Chapter 8: The Next Game

Spared from oblivion, Sora found himself somewhere else.

His eyes opened and saw the night sky, filled with stars that were a welcome sight. He was laying on his back, as though he had been sleeping, though for how long he couldn't tell. Sora turned his head left, then right, and saw the featureless sea that reflected the sky in every direction. It was the Final World, though during the night instead of the day, and there was no sign of Chirithy. Sora sat up, checked himself over, and was relieved to find that he was all here. He stood up, and while the view was beautiful, there was no one anywhere nearby.

Still, it couldn't hurt to call out, and Sora cupped his hands by his mouth to make his shout louder. "Hey! Is anyone out there?! Hello!"

For a moment Sora put one hand to his ear to listen, on a vain hope that someone had heard him.

"Hey."

Surprised, but pleased, Sora looked for the source of the voice. "Who's that?"

"Where are you?"

Now certain the voice was real, Sora called out again. "Over here!"

Sora started running, even though he wasn't certain if he was running in the right direction.

"I see you."

By now Sora could see someone materialize in front of him, though from far enough away that he couldn't be certain how this young man got here. At first Sora was reminded of Riku, having similar white hair and similar clothes to his best friend. The key difference was this young man's eyes, the left one red and the other blue, both observing Sora as he came into view. Sora stopped when he was close enough to see this young man clearly, and he was more than a little puzzled at first, since he recognized this person as a fictional character of a video game.

"Hey," Sora said. "Aren't you-"

"You know me?" the stranger interrupted.

"Yeah," Sora said, now certain this must be the same person. "You're Yozora, right?"

"How do you know that?" Yozora asked. "Who are you?"

Sora pointed a thumb at his chest. "I'm Sora. And actually, there's something I have to ask you-"

"Sora?" Yozora interrupted. "You're Sora?"

"Huh?" Sora muttered. "You know who I am?"

"Sure, I've heard of you," Yozora answered.

That just gave Sora more questions about where he was and what was going on. "If you're here, then this can't be the real world, can it? But maybe you are real after all."

It seemed that Yozora had patiently waited for Sora to finish this time. "Are you done?"

Sora nodded.

"Nom this isn't the real world, and I am here," Yozora confirmed. He pointed to himself. "But this isn't what I really look like. How'd you recognize me as Yozora?"

"Huh?" Sora muttered, not understanding what Yozora meant.

The next question Yozora made was even more baffling. "Why are you using Sora's name?"

"Because…" Sora said, unsure of what kind of answer Yozora wanted. "I am Sora."

"If you are who you say, and it was fate that brought us here," Yozora said. "Then… my path is clear."

In a flash of orange light a weapon appeared in Yozora's right hand, a high tech crossbow with orange lines throughout it, which he aimed at Sora. Then bright light shined beneath both of them, which then took the form of the stained-glass circle from Sora's Station of Awakening, both of them facing the center of the circle. The world beyond changed, from every horizon and spreading inward, skyscrapers appearing in flashes of light, until an entire city came into existence. The last to fade was the stained-glass circle, which was absorbed by the roof of a cylindrical building. Bright lights and loud sounds of the city assaulted Sora's senses, and he braced himself until he adjusted to the new setting. Yozora still had his crossbow aimed at Sora, but hadn't pulled the trigger just yet.

"Hey! Wait!" Sora pleaded.

It seemed that Yozora believed he should give some kind of explanation. "I accidentally wandered into this place, and went through some trials. Then, I was told to 'save Sora.'"

"Then what's with the weapon?" Sora demanded.

Another weapon was in Yozora's left hand, a sword that unfolded into its proper shape, with an edge that glowed with orange light. "Time to end this."

Sora summoned his keyblade and readied himself for a fight, and saw Yozora dash forward to attack first. He raised his keyblade to block, but didn't need to, as Sora was yanked backward before Yozora's sword could connect. A tunnel of light enveloped Sora as he was pulled through it, and not knowing why it appeared or where it led. The last thing Sora saw was Yozora, seemingly content with being denied this confrontation, as though certain it would happen sooner or later. Sora was soon enveloped by light, letting it take him away from this strange place.

"No! I won't let him go!"

