Chapter Twenty-Three

The past several minutes were a blur of motion, attack and defense, action and reaction, brandishing magic and Destiny's Embrace. Had she been asked to recall specific events, Kairi would have been hard-pressed to come up with anything more than flashes of moments.

But one thing was certain: the oppressive weight of Darkness had lightened. It wasn't gone, not even close, but there were no more Heartless closeby. With that revelation, Kairi released her Keyblade and tried to calm her thundering heart.

"Kairi, you were great!" came the praise of a familiarly squeaky voice, one she hadn't heard in over a year. Donald, the magician.

"Oh?" she asked, still a bit distracted. She turned toward the trio, her gaze locking on Sora (SORA!) in particular. With a flash of realization, she felt the dried sweat clinging to her skin, could almost feel the weight of the grease in her hair. She must look like a wreck! She cast that thought aside as soon as it formed. Now wasn't the time! Even so, she couldn't help but flip her hair a bit.

She approached Sora, taking in all of the changes he'd gone through. His hair was a shade lighter, his skin darker. And he was tall!

"You really are different, Kairi," Sora said with his constant cheer, "but I'm just glad you're here."

"You and Riku never came home," Kairi explained. "It took me a while, but I came looking for you."

Sora seemed to wilt a bit, and looked away. "I'm sorry-"

He didn't get a chance to finish before she ran and wrapped him in a long-overdue hug. She squeezed him like never before, letting as much of her pent-up emotions out as she could. "This is finally real," she sighed. No more imaginings, no more wishes upon stars. He was here, now! And through it, she felt him relax, his hands settling over her hair and back. Now he was here.

After what may have been a moment or an eternity, Kairi felt a swell of Darkness, the familiar sign of a Dark Corridor forming. Riku …! She let Sora go and turned to face him just as Sora himself spoke.

"Wait, Ansem! I mean, Xehanort's Heartless." Huh? What was that about? "I never thought I'd see you again." He took his hand off of Kairi's shoulder and turned to fully face Riku. Clearly, he'd been ready to speak for some time. "Just thinking about all of the stuff you did makes me really mad." Okay, this was starting to get out of hand. Kairi took a breath to explain … "But …" She paused at that, curiosity winning out.

"But you saved Kairi, right? I mean, she did great out here. But you helped her get to this point, didn't you? I have to be grateful for that. Thanks." Kairi smiled, once again amazed at her Sora's capacity to forgive. Few, if any, could match him in that regard. And that she was the reason only made her heart even warmer.

Kairi waited for Riku to take a few more steps before tapping into her Light, spreading Keychains to snake along the ground and rise up to block his path in an impenetrable Barrier. She started toward him with a firmness in her gaze that would never yield. Just like when they were little. "Not one more step, Riku," she warned lightly, taking his hand to emphasize her point.

As she did, Kairi shivered at the feel of Darkness that surrounded him, something she had pointedly ignored before. This was far more than any illusion. It was deeper, and rooted in Riku's own beliefs. How in the worlds could she undo this, to reveal who he really was underneath it all?

Sora, Donald, and Goofy blanched at her words, and understandably so. "Kairi, what did you say?" Sora asked.

"You heard me," she smirked.

"I'm no one," Riku refuted, deepening his voice to imitate Ansem. "Just a castaway from the Darkness." Is that really how he saw himself?

"Sora," she almost begged, "come here. Say something to him!" As much as she hated to admit it, Sora knew more of what he'd been through than her. But more than that, they were a lifelong group — they needed to do this together.

Sora, still obviously confused but willing to trust her (she'd be happy over that later) approached the pair. Kairi looked up to Riku, thoughts whirling. This was more than an illusion, true, but maybe …

Kairi suddenly thought about her favorite story, the one her grandma would tell her. Even in the deepest Darkness … there will always be a Light to guide you. Guess it was time for her, a Princess of pure heart, to act as that Light. She took Sora's gloved hand in her own — "Here, you'll understand," being the only explanation she could give — and placed it on Riku's, making sure she kept contact with both of them.

