly am a monster.
Suddenly the sorrow and regret that had surfaced to the forefront changed rapidly into doubt and self-hatred. Before I knew it, it urged me to pick Ursa Major up and throw it as far as my tired arm could muster towards the sea. It wasn't that far. It simply splashed loudly into the shallow waters. I watched it sink into the murky waters, my hands clamored against my head wanting all these horrible feelings to just disappear.
"I'm sorry…" I sob, unable to do even that as they escape in tears instead. "I shouldn't—I don't deserve to be alive. Not when it took away everything from you both."
"Don't say that." Ayano's voice is soft as she rises from her spot and comes to sit beside me. "Despite what you may think, your existence is a light that brought so many people together. More than just the Rescuers and my family, it brought you friends and a family of your own. Even with everything that happened—even when taking my own life meant I forfeited my chance to be the Rescuer you became—I owe a big debt to you, Aya. It was through you that I got to see so many people that I never thought I would see again. You guided me back to Haruka, Ienzo and Kairi and gave me my one chance to speak to my father one last time. And it wasn't just me that you helped."
At that, Pelty skipped over to my other side and took a sit there as Ayano continued.
"Despite being in a body that possessed a heart much weaker than your own, your heart didn't destroy it. Instead, it nurtured it and saved it from disappearing into oblivion. So you see, even with everything that interfered with our fates, it all fell neatly into place in a way. Maybe not the way we would have wanted it but certainly the way it needed to be. And even if that doesn't assuage your worries, this may. Unlike me, Peltier is still whole. You just need to find a way to either give her heart a new body or find a new one yourself. Either way, it is doable. Peltier can be saved. You only need to find a way to do it."
Suddenly, her blue-green eyes became sullen as they fell to gaze at the ground. "And after I'm gone, it would make me very happy to know that you both made it safe and sound." That declaration left both Peltier and I astounded. Ayano only chuckles before leaning her cheek on her knee while turning to us. "Don't be so surprised. What you're both talking to right now is but a tiny piece of Ayano's heart that preserved itself in Aya's heart. During this journey, you and Aurelius freed the scattered pieces that were left.
"So...there isn't any helping you, after all—" My words are cut short when my sudden sobbing interrupts me.
Ayano nods solemnly. "And you knew that already. No one can be brought back after they've died." Before I can retort with anything at all, Ayano rises from her seat before leaning over to embrace me. It's something strange to be hugged by a person who doesn't have a physical body anymore. When she wraps her transparent arms around my shoulders, I don't feel it on my skin, but I do sense her somewhere deep in my chest. "But that doesn't matter to me. I'm glad that my heart gave life to someone as special and loving as you, Aya."
A small gasp sounded beside us. "You're disappearing."
True to Peltier's words, Ayano's body was beginning to be swallowed by the haze as it turned into swirls of golden dust that disappeared into nothing. Just as she's about to vanish completely, a grand smile spreads across her face while small tears swell at the corners of her eyes. "Ursa Major and Emma made the right choice in choosing you." The golden dust disappears into the air as her last words echo in my head.
"Believe in yourself, Aya. You'll find them again soon. I'm sure of it."
The quiet that surrounded us then lasted for a few moments before I face Peltier's figure. "Will I be able to see you when I use these powers?"
Taken aback, it takes a moment for her to reply with a nod. "When you can't, just know I'm within you. Kinda like Rin is." She smiles kindly before standing up and pointing out not far from where I sat towards where Ursa Major had washed ashore. "For now, I guess all you can do is keep moving forward." With a chuckle, she skips over to the blade before turning to me, "See ya, Aya-nee!"
She bursts into sparkles of coral pink that vanish into nothing. It shocks me briefly until I feel what she meant. She's definitely there in my heart now. What a strange feeling it is to harbor someone else's heart in my own. It would need some getting used to, but I surely could be comfortable with this while I searched for a way to bring her back. Pulling myself off of my butt, I scrambled over to Ursa Major, wiping off the wet sand that sticks to it when I lift it up from the ground.
What an idiot I am. This is the legacy Emma and Ayano had left behind for me. They saw the best in me and what I could do and chose to bestow this power upon me.
Think you have another adventure in you, Rin?
That stoic voice that had at first haunted me from my childhood now laughed at my sarcasm, her voice gentle and genuine as she spoke. "I always will so long as it is with you, Master."
A small smile spread across my face as I turn towards Aurelius. "Come on, Aury. We should get going." The golden spirit hovers over to me and wraps its tail around my neck before settling on my shoulder. Somehow dispelling Ursa Major, I attach its Keychain to my bracelet that's shining brightly in the darkness.
If anything will take me home, it's this.
Your gift has helped me many times over, Naminé. Here's to it doing it one more time.
With that small prayer, I take a few steps forward intent on leaving this shore when the faint sound of footsteps pattering against the sand reach my ears. There isn't time for me to say or do anything before a voice calls out to me.
It's weak and exhausted. More than a little dumbfounded. But with the sound of something in their voice that speaks loud and clear to me.
"Who are you?"
"Hope."
A/N:
Thank you to every single one of you who has been with me since I started not just Curse of Ursus almost three years back now back in January of 2017, but to all of you who have followed since the beginning of this long series back during 2013. It's been one of my biggest projects of the decade that I have loved writing every step of the way.
This sounds like a goodbye message but, rest assured, it's everything but that. Despite the Masked Liar Saga (the name I gave it in my head) wrapping up with this installment, Ayano's story is far from over as you can very well tell from this epilogue. Ever since KH3's release and the announcement of the DLC, I've been continuously thinking about what will come next for this character of mine. Certainly goods things, I'm sure, as well as bad. I'm slowly working on that outline for the new story but it will take time before I post anything again for KH. If anything, now that I have a more concrete idea of what I want this story to be, I will eventually revisit all previous installments and rewrite/reedit/retcon as I comb through before not only replacing them here but also uploading them as a full series over at AO3 (xeveningx). It's something to look forward to while I come up with the next story.
Before I leave you all for the time being, I would like to say thank you to a very important person. One who, without them, this whole story would have not been what it is today. Thank you, Antex. You were one of those constant reviewers since the early days of this series and when you reached me about wanting for me to possibly have an OC of yours appear on it, I was easy to agree. At first, I didn't think they would be much more than a side character. Now look at him. Akio's become quite the prominent keystone to this series now. I hope that I did him justice with his first appearance in this story and hope that you'll continue to allow me to write him alongside Ayano in the stories to come. Curse of Ursus may have ended, but Akio will continue on with the rest of the cast wherever their adventures lead.
Thank you all, again. Whether you've been here stories before, during the beginning or middle of this one, or joining us on the tail end, I have nothing but gratitude and love for you . I write because I love to do it. That you enjoy my stories is the greatest joy that love gives me.
Now, I'll say it one last time (for now). Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed the double update and the ending of this story, and that you stay tuned for the next installment of Ayano's story.
Till next time, lovelies~
- Evie