The tunnel of light gave way to the natural light of day, and Sora crashed into someone behind him, which in turn collided with others further back. He looked up and found a familiar face. "Kairi!"

Rising to her feet, Kairi offered a hand. "Welcome back."

Sora accepted the hand and let Kairi help him up, and he found that he was back in the Keyblade Graveyard, surrounded by friends. "I thought I was gone for good this time."

"Not while I can still bring you back," Kairi promised.

Everyone was getting back on their feet, having been knocked over when Sora and Kairi collided with them, and Riku was the first to rise. "Are both of you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Sora answered. "At least, as long as I don't use the power of waking again."

Mickey was there, and he looked back at everyone else gathered here, including those that had once needed the power of waking to be restored. "I think we will be fine without it."

"Does that mean it's finally over?" Axel asked.

"Yeah. Xehanort is gone, and we can all go home," Sora said. He smiled at Axel. "Got it memorized?"

Axel smiled back. "Sure do."

Roxas tapped Axel on the elbow. "Come on. The clock tower's waiting."

Xion leaped up to wrap one arm around Axel's shoulders, using her weight to lower him down to Roxas's height so she could hug them both. "The ice cream is on me."

While those friends planned their traditional outing, Namine walked up to Sora and Kairi. "I'm glad you made it back."

"Glad to be back," Sora said. Seeing her remined him of what he had promised to do, and now that the fighting was over he had no reason to delay. "Namine, thank you. I may not remember what for, but my heart tells me it was something very important."

Namine simply smiled. "It was. And I would like to tell you someday."

"Anytime you want to, I'll be there to listen," Sora promised.

That was when Kairi realized they would have a problem leaving the Keyblade Graveyard. "Hang on. Wasn't the gummi ship destroyed in all the fighting? How are we going to leave?"

Off in the distance a voice called out. "Over here!"

It was Goofy, waving an arm as he approached from elsewhere. He wasn't alone, having Donald beside him, both of them recovered after the battle. Likewise, Yen Sid and Merlin were with them, a little more weary than usual but still healthy enough. They were using their magic to haul the pieces of the gummi ship behind them, having been collecting them on the way here. They picked up the pace when they saw Sora and the others, bringing the gummi ship fragments with them until the two groups were reunited.

Immediately Sora was embraced in a hug with Donald and Goofy, and all three of them laughed at their mutual good fortune. "I'm glad you two made it out okay."

"You couldn't get rid of us that easily," Donald said with a smile.

"Yeah, you're stuck with us whether you like it or not," Goofy added.

Meanwhile, the wizards got to work rebuilding the gummi ship, which was a surprisingly easy task to complete. The individual gummi blocks could be attached in any configuration one desired, so it was simple to adjust the design to accommodate any missing pieces. In only a few minutes they had the gummi ship rebuilt and ready to take everyone away from the Keyblade Graveyard. However, that wasn't the end of their troubles with arranging transport, as Axel was quick to point out once the wizards were finished.

"There's too many of us to fit in there," Axel said. He quickly counted up everyone here, including those that had not been in the gummi ship when they arrived. "We barely crammed in ten on the way here, how do you expect us to fit fifteen people in there?"

"We brought our own transportation," Merlin answered.

Yen Sid raised one hand to the sky. "We'll see you back in Radiant Garden."

With a flash of magic, both wizards left to get some much needed rest.

"They have the right idea," Aqua said. She pressed the pauldron on her left arm, which made her armor appear in a flash of light. "And we do have somewhere else we need to visit first."

Likewise, Ventus made his armor appear, and then his keyblade. "We'll meet up with you guys after we're done."

Terra followed suit, and once his armor had appeared he threw his keyblade into the air for it to transform into his glider. "It's a personal thing, you understand."

The three students of Eraqus took to the air on keyblade gliders, which had everyone else wondering if they could do the same one day. But that was a lesson for another time, and for now the ten remaining people entered the gummi ship to leave. It was standing room only within the cockpit, but it was a discomfort they could tolerate for the short trip back to Radiant Garden. With Goofy at the controls the gummi ship flew into the air, and passed through the veil that separated a world from the void in between.