Kairi looked to Sora with as much soft-but-firm conviction as she could. "Close your eyes." And he did.

I took a few moments, but in her mind's eye she could see Riku, as only himself, and see Sora's cheerful smile. She smiled with them, all of them finally reunited as their hearts understood what had fooled their eyes. For the briefest moment, Kairi felt her heart stir and the image of her friends was covered by someone else — a boy with spiky blond hair and a smile that rivalled Sora's, and a tall young man with chocolate hair and a solid, kind grin. What …?

The feeling was cut off as she felt Sora open his eyes. And as he fell to his knees and began to cry, rambling about how he had searched, Kairi's heart went out to him. She swallowed thickly and blinked back the burning around her own eyes, unwilling to cry during this reunion. Later, perhaps, but not now.

As Sora and his friends drew conclusions about Riku helping them, and as Riku explained his actions, Kairi kept silent and merely listened, piecing together what she could. It was only when Riku explained his condition that Kairi spoke.

"Does this mean you can't change back?" she asked. Not that it really mattered to her, but it couldn't be good for Riku's psyche to wear the face of a monster. Riku's explanation about still needing the power of Darkness didn't really answer the real question, and did little to reassure her about his mental health. But Sora's words that he was still Riku couldn't be more true. She nodded to him, supporting him just as he needed it.

"So how 'bout it?" Sora asked, mostly to Donald and Goofy. "Think we can handle one last rumble together? The King's waiting!"

"Yeah! Let's get going!" Donald cried.

Saix sneered at the image on one of the stronghold's computers. He'd seen and heard every word of the trio's little reunion, and some part of him ached over it. He thought about Axel, about Lea, and the tiniest part of him grieved. Seemed to grieve, he remembered, almost frantically. He was a Nobody, with no heart that could grieve.

So reminded, Saix shut off the monitor and readied himself for battle. Roxas had been strong, and Sora had only grown since then. It would take every ounce of moon-driven fury he could muster to crush him and his foolish friends — once and for all!

Kairi couldn't keep the faint frown from her lips as their group approached the second open room from the Proof of Existence. She, as well as the others, had been captured so easily and left Sora to fight the card carrying Luxord all on his own. Disappointment weighed down on her like a heavy blanket, urging her to question how far she had come.

A nudge at her elbow made her turn to face Goofy, walking behind her alongside Donald. The clumsy knight gave her one of his big old grins, a clear offer of silent understanding. Kairi smiled in return, a genuine smile. Of course, these two had been fighting alongside Sora for ages! They of all people would understand what she was feeling. And now that she thought about it, exactly how often had they been in that kind of situation? And yet, they never let it weigh them down.

Kairi turned back to face forward, clenching her fist in silent determination. Whatever happened, she would not be caught unawares again. No matter what, if Sora fought so would she!

The group finally emerged into the main chamber, coming across a familiar silhouette. Saix, claymore in hand, was gazing out the massive windows that made up one wall of the chamber, at the massive shape of Kingdom Hearts. He turned with an unsettling grin on his lips.

"Only you could have made it this far in one piece ... Roxas," he commented. Kairi bit her lip at the sound of that name, the name of the boy who had spoken in her mind. Who had acted as a link to Sora. Who was this "Roxas"?

"That's really getting old!" Sora cried, clearly frustrated with the name.

Donald and Goofy strode in front of Sora, their hands held out as if to shield him. "Yeah," Donald piped up, "he's Sora!"

Saix lifted his claymore, still wearing that sinister smile. With a flick of his wrist, the claymore's head expanded into fearsome blades. "Different name, same fate," he intoned.

Kairi knew a second before what he would do … and she jumped forward without thinking, summoning Destiny's Embrace to hand. Saix swung his claymore, sending a rushing wind at the group. Donald, as short as he was, was caught up in it and slid along the tiled ground. Riku, ever the quick thinker, moved to catch him and both were trapped by another powerful Barrier, separated from the main fight.