However, Mickey quickly noticed a problem as he looked forward to search for the path home. "Wait. Where are the pathways?"

Riku looked outside, and he only saw the empty void ahead. "Did the Realm of Light reset again? Like after Ansem was defeated?"

At the back of the cockpit, Axel turned around to look behind, and he tapped Roxas on the shoulder. "Whoa! Take a look at this."

The gummi ship turned to provide a better view, and there was a collective gasp inside the cockpit. As to be expected there was a world behind them, but it was not the Keyblade Graveyard, or rather not all of it was the Keyblade Graveyard. A massive world loomed behind them, so large that it seemed impossible to go around. Not that anyone would need to, for all the locations any of them could wish to go were here. From the Land of Departure to Twilight Town and everything in between, every known world had been joined together, with the appearance of a Patchwork Earth.

The sight of it took Sora's breath away. "Huh…"

"So that's what the World should look like," Kairi said.

Roxas turned toward her. "What do you mean?"

"My grandmother used to tell me stories of what the World used to be like," Kairi answered. She laughed and shook her head. "Long ago, there was only one World, and it broke apart into the worlds we know. Now, it seems they have come back together."

Only one explanation came to mind for Riku, and he looked at Sora. "Do you think this has anything to do with what we did in Scala ad Caelum?"

"It was inside Kingdom Hearts…" Sora admitted. "And if the first Keyblade War broke the World into pieces, it is fitting for the second Keyblade War to put the pieces back together."

"Not the outcome we were expecting," Mickey said. He spotted Disney Castle and its surrounding lands on a peninsula next to the Caribbean. "But one we can deal with."

"Later," Sora insisted. He found the Destiny Islands in the middle of this world's largest ocean, equal distance from the Land of Dragons and San Fransokyo. "Right now, let's go home."

Ending Theme Plays

At Disney Castle, it was a private celebration for the return of the king.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy entered from the gummi ship hangar, through the hidden entrance in the hedge castle in the courtyard. Minnie and Daisy were waiting for them, eager to welcome the returning heroes. The queen wiped tears from her eyes, and moved to embrace Mickey, only for Pluto to leap ahead and tackle the king to the ground. Mickey let Pluto lick his face for a moment, before finally letting up and allowing Mickey to finally hug Minnie. Daisy approached Donald, and glared as if to scold him, but then gave him a hug instead. Jiminy Cricket had tagged along on Goofy's shoulder, seemingly forgotten by everyone on this journey until now. Master Yen Sid had arrived as well, with Chip and Dale on his shoulders, to join in on the celebrations. Fireworks were launched into the night sky, so that the people would know that the king was back, with Mickey and his friends having the best view.

In the Land of Departure, there was a moment of silence for a fallen master.

Master Eraqus's keyblade had been placed outside the fortress, in a spot that had the best view of the area. The end of the keyblade was in the soil, the handle up in the air, with a wreath placed upon it. Aqua kneeled in front of this memorial, Terra and Ventus stood behind her, all three of them with a hand on their chests as they mourned their master. In each of those hands was a wayfinder, the good luck charms Aqua had made all those years ago, when everything seemed so simple. They placed the wayfinders on Eraqus's keyblade to complete the memorial, and they left the spot to go celebrate his life. Each of them took turns regaling tales of their master, both the good and the bad, remembering Eraqus for all he was before his passing. Along the way Ventus spotted movement, and when he investigated he found Chirithy, who had come to make new friends. Ventus welcomed Chirithy, who leapt into Ventus's arms, and was carried along to share in the moment.

On the clock tower in Twilight Town, an old tradition among friends was renewed.

Roxas and Axel were the first to arrive, and they were sitting on the ledge like they had done on many days during their year in the Organization. But they had ditched the black coats for more comfortable clothes, Roxas wearing the outfit he had in the virtual Twilight Town, Axel in loose-fitting black shirt and pants. They were soon joined by Xion, now in a new black blouse and white skirt, and she sat down with Roxas in the middle. At first Axel thought Xion forgot the ice cream, but then someone else handed it out, and everyone turned their heads to see Isa standing behind, recompleted and willing to make amends for his time as Saix. Isa sat down next to Axel at the end of the ledge, since he was the only one Isa truly cared about here. Even more people showed up, Hayner, Pence, and Olette came into view, having brought their own ice cream. They sat down on the other side of Xion, and with seven people here they occupied the entire ledge. They enjoyed their ice cream, each other's company, and the view of the setting sun throughout the evening.