Kairi hardened her resolve and held her Keyblade in a two-handed grip she had learned toward the end of her training. "Round Two," she snarked, memories of her first fight with Saix (if one were generous enough to call it a fight) replaying in her mind. Like before, she prepared her magic. With Donald out of commission, she would have to be the mage in this fight.

"Do you feel it?" Saix asked. "The moon's power?" He leapt up and hung suspended in the air, crying "Moon shine down!" The chamber seemed to darken around him. Not Darkness of the heart, but a simple lack of natural light. Was he … absorbing the moonlight? With a burst of power, Saix was engulfed in an aura of white flames. He shouted in some unholy mix of strain, fury, and rapture, and slammed back to the ground with his hair spiked up and a fearsome rictus grin stretching his lips.

Like lightning, he rushed Sora, knocking the boy across the chamber. He struck at Goofy next, the knight barely catching the attack on his shield, and joining Sora in being flung across the room. On instinct, Kairi conjured a Barrier — just as Saix smashed into her. The Barrier absorbed most of the impact, but she still slid back a few feet … and the shield still cracked. Before Saix could attack again, the barrier shattered and sent him sliding back in turn, allowing her a bit of breathing room.

Kairi cast a quick Curaga over both Sora and Goofy, then cartwheeled to the side to avoid Saix's next barrage. But he didn't stop — he just kept coming, forcing her to keep rolling and wheeling out of the way of his savage assault. Every few attacks, he would leap up and hurl his claymore at her, the spinning weapon just barely missing its mark. Some small part of her registered that he kept summoning more, the rest laying discarded with their blades stuck in the battleground.

But she had no time to consider that amidst his brutal spree of attacks.

Taking a gamble, Kairi conjured the strongest Barrier she could, hoping to throw Saix off his game … but she had no reason to as Saix was slammed into the ground by one of his own claymores. In a flurry of strikes, Saix was beaten down and hurled across the chamber, his powerful aura vanishing without a trace.

In his place stood Sora, the deliverer of that furious onslaught. The claymore he had used dissolved into thorny wisps and he stumbled for a second before looking to her and smiling in reassurance. She smiled shakily back and forced herself to refocus. As one, all three of them converged on Saix, the combined assault forcing him further back.

After a few combinations each, Saix seemed to get his rhythm back. He rushed out of their way, striking Goofy in the process, and held his claymore in a loose grip. Gone was the berserker from before. Now he was calm, measured, more as she had seen of him before. His attacks, when he wasn't being blindsided by Sora's blade, Goofy's shield, or Kairi's magic, were measured and fluid.

And in that time, Kairi wondered what had happened to his power.

Saix flipped out of the way of their next attack, calm rage in his eyes. "I misjudged you," he commented. Then he floated up again, charging up as he did before. The aura returned, the rage in his eyes gone from cold to heat, and he slammed back down with a feral roar.

"Cover me," Kairi cried, as an idea struck her. Goofy rushed to her, acting as a defense while Sora distracted him. Saix seemed more focused on him anyway. Kairi concentrated and forged Keychains, hoping against hope that they would be able to contain him. If she could get ahold of him, that is.

Kairi shouted and cast the chains forward toward Sora's location, intercepting Saix as he attacked. The chains hit their mark and wrapped around him, and Kairi pulled her Keyblade back to lock them in place. There. With him immobile, maybe they could wear him down.

Clearly thinking along the same lines, Sora and Goofy rushed into deliver as much damage as they could. The plan worked … for a little bit. With a fearsome cry, Saix strained against the Keychains, his aura flaring even brighter than before. Kairi gasped as she felt the links breaking, and then they exploded, sending all of them flying back.

Kairi cast Curaga again and rolled to her feet, shaking off her daze. Saix stood where he had been, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face … and his aura of lunar power gone again. Kairi's eyes widened as she figured it out. He could only store up so much moonlight at a time, like the limits of any other magical reserve. And when he ran out, he needed time to prepare before he could harness it again.