In Radiant Garden, those that wanted to atone got to see the fruits of their labor.

Namine was brought to the castle there for a medical check-up, to make sure there were no lingering effects from her replica body being changed from another person. Ansem the Wise, Ienzo, and a recompleted Even conducted the examination, all three relieved that everyone that needed a replica had gotten one. Ansem the Wise apologized for how he treated Namine for a year, Ienzo apologized for not getting her a replica sooner, and Even apologized for his actions in Castle Oblivion as Vexen. Once they were finished they gave Namine a clean bill of health, and she could go out into the world as her own person now. Namine left the castle and was welcomed into Radiant Garden by Dilan and Aeleus, who offered to escort her to any part of the town. That wasn't necessary, as Riku was there with the gummi ship, as there was an appointment they needed to keep.

At the Destiny Islands, a gathering of friends finally got their beach party.

It was a few days later, and people were enjoying themselves on the playground island well into the evening. Riku, Ventus, and Terra were having a race around the island, with the finish line on the western beach, where Aqua called victory for Riku. Roxas, Isa, and Axel were playing a game of frisbee, though at one point Axel threw the disk too hard and it went into the water. Xion and Namine were at the edge of the water, playing with shells that washed up on the shore. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were building a sand-sculpture of Mickey, but so far they only had the head, shoulders, and ears completed. Donald was had just finished building a sand-sculpture of himself, though he had used magic to do so, and he took a post just like his sculpture. Goofy wasn't too impressed, but he still tried to warn Donald of the incoming frisbee, which demolished the sculpture and buried Donald in sand. Roxas tried to apologize after Donald dug himself out, but the court wizard still gave Roxas an earful of complaints. Mickey was amused by the banter, glad to have a moment of peace everyone could enjoy. Sora and Kairi were having a quiet evening on the smallest island, sitting on the bent palm tree and watching the sunset. They were holding hands, and turned to look into each other's eyes, glad to have this moment together. As the last rays of sunshine crossed the horizon, their lips closed in, but no one could see that as the night set in.

It would be a night they would never forget.

Roll Credits

Outside of Mount Olympus, the city of Thebes was being rebuilt.

Hercules was carrying a broken pillar out of a temple, the latest in many labors needed to restore Thebes to its former glory. Meg was waiting for him, and she wanted to give him a break, under the pretense of needing to show him something important. There actually was something to show him, an enormous statue of Hercules that had been rebuilt, better than before if Meg was not mistaken. The citizens of the city were here to congratulate him for all his work, both for defeating the titans and helping with the clean up afterward. Phil was trying to take some of the credit, being the person that trained Hercules, but no one was paying attention to him. Least of all the running monkey that bumped into him, followed by the parrot and the flying carpet chasing the monkey. Abu had taken a fancy vase from somewhere, and Iago didn't want that theft to get their entire diplomatic delegation expelled from Greece. Aladdin and Jasmine helped out with cleaning up the city, and they would forge a friendship with Hercules and Meg. Up on Olympus the Greek Gods had a visitor, Genie doing some magical tricks to entertain his good hosts, getting a laugh out of Zeus when Genie posed like the statue of Hercules. The real demi-god was posing in a similar fashion, flexing his arms in front of the people, and he got Aladdin to join in on the fun.

At Le Grand Bistrot in Twilight Town, business was booming amid a wave of new tourism.

Uncle Scrooge wasn't sure how he was going to fulfill so much demand, amazed by the sheer number of people waiting outside for a table. He went inside through the backdoor, ready to scold his employees if there were any delays whatsoever. But his top chef was on top of matters, having every meal cooking in just the right way for maximum satisfaction. Little Chef was even teaching new employees the finer aspects of cooking, including a teenage Alice on her first job as a waitress, along with a couple members of the Beagle Boys that wanted honest work. They were keeping up with the unexpected demand for fine dining, and as such were filling Uncle Scrooge's coffers with the profits of their labor. Alice brought out the orders for some local patrols, Seifer, Rai, Fuu, and Vivi, here on celebration after winning this season's Struggle tournament.