Sora ran past her, battle cry echoing and Goofy in his wake. Kairi followed, a Pearl spell shining at the end of her Keyblade. They would win this!

Xemnas sighed as the peaceful aura of Kingdom Hearts — his Kingdom Hearts — washed over him. The fruit of countless hearts, countless hours of effort, hung in the sky in all its glory. With this, the source of all knowledge and power, he could finally begin to recreate the worlds in his own image.

Perfect worlds wrought by his perfect hand.

Submerged in this feeling of joy, Xemnas twitched at the feeling of … something wrong. His eyes flew open to gaze upon his creation … and he noticed something off. Something almost invisible against the brilliant golden glow of the great moon. A faint beam of energy had connected to his Kingdom Hearts.

Xemnas narrowed his eyes in thought. 'Someone is interfering. But who?'

"... Where is my heart?" Saix pleaded, before he was enveloped in Darkness and ceased to be.

Kairi watched with horrified fascination as the pseudo-man faded away. Sure, Master Yen Sid had theorized on what would happen if a powerful Nobody were vanquished, but … seeing it with her own eyes was something totally different. As Saix's words echoed in her mind, she couldn't help a brief stab of pity for him.

Brushing these thoughts aside, Kairi smiled at Goofy before looking to Sora as Riku and Donald approached the group. Sora glanced at her, his expression lost, before looking to Riku. "I don't get it. Why does everyone keep calling me Roxas?"

"Because, Sora," Riku replied calmly. "Roxas is your Nobody."

Kairi's eyes widened as bits and pieces of information jumped together in a cohesive whole. Sora's … Nobody? That … explained so much! His link to Sora, his ties to the Organization, even why Riku would be familiar with him!

"My … Nobody?" Sora cried. "But that's crazy! I never turned into a Heart-" He paused, coming to the conclusion himself. "Oh, right."

"It was when you rescued my heart, remember?" Kairi said, a faint smile masking the memory of the fear and heartbreak she had felt at the time.

As Riku explained the circumstances of Roxas's birth and time with the Organization, as well as his own clash with him, Kairi listened intently. But in the back of her mind, she was piecing together the answer to another puzzle. One related to a certain blonde lookalike of hers.

"Namine," Kairi whispered.

"Alright," Riku said, turning back to the exit. "Let's go." He glanced at her for a moment, his gaze determined. It seemed he had heard her, but he didn't speak. Which was another piece in her puzzle, really.

As the group followed him down the corridor to the Proof of Existence, Kairi looked at Sora and gently took his hand in hers, a silent offer of support. Without looking at her, Sora laced their fingers, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth even now. Kairi breathed easier knowing he would be alright after this revelation.

When they finally returned to the Proof of Existence, Donald pointed out that the orb of magic blocking the path upward was gone. Kairi thought back to her lessons in tethering long-term enchantments and wondered if the spell had been tied to the very members of the Organization, their deaths the only thing that allowed it to dispel.

The thought sickened her, made her want this to be over as soon as possible.

As they all climbed the steps and emerged onto an open balcony, they found the King and a mysterious man firing a beam of green energy at the Organization's Kingdom Hearts.

"Your Majesty!" Sora cried out.

"Sora," the man said, "the rest is up to you." he looked down, his gaze heavy with clear regret. "And Roxas, Namine — I doubt you can hear me — but I am truly sorry."

You are forgiven, DiZ. The words, in Namine's voice, echoed in Kairi's mind.

Namine looked down from further up the rampart, hidden behind the entrance to the higher corridor. She could hear everything, and she felt a tear run down her cheek. True, Ansem the Wise had been cruel to her. But he had provided sanctuary when she needed it most.

And really … who was she to judge cruelty after all of the things she had done?