In Andy's Room, the collection of toys was reunited.

That was how Woody and Buzz knew that their world had been returned to its proper state, though unaware that it was now part of a much larger World. Rex and Hamm were reading through the Verum Rex strategy guide taken from Galaxy Toys, which they hoped Andy would assume to be a gift from one of his friends. The plastic army men were on the lookout as usual, and they signaled everyone when Andy returned to the house. The door started to open, and every toy immediately went to their passive states, appearing inanimate to Andy when he entered the room. Andy wasn't alone, having brought a new friend with him, an out-of-costume Hiro Hamada. The classic toys in the room gave Hiro various ideas for the team, and he could imagine Andy imitating either the cowboy or the spaceman if he ever needed to become a hero. Then he saw the Verum Rex strategy guide, which quickly led to Hiro and Andy playing the game in co-op mode and trying to clear the JRPG's tutorial level in under three hours.

Far out in the Caribbean, the Flying Dutchman sailed off into the high seas.

With a new captain in command of the restored ship, William Turner had said goodbye to his former life, now bound to the ship that guided the sea's dead to their final resting place. His newfound wife could only watch from an island, Elizabeth Turner watching the ship as it crossed the horizon with a green flash, only able to meet on land once every ten years. Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow and Mr. Gibbs were standing on a dock, having only a rowboat and a sail to traverse the seas, as the Black Pearl had been stolen by Barbossa once again. But then they spotted the Jolly Roger in port, its captain and crew on shore leave outside of Neverland for the first time in decades. Apparently those pirates had never needed to worry about their ship being stolen, and Jack was more than willing to take advantage of their oversight. Then it was Captain Hook watching his ship sail over the horizon, assuming Peter Pan was involved and cursing his name. With a hastily acquired ship and haphazardly assembled crew, Captain Jack Sparrow was at the helm with his compass in hand, following it toward the second star to the right and straight on till morning.

Late at night in San Fransokyo, Big Hero Six was called into action.

There had been an earthquake that caused a large traffic accident on one of the elevated freeways, and the team had been on patrol and closest to respond. Fred had his suit spray water to extinguish a burning car, so that the passengers trapped inside could escape. One of the support pillars began to crumble, but Honey Lemon had plenty of chem-balls to create fast-hardening goop to reinforce the pillar. Wasabi sliced apart an overturned truck, to clear a path for Go Go to carry civilians to safety. A pair of cars were teetering off the edge of the road, and one of them slid off, only to be caught by Baymax. Hiro was back in costume and riding on Baymax's back, where he could see the other car fall off the road. That one was caught by the other Baymax, and both robots placed the caught cars onto steady ground. Once the danger had passed the entire team gathered for a photo op, and amid the grateful public were some new faces and potential recruits. Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme had responded to the accident, but had been a bit too far away to help in time. Still, the two groups got to meet, which was enough to satisfy Joshua watching from a nearby rooftop.

At Monsters Incorporated, the CEO and top assistant were having downtime before a new work shift.

Mike wanted to scare his best friend for old time's sake, but Sully heard him coming and quietly turned around, showing off the sleeping Boo in his arms. The door to Boo's bedroom was powered up and ready to use, and with soft footsteps Sully and Mike returned Boo to her home. They placed her in her bed, tucked her into the blankets, and made one last look from the door before closing it. The door was returned to the vault, and the new workday began with a visitors' tour of the company. From a door with a pumpkin emblazoned on it, Jack Skellington and Sally emerged from Halloween Town, followed by the troublemakers Lock, Shock, and Barrel. The Pumpkin King was eager to see the history of this place, a site of mass-produced terror and harvest of scream, even if the current use was to collect laughs instead. Inevitably Lock, Shock, and Barrel got in mischief, to the annoyance of Mike, who had to deal with them while Sulley gave Jack and Sally the tour.

On the mountain outside Arendelle, there was plenty of fun to be had on its slopes.

Anna and Kristoff were sliding down the mountain on a sled made of ice, and Olaf passed them while sliding on his belly. An outcrop of rock served as a ramp to jump from, and all three of them went flying into the air. Further down Elsa saw them coming, and she created a spiral slide of ice to catch Anna and Kristoff and keep them sliding all the way down. Olaf missed the slide and kept on going straight through the air, falling apart along the way, and was caught by Marshmallow. They weren't the only ones enjoying a snow day, as the three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie spending their hard earned munny on the trip here and new snowboards. They were doing all kinds of tricks and flips down the mountain, sliding right past Elsa and Sven, drenching the latter in whipped-up snow.

In the Kingdom of Corona, there was a celebration for the return of the lost princess.

Maximus trotted in front of the mural that depicted the King and Queen holding the baby princess, watching the dance in the courtyard. Rapunzel and Eugene were at the center of attention, enjoying a slow dance in the lull between more festive songs. Thousands of paper lanterns had been released into the sky to mark the occasion, so that the entire kingdom would know that Princess Rapunzel had returned. Royalty from other kingdoms had come to meet her, such as Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, and their respective princes. All four of them would become the queens of their respective kingdoms someday, and it was best to forge friendships now. But that was for another day, as right now the celebrations continued, with Eugene enjoying his dance with Rapunzel, eventually asking her to marry him.

Within the Hundred Acre Wood, long-time friends rebuilt their home.

Today they were remaking Rabbit's garden, with him directing the others to use their talents in the right ways. Such as Gopher tilling the land, Tigger bouncing so that his tail made holes for seeds, which Pooh and Piglet planted, followed by Roo helping Lumpy spray water to irrigate the garden. When they were finished they admired their work, something they could all take pride in accomplishing together. They were about to tend to something else when Piglet spotted Owl in the air, flying toward the garden to reunite with his friends. Then Kanga returned from a vacation with Eeyore, both of them wondering what had happened while they were away. This was a reunion that was long overdue, and one that they enjoyed all day long.

In Radiant Garden, a celebration was held for the completion of the world's restoration.

Ansem the Wise hosted the festivities in his castle, with most of his recompleted apprentices in attendance. Dilan and Aeleus were off duty for once, being ordered to enjoy themselves for once in their lives. Ienzo was enjoying the appetizers while listening to the music, provided by Demyx and a band he had gathered together at the last second. The most surprised person to be here was Even, who thought he hadn't fully redeemed himself, but was personally invited by Ansem the Wise. At the center of a dance floor were Leon and Yuffie, the former starting to use the name Squall again now that his work was done, the latter having convinced him of that. Next to them were Cid and Aerith, sharing a dance for a moment before switching to other partners. On a balcony outside Cloud and Tifa were looking up at the stars, sharing a peaceful moment that they had earned several times over. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, the Gullwings hovering high and behind them. They got to see the older Zack walk onto the balcony, where he could share a reunion with Cloud and Tifa, all while the ghostly image of Auron nodded in approval from higher up the castle.

Post Credits Scene

It was quiet in the Keyblade Graveyard, but not entirely abandoned after the battle.

Maleficent woke up to the sandy wind brushing against her face, sore all over and feeling a rather sharp pain in the back of her neck. She planted her staff into the dirt for support, using it to help rise to her feet, as she was very weary after a very long day. Very heavy footsteps were approaching, and she turned to see Pete walking toward her, in similarly rough shape as she was. Maleficent would never admit it, but she was glad the big lug had survived, since despite his incompetence Pete was the only person truly loyal to her.

Pete stopped and stood next to her. "Well, what now?"

"I think we've earned some rest," Maleficent said. She was about to conjure a portal for them to leave, but then she spotted something falling from the sky. "Wait, do you see that?"

It was a keyblade, the same keyblade that Master Xehanort had used until he had acquired the x-blade, now without a master to command it. This dark keyblade crashed into the dirt, its point in the soil and its handle in the air, as though to encourage people to come and claim it at this crossroads. And claim it someone did, someone in a black coat, who grasped the dark keyblade and pulled it from the soil. This person examined the dark keyblade from hilt to end, as though it were an old friend that had been lost for a long time.

"Finally, back where it belongs."