As the scene played out further, and Ansem and Riku spoke of the old scientist's heart commanding him to stay, she tried to imagine what that must feel like. And then she felt a flare of Darkness, an echo of Kairi's own feeling, that could only belong to Xemnas. She peeked out from behind her hiding place, her sketchbook and a pencil in her hands, so that she could watch.

And remember.

Namine trembled with rage at the sight of the entity that had commanded Marluxia and his cronies before their defection, who was far more terrible than they could have ever hoped to be. The one who had single-handedly orchestrated all of Roxas's suffering, and furthermore, the suffering of countless others.

After Ansem and Xemnas's lengthy debate, the machine in Ansem's grip finally seemed to have had enough. The device flared with blinding light and exploded. Namine ducked behind the entrance to the corridor and waited for the light to fade away. When it did, she took one last look back and gasped. The faux-Kingdom Hearts had suffered from the machine, a massive glowing crater blasted in its center. And Riku had returned to his true form!

Namine finished her sketch, an image of Ansem and the king surrounded by Sora and his friends, and opened a Dark corridor to leave it in a special place. With that done, she began to make her way to toward the spire of the castle to aide Kairi and her friends one last time.

She may not have had a Keyblade or martial prowess, but she had her power. Her ability to alter the memories of those connected to Sora, and through their memories anything else about them. Such as their ideas and motivations. There was a certain dark witch and her bumbling lackey that could hold off the endless horde of Heartless climbing up the castle walls toward Kairi's Light.

If they were suggested the right motives.

As the group continued their ascent of the Castle That Never Was, Kairi could feel the Darkness mounting beneath them. More than that, she could feel it drawn to them, to her in particular, as they so rapidly gained on them. And in spite of herself, she began to worry about what they would be able to do in the face of it.

It was as they landed on the final metallic platform and approached the doorway that would lead them to the Castle summit, Kairi felt the tide of Heartless rise above their position like a cresting wave. She stopped and looked back, and the sight was terrifying. "Sora! Riku!" she warned, gesturing at what she knew would happen in seconds. And just like that, Shadows came pouring in through the windows of the Ruin And Creation's Passage to charge them like an ocean of Darkness.

"There's gonna be no end to this," Riku realized.

"Together we can stop 'em!" Sora countered, his endless optimism and faith shining through again and drawing a friendly scoff from Riku. And then in a flare of green fire, Maleficent and Pete appeared.

"Begone from here!" the dark fairy ordered. "Leave these creatures to us!"

As Maleficent and Pete argued, then bantered with the King and Sora, Kairi put a hand on her heart as she felt the presence of Namine. She felt … the girl's power resonating with these two. But how? And why?

Kairi shook it off as the dark would-be conquerors raced off to stem the Heartless tide. Who was she to complain when two threats chose to neutralize themselves in the face of an infinitely greater adversary. She turned and followed the group to the winding staircase that would lead them to the last member of the accursed Organization.

One way or another, this ended now.

Hey there, everybody! I cannot apologize enough for the hiatus that this story took. It's been over a YEAR! But with classes piling up and Kingdom Hearts 3 and other projects taking my attention, I couldn't muster enough focus on this to do anything about it. I sincerely hope that this update makes up in any way for that.

*I admit altered a bit of the dialogue during the Sora/Riku reunion to better capture Kairi's new state of mind as opposed to canon. I hope you all liked it.

*I actually enjoyed writing the Saix fight. It always bugged me that somehow Kairi was pushed back by that wave of air when tiny Donald Duck was just fine - so I decided to switch it up a bit. Plus, Kairi's still a magic-focused Keybearer, she's the best to take his place.

*I was eager to sneak in that last bit of Namine at the end. She was downsized so much after CoM, even more than Kairi. I wanted to give her a way to contritbute to the overall climax, and this popped in my head. Plus, it fits with her powers perfectly.

Leave a review if you liked it! I can only hope to muster the energy and inspiration to complete this work. And I have an idea for the ending that would totally fly in the face of KH3, but in the best way. Let's hope I can get there.