He stood at the center of the crossroads, where five paths intersected, with a large black box behind him. Sand stirred within four of those paths, swirling around as though in very localized storms, with the sand so dense it could not be seen through. Each one had a figure appear within the swirling sands, and they emerged into the Keyblade Graveyard, the sands settling behind them. They wore ornate cloaks, three of them in various shades of brown, the fourth in shades of pink and white. Underneath their hoods they wore masks, though each was a fashioned after a different animal, including a bear, a leopard, a snake, and a unicorn. These four people surrounded the man in the black coat, though he was the only one to recognize everyone on sight.

The man in the unicorn mask was the first to ask the obvious question. "Did you summon us back?"

The man in the black coat nodded. "Yep."

Unicorn mask glanced at the dark keyblade, recognizing that at the very least, and got a brief look under the black hood. "Is that you, Luxu? You look different."

A hand moved up to pull the hood away, and it was Xigbar that revealed himself. "Haven't heard that name in a long while. These days they call me Xigbar, but hey, whatever suits you."

The woman in the snake mask was certainly skeptical. "Is it… really you?"

"Yeah," Xigbar answered. "But some time ago, I had to cast my old form away. Been through plenty more semblances since, but it's still me underneath it all."

"What happened?" the big man in the bear mask demanded. "Why are we here? You tell me."

"I had a role to play," Xibar answered, holding up his keyblade. "And after all those years, it's done."

"What role?" Snake mask asked.

Xigbar declined to answer that, instead choosing to remark on the fifth path where a person was missing. "I guess Ava didn't make it after all."

The young man in the leopard mask had been quiet until now. "Meaning what?"

"I told her, clear as day, what it is I had to do," Xigbar answered.

"And is that why you decided to exclude her?" Leopard mask asked.

"As if," Xigbar denied. "Ava had her own mission, and she carried it out."

"I've heard enough!" Bear mask shouted. "Luxu, what was your role?"

Xigbar made a light laugh as he thought about how to answer that, and he turned back toward the large box behind him. "I hope you long stories."

Watching this gathering from afar, Maleficent and Pete finally found the box they had been searching for. However, as much as they would like to swoop in and simply take the box now, such an act would only lead to failure. Both of them were in no condition for another fight, and the four strangers in robes were fresh and possessed unknown abilities. Fortunately, they would not be going anywhere soon, as they had all the time in the world to listen to Xigbar's tale of the Second Keyblade War. It was time Maleficent could use to rest, recover, and learn about her new enemies.

The box and all its secrets would belong to Maleficent, one day.

Secret Ending I

Normal Mode 100% Completion, or Clear Proud Mode

A week after the beach party, Sora, Riku, and Kairi got around to investigating the state of the World.

They had taken the gummi ship out to the void between, far enough to see through the void on either side of the Patchwork Earth. There they parked the ship in a good spot to look back, and they had all the time they could want to observe. A special telescope had been constructed within the cockpit, which allowed up close viewing of any part of the world even from this distance. They calibrated the telescope with viewings of familiar places, such as the Destiny Islands and Radiant Garden, and they could see those places as if they were there.

Right now Sora was viewing Notre Dame, now adjacent to the Castle of Dreams, standing side by side in the city of Paris. "I really hope people are getting along with their new neighbors."

Waiting for her turn to use the telescope, Kairi was drawing a simple map of the World, starting with outlines of the continents. "I'm sure they are more confused than anything else."

Casually looking outside, Riku studied the enormous ocean that surrounded their home, though from this angle he could only see its easternmost waters. "Could be worse. If we had tried to use that raft with the World like this, we would never have gotten anywhere."

"That is true," Sora admitted. He stood up and stepped aside, letting Kairi get her turn. "Take a look at Europe. That whole continent is a jumbled mix of places."

Kairi followed the advice and gazed at various parts of that continent, where various kingdoms now shared common borders. "One of these days we'll have to go down there and let everyone know what is going on."

"I think we can say goodbye to maintaining the world order," Sora said. He looked at one of the other continents, spotting the Deep Jungle next to the Pride Lands. "But I'm sure Donald would insist we try, even though it is impossible."

Riku's gaze drifted away from the World for a moment, but it was long enough to spot something out in the void. "Sora, turn the ship and take us that way. Something's there."

Immediately Sora hopped into the driver's seat and turned the ship in the direction Riku pointed, and the ship flew off toward the northern end of the World. "What did you- oh…"

A different perspective brought another part of the void into better view, which they hadn't bothered to look at until now. Jaws dropped at what they found, for there was another World out there, just as large as the one that was their home. This one had a similar outline of continents and oceans, but lacked the patchwork appearance of home, instead possessing a uniform development worldwide. Even from afar it was obvious this world was advanced, having cities like San Fransokyo to light up the night hemisphere, showing off the coastlines even in the dark.

There was one large island that immediately caught Sora's eye, just off the eastern coast of its largest continent. He took the spot at the telescope and turned it toward that particular island, and peered through to examine its city much closer. There were skyscrapers everywhere, with many billboards placed along every street, as well as many neon signs. Sora stopped when he found one sign that read 104, which was mounted on the side of a cylindrical building, which was the center of a place he had only briefly seen once before.

Sora slowly stepped back from the telescope. "Yozora…"

Secret Ending II

Proud Mode 100% Completion, or Clear Critical Mode

Right before Kairi could ask about that name, she spotted something else in the void between. "Guys… that's not the only one out there…"

Indeed, when Riku looked out into the void, he spotted other massive Worlds out there. Most of them were very far away, so far that the gummi ship would never reach them, especially before their home World had been recompleted. One of the closer Worlds was different from the two seen up close, as even from a distance Riku could tell that it was more than just one planet. He took the telescope and turned it toward that World, which let him see many different planets within a galactic expanse, and his gaze quickly settled on something made of metal and resembled a small moon.

That place sent a chill down Riku's spine, as if there was a disturbance. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Kairi had her sights on another World, which also had multiple planets within it, though it was centered on one similar to home. "Let me see that thing."

She got another turn on the telescope, and she turned it toward the primary planet in the World that caught her interest. A city under siege was the first thing Kairi found, and she caught glimpses of individuals that defended it. A man with iron armor in flight, an enormous green hulk of a man, a man with a hammer that conjured lightning, a woman with guns and a man with a bow fighting back to back, and a man with a round shield that returned after every throw. They fought together to defend their city, and perhaps their entire World from invaders.

"Looks like we're not the only ones with problems," Kairi said.

"Figures," Sora said, followed by a long sigh. "We finally bring peace to the World, only to find more dangers outside of it."

"We should report back," Riku suggested. "Mickey and everyone else should know about this."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. He took one more look at the first world they had found out here, wondering if that truly was Yozora's world. "We've got work to do."

A/N: Star Wars and MCU worlds have got to happen at some point, even if EA has to go bankrupt in order to free up the licensing rights first.

The reunification of the worlds was something I wanted to see happen at the end of Kingdom Hearts III, even though it had always been a pipe dream. It would have been a bookend to the established lore of the series. The first Keyblade War made a single world become multiple worlds, and the second Keyblade War would have brought those worlds back together. Granted, Disney was never going to approve that, but it is fun to think about the antics that would ensue if it did.

If it wasn't abundantly clear by now, I despise how Kairi was treated in the game. After all the talk since Dream Drop Distance about how she was training to use a keyblade, when the time came for her to participate in battle, she reverted to damsel in distress. When she dies I wasn't mad at Xehanort. I was mad at Nomura for thinking that killing Kairi to "motivate" Sora was a good idea. Then Re:Mind came and double-downed on Kairi's death, making the quest to resurrect her the central plotline of the DLC. The trailer had me hoping that Re:Mind would have given Sora another do-over, had him make different choices that would spare Kairi, but get him killed instead to justify his disappearance.

Speaking of Sora's disappearance, I understand why Nomura did that, but I disagree with it. Kingdom Hearts III is the culmination of everything in the series thus far, the end of the big bad that was behind everything that happened, and so it should have had a sense of finality to it. Instead the game introduces plotlines that go nowhere, most prominent being Maleficent and the box, as though it cares more about setting up future installments than on telling the current story.

That's enough ranting from me. I hope you all found this story enjoyable enough to stick around until the end.